August 2010: www.travelwithpinkcamel.com
For those who want more than a glimpse of the world...
“Kangaroos are a lot softer than they look in real life!�
Why exploring Africa should never be a car window journey.
Main photo: Australia tourism facebook group
Three readers let us know everything they got up to...
Down under!
A glimpse of a Disney Christmas in Paris! Walt Disney World th! In Dep
Working in La Tania - Uncovered
Let your hair dance!
Pink Camel!
Welcome to the magazine style website that leads you around the world, at the slow pace of a camel. Giving you that opportunity to see more than just a glimpse of the world. This month’s cover photo is all about Australia, but oooo wait a minute what happened to the Kangaroo?! Despite their being more than 2 kangaroo’s to every human in Australia, it is the Camel that is Australia’s unsung hero and recently there have been reports of them causing havoc, cropping up everywhere in the outback communities, trampling through towns, wandering on main roads and as you can see on our cover photograph they don’t exactly act like rabbits trapped in headlights when a car comes along! Australia’s has the largest herd of wild camels on earth, between 600,000 and one million and and they have the capability of doubling in size every nine years! There are so many camels now roaming freely in the outback and the more they increase, the more they are deemed as a PEST - shocking. An article in the Sydney Telegraph reported earlier this year that an Australian company is proposing that feral camels be shot and fed to crocodiles as a way of reducing the number running wild! I’m imaging terrified camel faces, I don’t know exactly if they have a chance to be terrified? but It is all about staying alive in the wild - which also applies to us humans. Hmm... now we definitely have a chance to be terrified! but none of your travels should ever be restricted to a car window journey. Check out our major in depth feature, “if you can’t stand the heat - get out of the Aussie,” in Lets go! As we hear from three Brits, who have spent so much time down under - they are practically Aussie’s in training! Also check our our “In to the wilderness of Africa” feature, with stories direct from the mouth of our ‘travel spy,’ David Jordan (he is a very well-travelled spy!) on roaming with Africa’s great predators - Africa in fact is home to the top ten dangerous animals in the world. We’ve also sprinkled a bit of magic this issue, with two in-depth features of my travels in Walt Disney World Florida and ‘A glimpse of Disneyland Paris at Christmas!’
So get ready to explore the world, and if you fancy combining work with your travels, check out our, “So you wanna
be...’ section. This issue features Hannah who is currently working as head nanny in La Tania, South of France, home to some wonderful skiing, very charming men I’m told and toffee vodka’s which apparently come in very handy when nursing a broken heart. Aww.
Have any feedback? We would love to hear! Have a destination in mind that you would love to see more of a glimpse of? Head to our contacts page to get in touch.
With you, we’ve got the globe covered!
Suzanne Jordan ~x~
Editor
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Before take off
Sand, sea, shore or land - before you pack your suitcase, take a look at our travel news.
Talk to the travel expert
This month ‘Pink Camel’ talks to travel agent, Emma. Shop manager of Thomsons in LLandudno.
Has there been an increase in young people looking for adventure holidays? Yes there has. We now do different brochures. We do ac�ve brochures and specialist brochures, including water sports and mountain biking, things like that. What new trends have you witnessed? Do you think there has been a lot of changes? There has been a lot of changes, with regards to people not just wan�ng to book a normal standard holiday. Cruises are very popular at the moment. People are all looking for something different, they don’t just want to go on the beach anymore. What are the most popular holiday des�na�ons younger people tend to book? In the age region of 18-25? Magaluf! Year a�er year Are more young women travelling on their own? What precau�on to you advise they take before travelling? As travel agents we tend not to get involved. It sounds awful, but that is the case. We basically tell them who they should see beforehand, but it’s their responsibility to do it. As a travel agent, I’m guessing you do a lot of travelling around! So what are your three top des�na�ons for young people that you’ve been to? My top one has to be last Vegas, its fab! I used to be one for Ayna nap a, but its changed because it was my first holiday last year with a baby, a li�le boy. I love cruises. Those are my top three. Three completely different holidays. Any places you wouldn’t recommend? I wouldn’t recommend staying in any of the apartments in Benidorm. but I would recommend Benidorm itself.
r e t a w f f o Jump s o a L n i falls There is a long drop to the bottom, but there are no nervous shaky legs evident in these photos! Not many people know a lot about Laos off the top of their head, apparently it is more chilled out that Australia - now there’s a statement. However, what we do know is it is located in South-east Asia. There are some spectacular waterfalls (you can leap, dive or cannon ball into), it is a major backpacker destination and the reason it attracts so many travellers is because it is full of adventure, nature and unspoiled scenery. Book an Asian adventure with Contiki holidays - aimed at 18-35’s. This package prommises you the chance to ‘experience the thrill of Thailand, Laos & Cambodia on one awesome adventure!’ Prices starting from £1014 per person.
Travel news in brief
Malaria - it only takes one bite. It is time to get clued up about Malaria. Make sure you have the right medication before you go travelling. Aim to go to your GP 6 weeks before. Since her fight with Malaria, Cheryl Cole plans to release a book showcasing diary entries she kept whilst battling the disease. Go go go to Taragon zoo in Sydney! A very cute pygmy hippo, the first calf to be reared at the zoo by its mother in over 20 years has been born. The news has recently highlighted the dangers of paragliding. Be careful when paragliding in Turkey that you only go with companies that have all their paperwork. Check with your rep if they have a list of approved companies.
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Contents... Before Take off! 3
lordia! F d l r o W y e Walt Disn pg,,,10
Travel News Don’t go on your travels before having a peek at our travel news.
“All our dreams can come true if we have the cour-
age to puruse them.”
- Walt Disney
Lets go! 10
When you wish upon a Star In DepItthall! began with a mouse, and a little
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wishing on a star for a dream to come true. Read Pink Camel’s MASSIVE in depth guide to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida (PART ONE).
If you can’t stand the heat... th! In DepGet out the Aussie! These guys and girlies have spent so much time in Australia, they are practically Aussies’s in training.
26 A glimpse of a Disney
Christmas th! almost catastrophic failure to magIn DepFrom
nificent success. Disneyland Paris is now the public’s sweetie - and the French have made it their own.
Features 6
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6 Africa! pg... Fast Facts: Africa
In to the Wilderness of Africa
Africa is a very large continent and is home to “the great five.” also home to some deadly animal contenders including: the cro a humans as a food source), the hyena (can eat every last bit o ironic, but this horrible little creature is truly the most dangero
Down the rabbit hole
What is the biggest country in Africa? Sudan! Africa h it also has the largest desert in the world, the Sahara
Exploring Africa should never be a car window journey. You could say we’ve gone completely mad! but we hear the best people are. We’ve got you to imagine impossible (and some possible) destinations that you could enjoy over a period of 48 hours.
manjaro located in Tanzania: 19,340 feet / 5895 meters.
- lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino . It is ocodile (that will actively stalk, hunt and devour of meat off the bone) and the mosquito (sounds ous when it comes to deaths).
has the largest river in the world, the Nile, a. The tallest mountain in Africa is Mount Kili-
Australia! pg...16 Fast Facts: Australia
lf like us you hate spiders, you better get yourself ready to face them in Australia, because there are spiders spiders everywhere! argh. These eight-legged beings range from harmless creatures to venomous creatures that should be avoided, such as Funnel Webs, Red Backs and White Tails - don’t let this put you off though!
No part of Australia is more then 1000km from the ocean, which your never too far from waves and surfer boys!
Looking at our cover page, you may not have know that Australia has the worlds biggest population of one humped camels. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world. It is the only living thing on earth visible from space. Australia it home to some cute looking animals such as the Kangaroo (beware of these appearing randomly on roads), the Koala (remember these have claws!) And a pygmy hippo that was recently born in Taronga zoo, Sydney. You can see all these animals (and more) if you go to this zoo. Note: You are not allowed in touch or hold Koalas in NSW.
Finally the best way to travel around Australia... Greyhound coaches! Check them out before you go: www. greyhound.com.au: FACT
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Let your hair dance!
Travelling/holidaying can leave your hair dry and unmanagable. Here’s our tips on gaining back some control. 50 I just don’t want to work yet... At least not your regular 9-5. One reader shares her experience on working as head nanny in La Tania, France.
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Features
Into the
Wilderness
Afric of
Africa is famous for its wilderness, but who knew its wilderness extended as far as being home to some of the top ten deadlies animals in the world? Exploring Africa should never be a car window journey. investigates the hiden dangers behind camels, rhinos and devious crocdile smiles. Remember them when roaming with these wild predators! To the sounds of the 007 theme tune, the criminal mastermind is defending his territory, swopping through the deep. With only his yellow eyes visible above the water, his animated fixed possessive grin is hidden in his watery lair and he prepares to devour its next prey. The water, so peaceful but as the wind blows it is desperate to emit a few murmurs as a warning to passers by, frightened by what it has already had to conceal. But there can be no warning. The creature has reckoned, and with terrifying speed launched himself out of the water like a missile, speeding his victim around and around to disorientate, there is no chance of escape.
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The crocodile is ranked the fifth most dangerous animal of the planet. It is responsible for a estimated 600-800 fatal incidents a year. If you get yourself in the position where you think you are going to get attacked, there is no a lot you can do! If the croc sees you coming it is not worth thinking about. If you are unfortunately to get grabbed, shout, scream, claw and pray! The crocodile is just one of the animals in Africa, but as you step out into the vastness of Africa, you will start to feel small and you should as you have jointed one of the largest, wildest, animal populations in the world – which includes those under the symbol of Southern Africa, “the great five.” But you
have also joined the home to the top 10 deadliest animals in the world, so in fact you should begin to feel that even bit smaller! “As all wild animals, however, they are only aggressive if they feel in danger and the majority of these lost souls unfortunately make considerable strides towards deserving their fates,” says David Jordan, Pink Camel’s travel spy, who has travelled with his job as a metallurgist to approximately 15 countries in Africa. “I have seen a lot of wild life in my time in Africa. My most frightening experiences include snake, spiders, crocodiles and a white rhino. When we used to fish in the Kafue river crocodiles would see you from
Features
ca... human and wild animal habitat becomes more and more blurred, the rate of recurrence with which dangerous confrontations occur is increasing as a greater number of people enjoy recreating in the outdoors and “My most frightening experiwalking on land which was ence however, was when I once walked “We had an armed guard only within a claimed few meters with us. Once in the by of a white vehicle the rhino turned and these rhino. The wild animal is charged!” predablind and its senses rely on smell. We pho- tors. tographed the rhino and then returned to our vehicle. We had “On game drives in most game or national parks, animals are a armed guard with us. Once habituated to vehicles so they in the vehicle the rhino turned don’t pay that much attention, and charged!” but they do not see the people in the vehicles, just the vehicle Today, as the line between a bank the other side. I had always assumed that crocodiles slide into the water but in truth they spring up on their legs and sprint.”
as a whole,” says Vicky, a tour operator for Tanzania. “If you got out of the vehicle a prefatory animal would attack. Others, if you are luck would run away.” Despite these statistics and facts, going through this grizzly country should never be restricted to a car window, not should the country itself be one that starred at longingly in travel brochures, or those posters that taunt you as you grind into another morning on the bus or tube. “Over the last few years tourism has definitely increased in Africa,” says Vicky. “What attracts a number of people is the diversity of the landscape and sound amaz7
Features
ing coastlines. When I went to Africa, I was entranced by the size of it. I hitched a car through the centre of Dodoma. The road from Iringa to the Malawi border was stunning.” “I visited Zaire (now the Republic of the Congo) in about 1985 and spent time in three towns in Shaba province in the South of the country,” says David. “We were the first visitors to come to the area since about 1975 when approximately 200 expatriated people were murdered in the same location.” “We had no facilities, no water, no toilets, absolutely nothing. We didn’t even have any sleeping bags! I loaned a mattress from the local people and when I woke the following morning there were hundreds of beetles crawling over me and sharing my bed!” “Zaire is also the place where I have seen my biggest spider,” explains David. “We were in a tropical area walking along rivers when I
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walked into what seemed like a net. It was in fact a spider’s nest and in the middle was a multi-coloured spider that was probably four inches in diameter. Apparently, the spider was extremely poisonous – although my memory is the strength of its web.” One place in particular David is fond of is in Tanzania perched on the edge of the African continent facing the Indian oceans
can get anywhere by sign language and drawing in the dust.” For most, Dar es Salaam tends to be more convenient port on the way to more exotic destinations such as Zanzibar, or the fames parks. But David said this is a pity, as places like these tend to give you the opportunity to get back in touch with nature and your inner self.
“Dar, (the “I loaned a mattress from the local largest city in people and when I woke the following Tanzania), morning there were hundreds of beeis not really a tour- tles crawing over me and sharing my ist area,” bed!” says Vicky. “It is a remote area where little English is spoken, but its beauty is that you
Features
“The most isolated places I One illusion people seem to have been are the Namibhave about deserts is that ian desert in Sudan and the camels can be found grazing Sahara in North Mali. “These noiselessly on the sand, but experiences offer a completely David said as yet he has not different kind of intensity than yet to experience any camels spending all day watching in the desert. This is not the predators. In the desert you only illusion that people tend to spend all night listening to them perceive, however. hunting outside your tents,” says David. It is easy to see why a number of visitors cannot compute that a camel might be
dangerous; they have th physics of comic-book superheros with their vast shoulders, alpine peak humps and their dainty tottering feet but David says the word camel and danger go hand in hand in more ways than one. “In North Africa I have seen animals like camels and they are not my favourite because they bite,” says David. “Camels are considered sacred in Africa. For example if you unfortunately knock one over it is considered a serious crime.” “I am aware of someone who killed a camel at dusk and was arrested and put in jail! He was released and was heavily fined. It was not his fault at all.” “Africa and its wilderness are great,” David says with a glint in his eye. “But beware!”
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Lets go!
