Right after checking in at the Tokyo Inn in Osaka Namba, we went to the room, dropped our luggage and came down in 20 minutes. We had booked tickets at 7PM to see the light show at the Teamlab Botanical garden. It was supposed to be a short train ride but we were still new to the train business in Japan. You come 20 seconds late and the train is gone! These guys are very very very very punctual.
Also the same train station has many entrances and exits and if you don’t listen to your smart kids and haven’t figured out Japanese coins, buying tickets can take time at every machine.
We did barely manage our ride to this place and walked a good 20 minutes to the entrance of this Ngai botanical garden. We thought we were late but turns out everyone gets a 7PM ticket for night light show. There were 200 people ahead of us in the line. We joined the moving line and walked through the light show.
It was fantastic! Thoroughly enjoyed it. Here are the pictures..
After the light show our jet lag started to show. So we walked back to the train station. It was a beautiful and pleasant evening. We took the train back to Osaka Namba. There was still leftover food from what we had packed. So we ate that and went to sleep.
A video clip of the Team lab visit..
The next morning we had to wake up early for breakfast and catch a train. Every day was going to be packed after this..
After spending time with the elephants our next stop was Land of Angels theme park.
This park was supposedly a kids attraction but photographers post some amazing pictures from this place in travel forums.. so I wanted to add this to the 1st days agenda. Given it was on the way back from the elephant sanctuary with a small detour, Joy was okay with this plan. As a waterfall crazy person, I was not going to miss this!
He gave us 1 hour at this place. We came out in 50 minutes after walking through every path in this place and getting some nice pictures.
A few more photos in landscape format..
Here is a video highlights reel..
After we came out, our next stop was a drive back towards Chiang Mai but towards the tallest local mountain.. San decided to take a nap on the way back while I silently watched the roads, the University area and the mountains..
Usually the family visits the happiest place on earth aka Disneyland during Thanksgiving and celebrate the parents birthdays. This year, we were not sure what was going to happen during thanksgiving.
Both the kids were new college bound.. the older one for a masters and the younger one starting undergrad.
At the end of summer we knew they were both going to be in Southern California 2 hours apart in two different UC's.
So we made a plan on the long weekend to go visit both schools, hunt for housing for the older one, look at the college for the younger one to see how she will fit in and as an added bonus, given we cross Disney, dedicate one day for Disney as well.
The college visits were not much.. they were empty and deserted as it was a long weekend and in hindsight it was a bad idea to show the kids deserted eerie large open spaces and collosal buildings. Does not help form a good first impression. Still that is where they ended up and have settled in. Both of them got hit with health issues and local hospital and ER visits within a quarter. All that seems to be behind us. This post is about our Disney visit.
Given we have almost been there every alternate year for the last 24 (this blog probably has enough entries to make a parade evolution video), this maybe just "yet another Disney post".
We did smile all day, have fun, go see the latest Star Wars show. You have to see it. It is just too amazing for words (there are small bits in the video.. but not giving anything away so you go see it for yourself)!
Enjoyed as many rides as possible in one day, but didn't sit in the cold for fireworks. We saw it on the way to the parking lot. We had dinner reservations for a mexican place right outside the gate but within the Disney walkway to the parking lot. So we rushed to have dinner, then watched the fireworks and walked back to the hotel.
Here are a few memories for later.
The kids wanted to go to Plant power, a burger chain which was apparently the place to be for Veggie burgers! So went with them and ate fries while they enjoyed the burgers as an early evening snack.
We also got to eat at a small Indian restaurant right next this place called Star of India. That place did not disappoint. It was very good snacks and amazing ginger chai!
We did some shopping including my first visit to a thrift store to buy things! The kids had made a reservation at a fancy place, Osteria La Buca (in Melrose) for dinner and we enjoyed that as well. The candle lights were a special touch!
We also got to eat at a place later in Santa Barbara called Masala Spice. That was also good. Finger licking good.
Have always failed at these pictures that they take.. so we never end up buying one. Someday, I will stare at that camera and smile. The family was mocking me for a good hour after this. "Even Disney is giving us something for free and you mess it up!"
and the parade.. we always love this parade of old and new Disney characters.. they make it so much fun!
Our visit to a sea of storm troopers! We were talking about the possibility of "storm trooping" being a minimum wage job, now that the kids are older and our conversations in Disney seem to be different every now and then.. then the kids hit me with some snarky comment to put me back in my place, so we can all be just kids again and enjoy the rides!
A picture with the main star of the place. We stood in line for more than an hour to get this picture!
and the final fireworks!
and a video as usual!
our smiling faces say it all..
There was a picture of the girls in a tea cup that brough back memories from a different tea cup ride in San Jose downtown.
Kids are all grown up.. but happy to see them still be kids in tea cups!
I am happiest when my girls are all smiles.
This place is priceless!
Given almost every trip has a bittersweet ending for me recently, this one also did. Here is a public service annoucement. Always wear sunglasses when driving back from LA back to the bay area. Yes, the sun is in your face when you drive back and your eyes are wide open after a few hectic days in theme parks or otherwise. The wind is almost always kicking up crap on 101 North when you are near the San Antonio de Padua mission exit. Something went into my eye. It took me a good week to get better after washing and treating it.
Wear those damn sunglasses..even if you think you don't look good in them. You can thank me later!
