Nrthwnd

Well, here I go with it. I spent 23 days touring China recently, with a small TPR group. It was The Longest TPR Tour I had/have ever done, to date. It was The Tour With The Most Group Meals - Ever. It was The Tour With the most Sad-And-Pathetic Credits, tsk. It was - a very amazing tour, very intense at times, and always always challenging, whether it be the tour itself, the weather... ...or China. So - I have done something different with this TR, and recorded it on both of the cameras now/still in my life: my old dependable (still) Pentax that still photogs with f-i-l-m in it. And my newly aquired Canon PowerShot. I hope you enjoy the mix of the two - and next year's tour I plan to be going Full Digital, ok? And out there, somewhere, I know that Jeff Johnson is smiling. But first - a final Western-style breakfast. Eaten at one of Canada's finest and newest airports....YVR! I am going to miss a plateful of breakfast, like this one, before flying to Beijing. Or will I? Stay tuned...

Uh... Greenland Underground Exploration*** at Windows on the World in China!!! *** NOT, in this lifetime, lol. The entrance and coaster trains (like Viking boats) looked very cool. But once it got going inside, it was all darkness, "some" sound, and just an awful, boring ride.

Yum. Rainbow trout BBQd tonight. De-boned and head off, too. (I like it that way. Mmmm.)

The Knight Valley coaster was awesome! The rest of the park? Well, it was a workout, to say the least. Unfortunately, their cable skyride system was closed for maintenance, and only some 'up' escalators (as well as a few 'down') were running, so there was a good deal of walking and climbing to be done thru this (what I call) "Levelled Park", lol. Add to that a few e-ticket type attractions were down as well (Centre of Earth and Flume?), so that bummed me out, if only for a few min. But we got some great views at the top, and found another Pizza Hut in the "village" to lunch our worked-out muscles away, lol. And another fave - Starbucks! I was in Franchise Heaven that day. I would go back for this coaster. It traversed the mountain awesomely, with a couple of airtime surprises, and wicked turns in it, as well. And I would also hope everything else in the park is up and running for my first time ride, etc. (Here's hoping....for 2016, lol)

I have film photos back - now to combine with digital for trip report. Head kinda hurts at doing this, but not a rant!

"Reporter into a melting Hing..." I love translations!

Wow, this is all very very cool. Thanks for getting the vid and sharing it and all the pix you took there, Robb! I can't wait to see this all in person....some year, lol.

Thanks Elissa. (Hi JC! How you been? China was intense!) *I was planning to do _____ with my partner...FYI... *

Yikes! Nope. Don't need that credit.

I am so there.

Japan. Easy choice. Crazy culture, serene atmosphere. Bullet trains, and of course, Tokyo Disney! I mean - THIS is what greets you at Tokyo Disney Sea! Mt. Prometheus!

After two past visits to Europa, I still cannot get over how they pack so much into the space they have, and still have a good amount of room for themeing, nice places to eat (raclette, YUM!) and relax, etc. Must - go - back - eventually.

^^ IMhO... One of the most f-ed up coasters on the tour - and most enjoyable! I actually wanted to ride it a couple of more times, if I could have. And it looked great when it's night-lighting came on, in the early evening, before we left the park. And most of the locals stayed away from it, LOL!

^ You won't regret going there. (And all the crazy awesomeness that is Japan, too.)

Just found out on the radio... HAPPY TACO DAY! or better yet... HAPPY VODKA DAY! woo hoo!!!

Am glad they are finally figuring out what to do with that (sort of) SBNO old Norse History attraction. And I am glad I got to see Vikingtoktet back in 2006, when TPR did an add-on of this park and Liseberg on the original UK Tour. It was fun, with the wierd "4D" effects (tilting seating platform, waterpsray) and all, lol.

^ The musical has/had already been created, and has done out-of-town try-outs in a couple of other major US cities, I believe. Chicago? Los Angeles? Cross-country tour, to be (sort of) precise, heh heh. Not too sure, but "the word I heard" was that this one is possibly looking to be the next "Elf," "White Christmas" or "The Grinch," which now sometimes pop up from winter to winter for the Broadway Holiday Season. Hey, the more the Merrier, hmm? And it's A Christmas Story OMG!

Damn, we did a LOT of walking that day, hmm? Between The Wall, The Square and The City... Whew! And jade and silk "factories" tours too, yes? No wonder we were starving for some ....uh....home cookin' (i.e. Pizza Hut), lol. Thanks for helping me (& others) remember all the order of it all, Chuck. Che che (sp?).

And the stuff on the stick was awesome, too!

^^ Damn, that list looks a-ma-ZING so far, Larry! Makes me think/dream of The Ultimate TPR Tour - going to every single one of those new openings, ha ha. And by that time - Kidtums will have taken over the business from Mom & Dadd.

^ DIBS! (ACTUALLY - I was thinking that THIS TITLE might be a "Good Title" for somebody's upcoming ZOMBIE MOVIE being made right now - and we have already been told a bit about it, when we were on tour, too.....The title can still be....uh... adjusted?)

Hmmm. I just made an intersting order on Amazon.com of 3 musicals being issued, end of the month. Interesting of note (to me, anyway) is the order they can be placed: Past - Present - Future Can't wait to get ALL of them, lol! PAST - and it's a re-issue of... (finally!) Might be to do with the first-ever revival (Chita Rivera - Stephanie J.Block) coming up, too. PRESENT - Still going strong (so I hear) with great Gershwin songs/score. FUTURE - omgomgomg -

Actually, and for myself I must admit, that spinning coaster proved to be one of The Best I had ridden, thru the tour. Of course "apparently" I was one of the lucky ones who actually got several turns on the thing without really trying, lol! Would have ridden it again, if we weren't pressed for "credit whoring time" that day. ^ And Bob? Several of us were wishing (after riding it) that there were at least one or two of these at US/Canada parks, etc. It was a very unique spinner, we all admitted.

The number of times we rode on the High-Five, it was apparent the ops weren't used to dispatching both trains at the same time. And it was just only a few of times (really!) that both trains actually 'hit their mark' and everybody was....opposite to everybody else, lol. The other times, one train was usually too far ahead of the other and only a few got lucky in their try at the High-5s. