~Our March 'Just Engaged',freezing,and full of surprises trip~Updated 6/23 p.76

Tiger's are my DH's favorite animal, so we spend lots of time watching them. However, I hate the bats. I was so freaked out in there! I lasted about 1 minute before I had to leave. I will look at pictures of them, but I don't like being near them. Same thing with birds....I love looking at birds, but I don't like them flying around my head. I guess it's because at the zoo one time, I got pooped on...and it was my birthday! I will NEVER go to the Flights of Wonder show at AK. No thanks.

I've heard such wonderful things about that coffee/tea place in AK. I want to try a frozen drink in Sept.
 
:lmao: it does make it more fun to yell! Chris will yell, "OMG I'm so scared for this ride to go upside down!!" on EE to hopefully scare the ppl who have never been on it before since it doesn't actually go upside down :laughing:

:rotfl: That's hysterical!

I love watching the bats & tigers. Where is this that the birds are flying & running around free, is it where the bats and tigers are? I don't remember ever seeing them, I must've missed them, which is a good thing- I don't like birds flying over my head :laughing:
 
I love your pictures!! (not of the birds and bats so much bc I am terrified lol but they are still good pics)

I just texted my friend while reading about the birds and bats and told her that on our trip I will be skipping that portion bc I practically freaked out seeing your pictures lol

Where is this tea stand and do they have chai tea? It will be hot when we are there but it may be worth it to stop there later in the evening or on our last day (we have a morning breakfast adr before we head back home) to get some if they do... but I don't like cold tea that much.
 
He would hang there upside down…then one time, he reached up with his “hands” to hang up right side so he could…uh…relieve himself. It was so funny seeing him hang right side up so he wouldn’t get anything on his face. HAHA.

I've read here on the DIS that the relief you describe isn't the only kind of self-relief they engage in. Apparently it's rather X-rated. :scared1:

I'm glad none of them were doing that when I was there.

Soon we were walking and saw this guy:

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It was so cool seeing one just out walking around.

That's great that you saw one walking around. That doesn't happen very often!

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But, the cool thing with these two guys was how close they were! I mean, they were so beautiful to look at. And that painting behind the second one is beautiful too, isn’t it?!

Can you imagine telling the artist of that painting that you were going to destroy part of it to make it look "old"? :confused::eek: (It's a great look though.)

Then, this guy ran across the path in front of us and into the bushes. His feathers were amazing! It’s like he stopped and posed just long enough for us to get a pic:

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Those circle designs on his tail are amazing!

We said ‘bye’ to the EE area and headed over to the tea stand across from Yak & Yeti. I had never really noticed the stand until I read about it on the DIS!

With our drinks in hand, we decided to find a table and relax. All the tables right around the stand were taken, so we went down a ways and found a few open ones. We were down the steps in a little area directly across from the entrance to Yak & Yeti.

Our view of Yak & Yeti:

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Looks great! I'm going to have to look for this place. Thanks for pointing it out!
 

Love the pics from Maharajah Jungle Trek! That one orange bird is SO COOL! We didn't see anything that looked like that but we did see that one bluish one. I have a cool story from that actually. :)
 
Wow, you read through it all?! :worship:

Thanks! I love my bag. I have seen the Cruise ones. That is so exciting for people who love the Cruises!

Aw, you're getting married next year?! Congrats!

Thanks..the F&G Festival was beautiful!

There's even more refurbs in Fantasyland now!!

Thank you :) We are hoping it will be possible next year, all the plans/ideas are in place, but have hit a few snags (as you do). We are also hoping to honeymoon in Disney and try out our first ever DCL, so I am hoping that I fall in love with the D&B bags, sooo want to get the Cruise ones.

I am not keen on visiting when refurbs are going on, kinda takes the magic out of Disney. But I suppose it can't be helped. You excited for the FL expansion?
 
missed a week of DIS-ing so I had a lot to catch up on, the Animal Kingdom day lloks so lovely, the volume of people queuing for that fastpass is scary though!

