Holy Powerpuff Girls! The theme park enthusiast in me was doing cartwheels in my head even though I couldn’t physically do one. That’s how I felt when I found out about the existence of the world’s first Cartoon Network water park located in Pattaya, Thailand!
Words & Photography: Danny Lau
Pouring on the sugar, spice and everything nice, the wonderful people at Cartoon Network Amazone invited me to the park and how could I refuse?
First impression: it’s colourful! And for the young and the young-at-heart (like me), you’ll definitely fit in. I was there on a weekday, but the sounds of laughter and screaming from the guests just makes one thing certain – I’m going to have a great time here. So you can imagine how it would be like during weekends and holidays.
The first thing that caught my attention was Cartoonival, an aqua-play area with over 150 water features that include slides, fountains, buckets and tubes.
Children will have a hard time choosing between which rides to go on at Cartoonival, with its iconic Cartoon Network characters
Next, I make my way to The Omniverse Zone, the section I’ve been itching to try since I got here. The adrenaline junkie in me couldn’t wait anymore. The reason? It is home to six of the fastest, steepest water coasters in the world! And of course with the giant Ben 10 Omnitrix, this zone is hard to miss whether you’re outside or inside the park.
Wonder what’s it like to be inside a washing machine? Now, here’s your chance.
My lungs were a bit tired from all the screaming and I decided to take it easy from here on out. My next destination in the water theme park was Megawave. Here the pool is capable of simulating perfect ocean waves.
Like colourful cereal swirling in a bowl of milk, take a tube and relax in the pool’s waves
Ready for more adventure? How about going on the Riptide Rapids, a 335-metre river that runs through The Omniverse and Adventure Zone? If you manage to stay there long enough you’ll get a surprise at the bridge where the Ice King is waiting for you, with a blast of freezing cold water!
The best time to experience Riptide Rapids? On a sunny day of course!
After a couple of hours in the water, my tummy started to grumble and that brought me to Foodville. Here, there are local and international dishes such as Samurai Jack’s teppanyaki and Lady Rainicorn’s Korean BBQ. I settled on a nice hearty sandwich and washed it down with an orange slush that was both cooling and refreshing.
Dexter’s Ice Cream Lab concocts a wide variety of ice cream flavours to choose from!
As dessert is one of life’s priorities, I decided to pop over to Dexter’s Ice Cream Lab to satisfy my sweet tooth. But my time at Cartoon Network Amazone is not over yet! Now, to the Adventure Zone where there’s plenty of opportunity for fun and screams on Jake Jump, Rainfall Rainicorn and Banana Spin.
Let’s see how high you can go
The final attraction I’m going to try before ending my day here at Cartoon Network Amazone is the Surfarena. Here’s where you can channel the inner surfer in you and test your skills or get washed out before you can achieve surfing glory. I think I need help in the balancing department because I keep falling off the surfboard and with it my cool factor.
You can choose to stand or lie flat on your belly–just make sure you look cool doing it
Every time I enter a theme park, the adult that is me just disappears and out comes the little kid. So if you see a grown man running around theme parks with a gleeful smile on his face, join him and bring out the inner child in you. A successful theme park is a place where you can have tons of fun and forget about everything else. And that is exactly what Cartoon Network Amazone achieves here. cartoonnetworkamazone.com
More gadget review in www.38today.com.
