A Day In The Jungle

February was another month of not much happening other than dr. appointments, a campground-wide yard sale where we made $37, and continuing to sell some of our stuff on eBay (which at times almost seems like a fulltime job!)  And I finally tried out my new sewing machine Russ got me for Christmas (the mending was backing up!)

We also went to Animal Kingdom one day mainly to try out our new camera. Russ had found a great deal on eBay for a brand new in the box camera that came with two lenses, a tripod, a camera bag, and other goodies.

We figured Animal Kingdom would be a great place to try out many of its features, and the day we went couldn’t have been more perfect with its overcast skies. We got there early and immediately headed for the Kilimanjaro Safari in Africa, getting a FastPass before boarding to ride again without
having to wait in the long lines. In our open-air safari vehicle and the dreary day, we saw more giraffes at one time than we ever remember seeing before, and it seemed like there were many more animals out in abundance. You can see by the photo above left how close the animals can get to the trucks.  Sometimes they even cross the road right in front of you, but other areas have hidden barriers

that keep for example the lions from getting too close.  We also had the best view of the cheetahs we’ve ever had.  On our second time through I switched lenses and put on the 55-300mm one to try shots at greater distances, and got some great ones including this beautiful lioness and the cheetahs.

After the safari, we went next door to walk through the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. Lots more animals to see like this cute little meerkat who was on sentry duty, and the baby gorilla who was entertaining the crowd on the other side of the glass.  She was having the best time climbing, rolling around, and playing with the hay.  Thanks to the continuous shot feature on the camera, I was able to get some great ones (only posting 2 here).

   As we made our way over towards Asia, we came upon a crowd who had been watching DiVine “entertain”.  DiVine is a performance artist who appears throughout the day as a living vine, covered head to toe in leaves, vines, and even clusters of grapes.  You could walk right past and not even know she was there, that’s how well she blends into the surrounding landscape.  Performing on stilts, and without words, she becomes part of the jungle forest as she gracefully twists,
bends, and then begins to walk.  She has startled many a visitor!  As we approached, she was just finishing, and I was able to get a close-up of her beautiful face as she passed.

   In Asia we wandered through the Maharajah Jungle Trek which is supposed to resemble the ruins of an ancient palace inhabited by exotic animals like this Komodo dragon and the mighty Bengal tiger.  There are actually several tigers in separate areas…
   napping, pacing, or just wetting their whistle.  Incredibly beautiful, majestic creatures!  Plus there are several other critters on this self-guided tour, mainly birds and some cool bats but I couldn't get a good pic of them...too many people in the way.

There are also more than 50 different species of exotic birds flying and just milling around amongst the foliage and the people in one area of the Jungle like these two variations of pheasant. The vibrant colors on
     many are incredible and so vibrant and like nothing you've probably ever seen.

The camera performed superbly, and it’s just going to take time for
       me to get comfortable and confident enough with it to take the shots without having to think about it so much.  Want to be ready for Yellowstone this summer!