Saturday, July 11, 2009

10 July 2009 “Bush Gardens Theme Park” Tampa Bay FL

 

The weather looked gloomy again for Orlando, but on the weather channel it showed that Tampa Bay on the west coast looked clear. Bush Gardens is situated there and is part of the package we purchased. This is also the place where the rougher Roller coasters are supposed to be at. There was The Lion and Tiger, an old wooden rollercoaster. There was Kumba with 65 mph speeds and Montu which is known as the longest inverted coaster in the world.Finally there is Sheikra a coaster with 200ft 90 deg drop and another drop of 150 ft . Needless to say I gave this one a skip and am still trying to muster the courage to do this one. Watch this space…….

Arriving at Bush Gardens Welcoming people. Eco Lion from plants The entrance Checking the kids for ride requirements. Bush Gardens tries to replicate the African feel A strong maroccan feel Guides can be hired for a fee. Directions to the events On the way to the Gwazi. There are a lot of kids attractions Have a look at the ride requirements, must have at least one leg and one arm to ride???? This is when Michi and myself split away to do some rides and Amelia took the small ones until the swap. Pride of Lions. Living butterfly Beatiful Gardens, hence the name. In dinosaur land The Dragon in the waterplay area Ensureing hygene and safety More dragons A smaller ride A smaller water ride The dragon carousel 28 The Tiger enclosure In the Tiger area Bumper cars for fun There were various characters interacting with the public. Stealing a hat! A funny creature Then it was the test to overcome the falling fear. From grumpy to fun in 15ft drop. Even I had to face my fear! Some great stone statues This was the Jungala area. This is the Sheikra Check out the drop!!! Before it drops, it actually suspends you over the edge for 2 seconds With a second drop around the next loop, just when you thought it was over. even swooping through water. Then we took a trip on the sky train for an aerial view of Bush Gardens and all the wild animals This is the American version of a gameviewing trip to Africa. Well at least they try. We saw tha SA Springbok team relaxing at Bush Gardens as well. The Hippos actually had a pool that you could view them underwater.Entering the Egypt area, where Montu is situated.  Tut Michi. 72 A replica of King Tut's tomb as it was found. 64 65 Walk like an  egyptian! Lots of gold All funny egyptian statues ? Without the statues, king Tut's casket. 70 71 Waiting for the Bus. Then it was off to the curiosity caverns, where there were a lot of animal exhibits. Look at this nice exhibit for the Rat snake. another nice exhibit for the Gila monster Some type of Iguana. Then Sven and Michelle fell into the Hippo pool 80 On the way to Timbuktu, we got stuck . arriving in Timbuktu. Getting direcions to the Nairobi Station Michelle doing an aerial survey of the surroundings. Michell doing the Paris to Dakar Rally. The Cheetah Chase coaster. Waiting in line to ride, filling empty stomachs Then it was to the next 4D show about a Pirate Island. Before the show.Here you see the movie in 3D, and are blaster wth air and water from the seat to get a true 4D feeling. Then we had to take the train This is the Serengeti Express. On our trip we saw various Game species, but what make the pictures interesting are the coasters in the backgrounds. The Montu. The Kumba A rare glimpse at the nocturnal Bongo. a little closer to home. The highest log ride in America When it got to evening we still did a few activities, and then wandered through the primate gardens. The backdrop for the Crazy Critter show, which we will watch next time. Michelle participating in the Hula dance In the primate garden Look at the niceenclosures for the Chimps, even a full river flowing through it. Hear no evil, see no evil do no evil ! This is the Gorilla enclosure. After a long day at the offices, some time to relax. Tired and ready to set up camp. Camp all set up. Similar to the anthill on Alan and Karien's farm. The lioness guarded our camp. Unfortunately after 565 photos, the battery of the camera was flat.

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