Wish Upon a
Photograpyhy by Suzanne Jordan and Damian Kendrick. Designs and words: Suzanne Jordan
Star! When you
Doesn’t matter what age you are! When Walt Disney created his vision, he wanted somewhere where both parents and children, families and loved ones could go together and share dreams and excitment. It didn’t matter if those parents were in their 30’s with children of 5 and 6, parents of 60 with children in their 20’s or parents in their 80’s with children in their 60’s...
at all began h t . .. m a e r d A big mouse!
with a
Read our indepth guide to Disney world Orlando, Florida> > >
Lets go!
W
hen Walt Disney bought 28,000 acres of land and embarked on his vision did he really envisage the future and the reality of what he was about to create? It was a dream; a big dream. After conquering animation, film and TV, Walt Disney decided the time had come to give physical form to his imaginary world. Scanning the skies on November 22, 1963, the day of Kennedy assassination, he immediately fell in love with a site in Orlando that would later become Walt Disney world, and yet he died before he could ever see his vision complete. However, the plans were already in place even in Walt’s final hours. In hospital, he was said to be talking to a journalist for 30 minutes, referring to an imaginary map of Walt Disney World on the ceiling above the bed. He described where he planned to put various attractions, buildings, transport and hotels for a park that wouldn’t open to the public for another six years.
If ony it was th at easy to pick up Epcot Spaceship Ea rth - weighing 16 million pounds!
Walt Disney’s vision of the future held strong. It was established in the minds of all those that belonged to the Walt Disney company... The attention to detail that Disney sought can be seen everywhere in Walt Disney world. Every park is a beautifully manicured site. The grasses are cut short, the pastel coloured sidewalks, lights embedded in to random paths in Epcot. Everything is timed to a precise moment; firework displays, music on parades. The shop windows are beautifully dressed; the items on sale are exquisite (including a crystal replica of Cinderella’s castle, priced at $33000) and the cast members (Disney’s terminology for staff) are constantly rallying round people, offering to take pictures on their digital cameras and those who are lucky enough to become life size costumed characters, their actions mimic their fixed animated grins - they are clapping, they are dancing and they believe they are the character they are playing starry – they really do! Epcot’s ents pavem So have they been brain washed by the Disney Cor-
poration? No. There is something about Disney. It’s almost like the moment you have driven under those gates, you’ve been injected by this highly infectious enthusiasm that surrounds you everywhere. Take ‘Mickey’s not so scary Halloween party’ (MNSSHP) we stepped off the monorail, my Dad in orange with his Mickey mouse pumpkin hat with glow in the dark ears, my mum dressed up as Aladdin, my boyfriend with his Mickey mouse sorcerer ears and me in black and white with my Minnie mouse ears and my bright orange Mickey mouse Halloween handbag. We didn’t bring those costumes; we were just so excited about going to MNSSHP earlier that day when we were in Magic Kingdom, we ‘had’ to buy these things. Walking down to the gates, there were pumpkins on display with massive glowing grins and an eerie green lighting that gave you that shivery spine feeling. You felt important to be there. You have to buy a separate ticket to get in to MNSSHP and get 11
given a to be so the can get out, and you get ushered in! Inside, Magic Kingdom was totally transformed to how it was earlier in
the day; I was baffled how much preparation must go in to that? It was bombarded with Halloween decorations/ Mickey Mouse
Photo by Chiara Flickr.
Kinge in Magic tu ta s ’ rs e is, The ‘Partn nd Mickey a y e n is D lt dom of Wa e of the most photo n o , e y tl th n in ’s appare ous statue m fa d n a graphed world
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wristband noticed, day guests ushered
shaped pumpkins floating in the air winking, pumpkin head scarecrows, the window displays that showed Minnie and Mickey mouse were now mocked up in Halloween dress and Cinderella’s castle is illuminated in dark blue and green lighting. Walking down main street USA feels almost like you’ve been coloured over in darkness. There was ghost shadows projected on to buildings and flying up and down Main Street USA. The darkness deepened when we reached frontier land (home of Splash Mountain and big Thunder Mountain). Selective attractions are open. My boyfriend, Damian, dragged me on to Big Thunder Mountain; the runaway mine train. This was awesome in the day, but at night it seemed faster, with whispering winds and flickering mine lanterns. The runaway mine train was fully equip for Halloween, with red eyes shining out in the dark and the voices of howls, frightening laughter and BOOS! Yes I screamed - lots! “BOO!” Was the theme of night, with Mickey’s ‘Boo-to-you parades.’ There are two showings of the parade one at 8.15pm and another at 10.30pm - always go later, the younger children have gone home. Before the parade we watched ‘Happy Hallowishes’ firework display. When everyone was gathering for the display it was ridiculously crowded. Damian and I sat on the floor whilst Mum and Dad only just managed to squeeze on the benches. When it started though, it was spectacular even from the beginning. Damian and I sat there, our faces gawping. It was the parade; however, that I felt was worth the price of the admission on its own. The Headless Horseman gallops through the streets of the Magic Kingdom prior to the start of parade. Rumour has it that the headless horseman cannot see and is guided only by light and a well trained horse and because of this, the cast members are extremely cautious of making
sure the streets are kept cleared! The parade begins with a massive outline of Mickey Mouse’s ears being wheeled down the street, with the ‘Boo-to-you Halloween parade’ logo imprinted in the middle and music... “Boo to you and boo to me” echoes loudly down the street, extremely addictive music. This was the most amazing parade I’ve ever seen. It was lead by Snow White, her dwarfs, Alice and wonderland, Jasmine and Aladdin and a sundry mixture of characters dancing and holding masks. Following closely was Mickey and Minnie dressed in Jester outfits, Minnie was fantasd I at Mum an P tic. She came to the front shouting of MNSSH their float saying “I love Halloween!” and ran over to Mickey giving him a kiss. Winnie the Pooh and gang followed behind, Pooh in a superhero outfit, Eeyore as a sad looking clown, Piglet dressed as a butterfly and Tigger as a pirate. Later on in the parade the Villains came out to play. There were ballroom ghouls, zombies and gravediggers who did a ‘shocking’ display through the streets, scraping their shovels to the beat and causing “sparks.” It finished off with Goofy with his Candy co sweets. These sweets are on offer all night, there are trick or treat points to stop at all round the park – obviously we ‘had’ to do this this (surprising Mum and Dad ended up with the biggest bag of candy). We ‘had’ to do a lot of things’
– we ‘had’ to have our picture taken by the MNSSHP sign, Dad and Damian ‘had’ to do silly poses in front of the famous Walt Disney statue with the glowing castle in the background, we ‘had’ to take photos of Snow white and seven dwarfs posing with a Mickey mouse shaped ghost, Damian ‘had’ to shake the hand of the bronze Donald duck statue, whilst I gave him a peck on the cheek... oh and I ‘had’ to constantly sing the Boo-to-you theme
tune song randomly from the moment we left that night, until the moment we arrived home. It’s not till you are back in the U.K, when you sit down with a mountain of Disney souvenirs; photographs, clothes and bags... that you wonder exactly what overtook you! For Disney, too much is never too much - it is possibly never enough. Every detail has been carefully ‘imagineered’ (a term which comes from the blending of ‘imagination’ and ‘engineering’) by the imagineers (people renowned for their talents of designing, building, ideas and expansion of Disney Parks and resorts and above all their remarkable abilities to create ‘distinctive believThe fireworks able experiential lit up the storytelling.’) As I whole sky mentioned earlier, Walt Disney was adamant about detail, no matter how minute - it is those small details and hidden gems that today comprise the all-encompassing Walt Disney World in Orlando, Despite it being just over 40 years since Walt Disney’s death. this painstakingly, resilient strive for perfection is to this day a massive concept that remains at the heart of every Disney strategy formulated by the imagineers, however it is not restricted to these creative souls as every single employee of the Disney corporation and guests (Note: never a customer, Always a guest!) are encouraged to look beyond the sky of the imagination, a place with no limitations in a constant search for the ‘magic.’ My family and I began our exploration of Walt Disney World at Animal Kingdom. This is home to the magnificent tree of life. This is a 145-foot tree that has been the icon of 13
Disney’s Animal Kingdom since it opened on April 22, 1998. My mum did say to us when we got back, “wasn’t the tree real?” and we laughed, but afterwards we contemplated whether it was real? But no, it was artificial and apparently it was engineered from a refitted oil platform; its leaves are made out of Kynar and on the exterior of it are 325 carved images of animals. Inside the base of the tree is It’s Tough to be a bug! - A revolutionary 3-D (or 4-D as Disney say!) production hosted by Flix from a Bug’s Life. We had no plans to go to this, but walking round admiring these magnificent carvings put us on this path, so that we somehow ended up in the queue for the 3D glasses (or as they were aptly named - bug eyes!) We say in the front; the whole place is designed as though you are deep within the earth. As the house lights come on, Flix is casted in the spotlight and dubs the audience ‘honorary bugs.’ He introduces his friends to the audience to demonstrate their ‘amazing survival techniques.’ Chili the hairy tarantula catapults poison quills into the audience making you duck, followed by an acid smelling termite and a few other creepy crawlies demonstrate their talents before baddie ‘Hopper’ comes on attacking the audience with a fly swat, blinding fog and a sting (yeah an actual stinging sensation! no idea how they do this one?!) Just when you are pathetically waving your arms about, desperately trying to defend yourself against all these horrible imaginary bugs that are crawling on you, around you, descending above you! The curtains closes and the announcer suggests that the “honorary bugs should remain seated while all the lice, bed bugs, maggots and cockroaches exit first...” The sensation of maggots slivering and cockroaches bouncing underneath you on the 14
rubber wooden benches is extremely realistic. I screamed (of course) but my mum lifted her feet up and started pulling her hat over her head...haha, we all came out of that show thinking it was pretty amazing. Walt Disney believed that, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” Walt Disney believed WDW was alive; to keep it living and breathing, the company had to constantly look forward. The idea of Disney was never simple, but an original one and Walt Disney and the Disney Corporation kept honing it until it grew legs, got up and took on a life of its own! This is particularly evidential in Disney’s transition from 3D to 4D productions, (its projects: epcot, nemo ride, rides for the future, animation), but none of the parks are more alive than Animal Kingdom, which main attraction is Kilimanjaro Safari’s, home to the wild animals! Rattling down a bumpy dirt trail, towards a wooden post in an open sided game viewing jeep you are warned that “you are now entering Harambe reserve,” and in to “Africa!” Already there are sights to view. The reserve looks authentic and animated (you can tell the imagineers have had their creative hands and minds on it) and our driver/tour guide was pretty animated as well. During the journey you hear him talking on the radio with the reserve warden Wilson Matua, who visiting the park as daily routine. It is reported that poachers have been spotted in the reserve, targeting big elephant
and her baby! This is where our guide became awesome. He was that good, he was able to suspend our disbelief with his talk long enough to think we really were trying to stop poachers from stealing the elephants on the reserve. Bumping down the track we were lucky enough to spot whilst on our adventure a black rhino; onwards to the savannah grasslands we saw giraffes and leaping gazelles and then round the next bend, elephants. I gawped at the surreal sight of Mother and baby elephant by the water, the scene was dream-like; still vibrant turquoise waters as was the next scene with hundreds of Pink flamingos. Dad and Damian were nearly falling off the edge of the jeep, both glued to their camera’s holding them high in the air as though they were working for a David Attenborough documentary, trying to capture the perfect frame. It was the perfect photo opportunity, I had to try to hold my camera even higher trying to take my photos, Damian had proudly taken the outer seat (and had a permanent cheeky grin on his face to show how happy he was about it – hmm... (just like when he had taken the window seat on the plane). Next stop was the white Rhinos (we saw two), my Dad’s nemesis after one charged at him whilst on his travels in Tanzania. Then on to the lions. I only spotted one Lion, dangling his legs over this massive rock soaking in the rich sunshine. Suddenly the guide is interrupted as a report is announced loudly on the radio that baby elephant has gone missing. “Ok guys - we are going to have to cut this short and take a different route, the poachers are nearby...” and boom we speed-ed off.
Our guide took the chase quite seriously, revving the engine harshly over a rickety bridge, we spiraled past the ‘campsite of the poachers’ before coming to the end of the safari, where we met baby elephant, peering out the back of a truck... this was very cute. We walked off our jeep knowing we had been involved in a Disney ‘happily ever after’ story. ‘Safari’ has to be one of the most evocative words to ever infiltrate Disney. It means ‘journey’ in Swahili, which couldn’t be more symbolic for the Disney - they are on a constant journey. Disney offers such world class wildlife watching, with such a diversity of animals, is there any need to visit Africa? Ok silly statement, but regardless it is impressive on many levels. Animal Kingdom is huge, covering a massive 500 acres of land - It has been said that the whole of Magic Kingdom could fit comfortably inside. Never call it a zoo - shortly after the park opened in 1998 the Disney corporation created the fictional title, ‘nahtazu,’ pronounced, ‘not a zoo,’ to emphasized that the attraction was more than just animals rounded up to be on display. The name didn’t stick, but there is no arguments, it is not a zoo - it would be unforgiving to give it such a title. The fences are dropped so animals can roam and furthermore Disney’s guard is dropped, in Disney style they like to show their guests what’s going on in the background or to be more precised, in true Disney terms ‘backstage Disney.’
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If you can’t stand the
heat... get out
the Aussie! A famous tongue and cheek statement conjured up by Aussie haircare, but what about a word or two from those who can stand the heat? and no we’re not talking about frazzeled hair. We meet the sun worshipping, adventure seeking, wanabee surf dudes and dudettes brits who turned the heat dial to scorching on their lives and consider themselves part-time Aussies spending months out in the OZ sunshine - and there is no glimmer they want to get out! Boy do these guys like it hot! - pheewwww r
photographs courtsey of Laura Callender, Benjamin Elliot and Flickr(1)
cket of u B r o m r e . glass.. please!
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wate
Read our indepth guide to Australia > > >
“With this clear blue sky and white soft sand why would I leave?!”
