UNBELIZEABLE VACATION DAY 2 :: ORLANDO, FL :: Our purpose for visiting Orlando was to see La Nouba, although the show wasn't until later at night. This presented us with the challenge of finding something to do during the day. The only attractions seemed to be the dozen or so theme parks in the area, so we decided to check out Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Arriving when the park opened, we were able to hit the major rides within 90 minutes and completely avoid all the lines, although we actually took our time moving through some of the queueing areas to appreciate the amazingly detailed theming. We rode the Kilimanjaro Safari, Kali River Rapids, Dinosaur and Expedition Everest.

Dinosaur actually did a pretty good job of frightening me. Burning meteorites whizzed through the air and explosions rocked our time-traveling rover. Suddenly, we learned we were being chased, and there were brief glimpses of something menacing in the dark. We rounded a corner and then, wow, there's an in-your-face encounter with a gigantic, very scary and very lifelike dinosaur, furiously shaking and roaring so loudly it rumbled my insides. I swear, little kids were screaming and crying in absolute terror, traumatized for life. It was just a large muppet, but even I was like, "Dude." Stunned and not smiling.

Expedition Everest was also a great ride, climbing up an impressive, ice-laden peak, and then racing back down in fun curves and dives (backwards at times!) to escape the Abominable Snowman! It was like a mashup of the Matterhorn and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad rides in Disneyland.

We spent a couple more hours walking through the nature trails to see various birds, fish, monkeys, gorillas, tigers and other cool animals. Finally, we decided to check out "The Festival of the Lion King". We weren't sure what to expect. We loved the Tony Award-winning show, and we hoped this performance would be similiar. Upon mentioning this to an usher, she gushed, "Oh, this is so much better than that!" Well, we didn't think so. There were some acrobatics, some fire-dancing, some audience participation and embarassment. It was actually fun, over-the-top and definitely energetic, although I don't understand how the performers can sing "Hakuna Matata" every hour throughout the day without going a little crazy...