Monday, June 05, 2006

Rombongan Cik Kiah Naik Genting!!

For the sake of my children, I waived my principle a bit last Saturday. It seems that everyone else's children have been to Genting Theme Park except mine. I've been stalling the idea of bringing them up there simply because I abhor the fact that a big casino is situated in the same vicinity. So when a group from the hospital that iKelah works in, planned on this trip and invited us to join, we agreed. It was a typical 'rombongan' trip, only that our family took the car and the rest went on a bus. We started an hour late as iKelah was on-call the night before. Despite our tardiness, we managed to overtake the bus after Temerloh's toll. Funnily, prior the journey , the group-leader assured us that he'll wait for us as naturally he expected us to be late. "Jangan risau Doktor. Saya akan tunggu doktor. Biarlah mereka naik dulu." When we overtook them, iKelah remarked, "See, I knew we'll reach the place first. I know all the itty-gritty of traveling in a big group. Once you stop at the R and R, everyone will disperse in all directions and it'll be so difficult to group them back together in time!" So finally it was us who had to wait for them instead.

We took the 20 minutes cable car ride up. It wasn't my first cable-car ride. The first time was during my visit up Great Wall of China at Badaling section with my sis OG. The higher we ascended, the colder my feet got and my hands were clammy and sweaty. I told no one of my fear and kept cool back then. This time round, I was visited by the same sensation, all cold and clammy. Worst still, my skeptical eyes caught something that increased my adrenaline rush! And I kept on looking and scrutinizing it from afar, at the next gondola which iKelah occupied (yes, my sweet, caring husband chose to sit in a different car when I am in dire straits!!) I noticed that each car was hanging precariously from the cable line, with only half-feet of metal contraption grasping the line. Imagine! The weight of the whole gondola and 8 passengers were supported only by approximately 6 inch of contact to the cable! Even worse, the car was dangling laterally and downwards. How does it maintain balance? My mind kept on asking this frightening question. No wonder the old Indonesian ladies in iKelah's car were reciting the selawat continuously out loud, providing other passengers free nasyid entertainment!

But my kids remained unperturbed through out and even managed to make jokes and laughed at the statues of orang asli, apes and tigers erected by the hill side. Once we heard the cries/laughters of a monkey (or is it hyena? Do we have hyenas in Malaysian jungle?) as though mocking us and it sounded like the shrilly laughter of a pontianak to my imagination. On several occasions, Luqman stood up to admire the luscious, green foliage of the spectacular tropical forest of giant ferns and huge old trees. Already nerve-wrecked, I told him to sit as I don't want the car which was so precariously attached, get imbalanced! (ada ke??) My mind was already imagining scenes of our car falling and was making fervent prayers that should it fall, please chose a safe height where the big giant ferns and tree canopies would act as effective safety net!
Note the precarious 'joint'


On many instances, the cars slowed down to almost a halt and I felt my adrenaline gushing out each time. And my mind was asking incessantly, "Bila nak sampai ni?' nearing the top, we heard a piped-in recorded voice saying, " Terima kasih kerana manaiki Genting Sky Way, cable-car yang terpantas di dunia dan terpanjang di rantau Asia" To this my children scoffed with amused remarks and giggles.

Upon reaching the top, we saw that the whole place was already swarmed with -bees- holiday-makers of various nationalities besides the locals. Definitely a wrong decision to throng the place on a double holiday (Agong's birthday on top of the school hols) Anyway, another 'rombongan' predicament befell us when the group-leader (GL) found out that the travel's agent failed to turn up with the tickets despite having settled all the payments. We had to wait almost 30-40 minutes at the park's entrance when finally the GL had to do the ultimate i.e. withdraw his own money to pay for everyone's entrance fee! hopefully he gets back his money.