A
s the saying goes “two billion flies can’t be wrong!” but nor can the saltwater crocodiles, the blue ring octopus, sharks, the tiger snake, the box jelly fish (one of the more lethal animals on the face of the earth, also called the sea wasp... its sting being more like an electric shock rather than a mild burning sensation!) the Funnel Webs, Red Backs and White Tails... or better known as little spiders! Australia. A destination of three time zones, three million square miles and eighteen million people and also a destination inhabiting all of the animals above meaning as fascinating as Australia sounds initially, the land down under is not without its dangers – cue terrified faces!
Lets go! Australia is filled with extremely friendly people - you will only be alone, if you want to be alone!
However, the Australians appear fearless as it doesn’t stop people living here and sure to hell doesn’t stop people from coming here. Australia sounds fascinating initially, simply because it is. With its array of clean pristine beaches (including Hyams beach renowned as having the whitest sand in the world), beautifully landscaped turquoise lagoons, backdrops of thriving green rainforests and burnt amber sunsets, Australia appears not only a country rich in colour, but in equisetic beauty and national heritage. Uluru (aside from the Sydney Opera house) is one of Australia’s most recognisable natural icons. The world’s legendary sandstone formation stands 348m high and is notable to change colour as different light strikes it during the day, with sunset being a particularly remarkable sight when it briefly glows red, whilst the clear blue waters of the Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven wonder of the natural world, offers a stunning kaleidoscope of the country’s most beautiful underwater treasures Sure Australia has deadly spiders, in fact Australia is full of different spider species found everywhere from back gardens to bushes, beaches (ok we are adding hot oil to the fire here!) but with its Northern territory, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the West, Australia is as vast as your imagination, and if that means expanding your imagination so you can pretend to Spiderman just to get the courage to touch your feet on this awesome
destination, so be it! Being on this massive haven practically feels like a land for heroes - so it wouldn’t be unjust. If we haven’t tempted you yet you must be crazy, but then again there are a lot of crazy kids that like to come to Australia! Those who like spring break, those who like to explore the outback, those cursed with an insatiable yen for the unknown and then there are those who know what they like... hot surfer dudes and geez are there a lot of those! Even some tackling 9ft waves...and its all au natural down under, not a British wave machine in site! So girls go to Australia, even if it is to hear that greeting ‘gd day’ from the lips of sexily accented young Australian man. These guys we’ve talked to are certainly having ‘gd days’ and good nights. We talk to free-spirited Laura currently back from her 2nd lot of travels to Australia, Benjamin Elliot who recently travelled up and down the East coast and Stacey Adams who travelled to Australia for one month before she went to University, living it up in Australia’s hostels. Still terrified about the wild animals? Don’t be. As that was Pink Camels! way 17
Lets go! of giving you a little warning. Traffic in Australia is a bigger killer to more people every year than alll these animals together; meaning the chances of you becoming a victim is no bigger than the strength of a spiders web.
At first glance the blue linckia starfish (above) looks like nothing but a cuddly little blue toy, looking fairly relaxed, lying on a rock. In fact it is a very strikingly coloured species of sea star, found commonly in the Great Barrier Reef – described as one of Australia’s remarkable gifts. Known to grow to 40cm possessing slightly tubular elongated arms and short, yellowish tube feet – almost like a little person! The sea star’s is just one of the abundance of marine life and coral reefs living in this famed haven, and yet its pose is likely to be one imitated by Ben Southhall, who left the semblance of normality after being awarded, what Tourism Queensland like to call, ‘the best job in the world’ – to be the new island caretaker of the Great barrier reef and all the treasures within. “It definitely has appeal and would seem to be the “best job in the world” to many people but I’m not one of them,” says Stacey, 23, who travelled to Australia for a month before going to University. “Maybe it is a little bit of jealously talking, because I’m just thinking of all the diving I could do if I had that job!”
“I would love to work on the barrier reef, but personally the perfect job for me would be knowing I was making a difference, rather than being a caretaker and PR man.” Says Stacey. “It is completely overpaid as well. You’d probably still have people fighting over that position if it was un-paid, accommodation only!” “It’s a breath-taking place for sure though. You might only see this one beautiful reef or island, and then remember that it actually stretches for hundreds of miles. The dives were definitely the best I’ve ever done, just because of the diversity of life there and the privilege of being able to see it, never mind live there for six months! “When I went there, the weather did affect our dive. It was pretty windy and the sea was choppy so we stayed on two nearby reefs rather than venturing out and the conditions did decrease visibility, colour and amount of life but it was still amazing. Some of the larger fish were comfortable around the divers so we were able to have some up-close interaction. The corals were a lot bigger than you’d think and surrounded by shoals of fish. The most spectacular things I saw were a green turtle (which is recognised as being endangered) and a giant clam. Apparently there were also sharks on the reef the day
A significantly large number of divers, just like Stacey, have become blase about the barrier and the prospect of having an eye opening experience with a shark.
Type Ben Southall into google and you instantly get a measure of just how this crazy job would appeal. With a £69,000 salary, Ben’s job involved living in one of the 900 islands strung across the waters of the world’s largest barrier reef. Accommodation in a three bedroom house was included and key responsibilities during a six-month contract, comprised of exploring the islands and reporting back to the tourist office with blogs, pictures and media interviews. 18
before, but none showed up for me.” A significantly large number of divers, just like Stacey,
Lets go! have become blasé about the barrier and the prospect of having an eye opening experience with a shark. However, determined not to disappointed like so many others, Laura was not about to give up her chance to wallow alongside one of humanity’s nemesis. In an area where the Islands best sites are only accessible by boat, Laura stopped off in Thailand on her way to Australia, desperate to see on of these magnificent underwater beasts magnified in her snorkeling goggles. “We went to an area known for sharks on one of our stop off points on the way to Australia, but could’t find any,” says Laura Callender, 23, who is currently on her second lot of travels around Australia after graduating from University. “We were heading to Phuket and I decided to take the economical route by bus, the whole journey took 26 hours. We stayed in Phuket one night and visited Kata beach, really stunning but very touristyso we headed by boat to Phi Phi island.
would have to call it a day and head back. As we made our way back we saw four or five Blacktip reef sharks, one of them was pretty big. It was amazing. I thought I’d be scared, but I wasn’t.” “The only thing we didn’t see enough was Monkeys! There were no monkeys on Monkey Island as they can sense when the rain is coming, which it did in the form of a spectacular thunderstorm that evening... so they were hiding in the forests.”
“Phi Phi was absolutely stunning, but sadly was also extremely touristy so we went on a boat trip stopping at Monkey Island and did loads of snorkeling - the reefs are fantastic! We went to a lagoon that was literally paradise. It was surrounded by lush cliffs covered in trees and the water was unlike any I have ever seen.
As we said before, the land down under is not without its dangers, and although you are more likely to struck by lightening than be attacked by a shark, in Australia the percentage of fatalities is disportionally high compared to world averages. Many people dismiss the risks in awe of having “We were so disappointed not to have seen sharks, that we got up early the next morning to the aptly named shark point, a guaranteed sighting. The number of attacks hired some snorkeling gear and got searching,” explains Lau- have increased in recent years as a result of the oceans being used for recreational ra. “We were looking for a while and saw nothing, although activity. However, “if an attack is imthe visibility was good it wasn’t amazing. minent, defend yourself with whatever We decided that we w your lo s w lo weaponds you can!” advises the Reefs ‘Slow get ’t n o w u o Quest centre for Shark Research. boat’ - y i h P in t s fa “I advise to be as aggressively deanywhere fensive as you are able. ‘Playing Phi! dead’ does not work,” says George Burgress of ISAF, The International Sailing Federation. “Pound the shark in any way possible. Try to claw at the eyes and gill openings, two very sensitive areas.” Worldwide there are 1046 known species of shark, which continues to grow as more species are discovered. The Blacktip reef shark is harmeless and will only attack if provoked. As most sharks, it will bend in an ‘S’ shape if it feels threatend. As surprising as it may be to believe, the Blacktip shark is generally shy, and yet appears curious of 19
Lets go! snorkelers. It is a species that is not considered social, but can be seen in small groups... rather like backpackers who travel to Australia. However social you consider yourself to be, If you are travelling solo, don’t think you will spend all your time alone. As a solo traveller you will be far more approachable, and will only be alone if you want to be alone! On her flight from Singapore to Australia, Laura met a girl from Oxford who she ended up spending a week partying with in Cairnes and her friend Ben diving in who joined the Barrier Reef them a couple of weeks later. “It is like an unspoken backpackers bond!” Says Stacey. “ Fellow backpackers always seem so eager to swap stories, go on a trips or travel to the next location with you. In Hervey bay I got talking to another backpacker staying at my hostel that got picked up from the coach station with me. He was a fun guy. We traded stories, and then went to Fraser Island together. He was camping there for a few days so we said our goodbyes and that was that... but who do you think was staying at the same hostel as me when I reached Cairns? The same guy!” exclaims Stacey. “Not only that, but he had picked up some new friends, people sitting a couple of rows behind on the plane to Oz. So
we decided it was fate, and we must all go out and get drunk together!” “The Australians were very nice too. One thing that was said to me in Queensland that I think really sums up how they view the people they meet, ‘I can tell you’re not from Queensland... your wearing shoes!”
catered for is fast earning eller destination’
One thing that was said to me in Queensland that I think really sums up how they view peoplethey meet, ‘I can tell your not from Queensland...your wearing shoes!’
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Australia has quite possibly the most chilled-out people on earth. They like a bit of banter and their relaxed approach to life means it is refreshingly simple for backpackers to book accommodation and transport whilst they are on the move. In fact they are so well backpackers, that it cult status as ‘the travamong young tourists. “I stayed in hostels the whole time I was in Australia and they were all great. Each one was very different in character and the services provided, but they were all great value with lovely staff,” explains Stacey. “Most of the hostels I stayed in also had single/double rooms available so I didn’t have to share with random strangers which was nice.”
“When your not doing trips, you spend a lot of time in hostels, so it is important finding the right place to stay,” says Benjamin
Lets go! Elliot, who travelled for five weeks up the East Coast.”They can range in quality and in size and generally they are safe to leave your belongings. Doom rooms can be noisy, but generally people try to be considerate. Some of the time it is yourself making the noise, so you take it as part of hostel life. They are the best way to meet new people. Many nights out start with a group of new room mates deciding to go out together. A typical dorm room would be mixed gender and nationality with 6 to 10 people. Smaller rooms are available at extra cost and all female dorms in some of the bigger hostels” “The one bad experience I had with accommodation was my first night, where the hostel had lied slightly about their location,” says Stacey: “The hostel was sandwiched between McDonald’s and ‘Girls Girls Girls’ Nightclub. Furthermore, they didn’t have my booking. I had to share with some guy who looked like he was actually living there (He came falling asleep to complete with a TV!) But the sounds of pounding dance music was actuhe are t nd. s ally a great help e h coac vel arou d when you’ve got n tra hou Grey t way to jet-lag!”
s
easie
“It really is the ‘travellers
destination’ as it has been described. It was so easy to book accommodation as you were travelling, so you could really take your time and spend as much or as little time as you wanted in different places. Everything there somehow seems instantly familiar and yet completely foreign.” “I definately didn’t travel as ‘off the beaten track’ as I would of liked. Apart from the fact that the country is so huge it takes hours to travel anywhere, I was restricted by money also,” explains Stacey. “However, my experience with transport in Australia was great for me. I travelled around with Greyhound coaches, which are fantastic for backpackers because you can get a ticket for how many miles you want so you can decide to go last minute if you like! They were always on time and I could just about sleep on overnight journey’s. The drivers were always nice and stopped to point out any wildlife or interesting points along the journey.” “Greyhound is great for travelling,” agrees Ben: “They have great deals designed at
Sydney - quirky, vibrant and easily makes that ‘favourite’ destination list. 21
Lets go! backpackers meaning they are usually the most economical way to travel and great if you want to play it safe. Unless you have a lot of time, sticking to visiting the ‘favourite’ destinations is a great plan. The trips are usually popular for good reason!”
system on it’s own with loads of wildlife to see and rivers to get cold and wet in! From there I went to Airline Beach where I visited the Whitsunday Islands. I went on a one day catamaran, and we all got dropped off on a coral beach - which was painful on the toes! Onward to Cairns, which is a tiny place compared to how you’d think it would be. I finally got to do some diving here... I remember being so happy!”
For those who aren’t seeking mild or ‘out of this world’ adventure, are often critised by those that constantly need to be on that launching pad ready for their next adrenaline high. However, it is often tackling the tried and tested favourites instead of bimbling ‘off the beaten track’ that let you capture those ‘most incredible moment’ memories of Australia. From admiring the the blonde hair, blue eyed boy beauties (who permantly sport golden coloured skin) battling the waves on Surfer’s Paradise, exploring the very large and diverse Sydney to following the call of the brown tourists signs (there are also some signs full of character for instance: think yellow backdrop with a kangaroo) to the laidback town of Byron Bay, touristy ‘hotspots’ are simply the core of Australia awesomeness... which makes Australia... well... Awesome!
“I went to Airlie beach and then to rainbow beach for Fraser Island. Fraser Island was immense!” exclaims Laura: “We had such a wicked group of people in our 4x4 and everyone was up for the craic (u pick up all these silly Irish/Australian/Where bloody ever terms on ur travels - wierd!). The weather was fantastic and I loved every minute. Having 4WD is the best way to get around as a lot of the roads are pretty much impossible to drive in anything else! It’s a weird set up...I’m not sure how it works if you go independently or even if you can? The way I’ve done it both times is booking it through a travel agent and you go through a hostel...they put you in groups and hire the 4WD to you. That’s predominantly backpackers though so there must be other options.”
“Byron Bay was the most unexpectedly amazing place,” says Stacey. “The hostel was out of this world, the Art’s Factory Lodge - major recommendation for that place! Even though there wasn’t much to do round Byron day, I stayed here for a couple of days. There was an gorgeous walk up on the cliffs to a lighthouse and whilst going there I stopped occasionally to watch people hand-glidding off the cliff, and oh my god I happened to be there as the humpback whales swam right off shore!
