We were off to San Diego. We had a couple of big days planned. We were here because Pa had a conference. Ma and I tagged along because of the perfect weather in San Diego and to visit family. Ma has an aunt and cousin that live in LA, so they joined us for a few adventures.

Our first adventure was to head to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Ma and Pa had promised some elephants since we had to cancel our trip to Sri Lanka. But there were a lot of other animals to see too.

First, we saw the gorillas. These are such amazing creatures. We were fortunate enough to see one of the babies. I believe he was nine months old. The way the mom carried him around was so cool. She would just cup her hand and scoop him up like Pa carrying a cantaloupe.

Then we headed to the African Safari Tram. We were on the first tram of the day, so the line and wait were not too long. It was so cool to sit on the tram and see all the different African geographies in one area. We saw so many interesting animals: giraffes, rhinos, antelopes, and more. I can’t wait until Ma and Pa take me on a true African Safari!

One of our final stops was the much-anticipated elephant valley. I have been talking about seeing elephants for the last six months. I was sad that we couldn’t make our trip to Sri Lanka to see them in the wild, but this was definitely a good consolation prize. We got there right at feeding time. All the elephants were active. One of the zookeepers brought a couple of the elephants over towards us so we could see them up close. They are truly majestic creatures. And so we completed our safari visit. What a way to start a vacation!!!

We had to head to the hotel so we could check in and Pa could get registered for his conference. After we got settled, though, we had a nice surprise. Ma’s Aunt Pat and Uncle Don drove in from LA to have dinner with us. They also brought a train puzzle and some books with them. I like these guys. They’re pretty cool people!

 

The next day was filled with more fun and excitement. Aunt Pat joined us again, this time at SeaWorld. She also brought along Ma’s cousin, Steve, and his two boys Dylan and Ryan. We headed to the park and then the fun began.

We ran all over this place going from exhibit to exhibit and show to show. They had a bunch of aquariums with a ton of cool fish. We got to watch a sea lion show and a dolphin show. The boys ran off to play on some big boy toys, and I was stuck with Ma in the little boy play area. But I did get to climb a giant net all the way to the top – and made Ma follow me – so there was that! Boy was it a great day we got to spend with family. So much fun!!!

The next day Aunt Pat came to join us once more, and we I headed back into the city to Balboa Park. There was one more thing I was promised for our trip to Sri Lanka, and that was a train ride. There was a miniature train at Balboa Park. I imagine that it’s not the same as riding on a real train, but it will do (for now). Then I decided to ride a frog. It was really big, and it jumped up and down and went around in circles. It was the nicest frog I have ever met.

On the last night in San Diego, we got to go to a pool party for Pa’s conference. There were a ton of people and a dude dressed up as a duck! They also had some games we could play. I found the giant bowling ball and pins, and I was in heaven! We got our bowl on for a while. Then I had to entertain with Pa.   My cuteness was enough entertainment for most, but then a man in a bathrobe started singing and the guy dressed up as duck jumped in the pool. These folks are crazy!!!

Oh well. It was a great trip. Family, fun, animals, and sunshine. What more could a little boy ask for?