In the morning, I met with representatives from the DMOs (Destination Marketing Organizations). They gave me lots of great ideas for trips I hadn’t even considered and I’m now thinking of how to fit them into my 2025 travel schedule (2024 is fully booked). BTW, I already have two trips planned for 2025—a west coast trip and London with my nephew and his family.
In the afternoon I skipped out on the history tour of Galveston, opting instead to visit the Rain Forest Pyramid at @Moodygardens and get some rest. It was a great decision. Another conference member who was also playing hooky and I got a private tour of the Rain Forest with the head botanist.
Walking through the entry, we passed through a corridor where the sounds of the rain forest are amplified. I’d never experienced anything quite like it, but it was a great way to introduce visitors to what they were about to encounter.
We entered the pyramid at the top through a tree-top canopy entrance. Within seconds the heat, humidity, intense green and aliveness of the atmosphere enveloped us. In the pyramid we visited the rainforests of Asia, Africa and the Americas. The botanist explained the flowers and plants in a way that emphasized their intertwinedness. There are over 17,000 exotic plants and she knows the names and properties of each one. We got up close and personal with birds and monkeys. Among the endangered animals there are Giant Amazon River Otters (who were very active and adorable and HUGE) to a Komodo dragon, Saki monkeys, Cotton-top tamarins, and sloths.
It was a fabulous experience and if you’re ever in the area do NOT miss going there.