{"id":945,"date":"2012-03-12T13:10:45","date_gmt":"2012-03-12T05:10:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bloodinyoursaltwater.wordpress.com\/?p=945"},"modified":"2013-06-17T18:51:12","modified_gmt":"2013-06-17T18:51:12","slug":"remember-just-believe-hong-kong-03112012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bloodinyoursaltwater.com\/?p=945","title":{"rendered":"Remember! Just Believe… \u2013 Hong Kong \u2013 [03\/11\/2012]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The stars are out where dreams are born
\nAnd fairy tales come true
\nNo matter who you are
\nThere\u2019s magic in the stars
\nReaching out for you…<\/em><\/p>\n

I will admit I didn\u2019t intend to go back to Hong Kong Disneyland after having been there only a few months ago. It\u2019s a tremendous expense when you\u2019re on a tight budget, and I always worry that if I go back too often, if it gets too \u2018easy\u2019 it will lose something.<\/p>\n

However, my life as of late has been as topsy-turvy as Choplin\u2019s Feast of Fools<\/em> (\u201cbe the king of Topsy Turvy day!\u201d) and my emotional existence bears a strong resemblance to the space mountain roller coaster. In short, I needed to forget about the money, to forget about the stress and the strain of the ship, I needed to remember what was really important, what was worth chasing after, worth fighting for, worth worrying about. Really? I needed a day off.<\/p>\n

So it was that I found myself hiking up the crazed hustle and bustle of Nathan Road with my friend KJ (who is in just an frazzled a state as I am right now, for surprisingly similar reasons), to the subway station that would take us to Sunny Bay platform and a white train that shimmers with pixie dust and childish squeals of delight as it makes its slow way out of the station.<\/p>\n

It was raining, torrentially actually, but rain has never deterred me when it comes to Disneyland. While I\u2019ve yet to be subjected to rain in California\u2019s magic kingdom, I have sat curbside in Disneyland Paris watching the parade in not just rain, but hail<\/em>. This was also in the middle of March, March is apparently just not good theme park weather. At any rate, we were drenched by the time we made our way from the station to the park gate, and purchased Disneyland umbrellas before we even purchased our tickets. Mine is black with purple, which strikes me as odd, prior to this I have always been drawn to blue, but lately my eyes seem to go toward purple, even though I still consider blue \u2018my\u2019 colour…strange. Anyway, thus armed against Mother Nature, we purchased our tickets ($51 gets you through the gates), and drifted, giggling, into \u201cthe world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy\u201d.<\/p>\n

Something instinctively changes in me when I walk under those arches, something in me falls away. Negativity cannot seem to survive in the park, and worry has a hard time of it as well. Commercial as it may be, the park gives us the opportunity to step out of reality, to step away from a world of visa bills and distanced loved ones, and over-complicated thought processes. For the first time ever, I didn\u2019t cry when I walked through the gates, most likely because I was with someone who doesn\u2019t know me quite well enough to understand me on that level. The tears came later, and there was reason for them.<\/p>\n

I have been exceptionally fortunate. I have been to 3 out of 5 Disney parks, two of them more than once. Looking around as I walked down Main Street, humming along to Gary Indiana<\/em>, it\u2019s impossible not to think that so many of these kids are like I was when I was little, before I started even dreaming of traveling the world, before I had so many opportunities presented to me. For them? They wait their whole lives for a chance to walk through those gates, and they may never come back again, but the memories stay with you for a lifetime.<\/p>\n

It was the first time I\u2019d ever been to a Disney park with someone other than my family. Normally I am quite choosy about whom I go with, and often I choose to go alone rather than take a companion. But KJ was in as deep a need of time away as I was, and for once I found myself not wanting to be alone. I carry Disneyland in my heart a lot of the time, tucked up in the back with the rest of my travelling \u2018home\u2019 so that I can disappear there whenever I truly need it. I think if you dropped me blindfolded in the middle of California Disneyland I would probably be able to find my way to Adventureland without getting too lost \u2013 KJ however, hadn\u2019t been to Disneyland since she was in High School, and it was an entirely new experience to watch her re<\/em>-experience the place I have come to know so well.<\/p>\n

