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This trip was special since i was going to visit the most famous places the world over. We had planned to see Los Angeles and Las Vegas in this trip. Las Vegas was cancelled due to the heavy rush of long weekend which left no cheap deals for the hotels there. So we had decided to see only Los Angeles for the time being. We stayed at Nivas's (My vadina's cousin) place in Laguna Niguel.
We started on 3rd and were scheduled to return on 8th Morning. So we had four days to spend in this trip. We planned to go the Disneyland on one day and Universal Studios on the second day. On the third day Nivas offered to take us to a Temple (Malibu Temple) and on 7th(being a working day) he said he was busy with work as he was leaving for Paris on 10th on a business trip. So we were planning how we can spend the rest of the two days so that we can cover maximum places. One option was to drive to San Francisco and come back. Another option was to drive to Death Valley National Park and come back.
Day 1 - Disney Land
On Saturday (4th) we went to the Disney Land. I was always interested in cartoons and when i mention cartoons some of the famous names are Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy etc. I heard about Disney Land right from my childhood. And here was my chance to see the amusement park which earned the most money among the amusement parks in the world. There is another Disney Land in Orlando, Florida which is bigger than this one but this is the original Disney Land. Disney Land is divided in to many individual parts which had their own rides and themes.
The first section we went to was Adventure Land which consisted of Enchanted Tiki Room, Indiana Jones, Jungle Cruise and Tarzan's Treehouse.
Jungle Cruise is a ride in a boat in the rain forest which has many animals(not real). But we can see and get a feel how dense the rain forest is. They planted trees so close to each other that we feel we are in a rain forest in reality. Lots of old statues of Indian Origin are there. Even Ganesh Idol is there. We get a feeling that they have brought all these things from an old temple in India. This ride was good and we had to wait 20 minutes before we could get on to the boat.
Indiana Jones (my favorite) is superb. The sets resemble the ones used in the movie Indiana Jones. We have to walk a long way in to the old temple like structures before we come to a ride in a jeep. The ride simply cannot be explained in words but has to be experienced. It has some of the shots of the movie incorporated in to it. I don't want to take out the fun involved in the ride by mentioning everything here.
Tarzan's Treehouse is a house built on a tree. It gives all the details of Tarzan's life how he was brought up by a gorilla etc. It is interesting for children.
The second section we went to was theNew Orleans Square which consisted of Disneyland Railroad, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of Carribean and The Disney Gallery.
Disney Railroad is a small open train which takes us all around the Disney Land. There were long queues for this trip which i felt is not so much worth waiting.
Pirates of the Carribean is the best in this section. It consisted of a boat ride which takes us through the locality where the pirates live. All the people are drinking, loads of treasure was put in one place. People are singing and merry making. The decorations inside are very beautiful. The ride also gives us the moments of pleasure. There is also a restaurant inside.
The third Section we went to was the Critter Country which consisted of Country Bear Playhouse, Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes, Splash Mountain and the Teddi Barra's Swingin' Arcade.
Country Bear Playhouse was a small house where Tigger, Poo and Piglets were there for the chiildren to play and take pictures.
Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes had small canoes in which people could go. this ride had many people but it was not worth waiting for.
Splash Mountain is the best attraction in this section. It had a boat of 4 people fall from a mountain which is at an inclination of 75 degrees. They take a picture of the people before falling to get their expressions and we can buy them at the end of the ride. People get wet in this ride. This ride also initially goes through some presentation by different toys.
The fourth section we went to was the Frontier Land which consisted of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Fantasmic, Frontierland Shootin' Exposition, Golden Horse Shoe Stage, Mark Twain Riverboat, Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island and the Sailing Ship Columbia.
The best one out of these is the Fantasmic which is a show performed using Laser Beams and Fire Crackers. This starts at 9.00 PM and 10.30 PM in the night. This is a very famous show and usually we don't get place to stand unless we come early. The show starts with Mickey appearing at the top of a hill and bursting crackers. Then the laser show begins where we can see the images of Mickey and lots of other cartoons created in the thin air. Then there is a parade above the Sailing Ship Columbia where we get to see all the characters created/used by Walt Disney. This is a very beautiful show and is the most famous in Disney Land. They show how laser beams can be used to display various images with some story behind them. This show lasted for 45 minutes.
The Sailing Ship Columbia is a huge white ship which sails in a small area.
