Day 11 San Diego Safari Park

So today we went to the San Diego Safari Park, which is in a different location than the San Diego Zoo, but is set up differently... It is explained here:

https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/San_Diego_Wild_Animal_Park.html

A quote from the above link says: "The San Diego Zoological Society became interested in developing the Wild Animal Park in 1964. The idea of the park began as a supplementary breeding facility for the San Diego Zoo, which would allow ample space for large animals and ungulates."

It was also just amazing! Both the Zoo and the Safari Park are so amazing at having created these botanical masterpieces... Later when I'm back at home, I'll add some videos to these posts so you can see how incredible it is to walk through some of these areas... As and example, one of the first things I did today was walk for a while through bamboo arching over me like a cathedral ceiling with mist being gently sprayed; with sunbeams filtering through ... Gamelan music gently providing an ethereal ambient effect (example of Gamelan music:  http://youtu.be/HfrOSJRCsfM ) while I walked towards a gorgeous statue of a tiger... Ahhh! I kept going back through because it was so amazing! 

Then, you continue on, with gorgeous plants everywhere... Then I was in a waterfall cave... Ahhh!!! Again, videos of all of this...

Sumatran tiger:

We went to see the gorillas (pics from my camera later), then went to the viewing of THE TOTALLY CUTEST LITTLE BABY CHEETAH!!!

Sat down for lunch. Hey, if all OUR garbage cans said "landfill", would people stop putting stuff in it?

Cute play area that inspires creative play... Our boys joined with other boys and cooperated to build this house... Yes they did!

Feeding some lorikeets:

Then off on this Safari tram around the park... Saw so many animals roaming around. This park has 1800 acres...

A lovely treat in the heat: there is mist pouring on you everywhere; in the amphitheater; in the tiger area gift shop (and that bamboo area leading to it); in walkways:

And even just walking down a road... They have fans to send the spray farther... Delightful!!

Some elephants:

I have a very long video I took on my camera after this of elephants, particularly 2 of them, and the way they play... They were pushing each other, throwing mud on themselves, totally goofing around in the water... I didn't know they would do that!

More neat play areas for kids that just pop up anywhere... And are enticements for kids to play and imagine:

Back through the tiger store on the way out:

Then me enjoying a glass of wine as we saunter back through the bamboo to the entrance... I asked if I could walk around with the wine... This is a weird question to them... In our province it seems we have to stay in the enclosed space where we buy our drink... So the beer gardens at Folkfest or Fringe, for example... Not here... 

Then on the way back to the beach house, we went to Spiritos in Carlsbad... A restaurant featured on Diners, Drive Inns and Dives on the Food Network... We are fans of the show and the boys definitely wanted to try at least one DDD place... Clearly this is what everyone does as everyone was being run off their feet at that place! Sooo tasty! The boys wanted pics in front of the sign (I'll show those later from camera).

So nice there and everyone so friendly!!

Brought home a piece of lemon marscapone cake for dessert.

We are looking forward to getting up tomorrow at our leisure and just staying here for the day...