Another refernce to hidden magic, I'm reading the Animal Kingdom part at the moment so your update comlimented my new knowledge nicely!

hehe love when you get to go on the rides with big groups of people having a laugh! the photo must've been so cool:cool1:

never saw or even knew about the bats, loved seeing the skeleton, definitely on our to do list for AK Now, thanks!:goodvibes
 
Tiger's are my DH's favorite animal, so we spend lots of time watching them. However, I hate the bats. I was so freaked out in there! I lasted about 1 minute before I had to leave. I will look at pictures of them, but I don't like being near them. Same thing with birds....I love looking at birds, but I don't like them flying around my head. I guess it's because at the zoo one time, I got pooped on...and it was my birthday! I will NEVER go to the Flights of Wonder show at AK. No thanks.

I've heard such wonderful things about that coffee/tea place in AK. I want to try a frozen drink in Sept.

The tigers were so pretty!

I thought I was going to be so freaked out by the bats, but when we got there, they were interesting to watch!

Yeah..I won't do that Flights of Wonder show either.

You have to try it!

I love watching the bats & tigers. Where is this that the birds are flying & running around free, is it where the bats and tigers are? I don't remember ever seeing them, I must've missed them, which is a good thing- I don't like birds flying over my head :laughing:

It's hard to explain..but it's on the path so you have to go in it.

I love your pictures!! (not of the birds and bats so much bc I am terrified lol but they are still good pics)

I just texted my friend while reading about the birds and bats and told her that on our trip I will be skipping that portion bc I practically freaked out seeing your pictures lol

Where is this tea stand and do they have chai tea? It will be hot when we are there but it may be worth it to stop there later in the evening or on our last day (we have a morning breakfast adr before we head back home) to get some if they do... but I don't like cold tea that much.

Thanks!!

I'm sorry. That's why I put up the warning. :rotfl: I did not like the birds flying right by my head either!

Okay, you see the pic that I posted where we were sitting at our table with our drinks and looking at Yak & Yeti? If we were facing Yak & Yeti, we would have to go to our right a bit. It's off the regular path so you have to keep an eye out.

I've read here on the DIS that the relief you describe isn't the only kind of self-relief they engage in. Apparently it's rather X-rated. :scared1:

I'm glad none of them were doing that when I was there.

That's great that you saw one walking around. That doesn't happen very often!

Can you imagine telling the artist of that painting that you were going to destroy part of it to make it look "old"? :confused::eek: (It's a great look though.)

Those circle designs on his tail are amazing!

Looks great! I'm going to have to look for this place. Thanks for pointing it out!

Oh my gosh, I'm glad they weren't doing that when I was there either!

I would have felt so bad ruining that painting!

I hope you find something you like there, our drinks were so good!

Love the pics from Maharajah Jungle Trek! That one orange bird is SO COOL! We didn't see anything that looked like that but we did see that one bluish one. I have a cool story from that actually. :)

That orange is so vibrant!

Can't wait for that story!

Thank you :) We are hoping it will be possible next year, all the plans/ideas are in place, but have hit a few snags (as you do). We are also hoping to honeymoon in Disney and try out our first ever DCL, so I am hoping that I fall in love with the D&B bags, sooo want to get the Cruise ones.

I am not keen on visiting when refurbs are going on, kinda takes the magic out of Disney. But I suppose it can't be helped. You excited for the FL expansion?

I am really excited about the expansion. I just hope they wait to close down Toontown until AFTER our trip in July. It is my little guy's 1st trip there and I really want him to see Mickey and Minnie's houses.

I really cannot wait for it all to be done. It's going to be amazing.

missed a week of DIS-ing so I had a lot to catch up on, the Animal Kingdom day lloks so lovely, the volume of people queuing for that fastpass is scary though!

Another refernce to hidden magic, I'm reading the Animal Kingdom part at the moment so your update comlimented my new knowledge nicely!

hehe love when you get to go on the rides with big groups of people having a laugh! the photo must've been so cool:cool1:

never saw or even knew about the bats, loved seeing the skeleton, definitely on our to do list for AK Now, thanks!:goodvibes

It was the longest FP line I've ever been in! And I'm usually there in the summer!

Isn't that book so nice?!

