LAST WEEK....
I’m back in Singapore liao. Recap of the last week. Too momentous to miss!!!
Monday 14th June 2004
Went to Drayton Manor today with Matthew, Hilson and Tracy. It’s a theme park in Staffordshire (near Birmingham). This, I heard, is one of the oldest theme parks in UK. Had a rather rushed day cos we had to leave for Edinburgh that very night. There’s lots of rides there, and we managed to try out most of the more exciting ones.
First up was some mind-numbing spin-around thingy called Cyclone where we had to go into this steel capsule which spun round and round and its axis would then move more than 90 degrees from the normal. Huah. Not exactly the best choice for the first ride.
The 2nd ride was an un-noteworthy shooting game where I got 4900 points. Third up was a Haunted House which was not haunted at all. But maybe someone else was scared hahaha… We also tried the first difficult ride: Apocalypse. It’s one where you have to “hang” there and the thing goes up like 18 stories. Then in a matter of seconds you are dropped to back to ground. Cool. Hilson excused himself for this. The website says:' Takes riders to a height of 54 metres and tilts them forward at an agonising 20 degree angle as they are hoisted skyward on a half ton launch shuttle. Then they drop at the mercy of gravity at over 4Gs. There is also a Fifth Dimension to the ride, with no footrest at all – so real thrill-seekers can hang from 54 metres with nothing to hold them but their shoulder restraints!'
After that, we had a lunch break and went to the zoo. There were animals like penguins, sea lions, various birds, reptiles and ostriches. Interesting.
Next up was games, and we ended up (for some) many pounds poorer and with one or two soft toys in tow. Even I received a dog. Now came the action rides.
#2: Maelstrom – Like the Viking Ship, but more like a pendulum. We were hung (like Apocalypse) on the outsides of a large circular ring (much like the bob of the pendulum) which is freely-moving. Then that whole pendulum swings till above 90 degrees from the normal. Hilson escaped again (wimp!!).
#3: StormForce10: [Warning: You will get wet on this ride] – It’s a water ride, and I sat with Tracy on the front of the boat. What makes the ride so cool is that at one point in time, the boat stops after going up a ramp, and you are propelled backwards down a connecting ramp. Now Matthew and Hilson, who sat right at the back, got very wet and they were complaining that we got a better deal in front.
#4: Roller Coaster – What looked like a really small ride turned out to have some hidden excitement. I was about to dismiss it as a nonchalant ride (given its small scale), but there was almost not enough time for us to start screaming as the trolleys surged through at breakneck speed. We certainly underestimated its impact! Next we went on a lousy water ride where I remained dry (but not them!! Hehheh).
#5: Shockwave – This ride took us a while to decide to try. Not for the faint-hearted cos that thing spins and swings more than a roller coaster, and we STAND, not sit. Hosay boh??* Now Hilson was (surprisingly) up for it, and we wanted to dupe Tracy into trying it by getting Hilson to back out of the ride at first and then agree on the condition that she went along. Reason is that she went into the toilet to clear up a wound that was sustained when Matthew accidentally elbowed her on the lips. But in the end we didn’t succeed when she insisted on staying on the ground. That was a wicked ride, as what the Brits will call it. Shiok. I bet Hilson had his eyes closed half the time though!
Encore: There was time for a last ride and due to popular demand Tracy and I were compelled to exchange places with Matthew and Hilson and redo StormForce10, sitting right at the back. There was nothing I could do to salvage my half-wet clothes. That shower of water was so great that I was fully wet and some water even entered my left ear! But I came prepared and went off with my sandals. Ha!
We took a cab (and wetted its seats… ya know what I mean heh) to Tamworth rail station to catch the 16:33 train back so that we could have enough time to wash up and then leave for Scotland that night. But due to some signalling error, the train was over an hour late, and left us having to rush once again. And that’s not all.. I nearly decided to get us a cab back to Leicester, which would have cost us another, say, 15 pounds each.
We had a very quick shower and grabbed our bags within twenty minutes of arriving back. Another taxi ride and we were at St. Margaret’s Coach Station in time for our bus, and me, for my chicken burger from AJ’s**.
*Loosely-translated: Are you feeling really excited already?
