Today we enter the Sacred Bathing Pool of the Elephants (please no jokes about "They're wearing their trunks..."), stumble upon a Lost Safari Camp ("Looks like that gorilla is in for a mind-blowing experience..." "Gee, I thought that Jeep's battery was dead, but it looks like they finally got it to turn over...") and locate the Lost Safari ("uh oh, looks like a native uprising; Hate to be low man on THAT totem pole; I'll bet that rhino gets his point across in the end..."). We experience all these wonderful sights in our mind's eye and by way of the next few pages of the "Official" Jungle Cruise spiel (you'll find the earlier pages in some of my earlier posts). As you can see, the official version can be a bit dry---even with the approved alternatives. No small wonder then that a few, unnamed, unsung Skippers may have "enhanced" the spiel along the way. Some of these scenes have changed since the mid-80s. Back then, for example, there were no piranhas after Schweitzer Falls. Also, the baboons who used to perch on the wall before the African Veldt are now hanging out over by the "Lost Safari's" camp (just past the old squirting elephant). And my old friend, the hornbill, has moved from his tree below the Swiss Family Treehouse (near where the Indy queue is today) and now hangs out in the Jungle Cruise queue area (look up, you'll see him).
After we avoid Schweitzer Falls (just barely), we're headed down the Nile River. Here we meet our big friend, the African Bull Elephant (and his world famous mother in law). We also (used to) approach the Baboon Family---Pat, Debbie, Bob and Daniel---as we head toward the zebras, giraffe and gazelles of the Veldt. 
We finish this part of our tour (and our pages from the Spiel) with the Lost Safari. In conclusion, allow me to also share some good old fashioned Disneyland letterhead.
They don't make 'em like that any more. Now it's just "The Disneyland Resort."
1 comment:
Of course we modified things along the way. Sometimes due to boredom, a breakdown, the lack of animation (back in my day)... doing a trip just pointing out and discussing plants, slowing my boat down so the boat behind would be hit by the squirter and so forth. And we could come up with good impromptu lines. My best one was when I turned around to find Schweitzer Falls wasn't running due to pump shut down. In mid narrative.. "And behind me is Schweitzer Falls and...well...it's dry. Then again, we are always dry on Sunday." Some may not get that line...may be showing my age as some states still had blue laws.
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