Fraser Island is one of the most popular backpacker destinations in Australia. It stretches a massive 123 kilometres in length and is 22 kilometres at its widest point meaning it is the largest sand island in the world. As Laura said, It is a strictly 4WD country. There are no sealed roads, no bridges...and you drive on the sand (most people opt for the guided tour, only the brave choose to do it independently).
“Sticking to the favourites destinations is a great plan. The trips are usually popular for good reason!”
“After Byron Bay, I headed to Brisbane, which was an amazing city and I was very touristy by going to Queensland zoo (aka - home of the Crocodile Hunter) here I got pretty close to a lot of animals - Kangaroos are a lot softer than they look in real life! “Then on to Hervey bay for my Birthday, staying in the Fraser Roving. All the staff were amazingly friendly, putting up with phonecalls from my family and their requests to make me a birthday hamper. I visited Fraser Island for my birthday, I saw dingoes, but unfortunately didn’t have enough time to camp out on the Island. It is well worth visiting, a eco22
Fraser Island almost shines with innocence, the fresh waterlakes are some of the clean-
Lets go!
Fraser Island is strictly 4WD country!
est in the world, even the dingo’s are ‘apparently’ the purest strand of dingoes that remain in the world. Fraser Island certainly has some sights to show-off! but access to Fraser Island is not as easy as hopping to island to island like some sort of Kangaroo. The Island can be reached by ferry from Hervey Bay, or inskip point north of Rainbow beach or for some people (who are a little crazier) flying, which involves a plane landing on the grass landing strip or on the middle of the beach depending on the tides - eek. The idea of being kinda ‘trapped’ on an Island springs to mind when thinking about Fraser Island, especially how entry is concerned. However, the island’s original name was ‘K’gari,’ which fittingly means paradise... so they’re can’t be too much wrong with being stuck here! “I travelled up the East coast, which offered all these ‘favou-
rite’ attractions,” explains Ben. “My highlights were both Fraser Island and Byron Bay. The Great Barrier Reef is as beautiful and amazing as it appears in the media and I had a memorable experience of touching a turtle while diving. I would like to say I went surfing, but due to an early start and lots of drinking the night before - I missed my surf lesson!” “I didn’t try my hand at surfing, I don’t know if I am disappointed about it or not,” says Stacey. “I don’t know what was counted as good surfing weather, but it was mostly cold where I was. I think the weather was responsible for keeping most of the surfer dudes wearing too much clothes!” Being the place to surf, It is surprising that none of these wanna-be Aussie dude’s or dudettes tried their hand at getting in tossed in the waves. Surfing is everywhere, not only the brash Surfer’s paradise, but although Stacey didn’t ride through waves, she did take an opportunity to ride through nature...
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Lets go!
Fraser Island: or K’gari, a little piece of Paradise
“I decided to take a bicycle trek through the rainforests in Cairns which was such a genius idea, even if my legs hurt!” Explains Stacey. “I didn’t really want to see the rainforests through a coach window, but I couldn’t afford to do anything hardcore, that is why I decided to go for the bike tour. The group did four of five short trails through pretty farmland or on the better roads going through the rainforests, plus a walk in to the forests. It just felt good knowing that you had really earned seeing the gorgeous waterfalls there with all that hard work pedalling! Plus the places we saw weren’t visited by tourist coaches. The only bad 2
thing about the trek was I nearly ran over a kangaroo whilst on my pushbike. I didn’t see the Kangaroo, I just heard the guide yelling behind me - I don’t think I should be allowed on roads!”
There are some experiences so extraordinary in life that they make you
Lets go! your eyes glisten at the wonder of it all, bring a lump to your throat and are captured and tangled in to your dreams when your home. That first time an awed hush falls over you as you spot a humpback whale, the first time you touch a kangaroo and realise how soft it actually is, the first time you dive in to the beautiful waters of the great barrier reef or wiggle your toes in the waters of Fraser Island and have that realisation - “wow I’m am actually here...” Useful Websites: http://www.bridgeth-
Stop Dreaming Start Planning...
“I’m sure you have probably heard it a lot, but travelling to Australia was definitely one of the amazing things I’ve ever done,” says Stacey. “Corny - I know, but I have to say it was love at first sight (even if that sight was a little hazy because I was so tired when I arrived!” I can only imagine what it would be like to go backpacking there for a longer period of time.
...
eworld.com.au/ A company that specializes in International travel. Stacey booked her international flight. Roughly £500 for flight (overnight stay in Japan included. The company also organized her visa).
http://www.peterpans.com/catalog/default. php Peter pan Adventure travel specializes “To be honest, I don’t know if I would go back there again. in serving the backpacker, student and the I wouldn’t want my first experience to be overwritten with youth market. When it comes to organizing another as it really is so life changing. I felt very...free while your trip to Australia on a budget, they can I was there, almost like being a child, looking at the world assist you with accommodation, transport and with fresh eyes. I had one of those ‘incredible moment feel- tours. ings’ when I saw the whales swim off the coast of Byron Bay. Even though I was seeing them from a distance, it was just so unexpected and it just felt like I was in the right place at the right time. I know it sounds quite boring to say but the whole experience left me feeling so lucky and... so chuffed that I had done it. Even waking up and hearing the exotic and different dawn chorus was incredible, and seeing a different patterns of stars to what we are used to each night.”
Where to stay: http://www.artsfactory.com. au/ If you find yourself in Byron Bay, the Art Factory Backpacker’s Lodge is recommended as ‘the place to stay!’ Described as the most unique hostel in Australia, it is conveniently placed close to Byron beach and has a choice of private rooms, shared dorms, island huts, teepees ooo and love shacks! It is much Nothing can detract from the enjoyment of a location unlike more than a place to stay, there is didgeridoo any other on earth, not even the eight legged creatures. making, yoga, fire shows, talent competitions Notice that none of our young travellers even mentioned etc. Australian’s spidery friends - although there is no doubt they’ve seen them because there are spider’s spider’s everywhere! These guy’s just haven’t let them spoil their surplus fun. You’ll feel large and in charge in Australia, with epic-scale activities and epic-scale adventures! Who cares if you spot a Giant whistling/barking spider (part of the Goliath spider family) who can grow larger than the palm of a man’s hand - eek! (I would post a picture, but I can’t bear to google anymore, keep jumping thinking the black ink dot on the pillow next to me is actually a spider!) As long as you have no plans to chase after it, jump on it and are wearing shoes, don’t go shopping for the whole body armour. It is these intense moments, sightings, coming face to face with nature that make you really ‘live’ that real Australian dream!
Best for flights: www.statravel.co.uk for student flights or cheap flights for those under 26 try STA, they can also assist you on accommodation. Don’t forget to check out www. expedia.co.uk and www.alpharooms.com for offers on flights - especially last minute! Looking for inspiration from others who have been there or better still live there?! Join Tourism Australia’s official Facebook group. Here you’ll find event listings, tips on travelling to working in Australia, as well as plenty of images and opinions that help capture the Australian experience.
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Lets go!
A Glimp n s i D
Photographs by Suzanne Jordan and Damian Kendrick. Words and design: Suzanne Jordan
a f Christ o
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Paris! Heavy with alone is enough to ery year to the city Resort Paris, espec 300,000 lights, m hope to have that f
pse y e n
tmas!
h promise of excitment and romance. The name o bring thousands and thousands of travellers evy - and the same concept applies to Disneyland cially at Christmas! Luring guests with over massive trees, baubles as big as your head and that freak encounter with Mickey or Minnie Mouse! America invades
B
Paris - It is we w ho adore it!
eware.
If you’ve been to Walt Disney World Orlando before you visit Disneyland Paris, then it won’t meet your expectations! Paris does not have America’s edge, however, ‘ding ding ding ding!’ - It does score points with its runaway mine train, pirates of the Caribbean ride and the proximity of the parks. We know it is not a point scoring contest, it is not a competition but if you have explored WDW, despite telling yourself over and over again not to compare, you cannot help but judge! Disney resort Paris should be taken as a park on its own, and in that respect c’etait tres magnifique! It is made up of two parks: Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park and a scaled down version of America’s Downtown Disney entitled Disney Village. Disneyland
Goofy Father Christmas
park is similar to Magic Kingdom. It still has the charm of main street USA, Sleeping Beauty’s castle and the main attractions (including some extra ones) with the exception of Splash Mountain. In addition, it has the Disneyland luxury hotel - the only Disney hotel to be situated at the entrance of a Disney park. This was a stunning hotel and beautifully lit up at night, especially since it was coming up to Christmas! Even more exciting we saw Pluto in the windows parading around the guests in the restaurant. I certainly got that pang of jealousy wishing it was me in that £281 a night hotel.
I had that jealously feeling too when were debat-
So that is where the second pang of jealously kicked in, as I was sure we would of had a better time at Cafe Mickey... but it worked out. Since it had taken a lot less time to eat than we thought, we had time to go ice skating outside the Disney New York Hotel!
Di a r o f t i F
ing whether on our last night to join all those other people who were dining at Cafe Mickey in Disney village (£17 for Carbonara – eek) but it had Disney Characters! Or have hotdogs at one of the food stands. We ended up going to neither. Instead, I insisted to my boyfriend, Damian, that I treated him to a meal at planet Hollywood after I’d spied Chicken Alfredo on the menu outside - I’d had it America when we visited earlier in the year, tastiest thing I’ve ever had, but it was a mistake to go here! We were seated quickly, but waited around 15 minutes before we even got looked at. The service was equally poor; the waiter was friendly but had far too much going on to make us a priority. When our meals came my boyfriend loved his Chicken sandwich, but my pasta was really dry (because it was coated in only a splash of sauce) and it was presented really badly, just a few cuts of grilled chicken thrown on top anyhow. Furthermore,
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the waiter noticed I was struggling to eat the pasta with my knife and fork and came over and said he was going to get me a spoon... but he never came back? I was spoonless.
s! s e c n i r P e and c n i r P y e sn
The New York hotel is just one of the main Disneyland hotels dotted around Disneyland Park. There are seven Disney themed hotels: Disneyland hotel, Hotel New York, Disney’s Newport Bay Club, Disney’s Sequoia Lodge, Hotel Cheyenne, Hotel Santa Fe and Davy Crockett Ranch. There are also seven hotels specially handpicked by Disney, we stayed in one of these: The Vienna international Dream Castle hotel. When we were leaving on the VEA bus from the Disneyland bus station back to the airport (See more about buses in our ‘stop dreaming, start planning’ section) there was a lady in front of us who was talking loudly about her disastrous stay at the Santa Fe hotel. Well it was my turn to make someone
theme is extended to the rooms. We were on the 5th floor, we had a King size room and it was perfect size - the bed was extremely comfortable. When we checked in there were about three people working at the front desk. The guy (Vincent) we had was very friendly and communication was no problem, as he spoke English. The only problem we had is after we went through the check-in process we were told our room would not be ready till 3pm... It was 11am. It felt like a long time to wait after the journey (and we had no sleep) so we sat in the reception till 12 and then decided to experiment with the shuttle buses to Disney Village. One good thing is you can leave your luggage in a secure area in the hotel. The shuttle buses come from outside the hotel (they are pink) and come every 20 minutes or so. They pick up from the four hotels handpicked by Disney (Magic Circus, Dream castle, the Kyraid and the Explorer hotel which are all on one stretch of road). The first day we got them it wasn’t very busy. The journey was a bit in to the unknown. It took less than 10 minutes though and we arrived at the Disney bus station. I pushed Damian forward to ask the driver if this is where we got off for Disney Village (not noticing that the whole bus was clearing) and he laughed, saying that Disney Village was right in front of us, as were Disneyland Park and the Walt Disney studios.
“some big, some small, some as big as your head, and some...If taken from the right angle, Mickey mouse shaped”
feel jealous and I was a little bit naughty speaking to Damian at an above average pitch, about the wonderful time we had at our hotel. Damian and I felt like a Disney Prince and Princess when we arrived at our hotel. So that makes us sounds about five, but it was like a real castle, it even had the fairytale pointy turrets. The hotel is themed in a playful manner inspired by King Arthur and the three Musketeers. There was numerous bizarre bits around such as a king and queen thrown in the reception area, a mock up of the sword in the stone, (neither Damian nor I were destined to put it out) and a Skating rather unusual tall and lanky outside Father Christthe New mas figure by York hotel the front door. The Musketeer
Walking under the plethora of neon lights stating ‘Disney Village,’ Damian and I didn’t get that same buzz that we had when we arrived in Disney Downtown market place in Orlando. Perhaps it was those fairies that had sucked it all in, I have no doubt they live here! Or maybe because we’d only ever visited the market place at night in Orlando, I had no real indication of what Disney Village would look like in the day. We went to eat in ‘Sandwiches New York style’ after seeing Chicken nuggets on the menu, (Damian and I were Chicken nugget fiends in America!) But here we couldn’t even taste the magic of the chicken nugget - they were pretty cool looking though, with little bits of nachos sticking out and they were kind of tasty, but there is no doubt - they were just not real chicken!