I wish I would've taken a redneck photo of our ride pic! It was hilarious.

Awesome, glad to help you find something new to do!
 
First of all the bats on the MJT: You are so protected by the screens I would almost (but not quite) feel safe with a clown on the other side. Sure, bats a re creepy, but those colors make them look pretty.

Now, the tiger. He was absolutely beautiful. I think that's the same one from my December trip. He seems so unbothered by all the gaping people. Just give him a spot in the sun and he's in heaven.

I loved the pictures of the birds and one made me remember why I love the themimg for AK so much--the prints in the concrete--it makes you feel like you are going to meet up with an animal at any moment wherever you are in the park.

And I could really use an Irish creme latte' right about now.
 
I just caught up on your last 2 updates. I can't believe you have never done the Pangani walk before! That is the one we do more often because it is next to the Safari. It is a good way to pass time while waiting for a FP time. It looks like all of the animals were out.

The tigers are my favorite part of the MJT. I could spend hours watching them. We were there one time when they were chasing each other & playing. It was so much fun to watch. We were standing by the glass & all of a sudden one turned at looked right at us. I was suddenly very glad that the glass was as thick as it was!!

I have to say that your whole TR is so fun to read. It makes me want to go back so bad and we don't have any definite plans. :sad2:
 
First of all the bats on the MJT: You are so protected by the screens I would almost (but not quite) feel safe with a clown on the other side. Sure, bats a re creepy, but those colors make them look pretty.

Now, the tiger. He was absolutely beautiful. I think that's the same one from my December trip. He seems so unbothered by all the gaping people. Just give him a spot in the sun and he's in heaven.

I loved the pictures of the birds and one made me remember why I love the themimg for AK so much--the prints in the concrete--it makes you feel like you are going to meet up with an animal at any moment wherever you are in the park.

And I could really use an Irish creme latte' right about now.

I was thankful for the screens. :laughing:

I loved the tigers!

It's true, the theming for AK is so amazing!

I just caught up on your last 2 updates. I can't believe you have never done the Pangani walk before! That is the one we do more often because it is next to the Safari. It is a good way to pass time while waiting for a FP time. It looks like all of the animals were out.

The tigers are my favorite part of the MJT. I could spend hours watching them. We were there one time when they were chasing each other & playing. It was so much fun to watch. We were standing by the glass & all of a sudden one turned at looked right at us. I was suddenly very glad that the glass was as thick as it was!!

I have to say that your whole TR is so fun to read. It makes me want to go back so bad and we don't have any definite plans. :sad2:

I can't believe we had never done the trails either!!

They were chasing and playing?! That would have been fun to see!

Aw, thanks. I hope you get to go back soon! :hug:
 
So, I went out yesterday and got myself a little mother's day present (yes, for myself :laughing:) - The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World! :wizard:

Thanks for telling us about the tea stand, I didn't know about it either, but I think we might be stopping there sometime - Coffee w/ Irish Creme is Ramon's favorite! I love finding little out-of-the-way places to take a break, too. We found a similar one on our Dec trip; it'll be on my next update on my TR. At first I thought it might be the same place you guys were at but the tables and chairs are different than the ones in your pics, and my memory is getting fuzzy so I don't remember exactly where we were. :upsidedow
 
I can't imagine the yeti not working.. that is my favorite part of the ride..

You little sitting area by Yak & Yeti looks pretty nice. It's funny that you say it was freezing and then you see in your pics people wearing shorts! hehe
 
Hey i've been lurking but I thought I would pop in and say something!! Aren't the bats entertaining? I love when the CM are in the various exhibits giving out little tidbits of info, its so interesting! I wish I cared this much when I was in school! lol. I agree about the birds and their feathers, really pretty!
 
So, I went out yesterday and got myself a little mother's day present (yes, for myself :laughing:) - The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World! :wizard:

Thanks for telling us about the tea stand, I didn't know about it either, but I think we might be stopping there sometime - Coffee w/ Irish Creme is Ramon's favorite! I love finding little out-of-the-way places to take a break, too. We found a similar one on our Dec trip; it'll be on my next update on my TR. At first I thought it might be the same place you guys were at but the tables and chairs are different than the ones in your pics, and my memory is getting fuzzy so I don't remember exactly where we were. :upsidedow

Yes!! I hope you like the book!!

