Enchanted Kingdom Trip

23 August 2014
Months ago, I went to Enchanted Kingdom with friends.  Enchanted Kingdom is a theme park that opened years ago.  And I'm probably the only person I know who hasn't been there.  When my friends suggested going to Enchanted Kingdom there was no way I was going to pass that up.  I've planned to go there a few times before, but no plan has ever materialized except for this one.  Other than wanting to see it for the first time, I might actually ride a roller coaster.

I have never been on a roller coaster before.

Save for the carousel, I don't remember experiencing that many rides when I was a kid.  I don't even remember riding the caterpillar.  What I do remember is riding a ferris wheel in high school.  

Our school had this major event and decided to rent out a ferris wheel.  It wasn't even that tall.  But it was a spectacle for us because our school was pretty conservative and we never had that treat before.  So anyway there was this long line to the ferris wheel.  They had some rule, I forgot what it was exactly, but I do remember that the younger kids can't ride by themselves.  I was hesitant to line up because I have a fear of heights and I don't remember trying it out by myself before.  Finally, I decide to line up.  I found myself lining up behind a couple of younger kids.  They turned to me and asked if I could sit on the ride with them.  I said okay.  Why not?  It wouldn't be too much of a bother and I'd be happy to let them experience the ride, too.  When it was our turn, the three of us sat in one car or whatever that's called with me seated in the middle.

It was the scariest ride of my young life.

Both girls were screaming their heads off beside me interrupted only with cries for their mommy.  I was terrified by the screaming!  My eyes were closed 99% of the time.  

When it was over and we got off the seat, they turned to me and said, "Thank you" like nothing happened and went about their merry way while I tried to recover from the mini-heart attack.  Dammit.  You scarred me for life. 

So, no roller coasters for me.

On the day of our trip, we went to the JAC Liner bus terminal at Buendia (I think) to board a bus for Laguna.  The bus ticket cost Php61.  We got off at Walter Mart and rode a tricycle to Enchanted Kingdom that cost us Php20 each.

The entrance fee was Php600.  Our first stop was leaving our bags at the lockers.  The locker had a rental fee, which I'd forgotten how much.  From there we went to the Rialto Theater.  It was incredibly hot so the theater was the best place to be in at the time.  The Rialto was showing some clips of Ice Age 3 in 3D.  I have bad eyesight so this is experience is a bit marred for me.  Other than that, I was okay with it.

Rialto Enchanted Kingdom


Enchanted Kingdom
I was a little disappointed that this wasn't a real beverage shop

Enchanted Kingdom
Souvenir shops everywhere

4D Theater cost us an additional Php50.  We were shown a summarized version of Wizard of Oz- just a heavily cut-up version of the movie.  We were given 3D glasses so I think the movie was supposed to be 3D but it looked like they 'forced' this old movie to look 3D.  And the 4D part was just the audience getting fumigated!  Hahahaha!  Kidding. Really, it was some sort of air thing being blown through pipes that smelled a lot like those water things sold at malls. Humidifiers?  Rialto was better in my opinion.

Rio Grande was the ride we packed bags for.  We had a change of clothes just for this. I loved this ride the most.  You get bumped around, and it still feels relatively safe.  And you get wet!  Though as my friend pointed out, chances are the water here hasn't been changed since the ride was built.  Fun!  We tried this twice.  It was a short ride, far shorter than the 10 minutes spent lining up for it.  If it weren't for the line, I would have wanted to get on it several more times.

Rio Grande Rapids Enchanted Kingdom

Flying Fiesta are just swings spun around.  Seems fun, like a big spin dryer after getting wet.  And I love swings, so I was absolutely confused that I went from "Wooohhh!" to "Whoaaaaaahh!" midway through the ride.  Like panic quietly crept in.  One moment I was happy and then I had looked down and I was quiet from that point on.

The Ferris Wheel.  I thought it was safe enough to get back on this.  Then way up there I realized I was scared of heights.  The winds added to my discomfort.  At least my friends weren't screaming, so that definitely helped eased things a bit.

Ferris Wheel Enchanted Kingdom


Space Shuttle.  Thinking about it, it doesn't really seem that big.  On the website it says that this ride is two minutes long.  As squeamish as I am about getting on it, I've already decided that I will.  Although I've wondered if I should have gotten those short-term insurance policies first.  Only two of us were getting on it.  I was wearing slippers and honestly one of my biggest fears was that they'd slip off my feet and fall on the roller coaster tracks.  I've seen way too many Final Destination movies to know where that shit is going.

Not that huge when you think about it, but I'd rather not think about it.

We got to our seats and I pulled down the harness thing and I looked over to my friend.  I realized that she pulled it down lower than I did mine so I pulled mine down again.  I couldn't breathe, so that seemed just about right.  As we were slowly rolling backwards, people started singing.  I watched people in the rides do this while we waited in line.  It was a shame that I didn't ask what it was for, if it actually helped with the nerves, because really, I was tempted to belt out "Let it go! Let it go!"

I considered if I could go through it without screaming.  But when it started, I just felt that if there was a moment where it was necessary to express myself, this was it.  I was going to explode if I didn't.  I could feel myself upside down, my feet off the ground, and I was thinking 'Hell, no!  Feet to floor!  FEET TO FLOOR!"

Up there, I had a dilemma.  On one hand, I wanted to push the harness away from me to sort of 'flee', on the other was the obvious consequence that if I did I'd fall splat on the ground (not that I could, but that wasn't the point).  Kudos to my wonky brain for the epiphany during a roller coaster ride that I really do actually avoid 'facing my problems'.  When it slowed to a halt and we got off the ride, I was still slightly disoriented.  My throat felt dry, but that's probably because it was practically air-dried from being wide open, screaming, the whole time.

We had dinner afterwards.  Food costs more here if you compare it with the same stuff you'd get at the malls.  I went to Dairy Queen and the staff was giving me funny looks.  Then I realized I forgot to brush my hair after the roller coaster ride.  Hehehe...

Afterwards, we took one more ride before going home, Anchors Away.  This should be a cinch after the roller coaster, right?  Nope.  The higher I got the more scared I became.  The teenagers were crazy-screaming in glee the whole time and I was super quiet.  It was like riding an elevator.  I was getting this queasy, funny feeling the whole time.  I can't understand it.  In theory, with the back and forth movement, this should be just like riding a swing.  And it's made better by what my friend told me, "What if someone from the other side (who are facing us) vomits?" Lololol.

Anchors Away Enchanted Kingdom


I didn't get any souvenirs because everything seemed way to expensive.  I did buy freshly baked buko pie right outside the park.  (My family said Collette's was better, but this was good.)  We decided to go back to Ayala via the EK shuttle.  The tickets cost Php150 each.  Although it cost more than going back the same route by tricycle and bus, it did seem to be the safer option since it was a bit late.  We did have to wait a bit, because it doesn't leave until the fireworks are over.

Enchanted Kingdom Carousel


So, there.  My first trip to Enchanted Kingdom and my first roller coaster ride.  I'd do it again but I would sing "Let it go!"


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