Sucking in the fairy d u
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Lets go! The next day the fairies hadn’t sucked in the fun-filled air fast enough, as Damian and I got our buzz back as we visited Disneyland Resort. For one minute, as we went through the turnstile, it was though we were running in slow motion. Looking up as this glittering pixie dust sprinkled from the sky, glistening all around us, but in fact it was massive... and I mean massive drops of rain... but my god - it was still exciting! There he was, Goofy Father Christmas, surrounded by children and every one of them had clapped their adorable saucer wide eyes upon him. In the background was an absolutely giant Christmas tree on show. Standing 24m high, decorated with nearly 500 lights and an estimated 590 baubles - some big, some small, some as big as your head, and some...If taken from the right angle, Mickey mouse shaped. Frequent visitors to Disney Parks, in particular in the United States will recognize the unmistakable architecture of Disney resorts, the shops, the restaurants, including the paths as we did walking down main street USA towards Sleeping Beauty’s castle. The main difference for us was the decorations, (when we visited Orlando, it was decorated for Halloween), the statue of Mickey and Walt (which is in Walt Disney Studios in Paris) and of course the weather. Walking towards the castle, despite the sharp cold winds and massive rain drops, we were ignited inside with the Christmas glow - but that fuzzy feeling wasn’t enough to keep us warm! And like so many people we had to run for shelter. We decided to head to the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean ride.’ We were a bit hesitant at first, because it really didn’t amount to much in Walt Disney World, but reading the warning signs ‘you may get wet’ we thought it was a good opportunity to go on a ride where it didn’t really matter if we got soaked - we were soaked!
you into blackness. The famous theme song of the ride, “Yo ho, Yo ho, a Pirate’s Life for me” starts to play, whilst you are taken round scenes of pirate skeletons guarding their treasure. Another drop (shorter than the first one) and there is scenes depicting bands of pirates attacking and destroying a town with water guns. There is certainly some spectacular work gone in to this ride, detailed characters and effects such as waterfalls, fake fire and canon ball splashes but to me it was a bit tedious - maybe it was because I’ve never had those dreams of being a pirate? Or I’ve never been that taken with the films - but it was a lot more impressive than the one in Orlando by far. It is a long ride plus a forty minute queue! And still after all that time Damian’s shoes were still not dry... at all. This was an issue, because Damian had only brought one pair of trainers! And we were just about to go back in to the rain. The proximity of the parks makes getting round really easy. A full day exploration of both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney Studio’s can easily be spread over a weekend, with this in mind where you stay is crucial to your experience! The Dream Castle hotel is really close. So after a visit to the haunted house, a couple of shops and a meal at Buzz lightyears Pizza Planet (where we had to sit on the floor in the cold), we decided to go back to the hotel for a bit and return later. Heading out the band was playing a medley from a Muppets Christmas carol! I was singing and dancing about, whilst Damian was clutching and pulling my arm like I was a naughty little child trailing behind, unable to bear the biting chill that had initially just attacked the souls of our feet, but now wormed its way up through our bodies and under our skin, brrrr!
The queue was quite long, starting outside then eventually leading down a dark cave and you are enclosed in bars. You can’t see anything through them. Every once in a while there is a flash of light, but for the most part, you are in this warped darkness - and what lies ahead is left up to your fervid imagination. Even though this ride is all connected with pirates, don’t expect an element of danger - it When we returned at night we were padded out is not a ‘thrill’ ride, just expect a drop or two! The journey to the max and Damian had lined his shoes with newsbegins on a boat that bobs along gently, then a drop plunges paper, which yes lead to the clever invention of ‘newspa-
!
e Film Everywher
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“There was a river of dancing people surrounding the pastel coloured paths.” per shoes.’ All was not calm though when we arrived at Disneyland Resort, the ‘Once upon a dream parade’ was about to start. Pandemonium erupted as the music began and almost on cue there was a river of dancing people surrounding the pastel coloured paths; clutching cameras and parent’s clutching children as everyone tried to edge closer to the front. Pressed up against the tight crowd just near the entrance, Damian and I were looking a bit sunken under the bobbing up and down heads. I could catch glimpses and I was desperately trying to catch an image on my camera, by waving it above my head. It was proving difficult, not only because of the crowds, but day was fading into night. To my amazement, the sky which was dotted with inky black clouds before was now a brilliant bright blue making it a beautiful setting for the parade. When it comes to entertainment, Disneyland Park in Paris doesn’t fall short and as the world-famous Disney parade arrived, it was very much alive and in dazzling style, with a glittering moon and sun float, followed by a bunch of smiley faced dancers. Minnie and Mickey were standing under the sun, whilst Goofy sat at the back of the float on a pile of books, dressed in a bright orange jacket, white silk trousers and shirt with a gold bow-tie. All the floats in Paris house major
technology advancements. Some of the Disneyland characters on show are not cast members, but life size stunning creations and puppets. Examples include the Toy Story float, Ursula from the little mermaid, the Lion King and the Jungle book. The only flaw that casts over the Parade is the coordination of music between the floats and it wasn’t as interactive as Walt Disney World. Nevertheless the floats were immaculate, as was the presentation. A massive highlight was definitely the marching toy soldiers and Father Christmas on his sleigh with his reindeers. Disneyland Paris knows how to make Christmas Sparkle, but there is nothing truly more sparkly or more magical than Disney after dark at Christmas. Before we went to Disney, my mum cut out an article for me from one of the newspapers. It was a review about Disneyland Paris and how the Sleeping Beauty’s pink castle is set ablaze with around 300,000 lights every night during the Christmas season - this we were desperate to see, so we hung around a bit longer after the parade. We decided to head up to Frontierland for Big Thunder Mountain, we wanted to go on this earlier but it was over a 120 min queue - eek. However, getting up there was actually quite difficult! After the parade, everyone seemed to be 31
heading the same direction, almost rushing like animals in a stampede and before we knew it we got involved in this massive hold up on the bridge passage, in fact we were in the midst of it. Paradise is certainly no place to make decisions and no one was making a decision here, no one could move, you could feel people’s breath on your cheeks. Everyone was pushing and seemed to be speaking all different language’s to each other (mainly French), It felt we were fishes out of water in a Parisian jungle - and wow it really was like that! Suddenly there was a loud screeching noise. It was an elephant! Ok seriously, it was this woman with a pram who just... lost it? It was the first time we saw the Paris cast members excel in organisation (I will go in to the reasons behind this a bit later on) and they managed to sort out the situation. A girl shouted, still in a respectable manner than this woman needed to get through, I think she was having some kind of panic attack and herself and two other male cast members created a path in middle where this woman could walk through and then directed people to come forward or backward, till we were all free flowing again - it was definitely one of those crazy moments. When we got to Big Mountain, the queue pretty long, but we anyway. The queue you are cattle be-
wooden fences. Even though it moved quite quickly, the most annoying thing is how the fast pass queue are just merged in to the normal queue. They have to push in with us ‘normal crowd’ just when you are drawing towards the end of the queue (see what I mean about how I was surprised about the ‘excel’ in organisation before?) The ride has some brilliant theming. I spied the two massive peaks of the rocky red mountain and I asked Damian to promise that we weren’t going to go up those - he wouldn’t promise, but he said that he was sure they were only there for decoration! We were seated towards the back of the train and from the moment we jolted forward out of the gate it was exciting. A red lantern hanging from the roof went out. The train
“Heading up towards the roof, we noticed we were leaving the first cave as a slender ribbon of sky appeared”
Thunder was still joined it is like ing contained in
careened into a dark carven with a ‘hoot hoot’ and we were greeted by a horde of luminous bats. Behind us some guys were singing repeatedly “woah oh oh ohhhh oh” which you know added to the effect! Already the train was at a fast speed. The track had these short but sharp corners, which threw you side to side. Acceding steeply upwards up the track, there was an extremely loud clacking noise; there was a pause as the train reached a ledge then it plunged wildly down. Water seeped through the cave’s roof
(but you don’t get wet), just sprayed! Heading up towards the roof, we noticed we were leaving the cave as a slender ribbon of sky appeared. Out in to the night sky my screams became more dramatic. Every once in a while I was laughing, I don’t know if I was laughing at myself? then back to screams as the train coiled down the mountain at an intense speed. Even though you feel your face might actually blow off, you can’t miss catching a glimpse of the views around you. Racing over what felt like a worn bridge, the funny guys behind us copy each other with their, “oooooooo’s” as we lurched downwards. There was an scarily sharpish turn, and before I knew it we were heading up slowly up another lift hill, the crackling noise more poignant than ever. In the distance I could see a hazy outline of the red peaks that I assume we were on before, therefore I knew that this must have been one of the terrifying peaks that I had spied in the distance with Damian in the queue. The train paused just few a few seconds before it curled over the top. The boys behind us were now doing some really evil villian laughs, whilst Damian had his camera up in the air and shouted, “film everySanta Goofy gets where!” just before we dropped. Frantically the train whizzed round attention a super speed, round tight coils. There are some amazing views to be seen here, although I didn’t see them - I was too busy shouting, “oh my god...oh my god!” and had my head tucked down as though I was in a bobsleigh. Everything is pretty much a blur, but in the distance you can see Sleeping Beauty’s castle all lit up (not yet lit up like we wanted to see it), but looking back on Damian’s recording, it looks spectacular.
everyones
couldn’t shake the feeling that we were going faster than the time before. I could see pitch black, no stars, the only thing breaking up the perfect darkness I think was my screams. I started off with a “wooooo” and then I could not control myself - I could do nothing but scream - we were going so fast! I reached a whole new level of screaming, a screaming soprano as we went faster and faster. Damian was laughing and the boys behind were back to their, “oh oh oh ohhhh Next, a reasonably straight drop down occured, leading us oh.” A final harsh turn which jolts you in to the side, before back through the caves. The train is almost at an angle as some even harsher braking and the train came to a stop. it ascends another lift hill. I knew this was the peak, just like As the bars came up, Damian still laughing turned and said you know if you’ve ever been on Splash mountain, you just to me, “bloody hell Suzanne, how do you feel?” The boys know when the big one is coming up! The crackling sounds behind us giggled. Although I was shaking all over, I smiled were louder again; there was a rumble of thunder, a static and as we got off the ride I turned to him and said, “that... noise and the sound of rolling rocks echoing round the cave. was amazing!” and I really meant it too. Tugging on Damian’s arm I cried, “I hate you! No I don’t, I love you!” before he turned the camera on me, which I We were both pretty wired after Big Thunder Mountain. Dagreeted with a massive smile a second before we mian had a super smile on his face, bright like a second dropped. There we were, racing at super speed, I
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Lets go! sun. Everything was illuminated when we walked back down to Main Street. You’ve really got to admire the effort that has gone in to the decorations; shimmering Disney princess street lamps, twinkling little Christmas trees near the entrance to massive fish bowl baubles with Christmas hats outside random shops, everyone outstandingly individually decorated, with a Disney character inside. Even more exciting, you could buy Disney decorations which looked just like these (but obviously much smaller!) in the Disney Parks and the Disneyland store in Disney village. At Christmas, Disneyland Resort Paris was certainly a looker, but as much as we stared at Sleeping Beauty’s castle, the lights we been wanting to see never came on. We left happy, but disheartened that we hadn’t seen these lights.
off and just going without shoes for breakfast, apparently a castle themed hotel wasn’t the place where you could run around in just socks and no-one was going to care! We set off early to Walt Disney Studio’s to try and beat the crowds, but when we went out to the front of the hotel after breakfast we were faced with mass crowds of people all waiting for the shuttle bus to go to the park. The shuttle bus appeared to pick up at the three neighbouring hotels before the Dream Castle; you could see it in the distance. It would head to the Explorer, then up to the Kyraid, down to Magic Circus and then just when you thought it was coming down to Dream Castle, turning slightly, (we realised later this was just because there was some kind of bend in the road, meaning it had to do this) the bus would head straight on, because it was full. Finally we were able to get on a bus and head to the parks.
Walking towards the Earfell Tower, a waterless water tower which can be seen from almost anywhere in the moviemagical Walt Disney studios, excitement rushed over me. We weren’t sure what to expect when we arrived in Walt Disney studio’s Paris - other than we really wanted to be wowed! Like we were in Walt Disney World. The entrance to the park was really quite attractive. The park is once again dressed in stunning decorations. Hanging on the street It’s not often that 8am sees me up and lights were three dimensional Christmas trees complete dressed, eager with anticipation when I am on holiday, but with glittering, stars, bright red Christmas baubles, flat circle the next day Damian and I could still feel that buzz from decorations with Mickey mouse cut outs and twinkling gold the day before and we were raring to go to Walt Disney Studio’s. Lined thickly with fresh newspaper, the water from lights. The colours match the whole theming of the park. In Damian’s shoes soaked through to his socks as he put them the courtyard was a fountain and a bronze statue of Mickey as the Sorcerer’s apprentice, this was beautifully designed, on for breakfast. He ignored my suggestion of taking them but there was no one actually round it. It was being overshadowed by its more famous neighbour, as on the opposite side was a wonderfully dressed Santa Goofy.
Lights, camera and a ction!
