Disneyland - where dreams come true.
Our final Disneyworld park:
To be honest, although Animal Kingdom was one of the smaller parks, I enjoyed it really thoroughly. We had a more laid-back and relaxing time there, compared to the trips to Hollywood Studios and Magical Kingdom. When we went to Hollywood Studios and Magical Kingdom, we were rushing like crazy as there were just so many things to see.
We did cover most of the attractions in Animal Kingdom though. And it was still really, really cold that day despite the sun.
The famous Bugs Life tree (I dubbed it the Bugs Life tree coz we watched a show based on A Bugs Life in the theatre under it), from the entrance. I've got more pictures of it below.
The entrance - colourful toucans welcoming us into the park. The entire park resembled a jungle...
With a river cutting through it, leading towards "Mount Everest" - where the famous Himalayas expedition ride is located. We did take the Himalayas expedition ride, and it's one of the best rides ever!!! LOVE IT!! :D
We first stepped into an African-themed area...
And took a train ride to a conservation station, where we met Rafiki the good ol' baboon from The Lion King.
Plus quirky signs like "The Scoop on Poop",
And animals like amphibians and spiders.
Other exhibits in the conservation area - this particular one showed the different structure and function of animal skulls, and had adorable plush animals as reference.
Just outside the main station where we took the train.
And the tracks leading towards the station.
We also took a truck ride into an African "savanna".
Where we saw various animals roaming freely, such as hippos...
Exotic deer...
Giraffes...
More exotic antelopes - I think there were quite a number of species there.
Lazy cheetahs, who couldn't be bothered to chase us :P
And of course, interesting rock formations.
We then headed to Dinoland for a "warm up" ride before taking the Himalayas ride.
And then we watched Finding Nemo - a stage production, before heading for the Himalayas ride.
A picture of the roller coaster climbing the famous "Mount Everest":
And another cart taking the massive drop down to "ground level". I loved the massive drop heaps, and the way they sped up the cart just before putting us through the drop - AWESOME!
The entire ride started off with us climbing up the mountain slowly, before we reached the massive climb I mentioned earlier. Just as we're about to reach the summit, we encounter some broken tracks, and then we're thrown abruptly into a "Yeti" cave, just before the massive drop. We then encounter more wild twists and turns, before the ride ends.
In fact, my brother and I took the ride twice, and enjoyed it thoroughly nevertheless!
Pictures of the massive "Mount Everest". I just couldn't resist taking pictures of the mountain and its surroundings!
Surrounding the mountain were buildings with "prayer flags" - a typical scene in Nepal.
We then took a rest at one of the food stations...
And visited the Bugs Life tree, to watch the show "It's Tough to be a Bug" - a Bug's Life inspired production. The show was really awesome too! In fact they even had stuff like water sprinklers to depict acid-shooting, wooden benches that actually tickled our bottoms when they tried to depict the "bugs and other critters" leaving the theatre...it was just so good!
The intricately-carved tree:
And an adorable little caterpillar!!!! Awwwww.....
We then watched a parade - it was an impromptu decision actually. Many Disney characters were featured, including Baloo from Jungle Book, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse (of course!) etc. And they had beautifully-decorated vehicles with people waving from them. Of course, there were people on stilts, dancers and so on...
We stopped by yet another souvenir stall...
And then into the main souvenir shop.
Camel sculptures on the roof of the souvenir shop.
I really regret this, but I wish I bought these little stuffed toys!! They were just so fluffy, adorable and lovable!!! Unfortunately they were pretty pricy...but I still wish I got them! :( Oh well, I'm glad I got pictures of them though.
The park closed at 6pm, so we left by 5.30pm. It was sunset by then, and while waiting for the bus:
We watched the sunset!
Well that concludes our Disneyland adventure! Our next destinations - still in Orlando - the Ripley's Believe it or Not! Odditorium, the Wonderworks Museum, and of course, the trolley ride!