Most difficult coaster credit in the world?

[surfd...@aol.com]

What is the most difficult coaster credit in the world to get? (Not counting kiddie coasters with max height requirements that don't let adults on anyway)

Consider operating coasters only. Can be wood or steel.

[richard....@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, 22 March 2016 02:49:22 UTC, surfd...@aol.com wrote:
> What is the most difficult coaster credit in the world to get? (Not counting kiddie coasters with max height requirements that don't let adults on anyway)

I was thinking about this just yesterday.

I reckon it's Gloria's Fantasyland in the Philippines - home to the ex-Libertyland Corkscrew. You need three days to do it - there's only one flight a day into the nearest airport (Dipolog) and it's too far away to get to on the same day as you fly in.

Other suggestions welcomed.

-
www.themeparks.ie

[CanobieFan]

Good thing I got that credit in Memphis....

http://amusementparkstuff.blogspot.com/2015/06/10-years-ago-today-look-back-at.html

[westernpa...@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, March 22, 2016 at 3:32:05 AM UTC-4, CanobieFan wrote:
> Good thing I got that credit in Memphis....
>

Ditto on that one...

[skiguy777]

Since I stay in the USA, I thought which coaster was the most difficult for me to visit for my bucket list. Visiting any coaster is possible, but some are out of the way with only one park. Or we could ask, which park has a top ranked coaster, yet it's out of the way.

For me, the winner is Silver Dollar City in Branson MO. This was my second time visiting, the first I drove from St. Louis with my dad in 2005 for Powder Keg, about a 4 hour drive. The 2nd time, I flew into KC, visited WOF, and drove 4 hours for SDC. I didn't stay over night, in fact, I drove there early in the morning, rode the coasters (Outlaw Run), and drove back to KC staying at the Best Western Plus next to the airport. I spent more time driving than I did at the park, but I checked off Outlaw Run, Patriot, and Mamba from my list

The runner up to this would have to be Darien Lake for ROS, only went there once, but I did visit Niagara Falls, so that was worth the drive all the way from CP. For that trip I did stay in the Buffalo area over night at the La Quinta, then drove to Kennywood, and back to Columbus. Tons of driving, but worth it.

3rd and 4th places would be ValleyFair and Michigan's Adventure, haven't been, but I want to go. Only one park per city, although Minnesota has the Mall of the Americas to visit as well. For me, it comes down to bang for the buck, or which cities have multiple parks to visit within a 5 hour drive.

It's funny, because I've looked at TPFR and seen messages from people who have yet to ride an RMC, yet they're commenting on them. We could list the RMC coasters here, and ask which one you haven't been on, and why. Outlaw Run would probably be the one people have yet to ride depending on where someone lives.

New Texas Giant (SFoT)
Twisted Colossus (SFMM)
Goliath (SFGAm)
Iron Rattler (SFFT)
Outlaw Run (SDC)
Wicked Cyclone (SFNE)
*Lightning Rod (DW)
*Storm Chaser (KK)
*The Joker (SFDK)

[ansley]

There are coasters in Pakistan, and there was at least one in Syria. Plus there are some in North Korea, and an ACE Member has been there! I've seen quite a few coasters in my travels for work that I didn't ride unfortunately.


Ted

[GodsOnSafari]

It probably varies based on the stability of the situation. Cuba and North Korea are off limits to Americans in many ways, but realistically are still accessible with adequate effort. It is the unstable locations that are a different story: RCDB lists coasters in Khartoum, Benghazi, Tripoli, Kabul, and Aleppo. I'd guess more than one of those are very likely no longer operational without any way of us knowing. Most of the world though can be visited, even if it takes a little money and effort. Those are locales where armed security is typically suggested, and that's a whole different level.

[tyl...@gmail.com]

On Wednesday, March 23, 2016 at 11:00:23 AM UTC-4, skiguy777 wrote:
> On Tuesday, March 22, 2016 at 6:58:15 AM UTC-4, westernpa...@gmail.com wrote:
> > On Tuesday, March 22, 2016 at 3:32:05 AM UTC-4, CanobieFan wrote:
> > > Good thing I got that credit in Memphis....
> > >
> > Ditto on that one...
>
> Since I stay in the USA, I thought which coaster was the most difficult for me to visit for my bucket list.

For the US, probably the Puyullup Fair coaster? That only operates, what, like 2 weeks a year, and it's in the Seattle area which is more or less a coaster desert...only one other non-clone coaster within a couple hundred miles.

[GodsOnSafari]

There's a bunch of fairgrounds coasters in Buttfucknowhere, Kansas and Nebraska. Usually Herschells, from what I've seen. Those operate for even less time in even greater isolation from any other parks. Washington still has Wild Waves, right?

[surfd...@aol.com]

As far as US, there's the two Strickers Grove coasters, which are only open to the public I think 2 times a year? It's not far from Kings Island of you plan a trip there at the right time it can be done. They're wood coasters, too, which makes them more special. I rode them during the 2007 ACE con. Certainly worth a visit if you can do it.

Speaking of difficult coaster credits, Pteranodon Flyers at IOA is testing a new rule where anyone above the minimum height can ride during the last hour of the day. I might try to go soon. I've ridden before when it opened and when it briefly had the max height rule lifted about 5 years or so ago, but never at night....

[CanobieFan]

On Wednesday, March 23, 2016 at 11:13:56 PM UTC-4, surfd...@aol.com wrote:
> Speaking of difficult coaster credits, Pteranodon Flyers at IOA is testing a new rule where anyone above the minimum height can ride during the last hour of the day.

Did it myself tonight. Around 8.45 or so, about 20 people were lined up in a queue next to the entrance waiting for 9. The team members at the entrance did a corney 10-0 count down and let everyone in. I was on the ride in maybe 8 minutes and laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. (for what its worth, I had gotten the credit some 16 years prior haha) But the team members were also vocal that this made be a limited time offer.

[richard....@gmail.com]

On Wednesday, 23 March 2016 23:22:29 UTC, GodsOnSafari wrote:
> North Korea are off limits to Americans in many ways

North Korea is not off limits to anyone. It's easy to do.

www.koryotours.com

-
www.themeparks.ie

[surfd...@aol.com]

Did they give any indication of how limited the Pteranodon Flyers offer is? This isn't the best time for me to get over there, but I would like to get on it again, especially for a night ride.

[GodsOnSafari]

Right - there's a single avenue with which to enter. It isn't like Cuba where I can drive 2 hours to Windsor and board the Sunwing flight to Varadeo. I just have to lie to the border guard when I get back. Either way, they aren't open to general tourism from Americans. And then of course there is Saudi Arabia, who isn't open to tourism from anyone...

