African Safari Collage

African Lion Safari

It was another bright sunny Sunday yesterday. For long I had been planning to take my son, who is 2, out to several of the interesting places for kids around GTA. So we started off with going to the African Lion Safari located somewhat discreetly in farmland between Hamilton and Cambridge. The drive upto the location itself was very pleasant.

African Lion Safari could best be described as a mini zoo where you can drive through in your own vehicle, although guided tour buses are also available. We decided to take our own car. Lions, cheetahs, rhinos and a few other more friendly animals sit just next to your car windows ! It was a pleasant sunny day, so we could see most of the animals outdoors, and a lot of those apparently enjoying their respite from winter and forced hibernation were seen engaged in "pleasure" activities too ! However, for my son most funny were the monkeys who hopped from one car window to the other. Once finished with the drive through tour we sat down for a fast food lunch at the 'Mombasa Restaurant', and ended the visit with a pony ride for my son and a pleasant sight, on our way out, of 10-12 ducklings following a mommy duck !

Another pleasant, sunny Sunday spent well !

Dandelions; a blessing in disguise

from Scientific American archives:

Native to Europe dandelions are now found all over the world- much to the chagrin of those like a vas expanse of green lawn. But, not everyone reviles the humblest member of the sunflower family.

Sunflowers are rich in vitamins A, B, C, D and G, and minerals like potassium. Dandelion leaves can be tossed into salads, its flowers distilled into wine and spirits, its leaves dried into teas or roasted into a coffee-like beverage. The Chinese considerd the plant a "blood cleanser" and used Dandelion juice to clear up infections as far back as the seventh century. Europeans were using the plant medicinally by 1485. Folk medics used the plant as a diureic, a digestive aid and to cure warts and blisters. Today, dandelions are widely believed to lower cholesterol and benefit the liver. Modern research suggests that dandelions do possess antibacterial, and possibly antiviral properties.