Birt Family Focus

Disney's Animal Kingdom - Asia -- 07/15/03

Today we visit Asia. Reached by bridge from Africa, the Asian themed area is designed to be a mythical Kingdom called Anandapur or "place of delight". A delightful place it is, too. One of my favorite things to do here is get some potsticker soup and sit and watch the monkeys on the ruins in the lake. Just to the right of the entrance to Kali River Rapids, the monkeys are a hoot to watch-in fact, I think they like watching us more than we like watching them. Last time I went, there was a new baby- he was just precious to see.

Kali River Rapids is the main attraction in Anandapur. Just as the name implies, it is a raft ride, down a river, with rapids. You will get wet, some of you will get drenched. Wearing a raincoat, however. is cheating. The best time to ride this (for the cooling off factor) is mid afternoon, when the Florida sun is at it's hottest. It is a fastpass ride, so one CAN plan when to ride this. I have ridden this both as a large person, and an average one, so everyone can fit on this ride- go ahead and have fun. Those who are wheel chair bound must be able to exit the wheel chair and get in the raft under their own power with minimal assist. Otherwise, anyone can ride this, and everyone should. I host a meet to ride this every December at the RADP gathering. Last year, it rained. Can you believe, I had only 4 riders? They were already wet! Go figure. LOL 12 adventurous folks fit on each raft for a mild but wet trip down the Chakranadi River which bears witness to illegal logging on it's banks. The que line is amazing in it's theme detail, so it's worth standing in line at least once for this ride, to experience all of the wonderful imagineering. Oh yes- beware the elephant sculptures at the end of the ride- it you manage to make it through dry, someone on the bridge will squirt water at you and it will be aimed via the trunks of the innocent looking statues!

To the left of the Kali River Rapids is the entrance to a self-guided walking tour of beautifully designed animal enclosures called the Maharajah Jungle Trek. Here you will find bats, birds, and especially Tigers. They are amazingly beautiful and you get a really close up view. Don't worry, they are well fed and pretty much just laze around and soak up the sun. You will also see 2 type of smaller apes- the Gibbon and Siamang. The gibbons are brown with white cheeks, the Siamong dark brown. These are noisy critters that you will probably here all during your visit to Anandapur- the real thing, not tape recorded atmosphere. Along your walk, you will also encounter the Tapir, and a Komodo Dragon.I like to pick up my fast pass for the Rapids and then stroll through here. If you are keen on taking pictures of the animals, they are more active in the early morning and the later evening, just before closing, when they are fed. There are a great many smaller bird species here to see, as well as some quite large ones, but if you are a bird lover, you don't want to miss Flights of Wonder, the only show in Asia.

Flights of Wonder is held in the Caravan Stage Amphitheater in Asia. Like all the rest of the area, it is themed to look like crumbling ruins. A trainer comes on stage and talks about various birds of prey, having them each in turn swoop low over the heads of the audiance and land on their perches on the stage. The trainer tells you about each bird and also the conservation efforts needed to sustain them. Some of the birds perform a few tricks, most notably snatching a paper money held by an audiance member (use a one, ya'll- they can't tell the difference...I don't think...). It is quite entertaining and educational. Make sure to see it at least once.

Well- next time we'll visit Dinoland USA and dig up some bones. Until then,

Sla`inte~