Monday, January 20, 2014

China Day 10 – Chimelong Safari Park





 One happy little girl!

Waking up we knew today was going to be a fascinating one.  We were scheduled to go to Chimelong Safari Park.  It was about a 45 minute bus ride with traffic, but once we got there it had the feeling of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  Our first task once inside was to participate in the Safari on Wheels exhibit.  This was a really neat exhibit; it was setup like you would expect a safari ride to be set up.  We had a safari train that we all rode but what was really cool about this one is that you could drive your personal car through and see the animals.  There were so many animals that I will not bore you with all of the details, but it was really fun.  I only wish I could have understood our guide to hear what she was saying about the animals.

Our Holt group, minus 1 family who opted not to go today.



 Our Safari Trains


Get up close with the animals in your own car.

The rest of the park setup is called a Safari on Foot.  They have everything like a typical zoo except it is set up as if the animals are still in the wild.  One area had chimpanzees out in the open that would come down and play with a safari employee and you could actually touch it.  They also had an animal kindergarten where you could feed a baby tiger.  One really neat detail about the Chimelong Safari Park is that it houses 10 pandas and I cannot even remember how many white tigers but it was a bunch.  They even had a tiger show with the white tigers.  It was not a Siegfried & Roy type show; it was more of the tigers at a circus type of show.  It was pretty good.
 Feeding a baby tiger.



 Giraffe feeding was also an option, but we can do this at Memphis Zoo so we just watched.

The best part of the day was getting to spend quality time with the other Holt families that are here.  We continue to develop great relationships with each family as we journey together through the ups and downs of adjustment with our new family members.

Today we also witnessed a HUGE milestone with April and Primrose.  Prim was stretched out across our laps while taking a nap on the bus on the way back to the hotel.  She woke up and I set her up but somehow her positioning placed her in April’s lap.  She didn’t cry and I left her there.  She sat in mommy’s lap the rest of the way to the hotel, about 10 minutes total time.  As the bus stopped I told April to stand up with her and see what happens.  Nothing….silence….contentment….AMEN!  Even when I got off the bus and walked up to them she was ok in mommy’s arms.  She stayed there until we crossed the street to go eat supper.  It was AWESOME to see that.  I am not sure how long it will last, but it is still progress.  Thanks again for your prayers in that area.


 
Tomorrow is a down day for us as about half of the Holt families will be going to the US Consulate for their oath taking ceremony.  We do not do that until Wednesday.  So my plan for tomorrow is to post mostly pictures and videos of our time here.  Stay Tuned!

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