Animal Kingdom 2014

My last post on my vacation in Orlando… Still having Disney withdrawals, and MG is still asking when we’ll be going back.

The last theme park we went to was Animal Kingdom.

Animal Kingdom - Balds and Kay

Animal Kingdom Tree
Obligatory Tree of Life picture!

The safari ride will always be on the top of my list, especially after this visit! All the animals were out around noon time. I’ve seen everything at the zoo before, so nothing new, but it’s so much cooler to see animals a safari ride in fictional Africa.

Safari Ride

Pink HipposPink hippos! 

Giraffe
Up close and personal ^^^ This giraffe walked right towards me! The driver had to drive faster in order to avoid the giraffe hitting the truck.

We also took a train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch and had some fun in the petting zoo section. Donkeys, goats, lambs, deer, and a pig! The animals enjoyed being brushed.

Animal Kingdom Pig
I’ve never touched a piggy before ^^^

We went on the Dinosaur ride, and there’s a surprise element (I won’t spoil it). Of course the picture is taken at this time, so here’s what we looked like:

TRex ride
MG just smirks, I scream, Balds hides, and Kay grips. Haha!

Most of this park is all about conservation – differences we can make in order to preserve our natural environment. They have added a Wilderness Explorer program for kids to go around the park and gain badges (anyone know where this is from?).

DING. DING. DING.

From Pixar’s Up.

Up
We got to meet Russell and Dug ^^^

Oh yeah, and some of you want to know what we ate right? We had chow mein in Asia (super craving Chinese food at this point in our vacation). And MG had his first turkey leg, EVER! That’s cray, cause I basically grew up eating turkey legs in Texas!

Turkey leg
Monumental moment ^^^

It was such a great vacation! Every time I turn on the TV, I see ads for Disney parks or Universal, and it makes me reminisce my time in Orlando. I think the next time we go will be in a few years, and who knows, maybe I’ll have kids by then. It’ll be a totally different experience from this trip, where it was all about food and rides! Damn, am I going to be that parent that just stands in line for an hours to see characters?

If you’ve been to Disney World before, which park was your all time favorite? And why?

Now I must plan my next vacation…
Jay

Walt Disney World Half Marathon

If you’ve been reading along, you know I’ve been in Orlando, Florida! This was a trip to celebrate my birthday and also to support my sister and her boyfriend in the Walt Disney World Half Marathon.

Gang

RunnersKay and Balds with their medals ^^^

I’m finally back in the Bay Area as of Sunday afternoon, and I can’t wait to crawl into my own bed and cuddle with my kitty. Vacation is always fun, but I will always choose my own pillow, bed, and comfort food, for me that’s Chinese food. MG and I are both happy to be back!

On Saturday, my sister, Kay, and her boyfriend, Baldwin, ran in the half marathon (that’s 13 miles!). I’m so proud of them for completing the run. After watching them, I’m actually intrigued and am thinking about training to run a half myself. I hate running, but after this experience, I could learn to love it.

I have to admit, it’s my first time being a spectator at one of these things. And wow, it’s an awesome experience! Everyone comes together to cheer for the participants. There’s so much encouragement and love from a group of random strangers. Specifically at the Disney marathon, at each mile marker, there are characters in costume cheering for you, choirs singing, and even DJs spinning. At the end of the race, Mickey, Minnie, and Donald Duck are waiting for you at the finish line.

BaldwinBaldwin running past the 12 mile marker

KatieKatie running past the 12 mile marker

Done
Passed the finish line!

With Pluto

Then we bumped into this guy – Ivan! He lives in the Bay Area too and we randomly bumped into him at the end of the race, so good to see him there.

Ivan

If you run this race, you’ll be spoiled for sure and won’t want to run another one. I didn’t know this race was so exciting; I’m contemplating on running the half in LA at Disneyland. Any one do this before?

Do you have a half or full marathon on your bucket list? Any tips on how to enjoy running?

What did you do this weekend?
Jay