Disneyland, Anaheim

I think the most memorable trip of my life so far is my trip to the original Disneyland in Anaheim, LA. Growing up as an only child with little freedom and only my mum as a companion, Disney cartoons played a large part in entertaining me. I loved the quirkiness of Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck and would never pass a chance to watch them on TV. I have only ever had public broadcast TV and that one hour of classic Disney cartoon would be my day’s treat. As I grew older, things didn’t change and I loved Disney even more though it was starting to be out of my age group. It is a testament to Walt Disney’s creativity and charm that his characters are some of the most classic and iconic ones in history with masses of fans of all ages.

I took these photos last December with my GF1 at Anaheim.

I bought one of these for the boo and regretted not buying one for myself too.

She was so sweet! She saw us snapping pictures through the window and gave us a smile.

Walt Disney’s vision for Disneyland was a place where children could enjoy themselves with the characters they loved, and adults too. True to his vision, Disneyland was such a beautiful place. It was like stepping into a time machine where most of the buildings and structures had a vintage pin-up feel to them, with themed shops dedicated to everything imaginable; clothes, food, souvenirs, ice-cream. Disneyland’s employees are referred to as cast members instead of the generic staff label, and each one of them have a badge that had their name and nationality on them. They were so so polite as well, and always willing to lend a helping hand or point a lost visitor in the correct direction. It felt strange to be somewhere where everybody was so helpful and polite since as Malaysians we’re quite used to short-tempered and sometimes downright unhelpful service staff.

To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.

—Walter E. Disney, July 17, 1955, 4:43 pm