Feeling like this was one hugely successful day of park touring, I head back to the lockers and get my clothes. I go into the bathroom and change into my dinner attire. I get my hundred thousand dollar deposit back and stroll out of the park. The Animal Kingdom Lodge bus picks me up and moments later Im seated in Jiko, about thirty minutes earlier than my reservation.
The menu looks good today, especially this wacky shrimp dish that Ive never eaten before. The waitress assures me that it is delicious, so it gets ordered.
I cannot believe, for as often as I helped others, for as appreciative as 99% of them were (stupid Dinosaur lady), that no one reciprocates the offer. I know they see me, stretching out my arm, straining my neck, and grinning at the camera as the flash illuminates my teeth. And here I am, in Jiko, arm stretched out as far as it will go, mad Chestshire Cat grin on my face, flash bulbs blinding me and those behind me. I do this several times. Yet no one offers. But here is one of the better shots I took:
I think this photo really captures my inner beauty.
Finally I break down and ask the waitress if she would please take my picture.
The picture that she takes turns out crappy anyway, so I wont bother posting it. But I force a smile, nod, and tell her it looks great. Cuz its only a lie if you dont believe it.
The food arrives.
It looks beautiful and it is very flavorful. But the taste doesnt wow me. It certainly doesnt live up to my waitresss praise. I chalk it up to personal taste, because it really had some complex and strong flavors that would normally please my palate. Just not today, I guess. When Im finished with my meal, its still quite early
maybe seven oclock or so.
I like the nightlife. I got to boogie.
I notice that it is raining a bit. But today seems like a great day to head over to Magic Kingdom. Sure, theyre having Extra Magic Hours tonight. But I have no expectations. I just want to walk around and absorb the atmosphere. Maybe take some family pictures.
Magic Kingdom is exactly what you would expect in the middle of the summer on a Extra Magic Hour evening. Crazy busy. Actually, I swear that Ive seen it busier in October, but it was still pretty busy. I wander around, noting that the wait times for most rides us around an hour or so. Peter Pan is 70 minutes. No problem, I didnt come to ride anything, really. I walk over to Splash Mountain. Who knew that there was a bridge on the other side of the big hill where you can watch people get splashed at the bottom? Okay, you can all put your hands down. Obviously I didnt. I park myself there and watch boat after boat splash down. People inside the boats have one expression: pure joy. You cant help but feel happy when watching this. It suddenly becomes my favorite pastime. The best splashdowns are the folks that dont expect to get wet
and then get soaked. Their faces are priceless. I swear I must have stood on that bridge for thirty, forty minutes. It was so much fun I didnt want to leave.
Eventually I do pull myself away from the bridge. I am ready to go back to the resort.
Easier said than done.
After finding the POFQ bus stop, I wait. And wait. The line is filling up, person by person. And then
someone in a wheelchair pulls up. And we wait. And
a person in an
ECV pulls up. And we wait. And finally, the bus arrives.
My feet are killing me at this point, but we have more waiting to do. They, of course, have to load the handicapped folks on first. I hear a groan from the lady next to me. I cant blame her. While you cant be mad at the folks who need the wheels, I tend to get irritated at Disney for not making more sophisticated methods to get this equipment on the bus in an efficient manner. We stood for another eight minutes or so while we waited for the handicapped folks to get on the bus, for the chairs to get on the bus, for the chairs to get locked into place, and to get the bus other folk ready. The process is pretty slow and clumsy. When the second woman, after getting loaded into the bus, got out of her seat, we see her literally hop up the bus stairs and into a seat. The groaning lady next to me was beside herself. Did you see that? she asked her family member. She
jumped up the stairs. Can you believe her? She was furious.
I was just tired. Get me home, bus. I would even settle for my resort room.
Day 8: Too much of a good thing
Part 1. Never berate a bear.
Do I need to get ready to change ADRs again? 
I couldn't get an ADR for our AK day! I'll keep trying, though.
Keep trying! It's worth it!
Needless to say, we had to wait for 2 more buses before we got on one. 
Isn't there a women's forum where this kind of information can be dispensed (and avoided by men)?
