An Enchanted Evening at Enchanted Kingdom {Deetour}

I am not particularly fond of heights. Scratch that…I hate heights. I fear them so much that I used to have falling nightmares all the time. You know, the one where you’d fall off from somewhere (sometimes from some not-so-high place, even) and go hurtling towards the ground for what seems like forever and just before you hit the floor, you wake up with a jerk. If you can’t relate, good for you! Fear is my least favorite emotion, especially since I usually try to project the image of Ms. I’m-in-control-and-I’m-not-afraid-of-anything. And most of the time, I am not afraid of anything, that’s why my female friends used to whimper beside me for protection. Just don’t put me 1) infront of lighted firecrackers that would go boom! any second, 2) near a snake (no matter what size or kind), 3) any place high, particularly a moving object up high.

That’s why I wasn’t particularly looking forward to visiting Enchanted Kingdom. Even though it was my suggestion in the first place (because our company was giving P100 off per ticket bought by employees), I was secretly hoping the ones I invited would change their mind about going. No such luck.

So at lunchtime yesterday, Zenie, Maya and I walked out of the house, our backpacks bulging with extra clothes. We rode a bus near Landmark and got to Laguna at around 3:30pm. Then we rode a tricycle to EK itself. Once there I got the discount stubs from the P&G booth outside EK and bought us ride-all-you-can day passes. Our ride-all wrist tags were secured onto our wrists at the gate, and we were off to explore the kingdom.

Our first stop was the bump cars, since my experience at Star City taught me not to try anything dizzying for my first ride so as not to ruin the entire trip. During our review days, we had gone to Star City and my first two rides were the Magic Carpet (a ride that involves being swung around 360 degrees – hindi ste kaya si Mamang!) and the Octopus (a ride that involves being twirled around on the individual seat and around the entire thing at such a rapid pace…hindi to mas okay sa Magic Carpet!). After the Octopus Len and I had to visit the CR. Vomit was coming out of my nose, for crying out loud. We spent the next hour sitting like limp vegetables while the others went on the other rides.

After the bump cars we went on to the kiddie roller coaster. Zenie wanted to ride the space shuttle (one of EK’s wilder rides, with three loops that dangle you upside down) later on, and since Maya was dead firm about not getting on it, I wanetd to test myself if I could handle it by trying out the tame version of it first. It looked tame, and it was a short ride too. But when I got off my heart was not tame at all and I told Zen, “I cannot handle the space shuttle!” We decided then that this will be a kiddie day, meaning we would be riding only kiddie rides.

While queueing up for Bump ‘n’ Splash we watched the people screaming their tonsils out while riding the famous Anchors Away that we would not be riding because it was definitely not for the faint of heart which we were. After bumping around in the pool, we headed for the Ferris Wheel because Maya said she had never been on one in her entire life. While lining up and looking up at the gigantic ride, Maya started to get scared and said she’d changed her mind. Yes. Scared of a ferris wheel. Somehow we got her to change her mind back. We got into one of the gondolas and were joined by a guy who was coincidentally also from our hometown. On the way up Maya shut her eyes, and I myself looked ridiculous with my had wrapped tightly around the pole in the middle. But when we were up we realized that there was such a fantastic view of the entire EK from up there. So we tried to relax and take pictures instead.

When we got back down, we thought we’d try a wet ride – the Log Jam. We three fit into one log and it wasn’t until halfway through that I realized what a scary ride this actually was, because it involved heights as well. At two points, the log would descend so fast from a steep incline and there you are on a log boat with nothing strapping you to it except your own arms. I was latching on to the sides for dear life. When we got off my knees felt like jelly. We saw the picture they took of us as we came down the last incline and I was screaming with my eyes shut. We didn’t buy the picture. Too expensive and unflatterring. Hehehe.

We grabbed some pizza first before trying out the 4D theatre. We had to pay P40 each for the 4D glasses which we wore while watching a short horror film. It was spooky and realistic. The figures seemed to jump out of the screen and made us feel as though we were there ourselves. I found myself yelling ouch when the branches got into my eyes, recoiling in disgust when blood splattered on my face, and screaming everytime the chairs moved as though we had fallen down. Of course none of those things were real, but they sure felt real to me!

After getting out of the theatre we prepared ourselves for a really wet ride – Rio Grande Rapids. We rode a circular raft with three kids and got our entire bodies soaked. The falls didn’t wet our heads, though, only the kids. Hehe. After that we had some stir fried rice in a box, changed our clothes, then watched the fireworks fill the sky at 9:00pm. Francis Magalona and his daughter Maxine were also there performing, that was why I had quickly texted my friend Unna from the office if she was there too, because she happens to be Maxine’s sister. Turns out she wasn’t there with her family.

To end the night we rode the Swan Paddle Boats (where I met a woman who was more of a scaredy cat than Maya and me combined), took pictures and rode the Grand Carousel before running outside to ride the shuttle headed for Landmark. I actually had fun. But my fears are still there and no way are you ever getting me on a wild ride!