And so it does... After a good night's sleep, Day 2 arrived with that part of the trip that I was most excited for...
) Harbour Grand Hotel sure had a good assortment of food cuisines for their breakfast buffet.
I didn't mention it in the previous post, but food sure is a problem for vegetarians in Hong Kong! All I had eaten on Day 1 was french fries at the airport and dinner at the very-welcome Legends of India. McDonald's near the hotel had NOTHING vegetarian and I could not stomach the idea of eating fries again and again and again. Thus, vegetarian breakfast at the hotel was as welcoming as hot-chocolate on a Christmas night.
I didn't notice the non-vegetarian offerings (obviously), but they had Indian dishes like idli-sambhar, poha and aloo tikki, along with continental offerings such as a huge assortment of cereals, omelet, juices, fruits and salads. If you have a sweet tooth (unlike me), you'll go crazy looking at all the waffles (they're the best ever), doughnuts, croissants and cupcakes they offer along with breakfast.
Having our stomachs adequately filled, we moved on to the next spot on the list and it was.....
it...
Disneyland was, by far, the most enlivening experience of my trip. Like I mentioned above, this was one place where my parents, friends and I were all of the same age. Of course, Disneyland offered all that I expected. Lots and lots of Disney characters, lots of colour, lots of fun and a whole lot of de-stressing. Not once did I think of anything apart from what I was seeing. Sounds almost like meditation, doesn't it?
So here, my dear readers, comes my experience of this brilliant park with truckloads of pictures. Enjoy!
(Psst! I'm a BIG fan of fairy tales, so there's going to be a lot of gushing about fairy tale characters. *blush*)
Disneyland is basically divided into different sections. Each of these sections is based on a different theme and thus offers different rides and attractions in each one of them. I'll take you through each of the 5 sections in Disneyland. Here comes the joyride!
As you enter Disneyland, this will be the first thing you see. As the name tells us, it is a street designed with stores and food joints with a classic look. You'd feel like you've entered an American street back in the 70's! Now, to be honest, there's nothing much to shop for apart from souvenirs, which also I think are too expensive. So unless you need to buy gifts, you can click a few pictures around the street quickly and move on.
Must see: But there's one thing you CANNOT miss at the Main Street USA, and that's the Disney Parade. It took place around 4pm when I went. However, check the timing of the parade when you enter the park.
The Disney Parade has many characters coming in a parade in large, bright vehicles with very Disney-ish, feel-good music playing in the background. But it is such a treat to the eyes and it is, no doubt, a beautiful show.
So don't miss out on the Disney Parade on the Main Street USA of Disneyland!
(Psst, you can see a little bit of the parade as I managed to get videos by my poor, little camera. So watch out for that in one of the posts! )
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Picture 2
Disney Parade |
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Picture 3
Disney Parade
(That's Tinkerbell in the vehicle!) |
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Picture 4
Disney Parade
(Buzz from the Toy Story! ) |
The Main Street, USA also has a fireworks show at the end of the day; 8 pm to be precise. Well,it's worth a watch. However, the amount of pollution it cause really bothered me. I haven't burst a single cracker since about 8 years for Diwali and here I am witnessing the one of the many things I stand against that harm the environment. Pity. But they aren't going to discontinue it, are they? So you might as well give it a shot!
(Sorry, got no pictures of that one... Poor, little camera had collapsed for the day by then...)
2. Adventure Land
Surprises me, but this happens to be my favorite part of the park! There are a lot of must-sees in this section.
The Festival of the Lion King: This is the best show I saw in Disneyland, or anywhere in Hong Kong. 'The Festival of the Lion King' is a musical show where you'll find dance, music, acrobatics, effects, all rolled into one! You'll fall in love with it, especially if you are a Lion King fan, because it is based on the same story.
I know I fell in love it the instant they performed on Hakuna Matata! God alone knows how many times that song must have been played in my childhood...
Note: The show takes place just 2 times a day (or so it was when I went), so make sure you check the timings when you enter so you don't miss it! I suggest attend the first show, so you can attend the other shows as well later on.
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Picture 5
The Festival of the Lion King |
Tarzan's Tree house: Yes! It exists! Or so you'd totally believe when you see this section of Adventureland... Tarzan's Tree house has everything that you might have seen in the movie! The tree house where Tarzan's parents were killed, to the tree house where Tarzan grows up with the gorillas are exactly the same! (See the pictures to believe it!) All the brilliant imitations are supported with audio aids wherever needed. For instance, Sabor, the leopardess who kills Tarzan's parents, keeps growling periodically which in turn causes the crib nearby, where Tarzan lay as a baby, to wail.
Kudos to Disneyland for creating such a good imitation!
Psst, the tree house, by the way, is a mini island and you get there by a big river raft.
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Picture 6
Sabor in baby-Tarzan's tree house |
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Picture 6
Baby-Tarzan's crib |
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Picture 7
Tarzan's tree house |
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Picture 10
Jane and Tarzan! :D |
3. Toy Story Land: Andy's playground is just as colorful and bright as it is in the movies! You would need to open your eyes wide to take it all in at first.
But be warned! This section is not for the faint-hearted...!
Why, you ask? Because, it has some really cool rides for the brave ones!
