The Anandapur Royal Forest

This week, we return to Asia at Disney's Animal Kingdom for a visit to the Anandapur Royal Forest on Maharajah Jungle Trek. As the story goes, "Since very ancient times the Rajahs of Anandapur have hunted tigers in this forest." Today, however, it serves as a wildlife preserve, open to all the people of Anandapur and those who visit here.

The gateway to the Royal Forest is this small structure, which serves as both guard shack and residence for the guard whose job it is to man it. Just inside, you may notice a few personal artifacts of the guard's, such as the tiny radio he uses to entertain himself when things are slow and the multi-compartmented, metal lunch kit, much like those offered for sale in the nearby bazaar.

On your way through the guard shack, be sure to also look up. You'll see the roof is lined with newsprint, authentic papers from Southeast Asia.

When this part of the park was under construction, a Disney Security hostess who reads Sanskrit just happened to be assigned a post at the entrance to the Maharajah Jungle Trek attraction. Reading the articles to help her pass the time, she soon discovered several of the stories were inappropriate for a Disney Park. She brought the concern to the Imagineers, who not only corrected the issue, but hired her as a consultant on the Asia project. As thanks, they made her the face of Manesha Gurung, head of nearby Kali Rapids Expeditions.