*magical*
By Rach (who left her knitting at home this day)
Hong Kong
“It was worth lots of ice creams,” Lboy8 commented as we strolled away from the most breathtaking fireworks display. Boom after boom of colour had sprinkled and spiralled into the sky, illuminating and then silhouetting Cinderella’s Castle in a choreographed display of wonder.
For months the children had gone without icecreams (and worn too-short pyjamas for a winter and forfeited last year’s Easter eggs and done all manner of extra jobs) – all to save money for a trip to Disneyland. They were not disappointed.
There was only one *thrilling* ride, but for children who have only one other amusement park experience with which to compare, this in no way detracted from the day. Besides, they went on that roller coaster five times!
For the rest of the nine hours they were delighted and enthralled and amused and entertained, and they laughed and waited in short queues and chattered and spun and climbed and rode and giggled and adventured and flagged mid-afternoon and got their second wind and experienced some more and oohed-and-aahed…
ERgirl2
We headed first to Fantasyland to give the younger ones a gentle introduction to the world of Disney attractions. A ride through one of our favourite books with Winnie-the-Pooh seemed just the ticket. And it was…..until the honeypot we were travelling in turned bouncy with Tigger and the lights went out and ER cried the rest of the way, “Please let me out, please let me out now.”
This one fear factor ruined her for the next three rides. She can ride a real live elephant, but was petrified on the carousel horse. She loves dolls, but sobbed her way through “It’s a Small World”. She jiggles to music and makes all kinds of dress-ups, but the big yellow glasses did nothing to enhance her enjoyment of the (admittedly loud) orchestral 3-D show with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. The rest of us loved it though. Even when a lion jumped right off the stage with wide open mouth….and other jumpity moments too.
Fortunately a ride in the spinning teacups flicked the switch for her, and she ended up delighting in the whole experience. She rode the horses another half dozen times, spun in the teacups some more, controlled Dumbo’s ascent and descent more times than I could muster enthusiasm for, did a spot more spinning, zoomed around in a UFO, and when we revisited her one other unfavourite ride, she was happy to snuggle on my knee, pull my hand over her eyes and just peek out occasionally to avoid the about-to-swallow-me hippo, the wild apes with shooting guns and the fire that threatened to engulf our boat.
Tgirl4 was altogether a different story. She was impressed with the storybook ride, adored the spinning teacups (“Go faster Mama, please can you spin faster!”) and begged to be allowed on the roller coaster. Against our better judgment (she’s only a little wee four years old), because she exceeded the height restriction, we let her go.
She emerged, a blonde bouncing ball of adrenaline, urging me to accompany her for a second ride, “You’ve GOT to come Mama, it’s so much fun, you’ve really got to do it.”
And so, against my better judgment, I did.
T4 talked me through it all – we have to wait here, we have to watch the screen for instructions, we have to keep our hands and arms and legs in, you have to watch me coz I’m a child, we have to pull the bar down now, it’ll be dark and and slow at first, but don’t worry, soon it speeds up and gets exciting, and it gets all turny and it’s so much fun –
At this, she pulled my hand on to her leg and held it tightly.
”Do I need to hold your hand?” I wondered out loud in anticipatory semi-darkness.
”Yes, coz it’s still scary,” she beamed up at me.
She was right.
She bounded off her second ride, as eagerly as the first, “I so have to find Dadda and tell him you screamed all the way!”
Right again!
She’s teetering between two worlds, this little button. One minute all grown up and a companion in the 6 and 8 year old brother games, and the next she’s still only little. Big enough for a roller coaster, but not alone.
Then, when she saw Buzz Lightyear she wanted to show him a sticker she’d been given of him. Noticing the length of the queue waiting for a Buzz Photo Op, I suggested she show her sticker to the huge Buzz model nearby.
”But he’s not real Mama,” she pointed out.
Big Brother enlightened her, “Nor’s the other one T. He’s just a person dressed up.”
T4 remained dubious, and, still being little, failed to observe we were walking away from the <yawn> queue as we talked.
Mboy6
”The roller coaster was my favourite and also the worst thing I went on.”
Even worse than being spun by his baby sisters in the teacups!
Not that Mama feared much better.
Soon after this next photo Kgirl10 observed, “You’re very pale Mum” and others chorussed gleefully, “You’re green!!” I used to *love* spinny things. Not so fast now.
My stomach may not have been up to it, but my brain was still working. Flying above the park, taking a river cruise, I couldn’t put her out of my mind. Her name was Wendy and our conversation on a Yangshuo street went something like this:
You lucky many children. China no have many. I no lucky. I have two. Girls. No lucky. No more, too much money. I no have money. I no have boy. I want see two things. I want see sea. I want see city.
She lived just a bus trip away from the city, a day away from the sea. But she had no hope of ever seeing either.
How do you lose yourself in hedonism with her words replaying over and over?
They jarred against the flashy glitzy manufactured experiences.
I couldn’t reconcile the two.
Rob had less trouble. He was too busy playing the goat or playing with his new toy memory-capturing-tool (that’s why there aren’t too many photos of him this day, and more than one or two of me….he was behind the lens).
Magical memories that will last a lifetime.
Tags: book, children, fundraising, justice, parenting, postcard: China, postcard: Hong Kong, quote, recreation
rayres
Hi Ayres Bears.Sorry haven’t read your bog lately but just happened to tonight. I can so relate to the theme park experience. It’s nice to see our children enjoying such a treat but at the same time it feels like such a luxury compared to most of the world’s experience. Anyway, hope you’re all well. We’re in the Blue Mountains in Australia right now, won’t be long till we’re back in NZ briefly then off to SEAsia.Safe travels to you all!xx
I’ve been reading your blog for quite some time, and confess I was looking forward to this post. I have yet to meet someone who didn’t think saving for Disneyland wasn”t worth it.
Gah, messed up the negatives!
Wow – that must have been such a blast. Yeah – the contrasts your family is experiencing must be very difficult for you to juggle internally. Maybe this little trip reminds us we do serve a God of Abundance?
I have been thinking about this part of your travels and was wondering how the children felt about their sacrifices towards the trip – really worth it and would do it again? I am so pleased that Disneyland appears to have lived up to their dreams.
When we were little we all would talk about going to Disney Land – unfortuantely it never happened – however I CAN’T WAIT till our kiddos are old enough to enjoy and we have the money to actually get there – I am not sure what I will enjoy the most – the actual rides, or watching the kids enjoy the rides.
I really can’t wait!! I figure when the are 8, 7 & 5 it will be a good time!
Leighx