I think you will like the tea stand!!

I can't imagine the yeti not working.. that is my favorite part of the ride..

You little sitting area by Yak & Yeti looks pretty nice. It's funny that you say it was freezing and then you see in your pics people wearing shorts! hehe

I know! I hope it's working in July!

Haha, I know. It was freezing and people were still wearing shorts!!

Hey i've been lurking but I thought I would pop in and say something!! Aren't the bats entertaining? I love when the CM are in the various exhibits giving out little tidbits of info, its so interesting! I wish I cared this much when I was in school! lol. I agree about the birds and their feathers, really pretty!

Well I'm glad you said something!!

The bats are definitely interesting!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!!
 
The tigers were so pretty!

I thought I was going to be so freaked out by the bats, but when we got there, they were interesting to watch!

Yeah..I won't do that Flights of Wonder show either.

You have to try it!



It's hard to explain..but it's on the path so you have to go in it.



Thanks!!

I'm sorry. That's why I put up the warning. :rotfl: I did not like the birds flying right by my head either!

Okay, you see the pic that I posted where we were sitting at our table with our drinks and looking at Yak & Yeti? If we were facing Yak & Yeti, we would have to go to our right a bit. It's off the regular path so you have to keep an eye out.


haha it's ok people always put the warnings and I always look. I figure I am never going to look in person might as well look at the pics haha

I am going to have to get to this place and try some tea!

I won't do the flights of wonder (or any other bird show) either... my parents took me to one (it was either in disney or sea world) a while back and the guy said ok this bird is going to fly from my arm to that post back there nobody move because it could confuse his path... that bird spread his wings and I dove under the seats lol
 
haha it's ok people always put the warnings and I always look. I figure I am never going to look in person might as well look at the pics haha

I am going to have to get to this place and try some tea!

I won't do the flights of wonder (or any other bird show) either... my parents took me to one (it was either in disney or sea world) a while back and the guy said ok this bird is going to fly from my arm to that post back there nobody move because it could confuse his path... that bird spread his wings and I dove under the seats lol

Haha, true..they can't get to you through the computer screen!!

There are so many different drinks that look so good!

LOL I wish your parents took a pic of you under the seat!
 
Day 5 continued: March 17, 2010

We left off finishing up our hot drinks at the tea stand and heading to KS to use our FP’s. I was so excited to get back on this ride. Last June, we had an amazing experience on our Safari. We were one of the last rides of the day and a lot of the animals were out. We even had a giraffe so close to our vehicle that our driver had to warn us not to touch it!!

Does anyone else remember when the KS first opened? The time before there were FP’s? Without FP’s, that line got so long and so unbearably hot!! It seems like the line just keeps going and going and the loading area is nowhere in sight! So, I highly recommend FP’s for the KS!

We made our way through the line and up to the loading area.

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The nice thing about being just in a group of 2 is sometimes getting on the rides a bit quicker. We were standing in this spot when the CM yelled up for a party of 2. Both of us quickly waved our arms in the air HA. We scooted past the other people in line that were probably secretly glaring at us for “cutting” them. We were quickly seated in the 2nd row of the vehicle that was currently loading. Good deal!

Once we got sat down and situated, we of course had to take the usual Safari pic that most of you have probably taken:

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Since it was cloudy/rainy, we were hoping that wasn’t going to interfere with the animals being out. Luckily, we still managed to have a nice ride.

