Pirates and ghosts and hoodlums in barong

Dear Mouse, New Orleans square is the place of pirates, ghosts and strudels..(bakit nakasama yon?) The pirates of the Carribean is the most popular attraction in this square. It is an underground spectacle of the the pirates' adventures; looting frontiers; pilfering the town's treasures and hoarding them in caves, watched over by skeletons of men who died waiting for others to come back with more loot. The experience starts with a ride in a boat. My " tourist" is so excited that she forgot my advice. Never take the first rowseat in the boat. So great, we were at the front and the boat moved slowly, gliding quietly in the still water. We reached the place where there was a talking skeleton warning us of the danger that lurked beyond and suddenly, the boat, slid, streaming down about six feet. We got wet...The passengers screamed. My " tourist " said ayoko na. What ??? we are in the middle of the vast water...for all we know it may be a little feet deep only but the dark mist enveloping the surrounding made the place eerier. The boat slipped again. HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...Then a shadow of a ship loomed from the heavy fog. Surprisingly, the water is calm except for ripples made by the balls of fire illuminating the other wise dark water. Burnt-powder filled the air while gunshots, booms of cannon and shouts were heard both from the guests and from the pirates. It was just like a nightmare, being there and witnessing it all, auction of captives, decapitating a person inside a well, people behind bars, all the ugliness in the world of barbarous people that ruled the seas once upon a time. There are still pirates in this era of wifi and laptops. They use modern gadgets and use high powered weapons. What has not changed is their motivation-GREED. The scenes depicted are revolting and yet people visit the famous Pirates of he Carribean. Its artistry and crafts are just awesome. This brought me back to my favorite Christmas display when I was a kid where lifesize mannequins told stories. Excuse me if I do not remember the department store at the moment.It is something like Manila COD. Every Christmas, we go to Cubao to see the display. The less than 30 minute animation made possible by the Filipino ingenuity entertained kids and parents alike. They were prominently displayed on top of the store's roof. We remained looking up while waiting for the characters to come alive but it was worth the wait when the place was illuminated with spotlights of varied colors, music was played at highest level of volume and the stories came into shape when the arms and the eyes of the once stone-cold mannequins started moving. The theme varied...It could be a barrio fiesta, a nativity scene or a parade. Going back to Disneyland...after the "romance with the pirates", my 'tourist" did not want to have any encounters with ghosts in the Haunted Mansion. So we explored the frontiers, by riding Mark Twain riverboat. and look who we saw. The Filipino tourists from Universal. It seemed they took my advise. They were a lot friendlier but the old woman appeared to be exhausted. Itutuloy The CAT