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Captain`s Big CHINA / THAILAND Tour - LAST PART: BANGKOK


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I`m coming up with another part of our journey but first I would like to thank all of you who liked this TR so far, thanks for all the warm words!

 

Part 2: Parks of the Pearl River Delta

 

Part 2.3 Happy Valley Shenzhen

 

Shenzhen is the border city to Hongkong, but has grown so fast that is now bigger than Hongkong. Take a train from downtown Hongkong, relax for the 45 minutes train ride, take a Shenzhen Visa (all people from the US need a special, very expensive Visa, so do it from the states) and take the new subway for another 30 minutes and than you`re in the world of OCT - oversea china town.

the OCT group (also built the Happy Valley Beijing) has bought a big part of west Shenzhen, built houses for some ten thousand people, built a cultural theme park, two miniature theme parks (Splendid China & windows of the world) and most important for us: a classical amusement park.

 

Happy Valley Shenzhen feels like the best chinese theme park but I can`t say why. It don`t have a real signature ride like Happy Valley Beijing but it feels like a real great park. It only has two coasters, a Vekoma SLC (the same like in Beijing) and a great themed mine coaster from Vekoma (also the same Beijing model).

It has a real nice looking shoot-the-chute (but way to long ride time), a raft ride, some nice themed flat-rides and a lot of shows!

The whole park has a beautiful landscaping, some great theming and best of all: a brilliant looking extra water park in the middle (!) of the park.

On our tour day it was about 90 degree (about 32 celsius), but the water park was closed (they`ll open this water park only in the summer - ????).

 

Happy Valley Shenzhen is such a great theme park and if they`ll add one or two signature rides this park will easy become one of my top 20 parks worldwide.

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Happy Valley Shenzhen, without signature ride, a great park!

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and some more landscaping...

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more theming

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a theme park with a sandy beach, how cool is that?

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nice landscaping around the coaster

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the Vekoma SLC on the other side of the lake

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but the chinese don´t like to get soaked

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well themed shoot-the-chute

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more themed rides

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the great looking Vekoma mine train

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the western part (US friendly part)

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it`s not summer season yet !?!?

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the park wasn`t open (man, 90 degrees / 32 c - and this park isn`t open)

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the entrance to the great looking water park, in the middle (!) of the park

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one area of the park stays open until 10 pm, every day

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the nicest chinese theme park

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Welcome to Happy Valley Shenzhen

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Someone said it before, every city in china has two sides - and so we made the mistake and searched for the other park in Shenzhen.

 

Part 2.4 Honey Lake Amusement Park

 

I had nor real idea where to find this park, and it was really hard.

We first found the old part of the amusement park. You ask why old part?

As I wrote, Shenzhen is growing real fast, and so someone decided that they need a motorway right through the grounds of this park.

And so they had split this park in two halfs, but the one half isn`t existing anymore!

The other side isn`t any better!

There are only some old, old flat rides and two nearly damaged coaster.

 

I`m really sorry, but I was so shocked that I only took some photos, because we wanted to get away from this park as quick as possible. And I think, this park will die in the next one or two years.

 

After this real shock, we took the fastest way back to Hongkong...

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time to leave as fast as possible to the border to get back to Hongkong

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and for the rest of the park I made this great picture

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the Double Loop Coaster

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the Over Water Coaster

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we were actually so pissed, that we just made some more photos - this is the new part (which will not exist more than one or two years from now)

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but isn`t it charming?

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the goverment decided to split the park with a new motorway - great idea!

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but they had no fence, and so we discovered the old part

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oh okay this was the entrance - this old part is now a ghost theme park!

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but the entrance plaza looks really weird?

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Yes, this is the entrance!

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did we found the Honey Lake Amusement Park?

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before we found the Honey Lake, we discovered this fair - but it wasn`t open yet.

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Okay, I`m ending my third update today with some random Hongkong photos.

 

Part 3: Hongkong

 

Part 3.1: Random Pictures

 

First we visited a shopping mall for riding a strange coaster on the 9th floor of this shopping mall - but it was closed.

 

Second we discovered a big fair in downtown Hongkong, with 4 coaster and a lot of flat rides. The strangest thing: they all came from germany, and nearly all the ride operators were european guys.

You just pay one price and get a wristband for free rides and 30 coins for all the games.

 

Last thing to say about Hongkong:

This city is so unbelievable great! It has nothing special at all, but the view from the peak or the shopping experience are absolutely phenomenal.

 

In our last two updates you`ll get Hongkongs two theme parks Disneyland & the beautiful Ocean Park and further on Bangkok´s Dream World & Siam Park City.

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but what we liked the most in Hongkong: shopping until midnight (this picture was taking at 11.30 pm!)

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but this fair has the greatest location ever!

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this one looks really good - but was rough as hell!

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all the rides came directly from germany with european ride operator - strange...

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and if you choose the right time a classy fair

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but also you get a closed coaster on the 9th floor (!) of a shopping mall

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and the best skyscraper landscaping worldwide

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delicious food (okay not from this food stall)

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built with bamboo

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here you`ll get architecture

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Welcome to Hongkong - the Asian place to be!