Waiting for the all clear from the vehicle in front of us:

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We were seated next to a young mom and her little girl. It was both of their 1st times on KS. Of course, my motherly instincts kicked in because every bump or sudden stop we made, I quickly reached my arm out to brace the little girl. Her mom didn’t seem to mind, since she was more worried about taking pics than her daughter anyways. Okay, I apologize. It’s not my place to judge…My rant is over! On with the ride…

I apologize, I don’t remember what this guy was, but there he is way in the back..hiding behind the tree. I swear, Fiancé has such good eyes. He could spot the animals quicker than I ever could! He’d sometimes point them out before our driver even did. :

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The hippos! It started raining again at this point…not a heavy rain, just hard enough to tell it was doing anything:

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This guy was one of the only ones awake!:

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The crocodiles! I’m so glad they are way down there and we are way up here. HAHA. Honestly, Disney did such a good job hiding the animals’ boundaries. Unless you’ve seen the Modern Marvel and Travel Channel shows, you probably wouldn’t even realize that there were any! :

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I thought these things were so cool! They looked like hot pink cotton balls. Does anyone know what they really are?:

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Ahh..one of my favorite things about the KS- the upside down tree. I don’t know why I like it so much. I guess I just find it fascinating.:

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Right about now is when they start playing that music. You know, the kind that makes you feel like you’re really on a safari…either that or like you’re in a scene of The Lion King. ha!

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Fiancé thought these branches looked neat:

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It was quiet out here:

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There’s a giraffe! Way in the back, behind the trees:

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These guys were just sitting there…chillin’. haha.:

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Those are some crazy horns, aren’t they?!

An elephant walking through the trees:

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Hey, it’s Rafikki!:

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More elephants out in the open:

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There were some younger elephants walking around too. So cute!:

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Being in the 2nd row, we looked at the driver and out the windshield a lot. Here you can see both. I thought this was such a cool pic of the rhinos:

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Then, we came upon the ostrich eggs, which bring me to this question. Are they real or are they just decoration to give us that “safari feel”?

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On our left, we were approaching the lion area…or what I like to call “Pride Rock” as a shout-out to The Lion King. Of course, this guy was sleeping!:

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As we made our way past “Pride Rock”, we came upon an ostrich…who was busy chasing and yelling at an animal. I’m sorry, I don’t remember what the name if it was! Anyways, the ostrich had its wings all out and was making noises. Every so often, it would charge at the animal until the animal started moving away.

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And there’s the poor guy the ostrich was yelling at, haha. You can only see part of it because the tree was in the way!:

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By this time, we had to help Wilson and catch those poachers! Does anyone also remember when the KS was new and they actually had a CM standing by the back of the truck with a gun. We’d pull up to them and they’d say that Little Red and Big Red were okay. They also said something about capturing the poachers. It made the whole Little Red story just a bit more interesting. Now that they don’t do that, I think that they should just get rid of the whole story all together.

**Continued in next post**
 
**Continued from previous**

When we made it back from our Safari, we headed to that gift shop right on the corner near the KS entrance. This was another moment that I missed having the rest of the family with us. We almost always have to get pics of me, Sis, and Fiancé all playing an instrument here. So..we skipped on that part of the shop. We did manage to find some really cool marble eggs for Fiancé’s mom. They just put in a little pond in their backyard, so she put them in a little area next to it. She loved them!

After we bought those, it was time to head to our lunch ADR at Yak & Yeti. Fiancé and I ate there for the first time in June and loved it. We even talked Mom, Dad, and Sis into trying there with us this July! We made our way back to Asia and checked in for our ADR. We didn’t have to wait too long to be seated, but while we did wait, it was amazing to see how many people walked up and tried to get in!! Of course, the place was pretty booked, but they could get in way later in the night, closer to park closing. Most people rolled their eyes and walked away, but one or two families took up the offer.

When our name was called, we were led upstairs! I was so excited because I had just got done telling Fiancé that I wanted to eat up there. Our table was in a secluded room off of the main upstairs dining room. We were in the corner and right by two windows. It was such a nice, quiet spot to eat. I opened up the menu and was immediately sad to see that my mussels weren’t on the menu anymore! I asked our waiter about it and he said that they were indeed not being offered anymore. However, he informed me that I could write about them on the comments card. If they get enough comment cards mentioning them, then they might reconsider bringing them back. So I made sure to put that in at the end of the meal. Now that the mussels weren’t an option, I had to find something else that sounded good. I knew that I was going to have the house salad, so I just needed to decide on something to go with it. I ended up going with the tempura shrimp. It was so good! Of course, the salad was good as usual! Fiancé ordered the bourbon chicken, which was a new addition to the menu, and a house salad. He liked both as well. So, again…we were pleased with our meal there. Since we were by the windows, we loved watching all the people walking by. When we were done and headed back out to Asia, I took pics of our window.

