Today was: Animal Kingdom Day!!!!! AND…….I do believe it is my favorite place/park so far this week……..why??? The atmosphere, the architecture(s) of the various places (Asia, Africa, etc., etc.), and the natural(?) beauty of the various places are sooooooooo damn scenic and, yes…..”natural” looking!! The negatives…….what do you think??? ALL the people, of course. The pathways are more narrow than the other parks and this causes much “clustering” of thousands of people who are all sweating in the ungodly HIGH humidity and heat that we experienced to day.
BUT……it is still my favorite place…..so far. I would just love to be able to take my time and enjoy it all the more, but…..alas, that is not to be. We must hurry from ride or show to another so as to not miss any of those experiences…….we must see them all. Or, so one feels as they join the thousands of jungle-goers and get caught up in the maddening rush of the crowds.
Not being a roller coaster fan, I didn’t partake of the Everest Experience, but certainly enjoyed the Dinosaur ride back in time, the fabulous Lion King Show, the great ride thru the jungles and plains of Africa by a REAL vehicle with REAL animals staring at us….the viewers. All in all……a really very good day of adventures and experiences. Oh……did I mention the memories that were recalled as I walked through the Asian area….the buildings, the styles, the colors……the ambience of the entire area!!!
And….then it rained!!!! HARD……but, the sun returned VERY soon……tooooo soon and we soon had steam…natural steam, not the Disney-made steam that is all around the place. We were literally being steamed this afternoon……..did I lose weight???? HA!!!!! What the hell do you think???? Of course not!!!
This evening the 1st Lady and I had reservations at the “signature” restaurant here in Disney World……”Jiko”. Outstanding!!!!!!!! We dined on appetizers that we have not experienced before…….chopped lamp in phylo dough with a wonderful mint type chutney was ordered by the 1st Lady, while I had three different types of African breads along with three different kinds of “dips”, humus, etc., etc. WONDERFUL!!!!
For the main course, she had a filet mignon with a wonderful dark sauce surrounding the veggies which laid gracefully under the very thick and perfectly prepared thick filet. It was a beautiful presentation. I had halibut which was lightly fried in a maize flour, laying on a bed of veggies: parsnips, squash of undetermined kind but OHHHH sooooo good, soybeans, lentils, and other uncommonly used veggies. On top of the fabulous fish were thinly fried strips of sweet potatoes……..wow…..really great!!!!
For dessert, the 1st Lady enjoyed a Pistachio Crème Brulee and I had a Flourless Chocolate Cake in small squares, stacked on top of each other…..and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on a bed of crushed nuts, with caramel sauces in a contemporary design on the side of the plate.
All of the above was accompanied by a really good South African Cabernet Sauvignon wine.
Our server, Shellie……well, she was well versed in the preparations and ingredients of each item on the menu……which she shared with us with honest opinions. It was always enjoyable to have her at the side of our table to discuss any of the items we were eating…..or thinking about ordering.
The atmosphere was very contemporary…..in an African setting. A lovely place to dine……with subdued lighting, but not to much as we could easily discern what we were eating.
I/we would highly recommend anyone who is here to plan to spend an evening at Jiko for dinner……it is in the Animal Kingdom Lodge which is a real treat to enjoy for the African styles exhibited in the building!! Our meal was not as expensive as I anticipated…….the entire meal was only $136.00.…..a real bargain for the quality of food AND service!!!!! Thank you, Shellie!!!! (And…on our dining plan……there was not any cost to us!!!!!!!!!)
And so…..another day in Disney World!!!!! Tomorrow we have a “character” breakfast with Winnie the Pooh in the Magic Kingdom at 8:20 am!!!! It will be another early morning for the little ones, so I need to finish this so they will not be awakened by my typing!! With a day such as this one, with a dinner such as they one described above……
LIFE IS GREAT……and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!
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