It is rare to see a Disney character without its ‘entourage,’ – usually there is a following of cast member’s keeping space between the guests and the character on show. Despite the growing numbers, still not one appeared. There were the occasional few children who were desperate to reach out and just touch a wisp of Goofy’s white beard with their little hands, but not once did Goofy give that sort of, getme-outtahere kind of look (which sounds stupid, because these are real people dressed up in these life size costumes – so how can you tell?), but it was his actions. As he knelt down, you couldn’t help but smile as his massive eyes, bursting with highly infectious enthusiasm came level with those starting in awe of him. Even from a far, you couldn’t feel let down by
“that famous Hollywood sign, complete with searchlights scanning the set - there was no doubt we were in a different world”
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him.
arrived, we were shunned and Mickey was escorted away. There Seeing a Disney Character gave us the aching desire to... was something much more amazspot another one. Walking in to the main Walt Disney Court- ing though to see before this. To get yard, we spotted Mickey mouse. As much as access to the courtyard, you have Disney is inspired by magic, every one is while it to go through Studio one - a mock is followed by madness and this was evidential up of the first sounds stage owned here as after a few seconds, Mickey was being by Walt Disney himself, the original trampoline on by hundreds of little monkey’s. Disney Studio on Hyperion Avenue, The cameras were out in force, but before California. Inside the ceiling was an Damian and I could get close, the ‘entourage’ extravagant blanket of infinite such as
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vard backdrop with that famous Hollywood sign, complete with searchlights scanning the set, there was no doubt we were in a different world. The only thing absent from this Disney world, which was apparent everywhere in Walt Disney World, was that hardly anyone we saw had clothing that had been taken over by Disney! Mickey Mouse’s ears are iconic, they are sold in all the souvenir shops and are constantly under going makeovers, but even these were absent from people’s heads. There were some really awesome novelty items in the shops. Damian tried on some Mickey reindeer ears, I tried some Minnie mouse earmuffs... best of all though was a Minnie mouse fauxfur hood we found with ears. Ahhhh seriously it was really warm, but attached was a hefty price tag and to be honest, as much I’d like to think I could be ten years old, I was Walking through Studio One to enter the park sorry for a moment that I had grown up as even I couldn’t serves a unique purpose in terms of Disney Imagineering. brave the public as a 23 year old in a Minnie mouse hood, Every single guest has to walk through the building to get into and out of the park, there is no alternative route. Its pur- unless of course I could freeze every person just for a pose? The same as the Disneyland Hotel next door - to block couple of minutes, run around and then oh I would do that crazy Mad Hatter dance that is featured in Tim Burton’s out the real world once you’re inside the main body of the ‘Alice and Wonderland.’ Ah if only I had the confidence to park. With massive movie billboards, showcasing ‘the Lion not freeze people. King,’ ‘Armageddon’ and ‘the Prince of Persia’ (Damian was instantly hypnotised with that one) and a Hollywood BouleUnsurprisingly, winter is a major tourist time for Disney. stars and colorful lights, there was artwork, backdrops, street lamps and oh palm trees. There are loads of restaurants and souvenir shops in here, each were lit up, not only by the lights shimmering above, but they were headlined with huge neon lit up signs. It is outrageously tacky in a way - it reminded me of International Drive in Flordia.
tyle S d o o w y l l Fake it Ho
The Catastrophe Canyon in Paris squares up confidently to its sibling in Florida
Walt Disney Studio’s Paris deal with mass tourists with ease. It offers spaciousness, wide open paths and as well as some well-know rides such as the Tower of Terror, refreshingly it also offers some different attractions in contrast to Hollywood Studio’s in Orlando. Crush Coaster was introduced for Disneyland resort Paris’s 15th Birthday, this is considered have some amazing visual effects, but I imagine it is kinda like spinning round a whirlpool whilst riding FAST, as though you are on the east the Australian current - yes You won’t be wimp standing here who didn’t complaining actually go on the ride! Another of the cold in attraction exclusive to Disneyland this hood Paris - Armageddon Special effects. Many people choose to follow the white painted film strip dancing on the paths around the park to get started in Walt Disney Studios, however; we started our magical introduction by being pulled towards the twinkling ‘Twilight Zone Tower of Terror’ sign. It shimmered with gold lights. Damian watched in awe, smiling, as we heard in the background the thundering sound of a lift cluttering down 13 floors. Walking a bit further on, we passed a large voluptuous creation of the Armadillo drilling machine from Armageddon. The Armageddon Special Effects attraction technically was very good. It is basically a show of some very impressive special effects, which you are in the midst of. The room shakes about, there is a massive bang as you are “hit by” a meteor, there is some splashes of water and bursts of fire – you can feel the heat! The only issue we encountered was during the introduction. When people were asked to raise their hand who was not French, we really were in the minority. Damian and I looked at each other as we raised our hands quite shyly, as did two other people at the back of us, “and the rest of you...?” The man who was doing the introduction asked. Gleefully nearly the whole room chanted, “Français!” The preshow is quite long; it is mainly presented by video in French, with English subtitles.
a recording; flat TV panels are placed in every couple of carriages. For us, this took away some of the flavour of the ride that Damian and I had experience in America, as the recording tended to be quite repetitive with only elements in English. The Studio Backlot Tour doesn’t meet the same calibre as the one in Hollywood Studio’s in terms of Audience participation. There is no show before hand, well we couldn’t see one! (According to some information I found on the internet there is supposedly a show that starts off the attraction based around Michael Bay’s films?) Unlike Hollywood Studio’s, the whole queue is completely outside (there is no viewing area of different props) after a long wait, you are basically in the position to step straight on the tram - except you will probably be held back as the cast members let those from the fast pass queue through first. On the tram, Damian and I had really good seats. We were in the first carriage, right behind the driver. As we disembarked the platform, the tram chugged slowly along as we passed a row of blue painted boards hiding a future development, there was a large sign which I think was a big hint to say what was comming here - and going by the sign, going to take a wild guess it was something connected with Toy story. All the Disney’s parks have gone Toy Story crazy since their acquisition with Pixar! I love Toy Story though - So Disney, You’ve got a friend in me! We chugged past some props, (these were totally unknown to Damian and I), before coming to a halt at Catastrophe Canyon.
“You’d be wishing you could grab a surfboard as a sudden rush of water waves down the rock face”
This wasn’t the last time we were going to have this problem. The Studio Backlot Tour at Disneyland Paris has the same kind of set up. The tour announcer wasn’t as upbeat and engaging compared to the guy in America; this was because he didn’t speak! In Disneyland Paris, Disney has replaced the live tour announcer in favour of
This rocky heavy weight squares up confidently to its sibling in Florida. You find yourself in the middle of a film ‘shot,’ and a dramatic ‘earthquake.’ Damian and I were laughing as we tumbled into each other, as the tram bounced side to side. A fire erupts, some poles crash down causing a ‘dam to burst.’ We looked up to see water bubbling up on the ledge of the canyon and you’d be wishing you could grab a surf board, as a sudden rush of mass water waves down the rock face and was gushing in from all sides of the tram. Sitting in the front meant Damian and I got very wet. This was very realistic and loads of 37
Lets go! fun. They should of run the credit roll here though, as although the next part demostrating London being destroyed by dragons is creatively designed, it isn’t very relevant to the experience. Someone really needs to be out the tracks to shout, “CUT!”
Hand-drawn animation I made a mistake whilst we were in Hollywood Studios in Orlando. Mum and Dad went to see Walt Disney’s, ‘One man’s dream’ tour. Damian and I were somewhere else, but afterwards Dad was telling us about this amazing picture they had seen of Mickey Mouse crying at Walt’s Death. I was desperate to see it in Walt Disney Studio’s Paris, but turns out we were going to miss out again as there was no replica here. However, queuing up for Art of Disney animation was an art enthusiast dream. The pale yellow walls were etched with oodles of beautifully hand-drawn family lovin characters, Mulan, Genie out of Aladdin, Lilo and Stich, Brother Bear, Tarzan etc. This is one attraction that deserved a crown. To see a glimpse of Walt Disney’s visions was like walking in to an absolute wonderland. Disney’s illustrations and ideas have been so tirelessly praised, that people forget attractions like these that show the making of a man that finally made his way to the top of the summit. This was done in a very simplified manner, really well executed - and I was baffled to see the leaps and barriers that animation has overcome. After watching the ‘classic’ Disney movie, from Disney’s black and white mini movies showing clips of memorable scenes from the jungle book, lady and the tramp, the lion king etc, some doors at the side opened and we were ushered to another room where we were greeted with a man and an animated ‘Mushu,’ (the travelsize fiery red dragon from Disney’s Mulan). This was a demonstration on how animation is achieved and how characters evolve. There were overhead screens on the ‘stage’ in front of us, one featuring Mushu, who interacted with the host - a real life animator. The Animator was French, but he repeated a lot in English at the start, then it was all down to the headphones, in which Mushu has been dubbed in many different languages. This demonstration was cute and fascinating. We learnt that in Pocahontas, instead of a rac38
coon, one of Disney’s original ideas was to have a Turkey as a side kick. We also learnt about Disney’s newest movie, ‘the Princess and the frog’ - Disney’s first black princess fairytale, which has brought the return of hand-drawn movie-making. The whole demonstration is very clever and featured a lot of sarcasticness, which is mainly down to who voices Mushu, Eddie Murphy - one of those actors that everyone knows is the ultimate ‘funny guy.’ Although all the videos you see are prerecorded, the animator is talking up to Mushu and Mushu has been created as though he is talking back. Some other screens come on during that demonstration that feature animators and people that have been involved in the creation of certain Disney films, one way or another. They also talk as though they as speaking to the audience and of course to Mushu. We find out that originally, the designs for Mushu involved him having two heads, then having a completely different head, then being two enormous green dragons before he even started to look like the delightful character we know. Mushu doesn’t like hearing this at all, as he quips, “the only thing I haven’t been is a chicken and a peanut.” This demonstration is a brilliant brief insight, of what Walt Disney Studio’s is all about backstage. Did you know that Chinese dragons have a body of a snake, claws of an eagle and (my favourite) - a face of a camel? nope! - well you will find out extraordinary facts just like these if you come to this. When you come out of the demonstration, you head into another room before you exit where the walls are lined with a abundance of high res digital stills and many will be recognized by any Disney movie buff. There also some some impressive clay figurines of Ursula and the Beast, from Beauty and the beast - and lots of Disney memorabilia to buy in the gift shop. We came out by the ‘crush coaster’ and leisurely wondered around the park. We were standing at the duplicate of ‘the partners Statue’ (which had wire stars lights planted around it for Christmas) when excitement mounted around us, followed by murmurs - Santa Goofy was doing meet and greets. It didn’t take us long to spy him, in the ‘place des stars.’ This is
Lets go! an area not easy to miss, random slabs of pavements beneath your feet, sunken with hand prints belonging to actors and influential people connected to Disney, as-side their signatures. Roy Disney was one of these, Walt Disney’s younger brother, who served as Chairman of the Walt Disney company after his brother’s death.
Heading towards the exit we stopped on the way to admire the massive Christmas tree. Unlike its neighbour, the tree is not as magnificently decorated - but still magnificently tall. There are a dozen paths to follow around the studio’s, but we went back though the ‘Place des Stars.’ Even though our legs were tired, I felt like hoping up and down with glee when we spied Minnie Mouse, who was now on the stage where Goofy and Pluto had been before. With her hands in the air, Minnie was wearing a red Christmas style dress, with white trim and (quite modern for a Disney character), a matching red long sleeved shrug, with glittery studs and a matching bow on the top of those famous mouse ears. People were cooing around Minnie as though they had spotted a rare Lion in the wild, although there is that similar connection here of wanting to bag ‘the big five’ (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Donald) - albeit photography. There is something incredibly exciting about seeing ‘Mickey’s girlfriend.’ She was accompanied by Daisy Duck; both of them were signing autographs. It was the epitome of cuteness as children gazed at her, Minnie’s huge eyes on her red blushed plump face and massive smile was mirrored on every child’s face that had that ‘special’ opportunity to have a photograph with her. I sometimes think how the cast members go about interacting with the public, especially in the case of Minnie Mouse, there is no communication verbally - only giggles! But from watching, it appeared a smile or an echoed giggle in return, was enough to break down any language barrier that may have existed. I even wanted to line up in the queue to have my photo, but when we went to join there was one of those red no entry bands stretched across, that you see in the supermarkets. As the queue whittled down to one, Minnie and Daisy disappeared to leave an empty stage and unlike a lion, there was no paw prints or tracks left behind to show that they had ever been there...
“To see a glimpse of Walt Disney’s visions was like walking into an absolute wonderland.”
Goofy was not alone, but accompanied by a playful Pluto twiddling his long black ears. The cold became painful, our enjoyment was being tainted as a longing came over me for a warm shower and Damian’s visible desperation to throw off his water drowned shoes, “Look at them” he grimace, as he lifted his foot to show the rubber sole peeling off. After a few minutes, we decided to grab dinner at the Disney Blockbuster Cafe, where we both had a croque monsieur sandwich, with grilled cheese on top. It was tasty. The restaurant itself, wasn’t exactly... ‘elegant’ but it had a sort of a cheesy likeablity about it, plus, there were...birds flying round - which was actually quite strange! It was a buffet restaurant, but be wary what you pick to eat. Damian and I picked these mini cakes up and when we arrived at the till the man look affronted. He looked at Damian and I, then down to our cakes, then back to Damian and I with that look to say: “Why have you got those?” Eventually those are the words that uttered from his mouth, and we were asked to put them back: “Little desserts are only for children,” - we were told.
mous a f d n a e r a r e Spotting th
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Before heading back, we used our tickets to go through the entrance of Disneyland Park (we had hopper tickets, which allows you to ‘hop’ between the parks for how ever many days you’ve selected). Damian was keen to take another look at the 14foot bronze sculpture, an enlargement of the Disney legend award, located before the stairs that lead down to the Disney hotel. This is a widely famous icon, depicting Mickey’s stretched arm, with a wand in his fist. Close up, it is a beautifully crafted piece of work. It has an image of Walt ‘Steamboat Willie on a film strip,’ the castle and a bronze plaque above the base stating the elements that characterize the ‘legend philosophy,’ determined by those having made a significant impact on the Disney legacy:
to have a look at the shops. I picked up a pair of ‘nightmare before Christmas’ shoes which Damian shrugged at and then a ‘high school musical’ pair - which reacted in Damian confidently shaking his head side to side, before responding with a mouthed
“People were cooing round Minnie as though they had spotted a rare lion in the wild.”
