Donald's Vacation 2011 - Day 21

I am still awaking at odd hours during the night and dozed from about 5.00am onwards.

I walked across the road to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre where already a crowd was gathering. “Oh Look there’s….” and the name of some new star completely lost on me was discovered.. To look at the new names they were all standing on the names of the people I knew – the big stars like Charlie Chaplin, John Barrymore, Eleanor Powell and so on. Strange how the times change. As I glanced around the marks of the people I knew I could not help but notice how small everyone must have been in the ‘20’s and ‘30’s. John Barrymore for instance had very small hands and feet.

After wallowing in nostalgia I left for Universal Studios by Red Line Underground and got there at the appointed time of 9.20am – then the kerfuffle ensued. You see I didn’t think that after I had purchased my ticket for the VIP Tour in April and had taken email confirmation of my booking with me that I would be required to have photo ID and the credit card I used to make the booking with me. Really this whole American constant requirement for ID etc., wears you down – it is getting as bad as it was when I visited the former Bolshevik countries.

Anyway they then had a bright idea, could I show them I could get into my email account? They got me to a computer and I signed on to AAPT and showed them my email account. They then wanted to see the original of the email they had sent me. Of course it wasn’t there. That was in April. I had printed it out and deleted it. Still problems – but I had had more than enough by then and asked them to get a manager or some head shebang.

A nice enough lady appeared. I said that it was hardly likely that someone would walk in to their studios with an email confirmation in my name and also be able to sign on to my email account. I further stated that I was not trying to get into Fort Knox but merely
visiting a movie studio – where I was supposed to be a VIP guest. She finally relented when given some common sense notions and agreed to let me in. It was then smiles all around as I met the rest of the tour group and Erica our host.

Erica, from Pasadena is one of those rare people who can do the same thing every day and take a group of people through hordes without difficulty and speak knowledgeably about Universal Pictures at great length.

The fellow VIP’s were a motley lot. Two were Scottish, a mother and daughter, then there was a Malay family whilst the rest were Americans who didn’t wish to converse with foreigners.

We had some refreshment in the VIP room before we headed off in bright sun and some heat to the first amusement which was a ride on the “Simpson’s” roller coaster. Actually the car stayed still and rocked in time to a projected image.

Our next delight was the “Shrek” experience in 4D. I had no idea what 4D entailed only having just come to grips with 3D.

Anyway we were ushered into this auditorium, and the show started. There was first a house curtain that parted, then a festoon curtain which flew and then screen tabs which parted, and wearing the special glasses, we were entreated to a “Shrek” picture. We soon found out what the 4D effects were, as the seats moved to simulate action happening on the screen. We were also sprayed with water whenever, for example, someone sneezed. Another effect which was quite scaring was when a whole lot of spiders appeared on the screen and we ‘felt’ them crawling about our legs. Full marks – quite and experience.

Next on the agenda was the “Water World” experience. I had seen this in 2003, but it was good to see it again. I was sitting in the rows that were not supposed to get wet, but I did – but not as badly as some poor Chinese boy sitting near the front who was completely drenched.

We next adjourned to lunch in the “French Quarter” and had a buffet lunch of assorted bits and pieces which are probably best left indescribable. The little dessert offerings were alright – but one should tell .the Americans it is not really possible to eat properly with plastic knives and forks.

After lunch we had two more rides. The first was the “Jurassic Park” one which I had also been on before. Once bitten, twice shy – I utilized my plastic poncho over my head so I didn’t get drenched as did the others. The next ride was “The Mummy”. This was quite an exhilarating indoor roller coaster.

It was at this time getting on towards 4.00pm and I thought it a good idea to call it quits and head back to the hotel in order to freshen up and rest before heading to the airport.

As is usual in my much planned movements whilst abroad, everything was going by clockwork. I checked out of the hotel at 7.00am and found an alley way just behind Hollywood Bvd., which meant I could escape the crowded footpaths. The train at Hollywood and Highland was not long in coming and then I changed into a bus to the airport which left at 8.00pm.

I was motioned to check in at the First Class section and immediately assumed the role of a first class passenger. The girl was very nice in sorting me out however I didn’t quite get her directions to the Qantas Lounge and managed to walk a few miles before coming across it.

I tried one of the computers in the lounge and found it frightfully slow, a fellow passenger beside me said he was beyond frustration with it. I then tried the wireless business and couldn’t get that to work either. Not one to mess about I had the manager down to sort things out. Her name was Jackie and she was very good and attentive. The problem she said was with Qantas, they wouldn’t spend the money to fix the problem – however she did get my wireless going sand I was eventually able to make contact with the outside world.

I had a bite tio eat in the lounge and managed to while away the couple of hours I had to spend in there as the security nightmare was not as bad as I had expected and I was through it all in the bat of an eyelid – and this time around they were all joking with me – not like the times in 2003 when everything was so deadly serious and you were likely to be prodded with the butt of a rifle.

Once aboard the aeroplane I was amazed to find myself upstairs on the new airbus. I thought that there seemed to be a very long line of passengers waiting to board when I got on.

This aeroplane is a lot roomier than the others and my seat is just behind an exit door which means I have about six feet of spare space in front of me. The seat too is a little m more modern than that of the Jumbo jet. In short it is very comfortable.

To begin with I was offered a glass of Charles Heidsieck champagne. Why not? It was after all 11.00pm.

We were supposed tro have gone up at 11.30pm but apparently a passenger had conked out and the captain was awaiting the paramedics who were busy with another passenger aboard an American Airways aeroplane who had also decided to conk out prior to going up.

We finally started to move at 12.45pm. We taxied, and we taxied. I finally asked the air hostess who was sitting in a jump seat opposite me whether we were going to drive to Melbourne? Finally though after about three quarters of an hour this huge machine managed to lift off the ground and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Prior to turning in for the night I had a nice piece of beef with roast potatoes and broccoli followed by an apple and apricot crumble, washed down with orange juice. I didn’t feel like anything more alcoholic before bed time.

The seat is able to do a sort of massage and I played with that for a while before changing it into the bed mode and zonked out, finally going to sleep.