Safari Park

Today we visited the Safari Park.

 

This is always the highlight of our Guangzhou portion of the trip. Being animal lovers and annual zoo pass holders, we look forward to seeing some Asian animals in their natural habitat.

The panda bears are of course a highlight!

 

The first stop in the safari park is a 30-40 minute tram ride through the animals' natural habitats.

 

 

The park has done a fabulous job of leaving wide open spaces for the animals and yet allowing visibility for the patrons. During the tram ride we drove through African savannahs, Asian woods and open plains. No enclosures were visible which made the viewing even more enjoyable.

 

After disembarking, we began the walking tour of the zoo. We stopped and posed outside the Meerkat exhibit. I'm not sure Savannah Faith was that enamored with the idea. Although she was relieved that we were near the Meerkat's and not the monkey's.

 

Earlier we had to leave the monkey show. That was the only place Savannah Faith definitely did NOT enjoy. Half way through the show she noticed the monkeys. A terrified look crossed her face, and she let out a scream of terror. Needless to say we left the show in a hurry. That was the only time all day that she showed any signs of displeasure. Clearly monkeys are not her favorites.

We continued our walk and accidentally, after entering the "exit", stumbled into an area where you could pay $3.00 to hold a tiger cub. Needless to say they didn't have to ask twice, I shelled out the money and Michaela and AnnaGrace fed a one month old tiger cub his bottle.

 

This is my sixth trip to China. Five adoptions and one volunteer trip. Needless to say I'm not buying a lot of "stuff" this time around. You can only own so many China tea sets, traditional silk dresses for the little girls, and silk purses. Those of you have been on adoption trips know what I mean.

We're also on a tight budget this time. Every agency arranges their travel portion differently. Our agency uses CWTS for their travel. Our outings, guide, van and breakfast are included in the flat rate price we paid for our trip. Our lunches, dinners and extras are not included. Needless to say we've eaten a lot of crackers, trail mix and peanut butter that we brought from home, for meals. We've done our own laundry in the bath tub. (Thanks, Michaela, to your good training while on the mission field in Swaziland).

But one thing I didn't want to scrimp on this time were memories...so when the girls had a chance to ride on an elephant, I jumped at the opportunity. At $12.00/person, I thought it was a steal!!

Evidently they don't get lots of takers because the Chinese nationals lined up three deep at the fence to take pictures of our girls as they climbed abroad. I was trying to juggle Savannah Faith, taking a nap in my arms, our backpack and my camera. Taking photos with one hand with a sleeping baby resting on my other hip...who says mother's can't multi-task!

 

 

Really nothing could top the elephant ride. But we did stop for one more show. The African Animal show which included an impressive display of trained African animals including a man riding not only a zebra but also a hippo!

 

 

 

We got back to the hotel around 3:00 p.m. just in time for Savannah's 2nd afternoon bottle. Little miss picky will still ONLY drink from one specific bottle. Her bottle. I guess if everything in my life had just been turned upside down, I might demand a certain bottle too. A girl's prerogative, right!