Our ticket covered all out-door games, thus we could enjoy any rides, repeatedly without having to pay extra, if you have the guts and energy, that is! And my 'soggy' guts that day told me to be prudent. I let iKelah and the kids 'test' their nerve whilst I bask in the mist-laden atmosphere and observe the 'interesting' people around. Their first endeavor was the cockscrew roller coaster. The whole ride took hardly a minute with the most intense maneuver lasting just a few seconds. Well, cheap thrill are no longer cheap, nowadays! We had a great laugh when we viewed the Polaroid snaps of the four of them. Luqman looked so terrified. Apparently, according to Aliah, he was saying his prayers throughout!
Aliah and Luqman, all smiles, before the cockscrew thrill. Unfortunately I can't post the after picture or the peak of thrill pic as Luqman is embarrassed by it!



Then it rained, heavily. And we decided that we'd better pray since they've extended our exit time to 6 pm. We had no difficulties performing our solah as there were surau (s) scattered all over (though I find it rather ironic!) The management sure have thought of everything to boost their business, I see. I can't help visualising the old wealthy owner standing by the window at his pent-house suit, looking down, stroking his chin, saying to himself "hmmm come people, come all. Thank you for making me rich"

The next gut-wrenching ride that needed to be added to the "I've taken this ride thus I am fearless" list, was the flying-coaster. Luqman and Aliah decided that it was too much for them and forgo-ed it. So the 2 macho guys, Ikelah and Muhammad, got themselves 'caged' up, initially standing up and later the whole cage rotated and they were facing down, prone. The whole cage was un a hanging position and moved down swiftly a series of twisted rail. So the riders would feel as though they were flying very much ala superman himself!


The flying coaster



After an exorbitantly priced lunch in a curry house restaurant (even though the food was nothing to shout about! Should have just taken the fast-food joints) we sauntered around the grounds to finally reach the 'spinner. It's a giant mushroom-like structure with dozens of swings hanging with long chains from the ceiling. As the mushroom rises, pulling all the swings upwards, it rotates clockwise at high speed, thus causing all the swing to spread outwards. Again, only the 2 macho guys dared to take the challenge. I, initially thought of giving it a try but upon remembering my previous vertigo attacks, chickened out. True enough, even iKelah had problems handling the nauseating impact of the swing after the 3rd round.

The spinner


Muhammad on the spinner


The kids asked me, : Aren't you trying any of the rides, mak?" and I pointed to the slow moving cartoon-shaped yellow colored monorail and told them that I might just try it and act wild and shout out loud as though it was a thrilling coaster ride! We planed to take the milder rides like the vintage cars and the paddle-boats but after walking in circles and failing to locate its entrance we abandoned the idea.

We were already waiting near the exit at 15 minutes to 6 pm but we had to further wait another 15 minutes after 6 as some failed to assemble in time. Marching back to the cable car station, we were all dreary and exhausted. The GL made head-counts and realized that 4 more persons were still not out of the park! Masyallah! The agony of joining a rombongan trip! Told my kids to remind me not to agree on such trips next time! The GL apologised explaining that as it was a group ticket we had to exit together. The waiting line was already terribly long where everyone had to snake through a maze-like path. And my poor feet were killing me!

A truly grueling excursion but worthwhile no doubt, as we had fun time together as a family!

25 comments:

Jamil said...

I suppose my mom would've acted the way you did if my family ever went on a trip to Genting Highlands.

Hmmm..Need to find a way to cajoule her onto the roller-coaster...

Queen Of The House said...

DITH, at least you are now ahead of me. My kids have never been to Genting, and I too can't count on my uber short stopover in GH waaaay before I got married as a visit. (Peghaq nye!)

Kalau I pergi the outdoor theme park pun, it will be a waste of money for I will not want to get onto any of the fast rides. Kiddy rides pun tak tentu lagi!

Next time get ikelah to sit with you in the cable car! Tak perlu dia temankan those Indon ladies.

