• 0,4•44.
Gift Guic e
IF YOU GO:
Rates in 2001 start at$199
Igboland, Nigeria. An omen of
good fortune for the coming year if
it doesn't touch the ground in a tra-
ditional village dance ceremony, the
colorful, towering body-mask
weighs 240 pounds, stretches 16
feet tall when fully extended and
took 20 Igbo tailors and artisans
more than four days to assemble.
Nearly as colorful are the African
toys in Simba's Clubhouse, open
daily from 4 p.m. to midnight for
children ages 4-12. And, in a daily
morning ritual, staff members play
musical instruments from Africa to
open the pool, where a slide over-
looks the giraffes and other animals.
For some of the resort's "cultural
representatives," recruited on tern-
porary visas from hotel or computer
schools in Africa, Disney's Animal
Kingdom Lodge is reminiscent of
home. "The first day we came here
it was like step-
ed chicken with
for a standard room, higher
chili-cilantro
ping into Africa,"
vinaigrette and
says Charmaine, a
for savanna views.
native of Durban,
mashed yams
For reservations, contact
South Africa.
known as foofoo.
She greets diners
The resort's
a travel agent or
at Boma, the
signature restau-
call 407-WDISNEY.
resort's noisy, full-
rant, Jiko ("cook-
service restaurant
ing place" in
that serves break-
Swahili), offers
dinner-only in a tranquil, sapphire-
fast and dinner buffets, family mar-
ketplace-style, from an exhibit
hued room with stylistic white birds
floating overhead. Inspired by
kitchen, wood-burning grill, rotis-
Disney's The Lion King, it presents
serie and cooking pods where chefs
such modern African cuisine as
explain the fare. Children have their
own chef-attended station.
banana leaf-steamed sea bass with
Some of Boma's tasty "Flavors of
asparagus puree; mushrooms and
Africa" dinner dishes include
apples; roasted whole papaya stuffed
lemongrass shrimp with peanut
with spicy minced beef; brick oven
flatbread topped with yogurt-curry
sauce; seafood gumbo or a curry-
infused mulligatawny soup; black-
cream; maize tamales with truffle
oil, herbs and spices; and mango
eye pea salad; fresh mussels; rings of
turnovers with orange-apricot seeds
duck sausage; blue cornbread; roast-
and spice sauce.
Like many of the resort staff, Joe
Kalla, head animal curator, is eager
to share his extensive knowledge
with guests, and calls the lodge an
ideal destination "for people who
will never get an opportunity to go
to Africa or who may not want to
go there."
An animal curator at the San
Diego Zoo for 18 years who studied
animal behavior in Kenya, he says:
"There's something about Africa
that gets under your skin and into
your soul. I hope when our guests
leave here, a little bit of Africa
leaves with them." 0
Susan R. Pollack is an award-
winning travel writer who lives
in Huntington Woods.
Disney World hosts
"100 Years of Magic"
W
e owe it all to Walt Disney, the late visionary who
parlayed his great imagination. creativity and love of
parades into a worldwide entertainment empire for
families.
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of his birth on Dec.
5, 1901. Disney World is in he midst of - 100 Years of Magic."
a yearlong celebration.
Not surprisingly for this any-excuse-for-a-party place. that
means new parades. new attractions and new reasons to
come to the Orlando park. whether you're a first-timer or fre-
quent returnee.
Paying homage to Walt's extraordinary show-biz wizardry.
the celebration is centered at Disney-MGM Studios. where the
"'Walt Disney: One Man's Dream - attraction displays never-
before-shown memorabilia from, the Disney archives.
Outdoors. anchoring Hollywood Boulevard across from the
Chinese Theater. a giant. 122-foot-tall Sorcerer's Hat is the
park's newest landmark, on the order of Cinderella's Castle in
the Magic Kingdom.
How big is it? For starters. Mickey would have to be 350
feet tall to wear this star- and moon-adorned headpiece.
which weighs 156 tons and measures in at a whopping 605
7/8" hat size.
You can't miss it.
And you won't want to miss any of the new, major live
entertainment spectacles, featuring nearly 400 performers,
playing daily at all four parks:
"Disney Stars and Motor Cars" takes to the streets of
Disney-MGM Studios. showcasing creatively customized cars
loaded with Mickey Mouse. Aladdin and other favorite charac-
ters.
Larger-than-life snow globes capture the charm of Disney
characters from a child's point of view in "Share a Dream
Come True." the Magic Kingdom's new parade.
Winding through Disney's Animal Kingdom is its first
parade. "Mickey's Jammin' Jungle." an interactive street party
of Disney characters on expedition. and Epcot's popular
nightly procession is now ''Tapestry of Dreams," with enor= .
mous drums. puppets and a Dream Catcher float.
Other recent and upcoming attractions at Disney World
include TriceraTop Spin and Primeval Whirl in Disney's Animal
Kingdom: a ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? - game studio in
Disney-MGM Studios: and the Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride
in the Magic Kingdom.
Under construction is Disney's Pop Century Lodge. a
5.760-room value resort, where oversized icons at each build-
ing entrance will feature such American pop cultural touch-
stones as a giant jukebox for the 1950s and a larger-than-life
yo-yo for the 1960s.
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2001
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us/ n R. Pollack