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Thursday, April 9, 2015

Exploring Epcot and Animal Kingdom part 2

It's been a long day and we're still going strong. We started the day in Epcot and we're finishing our day at the Animal Kingdom.

But first, the rest of our day at Epcot. One of Ian's favorite stuffed animals is his Duffy bear. How would he feel meeting a giant version of him?

Poor Duffy had no line of people waiting to see him, so we walked right up. Ian was once again fascinated with his nose, and loved his interactions with him.

There's still a few more things to see at Epcot before we head over to the Animal Kingdom.

No surprise to see Elsa and Anna from Frozen represented here.

What is Tinker Bell guarding?

It's a butterfly exhibit!

Here we find some caterpillars among the trees.

And a box with dozens of cocoons.

Some varieties look like little jewels.

And of course there were tons of butterflies fluttering around.

An ostrich topiary that Ian wanted a closer look at.

There was a special section for Pixar's upcoming movie Inside Out. It's an Emotion Garden.

Starting with Joyous plants - examples include Bush Daisy and Coreopsis
Joy's a bright emotion
The happiest mood for miles.
Her favorite plants are sunny
And sure to make you smile.

Sad Plants - examples include Baby Tears and Blue Hydrangea
Sadness likes to say hello
When you're feeling Blue.
She likes her flowers indigo
And plants that cry "Boo-hoo!"

Disgusting Plants - examples include Onions and Starfish Flower
Disgust is a Green emotion
Who loves to roll her eyes.
When she meets a stinky plant,
She'll turn and shout "Goodbye!"

Fearful Plants - examples include Ghost Cactus and Curly Juncus
Fear is filled with worries
He often bites his nails.
The plants that scare him most
Couldn't even harm a snail. 

Angry Plants - examples include Flame Bromeliad, Red New Guinea Impatiens, and Crested Celosia
Anger's a Red emotion
Quite likely to explode.
His favorite plants are hotheads
That burn your mouth and nose!

Hmm. There's just one more ride we need to go on before we leave for the Animal Kingdom. What could it be? How about Living with the Land for the 3rd time today.

Growing in the greenhouse is Miracle Fruit! This little berry can do some amazing things to your tastebuds. My friends and I had a tasting party with it a couple month ago.


One last group photo in front of Spaceship Earth and we jumped in the car to go to the Animal Kingdom.

The Animal Kingdom must have been crowded today, because we were parked at the furthest end of the parking lot at the very end of the last tram stop. We loaded up, got all the way to the main gate and Rita realized she'd never got Aubrey's ticket back from Donald this morning. They headed back to the car while the rest of us continued inside.

As soon as we went through the gates, two cast members came to talk to us about our balloon. They explained that balloons were dangerous to the animals, which is why they don't sell them inside the Animal Kingdom. If you happen to bring one in with you, you're asked to check it with Guest Services and retrieve it when you leave. Ian wasn't too happy with them when they started walking off with his balloon.

Getting our photo in front of the Tree of Life.
A short time later, we found out that Rita and Aubrey would be able to come into the park after all. They had gone to guest services, and after Donald was able to text a picture of Aubrey's original ticket, they were able to replace it and let her in. Sweet!

Knowing Theresa and Ian would soon have company, Ethan and I set out on a question to find a Yeti.

The single rider line showed a 30 minute wait, but within 10 minutes, Ethan and I were both on-board. I know they like to over-deliver on wait times, but that seemed a bit over the top.

Oh no! The track has been torn up!

Inside the mountain we saw who had been causing all the trouble. The Yeti isn't too happy with us invading his mountain.

We escaped with our lives, and because it was such a short wait the first time, ran to get in line again. Aww. Bummer.

Well the regular line is showing a 30 minute wait. Let's give that a shot. Maybe we'll get lucky.
Sure enough! In 10 minutes, Ethan and I were boarding our train that would take us into the Himalayas.

High in the mountains looking down on the park.

This time we're at the very back of the train, giving the Yeti more time to see us coming.

And see us coming he did! He perched right above the tracks and took a swipe at us as we went by.

Yikes! Look at those teeth!

Survived!

After twice on Everest, Ethan and I went to meet up with Theresa, Ian, Rita and Aubrey in the Pangani Forest. We thought it was great that the Animal Kingdom was open late until 8pm tonight. However once we got to the start of the trail at 6:45pm they stopped letting people through. Same with the Kilimanjaro Safaris, no more rides today.

But the rest of the group was already back there and they had a fun time. Looking at birds.

Admiring the fish.

And posing for pictures while getting squished.

Ian's happy to have lots of room to run around. Once he saw Ethan and I sitting on a bench he got a big smile on his face and ran towards us.

On the way out, another family photo in front of the Tree of Life.

And we're sure to pick up Ian's balloon before leaving the park.

A quick tram-ride back to the car and we were on our way home.

We're all finished with the parks now. Friday we'll be hanging out at the house, then on Saturday it'll be time to fly home.

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