Theme Park Fever

There are a number of themed parks in the Gold Coast, but i went to only 3: Sea World, Movieworld and Wet n Wild Waterworld (because there are discounted prices if you buy the tickets together). I took the Fun Pass: visit 3 parks over 5 days. Price? $149 for adults, which is cheaper than buying individual tickets for all 3 parks.

2nd day-Seaworld

Unfortunately, on the day we went to Seaworld it was raining heavily.

But of course, it was the 1st outing, so a teeny bit of rain won't dampen our high spirits :)

Seaworld showcases, well, sealife, but if i was to compare, the aquarium at Aquaria KLCC provides a larger variety of marine life. Seaworld has two aquarium exhibits: a small one for reef fishes, and a HUGE tank for open ocean animals.

The author, staring out into the open ocean

But it's the shows that set Seaworld apart from other ocean theme parks. There are 2 main wildlife shows: a sealion show and a dolphin show.

This is part of the dolphin show. Believe it or not, that guy is actually riding on two dolphins. Simply breathtaking. :) And the shows aren't just about the animals and the tricks that they can do. They emphasize on the message of conservation, which is what wildlife parks are supposed to do.

And that's not all. There's a super-cool waterskiing show and a Sesame Street stage show (obviously intended for little kids). But i somehow found myself enjoying the show by familiar Sesame Street characters. I grew up watching Sesame Street, and it was exhilirating to find that i remembered every single one of them. Ahhh..wish i was a kid again.

If watching fishes, sharks and sea mammals (or watching kiddie shows) aren't for you, Seaworld also has some thrill rides. The one i like best is the Bermuda Triangle, where you ride in a 12-man boat and supposedly unlock the secret of the bermuda triangle. With state-of-the-art special effects, its not so adrenaline-pumping, but it sure is thrilling :)

My brother and i wanted to take a ride on the corkscrew roller coaster, but unfortunately the theme park closes fairly early, at 5 pm. (it opens late, at 10 am) That is about the only downside to all theme parks in the gold coast. My advice? Come as early as possible, if possible as soon as the park opens. Believe me, you'll be hard-pushed to find time to see all the shows and experience all the rides at the same time.

P/s: amazingly, even though this is a country governed by non-muslims there are halal food outlets and even a surau, complete with praying mats. Thats one good thing about westerners. They are sensitive to other religions' needs.