Strolling through Asia

As we walk to Kali River Rapids, we take in the amazing immersive atmosphere around us. I’ve never been to Asia, but this place makes me feel as if I’m there.

I can’t help but marvel at what we’ve been able to do on our first few days at Walt Disney World. I mean, this is the most crowded time of the year! We didn’t really know what to expect, but we were prepared to just take it easy and enjoy the scenery the first few days. We had thought perhaps that the crowds would be so great that we wouldn’t get to ride anything, or at least anything new or exciting, until after New Year’s Day.

Given the anticipated crowds, we had all psyched ourselves that these first few days we would enjoy just being here, looking at the decorations, touring the resorts, that sort of thing, and if we were able to ride one or two things, all the better. Then, we figured, we could use our day-and-a-half tomorrow and Thursday, after the holidays were over for most people and the crowds were reduced, to ride the stuff we really wanted to.

But even though the parks have had lots of people, it hasn’t been unbearable at all – and just look at what we’ve been able to experience: the Seas with Nemo and Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush, Stitch’s Great Escape, the Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor, the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (twice!), Living with the Land, the Circle of Life, Club Cool, Spaceship: Earth, Soarin’, and now Expedition: Everest. At the most crowded time of the year, we’ve still be able to ride just about everything we’ve wanted to!

We pause for pictures at a scenic area, a temple decorated with prayer flags, with Forbidden Mountain looming in the background. As always, it is the little details that add to the realism – like the apparently hand-lettered sign that says “Please do not enter temple area except on festival days.” I wonder when “festival days” are in the Animal Kingdom, exactly?

We round a corner and find the Standby entrance to Kali River Rapids. Oh, wow. I’m amazed. The wait time is five minutes! Kali River, here we come!!