[skiguy777]

This brings me back to Cedar Point. A few years ago, I wanted to go on every coaster in the park, like a challenge. There was no one waiting for Wilderness Run. 2 kids went into the queue, so I followed hoping to act like I was with them. The guard asked if they were my kids, I said no. They said I couldn't ride. I even had a CP shirt on. Since then, I've said screw going on every coaster at CP. They would probably get more people going on all the rides if they could do the complete challenge, but nooooo. Here's what I wrote on my carnival coaster web page about them.

CP really has 15 coasters that can be counted by adults, not 18 like they advertise. That's because one of them is a kiddie ride (Wilderness Run) which adults can't ride unless they have a kid (even if the queue is empty), one is a flat ride (Pipe Scream), and one is a shuttle (Wicked Twister). CP will have 15 true coasters for the 2016 season after they open Valravn. Why am I ragging on CP? Because they think if they can count Wicked Twister as a coaster, then they can count Pipe Scream as well. This is a gray area, because both are powered, both don't make a complete circuit, yet Wicked Twister is counted as a coaster in RCDB. For parts of the ride, the train does coast, but when it comes to Pipe Scream, that's a powered flat ride.

Now when I visit CP, I do the thrill ride tour and walk right past the older rides I've already been on. Many will say, so what, it's your loss. No, it's CPs loss because then the rider count on the other coasters is less. No one is talking about doing all the coasters as a challenge. But Disney has a challenge called WDW46, and people are still doing it today.
http://www.parkeology.com/wdw46-official-record

CP could have the same type of challenge, but noooo, can't go on one ride unless you have a kid. At least the wiki has it correct, Pipe Scream is not counted as a coaster at this time, and Wilderness Run is in the kiddie section along with being a coaster.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_Point

Would be interesting to try a challenge of doing the coasters, thrill rides, and family rides, but skip the kiddie stuff, and not use a fast pass, but use a season pass to get in at 8am. That would be 43 rides depending on how you look at it. Would anyone care? Not really, but it would be a challenge to yourself to go on everything in one day.

[surfd...@aol.com]

If you say Wicked Twister doesn't count because its powered, then you shouldn't count Top Thrill Dragster either. The majority of WT is gravity driven. In fact, even coasters with traditional chain lifts are "powered" during the lift. No coaster is gravity driven 100% of the ride (as far as I know).

[westernpa...@gmail.com]

On Thursday, March 24, 2016 at 9:02:59 AM UTC-4, surfd...@aol.com wrote:
> If you say Wicked Twister doesn't count because its powered, then you shouldn't count Top Thrill Dragster either. The majority of WT is gravity driven. In fact, even coasters with traditional chain lifts are "powered" during the lift. No coaster is gravity driven 100% of the ride (as far as I know).

Excellent Point...

[richard....@gmail.com]

On Thursday, 24 March 2016 12:07:51 UTC, GodsOnSafari wrote:

> Right - there's a single avenue with which to enter.

No, there are lots of them. I just mentioned the major operator.

-
www.themeparks.ie

[GodsOnSafari]

The only method of entry is via tour operator in advance. Even Russia, with its stringent visa restrictions on Americans, allows for 72 hour visa free entry to the country through sea ports.

[surfd...@aol.com]

Apparently, the test of Pterandon Flyers is over as of today. Of course, as I just arrived to the park. The weather is awful anyway so it might not be open at all at 9pm tonight.

[richard....@gmail.com]

On Thursday, 24 March 2016 18:20:27 UTC, GodsOnSafari wrote:

> The only method of entry is via tour operator in advance.

The DPRK is far from the only country with that restriction.

I repeat; North Korea is not off limits to Americans. The rules for going there are essentially the same for all nationalities apart from South Koreans.

-
www.themeparks.ie

[GodsOnSafari]

On Friday, March 25, 2016 at 4:30:23 PM UTC-4, richard....@gmail.com wrote:
> On Thursday, 24 March 2016 18:20:27 UTC, GodsOnSafari wrote:
>
> > The only method of entry is via tour operator in advance.
>
> The DPRK is far from the only country with that restriction.

There's very few countries that require that. I don't even know if there are 5. Even other repressive regimes like Turkmenistan offer multi-day transit visas. But I'll relent: North Korea is not off limits, so long as you obtain a visa prior through a tour provider operating as an go-between for Americans and the North Korean government.

[Heather Kendrick]

On Mar 23, 2016, surfd...@aol.com wrote
(in article<80b2a68d-1951-470f...@googlegroups.com>):

> As far as US, there's the two Strickers Grove coasters, which are only open
> to the public I think 2 times a year?

It’s a lot more days than that now, including several in a row for the 4-H
fair that it now hosts. So it’s not as hard to get that one as it used to
be. I kind of miss the bragging rights from having gone there when it really
was only two days a year. :)

<http://www.strickersgrove.com/#services>

--
Heather, the Carousel Rabbit

[William December Starr]

In article <dd7f1200-3778-4e53...@googlegroups.com>,

And Rule No. 1 is for fucksake don't go there.

-- wds

[westernpa...@gmail.com]

> >
> >> The only method of entry is via tour operator in advance.
> >
> > The DPRK is far from the only country with that restriction.
> >
> > I repeat; North Korea is not off limits to Americans. The rules
> > for going there are essentially the same for all nationalities
> > apart from South Koreans.
>
> And Rule No. 1 is for fucksake don't go there.
>
> -- wds

???

[westernpa...@gmail.com]

I went last year (first time ever) during the 4H fair and the rides were almost empty...much better than what I have heard on the 4th of July.

[David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply]

On 28 Mar 2016 22:04:44 -0400, wds...@panix.com (William December Starr)
wrote:

Well, at least, don't steal political banners if you do!

Richard actually knows what he's talking about. He's been coastering
there.



"With the first link, a chain is forged. The first speech censured,
the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us
all irrevocably." -Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
"The Drumhead", _Star Trek: The Next Generation_

[Rastus O'Ginga]

I went to Saudi Arabia twice. Would have loved to ride a mega rare credit that Lisa Scheinin has no chance of riding, but it just wasn't worth the risk to me.

I would have needed to go with a Saudi for safety, and they couldn't come to our compound. And I would have stuck out like a straight guy at a Barbra Streisand concert. Likely the first and last American to visit. And you don't know the good ones from the bad.

I didn't feel safe at a grocery store full of Westerners. No way would I risk it for a crappy credit. Now, had there been a 500 foot tall Intamin coaster there, I may have risked it.

I do regret not going to Bahrain for the one there, but it would have been an all day trip, and riding on their major roads is crazy dangerous too, about 10 times the fatality rate as the US.

Although, in reality, going to North Korea is much more dangerous. Not to get killed, but to become a political prisoner. Again, no way is it worth it for the coaster they have to offer

-R

[westernpa...@gmail.com]

Great post/response Rastus!

