HK Day 2: Shining Shimmering Splendid

HK Day 2: Shining Shimmering Splendid (December 31, 2009)

In true vacation fashion, we slept through the entire morning and woke up to the small amount of noonday sun peeking its way through the grey, gloomy sky. The fog was thick and the air chilly, reminding all of us that it’s wintertime. Alicia was sick (or drained from too much talking yesterday) and we weren’t sure if we should proceed with our plans. However, just as we were trying to come up with a compromise, the clouds momentarily parted and the sun shone brighter. The waters below us glistened in happiness. And that’s when we decided. We were going to Disneyland.

Anyone would easily conclude that the Disneyland in L.A. is infinitely larger and better than the one in Hong Kong. But our trip to Disneyland L.A. was almost a decade ago, and my memories of it are hazy at best. The one thing HK Disneyland had going for it (vs. Ocean Park) was the timing. The "magic" attached to Disneyland was increased exponentially by the fact that it was winter, and we wanted to experience Winter Wonderland. This meant that Ocean Park would have to wait for the next time, and that we now have a valid reason to go back. So we boarded the MTR through the Kowloon station and got off at Sunny Bay, on our way to the happiest place on Earth.

H O N G  K O N G  D I S N E Y L A N D

Hidden Mickeys inside the train

At Sunny Bay, we had to wait for the Disneyland line. I was so amazed to find out that there's a special line for Disneyland. I was even more amused that the special train was a customized one, complete with Mickey Mouse windows. The Disney station was also so pretty, and when we got off the train we had to walk a bit towards  the entrance of the park. This was already at around 2:30 PM, so the first thing we did was to feast on burgers and fries, consistent with our tradition of late lunches in Hong Kong.

The "Let It Snow Christmas Parade" was scheduled at 3:30, so we found our spots on Main Street USA and watched as different Disney characters flaunted their floats, dancing to the tune of “Let It Snow.” I saw the parade up close, which is one advantage of HK Disneyland being smaller.

The "Let It Snow Christmas Parade"

Driving on a track

After that, we went on several rides, Space Mountain being the only remotely thrilling one. The rest were basically for kids, but we still tried some out. We tried out this Buzz Lightyear ride as well as this ride where we got to drive our own cars in a track. The fact that there weren't really any roller coasters apart from Space Mountain was okay, given that my Extreme Adventure quota for this year had already been reached. There’s only too much twists, turns, loops, and plunges I can take. That, I will save for my Ocean Park visit.

T H E   C I R C L E   O F   L I F E

The Festival of the Lion King

Later in the afternoon, Bea and I happened to walk past Adventureland. A girl was signaling for us to enter the theater, saying that it was already the “last showing.” We didn’t really know what we were getting into, but we went in anyway. It ended up to be the Festival of the Lion King, one of the shows featured in HK Disneyland.

Simba was present

In the Festival of the Lion King, singers and dancers reenacted the Lion King legend as seen in the movies. The "audience" included Simba, Timon, Pumba, and other Lion King characters. It was beautiful and quite enjoyable.

Acrobatic performance

I felt like a kid again as I sang along to "Hakuna Matata" and sighed when they did this beautiful acrobatic performance with "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" in the background. They also performed "Circle of Life," as well as all these familiar tunes that reminded me of how much I loved Lion King as a child.

The show ended with all the floats and performers gathering in the middle part of the stage, and that was when we clearly saw how intricately done each float was. It was the perfect curtain call to such a fantastic show. We didn't really plan on watching this, but we ended up enjoying it so much and we were grateful for this unexpected twist in our Disneyland adventure.

Curtain call 

S H I N I N G  S H I M M E R I N G  S P L E N D I D

We were met with a pleasant surprise when we went out, as we saw that every inch of Sleeping Beauty’s castle was covered in glitter. At least that’s what it looked like, thanks to the twinkling lights of winter. The castle glowed and sparkled, colors changing every now and then. Shining shimmering splendid, indeed.

Sleeping Beauty's castle completely covered in lights

Main Street all aglow

The rest of Disneyland was a spectacle of beautiful lights as well, and the special hologram "glasses" they gave us as we entered earlier in the morning finally served their purpose. Looking through the glasses, the twinkling lights would form snowflake-like patterns, and it was nothing short of magical.

We paused for dinner but hurried back to the front of the castle for the fireworks. We sat on the ground with everyone else as beautiful sparks of light appeared in the night sky, shooting up from behind the castle and forming beautiful patterns.

The snowflake effect of the glasses

The hologram glasses made the fireworks even more special, as the sparks of light looked like snowflakes (see first few pictures of fireworks below). While the fireworks danced, nostalgic Disney music soared in the background ― “Unbelievable sights, indescribable feeling; soaring, tumbling, freewheeling... through an endless diamond sky."

Straight out of a fairytale

For the finale they lit up the castle as well (with the glittering lights), and it looked absolutely fantastic. I grew up in the Princess era, so by this time my eyes were sparkling.

This is why people still go to Disneyland. Not for the thrill of the rides, but for that childlike feeling you get ― a reminder of all that is innocent, magical, and beautiful. It was extra special because of the added "Winter Wonderland" magic, so we ended up with huge smiles on our faces as we boarded the train back home.

W E L C O M I N G  2 0 1 0  W I T H  A  B A N G

People in ferries awaiting the fireworks display

When it's New Year in Hong Kong, the best place to be is in front of Victoria Harbour (Kowloon side) just across IFC (International Finance Center). Majority of the fireworks will be coming from the IFC side, so it's best to be on the other side. This will guarantee you a panoramic view of the harbour, and of the pyrotechnic display that will greet the New Year.

You can stay in a restaurant, you can ride one of the ferries, or you can stand by the bay and watch the display from there. Luckily for us, Tita Dig-Dig's place has that exact view, so we didn't have to do any of that. After all, nothing really beats greeting the New Year from the comfort of your own home, with family surrounding you.

We were still giddy from the fireworks in Disneyland, but as the crowd below (they looked like ants!) and the building across us started with the countdown: 4...3...2...1... BANG! All memories of Disneyland fireworks momentarily vanished as colorful sparks shot up from the tops of buildings, lighting up the already-beautiful Victoria harbour. This resulted to a breathtaking blend of buildings, lights, and fireworks, all reflected in the glistening waters.

Happy New Year!

2010, I am so ready for you! :)

Welcoming 2010