It was quite the adventure.....to say the least.
First off, I would like to thank Grandaddy for treating all of us to this trip, it was very nice of you and nice to be able to do it all together.
We decided to rent one of the Lion Country vans for the drive thru part so we could all see the animals together in one car. It apparently takes about 45min on a regular day, but being that it was Good Friday and incredibly crowded, it took about 2 hours.
Plus... the van broke down due to the slow traffic and hot weather. And it broke down.... in the Lion's Den. Exciting? yes. Scary? absolutely!
The van kept stalling, and finally just stopped just as we approached the Lion section. Luckily, the lions were behind a gate so they didn't actually walk up to your window, but apparently, not a "lion proof" gate. Immediately, a staff truck pulled up to us and let us know help was on the way. We pulled over to the side. We patiently waited in the van, doors & windows shut, with no air.
This staff member pulled up next to us and explained that a new van was on the way and we would have to do the transfer in the Lions Den, which they generally do not like to do. He radioed to the staff member that was in the truck INSIDE the lions den that if one of the lions even stood up, they were to let him know.
"Hey guys! Don't worry, we'll get you a new van and you'll be on your way."
Me...kind of nervous as I watched (and heard the notice) that a lion was up and walking. Shortly after I asked the gentleman above if they carried tranquilizer guns with them.
Apparently, they REALLY DO NOT like making transfers in the lion area, so eventually he actually had us get into neutral and pushed the van with his truck until we made it to the next area. Phew! I couldn't get into that van fast enough!
That is, until we learned the AC wasn't working for the back of the new van. I also learned that my family thinks I complain too much after I asked for the 3rd time how much longer this drive was going to be!! Eventually, all of us ended up sitting in the first 2 rows of the van trying to cool off with the AC that was working from the front.
And eventually, we made it out of the driving tour. Alive. Dehydrated and soaked in sweat. But nonetheless, alive.
And oh boy did the fun begin!
We stopped to feed the animals.......
We rode on the train ride, carousels, and the dumbo ride.
....played mini golf.......
and even took a spin on the paddle boats!
(I offered to do the pedaling but was turned down)!
Well...... although the experience wasn't exactly what we had expected, it was quite memorable and we were all completely exhausted by the time we got home!
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