OOD said...

i get motion sickness just from reading this! Dont the Blog Patrol sensor blogs anymore? Some oody type of people get motion sickness from playing on the buaian. This graphic description of hard core coaster rides is absolutely rated as '18P'

*Ulp! Swallow. Breathe. Minyak Kapak. Asam Boi. Swallow. Breathe.Buah pala. Nothing works. Baldi!!! Uwekkk*

OOD said...

There goes my breakfast, half digested in the pail! You owe me big time, doctor!

pycnogenol said...

Ood, you are so funny. Let us just hope that the 'motion sickness just from reading' DITH's entry will not also give you the ood...ood...sensation. ;)

Nusayba said...

you are exactly like my mother. shed be the same too if we were at any amusement park (not that we get to see much in our lifetime though). :D she's even afraid of getting up the foldable ladder. O_o

and i agree with Ood, this entry had my head spinning from motion giddiness.

glad you had fun though.

Mama Pongkey said...

:D I was an absolute amusement park demon as a child, that when on our er, 2nd honeymoon (or was it 3rd? hentahlah semuanya pun honeymoon jugak) I thought I'd relieve my childhood at EuroDisney. Hahaha. I was scared ****less on almost all of the rides (and some of them were really kiddy ones!) O-K, on the other hand sometimes sat there with a 'this is so boring' look on his face. I tried my best being macho but to no avail. Hahaha. I don't know if I'll ever get on a roller coaster again.
But the Spinner looks divine. I vividly remember being on a Spinner before (although I don't remember any of my kiddy coaster rides) and the sensation of flying through the air with the wind whipping through my hair (and me screaming higher, higher! go higher!) and the disappointment at the whole ride being over too soon. My poor parents spent the day with a pail, like Ood. :D
O-K, jom kita naik Spinner? (although I too don;t like Genting for its Casino). Mana lagi ada Spinner? Erm, ALton Towers?

Mama Sarah said...

I feel you DITH! I can soooo imagine myself being like you when I grow older (not that you are old)

or shall i say, when the kids are bigger.

Honestly I won't go on any of the rides. Believe me I tried. I queued for 1 hour to ride on the Nemesis (Alton Towers) but then I chickened out. Belum naik dah rasa nak terk****. Kalau naik, tak taulah apa jadi.

p/s doc: tak de gambar aliah and luqman?

that superman ride thingy macam fun. Rasa macam nak try pulak.

Mama Sarah said...

p/s DITH: get Maman to update his blog! nak baca his account juga (if he's not busy with schoolwork of course)

Sayuti said...

i went there in my 2nd year at uni.

the only ride i dont have the gut to try is the 'siluro shot'.

gayat.

dith said...

Hiyoshi- your mum just told me that she once took a wild coaster ride and that lasted her a life-time (did she mean it literally or otherwise? hmm..)

QOTH- I'd rather he teman the old Indon ladies than.....:))

OOD- I miss your quirky entries! Anyway you have failed the blog fear factor challenge! Oody dear, why is your vestibular organ so lousy mah? Go see an ENT specialist and do a vestibular organ transplant! hehe

Pycno- and what is this ood, ood..sensation, may I know? :P

23- Imagine if all the mums came together! We'd be grabbing for seats!

KKL- I'd probably join you with the rides if you were around! Trust a park demon to give me the guts!

Mama Sarah- Luqman would be smiling from ear to ear if he knows that someone enjoys his entries, hehe. in fact he was writing it just now until I interrupted and asked him to help me paint the gate! p.s. I have uploaded Aliah's and Luqman's pic

Sayuti- You mean the space shot? Yeah, memang tinggi tu.

Ikelah said...

I was not in the mood to enjoy myself at Genting. Iwas not even excited with the trip. I dont know the reason. Maybe my mind was already preoccupied with the Jogja trip thinking of the sufferings of the people we once visited. No mood in taking pictures, no mood in playing or taking the rides. Iwas there for the sake f my family, my kids. I took the rides because of them. Muhammad did not want to take the ride alone and he was eager to go as he had never been there before. He did not manage to get a ticket to Kuantan the night before and the taxi asked for almost RM400 for the fare. He took a taxi from Ampang to Genting Sempah to meet catch us.

