I've never been to Disneyland. Well, up until now. It was Halloween night, and the whole gang decided to take an abbreviated night trip to visit the theme park (around HKD 400 if I remember correctly). It was an exhilarating experience for me; it made me feel like a kid all over again. Everyone wanted me to try everything. Vicky and Monique were long time veterans of the Anaheim park, and it seemed that in the group, I was being babied since I was the newbie! We got off the MTR train at around 6pm, and the amusement started when we had to exchange trains, thus hopping onto the Disney express, which was dressed up for the kids to enjoy. It was a long walk from the entrance gate to the first attraction, but everyone kept on telling me that the HK version of the park wasn't big at all. To someone who's never been to Disneyland, it was a long wait to start the real fun!
It was a shame that the overhead train touring the park was already closed. We could have had the aerial bird's eye view tour for starters. We saw parts of the night time parade, and even tried to spot the Pinoy-looking performers in the cast (under all make-up and the costumes, darn impossible). We quickly made our way to several rides--the kids started off with Space Mountain, and we all crammed into the Buzz Lightyear shooting game.
The unifying ride for all visitors would be It's a Small World--every part of the globe was represented, and I half-expected the Philippine dolls to dance the itik-itik while singing the signature song. I instinctively remembered Gwammy telling me stories about taking this ride in 1971, when she first went to the United States. Brought a tear to my eye--every one is a child in Disneyland, and it truly is a small world after all...
The fireworks display started promptly at 9 pm. The enchanted castle of Cinderella looked like it was on fire! Every burst, every pop, every shooting star was well choreographed with the music. A multitude of colors, a myriad of threads! I gazed intently, not blinking at all; I clapped and howled in delight as the grand finale roared into the night sky! Mid-life crisis? No, it was my second childhood!
The tour around Mystic Manor was fun, and despite the fact that I was being whirled around several rooms, I didn't get dizzy at all. Maybe I was marveling at all the things to see! The kids took a splash ride at Grizzly Gulch, and by the time they finished, we were all visibly tired. It was almost 11 pm after all. Last stop--picture taking with the vampires, the spider-lady and other Halloween characters.
In fine, we braved long lines and the food wasn't much to rave about, but I definitely enjoyed my 6 hours in one of the happiest places on earth (the others being in Anaheim, Paris and Florida). The train ride back to the hotel was a long one, but overall, everything was soooooo worth it!
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