One Crazy Ride, One Day of Adventure Before Summer Says Adieu

Before the kids went back to school, before the weather decided to turn against us, before the credit crunch literally crunches all our hopes at ever going to some sort of a family day-out, and before our Tesco vouchers for free entry to Chessington World of Adventure expire, we actually went there!

Not really about the vouchers expiring because we just received them the other weekend so they are as fresh and as piping hot as can be.

Again, this post is a tad late – HotMomma’s trademark late reaction at work, I suppose. We went there on the the second to the last day of August, some five days ago, so this is a bit of history, people. But this definitely is one worth posting because that day, we had fun as a family and I actually did ride in something found in an amusement park that moves faster than a kiddie carousel.

A kind Oriental-looking man offered to take this family photo

That was the last major outing we had for the summer. It’s not much but it was something big for us already because we have never been there. It’s a big amusement ground and we actually did not have enough time to cover everything. Like Legoland, it’s a place one has to go back to again and again and again (which we might do if our budget allows).

Well, had it not been for the unfortunate mistake of my hubby turning off my alarm early in the morning, we could have had more time in Chessington. As it turned out, I got out of bed an hour late. I needed time to prepare breakfast, pack the food for the picnic and do my other morning rituals so we left an hour later than our target departure.

But that’s not all. Just a few kilometers from our destination, we were stuck in traffic all the way to the gates. There was a minor road work going on in the area but the heavy volume of traffic going in that direction worsened the problem. So, one lesson learned there is to start on early in the day to have more time to enjoy the adventure.

Our satellite navigation system indicates just 3.4 km from the place
but we spent a good 20 minutes crawling all the way to the gates

It was almost like a “kiss my a**” kind of arrangement on the road, really

We had one slightly impatient but totally excited driver on the wheel

We arrived at noon! Naturally, the first thing to do was to feed the boys. As I was rummaging through our lunch, one lady walked by with an envious look in her eyes saying: “That’s a good idea, I never thought of that.” She didn’t bring anything for her kids and the eating areas were crowded and queues were long.

Elijah wanted to show he’s enjoying his hotdog sandwich

From there, it was all fun already. What I enjoyed the most was seeing my boys having a great time with the rides, the animals that they saw, and just being together as a family.

So, in keeping with that “family” thing, I decided to join the boys in this Black Buccaneer ride which is actually a big boat that they decided to make into a swing. If you must know, I don’t have a single thrill-seeking gene in my system. I hate these rides, I don’t need them and they all can go extinct and I won’t care. But since it’s a family thing, and in keeping with my three boys’ enthusiastic spirits, I also agreed to try it.

That boat behind Jonathan, that goes so high it almost stands on its end -
deceptively unexciting but absolutely terrifying

My hubby had time to take this photo
while his wife was busting her windpipe and vocal chords to pieces

It proved to be disastrous for me and my little boy but totally thrilling and entertaining for my other two boys. I did not stop screaming all through the whole ride which I reckoned lasted for two eternities. Look at the fear on my young boy’s face! I was not smiling there. That’s how I look like when I want to kill someone – the operator to be precise.

Well, there were other more thrilling rides but no, thanks. I went instead with my Elijah to… where else, the Carousel!

We enjoyed and were beside ourselves with excitement because this was the right ride for us. It was not terrifying and definitely not vocal cords-busting. Elijah got to smile again and his confidence went soaring high – and so did mine.

So, anyway, the main attraction for us was the Sea Life Center. We saw a lot of marine animals – rays and sharks and anemones and others I could not begin to describe. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos. The Mini-zoo and the Sea Lion Show were also very interesting.

Except for that dizzying and horrifying ride, it was a magnificent day for all of us. I was secretly thankful we had no time for my hubby and my older boy to ride in this gigantic monster called Dragon’s Fury that takes its riders to hell and back. I thought it was crazy.

But they managed to get into this Vampire something ride where they got securely strapped to their seats which in turn were hanging from this conveyor belt sort of thing and then they went flying through a long ride of sudden twists and turns, dips and climbs. Jonathan described it as like being a rag doll mercilessly thrown to every direction.

And the three of them also rode this boat that drops into a very high waterfall without any seatbelt! It was scary watching my family take that drop.

We didn’t win any stuffed toys (because we did not try to) but my hubby took a photo of this one and gave it to me as his message for me for that day:

So summer is finally over for us and the kids have gone back to school. Our home will go back to its normal state of tidiness, my routine to its normally comforting pace and my life to its simple joys of morning school rounds and crazy weekend bondings.

Til next post, guys!

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