Thanks, Happy Valley! My first (and hopefully last) taste of amusement park misery.

Bonnie Beatty

Here’s a translation of the review about Shanghai Happy Valley with additional contextual explanation to make it clear for foreign readers:

At Shanghai Happy Valley (a major theme park), I felt the amusement rides were somewhat unsafe! Especially roller coasters! After trying some of them, my whole body was hurting by the following day!

Now let me share my honest perceptions:

Roller Coasters:
- Except for the one I did not dare to try (sounds like "Top of the Peak" or something like that which sounds very intense), all the roller coasters I rode only have a safety bar across your waist, none secure your shoulders. The upper body felt swaying with nothing to hold you in place.
- Mine Adventure (a thrilling ride):
  - Caution! No warm-up was given before we started the ride. This resulted in my friend and me getting our necks jerked by the first large turn, which really hurt!
    - Tip: Get yourself warmed up before starting this ride.
- Blue Moon Coaster (a super-speedy roller coaster):
  - There’s also just the waist safety bar on this ride despite giving a pre-warm-up. The seat backs continually hit my back with the high speed. It hurt so much two days after trying it.
    - Tip: Try to press your back against the seat, or carefully consider if you want to play.
- Wooden Dragon Coaster (a classic wooden roller coaster):
  - Be careful! This one felt somewhat unsafe as well. Sometimes it truly felt like I was going to fly out. The back hits me continually again!
    - Tip: Grab and hold!
️ Others:
- Journey to 30°N Latitude (a thrilling ride):
  - Not thrilling enough. Rather unexciting.
- Pirate Ship (a thrilling ride):
  - Very loose safety bar, only strapped around your waist again. I was scared I would slip if sitting at the back. Swayed quite a lot there too!
    - Tip: If you're up for an extra thrill and feel okay with the loose safety bar, try this ride as sitting at the back; otherwise, sit safely in the middle.

Let me now share my more candid impressions!

There are many thrilling rides, but it felt like they focused more on being thrilling than fun.
The Log Flume (a water ride where boats slid down from high above) was quite fun. However, after landing at the bottom, I was sprayed with water by people on the shore using water guns🥹 Nothing can prevent you from getting drenched, even wearing raincoat! It was only 10 Celsius (about 50°F) that day, so I felt really cold!
- Warning: Paid-for water gun play are required for people wanting to participate: it costs $2 every time. Too much money for too little.
  - Tip: Either join in by paying as well, or prepare yourself for being drenched and being cold.
A lot more rides felt like being shackled to a 'torture device'. I kept yelling internally: is there a "safe-word" to let me out? Or just say anything to let me down!

#Roller Coaster #Theme Park #Shanghai Happy Valley #Shanghai Amusement Park #Happy Valley Survival Guide #Amusement Parks #Avoiding Disasters