Penguins on the loose!

That's what we thought we would see, as I promised my daughter Tvisha a few weeks ago that we would go out to see penguins whom she loves, and see a movie on animals called Animalopolis. This is part of the program schedule at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT until labor day September 6, 2009.

The Maritime Aquarium is a nice place to take your kids to. They have exhibits of seals with seal feeding shows 3 times a day, penguins of course, sea horses, frogs, stingrays, sharks, and different kind of fish. They conduct special programs for the summer such as this one with the penguins that we went to.

There is an IMAX theater for those who want to take their kids to watch movies, and also a nice shaded picnic area in case you pack your own lunch. Oh, before I forget, there is also a public cruise.

We enjoyed the animal movie that lasted 40 minutes. After lunch, by the time we got to the penguin show the place was packed. There isn't any good vantage point to see the penguins unless you get there around 12.45 pm for the 1.15 pm show. Now that's long time to stand at one place waiting for the action to begin while your kid is getting more and more impatient. On top of that it was only 'a' penguin that they brought out of the ten they have, which was a bummer!

The whole package does put a dent in your pockets considering all that you get. Total $50 bucks for the movie and aquarium for a family of 3, and extra for the other stuff you may get. Make sure to spend a good part of the day at the aquarium as there is a lot to see and do.

Over all, it was good to be out with the family and see my daughter happy, which is always the bottom line. Here are some pictures that I was able to take.

Six Flags Animal Safari

Two weeks ago on a Saturday, we decided to visit the Six Flags Animal Safari in New Jersey with our friends. We hadn't taken our daughter out much since I started recovering from surgery.

It was a 3 hour drive to get there from Westchester, NY thanks to the heavy traffic. We parked at the rest area which has decent amenities. I would strongly recommend that you take your own food and beverages as the cost is exorbitant inside. For example a small bottle of water cost my friend Nakul $3.30, and a diet coke $3.75.

After lunch, we started off on the safari, not really knowing what to expect. It turned out to be a good experience to watch from inside your car, as the animals roamed around freely, especially the giraffes that were literally walking over the vehicles inspecting the occupants through the sunroofs or the windows; the lazy elephants taking a bath in the hot afternoon; 3 rhinos crossing the street in front of us in a parade; and of course the 'we could care less' lions and tigers. Then there were the other usual suspects - zebras, ostriches (too many of them), deers, kangaroos, bears, baboons by the hundreds, and many other animals whose names I can't even remember.

My daughter Tvisha and her friend Kharan had a great time looking at the animals, fighting amongst themselves at times to find the best spot in the car. Both of them were also really intrigued as to why the baboon's derriere was red in color. I of course took the fifth on answering that one :-).

The whole viewing time is around 1 hour and we were back to the rest area where we had parked previously. The kids Tvisha, Kharan and Sahana all enjoyed a pony ride, while I was ready to get out of there contemplating with submission how bad the drive back was going to be.

To summarize, it was a good outing if you can bear the heat and the I-95 traffic, and the pricing of the event ($20 bucks a person, which with 5-6 people in a car adds up real fast). I am sharing some pictures that I took and here is the link to the Animal Safari. Please bear with the fact that some of the photos were taken with the car windows up, hence may not be that clear.

Looked like an ostrich, but was a Rhea!



Ostirch?? hmmm.....




Ostrich??? almost sure.....



This was really cool!!









Bear necessities.......





My daughter and wife!
My friend's son, Kharan
Sahana and her dad, Nakul

You know your child is growing way too fast when...

1) you hear yourself saying "don't do that", or "no" almost all the time while she goes around doing just what she wants

2) she says she doesn't need any help with anything, and does ask for help only when she needs it

3) she can open/lock the front door, wear and choose her own clothes, buckle/unbuckle her car seat belt, know how to get to YouTube on the ipod and play videos all by having observed us

4) she does dance poses in front of the mirror

5) she imitates mommy's way of carrying her purse, placing her sun glasses on top of her head, and carries her own foldable chair to the park.

My daughter is around 3.5 years old.....SCARY!!