[milst1]

My wife and I have been to Taiwan on credit runs twice, and twice we've been denied on the B&M Dive Machine at Janfusun Fancyworld and Gravity Max at Lihpao. Just bad timing with regard to maintenance schedules and, more recently, rain. Those seem to be our toughest, where the coaster gods won't relent.

[milst1]

And you didn't even mention the terrorists on the island that want to kidnap you for ransom.

[westernpa...@gmail.com]

So, I get the toughest credits to get overseas, but what about in North America?

[GodsOnSafari]

On Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at 4:29:10 AM UTC-4, Rastus O'Ginga wrote:

I'm not even remotely scared of the average Saudi person. I go hang out in Detroit frequently (will do so tonight too) and people get killed there every other day. Hell, more people have been killed at the Cracker Barrel just off I-94 in Kalamazoo this year than at shopping malls there in the last decade. Same goes for Iran or North Korea. What scares me about the latter two is the whole "detention for a bajillionty years" thing because the leadership thinks they need to black mail the government for food aid shipments. So I guess we're not that far off?

[Rastus O'Ginga]

I'm pretty sure hanging with Saudi's in America isn't the same as going to an Ammusement park IN Saudi where the vast majority of the people there have never even seen an American, and haven't exactly been taught good things about Christians.

It all boils down to the common issue of even if a very small thing happens, and the presumption that YOU are the one at fault, regardless of facts, and your are quickly in a very bad place. And that is the law in Saudi. If you cause a wreck, or if a group of teenagers say you did something, you are guilty because had you not came to Saudi Arabia, the incident would not have happened.

Not to mention you sign a paper before being allowed to enter the (most definitely NOT Magic) Kingdom, saying If you are caught with drugs, you understand you will be executed.

-R

[richard....@gmail.com]

On Wednesday, 30 March 2016 09:29:10 UTC+1, Rastus O'Ginga wrote:

> Although, in reality, going to North Korea is much more dangerous. Not to get killed, but to
> become a political prisoner. Again, no way is it worth it for the coaster they have to offer

North Korea is safe unless you do something stupid.

...like try to steal a propaganda banner.
...or bring a bible.
...or try to contact subversives.

I did none of the above and I had a good time. I would go again.

-
www.themeparks.ie

[William December Starr]

In article <7a188ca9-9768-40fe...@googlegroups.com>,

westernpa...@gmail.com said:

>>> I repeat; North Korea is not off limits to Americans. The rules
>>> for going there are essentially the same for all nationalities
>>> apart from South Koreans.
>>
>> And Rule No. 1 is for fucksake don't go there.
>

> ???

By all accounts it is not a good place. While the individuals who
run it may be sane and rational, the governing system itself is
deranged and therefore dangerous. Much less so to approved foreign
visitors than to the natives of course, but there's still the risk
of being accused of espionage or something.

And I imagine that it's depressing as hell too.

-- wds

[Rastus O'Ginga]

You don't have to so something stupid. You have to be accused of doing something stupid. Truth matters not, you lose.

-R

[GodsOnSafari]

There's no way to be certain that any of these individuals are even guilty, and even if they are by whatever North Korean standards are, the punishments far exceed the "crimes". And those crimes are often only applicable to Americans because it was the US that engaged in a war with North Korea over 60 years ago for which no peace deal has ever been signed.

[William December Starr]

In article <e7b9fcba-35b9-4417...@googlegroups.com>,

richard....@gmail.com said:

> North Korea is safe unless you do something stupid.
>
> ...like try to steal a propaganda banner.
> ...or bring a bible.
> ...or try to contact subversives.
>
> I did none of the above and I had a good time. I would go again.

You did none of the above, and you were fortunate in that you never
happened to be standing near someone who did, and and you were
fortunate in that nobody decided to falsely accuse you of something
anyway for one reason or another that makes _perfect_ rationally
paranoid sense in the context of that nation's deranged society and
regime.

I wouldn't have gone there.

-- wds

[dr. m]

As someone who's never even left the states save a Boy Scout trip to Canada, I find this whole conversation about the relative safety of North Korea, Saudi Arabia, etc to be hilarious. There's so many places in the world I want to go, but as for any of the above, unless I'm a journalist or a billionaire who can pay for a squadron of armed guards, no thanks.

[GodsOnSafari]

An American citizen hasn't been killed in Saudi Arabia in a "terror" related attack in over a decade. Meanwhile 22 people (including a 7 year old) have been shot in the city of Chicago this week, and it's only Wednesday. There's no time in my life for such shookassery re: fear of violence on trips unless contemplating somewhere that it might be an actual concern (like CAR or Syria).

[milst1]

On Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at 7:09:25 AM UTC-4, westernpa...@gmail.com wrote:
> So, I get the toughest credits to get overseas, but what about in North America?

That woodie at Upper Clements Park in Nova Scotia looks like a bitch to get to.

We did a trip last summer that was in some pretty remote places. We drove from Salt Lake to Minneapolis hitting Yellowstone Bear World in ID, Superslide in ND, Thunder Road in SD, and Arnolds Park in IA. Those places were pretty out of the way.

[skiguy777]

On Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at 5:50:54 PM UTC-4, GodsOnSafari wrote:
> An American citizen hasn't been killed in Saudi Arabia in a "terror" related attack in over a decade. Meanwhile 22 people (including a 7 year old) have been shot in the city of Chicago this week, and it's only Wednesday. There's no time in my life for such shookassery re: fear of violence on trips unless contemplating somewhere that it might be an actual concern (like CAR or Syria).

I won't visit the hostile places for fear of being kidnapped and held hostage. This would include anywhere in the middle east, Mexico, and any terrorist countries in north Africa (Egypt, Lybia). Sure it would be nice to visit Mexico City to check that RMC off the list, but nope, not going. If you go into a store, a little girl will say you propositioned her for sex, you'll be thrown in a prison camp, and stay there until all money is extorted from relatives at home. This happened to American tourists. Plus our Marine was held hostage. No thanks, Mexico can go broke, and that's exactly what is happening. All the tourists spots have dried up except the major resorts.

Agree, the only way I'd go is with a huge tour group, possibly with armed guards and a news crew filming.

[dr. m]

I'd be more scared of the government in Saudi Arabia than terrorist attacks. Sorry, you're going to have a tough time convincing me going there is a safe and/or desirable thing to do, unless you're really obsessed with the ancient history in that part of the world, and even then....

Also safety issue aside, when we're talking about places like N.K., isn't there ANY moral concern when it comes to giving tourist dollars to a terrible oppressive communist government? I mean there are sanctions in place for a reason. I totally get that every country has its human rights concerns but... c'mon.

