should stay somewhere completely different, completely unreal, and hopefully
fun. The idea behind this was that it might distract us from the fact we were
not at home and the place we should go sprang instantly to mind –
Disneyland, California. You cannot get more surreal than there...other than
the Joshua Tree National Park.
As it turned out we had many other experiences during our travels that were
surreal, 'dog' on the bus in San Antonio for example, nevertheless Disneyland
at least represented a place of fun. Having driven through rainy rush hour
traffic to Anaheim on the day before Christmas Eve we were badly in need of
some holiday spirit by the time we checked into our hotel. Surprisingly, we
actually got some.
The member of staff on reception took one look at our reservation, pre-
booked over the Internet, and immediately frowned. Emma and I shared a
concerned glance, wondering what could be wrong. Perhaps the booking had
not registered properly, and if so, would they have any rooms available? And
if there weren’t any rooms, would they let us park in the car park and live in
the van for the week? All these fears, and more, were communicated to each
other in a single glance.
The fears were groundless. It turned out that the receptionist had
decided we had paid too much for our room. He then rushed round the
counter to pick us up from where we had fainted and then upgraded us from a
standard to a queen-sized room. He even offered to upgrade us to a 'king' if
one became available but we decided that for the hassle involved in moving
rooms during our stay it would not be worth it. In a second lucky turn of events