The fifth section we went to was the Fantasyland which consisted of Alice in Wonderland, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Fantasyland Autopia, Fantasyland Theatre, "it's a small world", King Aurthur Carrousal, Mad Tea Party, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Peter Pan's Flight, Pinocchio's Daring Journey, Sleeping Beauty Castle, Snow White's Scary Adventures and Sotrybook Land Canal Boats.
All the above attractions are for children. But usually the adults also enjoy them.
Matterhorn Bobsleds is a roller coaster ride in a small module which takes through the twists and turns of a mountain. Some times we get a feeling that the roof is going to hit us. This is a ride for the tough guys. People usually have a chance of getting wet in this ride.
"it's a small world" is the best in this section. It has a small boat which takes us through different exhibits presented by the countries all over the world. The message they are trying to pass is that "It's a small world after all...." This theme is very good. The colors are really appealing.
The sixth section we went to was the Tommorow Land which consisted of Astro Orbitor, Disneyland Monorail, Disneyland Railroad, "Honey I shrunk the Audience", Innoventions, Rocket Rods, Space Mountain, Starcade, Star Tours and Tommorowland Autopia.
Astro Orbitor consisted of a module which takes us round and round and rises and falls at the same time. This is a good ride but not so breathtaking for the tough guys.
Disneyland Monorail takes us all around the Disney Land. This also goes to various hotels around the Disney Land.
"Honey I shrunk the Audience" is the best show in this section. It is a 3-D show. The audience are given glasses to wear and it is a treat to watch. this theme is based on the movie Honey i Shrunk the Kids.
Rocket Rods is a ride in one of cars of the future which can travel at very high speeds. This is a good ride and is not so scary.
Space Mountain is the ride of the life for the tough guys. It is a very very fast roller coaster ride in the dark. We just see the planets and starts above and nothing else. I think elder people should refrain from going on this ride.
The seventh section we went to was the Mickey's Toontown which consisted of Chip 'n Dale Treehouse, Disneyland Railroad, Donald's Boat, Gadget's Go Coaster, Goofy's Bounce House, Jolly Trolley, Mickey's House and Meet Mickey, Minnie's House and Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin.
This section also is especially for the children.
Gadget's Go Coaster is a small roller coaster ride which was exciting but very short.
Mickey's House and Meet Mickey was good where we get to see Mickey's house with all the stuff he uses and we can meet Mickey and take a picture.
Finally we saw the Grand Finale - Fire Works Show where lots of Fire Crackers were bursted to display some beautiful colors in the sky. This started at 10.30 and went on for about 30 minutes.
We were very tired of the walking we had to do and finally when we came to our van we found that the battery was dead as we left a light on. Then the security people came and gave a jump start to the van. We reached home at 11.30 AM and had to cook and eat before going to sleep.
At the end of the day the only thing lingering in my ears was the song "it's a small world after all...." and the vision in the Indiana Jones ride sorry i don't want to reveal the secret.
Day 2 - Universal Studios
Strangely i and my vadina's parents cannot sleep past 6.00 AM even though we were in Pacific Zone. We all got up by 6.00 AM and we were ready by 7.30 AM. We started early in the morning on 5th to Universal Studios. It was a 1 hour drive from Laguna Niguel.
The whole studio can be divided in to 2 sections. The first section is just behind the gates and is called the Entertainment Center. There are separate shows for different attractions and noting the timings and planning accordingly is essential. This section had Terminator 2, Back to the Future - The Ride, Water World, Totally Nikelodeon, Backlot Tram Tour, Beetle Juices Rockin Graveyard Revue, The Wild Wild Wild West Stunt Show, Animal Actors Stage and the Blues Brothers 2000 - R&B Revue.
Terminator -2 is a 3D show where they give glasses to wear. It is based on the Terminator movie. This is a very good show.
Back to the Future - The Ride is a ride in a car in to the future. I would rate this as the best show there. It is beautiful and just has to be experienced. In Disney Land if we experienced in reality, here we can see the technology create wonders for us and stretch and play with our imagination.
Water World is based on the movie Water World. This show is based on the climax sequence of the movie. We should make it a ppoint to sit in the top most row otherwise we get wet.
Backlot Tram Tour is a tour in a bus which takes us through the Studio's
buildings. They have sets which are identical to the streets of
New York, Old Farm houses, Buildings used for TV serials. The bus takes
us through all the sets of the most famous movies like Jaws, Ten Commandments,
King Kong etc and you will be surprised to see that they had shown a small
pond look like the Red Sea. At one place they have shown how artificial
rain is created and flash floods are created in a village. The entire picture
of Jaws was shot in a small pond. We just can't believe what they can do
with the camera. This is a 1 hour tour and one has to wait for 45 minutes
in the queue on a typical holiday.