[dr. m]

Also it's worth pointing out when dealing with any "but no American tourists have been killed in *wherever*" type statements that it might have just as much to do with how few Americans travel there than with how safe it actually is. Just sayin

[CanobieFan]

Ah... travel.
I <3 International Travel. Made a trip to SUPER SCARY DANGEROUS MEXICO (second time :O ) this year already, for my birthday, even found a coaster! (but it was closed :( ) and have plans for another trip this summer/fall to Europe (again, woo)

I mean, if you're scared to travel... doesn't that mean the TERRORIST won? Yeah, I'm gonna be doing my own thing... not being afraid (but also not going, looking for danger/trouble) I've felt more "unsafe" in Florida than I have say... walking around at night, as an 18 year old, alone.... in say... the Czech Republic or Hungary. And as far as NK goes, I wouldn't wanna go alone... but if part of an organized trip, I wouldn't be against it. (although if I was gonna make the effort to go there.. I'd rather just go to Hong Kong or Singapore. Place I actually wanna visit)

[dr. m]

Again the issue for me is not terrorism. I don't think trepidations about traveling to places less than friendly to Americans has to necessarily be rooted in racism or xenophobia.

It's a personal thing. It's like sky diving, some people will never want to try sky diving, no matter how many statistics you bombard them with about how safe it is. And there's nothing wrong with that.

[Rastus O'Ginga]

Anecdotal evidence is always great. I've met plenty of people who went to Vietnam and Gemany during the wars and lived. Obviously those weren't dangerous places.

When you go to N Korea or KSA, you are somewhere where you are not wanted. The country doesn't want you, unless you have a skill they need, the people are taught to not like you ( Saudis are incredibly racist), and if you are said to have committed a crime, you are a guilty, period.

As for Mexico, with drug crimes and kidnapping, you are beyond dumb to set foot there at this point, especially just to go to a crappy park with some shit clone coaster. Again, it's all totally fine until somebody hits your car, and they run drugs. Before you know it you're having a gun pointed at you, and are praying the outcome is a few months in a shit prison.

I'm sure the guy who just got 15 years hard labor said visiting DPRK was no big deal.

Sorta like Bahrain. My first visit to Saudi, it was a great place to go: safe, and fun, and many workers' families lived there When I returned less than a year later, it was TOTALLY off limits, and everyone pulled out. Wait, I though it was fine. Well, it was, until it wasn't. Just like Egypt. A coworker was there when the shit hit the fan. He and his wife were scared shitless in the airport for 48 hours. They luckily had money and contacts through the company to get the hell out quickly.

My biggest concern was being in Saudi when the shit hit the fan globally with Muslims. Or if they closed the Embassy again.

Everyone has their own risk/reward matrix. Some feel there is no real risk. Carpe Diem, baby. Most of them do not have kids Others are more reasonable, and skip high risks with very little payoff.

-E

[skiguy777]

> Everyone has their own risk/reward matrix. Some feel there is no real risk. Carpe Diem, baby. Most of them do not have kids Others are more reasonable, and skip high risks with very little payoff.
>

Right, if you are not American, or don't look American then things might work out. For example, Shane from Vice is from Canada, went to North Korea and was allowed to film.
http://www.vice.com/video/vice-guide-to-north-korea-1-of-3
But during a few spots, the guards were telling him to stop filming, and you can see he was always being watched and told what to do.

Americans definitely have a target on their back. They are hated, except when they're spending money, or people are stealing it by ripping them off, or extortion.

People will push back saying it's worse here in the states, there's nothing to worry about when traveling, get out there. Right, the chances may be small, but when something bad happens, it's really bad. And if you notice, things may be good for a while, but once a steady stream of tourists show up, the thieves show up because they know that's where the money is.

[GodsOnSafari]

On Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at 8:35:51 PM UTC-4, dr. m wrote:
> I'd be more scared of the government in Saudi Arabia than terrorist attacks. Sorry, you're going to have a tough time convincing me going there is a safe and/or desirable thing to do, unless you're really obsessed with the ancient history in that part of the world, and even then....
>
> Also safety issue aside, when we're talking about places like N.K., isn't there ANY moral concern when it comes to giving tourist dollars to a terrible oppressive communist government? I mean there are sanctions in place for a reason. I totally get that every country has its human rights concerns but... c'mon.

I wouldn't ever criticize someone for making the choice to not go to a country with a horrific human rights record specifically for that reason. That's entirely within reason.

That said with the Saudis - if I'm able to get a visa in (which is no small feat), I'm not really worried that they're going to imprison me against my will. Why would the state want to do that? They're largely dependent on us for their security. If it wasn't for our arms and our troops/sailors already present, they wouldn't be able to try sinking oil prices to economically destroy the Iranian regime. E

ven if you take the tact that Westerners don't die because there aren't tons of them - like they aren't reliant on them to effectively run their companies and hotels/housing markets/shopping areas specifically for them - the fact remains that you live in America. People get gunned down at movie theaters, shopping malls, restaurants, pumping gas, at church, hell kindergarteners even get turned to swiss cheese in mass murder sprees. Even if you don't leave your home, someone might wander off the railroad tracks and murder you after kicking in the door. Living in constant fear of that isn't living.

[GodsOnSafari]

On Thursday, March 31, 2016 at 3:29:42 AM UTC-4, dr. m wrote:
> Again the issue for me is not terrorism. I don't think trepidations about traveling to places less than friendly to Americans has to necessarily be rooted in racism or xenophobia.

You basically just defined xenophobia.

[dr. m]

Oh come on man, that's bullshit. Xenophobia is by definition irrational. Wanting to keep Muslims, the majority of whom globally are not unfriendly to Americans, out of your country, is irrational, hence xenophobic. Not wanting to visit a country with a significantly increased risk of danger specifically for Americans, or white people in general, is not irrational and therefor not xenophobic.

[dr. m]

Part of the requirement for being "irrational" is the risk/reward matrix Rastus mentioned. Keeping Muslims out of our country is a hugely unjust thing to do with vast repercussions on human beings all over the world. Not wanting to visit another country you have no reason to effects nobody.

Somebody who has legitimate arachnophobia might spend an hour before bed every night sweeping his room for spiders, and even then might have trouble sleeping because he imagines them crawling over his skin, significantly disrupting his life. Someone with normal ordinary mild dislike of spiders might want to skip the exhibit at the zoo where hundreds of live spiders are on display. Do you see the difference?

[GodsOnSafari]

On Thursday, March 31, 2016 at 1:59:33 PM UTC-4, dr. m wrote:
> Oh come on man, that's bullshit. Xenophobia is by definition irrational. Wanting to keep Muslims, the majority of whom globally are not unfriendly to Americans, out of your country, is irrational, hence xenophobic. Not wanting to visit a country with a significantly increased risk of danger specifically for Americans, or white people in general, is not irrational and therefor not xenophobic.

This assumes that "significantly increased risk of danger specifically for Americans" is some sort of empirically derived factor and not just "Paco's narcosub mught surface at the Westin Cabo so he can cuck me at gunpoint." No American on this newsgroup, myself included, matters enough to be an actual individual target of violence in the overwhelming majority of countries when compared to the one we reside in.