There is something to be said for rain at theme parks. It cuts down the lines, and once you get used to the fact that you\u2019re going to be soaked from the ankles to the knees, and once you\u2019ve managed to browse through all the various shops to find at least one cozy hooded sweatshirt to cut the worst of the chill, you can see the beauty in the near empty park. It helps too, that the line for Space Mountain dwindles to less than five minutes in the rain. There\u2019s something to be said too, for commiserating with a good friend over park food and caramel corn, listening to the rain drum on the metal roof of the tomorrow land restaurant.<\/p>\n

It stopped raining about an hour after we arrived, naturally after we had purchased umbrellas \u2013 but hey, we needed umbrellas anyway, this won\u2019t be the only port that sports a bit of liquid sunshine.<\/p>\n

After much persuading I managed to get KJ to take a spin on the teacups. And I do mean spin. My fondest memories of my father are him teaching me how to work the Tilt-o-Whirl<\/em> at the local fair, and from there, him teaching me the meaning of centrifugal force when I<\/em> first went on the teacups. As a result? I know how to make those things spin like there\u2019s no tomorrow. My arms always hurt afterwards, and anyone who rides with me is often surprised that I have<\/em> the upper body strength to tork the wheel around that fast, but this is but one of my many theme-park oriented skills J<\/p>\n

I rewarded her for her bravery by taking her to the last showing of the Festival of the Lion King<\/em> (which I finally managed to capture on film) …she however got her revenge by making me go on the Toy Story Land parachute drop.<\/p>\n

I hate heights.<\/p>\n

Actually I hate the anticipation<\/em> of heights. I\u2019m okay with heights if I\u2019m climbing a mountain, or looking down from the observation deck or something, but knowing I\u2019m going to be pulled sky high by a \u2013 granted very thick \u2013 steel cable, I was almost ill. KJ of course, thought this the height of hilarity.<\/p>\n

Toy Story land is a new addition to the park, last time I was there it was behind construction fences with \u201ccoming soon\u201d plastered all over them. Now the fences have disappeared to reveal a world that truly does make you feel toy sized. Giant tinker-toys (which I haven\u2019t even seen in normal size since i was a child) support huge strands of Christmas tree lights over rides based on toy-soldiers and giant crayons, and a slinky-dog that chases its own tail. There is a race-car roller-coaster too, which I was fully brave enough to tackle, but the lines are long (since the attractions are new), even with the rain factored in, and there was only time for the parachute drop before the attractions closed to prepare for the late-night fireworks display.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve said before that Disneyland takes on an entirely new kind of magic at night, when Main Street lights up like something out of a Christmas card and the streets start to feel empty as tired parents escort equally tired children home, usually perched on shoulders or hips since small legs are too exhausted to support weight after such a long day. Balloons drift haphazardly up into the twilight sky, and the scent of caramel corn seems to linger in the air even more than before. Twilight in Disneyland has always seemed to me the time when you reach for the hand of a loved one, either child, or parent, or sweetheart, or friend. KJ and I were silent as we walked towards the castle for the fireworks, taking the long way around through Tomorrow Land, our minds on other things, on other people, in other places, for that temporary space of time.<\/p>\n

Then tell-tale voice echoed around the park…no matter what Disneyland you\u2019re in, the voice is the same, a perfectly pitched melodic tone that wouldn\u2019t sound out of place on the BBC…<\/p>\n

Ladies and Gentleman boys and girls, in just five minutes time, we will dim the lights throughout the park, and invite you to turn your attention to the sky high above sleeping beauty castle…<\/em><\/p>\n

It was then, standing on the wet street with my video camera dangling from one hand, and my eyes turned upwards, somehow completely by myself despite the fact that KJ was standing less than two feet away from me…that I realized I had not seen a Disneyland fireworks show in 15 years…and that the last time I clearly remember seeing one, I was the one perched on my father\u2019s shoulder, because even at 10 (which is the last clear memory I have of going to the park with my family, despite the fact that we went at least once after that), I was too small to be able to see.<\/p>\n

