Dave and Doug "Discover the Magic" at Disneyland Park
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Inside one of the dining rooms of the Rancho del Zocalo a table was already reserved, and (amazingly enough) the proper beverages were set out and waiting. Jamal suggested we peform a little song made popular by Winnie the Pooh before sitting down. Some of the other diners around us seemed a bit perplexed as we did our stoutness exercises.

As we waited for our meal to be delivered, Jamal had us examine the outside of the book to see if it held any clues. There were some beautiful blue jewels, but no clues to speak of. We then each talked about our home towns. I am a native of Oregon, and Dave is a local. Jamal was born in New Jersey, we learned, but moved to California at the age of three. After college in New England, he decided he prefered a sunnier place to live, and so was happy to live and work at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Our friend Cherish from the Tour Garden arrived with our lunch. Dave slyly asked if we hadn’t been catching glimpses of her throughout the afternoon. As we washed our hands with the thoughtfully provided wet-naps, we noted that our meals had been delivered in Pirates of the Caribbean lunch boxes. Inside were two soft tacos, refried beans and Spanish rice. It did seem odd that only spoons were provided—until we remembered that this tour was geared to younger guests.

We began eating the tasty food (it really is quite good), when Jamal pointed out that we could eat in so many different ways in Disneyland. For example, he asked, how would we eat with Mary Poppins? Or with a gang of cut-throat pirates? Or with a princess like Snow White? Or like Tarzan?

Jamal also told us that when there were a lot of kids on the tour, one would be made a lookout for the Big Thunder Mountain trains, and would notify all the other kids when to yell out, “Toot toot!�? He also would have guests from other countries teach the others words in their native language.

After lunch, Jamal took us to a quiet spot he knew about. There, in the passage between the Rancho del Zocalo and Carnation Plaza Gardens, we looked through the book and reviewed what we had done. Since the owner of the book still hadn’t turned up, it was decided that we would turn another page. After all, Jamal said, “The fourth time is a charm.�?

This time the picture was of Tarzan. The music on the opposite page was for “You’ll Be in My Heart.�? And scrawled across it were the words “Great song for treehouse.�? This puzzled Jamal, since Tarzan wasn’t a singer. But maybe Jane could help. As Jamal was figuring this out, he noticed that Belle was greeting guests in the Plaza Gardens. Not only does Belle sing, Jamal pointed out, but she also knows a lot about books.

As we approached Belle, she saw what we were carrying and exclaimed, “You have a book! I love books.�? Jamal showed it to her, and asked if it belonged to her. She shook her head and said that, as lovely as it was, it wasn’t hers. She agreed that we should check with Jane over at Tarzan’s Treehouse. After showing Belle some of the new skills we had learned that day, we were on our way again.

But Jamal’s “Tour Guide Senses�? went off again, as he pointed out the bridge we would have to cross. He taught us how to “scratch�? our way across this one. Then we made our way through the hub and into Adventureland. Dave’s favorite, Timon, was greeting guests at the entrance. Just beyond that was a bridge, which we hopped across on one foot (my choice).

Inside, Jamal suggested we walk through Adventureland like jungle animals. We trumpeted like elephants, and snarled and growled like lions. When I suggested wolves, Jamal was doubtful. But then I pointed out that Mowgli was raised by wolves in “The Jungle Book.�? So we howled like wolves. Finally, Jamal had us hiss and slither like Kaa the snake, right up to Tarzan’s Treehouse.

We explored the Treehouse, and ended up down in the base camp, but there was no sign of Tarzan. So we decided to have some fun—trashin’ the camp. As we left, we spun across the bridge. Jamal then looked over his shoulder and said, “Shhhh! Act natural!�? He lead us to another of his secret spots. This one was a wooden deck above the entrance to the Indiana Jones Adventure. Jamal pointed out a covered area above where his friend Zeke the snake was hiding in the rafters.