SAFAUXRI

I have always wanted to experience a safari adventure but when friends told me about camping out in the wild I immediately crossed it out of my bucket list. Camping for me includes hot showers, plush towels, soft beds and 24-hour wifi access. Thankfully, Disney had me in their thoughts when they built an African safari at their Animal Kingdom park in Orlando, Florida. The 15-minute tour takes you through forests and grasslands filled with “free roaming” animals for an Out of Africa experience.  The photo above was taken at the grasslands sections with these rhinos crossing behind our tram. Luckily, I was sitting on the last row thus providing me an unobstructed view of a great photo opportunity behind me.

MAGIC KINGDOM

imageThe Cinderella Castle is the very heart of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in reference to its location and it being the access point to every themed land in the park. I took this photo of the castle from Main Street USA, a street lined with shops depicting early-20th century small-town America and inspired by Walt Disney’s childhood. I was about to head out of the park when I decided to take one last look and saw the magical magnificence of the illuminated castle in the distance. I thought its light blue illumination made it pop out in the darkness while the golden lights of the Main Street buildings framed it beautifully from both sides. Truly a beacon for every child’s dream (and adults too).

WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE

During my interview with the company who hired me for work in the United States, the interviewer asked me where in the USA I would want to relocate and I replied “anywhere near Disneyland”.  It may have sounded funny for the interviewer but I was dead on serious about living close to a Disney park. When I was 10 years old, a neighbor gave me a pictorial souvenir of Walt Disney World and I grew up staring at the photos dreaming of visiting it someday. Disney World was a childhood dream that always lingered deep inside my heart and mind so imagine my joy when the interview ended with a job offer to sunny Florida where Walt Disney World is located. My work assignment was in Miami but it was good enough for me as Orlando was just a few hours drive. Since my move to Florida, a visit to Walt Disney World has become part of my annual tradition and each time I step into the park and come face to face with Cinderella’s Castle, I pinch my arm to remind myself that everything is for real. I know I have come a long way from being that kid who once dreamed of coming to Disney and I am very proud to say that through perseverance and hard work I eventually made that childhood dream come.

TORII 

 The torii is a traditional Japanese gate usually found at the entrance of a Shinto shrine to mark the entrance to a sacred place. Contrary to tradition, this torii is found at the entrance to the Japanese Pavilion of EPCOT Center at the Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. I took this photo using my iPhone 6, while in the middle of a thunderstorm, and the park was gray and misty with rain falling down like crazy.  Surprisingly, the dull and hazy background brought out the deep red paint of the torii creating a beautiful contrast in the photograph.

E P C O T 

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The EPCOT Center (Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow) is one of the four theme parts making up the Walt Disney World complex in Orlando, Florida. I was told that this was originally built by Disney with the intention of having people live here and serve as a model of a planned community with approximately twenty thousand residents. Today, the park celebrates human achievement in technological innovation and international culture. The sphere at the middle right of the photo is the centerpiece of the park and is called Spaceship Earth. It is my favorite attraction as it transports you through the history of man from the Stone Age to the computer era. My second favorite part of the park is the World Showcase featuring 11 pavilions themed to represent a specific country. My special favorites are the Mexico, China and Japan pavilions.

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