the great escape!

for my friend's 30th birthday, we decided to do something a bit special, a bit different. after evaluating our options, we decided that an amusement park would be the best thing (what with water slides and all). we were all set on going to adventure world, WA's answer to wonderland, only significantly more ghetto, read: permanent carnival like the one that used to be in front of woolco (as far as i know anyhow)

alas, adventure world was closed that tuesday. first time this year. but because all the little kiddies who normally frequent this type of place went back to school, they only opened on weekends - thurs through sunday- (i myself was interested to know how thurs and friday had officially become "the weekend" but i digress). so the next best thing in this area is the great escape. it's north of the city, adjacent to AQWA (see previous blog). it claims to be the most fun you can have in WA and perth's greatest amusement park. i would disagree. on the plus side, there were water slides.

the 4 of us arrived at the great escape mid afternoon on a hot, hot tuesday, slathered in sunblock and ready to go. we had our pick of 3, yes 3!, water slides (there are actually 4, but 2 are the same).

option 1- the tube slide- sitting on an inner tube, careening down a water slide in total darkness until you plunge into a pool at the end of it, singlehandedly throwing you off the tube and backwards so you swallowed a bit of water. this one was our favourite.

option 2- speed demons- two slides intertwined upon each other that go very quickly (hands behind head only), splashing just enough water in your face so you can't see when you are about to drop 5 meters straight down into a pool. simultaneous causing you to swallow a litre of water (can you call it swallowing if it's up your nose?) and jamming your bikini bottom into places never before seen. least favourite. though to be honest, we did this one at least twice whilst racing each other down.

option 3- the normal slide- a twisty turny type of water slide where you can sit up or lie down (for more speed, of course). not fast enough to choke you on spray but not slow enough to be boring. drops you into a large pool of water 1.4 m deep. if you're sitting, you'll skim the surface of the pool. if you're lying, you plunge. also a lot of fun. the tube wins because it was done in total darkness and was worth a good shouting all the way down!

after we realized that we were getting tired (65 steps up each time) we decided to venture over to wacky putt. we only chose this because all of the other "great" activities are for kids. tea cups, bumper cars, etc. having been to wacky putt before, i was pleased with the choice because if nothing else, we would get a good giggle. alas, 'twas not so. this wacky putt may have been fab when it opened (which i doubt) but looks like it hasn't been maintained in years. the holes were pathetic, at best. the wackiness was dreary. mostly when you got the ball in the hole, some lame song came on (little miss muffet sat on a tuffet eating her curds and whey for example). twice we got "sprayed" with water, but they were so obviously placed that you could avoid them if you chose to, and one was so dirty it didn't spray the water properly. thankfully with friends, you make the most of it and laugh at how bad things are. and even better, i didn't lose...

after a truly thrilling game, we decided that the water slides were worthy of another round. we bounced back up the steps for another 45 mins of mayhem before calling it a day. 3 of us had frisbee training later and were already aware of how tired we were. what is it about chlorine and sun that kills a person (oh, and 65 steps up each time...)

i may make it back to the great escape, not for the wonderful slides or thrilling wacky putt, but because there is a climbing / high ropes course that looks rather entertaining...
xo