Safari Park

Today was our fun day at the Safari Park. The park was about 50 minutes from our hotel, but we rode in style in a very comfortable bus. The first part of our tour was a 45 minute train ride through the park. There were no cages in this part of the park, and it was interesting to see the animals so close. The second section was the walking tour. The park is very beautiful with lots of plants and trees. Although we spent 3 hours in this part of the park, we actually did not have time to see everything we wanted to see! The highlight was when the kids were able to hold and feed the baby white tiger. Something they would never be able to do at our zoo back home.

They also really enjoyed the elephant show. Before the show, a clown was throwing balls into the audience and if you caught a ball, and were able to make a basket, you won a prize. The ball bounced around in our section and then rolled down the bleachers. Alex went running after it. When everyone saw the cute blond boy going for the ball, (he is, after all, a star) they let him get it. He made the basket and got a little stuffed Panda. Ruben and I were so busy cheering that we forgot to get the actual moment on film! (pretty sad since we had 2 digital cameras and one video camera with us!) The giraffes were also a favorite exhibit. The kids were actually able to feed the giraffes branches.

I have mentioned that it's hot here......right??!! Imagine walking around a zoo for 4 hours during the hottest part of the day in Atlanta or Houston. Well, when it was time for lunch, we couldn't find any food the kids would eat, so ice cream it was! And guess what? Lily loves ice cream! That's our girl!

One good thing about this park is that there is a handicapped stall in each bathroom with a western toilet! I've made it this far without having to use a squatty potty, and I really didn't want to attempt it at the park. Ruben did see two children relieving themselves out in the open in the middle of the park. One was only about 2, but the other child, a girl, was about 8. Nice.

We ended our visit at the souvenir shop. Actually, you have to walk through the shops to exit the park. Very smart. Each of the kids bought a small gift........even here prices were fairly cheap. The ride home was a little longer due to traffic, and Lily and Alex both fell asleep. The other two, who normally nap, were having too much fun playing on the seats.

That night we met one of the families from Nanchang for dinner. Since their daughter is under 2, they were able to get an earlier consulate date and were leaving for home Wednesday night. We had breakfast with them almost every morning in Nanchang, so it was nice to see them one last time. Their little girl, Emma, is just adorable and we plan to keep up with them through email and their blog.

Tyler and Michael were finally winding down. Matter of fact, Tyler fell asleep at the dinner table! So it was back to our hotel for quick showers and bed.

Lily did great today. She woke up happy and really enjoyed the park. She would point at animals and talk during the train ride. We worried about her motion sickness on the bus ride, but she and I sat up front and she ended up sleeping both ways. She has yet to get sick, so I think we're going to be fine during the long trip home.

Guess who was standing by me?

Fun on the bus

Driving through Guangzhou. We don't see any scooters in Guangzhou like we did in Nanchang, and I found out that they are not allowed because of all the traffic.

The Safari Park

Michael checks out the map

Again with the maps! The kids were very intent on making sure we knew exactly where we were, and what we were going to see next.

The train. The boys wanted to sit in the back row.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see?? Our guide assured us that the animals had been well fed before our tour!

This girrafe looked too funny standing in the little shelter

Holding and feeding the baby tiger

Two of our monkeys looking at a monkey

And yes, the paparazzi was out in force! Alex was again, quite an attraction.

Waiting for the elephant show. Prince Michael was allowing himself to be fanned by one of his loyal subjects!

The clown with her basketball hoop

Alex running back to his seat, so excited after winning the Panda!

The elephants did some pretty cool tricks.

And of course the trip would not be complete without a visit to see the Giant Pandas.

Enjoying their ice cream. One neat, and the other....well, not so neat!

Look at that tongue!

This tv tower is the tallest tower in Asia, and the 2nd tallest tower in the world. The tallest being the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai.

All my boys!

More statues

Lily thought is was really funny when Michael fell on his rear end. He pretended to do it a couple more times to get some more laughs!