The Spiral - standing for imagination, the power of an idea. The hand - holding the gifts of skill, discipline and craftsmanship. The wand and star - representing magic: the spark that is ignited when imagination and skill combine to create a new dream. As much as Damian wanted to see this, he appeared to be in another world, bending and
shaking his legs. It wasn’t me making him go weak at the knees though, but his shoes. It was still painfully cold, there was not a wisp of wind to dry a drop of Damian’s soaked through newspaper customised shoes. We went back to Disney Village 40
Disney Legend Award
whisper, “no.” He came to the conclusion that he would much rather have the feeling of constantly walking in icy water than wear any of the shoes on show... This is a guy thing yeah?! We decided to do a bit a shopping. Walking round, I knew I had initially judged Disney village. Sure, it wasn’t as manicured as ‘Downtown Disney’ in Orlando, but I began falling for the scenery. The Disneyland hotel, Newport bay club, The New York hotel and Disney’s Sequoia Lodge are in this area, overlooking ‘Disney Lake.’ This artificial lake is stunning and definitely worth a walk round. That wasn’t the only thing that was stunning though, they sell artwork and so many figurines in Disney Village. I fell in love with one of Minnie Mouse putting her make-up on whilst looking in to a mirror and on the other side was a black and white Minnie mouse. They also have clothes in Disney Village. I brought Damian a long-sleeved top. They have a wonderful array of Disney Photo albums in the Disney store, we brought one with Mickey embossed on the front cover. This isn’t just the Disney Store though; it is the ultimate Disney store - with a Christmas shop attached. Back at the hotel, Damian decided it was time to lie flat out on the bed whilst I went off to swim in the hotel pool. For a large hotel, the pool was incredibly small. It actually has that ‘dreamy’ castle vibe and although it is small, the waters are exceptionally clean. You can literally look down through the water and see your toes when your standing in there. There are artificial rocks and ledges in
the pool and the room has Tinkerbell sparkles on top of her a massive glass front so turret people can look in as they are walking by. Sliding in to the water was actually a challenge because it was freezing. Usually that is the norm when you first get in to a pool - you might swim a few lengths and get warm, but there was ample room so you could just about splash around, the cold was extremely uncomfortable in a bikini! I don’t know if the pool was created in mind of princes and princesses who... maybe wouldn’t want to get their hair wet? (The Walt Disney World, Orlando, Damian and I found ourpool does not selves asking, “what’s inside the castle?” We went through get deeper than the entrance and to the right of us was Bibbity Bobbity one meter), or Boutique - for little girls to be transformed in to princess’s if it was actually and to the left, a restaurant - but after an attempt of turning a pool for young children? Even the handle of a locked door and circling a short corridor though, I decided that it was much better for me to admire the stunning view of the very au-natural looking pool from the - there appeared nowhere else for us to go? Almost like the pathways through the castle had been closed down. In jacuzzi, just above the pool, which was so much warmer and more importantly - heated! Disneyland Park, after a walk round the outer walls of the castle, we stumbled upon a narrow circled staircase - a side entrance into the castle. We literary stumbled up the stairs too, they are quite uneven, very twisty plus, it was incredibly dark (I imagine some visitors find it difficult to climb the stairs or navigate the passageways, but I believe they can still experience the walk-through “virtually” in a special room on the Castle’s ground floor). Inside, the story of sleepAs we ventured out at night, the sky was a ing beauty unfolded before our very eyes. Along the beautiful milky colour, the rich bright blue we had seen before hadn’t yet had its chance to seep through. However, as dusk walls you are surrounded by stained glass windows and tapestry’s illustrating the Sleeping Beauty story, every inverged, gradually the sky became almost menacing, it was dividual design is strikingly spectacular. A large storybook only black that washed over the sky; not a glittering star in precedes each scene, with the pages open to describe sight. Lights were shimmering though, down in Disneyland the action in the displays. There is also a stunning mini Park. As we entered the park, main street had become a blaze of colour. The Disney princess street lamps shimmered statue of Sleeping beauty and her prince dancing. As you blue, their body’s lit up like glow-sticks leading the way to the follow the walk-ways out on to the balcony type areas of to the powdery-pink Sleeping Beauty’s castle or better known the castle, there are stone statues before you arrive at more twisty stairs to lead you back down. By this time, it to the French, “Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant.” had become incredibly busy and it lead to a very bizzare The black sky provided a perfect backdrop for the castle to experience of people trying to barge past each other down stand in all its glory and up close I was in awe of its meticuthe narrow staircase, as fast as possible. lous detail. Each blue turret on the 77-foot castle has a delightful Mickey Mouse shaped golden topper and just above Back into the open air, Damian and I were walking just at the castle’s main entrance, is a larger shaped gold Mickey he side of the castle, (towards the front) when we stopped mouse, framing the main Disney boys peering over: Mickey, as we noticed Tinkerbell’s wings glittering, on the very top Pluto, Goofy and Donald. The castle is surrounded by walkof the castle. The tip of her wand began to glow white. ways, gardens and waters that cascade down its sides. In
A blur of sparkle!
41
Lets go! This light blinked continuously and in turn, the castle’s turrets lit up, each one twinkling with hundreds of tiny blue lights. The process quickened up, before the castle melted into the block coloured black night sky behind. There was a pause; everyone was waiting in anticipation to what would be coming next, all we could see were these lights that were dancing wildly in the dark. A spotlight scanned the castle and the castle was lit up once again. This time the turrets all lit up in unison. Other bits of the castle began to light up, until it stood there, completely transformed, the castle was a blur of sparkle, shimmering with between 300,000 and 400,000
A magnificent display of lights
lights, (from the town square, up main street and up to Sleeping beauty’s castle, over 1 million lights are twinkling during nightfall in the Christmas season!) We walked round to the front, the magnificence of the castle made us feel dwarfed - it was a beautiful sight to behold. It looked glasslike, glittering like a ice palace - it was amazing. Damian and I were completely and utterly swept away along with the seasonal magic. We were besotted. We had so many photos in front of the castle, Damian with his arms in the air and me with my Minnie mouse ears on - (I ‘had’ them in my bag hehe). Walking back down to Main Street was extremely slow; there was so so many people around. In a land where music couldn’t matter more, chimey Christmas sounds filled the air and snow began to fall, swirling around us and settling magically on the pavements. Damian and I beamed at each other, there was no one else around to pinch us and tell us we were dreaming, because we were all having the same experience. We were quite happy to just stand there, tilt our heads back and look at the sky...and we left basking in the happiness’s that surrounded and the magical atmospheric mist hanging over us. Like I said in the beginning, “if you’ve been to Walt Disney World Orlando before you visit Disneyland Paris, then it won’t meet your expectations.” Then again a ride on the run away mine train, catching a glimpse of Mickey or having that feeling that your being lit up yourself in the midst of an amazing christmas light display and yes...there is still every chance it might not meet them, but there is also every chance it just might exceed them ♥...
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Just like when Mickey explained that he had “Got a Sweetie, she is neither fat or skinny, she is my little Minnie Mouse,” Disneyland Paris is now the public’s sweetie - and the French have made it their own...
Stop Dreaming Start Planning
The Christmas season for Disneyland Pairs usually starts early November. We booked our trip with www.expedia.co.uk We flew from Manchester (MAN) to Paris (CDG) with Flybe. We stayed 3 nights at the Dream Castle Hotel at Disneyland Paris (one a standard room with King bed plus breakfast).Total cost for Accommodation and flights (for two persons) = £569.98 (Prices are subject to change). VEA Shuttle bus (This is a RED coloured bus between Paris CDG airport, Disneyland Hotels and Disney bus station). All VEA shuttles serve all the Disney Hotels. However, the Disney handpicked hotels are only served four times a day (go to VEA website and check timetables). When you arrive at Disney bus station (which is the last stop), you can easily hop on to a shuttle that will take you to your Disney handpicked hotel. Total cost for two way trip is 36 € (around £30). From April 2010 Disneyland Paris features the new generation festival - featuring all those famous faces from Toy Story! There are also new attractions and new stars as Princess Tiana (from princess and the frog) joins the line up in Disney’s ‘Upon a Dream’ Parade.’ We purchased a two day-park hopper ticket from the reception at the Dream Castle hotel, allowing access to both parks. A two day-park hopper ticket for one adult is £107 per person. (Prices are subject to change). Helpful Websites: http://www.disneylandparis.co.uk http://www.expedia.co.uk (for accommodation and flights). http://www.alpharooms.co.uk (for accommodation and flights).
Photographs: Damian Kendrick and Flickr. Words and design: Suzanne Jordan
n w o Dthe
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passi her f issue ing th India
RabbitHole Y
ou’re late, you’re late, you’re really really late! and you really don’t want to be on this occasion, because you’ve only got 48 hours!
If you could tumble down a rabbit hole, where would you go to spend 48 hours and have an adventure like Alice? Would you choose to be surrounded by nature, like Absolem the Caterpillar? Would you go to a city famous by fashion, inspired by the Mad hatter? Would you choose to be banished to an Island or a deserted beach like the red queen? Or would you find a wonder-land, where you could only reach in your dreams.
Going away for 48 hours simply ‘makes no sense!’ We hear you say, but yep PINK CAMEL has a temperature. You could say we were are entirely bonkers, but we hear the best people are! So just like Alice believing six impossible things before breakfast, we’ve got you to imagine impossible (and some possible) destinations that you could enjoy over a period of two days, simply if money was no object and we could travel there by hat! By: Suzanne Jordan.
of the dubb vision
Telfor pretty is his nation
and Ken Cam
Hatte views
Features
If you could tumble down a rabbit hole and go ANYWHERE in the world for 48 hours where would you go and why? (Forget transport - you would get there by hat!)
Anna Webber,
Damian: Cucoon. Ok it is a totally made up place, but I like the look of it in an Xbox game - Al-
ice and Wonderland is a made up place after all! David: I would go to Madagascar. I’ve flown over it, beautiful to look at from the sky. I want to see a lemur. Madagascar fell off Africa, so another reason I would want to see it is out of 26, is a freelancer for Wan- curiosity – to see if it is similar. Anna: I would go to Argentina. On day one I would go to Buenos Aires where I would eat derlust travel pastries for breakfast on my ornate balcony then wander the streets taking photos and magazine. Her mooching around art galleries. Next I would learn to tango in the capital’s sultry, sweaty ion for travel has taken dance halls. Day two, I would stay on a ranch full of huge, sleek horses (with maybe a few from working on the Big Argentinean cowboys thrown in for good measure!) and we would all saddle up to go galloping e in Tanzania to explor- across the windswept plains. We would have a sunset BBQ to toast a great weekend and then I’d he memorising sights of retire to my private hot tub on the ranch to look at the stars. Chris: I would to go Tokyo, Japan. Firstly because it costs a lot to go that far and secondly it a. takes ages to get there, so insintaious travel would be a blessing. I would go there to experience how different their culture and life is, because it sounds amazing. Steven: I want to visit Japan at some stage but Italy also sounds good, Venice/Florence/Pisa , 24, is would do for me.
Chris Ellis
an actor from North Wales. He has been dealt the joker e pack, and tends to be bed the ‘funny guy!’ His ns... as mad as ours!
e
Steven Downton 24, a
warehouse assistant from rd, also has some y mad views. The moon ultimate dream destin to visit.
David Jordan d Damian ndrick, Pink mel’s regular Mad
er’s, also pitch in their s!
What would you pack to take with you for 48 hours? Where would you want to stay? What would you want to do? What/who would you want to see? Would you need to grow/shrink or have anything else happen to you to fulfil your adventures on this journey?
Lemur (Photograph by Floridapfe).
Chris: I would bring a small backpack with one set of spare clothes, a camera,a laptop that magically folds into my pocket and has infinity battery life and some bacon and sausage baps incase my stomach can’t handle the fish. I would also need to have super speed to travel around Japan after 24hours in Tokyo - so I could visit temples and historical and beautiful peaceful areas of Japan. Steven: I would like to stay on a magic carpet constructed entirely of stereotypical Italian foods. Apart from the essentials I would have to bring my camera & iPod (can’t go anywhere without it!). I would like to see the Leaning Tower & all the ‘high culture’ stuff in the towns, especially before Venice sinks! Damian: I would take a sword to defend myself. Anna: I would have to make time go really slow to fulfil my adventures. It would have to pass slowly enough for me to learn how to dance and horse ride in two days! David: I would take my passport, change of clothes, my wash bag and a can opener. I’d want to go to the highest point in the mountains. I would want meet the president because I’ve met a few presidents in my time and I’m always intrigued how they carve their way to the top. I would love to see a lemur in their orginal habitat. 45
Mountain Gorilla, Uganda. (Photo by: Tristan27:flickr)
What remote place (an island/or a deserted beach) would you want to go to for 48 hours if you had to be BANISHED there? Why would you choose that place? What could you do by yourself? Steven: Easter Island is the first destination that springs to mind, just because of the funky statues there; at least it would provide me with something to talk to. Anna: The northern coast of Kefalonia in Greece. There are long, sun-drenched days, stunning bays with turquoise water, gleaming white houses smothered in pink bougainvillea. The tranquility is addictive and it’s the perfect place to go sans company. I would laze around topping up my tan on the beach and sit in water-side Greek taverns reading all the novels I’ve been meaning to finish for the past decade. David: Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It is very pretty. I would sit on the beach with my can opener, some beers and eat fresh fish, Maybe hire a car?
What place would you love to go to for 48 hours that is connected with nature (a safari park, the barrier reef?) and why? David: The Amazon. It’s hot, which I don’t like, but I love fighting snakes! There is a marvellous variety of wildlife to see. Damian: Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. It was fun the 1st time round; I’d like to see the lions again. Chris: I would go to the heart of Africa to visit the Salt plains and the areas around. It would be an incredible experience. Steven: My stupid answer would be Jurassic Park, although I wouldn’t be as stupid or as brave as those guys, I don’t want Velociraptor’s on my case thank you very much! Seriously though, I don’t know where it is but there’s a massive tree, a super massive tree that has a road going through it. That is kinda cool. I would go there. Anna: Uganda to trek through the Impenetrable Forest and come face to face with a burly mountain gorilla mum and her fluffy baby! They’re one of the rarest creatures in the world and the opportunity to see one in its natural habitat would be mesmerising. 46
Where would you go for 48 hours if money was no object, and all you had to do was shop?! Where would you go for fashion... and for hats inspired by the mad hatter?! Anna: I would head to LA to wander celebville and breeze in and out of beauty parlours and hair salons before indulging in some serious retail therapy in vintage stores and markets. Chris: Where else to go then right here where I live in London - Down Savile Row! The only place to get a decent mad-hatters hat! David: Paris – I think that is a decent place to go for fashion? Damian: Milan.
