Riding my way through Asia '07: Disneyland

Today is a day where we let ourselves experience Hong Kong as what a tourist would feel like. Or perhaps it's just an excuse for us to visit the Hong Kong Disneyland.

For people who have been to both the Disneyland in Hong Kong and another in US or Japan, most might feel that the Hong Kong Disneyland really cannot compare in terms of the sheer scale and number of rides around. For them, this Disneyland is just about perhaps a quarter of what they'll find in other parts of the world... Completely not worth the HK$300 that we each had to fork out ourselves.

But I felt it was a pretty fun experience. It could be because it's my first Disneyland, that I did not have expectations, but I feel the bigger reason is the good company I was in. Fun-loving, happy people who made my day so much more fun. Note to self - something you can learn... about being able to spread your joy and happiness to others.

On a more academic note, we can see how the spread of the Disney culture has influenced Hong Kong as well. Disneyland is not purely a tourist attraction, as we observed quite a few locals within the crowds. What does it tell us about the notion of childhood fantasy, of the magic wonderland, of a glimpse of heaven and happiness, amongst the Hong Kong people? Has globalisation spread its wings so far as to affect the dreams of the people itself, even in a predominantly Chinese place like Hong Kong?