[GodsOnSafari]

(And if you want to play the objective evidence game, then St. Louis, MO has a higher murder rate than Guatemala City, Kingston, Tijuana, or Durban. Somehow I've been to City Museum and the Arch without even hearing gunshots. Incredible!)

[Heather Kendrick]

On Mar 29, 2016, westernpa...@gmail.com wrote
(in article<54794a46-75dc-45b6...@googlegroups.com>):
>
> I went last year (first time ever) during the 4H fair and the rides were
> almost empty...much better than what I have heard on the 4th of July.

I went on the 4th of July twice, about ten years apart... the first time
(mid-2000s) it had a healthy crowd, but was definitely not anything like as
busy as I saw it ten years later. Of course, that trip was disrupted after I
was there less than an hour (though fortunately got to ride both coasters) by
the biggest, scariest thunderstorm I’ve ever had happen to me at a park. I
genuinely thought we were going to have a tornado come through and I wondered
exactly what the mass panic was going to be like. People did actually start
mildly panicking but nothing bad ended up happening.

Anyway, more recently I went a couple of 4ths ago, and it was CRUSHED. We had
to wait in a sizable line every time we rode the Tornado, and even a pretty
good line for the Teddy Bear. I overheard locals complaining that it was
better in the old days before everyone in the world knew about it. On the
plus side, they let you get crazy close to the fireworks, like they did at
the municipal fireworks when I was a kid in the 80s but don’t anymore.

I’d like to try to get back there sometime on a different day when I can
ride more.

--
Heather, the Carousel Rabbit

[Rastus O'Ginga]

All anecdotal evidence. Yes St. Louis is dangerous, as is Chicago. But if you avoid a few square miles of each of those cities, the danger drops by orders of magnitude.

One of my coworkers was followed from the bank in Saudi, back when they were allowed to drive, he was driven off the road, and a guy with a gun came up to the car. Luckily he had a Jordanian in the car that dealt with the gunman well enough for them to hit the gas and get away. 100% absolute true story. They were not in a dangerous area, just a random Western heavy area. Now Saudi has gotten much better in the past 10 years. The religious police are no longer in Western heavy areas, and the government does protect Americans. Not because they like them, but they NEED them for now. The poor Indians don't get that same treatment. I'm sure it's just Xenophobia though.

I was going to lunch one day with a Nigerian friend. We were denied entry because our badges "weren't right". Total BS. We'd been using them for a Week. My friend flipped out saying it was racism ( it was, REAL racism, not the pansy ass racism people bitch about in the US). A manager showed up, and let us in but my friend wanted retribution. I calmed him down, and told him it wasn't worth it, and the guy had a gun under the counter, so we needed to just go to lunch. The guy was pissed, but left with me. I've never had anything like that happen to me in the US. I've also never had a guy with a machine gun point at me and tell me to get out of the vehicle (happened on day one).

You can downplay the dangers all you want. and the dangers of being gunned down may be pretty small, but the intimidation is CONSTANT. And God help you if you are seen with a water bottle during Ramadan, or are considered "preaching" with your Bible.

Until you've had guns pointed at you, you have no fucking clue how dangerous a country is, and are speaking bullshit. And to bring Xenophobia in it like a typical dumbass liberal, you just sound like a fucking idiot.

-R

[GodsOnSafari]

On Friday, April 1, 2016 at 1:00:24 PM UTC-4, Rastus O'Ginga wrote:
> All anecdotal evidence. Yes St. Louis is dangerous, as is Chicago. But if you avoid a few square miles of each of those cities, the danger drops by orders of magnitude.
>

Anecdotal evidence is that which is based in anecdotes. Stories. St. Louis' homicide rate in 2015 was 59.23 per 100,000. The highest homicide rate I can find for Cancun in the last decade is 18 per 100,000. Those are based in actual statistics. You know, facts. What does anecdotal evidence look like?

> One of my coworkers was followed from the bank in Saudi, back when they were allowed to drive, he was driven off the road, and a guy with a gun came up to the car. Luckily he had a Jordanian in the car that dealt with the gunman well enough for them to hit the gas and get away. 100% absolute true story.<

This is what anecdotal evidence looks like.

> I was going to lunch one day with a Nigerian friend. We were denied entry because our badges "weren't right". Total BS. We'd been using them for a Week. My friend flipped out saying it was racism ( it was, REAL racism, not the pansy ass racism people bitch about in the US).<

Also: this.

> You can downplay the dangers all you want. and the dangers of being gunned down may be pretty small, but the intimidation is CONSTANT. And God help you if you are seen with a water bottle during Ramadan, or are considered "preaching" with your Bible.
>

Like I said earlier, there's perfectly good reasons to say you won't go somewhere. I wouldn't step foot anywhere in the Arab world during Ramadan. For what? Even the ex-pats know to get the fuck out, lest they get arrested for the crime of eating in public. But OH NOEZ CRIME? lol, no. What happened to your masculinity?

> Until you've had guns pointed at you, you have no fucking clue how dangerous a country is, and are speaking bullshit. And to bring Xenophobia in it like a typical dumbass liberal, you just sound like a fucking idiot.
>

Tell us you anecdote about that happening to you next!

[GodsOnSafari]

> > Until you've had guns pointed at you, you have no fucking clue how dangerous a country is, and are speaking bullshit. And to bring Xenophobia in it like a typical dumbass liberal, you just sound like a fucking idiot.
> >
>

> Tell us your anecdote about that happening to you next!

Oh! And while you're at it, tell me about how having guns pointed at you in America isn't a consistent threat. Maybe you can do it in the context of a trip report to one of your local parks? You know, like Kings Dominion where someone was shot and killed in the parking lot (OMG TRUE STORY)...

[Biff Bifferson]

On Friday, April 1, 2016 at 10:00:24 AM UTC-7, Rastus O'Ginga wrote:

> Until you've had guns pointed at you, you have no fucking clue how dangerous a country is, and are speaking bullshit. And to bring Xenophobia in it like a typical dumbass liberal, you just sound like a fucking idiot.

Ah, that's some classic Rastus! Go Trump!!

[GodsOnSafari]

His Facebook friends must have gotten tired of his bullshit or something. And are you sure he's a Trump voter? I dunno...all his hollering about hoisting around the bible seems more of a Cruz thing.

[Rastus O'Ginga]

Yeah, jackass, you have anecdotal evidence, and so do I. Mine is first and second person. Yours is just based on hearsay.

Did I die in Saudi? No. But plenty of veterans lived through years fighting in Vietnam, so it's obviously safe.

But we all know your opinions are more right than everyone else's, because you're special.

