Well, maybe not to Africa, somewhere closer to home and fewer pesky mosquitos, but still on safari… Busch Gardens in Florida is a good fit, they have the safari, the zoo, roller-coaster rides, although, there are still quite a few insects flying around…

The park name comes not from from the now-current president Bush, but from the beer-producing corporation, well known by  Budweiser, Michelob and other beers, and you can get some for free right there in the park. Well, there is quite a line for free beer, as you can imagine, so we are passing on that and walking straight to the flamingo den, where there is bunch of those gracious birds dancing there special dance.

 

Next to flamingoes - the white peacock, quite a camera-weary creature, folding its great tail the moment you take your Canon out.

We got to gorillas right before the sunset. This guy was behind the glass with his back turned to us, and ignored all our efforts to get his attention, like tapping on the glass. At sunset, this creature checks his watch (well, he got no watch, but the gesture was quite authentic), and went inside. He looked back on his way out…

Hyenas are also spending most of their time in the shadow, and all you can see during the day are the little heaps of fur. They will start moving around after the sunset.

Piton roller-coaster - one of the oldest in the park, was closed in October 2006 and dismantlen afterwards. One of the last runs…

SheiKra - the newest coaster, the vertical drop here is about 180 feet (60 meters). The name comes from Shikra, the african falcon, known for dropping onto his prey from high up in the sky.

Finally, a few shots from the Serengeti safari, wher you come really close to the beasts… 

… and see the long giraffe’s tongue right in front of your eyes.

Tags: animals, Florida, Parks

This entry was posted February 20, 2008