Thirteenth Day – Where am I?

If you think that I am currently in England, United Kingdom I am sorry to tell you that you are wrong.

 
And no matter how it may appear, I am NOT in Japan.

 
And despite the popular misconception that I’m in Morocco, the fact remains that I haven’t even left Florida, USA. I spent today at Disneyworld, Epcot. For those who, like me, don’t know what that is – you may recognize this image:


And no, that isn’t a massive golf ball. It is part of Epcot, and I will get to there soon but to get there – we have to get there and I thought this morning we may never get there with the argument between my mother and my brother.

Mum: Jonathon, have you made your bed?
Jonathon: Yes
(Mum goes to walk into the room, where I am lying in bed reading a book)
Jonathon: No! Don’t go in there! You don’t HAVE to look. Why do you have to look?
Mum: What have you DONE? You’ve done it backwards… and where’s your blanket – is that it under your bed?
Jonathon: Mum! Who cares? Who was going to look? Do the bed-police live nearby?
Mum: Yes they do.
Jonathon: Well what are there names?

And it got me thinking as to why do we make beds, particularly when we’ll be out all day and no-ones going to see it? Like, I like the feeling of a made bed at night but if you don’t care… why should anyone else? But anyway, I thought some people such as Emily Gunning-Stevenson and Anna Gunning-Stevenson would appreciate that, and finally after Jonathon and Mum cool down – Dad and I come out of hiding and we can all be happy, as families should be when they go to Disneyworld.

Epcot is a park in Disneyworld, very different to the Magic Kingdom but Dad went to Epcot 25 years ago and he loved it. Part of Epcot, as you can see above is a World Showcase and they have replicas of places all over the world. It’s wonderfully done and particularly if you haven’t seen places before and want to see them (but don’t want to pay the airfare!) head on down to Epcot.

The places include: England, Canada, France, America, Italy, Germany, Morocco, Mexico, Norway and possibly others which I have forgotten. Epcot is kind of the Educational Disneyworld, I suppose, I did see a number of school groups. Each country was complete with attractions, souvenirs and restaurants. I ate lunch in Morocco, just as Dad did 25 years ago – and particularly then, eating Moroccan food was just fascinating. Nowadays, with technology, the internet and multiculturalism – this food is more readily available in Australia and other places, but having said that… it tasted good.

But this is only half of Epcot, the other half was futuristic – talking about inventions and the inventions of tomorrow. It is very reflective of Walt Disney who loved progress – which is shown with his development of Mickey Mouse and Snow White and later with mixing animation and live acting in Mary Poppins. One of Walt Disney’s famous quotes is: “There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow”.

There were multiple rides about the history of our Earth, the future and space. I loved one of the shows/rides called “Universe of Energy” – purely because it was Ellen DeGeneres. I mean it’s Ellen! I don’t think I’d been that excited since I first saw a yellow school bus in the USA – they do actually exist, it’s not just in movies! Remember that photo before with the big golf-ball-like structure? That’s actually a ride – it kind of leads you through Earth’s history and into a planetarium, it was really good. Mum’s favourite ride was through greenhouses and fish farms – looking at biotechnology and future ideas, it was good.

So, would I recommend Disney Epcot? I would… with hesitation. If you’re looking for a park with rides and thrills, you won’t get many at Epcot. There is one ride that comes equipped with glow-in-the-dark barf bags, so that one is thrilling but there aren’t many of them. If you’re really interested in other countries and cultures, then definitely visit – also if you like space and futuristic ideas, it is also a place for you. Personally, I prefer the Magic Kingdom and if you’re looking for a Disneyland thing with the parades, magic and characters – you’d probably prefer the Magic Kingdom too.

Thinking this isn’t very “Disney”? Well, in some ways it’s not but don’t worry… they still squeeze it in:

Yeah, that’s a drain cover and they’re Crocs – both with Mickey Mouse’s head on it. Basically everywhere you turn there is:

• Mickey Mouse’s head
• A stroller and/or a child
• If it’s after lunch – a screaming child in need of a nap
• Tourists
• Flowers and cleanliness

Whilst Jonathon and Dad were off finding some rides, Mum and I went and saw “Captain EO” which is one of the first 3D movies ever made – produced by George Lucas, starring Michael Jackson but I won’t lie… it wasn’t all that good. I mean, it was like it was almost 3D but not really and I suppose that’s because it’s old but having said this, I feel I haven’t given the 3D movie at Magic Kingdom a good enough review because it was amazing – using Donald Duck, Disney movies and smelly-telly. It was great and you absolute must see it if you ever get to the Magic Kingdom. Also, animated digital interactive shows are incredible, the way they animate it and speak it… I don’t get it, but it is amazing.

I’m not sure where we are heading tomorrow, but we will be staying in Florida. Going to Disneyworld does tire you out, so I am quite tired. We ate dinner from Wal-Mart and can I tell you… Wal-Mart is losing it’s magic. That food (which cost about 75 cents per person)… was somewhat average. Well, Mum still disagrees. For her, I’m not sure which is more magical – Wal-Mart or Disneyworld.

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney