Check.
After dinner, we headed down the strip towards the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, to complete another of our 30 Before 30 goals. Really, we raced down the strip! As one usually does, we underestimated the actual distance we would have to walk to get there, and the time it would take. I mean, we could see Mandalay Bay out our hotel window, and it was just down the block, right? WRONG! It took us at least 45 minutes to walk there. And we were racing to get there before they quit admitting patrons. But we made it, panting and sweaty, with about 3 1/2 minutes to spare.
Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a golden crocodile and a big komodo dragon. This didn't do much to get the girls enthusiastic! They were a little nervous until we came to the big tanks full of tropical fish and little reef sharks. Then they started to get into the spirit of things.
Once again, Johnny mastered the art of just taking it all in, from the relative comfort of the stroller.
After we checked out a lot of the tropical and weird fish, and saw a snake or two, we came to the sting ray pool. Danny and I tried to get the girls to pet them, but Claire wasn't buying it. Not even Sophie would give it a try. But they were content enough to watch them swim around.
We moved on to see some of the other tanks that held some of the more special fish. First were the lionfish, and the girls thought they were so cool! Claire and Sophie had come across their picture in the little booklets we got at the door, and got to work finding said picture.
Claire thought the lionfish would appreciate seeing their picture in the book. :) That girl is too cute...
So, the lionfish were cool, sure. But they didn't hold a candle to the jellyfish! It was time to take on the jellies!
There was also this way cool, and somewhat creepy, octopus. I'm not sure I've seen a live octopus before, but I can assure you I've never seen one this big or active! It was swimming along the side of the tank so you could see its tentacles moving along the glass, the suction cups sticking and unsticking themselves from the glassy surface. Kind of creepy. And if that wasn't unnerving enough, it kept looking right at me. Ewww...
They don't call it "Shark Reef Aquarium" for nothing. Next, we headed to Shipwreck Cove to check out the sharks.
It was really cool! The coolest shark we saw was a type of sawtooth shark. It's really amazing what kind of creatures are part of this earth. Danny and I love exposing the girls to some of the animals that Heavenly Father and Jesus created. It's a great way to teach them.
Gotta love the random kid in the background. :)
We spent about 20 minutes in Shipwreck Cove, watching the sharks and even seeing some sea turtles! On our way out, we tried one more time to get the girls to pet the sting rays. Claire still had absolutely NO desire to touch those weird looking things. But Sophie worked up the courage! Unfortunately, her little arms were just too short to actually touch them. She found the water to be exciting all the same. :)
And with that, we checked off another of our goals on our 30 Before 30 list. To be honest, this aquarium, in and of itself, may not have sufficed to actually complete that goal. But combining it with what we did the next day more than sufficed!
Curious, aren't you? :)
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