Disneyland 50th Anniversary

Going to Anaheim California is anything to go by without dropping by Disneyland. I have been here in LA and Anaheim in a few occassions in times past, but this is 2005, Disneyland's 50th anniversary, should never miss it for anything!Here we see the golden Mickey sovenir statues...everything here is about golden Mickey. Even at 50 years, Mickey is anything but old. The people arrive here by the tens of thousands everyday for this event!

Going through the gate is one big security affair. There were numerous tents built with armed security guards ramaging through your bags even though the signs and music were endearing, the overweight profiling guards aren't. They seemed to hate everything asian though....no matter...we are conquering the world by sheer size anyway.

Something I like about California, it is made up of overweight people who are largely too heavy for their own knees to carry them! I feel really slim here! Even though back home, my girl calls me a fat ass. The amount of people disabled here by their own gluttony is really appalling. This is next to Australia, whom I have been to on several occassions, a land of conmen and fat asses....well, I have been conned twice and all the people that I know that lived there had been conned before. It seemed that it may be in their genes or something, I am not sure if that has got to do with their limited economic prowess and the ability to connect to the real world economy. Sometimes I find it strange that a country with a population of Bangkok and Phuket put together talks like they want to lead the whole earth with an outdated airforce and small navy of largely antiquated vessels and with an army with no ability to project its power due to proximity. Sometimes, it is amazing how a land can be filled with people living in denial! Well, this is my own opinion.

Arriving here in fun wonderland makes a 40 year old feels 4 again. Small touches like this Pinochio sign goes a long way to stir imaginations even if it was the door of a toilet! It still looked great!

Disneyland cannot sustain its high overheads without other sources of income other than sovenirs and tickets. They created Downtown Disney and rented out the premises to many vendors and F&B outlets. See here is the Build A Bear Factory. There are others. Lego etc, which I will upload in a separate time. They also have a second theme park, two here in Anaheim, 3 in Tokyo, to keep people coming back. For those who think that they are overgrown ups, they can head sideways to the park next door called Disney Californian Adventure.

Arriving here is an affair of choice, there are many that took to drive and walk for miles to get there, there are others from Korea and Japan that took to arriving in style from limousine services to luxury coaches to stay in the nice hotel that they have been checked into to spend a night or two to savour the adventure, the fun and the shopping/dining experience.

The hotel is tip top. This is one view to take home to for to remember for a lifetime, the check in counter looks medievel!

Lighting is by a skylight and lots of overhanging candelabra and chanderliers. Reminscent of times past where butlers light the candles with 20 foot poles.
There are ample sitting areas while we wait to check in at a huge reading and resting area and a giant fireplace. Here you can see me, David and Paul. Enroute to Safariland of Armor Holdings to demonstrate some technology.

There are also some interesting dioramas on display like this one, which sits on about 10 square meters of table top space!

For the 50th Anniversay, there were many performances in the streets, even through Downtown Disney. Here, outside of the Savanna, animal handlers show the prowess of birds and small mammals and photo opportunity is aplenty.

Here we see theme shops with their nice sculptures to promote the various themes that marked the main merchandise of the outlet. Here we see the Simba and Tarzan theme shop.

Donald and the general 50s to 70s themes.

Kerbie, the revival of an old flame, a new movie then in 2005. Here I am with Kirby, carrying expensive 50th anniversay T shirts of the kids back home. Well, I was 10kg lighter then!

Here we see another theme, the fantasyland of Arabian Nights and Cinderella, Snow White, Peter Pan and Pinochio.

They even have Captain hook sticking out his infamous body part replacement with a trapped Tinkerbell in a candle holder, or this wicked and crooked hand of the Queen Mother with the famed toxin loaded apple for Snow White.

Then, there are also plenty of Golden Mickeys everywhere, this rendition is a 7 footer with Minnie in metallic finish.

This is the Disney's walk of fame. People pay and donate money to keep the park alive. There were some tiles that dated back to the 50s from here. I took some pictures of them and here is one of them.

Disneyland never cease to fascinate me. I first went to EuroDisney with Eunice, my wife back in 1993, then 3 times to Tokyo Disney, two more times to Paris Disney Park, once with my son Dominique to HongKong Disneyland, the smallest, and here, my second trip to the original Disneyland Anaheim. Still I am gonna come back for more!