It had been 15 plus years since I last travelled the pavilions at the Flamboro site, and, truth be told, my memory and expectations for the day were completely up in the air. That being said, it was, albeit expensive ($30 per adult in the vehicle), a completely whimsical experience.
Heightened by the presence of my 3-year old niece, the park brought some true laughter and wonderment as she giggled at the monkeys, was wowed by the lions and made friends with an overly curious ostrich. The experience itself would have been a blast had it only been Alison and myself, but the fun one can have with animal noises and silly impressions only gets better (and perhaps less weird) when that true childhood curiosity and silliness joins along.
I had forgotten over the years, just how neat (to put it quite simply) it can be to see animals up close and somewhat personal. From cheetahs to giraffes, every little area we drove through reminded me of just how huge and great our planet really is.
The rhinos hanging out in the shade and the ostriches meandering down the road both seemed so prehistoric and beyond me in nature that even I was pointing with that "woooowwww, look at those guys." The monkeys were, as suspected to be, troublesome and mischievous to the point of ripping off car parts and holding up traffic (you can avoid the monkey section if you choose, or you can pay extra to jump on the safari bus and save your car the graffiti and damage). But I think of all the animals in the park, my favourite has to be the giraffes, with their odd personalities and awkward stature, they amuse me and riddle me all at the same time.
When all was said and done, the drive through the park took us a little over an hour, and while that could have been enough to satisfy my wild-life adventure, there was still so much more to do that I certainly don't recall from my experience oh so many years ago.
The splash pad, for example, was perhaps, and I don't mean to detract from the animals themselves, but it was perhaps the highlight for us as baby-sitters for the day. Pretending to be lions for an afternoon, parading through the wetlands and meeting new friends on the journey down the water slide was a total throwback to a fonder time of innocence and care-free living. And the park doesn't stop there either, it seems to go on forever with funnel cakes and bison burgers and elephant shows and pony rides and on and on and on!
But, as all good things must do, our day at the safari wound down to an end with a lovely picnic of animal crackers, apple juice boxes, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It was, dare I say, an absolutely perfect follow-up to a Fred Penner concert only one week prior. And I don't mind saying that, while my niece's world-brightening smile certainly added wonders to the adventure, it would have been fun to experience had it been just Alison and myself; with the same picnic lunch and all!
I know it's not a new adventure to many folks, and I'm okay with that fact as I sit here writing. Because, you see, it was an adventure that got us out of the house and was close enough that it could have easily been decided last minute. It's the type of day out that perhaps we wouldn't have thought of out of the blue, but, really, the Safari is only 30-minutes away and seemed an ideal way to spend a lovely afternoon.
And so this week, my vote for things to do in and around the city of Guelph is being crowned upon the mighty King of the jungle and all his wildlife friends at the African Lion Safari; fun for the kid in all of us.
-Phil
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