Day 6
Yes, we got up at the unheard time of 7.15am to get ready for our trip to Disneyland for the tour bus was arriving at the hotel at 8.30am.
A small bus picked us up on Wilshire boulevard and drove us to the Starline bus depot in Hollywood. It wasn't until 9.30am that we secured a seat on the larger bus, which would convey us to Disneyland, in the suburb of Anaheim.
A grey cloud blankets Los Angeles first thing in the morning, but later lifts to reveal beautiful clear skies. Apparently, LA has approximately 325 days of sunshine each year - paradise. However objects on the horizon are always obscured in a grey haze, due to heavy pollution. Despite the air quality issues, LA appears wedded to their cars, although the numbers of Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles seen on the road, suggests they may be trying to at least curb their fuel consumption.
We drove for forty minutes on the freeway passing urban sprawl, before taking the exit ramp to Disneyland.
The bus dropped us at the huge Pinocchio parking lot, where we had to wait for a tram to take us to the front gates. Unlike Universal Studios there is no front of the line system, so we have to wait in line with everybody else. I can't believe we can't pay more money to jump the line. How un-American!
Disney do have a Fast Pass system, which means that you can come back at a certain time to take the ride, but this is normally 4 hours later.
One of the better exhibitions featured a house of the future; A highlight was a robot from Honda that could walk, run, climb stairs, and even kick a soccer ball! (Pictured above)It makes a Honda owner proud.
Then it was time for rides Big Thunder Mountain Ride, Star tours, and Pirates of the Caribbean.
All this excitement made us hungry, so it was off to Main Street USA for some lunch.
After lunch the grand parade rolled down Main Street featuring all Disney's famous characters. (pictured above)
The funniest of the moment the day, was when Louise turned around in the food line and asked a complete stranger, "What are you having?" before suddenly realising it wasn't me. "I'm just getting apple juice for my kids" he replied without hesitation.
Mercifully, the heat started to fade in the late afternoon, because it is hot here, shockingly, especially after coming from the depths of an Australian winter. It will be even hotter in Florida.
Louise and I waited an hour for the Indiana Jones ride, but it was worth the wait; we plunged down tunnels in a rickety car, and narrowly missed being squashed by a boulder, all whilst Louise (I admit I was too) screamed hysterically. (Pictured below -Louise and I at the Indiana Jones Ride)
Disneyland at night is beautiful, and the fireworks display at the end is spectacular.
It was, however a long day, and we did not arrive back at the hotel until 11.30pm.
