I suppose I should apologize for posting too much about Everland, but then I realized, why apologize for something I thoroughly enjoyed? We took the Special Tour of The Lost Valley, and I blogged about that in the previous post. But even if you decided not to get on that ride, you are still going to be able to feast your eyes on gorgeous creatures, as we did!
I was not alone in thinking that this whole place rocked. Here’s my friend and travel buddy Lorei having her “I’m here!” moment in front of the archway to The Lost Valley of Everland Resort.
Here’s a bit of an illustration of The Lost Valley Safari Adventure area. They claim to have over 150 species of animals in the area, and I cannot help but feel that we didn’t get to see all of them. What we did see, however, were fascinating enough, so it didn’t bother me much. I was just grateful to have laid eyes on them.
Upon entering The Lost Valley, there are glass-enclosed areas that held various species. This first window (I’ll call them windows) had a group of Ring-tailed Lemurs.
There were around 10 of them in this holding area, if I remember correctly. Apparently, the ring-tailed lemur is a highly social animal, so they usually live in larger groups of 3 to 25 lemurs.
And this is the first time I’ve heard the name: ROCK HYRAX. If they stayed still, they do look like rocks.
Interesting fact: the soles of the feet of the Rock Hyrax are kept moist, allowing them to have extra grip on the rocks. That’s quite handy if you like to hike and climb just like me. ::)
And I squealed when I saw this!!! The Cape Ground Squirrel! Isn’t it just soooo adorable!? I took way too many shots of it! See, I even waited for it to grab something to eat, so you can just imagine us walking along the enclosure, waiting for it to do something. 🙂
Check out the tail, which is soooo bushy. When it gets too hot at midday or mid-afternoon, the Cape Ground Squirrel lifts its large, fluffy tail, turning it into an umbrella to be used as a shade. Again, another handy tool to have if you like to be outdoors just like me. (Although, the idea of having a tail… hmmm….)
Regular squirrels seem to have free rein around the area, but still in a controlled environment. There are these folded screens situated all around the area, so they can run from one end to the other. So difficult to get a proper shot of them, though, cuz they move sooo fast!
I wished I was able to get a decent photo of what the Meerkat looks like. But it was too busy digging and burrowing, and just showed us its backside. It felt like he was toying with us, too, as if he intentionally does not want to show us its face. Only its… backside.
And what an adorable backside it is, too!
There were also several cranes in the area. This one, in particular, is the Black-Crowned Crane. Named such for, well, obvious reasons.
Apparently, female Black-Crowned Cranes have a special dance that they perform in order to attract a mate. (I hope the dance is spectacular, otherwise I’d think male cranes are easy, haha!) Too bad these cranes were sleeping when we came across them.
(That’s another useful skill for someone who likes to hit the outdoors: being able to sleep while standing up, and not be in danger of keeling over and dying from a broken neck.)
And look what we saw running back and forth, not letting us get a good look at them. These are the Banded Mongoose.
After several attempts we gave up on catching these two on camera. So we moved on forward….
…and came across a Banded Mongoose who was actually doing nothing! And staring at us!
My heart melted all over again. It’s so…. tiny! Look at that face!!!
There was another area filled with Cape Porcupines. Who seemed to be having an extended siesta. What we can see are only their quills, because they were burrowed in one way or another.
Time to meet the Jackasses.
Sorry, I’m not cussing. They really are called Jackass Penguins. Read the sign below if you don’t believe me.
This is the first time that I saw penguins out in the open. Usually, the ones I saw before, like the one at the Busan Aquarium, were enclosed. This one is in the open air, with a pool that they dive in and play around in.
On the aquarium next to them is another one with a Harbor Seal and a Steller Sea Lion. The Sea Lion was elusive, but the Harbor Seal was more playful and friendly. And a bit of a show-off.
According to the description, a female Harbor Seal gives birth to one offspring – which is called a pup – in one year. Pups are born well-developed and have the ability to swim at birth.
Now why can’t humans be like that!?
Here’s another show-off. 🙂
After leaving the area where the penguins are, we decided to make our way back and wrap up our Everland visit. After all, it was getting close to 4pm already, and we have more than an hour trip back to Seoul.
On the way back, however, we saw an area where people were flocking. And we approached because curiosity is a tough master.
What we saw was a pool down below, where a polar bear was sitting and playing in the water. Yes. A Polar Bear.
I. WAS. IN. AWE.
It looked so beautiful, I was mesmerized for more than a few beats. But a part of me was also thinking that this beauty is somewhere far from home. Sure, the pool’s water may be regulated to low levels, to simulate its natural habitat, but it was still held captive in a small space.
I, however, take small comfort in the fact that it looks well-cared for, and the Everland staff that was feeding it looked nice.
I took a video of the Polar Bear, by the way. Check it at the end of this post.
We had to pry ourselves from watching the Polar Bear, and take the Human Sky ride back to the entrance of Everland. I remember when we were leaving Hong Kong Disneyland at the end of a long day, my aunt said “It’s so difficult to leave”. At the time, I didn’t share her sentiments, because there was only too much Disney wholesomeness I can take. But this time around, I felt what she felt. It was difficult to leave Everland.
By the way, since this is Korea, there is bound to be some Pororo action! Kids are surer to have fun when they come here. 🙂
It was a great day, and one filled with adventures and thrills.Exploring Everland Resort, feeding my Big Bang and Kpop addiction, going on a ride at the T-Express,taking a Safari Tour, getting lost with the spirit of Tau and Jum at the Lost Valley…. It was packed, but it’s a day that will always be remembered and, hopefully, repeated.
By the way, what is your favorite theme park and theme park experience? Care to share?
And now, a video of the beautiful Polar Bear.
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