However, things got better at the end of the day. Maybe the thought that everything would be back to normal after leaving Genting i did really know. Unfortunately 'the level of better' dragged to the next day. At Kinokunia, i just picked an Adobe Guide book, got a seat and read. No mood to window shop as we usually did. i was not depressed but felt unusual.

Alhamdulillah, i got better after reaching Kuantan. Maybe, Genting is not a place for me.

Jamil said...

DITH
Puzzles me. I'll have to ask her again.

I want to go on the rides!!!!! With an experienced park demon preferably *looks at kenakelayan*

Sherin de Souza said...

Hi there Dr!

I am also not a dare devil like u. I will only try the kiddie rides or the less adventurous ones. I like my both of my feet firmly on the ground!:)

Anonymous said...

Pn Doktor;

Senyuman anak-anak puan doktor sungguh menawan hati!

Sherin;
Ditto! I like mine FIRMLY on the ground too. Termasuklah kalau dekat open sea, bila dah tiba part yang dalam2 and kaki tak jejak lantai, huhuhu menakutkan.

Anonymous said...

dr roza,

saya kurang sihat sejak beberapa hari lalu.banyak perkembangan semasa terlepas begitu saja.sampaikan salam saya pd dr ikelah dlm misi GPM ke jogja.semoga beliau sihat&selamat di sana.

mynn said...

ikelah pms ke? hope feeling better nowadays:):) patutlah takde pictures from ikelah on the trip to Genting.

i've been on many2 roller coaster rides but i hate ABSOLUTELY ALL of them. i hate scaring myself (as KKL put it) ****less. my last scary park ride was something called "vertigo" and vertigo is an understatement. should have been called "suicide".

one thing about rides is, i just don't trust the engineering & maintenance 200% to go on one (esp. in malaysia).

your post reminds me of the vertigo ride... rasa nak muntah macam OOD!

Ikelah said...

just some family photos and 1-2 'creative' shots. maybe i'll post afew before leaving for Kl in the morning.... just tired i guess. ;)

HCI said...

he he rasanya I will never go to genting, nak gi cemeron highland pun fikir lebih dari 10kali dah, but if certain thing settled by early next week, who knows, 7th wedding aniversary in Equitorial Cameron late next week, before third chemo. Hemm, terasa "darat habis", keh, keh, keh.

dyanna said...

I've never been up to Genting...

it was due to some bad experiences in the past.. kereta mati while climbing up the hill (twice!). The family never made it up there and had to spend the night somewhere and towed the car back down the hill the next day.. I think we got the sublime message... tak boleh naik! hehhe...

jellyfungus said...

I love rollercoaster rides! My most gut-wrenching ride was the one called 'Nemesis' I took in American Adventures somewhere in UK back in 1997? Awesome!!!

maklang said...

anak2 ku belum tiba lagi di theme park genting. masa dulu2 adalah...parti makin menarik ye Dr.

Anonymous said...

We haven't been to the Genting of today either, for the same reason you have.

I don't know if the cable cars you were talking about are the same with the ones my family took rides a little over a decade ago.. but yeah. It was scary to say the least. Especially when I fell right before going into the car and almost went under the space between the platform and the cable car.

Then a little while later we went to a trip to Jerudong Park in Brunei. My.. that beats any amusement park I had came across in my lifetime (but then again, I haven't gone to many theme parks myself :P). Free entrance lagi tu. I remember taking a thriller ride alone for the first time, in something that terrified me so much that I couldn't even scream.

My first rollercoaster ride was with my mother in Sunway, years ago. And made her declare it would the last time she'd be going on any rollercoaster or anything sewaktu dengannya.

I enjoy going on thriller rides now anyway. Like I mentioned, it's the only time I get to scream my lungs out without bothering anyone :P

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Unknown said...

It is one of the best Theme Park that I saw in my life.

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