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wow that park with the water park in the middle is absolutely stunning, it looks really overgrown but in a really attractive way with all the ivy and things, i really wish i could go

 

from the random hongkong pictures i remember when i went to nepal all the scaffolding was bamboo, very strong, and the sizes you get are unbelievable. also fantastic photo of the skyline across the water thats amazing!

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Hello again and sorry for the daily updates, but it takes so much time for every update - but this is the second last.

 

Part 3: Parks of Hongkong

 

Part 3.2 Disneyland Hongkong

 

Okay, I`m a huge fan of any Disney park worldwide, but I didn`t fell in love with the Hongkong Resort.

 

First, it has a strange scenery with all the mountains in the back, but you can get used to it.

Second I hate to say it, but this Disneyland is way to small. A lot of our beloved attractions are missing, like the Pirates, it`s a small world, Peter Pan, big thunder mountain, splash mountain, haunted mansion.

It only has three lands (tomorrowland, fantasyland, adventureland) and not much to do in every land.

But even worser is that I always had the impression that every land has not enough theming and it looked a little bit cheap. It looked like one of those cheap fake shirts or watches - at the first view they look real, but if you look longer you can see the cheaper details.

 

Don´t get me wrong - every Disneypark can be better than a cheap no name theme park, but I think Disney saved to much money (I think they were to frightened after DCA or the big minus in Paris).

 

The only real good things are the great Jungle Cruise and the nice musical show. Also the Stitch Encounter was quiet nice to experience.

 

I hope they fasten up with their future expansion plans (small world 2008, pirates 2009?) and I hope they will add something more unique.

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you see, even the worst disneyland offers more fun than some of the other theme parks can do!

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we even had so much time to do a lot of character photo shooting...

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no way! we had a fun day

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but if you think our day at disney sucked...

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here are some parade photos for all the parade lovers...

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and the best jungle cruise worldwide with water and fire effects

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but the other attractions are really good, like the wonderful "tarzan treehouse on tarzan island", the festival of the lion king show...

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no joke - this is one of the listed attractions called "Liki Tikis"

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last land is Adventureland - but if you are waiting for a lot of attractions I´ve to disapoint you!

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sorry to say, but so much themed houses are missing - and so many beloved rides :-(((

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fantasyland is really sad, it only features: the californian pooh ride, PhilharMagic, a nice Musical show called "the golden mickeys" plus dumbo, the tea cups and the caroussel!!!

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tomorrowland has the most attractions: Buzz, Autopia, Space mountain, Stitch Encounter, Orbitron

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only three lands are in this park, the small Fantasyland, adventureland and tomorrowland

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the whole park is themed like every disney park, but I always didn`t feel like I`m in a "real" Disney park

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the mountains in the back are shrinking this castle to a toyland castle

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with the strangest of all sceneries

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Welcome to the smallest of all Disneylands

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Now it`s time for the last chinese park, before we`re heading to Thailand.

 

Part 3: Parks of Hongkong

 

Part 3.3: Ocean Park Hongkong

 

This park was our biggest surprise of the whole trip.

 

Ocean Park celebrates his 30th birthday and is now in the middle of a big, big rebuilding plan which will cost 700 million US $, so this is more expensive than most of the themeparks in the world had cost.

 

But I`ll begin with the themepark in the year 2007, which is already so beautiful.

There`s a lowland part with the main entrance gate, a kiddie area and a sea lion show. Then you can take the amazing cable car to get to the highland section of the park, where all the main rides are located and most of the shows and aquariums.

A third section of the park is located some way down again from the mountain peak, so it`s kind of a second lowland part. But you don´t have to remember all the details because the park is changing everything and will be finished sometimes between 2010 and 2012.

 

The two coaster are not the greatest coaster at all, but both are so special for their lookout that I deeply loved them (especially the mine train from Zamperla).

 

So what else to say?

This park is now some kind of small Sea World with one of the most beautiful sceneries in the world.

After the 700 million rehab it will def. become one of the most attractive parks in the world and a must-see for any coaster fan!

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look carefully at this picture and don`t ask again! Ocean Park is so great, and after the rehab it`ll become one of the major themepark hotspots!

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and maybe one of the best mine coasters in the world...why?

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the second coaster at the ocean park is this Zamperla mine coaster...

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everywhere in asia you`ll get squid, I hate squid!

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this great aquarium features thousand of jelly fishes.

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Pacific Pier features sea lions

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a lot of walking because of the mountain setting

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this is the big dolphin show, after the rehab they`ll bring some more shows

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this is the upcoming new coaster, built in the mountains (hey even rcdb.com didn`t list this one yet!)

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but you can relax and take an eye to this great scenic spot

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it`s not one of the better coasters...

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and of course you`ve spotted one of the two coasters: this is the Arrow Looping coaster

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this is the wonderful mountain part, with most of the rides, aquariums and show stadiums

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the cable car goes straight to the top with wonderful lookouts on the way to the peak

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but this year the lowland part is not that attractive and so you can take the cable car to reach the highland part

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this is the small lowland part with the main gate, but this part will become bigger after the 700 million us$ rehab!

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Welcome to one of the most beautiful parks in the world

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This TR is awesome. I must say, Hong Kong Disneyland just doesn't get it done for me. I know it hasn't been around long, but it just seems to be lacking so much. I feel immersed in another world at WDW, but HKD just seems to have a lot of open spaces.

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