add to the “BEST in the world”
A bit of sarcasm in my original post? Maybe …
Statistically (in terms of attendance), Everland is one of the world’s most successful theme parks. I don’t know why. The park has a nice setting in between forest-covered mountains and contains all the standard theme park features like roller coasters, water rides, themed villages, flower shows and animals, but there’s nothing truly distinctive about it. My personal highlight was a safari bus tour through lion and bear territory. All major rides were closed. The “Eagle’s Fortress” is “the best suspended and the best terrain coaster on the planet!” The “Rolling X Train” is “the best double-loop, double corkscrew ride that ends in an upward helix!” The “T-Express” may not be the BEST, but it is the 6th longest wooden coaster in the world.
ALL of them, however, are CLOSED for “safety reasons” ~ have been closed for quite some time, may remain closed, as people have actually DIED on these rides.
The most bizarre thing was the “Carnival” parade. I suspect it is loosely based on “Brazilian Carnaval”, but there are too many elements that just don’t quite fit ~ the narration was in English (not in Portuguese, not in Korean ~ for the benefit of the .05% attendees that speak English?) ; Roman Catholicism is not a recognized religion in SK, so Carnaval is probably not something that most Koreans are familiar with ~ and it actually takes place in February (not May) ; the costumes were remarkably revealing and the performances quite flamboyant, particularly for an audience of children. When I asked my Korean co-teacher why all the male dancers were Caucasian, she replied without any hesitation that it would not be acceptable for a Korean male to perform in such a “gay manner” (her words, not mine). Anyway, while I thought the parade was ridiculously offensive, the crowds just loved it …
Perhaps the most disappointing moment was when I realized that, even though this may have been the one day this year that the students are exposed to real “Western junk food” (real meat hamburgers and french fries and milk shakes), we were all given meal tickets to a traditional Korean restaurant. Despite my assertion that I could afford the $5 to eat a Western meal, I was obligated to join the rest of the gang for some sort of seafood soup and rice combo … bummer. BUMMER.
Anyway ~ that was my day at Everland. Definitely not the “BEST in the world.”
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Nancy