Saturday morning, October 9th, was yet another beautiful sunny morning in Central Florida. We both got up around 7:45, went to the Mara for hot chocolate/coffee and some cereal. Today we were at the bus stop by 9:10a.m., easily caught a bus, and in a matter of minutes were at the gates to the Animal Kingdom.

Oh hai, Everest!

Walking briskly to beat the slowpokes and picture-takers, we arrived at Expedition Everest, which boasted only a 10 minute wait. After riding together we entered the single rider line and walked right back on, securing Fast Passes for later.

With Expedition Everest behind us, we leisurely walked toward the Africa section of the park, and took the train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, an area I admit we visited because of…the petting zoo. Yes, I am twelve! Or maybe four. In any case, we both were eager to see some goats and such.

As a bonus we watched some veterinarians perform an ingrown toe surgery on a tiny, tiny bird.    We petted some goats. We did some learnin’ about nature.  We saw some sheep.  This is the stuff of exhilarating trip reports!

My idea of a good time...the petting zoo.

Anyway, soon we were back on the train, a bit peckish and in need of a decent cup of coffee after a couple days of nothing but Nescafe.  While heading through Asia, we ran into Devine, who really is mesmerizing to watch.  Eventually we ended up at the Royal Anandapur Tea Company where we each had chai and a muffin/cinnamon roll.  We sat and ate in this tiny hut overlooking the water, and once finished headed back to Expedition Everest to ride again with our Fast Passes.  By this time the lines were long enough to preclude even another run-through via the single rider line, so we headed out of the park, browsing the shops as we went. A quick bus ride and we were back at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

How hot must Devine be under all those leaves?!

Originally our plan was to have a snack, rest up, and head out to a park for the afternoon. On a lark, we decided to explore the hotel and take pictures, and then walk over to the Kidani Village area of AKL to have lunch at Sanaa, the new Indian/African fusion (lord I hate that word) restaurant.

Inside Jambo House, Animal Kingdom Lodge

We lucked out and secured a table right by the window, affording us lovely views of the zebras and giraffes that strolled by. What was really impressive, however, was the food. CP and I are both very food of Indian food, and as such we have pretty high standards. Sanaa met and even exceeded them. The vegetables were fresh, the dishes well spiced (and spicier than I’d expect for food served within WDW), and the breads and dips in particular were outstanding.  After a morning in the hot sun at Animal Kingdom, an afternoon lunch in the cool basement of Sanaa was just what the doctor ordered.

One of our dining companions at Sanaa.

After lunch, it was time for a nice, long nap  – the kind of nap where you wake up and can’t remember what day it is.  Afterward, we both went to the Mara to fill our mugs with soda, peeked in on the animals out on the savannah, and prettied ourselves up for dinner at the California Grill.  Once at the bus stop, we decided to play bus roulette and see which bus came first – this would determine how we would travel to the Contemporary Resort for dinner. The Epcot bus came first, so we took a very loud bus ride to Epcot, hopped on the monorail to the TTC, and switched to the resort monorail.

Once we checked in at the California Grill podium on the second floor, we were whisked to the top of the resort and were told we would be seated at “the best seat in the house.” Now, I tend to be a bit glass half-empty, so I really wasn’t expecting this to be true.  Friends, I eat my words.  We were led to a corner table by the window at the edge of the restaurant nearest the Magic Kingdom, which was also conveniently set apart from most other tables.  Our server that evening was Donald, a lovely if reserved man who was attentive without hovering, honored our choices while suggesting complementary ones, and who let us linger at our table until the Wishes fireworks and then well after.  If the ambiance itself wasn’t magical enough, then there was…

Magic Kingdom fireworks from the California Grill.

THE FOOD.

Now, I have always been something of a self-described ‘hamitarian,’ eating mostly vegetarian while not snubbing the occasional piece (or two or six) of good bacon.  This dinner was the first night in many years I decided to go whole hog (get it! a pig pun!) and try the much-raved-about pork loin with goat cheese polenta.  It did not disappoint – the meat was cooked perfectly, and the zinfandel glaze and button mushrooms perfectly complemented the goat cheese in the creamy polenta. CP ordered the “vegetarian unplugged,” a sampler of the evening’s vegetarian side dishes, which when together made a pretty fantastic meal.  The tasty pinot noir and dessert didn’t hurt, either!

After watching the fireworks with a front-row seat, we left the restaurant and leisurely strolled over to the Magic Kingdom, which was hosting Extra Magic Hours that night.  Entering the park after the fireworks was another salmon-upstream experience, however, so I for one was glad to have a bit of wine in my system to soften the blow! Eventually we reached Fantasyland and rode Snow White, which we had somehow missed on both of our previous trips. On a whim we entered the Dumbo queue which looked much shorter than it really was, so we jumped out of that line and figured we’d ride Aladdin’s carpets if we really needed to spin around in the air.  We decided to head toward the Haunted Mansion, which we found to be closed, so we headed over to Pirates of the Caribbean and shared a boat row with a man lacking any definition for the idea of personal space.

Looking at this picture you can almost forget the thousands of sweaty people jabbing you with their elbows...*shudder*

CP and I are clearly people who never learn — this would make our third time in as many trips experiencing EMH at the Magic Kingdom, and the third time we found it so distasteful we left almost as soon as we arrived.  While EMH at night in the other three parks can be downright restful, there’s something about a MK EMH night that is claustrophobic and disheartening. So, out we went, with the Main Street Electrical Parade providing the soundtrack to our exit.  In spite of the crowds we managed to catch the 2nd AKL bus in short order. All in all, a fantastic day.

Next up:  How much Epcot can you stand?