-R

[Rastus O'Ginga]

Yup, someone shot during BET day, sure.y by a white person. Anyone with a brain knows that's the dumbest day to ever go there. I believe it has since been cancelled because of that. Again, you can avoid that violence.

But you are still Mr. Exception. Always trying to hang your hat on some exception you can think of, to prove anyone else's opinions are wrong.

Same old stupid game. By the way: Humans have 2 heads. Cats and dogs have 3 legs. Cancer doesn't kill people. And you are still a fucking idiot.

[David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply]

On Wed, 30 Mar 2016 17:35:50 -0700 (PDT), "dr. m" <timoth...@gmail.com>
wrote:

>I'd be more scared of the government in Saudi Arabia than terrorist attacks. Sorry, you're going to have a tough time convincing me going there is a safe and/or desirable thing to do, unless you're really obsessed with the ancient history in that part of the world, and even then....
>
>Also safety issue aside, when we're talking about places like N.K., isn't there ANY moral concern when it comes to giving tourist dollars to a terrible oppressive communist government? I mean there are sanctions in place for a reason. I totally get that every country has its human rights concerns but... c'mon.

That's my biggest issue with some of these places. When Dubai was looking
like it was going to become the amusement capital of the world, I gave
serious thought to whether or not I could go there and support a country,
government and culture responsible for so many bad things. The city was
built on literal slave labor. The treatment of women. The fact that I
could be imprisoned or beaten on the street just for being gay. And so
much more. The last point is one of personal safety, along with being an
American and Jewish. But it was more an issue for me of the morality of
giving MY money to support such a government. I have to admit that I was
relieved when the economy talked and most of the amusement park projects
got canceled. It made the decision to stay away much easier.

That said, I did go to China in 2012. I did some ethical wrestling with
it. But in the end I went. So, I'm not blameless in these matters. But
China isn't North Korea. And it's getting better all the time. You could
argue that progress should be rewarded. Still, it wasn't my finest choice,
from an ethical standpoint, probably.

As for the safety issue, I think that it's a legitimate issue. It's real
easy for a bunch of white Western Christian men to not really understand
the concept of having to watch around yourself to make sire you're safe.
Most Americans have never really been to places where they could very
possibly be the target of violence simply because of who they are. As a
gay man, my safety has always been something I had to watch out for. But
especially when I go overseas. If I got bashed in another country, who
knows how the local authorities would handle it? What if they assaulted me
as well? And threw me in jail? Add in being Jewish and American, and that
could be a triple threat of danger.

That hasn't stopped me from traveling. And I've rarely run into any
issues. But I've had decades of practice of keeping an eye out all around
me when out in public.

I did have a problem in a nightclub in Japan, and it was ironically with
American sailors who were mad that a guy I had briefly talked to ended up
getting a bit romantic with one of their sailor friends. Not only did
several try to start some trouble in the club, but one was waiting for us
outside. Luckily, I was able to quickly hop a cab. But what would have
happened if it had gotten nasty? How would the authorities have reacted?
Luckily, I didn't have to find out.



"With the first link, a chain is forged. The first speech censured,
the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us
all irrevocably." -Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
"The Drumhead", _Star Trek: The Next Generation_

[David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply]

On Wed, 30 Mar 2016 03:33:50 -0700 (PDT), milst1 <mil...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>My wife and I have been to Taiwan on credit runs twice, and twice we've been denied on the B&M Dive Machine at Janfusun Fancyworld and Gravity Max at Lihpao. Just bad timing with regard to maintenance schedules and, more recently, rain. Those seem to be our toughest, where the coaster gods won't relent.

Yep, Diving Machine G5 was down for maintenance when I was there too! The
worst part? According to the sign, it was scheduled to reopen on the day I
was flying out of the country!

I admit that I was tempted to try to change my flight. But you know what a
bitch it is to get out there from Taipei. And imagine if I changed all my
plans and went all the way out there, and it wasn't open! Plus, it was a
Saturday, and who knows how busy they may have been. And my schedule would
have been very tight. That would have been the worst: if I got all the way
out there, and didn't have time to wait in the queue! Unfortunately, I'll
probably never be back to ride it. But at least it's a mirrored clone of a
coaster I've ridden in England.

Rain in Asia is your enemy. Many of the parks close the rides at the
slightest drizzle! Luckily, I've been VERY lucky in my travels so far.
I've missed very few coasters because of weather, at least not notable
ones. And on the Asia trip I just missed TWO different typhoons. In fact,
it was looking like I might get completely rained out of all the parks on
Fukuoka. But luckily the typhoon passed early and sucked most of the
moisture out of the air (just like what happened to us in China!) Even
then, I got very lucky with Kijima Kogan and Jupiter. It was drizzling
when I got there, and the park's rep had warned me that it might be down if
it rains. In fact, while I was waiting at the ticket booth for them to
open, he came over and greeted me ("Are you Mister David?")!!! I was the
only white person there! He said it was open and I should rush over, in
case in closed. Luckily, it stopped raining, but the clouds remained,
which actually made for the unique experience of roller coasting literally
through the clouds, since the park and coaster are up in the mountains! But
the threat or rain kept everyone away, so I was able to get through the
park really quickly, which allowed time for Rakutenchi and also a cable car
up into the mountains (and also in the clouds!) But the only woodie I
hadn't ridden in Japan was my main goal!

[richard....@gmail.com]

On Wednesday, 30 March 2016 11:33:51 UTC+1, milst1 wrote:
> My wife and I have been to Taiwan on credit runs twice, and twice we've been denied on the B&M Dive Machine at Janfusun Fancyworld and Gravity Max at Lihpao. Just bad timing with regard to maintenance schedules and, more recently, rain. Those seem to be our toughest, where the coaster gods won't relent.

If it's any consolation, it took me four attempts to get Screaming Condor.

The most recent one of those (and the successful one) was during a sixteen day business trip to Taipei. There were two days in the entire trip when it didn't rain - fortunately across a weekend - allowing me to finally complete the country.

-
www.themeparks.ie

[ansley]

On Thursday, March 24, 2016 at 3:01:23 AM UTC-4, richard....@gmail.com wrote:
> On Wednesday, 23 March 2016 23:22:29 UTC, GodsOnSafari wrote:
> > North Korea are off limits to Americans in many ways
>
> North Korea is not off limits to anyone. It's easy to do.
>
> www.koryotours.com
>
> -
> www.themeparks.ie

It's off limits for Americans, our Gov't doesn't want you to go there, and if you do you're on you're own and you can easily get arrested.

[ansley]

Yes, totally agree with this. I've been to Saudi Arabia and a large bunch of other Middle East countries. All were fine when I visited, mostly between '98-'05. No, not so much and I wouldn't want to go to many of them. Same with Pakistan, first visits in '00 and even in '01 were fine, last visits in '11 it is a whole different country if you're American or a westerner. There are plenty of places I no longer would go, except under the right circumstances. Mexico City would be ok, but I won't go anywhere near Northern Mexico. The best thing is Mexico is to be in groups of 4 or more, and don't go where you shouldn't and you'll be fine, just use common sense.