It’s the one in the upper left corner of this pic:

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Here’s a better view:

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So now, every time you walk by Yak & Yeti, look up at that window and think of me! HAHA.

Next, we decided to head back over to Dinoland and get some FP’s for Dinosaur. I can’t remember what the return time was though, but there were some still available so we got some! Next, we decided to check out the Tree of Life trail. I have heard so much about it, but have never done it. Like I said, we are always there in the summer, so it is usually SO hot at this park. But, we are definitely going to make time to do this again in July so we can show the rest of the family.

First, we checked out this little area across from Pizzafari. I was so excited because we saw this mommy and her babies:

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They were just swimming around and followed her everywhere. They were so cute. We watched them forever!

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Then, the babies started walking up near the flamingoes. The mommy noticed this and started yelling at them...they quickly jumped back in the water and right behind her again.

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You could see the Tree of Life peeking out from where we were:

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We went down the path a few steps and ended up at a glass that looked under the water where the mommy and babies were swimming:

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These fish were boring compared to the fight we had seen earlier, haha!

This pic is so cool because you can see both above and under the water:

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We said bye to the fish..and the mommy and babies…and headed to the Tree of Life trail. First, we saw another little pond and this guy:

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The pic does not do it justice. He was SO long!

Fiancé was still checking him out and I was getting antsy to see what was next, so I went ahead, haha. Of course, you know that he took a pic of me:

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As you can see, I was festive with St. Patty’s Day and made sure I had green on! I waited at those benches for Fiancé to catch up. We went around the corner and saw these guys:

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They were just laying around, not really doing much. Must be the life. haha. We continued on our way and to our left was this:

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It was amazing how close we were to the Tree of Life. We just stood there and pointed out all the different animals we noticed. There were a few animals in there that we made sure to find since they were mentioned in my “Hidden Magic” book for being requested by one of the Imagineer’s kids. I don’t have the book with me right now, but I think they were the koala and the scorpion.

We made our way to the end of the trail, which leads you out near ITTBAB. It looked like it was going to rain, so we decided it would be the perfect time to head over to the Dawa bar in Africa to try the drink that Kristen recommended we try. We really have never realized what the bar looked like. I knew where it was, but never have paid attention to it. I have to tell you, it is such a neat place! I found us a table while Fiancé got our drink, which was called “Lost on a Safari”. Seriously…you all must try it!! We loved it so much that we eventually got another one!

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Our view of the bar from our table:

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While we were sitting there, these performers started setting up in the open area:

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They were so good! Then, they grabbed some people from the crowd to participate. They had a row of girls and a row of guys. It was so cute.

After they were done, we waited for a free table to open up closer to where we could watch the Jammin’ Jungle parade, which was going to start soon. As soon as somebody got up, we were hurried over there. It was hilarious. Before the parade started, Fiancé hurried and got us another “Lost on a Safari” to share. As soon as he got back, we started hearing the parade music! Of course, we weren’t right in front, but we could see the parade just fine from where we were. I was so excited to finally be watching this parade again. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen it, and I had been hearing the music when listening to DIS Radio with Kristen for months leading up to the trip!

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And here’s our empty cups..haha..they were delicious! Can’t wait to get it again in July!:

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Okay, back to the parade…

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Pluto was out walking around:

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And before we knew it, the end of the parade was going by. We waited for the crowd to clear out before we headed to Dinosaur to use our FP’s. We were hoping that we weren’t going to get sick from our drinks, HAHA.

~Up next:

A surprise…a not so pleasant surprise…and where did we end up for the night??
 
Yes! I remember the cast member that used to stand by the jeep on KS! Everytime we rode it I'd say, "that's his job! He just stands there! Must be nice!" :rotfl: Well, maybe not so nice in the heat!! :laughing:

Those performers are great aren't they?
 












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