Beetle Juices Rockin Graveyard Revue is a song and dance program where ghosts sing and dance to the tune of some very famous songs. One has to know the songs entirely to enjoy this show otherwise it is a headache caused the high volume of music and crackers.
Animal Actors Stage is a stage where different animals which are trained for use in different movies come and display some of thir tricks. This a good show to be watched by children.
We can have a look at the Shark which was tied upside down and take a picture. We met Laurel and Hardy and took a picture with them.
The second section the Studio Center is located at a lower elevation. There are escalators to go down and most probably we go down by 2000 FT. There the attractions are Jurassic Park, E.T., Backdraft, The World of Cinemagic, Gameworks Studio, The Chipmunk Adventure and Lucy.
Jurassic Park is a boat ride which is very scary in the end. They take a picture of the people in the boat and we can buy them at the end of the tour. In the tour they show different types of Dinosaurs that lived on the face of earth. there were a couple of them fighting for a coke can!!!.
E.T. is based on the movie ET. The famous sequence where the kids fly on their bicycles across the moon is chosen as the theme for the ride here. It was a very good experience. We will be bewildered by the settings.
It was 11.00 PM by the time we completed these shows and we were tired at the end of all the walking we had to do for the past two days. We reached home at around 12.00 AM again for the consecuitive second day.
Day - 3,4 Las Vegas
We decided that we will drive to Las Vegas which was 4 hours from Los Angeles. Early in the morning Nivas gave numbers of hotels that were offering cheaper rates and booked a car for us. We booked a room with Stratosphere Hotel and did some shopping in the morning and saw the Laguna Beach while driving along the beach. We started around 1.30 PM to collect the car from the rental agency and from there I and my Vadina's parents planned to proceed to Las Vegas. It took 1 hour before we could get our car and we started at 2.30 PM.
The drive was easy as we were going after the long weekend was over. There was a line of cars for about 20 miles on the other side. These were the people (Gamblers) who were returning probably some gaining and some losing. We could see vast lands of open space with not a tree in site and some hills. This is a typical desert view which i saw for the first time in the USA after all the greenery. On the way we are on top of a hill and we can see a place with lights in the valley but when we reached that place there were two hotels there. We reached Las Vegas at 6.30 PM. We did not have any problem locating our hotel "Stratosphere" as it had the tallest tower in Las Vegas.
We started to see the casinos around 8.00 PM. First we went up the tower to the Pepsi Observation Point from we could see the whole of Las Vegas. Till that moment we thought that Las Vegas was a small place but when we saw the extent to which the lights were there it looked as if it was of the size of Deroit. That was a beautiful view from there. We could see all the lights illuminating the Los Angeles Blvd which had the Casinos on both sides of it. There is an observation point just above which was open to the sky. Then over this there was a roller coaster ride and a free fall ride where they take people upto a certain height and drop you. We did not try these rides as we had to see all the casinos.
Then we went in our car to the Circus Casino. Parked it there and started to walk around. This casino had circus shows. I will write some details about the rest of the casinos as we observed while walking past them.
The Venetian : This is constructed as the buildings in venice. They had rides in Gondolas (small boats). This was lit very good and the fountain in front was very beautiful.
Treasure Island : This casino had a show where the Pirates attack the British Ship and sink it at the last. The show was good. The feats which the people made were very good.
The Mirage : This casino has a fountain which is lighted in such a way that we see a volcano erupting. The lighting effects are very beautiful.
Ceaser's Palace : This is one of the casinos which has spent a fortune on architecture and interior decoration. The interior was resplendant.
Bellagio : This is a huge casino with a small lake in front. The symmetrical structure looks beautiful by the night due to the presence of the lake.
Monte Carlo
New York, New York : This casino has some of the important structures of New York like the Manhattan Bridge, Statue of Liberty etc.
Excalibur
Luxor
Madalay Bay
Tropicana
MGM Grand
Aladdin
Paris, Las Vegas : This Casino has a small Effiel Tower in front of it.
Bally's
Fremont Street : We have missed this street as we were beaten for the day but do not miss this street. This street has millions and millions of lights and they make different pictures with the help of lighting. This is one of the highlights of Las Vegas. So make it a point to visit this place.
Then there is a Hoover Dam which is around 1 1/2 hours drive from Las Vegas. This is a arch dam. we could not go there as there was very little time for us.
Overall i feel this was a very good trip. Plan to see these places so
that you have ample time to see all the things rather than seeing them
in a hurry.