Ted

[Rastus O'Ginga]

Holy Crap, a post in agreement with me!

I had SEVERE morality issues with going to Saudi. I had refused for years, and basically our cunt Vice President said if I didn't go, I'd be fired (one reason I have little sympathy for those saying they are treated wrongly at work, but that's another rant).

I ultimately went, since the US reopened their Saudi Embassy (an absolute in my book). I went twice for only a few weeks, and then looked for a new job, and left before I'd have had to spend many months there.

Of course, a private citizen can't go to Saudi for sight-seeing. And yup, gay and Jewish won't make you popular there. In fact, no Jews allowed. Even if you had an Israel stamp in your Passport, you most likely would be denied entry. You can actually have two passports for this reason.

Dubai is much more lax, obviously, but it is still a huge vacation spot for Saudi's who have the antisemitic views.

But Dubai, and all of the Middle East, and China for that matter, was absolutely built by slaves. I talked to some of them, and regret to this day not sitting down and talking to one guy in particular who spoke English very well, that was sitting on stairs, grinding weld lines all day. I should have talked to him as long as I could, to try and get an idea of why he was there, and anything else.

The guys truly make nothing. We're talking maybe $20 a day, if they are LUCKY. They live in tent cities, are fed gruel in massive mess tents, and have their VISA stolen from them the day they show up, so they can't leave their job for a better paying one.

But the companies, and many of my friends, just say "but it's better than what they have in India/Bangladesh/The Philippines, etc. I find that hard to believe. They are modern day slaves/indentured servants. It's a job, yes, but it's one I could never be the boss of, and be part of paying them. I think Hell is very full of business men who worked in those places.

The other argument is that it helps India as a country. This I just laugh at. OK, so there are a Million of them working in Saudi, making literally peanuts. How does that help a country of a Billion?

Friends who were there in the early days witnessed guys falling from guaranteed lethal heights, and there would never be a report. Hell, they probably just threw them in the sand somewhere, and burned their passport. And I'm not kidding.

-R

[GodsOnSafari]

I don't have anecdotal evidence. That's what you're using. I have statistics. Facts.

[GodsOnSafari]

Man, this post pulls out all the stops.

-Rastus displays some potential acceptance of humanity for a brown person, though it is quickly extinguished when I remember he wouldn't piss on that poor (muslim) migrant worker if they was on fire had he gotten a asylum visa in the US

-Complains about people who've lobbied for working conditions while describing the consequences of a world where there are no legal ramifications for total mistreatment of workers

-Shows a total lack of comprehension regarding the nature of Arab/Indian relations

Back with a vengeance; Five stars.

[spacemtfan]

On Saturday, April 2, 2016 at 12:23:13 AM UTC-4, David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply wrote:

I guess I have insane luck in Taiwan? I went there 3 times and visit Leofoo Village on all 3 occasions. End result? Screaming Condor and Sultan's Adventure (Intamin EMV dark ride) were running great with no breakdowns each time. For Janfusun Fancyworld, my one visit there had both G5 and Insane Speed running one train.. and a completely empty park. I rode both at least a dozen times and then retreated to the nice hotel near the main entrance.

I got very lucky at Lihpao Land (was called Yamay Resort when I visited) as when I arrived, half the rides in the park were closed for the day. In my luck, the one coaster that was closed was the... Roller Skater. The park crowd was mostly grade school age children and after the first hour, I was the only one ride Gravity Max. I got my own private ERT and I called it quit after almost two hours sitting in the back car. The ride operators were curious as to what I was doing there and one of them spoke enough english to be utterly amazed when I informed her that I had flown all the way in from Canada to ride the coaster!

My first visit to E-DA Theme Park was a month after opening and in addition to the pouring rain, the Big Air (Vekoma Hammerhead Stall) was not ready to run. I power rode "Dark Ride" (custom Vekoma Rollerskater) and the FlyOver Taiwan rides inside until the skies cleared up and the Golden Horse Shoot the Chute opened.

My one visit to Thailand, the Vekoma Suspended at Dream World was down for maintenance.

[ansley]

That Vekoma at Dream World is a fun ride, too bad you missed it. Did you go to Siam Park City? They have one of the best Vekoma SLCs I've ridden, with a custom ending.

Ted

[ansley]

On Monday, March 21, 2016 at 10:49:22 PM UTC-4, surfd...@aol.com wrote:
> What is the most difficult coaster credit in the world to get? (Not counting kiddie coasters with max height requirements that don't let adults on anyway)
>
> Consider operating coasters only. Can be wood or steel.

My most difficult coaster would be Odyssey at Fantasy Island in the UK. We lived in the UK for three years, visited the park 3 times and the Odyssey was down every time. The first time it was in March, around opening weekend and it hadn't opened for the season. The last two times were both due to wind. I REALLY wanted to ride it, I've heard it was good. It is BY FAR the largest Vekoma inverted coaster in the world at 167 ft. Plus the Millennium coaster at Fantasy Island, also by Vekoma, is one of the best Vekome loopers I've been on. It is tall, fast, and smooth. Not overly thrilling but fun. My kids loved it. I'm still disappointed we didn't get to ride the Odyssey.

Ted

[surfd...@aol.com]

Ted, sounds like my personal experience with the Mind Eraser at Grauga Lake. Visited for the first time in 1997- Mind Eraser was open with park open, did the other coasters first (since the others weren't clones), Mind Eraser then goes down the rest of the day before I get a chance to ride. Visit #2- 2001. Mind Eraser was closed all day (do not know why, but this was when it was SFWOA. Visit 3- 2007 Coaster EXT event- finally got to ride (as HeadSpin)!

Took two park name changes including a purchase, and a name change for the ride itself to get that credit!

Incidentally, I rode it in 2015 at Carowinds (my only visit to that park, with no problem).

[spacemtfan]

Unfortunately, I had limited time in Bangkok and had to skip Siam Park City. What did you think of Space Mountain at Dream World?

Terrible timing: going to Toshimaen in April 2009 and after two hours in the park, I asked a ride operator who spoke some english: where is the Shuttle Loop? He said it had been removed! He then pointed me toward the empty station and building that had been behind the loop.

On the other hand, I went to Fuji-Q Highland in 2007 and I rode their awesome log flume a month before it was removed. It still had the Spillway Drop seen on Kennywood's flume.

[ansley]

Space Mountain at Dream World is ok. Fun little coaster in the dark. When we left Bangkok in 2012 Siam Park City was becoming very good, they expanded a lot in the 3.5 years we were there. I actually also got to ride the two custom launched coasters at Wonder Whell park or something like that. They weren't open too long, and closed after floods in 2011. They were actually both very good, shame they couldn't be sold and moved.

