Friday - Disnepland Day 1

I said to Jovia before we left that Sonali in particular, would stick out like a sore thumb. I was pretty spot on!

The overwhelming thing about the day was the heat (think walking around in Brisbane December heat - humid, hot, sapping) and the fact that everyone was pointing and giggling about Sonali, and we had that many requests to take her photo, so we will end up in some Asian happy snaps. It was funny that we weren't the only westerners there, but we got a fair amount of attention. Sonali's blonde n' blue combo was the catalyst, but Olivia was her usual outgoing self, and that was a big thing.

Disneyland (does anyone else reckon that Disney's signature looks like disnep?), was fun. It was spread out and certainly not a place you'd go to for rides (much like seaworld). It wasn't cheap, certainly by Hong Kong Standards, but not worse than any other theme park.

It is divided into 4 lands - Fantasyland (princesses, alice in wonderland, dumbo - basically all the old disney cartoons), Adventureland (we spent no time there, because all the rides were too scary for the kids - mainly visual things), Tomorrowland (buzz lightyear, lilo & stitch) and Main Street USA, which was turn of the century colonial and actually really good looking and impressive - it was mainly the shops and parades and stuff.

The photo is us in with the Fantasyland castle in the distance - again, very impressive. Disneyland is the kind of place you go to see and experience (and buy souvenirs), so worth it in that regard, but once you went through the park, there would be nothing that you'd need to particularly return for. Thank goodness it takes two days to get through the park, at our pace (and that the second day's ticket was free). Maybe that is why the year pass is only HK$650 (which is around $120-$130, depending on the exchange rate).

The girls went on a couple of rides, we ate at the cafeteria in Fantasyland (the worst food in the park, but the most impressively decorated eating spot - Marble statues of cinderella, and old, solid wood chairs to mimic a medieval dining room). Again, everyone spoke English, and it was dead easy to get anything.

We spent most of our money on the first day on drinks - it was so humid, that we needed to continually replenish with water. Again, it comes in handy that every drinks vendor, toilet, shop, everything has antibacterial handwash to wash hands, and this has helped alleviate the obsessive worry of a mother. Somewhat.....

We stood in the street parade about 3:30pm for the waterfight, which cooled us down a bit - there are "dry spots" where you can stand to avoid getting wet, otherwise it is game on.

I forgot to mention there was a High School Musical show going around the park from Main Street USA through to the back entrance to Fantasy land and Tomorrowland. The fact that it was so campy/funny, made up for the fact that I have a one-eyed hatred for High School Musical. Think of sClub7 meets one of Whitney's K-pop boy bands, and then the camp level upped a whole heap.

Had dinner at the hotel, with a draught carlsberg costing $8!!!! I was ropeable, but Jovia said "it's the last day" - I'd basically been dry, because I had no way of obtaining alcohol. The dinner wasn't bad, really light and healthy.

Got the girls Minnie ears and had their names embroidered for $10 each (ears and embroidery). Collected another 200 stickers from the staff and was pointed at.

Went for a swim, which was really nice, and they have this beach towel dispenser, where you get hot beach towels (and there was a disposal unit next to it). There were a few yanks in the complex, some nice, some - well - typical yanks really. Goofy came for a swim with the kids.

Crashed, with the plane trip and no recovery and Disneyland, we were exhausted and our body clocks were still trying to wake us early. And the kids.

Again, recommend the hotel for families with kids, and even singles should do it, just for the experience.