The best thing about all rides in Disneyland is that they are designed in such a way that you'll feel the adrenaline rush, but not the kind that'd make you want to puke (
unlike Esselworld). I think their brilliance lies in the fact that the rides reach the rush-limit and then stop just before the rider (and co-passengers) get dirty.
You should try the Toy Soldier Parachute Drop and the RC Racer.... They're the most exciting rides in this section...
So worry not! Give them all a ride! If I could survive those, you sure can...
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Picture 11
Toy Story Land |
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Picture 12
Toy Story Land
Toy Soldier Parachute Drop |
4. Fantasy Land: Dear girls, you will officially lose your minds here... Fanatasy Land is the cutest place ever! All the stories, all the movies just spring up in front of your eyes...
The Princesses:
Try not to laugh, but I almost cried at one point in time... That one time just happened when I saw the Disney princesses! They looked EXACTLY like they did in the books and movies and they had been trained so well that I refused to believe, even for a second, that they were just actresses! They way they spoke, their "oohs!" and "aahs" were just too perfect... *starry-eyed*
I really wanted to meet them, and click pictures with them, but at the time I visited the booth, the queue was too long and it was time for the Lion King show; furthermore when I went back, they'd gone away for other performances
(huge heart-break moment
) :(
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Picture 13
The Disney Princesses!
Belle, Aurora, Snow White and Cinderella! |
The Golden Mickeys:
The Golden Mickeys at the Fantasy Land is the perfect show to make you feel oh-so-good and believe in dreams. The kind of things we read out about in fairy tales such as dreams and love and all that jazz, is exactly the kind of thing you should be prepared for. A half an hour long show, this one is also full of dance and music and brings live to you Disney characters such as Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Lilo, Stitch, Jessie and Andy.
Towards the end of the show characters from The Beauty and the Beast join in to give that happy ending feel.
On the whole, go for it only if you're a fairy tale lover; otherwise you will find yourself deep asleep just like three men travelling with me were.... :P
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Picture 14
The Golden Mickeys
At the Storybook Theatre
Fantasy Land |
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Picture 14
The Golden Mickeys
At the Storybook Theatre
Fantasy Land |
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Picture 14
The Beast and Belle
The Golden Mickeys
At the Storybook Theatre
Fantasy Land |
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Picture 14
The Cast
The Golden Mickeys
At the Storybook Theatre
Fantasy Land |
Next up in Disneyland's Fantasy land was a section called 'It's a small world.'
It's a small world: An ideal place to see if you're traveling with kids, it is a slow boat ride that takes you through different parts of the world. From Asia to the Americas, it featured many different kinds of regions and tribes.Of course, India was featured too, with none other than apna wonder of the world: Taj Mahal.
Sadly, I couldn't get many pictures here, but I do have certain parts on video. So wait up for that one!
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Picture 15
It's a small world
This is how its exterior looks |
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Picture 16
It's a small world
Entrance |
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Picture 17
It's a small world
Arctic region (I think) |
Fantasy Gardens: If you love Disney characters and want some profile pictures for your Facebook, BBM and Twitter accounts (Navs, are you reading?), you should go to this place. You'll get to meet the characters, talk to them and even get autographs!
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Picture 18
Mickey and Minnie
At Fantasy Garden |
There are 2-3 rides as well in Fantasy Land like Mad Hatter'sTea Cups and Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. But I think they are very kiddish rides, no thrill, no rush; you'll just enjoy what you see. So considering the long queues for every ride and shows, and the short time of one day in Disneyland, skip these if you must... No big deal...
That is pretty much what I experience in the Fantasy Land. But there's a lot more, so if you do have the time, go for it all!
5. Tomorrowland: A futuristic section, Tomorrowland will make you marvel at all the rides it has.
An absolute
must-see, must do is the Space Mountain. It's a ride in a huge place that looks like outer space. It's not just the thrill that I recommend it for, but some parts of the space recreated that would give you a 'woah!' feel...
You should also try to catch the
"Jammitors" performance. A crew of men that uses trash cans and dust-bins to create a good piece of music. I bet you'd tap your feet to these too...
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Picture 19
Tomorrowland
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I spent the least amount of time in the section, as the queue for Space Mountain was long (and I went twice for it *
embarrassed*), so that's all that I have to share about this place. But in case you have tried the other rides, share your experience!
The day ended with the Disney fireworks show and a half an hour ride back to the Hotel. I hadn't eaten all day! Thought there were a lot of food options all over Disneyland; and one place where my family and friends ate also offered Indian thali. Well, with so much to look at I had lost all appetite, but the end of the day had elephants tap dancing in my tummy.
The dinner in the hotel would cost 450 HKD per person, so we headed out to eat at our very own
Pizza Hut! located in Kowloon, very close to Harbour Grand hotel (walking distance), all it had to offer in the vegetarian menu was one pizza (with the dullest toppings of onion, tomato and capsicum), fries (what else?), a very blah penne arabiata and plain, ol' garlic bread. Well, that's all that we had for dinner on day two AND three, both. (yeah. monotony rules in the land of limited vegetarian food. *sob*)
So that's pretty much how Day 2 in Hong Kong went by.
With a drowsy head and tired feet, I snuggled back into my bed, dreaming about what day 3 held in store for me...
Au revoir,
Miss Bee.
I tweet on:
http://twitter.com/#!/DevikaBharadwaj
P.S.- That was one long post... So wait up for the video in the next one!