Ted

[David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply]

On Sun, 3 Apr 2016 21:12:37 -0700 (PDT), spacemtfan
<parkvaul...@gmail.com> wrote:

>I guess I have insane luck in Taiwan? I went there 3 times and visit Leofoo Village on all 3 occasions. End result? Screaming Condor and Sultan's Adventure (Intamin EMV dark ride) were running great with no breakdowns each time. For Janfusun Fancyworld, my one visit there had both G5 and Insane Speed running one train.. and a completely empty park. I rode both at least a dozen times and then retreated to the nice hotel near the main entrance.
>
>I got very lucky at Lihpao Land (was called Yamay Resort when I visited) as when I arrived, half the rides in the park were closed for the day. In my luck, the one coaster that was closed was the... Roller Skater. The park crowd was mostly grade school age children and after the first hour, I was the only one ride Gravity Max. I got my own private ERT and I called it quit after almost two hours sitting in the back car. The ride operators were curious as to what I was doing there and one of them spoke enough english to be utterly amazed when I informed her that I had flown all the way in from Canada to ride the coaster!
>
>My first visit to E-DA Theme Park was a month after opening and in addition to the pouring rain, the Big Air (Vekoma Hammerhead Stall) was not ready to run. I power rode "Dark Ride" (custom Vekoma Rollerskater) and the FlyOver Taiwan rides inside until the skies cleared up and the Golden Horse Shoot the Chute opened.
>
>My one visit to Thailand, the Vekoma Suspended at Dream World was down for maintenance.

Screaming Condor was down for much of the day when I was there. It
eventually came up, but even then I had to wait a while to ride. I believe
it was because the park was dead and they wanted to wait for more riders. I
was literally sitting in the coaster for something like 15 minute waiting
which was frustrating, because if it had broken down, that would have
really sucked. Plus, I had limited time there, since I had gotten there
mid-afternoon (after visiting nearby Window on China -- which is like an
Asian Legoland). So, I really wanted to get done with the ride and off to
see other things.

I REALLY liked E-Da, though I didn't have much time there. The website
didn't list their hours (and I even had a friend I'd met in China from the
Roller Coaster Dream coaster cub help me by checking out their site), but I
found a travel site that listed their hours as closing at 8 or 9. But it
turned out there were closing at 6. And I didn't get there until nearly 4,
after visiting Discovery World earlier in the day. They didn't really even
want to let me in, since they figured I'd complain. But I told them I
wouldn't be able to come back, so they let me in. (I guess I could have
tried the next day, but I'd have gone all the way down to Kaohsiung on the
southern tip of the island from the center for nothing. And the next day's
schedule would have probably been equally tight. Plus, I'd wanted to see
some of the touristy things in Tainan the next day.) I managed to get on
all the coasters, but missed the indoor haunted attraction in the far
building because I hadn't realized it closed at 5PM (as did many of the
rides.) Probably because it was October and pretty dead. I barely made it
into the haunted ship walkthrough as they were closing. But I really liked
the excellent theming at the park. Big Air was pretty good, too. Taiwan
is the place for unique/prototype Vekoma rides! Did you count Flume Ride
as a credit? I didn't but it could easily be counted, I think. Great
theming, though, as was the norm for this park.

Did you not go to Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village. A lot of people
seem to skip that place in favor of the more well-known parks. It doesn't
really have many notable coasters. The indoor Space Mountain coaster was
pretty cool though. And it was easily the most amazingly themed Mayan
Adventure was easily the best themed Vekoma SLC anywhere, with a Mayan
style pyramid build around it with some great near-collisions and
waterfalls. Plus Caribbean Splash, a fairly standard Mack SuperSplash. I
rode it, but don't count them as coasters, since they have the dip in the
middle of the turnaround and another bump at the bottom, so they do
"coast". Technically, they qualify, but to me, they're shoot-the-chutes
rides with coaster elements, rather than the other way around.

But what was cool and unique about the park was how it was really an
outdoor museum of aboriginal cultures around the world (though obviously
focused on the Taiwanese aboriginal people -- Formosa is an old name for
Taiwan.) The front park of the park is a traditional theme park, themed
around modern space and cartoon themes. But the rest is themed to the
different aboriginal peoples. On the lower section of the park, those
themes are part of the rides section (hence the Mayan and Caribbean themes
of the coasters), but winding up the mountain is a series of displays and
shows teaching about aboriginal peoples. Really neat stuff. Also, there's
an awesome cable car ride up the mountain and another one that takes you
off property and to the lake that the park is built near. The first cable
car ride is nice, but the second one has some gorgeous scenery of the
mountains and lake. Strangely, they have a park gate in the upper cable
car station between the rides, because people from the lake can take the
cable car up to the top of the mountain and turn around without entering
the park.

FACV is a bit out of the way, since it's out in the mountains by the lake
towards the center of the country. But it's pretty easily accessible by
bus from Taichung, whish is a nice hub for visiting FACV, Discovery World,
Lihpao Land and even E-Da (with a high speed train ride.) I managed to see
all 4 parks, plus some sightseeing in Kaohsiung and Tainan in three (FULL)
days. I'd recommend trying to squeeze FACV in, more for the overall unique
theme park experience than for the coasters themselves. The two main
Taipei area parks, Window on China and Leofoo can also be done fairly
easily in a day, with time to explore the city's vibrant night markets and
Taipei 101.

[David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply]

I'm surprised that no other park has decided to build an Intamin Impulse
coaster with the station underground. It makes for a pretty cool
experience! And it seems so obvious. I was doing this in the RCT games
back in the days.

But is was down for much of the day during my visit. Luckily, it did open,
though I had to sit in the train in the station waiting for more guests to
ride before they'd run it.

[David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply]

In 2002, before the ACE European Coaster Odyssey, our group (including two
of the people in this thread!) ironically missed out on Odyssey (then
Jubilee Odyssey to celebrate that year's Queen's Jubilee) by a day. The
whole park was pretty much down for rain when we got there (it had even
hailed at points), though we somehow managed to talk the girl into letting
us into the TINY Jellikins Coaster, which has to count as my tightest fit
ever, and I was much thinner then! But the trains were covered, which is
what made the tight fit. Eventually they mostly came back up as the
weather cleared up. But JO was closed for the day. They said that it
might open up the next day, but we decided not to risk it, since we were
heading to Chessington (and possibly Legoland or Brighton Beach, though we
didn't end up having the time) that next day. We probably would have gone
for it, but it would have pushed back our leaving by several hours (waiting
for the park to open, instead of leaving early to start the long drive
back), and Richard had an appointment mid-afternoon that day. A few
friends who did stay around said that it had opened up. But since
Chessington was PACKED with students that day, we probably wouldn't have
had any time to ride very much there.