We rolled in like we owned it. We three, us three: Lance, Ryan and I. Three teachers on spring break stoked to hit up the most popular theme park in Hong Kong: Ocean Park. Lance was most stoked, and Ryan and I charged off him.
It was just us and our ...
girlfriends,
family,
students,
nieces and nephews ... just us. (Well, there were also a few thousand of our closest Asian brothers and sisters who also happened to be on spring break as well). But we stood out as three men determined to make the phrase "Roaring Twenties" more than just a period in history; we aimed to make it real, right then and there. And we were, I mean, we did and we are.
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| In line somewhere. |
Lines and I are like North Korea and the rest of the world; we don't get along. So when I saw the first line of the day winding like a Hong Kong fire dragon, I was worried about what it might be like inside the park. The line slithered steadily though, and we got our entrance tickets in about an hour; thankfully that was the longest line of the day. From there, things only got wetter and better as the day progressed.
We took the 15 minute cable car out to the peninsula where most of the roller coasters and other rides reside. The park boasts a stunning location. Imagine a castle on a jungle peak overlooking the ocean, now imagine a theme park instead of a castle. That's the idea.
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| The cable-car to the fun side. |
After 40 minutes in line we did our first roller coaster. It was called the "HAIR RAISER!!!," but an equally descriptive name could have been the "NECK WORKER OUTER ROLLER COASTER AT OCEAN PARK." Either way it certainly raised our hair and worked our necks as we travelled first row with our feet dangling.
We alighted from the ride, still pumped from the last 35 seconds of reckless ecstasy when something magical happened: a thunderstorm. The rain was soft at first, then it got emotional (as my friend Alban would say). The rides shut down. The cable-car to the other side shut down. We were stranded in wonderland. And although now I realize we shouldn't have been, at the moment, we were bummed.
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| Weathering the storm. |
After a few minutes, we made like many of our fellow patrons and headed for one of the cafeterias. It was packed like most places in Hong Kong, except even more packed given the circumstances. We eventually got a table, sat down, ate some stuff, and then Lance had to use the bathroom. The whole process burned a few hours, and the timing was perfect because just before we stepped out of the restaurant, it stopped raining.
Within a few minutes the rides began opening, and the rain had scattered all but the die hards. Now we were able to roam around the park as if we really did own it. No lines, no worries.
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While Ryan was distracted on his phone, Tommy & Lance convinced
him to ride shotgun on "The Raging River." The sign, that Ryan
didn't see, warned that patrons of this ride will likely get
wet and might even get soaked. |
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| Ryan realizes it's a set up. |
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| Tommy and Lance revel in their sneakery. |
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Ryan gets the last laugh as Lance and Tommy
ride shotgun while he guards the gear in the back. |
As the sun began to set I remembered the Asotin County Fair that used to roll into town every spring back home in eastern Washington. And as Ocean Park put on her neon nightwear, with the lights dancing and refracting off the the weatherswept walkways, I remembered my love for these places.
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| The sunset gave way to the night lights. |
The amusement park has seasons like we do. It starts with our parents, and we're too short to go on all the rides. Then it moves to the stage where we can go with our buddies, and the parent-leashes come off, we have freedom. Then, a little later, it becomes a glowing love garden for teenage romance -- the ferris wheel is where it all started.... After that I guess it starts to regress, or come full circle: back to the buddy stage, and next is the parent stage where we become the parents.