A Masterpiece of a photo (Photography by: NASA)
Where would your ultimate dream destination be that you would want to go just for 48 hours? An impossible dream? Somewhere you could only ever go once and never return? What would you do during your 48 hours? Chris: I would go into space! Boldly go where no one has gone before - and since it’s only for 48 hours I would get a speedy ride to Mars. Warp speed would get me there in a few minutes!!! Steven: The moon! Not many people get to do that! Although I think I would prefer to go by great glass elevator rather than by hat. David: The Sun. Mainly because it is impossible! Damian: I would go to the centre of the earth. Brendan Frasier has been there and he is an amazing actor, so therefore I want to go. Anna: It seems like an impossible dream right now that Afghanistan and Sudan could ever be safe and free from conflict although I hope that can happen in the future. In a dream world they would be at peace and I could see Afghanistan’s Silk Road relics
If your hat transport had been taken away and you had to make alternative arrangements, what destination would you go to for 48 hours? (This time be more realistic. Think 48 hours would include travel time there and back!) Anna: Marrakech, Morocco. It’s so close (only a few hours on a budget airline) yet so incredibly different to the UK. I would stroll around the bazaars and market square sipping mint tea and stocking up on goodies to decorate my house and hopefully (even with such unfair time restraints!!) I could cram in a visit to the desert. David: Porto. They make really good port and Northern Portugal is beautiful, best thing I’d recommend anyone to do is to go up into the mountains.
Our ‘Gator friends’ What destination have you visited in the past that you have loved and you would recommend people to visit? Even if they only had 48 hours?! Anna: Venice, Italy. Few places in the world live up to the hype but this is the real deal. It’s like strolling round in a dream or a romantic movie...every couple should go there at least once, although out of season is the best time to go. David: Samarkand in Uzbekistan. If you are Muslim and you can’t go to Mecca, I believe you can go to Samarkand twice. There are these amazing little blue tiles on the buildings. Archetecture really interests me. There is history there that is something truly different. Chris: umm...Paris!
Chris: I would fly to Moscow, spend a day and a bit there then fly back.
Steven: In the UK: Edinburgh. I did only go there for 48 hours and it was brilliant. Outside UK: New York.
Steven: I’d go straight back to the hat shop to reclaim my hat travel privileges. To be honest after all that travelling, I’d just probably go home.
Damian: If you are somewhere in America and you are close to Walt Disneyland, go there even for 48 hours and get a hopper pass. There are so many parks. If Disney is not for you, then there are so many other things. Go to NASA for the day, or challenge your friends to Gator golf in international drive - complete with real gators swimming around you. Mini ones, massive ones!
Damian: Alton Towers. Can’t beat that adrenaline rush.
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Global beauty
Dance!
Photo by Chiara Flickr.
Hair 48
Only happy healthy hair can shine like the glistening sea! But slap on sea salt, the sun’s UV rays and masses of chlorine and even the glossiest hair will deteriorate into a lifeless, frazzled mess. Hair loves to be admired! So how to prevent it getting damaged? All it takes it a little TLC - tender loving care!
Here is our tips and pick of products that we love to give hair back that swishy swishy sway! So bring on the four S’s, Sun, Sea, Sand and........... Shine! (Hmmm - we heard you trying to fill in that blank) and let all eyes be on that hair of yours!
!
Global beauty
Body Shop: Rainforest Moisture Hair butter. A rich KMS: CALIFORNIA SOL PERFECTION SHAMPOO. Suitable
1
for all types of hair, this shampoo removes all residue from pool or sea water. This shampoo also has an added barrier to protect hair from UV rays. Part of the Sol perfection range. This is one of the many KMS products designed to rescue your hair - so there will be no need for that lifeguard. Sorry ladies!
L’Oreal Professionnel: Serie Expert Absolut Repair Treatment Serum. With a hefty
4
price tag of £12.95 for 50mls, you’ve got to absolutely tell yourself your ‘worth it.’ An intensive treatment for very damaged ends, this serum claims to repair split ends and prevent them. If you like the look when your hair has just been cut, where the ends are blunt and silky soft, then this serum is for you - as it aims to keep it that way.
2
and intensive treatment, a must for hair that just feels that little bit dry. Part of the Body Shop’s new Rainforest range, this hair butter contains Manketti nut oil, traditionally used to moisturize skin deeply in the dry African winter. As well coming in a massive 200ml, the hair butter also comes in a dinky 50ml. Perfect to carry out that once a week treatment whilst on your hols.
Charles Worthington: Takeaways Sun-Shine UV-Protection Styling Spray A beloved little
5
travel companion which makes a massive difference to hair that is in need of being guarded from the suns UV rays. A quick spritz every few hours keeps hair glossy and shiny, basically its sun cream for the hair minus the traditional product smell - this actually smells very tropical! Non-greasy, this light product can be used on damp or dry hair.
3 Gliss:Total Repair Conditioner.
This product has got increasingly hard to find on the highstreet but its worth scouring the shops for or easier still, just log on to Superdrug. com. Whats unique about Gliss repair is that it contains proteins identical to the hair itself, so it is able to repair inside the hair cell. This product is gorgeously thick and you can almost feel it feeding moisture to every single strand.
. . . � l � i � n � � e � � i � � Po�
Taking care of holiday hair Swimming in the sea is not really damaging to the hair itself,
although an excessive build up of sea salt be. Sea salt can be a safe styling aid if used in moderation. It can help build extra body and add waviness if the hair is left to dry naturally. However, a build up of sea salt in hair can take away essen -tial oils from the hair and dry out the scalp. Take the time to properly wash out any salt from hair after a dip in the sea. If you can, wash your hair in fresh water before swimming, as wet hair offers some protection. Weting hair before swimming will stop so much chlorine and salt being absorbed. As hard as it is to live without Straighteners, try! The structure of the hair can get weaker with salt-water, the sun rays can break down the proteins (particularly in coloured hair) making hair stressed and more vulnerable to damage... adding a straightener to that combo is not a good idea. If straighteners are an absolute must, step up the conditioning treatments. It’s important to have your colour done when you arrive back from holiday, not before. This is because the sun lifts your colour and will make it fade pretty quick! 49
So you wanna be..!
I just don’t wan “I just don’t w
Well at least not your r to nurse a broken heart starting as soon as the l ing toddlers! Hannah R
Wales, tells Pink Ca wonderland called La Ta
Photographs supplied by Hannah Roberts.
I
50
what there was outside my little world.
in the Cayman Islands; a British Colony in the West Indies. I fell in love with the place. We ’ve always been fascinated by My perspective changed an awful had been there before, but cultures and people that are enlot when I entered 6th form; get- had stayed in hotels on 7 mile tirely different from our own, but ting great grades in my GCSE’s beach, the main tourist locait is only recently that I have had was good – please parents, but tion of the Island. This trip was an interest in exploring them. for me it “It was proper travelling in a felt like As a high school student I was an anti way, driving a battered up jeep for the most part shy, I was climax. always worried about doing my around, getting out when you There had studies and spent most of my to be more see a nice piece of sand and free time doing schoolwork and to life than basically avoiding ‘putting myself spending days there.” this! out there’ in more difficult situations. Don’t get me wrong I knew This thought was enhanced that different. We were living in a I lucky I was and had some great December, my 1st term in sixth residential condo complex with friends, but until I was 16 I never form when as family we went to locals in an unspoilt area of really thought too much about visit my Aunty, Uncle and cousins the island. It was proper travel-
So you wanna be..! ling in a way, driving a battered up jeep around, getting out when you see a nice piece of sand and spending days there – the only people on the beach. Ever since that holiday I’ve been hooked, when going away I’d rather crash on a mate’s floor than stay in a fancy hotel. Of course there are occasions when I would love to stay in fancy hotels and go shopping, but if I really want to go
very few companies were taking on staff, and those that were prioritized locals in this time of need. My Uncle suggested ski season work to me. Tony McMahon was a friend of my relatives in the Cayman Island, and was the boss of Family Friendly Skiing (FFS) in La Tania, a resort in the Courchevel valley in the Ski area of the three Valleys, France. My uncle put me
job almost immediately. When I initially got in touch with Tony there was two months left before the season started and the company was a nanny short. I’ve had loads of previous experience working with children so the job was a perfect fit. After a lengthy phone call I was offered the nanny position. Accommodation and a return
nt to work yet! want to work yet!”
regular 9-5! Think skiing, toffee vodka’s on hand t, and pub parties that you “sort of get invited too, lights switch on” oh and caring for a few screamRoberts, a communication graduate from North
amel her experience as a nanny in a little winter
ania, located in the South of France.
somewhere: get to know a place, what it’s like, how the people living there spend their time...for me travelling is freedom.
in contact with Tony, I was really fortunate to have the contact that I did and I was offered the
ak e r b e h t Making I was due to travel to Cayman as part of my gap year in 2005, but 5 weeks before I was due to leave the island was all but destroyed by hurricane Ivan. My family lost their home, as did so many people. The Islands infrastructure was severely damaged;
Hannah’s family comes to visit
plane ticket are included in the job. The first season for me was a real journey into the unknown. I had no idea what to expect and it was my first time away from home. The whole season more than met my expectations I had and I still regard it as the best time of my life. I made some lifelong friends, improved my skiing and learnt so many things about myself; I gained a huge sense of self before La Tania had never been there. I learnt to be self sufficient and independent and the biggest thing I learnt was how to meet people and make new friends. First impressions were just to be blown away; arriving in December you 51
So you wanna be..! really are transported to a winter wonderland. Having worked with children for a long time, training wasn’t necessary and I didn’t have to do anything to prepare me for the experience. The basic timetable of the day was walked through with us and we pretty much learnt on the job how best to use our time. My job was to look after children, based in the chalet in which they were staying, whilst their parents went skiing for the day. Each week I would have a different group of children to take care of. An average work day was 8.45-5 except Thursdays when I finished at 1pm, but returned at 7pm for babysitting. To supplement our income as nannies we were allowed to offer charged babysitting on other nights. In addition, we would pick up the older children from ski school or take them to later lessons. We had to entertain the children with activities such as ‘bum boarding,’ snowman building, snow ball fights... as nannies in a ski resorts you spend a lot of time outside!
n i a t i r B ng Swappi Everything about the Alps is so much different to here. The whole company works as a team. You live with these people and work with these people, you socialise with them - for five months you are each other’s family. La Tania is a small resort, pretty much everyone knows everyone else or someone from each different company. Seasonal life, for me at least, was 52
centred around my social life. can still safely say that nothing: The most popular pub in La Ta- absolutely nothing beats some nia is the Ski Lodge; as season of the nights out I have spent in workers you get 20% discount La Tania. Quite simply it rocks and it isn’t long before you get my socks! to know all the staff there. The pub stays open until 1.30 but can often be known to stay open long past that. On New Year’s Eve I’ve for instance, I was been for three seasons to La Tania. I’d do it again there until gone 6am. The scene is very casual - think in a heartbeat. In Season 05, boarder style, there are no dress one of my best times was on codes anywhere in resort and one of my first big days on people (including me) have even Christmas eve when we went been known to go for a pint in out with nearly everyone from pyjamas! Other bars in the vilthe company for a night in Merilage include The Taiiga, which is bel for a colleagues birthday. In a little more upmarket – great for Season 09, best time without a Modoubt jitos was “I can still safely say that on a New nothing, absolutely nothSunYears day ing beats some of the nights Eve. night, We out I have spent in La Taand had an the outdoor nia. Quite simply it rocks my Teledisco/ socks!” rave/ fireworks mark hotel which shows laser show in the main bubble all champions league terminal at bar 1850. It was immense. Think Blizzard snow, football and provides a change from the dirtier amazing friends, dj sets by but ‘so loved’ ski Lodge. superstars. There was a mosh pit maybe 100ft deep from the A lot of bands play in the alps, stage on sheet ice. It was the the best local bands I had during most fun I think I’ve ever had, my time were Bring Your Sisters, and to top it off we got back to The Red Bullets and Livewire. La Tania at 2am to catch the There is live music on every second half of ‘bring your sisnight somewhere in town or one ters’ gig. Worst times included of the other close by resorts a really bad bout of flu I had which are all easily accessible which affected my immune on regular local bus routes. system with a really bad case Having been to University and of conjunctivitis. I was unable known to enjoy the social life, I to work and spent a week in
nia a T a L I heart
So you wanna be..!
Everyone knows everybody in La Tania.
bed, isolated. Another low was down and gave me toffee vodka getting so attached to people; I to nurse the broken heart. was pretty devastated when one of the Ahhh it’s drivers probably “I met some amazing people in left. not best You to talk la Tania; extremely easily. Evget so about eryone is out there for a good men! close to LaTania time and it really is amazingly people is a relaeasy to make friends. La Tania tively and then is a small resort, it is really pos- new when resort, sible to know everyone there! it was they leave custom it built as is hard to rationalise. This guy an Olympic village for the 1992 meant more to me than anyone winter games. As such it is very else out there. My season could British – the French already had of ended right there and then but four Courchevel resorts so the I had a lot of good friends who Brits pretty much brought up 70% picked me up and dusted me of the infrastructure. On a daily
basis I had almost no interaction with French people. The ones I did were usually friendly – in some cases (Jeremy, manager of Taiiga) too friendly! I met some amazing people in LaTania; extremely easily. Everyone is out there for a good time and it really is amazingly easy to make friends, like I said earlier LaTania is a small resort, it really is possible to know everyone there! Often when the pubs shut, the night doesn’t end – I found one of the best ways to meet people is by going to after pub flat parties which you just sort of get invited to when the lights go on and you get kicked out! 53
In the next issue of...
Welcome to Miami! Pink Camel spends one day in Miami. We visit the famous Everglades, spot the houses of the rich and the beach that tantalizes surfers taste buds - Miami’s South beach at dusk.
To infinity and beyond! NASA baby. We bring you amazing photos from our visit to NASA and our experience of NASA’S Space Shuttle Mission - designed to provide the experience of NASA Space Shuttle missions in extreme detail, from launch to landing!
Lets get ‘Carried’ away! It may be Sex and the City...but not just once city! We look at the destinations that have been featured during the series and the one and only, beloved New York.
Think Camp America is all about Kissing boys, being wild and joining band camp? Think again! One of our travellers reveals all... Check out our visit to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and PART TWO of our major in depth feature Disney in-depth!
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