Celebrations of Mardi Gras weren't exclusive to Animalia. Animalia was further spread out than it was a year ago. In fact, Mieni Atoll was being built during Animalia's first Mardi Gras so it was only fitting to see what was going on over there.
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The tourist season won't really begin until spring, but there were plenty of people who were wanting to get away from the dreary late-winter weather. So it wasn't much of a surprise for a cruise ship sailed into Mieni Atoll with plenty of people who wanted to party. The plan was for the ship to be in the archipelago during February Festival Week before sailing back home. Considering there weren't many other tourists at Mieni at the time, the cruise-goers were welcomed. Of course, people who loved to party often did stupid things.
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One tourist had gone to the jungle obstacle course with some of his buddies. After taking enough shots of 'liquid courage', he decided to try vine-swinging. Having climbed up a tree and procuring a strong-enough vine, he jumped and yelled, "Yoinks and away!" He barely had time to finish that before he hit a nearby tree. Undeterred, he jumped from that tree and yelled "Yoinks and-" before hitting another tree. "Yoinks..." said the tourist dizzily as he jumped again only to hit another tree. This continued until he finally slid to the ground, battered, dazed, and definitely going to be sore tomorrow.
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One of the brawnier tourists tried challenging Topanga to an arm-wrestling contest. "Look, guy, these flippers are designed to propel this body through the water," said Topanga, holding up her arm, "You're not going to be able to handle them."
"C'mon, those things are too flat to hold any muscle," said the challenger, "If I can beat you in a foot race, I can beat you in an arm wrestle."
Topanga rolled her eyes and said, "Fine, fine, let's get it over with."
The challenger grinned and sat down in front of Topanga, gripping her right hand with his own. "Trifle with me, will you? You, you-" he started before Topanga effortlessly flipped him hard enough that he fell into the nearby pool. A few seconds later, the challenger pulled himself out of the pool before walking back to Topanga and giving her an annoyed look. "I think you're pretty tough, don't I?" he said.
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Of course, that wasn't the only Animalian colony where Mardi Gras was being celebrated. The Lost City of Vilcabamba wasn't just celebrating Mardi Gras, but the grand opening of the Animalian resort. It had taken several months, but the hotel was finally open for business. As such, the staff there, human and Animalian alike, were celebrating Carnival with that infectious Brazilian spirit. It wasn't quite as flashy as the celebration in Rio de Janero, considering it was in the Amazon and not near a city, but they were no less festive. Those who were able to watch the Animalian, particularly the females, do the samba in flashy costumes would say they more than made up for the hotel's remoteness and lack of a big parade.
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On the other side of the Atlantic, the two colonies being set up in Africa weren't quite ready to open yet, but they were getting rather tclose. At the Egyptian colony, The ancient buildings were almost rebuilt, preserving as much of the original structure as possible while making it easier to live in this harsh, arid climate. More modern houses that were specifically designed for desert dwelling were also being built in the outer ring of the city.
The Serengeti colony was certainly very interesting in how it was divided into different sections. There were modern houses of course, some more futuristic-designed to be more energy efficient. But there were also an area made of simple grass huts. It would seem that a lot of the refugees who would be moving here would like to return to their ancestral roots and live by the traditions that their ancestors used to follow before the Europeans came. Of course, this area would be more cordoned off from younger visitors as the ancestral way involved wearing little clothing, with women going topless and the children wearing nothing at all. It was something that Animalians could get on board with, but for the sake of decency, that area was put where people would be less likely to stumble across it by accident.
The current projections were that the two African colonies would be ready by April at the latest. And there was quite a bit of planning for what will happen when the colonies are open. For instance, there were plans for the inhabitants of the Serengeti colony to do a production of the Broadway version of 'The Lion King'. Considering almost every species in 'The Lion King' is already represented by an Animalian, it would certainly cut down on the costume costs.
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Finally there was a bit of news from Australia. The zoo that Tyree worked was currently the main center for Animalian uplifting. Things were progressing well, with some Aussies wanting to convert. However, there weren't quite as many people interested in converting in Australia as there were in the United States, outside of those wanting to help bring back extinct species. There were plans on establishing a small town in Norther Australia, but it was more like an embassy than an actual colony. But in a way, it was still a step forward in integrating Animalia with human society.
While Mardi Gras may not be highly-celebrated in all the colonies, they were definitely showing increasing levels of progress. By next Mardi Gras, they would be able to celebrate with a lot more exuberance.