In some ways it was like being in two places at once, like two spots in my own life time. As I stood there watching the castle start to sparkle, I could hear a different voice, with a different speech<\/p>\n

Ladies and gentleman boys and girls, we invite you to turn your attention to the sky high above sleeping beauty castle, where if you believe and wish hard enough, you too will see the magic of Tinker Bell as she lights this evening\u2019s performance of Fantasy In The Sky<\/em><\/p>\n

With the aid of a zip-line and a spotlight, Tinker Bell always did fly of course. But as a child, you don\u2019t know that, and if you do you don\u2019t care.<\/p>\n

I remembered being a child, a little child, only 3 years old, sitting on my dad\u2019s shoulder, with my arms wrapped around his neck for support, whispering under my breath<\/p>\n

I believe. I believe. I believe. I believe.<\/em><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s when the tears came. KJ looked over at me, and went to put an arm around my shoulder and I shook her off…<\/p>\n

I\u2019m okay…<\/em><\/p>\n

But..<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019m okay! Really! Just shh…<\/em><\/p>\n

Disneyland fireworks aren\u2019t just sparkles in the sky, they\u2019re an experience. I\u2019d forgotten just what an experience they really were. They dim the entire park, blacking out mainstreet and fantasyland, everything except the lights of the castle itself, and huge spotlights rake the audience.\u00a0 The energy in the air is life-giving, and soul-healing, if you\u2019re remotely sensitive to such things, you can plug into it and feel it pull you throughout whatever else you might be dealing with.<\/p>\n

I can show you the world…shining shimmering splendid…<\/em><\/p>\n

There were hundreds of people standing on main street with me, but for that 45 minutes…I was blissfully alone…well almost…those of you who were there, standing invisible next to me and around me, know who you are.<\/p>\n

No matter who you are, there\u2019s magic in the stars….<\/p>\n

When the fireworks finished and the castle snapped temporarily to darkness before resuming its standard glow, the crowd began to mill and we joined it to drift back towards the entrance. I\u2019ve said before the trek is always slow and in this case rendered slower by the fact that we were sore and tired from walking all day. We picked up the last few souvenirs we had looked at earlier in the day, at the last of our popcorn, and paused to take pictures in front of the huge lit-up fountain that marks the beginning of the causeway to the train station.<\/p>\n

Behind us, the main-street train station, still lit up like a Christmas card, glowed and flickered in a silent farewell to both us and the hundreds of other people departing for the day.<\/p>\n

Soon the underground dropped us back in downtown Hong Kong, and we emerged into the bustling nightlife of Nathan Road. A lucky encounter with a street merchant netted me two Chinese dresses (one of which is the required green for the upcoming St Pat\u2019s party) and a kimono I had my eye on last time I was here \u2013 and prevented a trip to the night market \u2013 after which we made our slow and weary way home.<\/p>\n

While others were preparing to go out and party overnight, I closed my cabin door to the world, stowed away my souvenirs, uploaded my photographs, and put my Hong Kong Mickey Mouse with my small collection of miniature stuffed animals…<\/p>\n

And somewhere around 1am, I said some words to the close and holy darkness…and I slept.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The stars are out where dreams are born And fairy tales come true No matter who you are There\u2019s magic in the stars Reaching out for you… I will admit I didn\u2019t intend to go back to Hong Kong Disneyland … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[40,16,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-grand-world-voyage-2012","category-ports-of-call","category-theme-parks"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3GtNE-ff","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bloodinyoursaltwater.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bloodinyoursaltwater.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bloodinyoursaltwater.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bloodinyoursaltwater.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bloodinyoursaltwater.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=945"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bloodinyoursaltwater.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2255,"href":"https:\/\/bloodinyoursaltwater.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/945\/revisions\/2255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bloodinyoursaltwater.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bloodinyoursaltwater.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bloodinyoursaltwater.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}