** A kebab/fast food stall right outside our accommodation which caters to late returners and pple who have nothing left in their fridges for supper
Monday 14th June 2004
Went to Drayton Manor today with Matthew, Hilson and Tracy. It’s a theme park in Staffordshire (near Birmingham). This, I heard, is one of the oldest theme parks in UK. Had a rather rushed day cos we had to leave for Edinburgh that very night. There’s lots of rides there, and we managed to try out most of the more exciting ones.
First up was some mind-numbing spin-around thingy called Cyclone where we had to go into this steel capsule which spun round and round and its axis would then move more than 90 degrees from the normal. Huah. Not exactly the best choice for the first ride.
The 2nd ride was an un-noteworthy shooting game where I got 4900 points. Third up was a Haunted House which was not haunted at all. But maybe someone else was scared hahaha… We also tried the first difficult ride: Apocalypse. It’s one where you have to “hang” there and the thing goes up like 18 stories. Then in a matter of seconds you are dropped to back to ground. Cool. Hilson excused himself for this. The website says:' Takes riders to a height of 54 metres and tilts them forward at an agonising 20 degree angle as they are hoisted skyward on a half ton launch shuttle. Then they drop at the mercy of gravity at over 4Gs. There is also a Fifth Dimension to the ride, with no footrest at all – so real thrill-seekers can hang from 54 metres with nothing to hold them but their shoulder restraints!'
After that, we had a lunch break and went to the zoo. There were animals like penguins, sea lions, various birds, reptiles and ostriches. Interesting.
Next up was games, and we ended up (for some) many pounds poorer and with one or two soft toys in tow. Even I received a dog. Now came the action rides.
#2: Maelstrom – Like the Viking Ship, but more like a pendulum. We were hung (like Apocalypse) on the outsides of a large circular ring (much like the bob of the pendulum) which is freely-moving. Then that whole pendulum swings till above 90 degrees from the normal. Hilson escaped again (wimp!!).
#3: StormForce10: [Warning: You will get wet on this ride] – It’s a water ride, and I sat with Tracy on the front of the boat. What makes the ride so cool is that at one point in time, the boat stops after going up a ramp, and you are propelled backwards down a connecting ramp. Now Matthew and Hilson, who sat right at the back, got very wet and they were complaining that we got a better deal in front.
#4: Roller Coaster – What looked like a really small ride turned out to have some hidden excitement. I was about to dismiss it as a nonchalant ride (given its small scale), but there was almost not enough time for us to start screaming as the trolleys surged through at breakneck speed. We certainly underestimated its impact! Next we went on a lousy water ride where I remained dry (but not them!! Hehheh).
#5: Shockwave – This ride took us a while to decide to try. Not for the faint-hearted cos that thing spins and swings more than a roller coaster, and we STAND, not sit. Hosay boh??* Now Hilson was (surprisingly) up for it, and we wanted to dupe Tracy into trying it by getting Hilson to back out of the ride at first and then agree on the condition that she went along. Reason is that she went into the toilet to clear up a wound that was sustained when Matthew accidentally elbowed her on the lips. But in the end we didn’t succeed when she insisted on staying on the ground. That was a wicked ride, as what the Brits will call it. Shiok. I bet Hilson had his eyes closed half the time though!
Encore: There was time for a last ride and due to popular demand Tracy and I were compelled to exchange places with Matthew and Hilson and redo StormForce10, sitting right at the back. There was nothing I could do to salvage my half-wet clothes. That shower of water was so great that I was fully wet and some water even entered my left ear! But I came prepared and went off with my sandals. Ha!
We took a cab (and wetted its seats… ya know what I mean heh) to Tamworth rail station to catch the 16:33 train back so that we could have enough time to wash up and then leave for Scotland that night. But due to some signalling error, the train was over an hour late, and left us having to rush once again. And that’s not all.. I nearly decided to get us a cab back to Leicester, which would have cost us another, say, 15 pounds each.
We had a very quick shower and grabbed our bags within twenty minutes of arriving back. Another taxi ride and we were at St. Margaret’s Coach Station in time for our bus, and me, for my chicken burger from AJ’s**.
*Loosely-translated: Are you feeling really excited already?
** A kebab/fast food stall right outside our accommodation which caters to late returners and pple who have nothing left in their fridges for supper
posted by cheez~ at
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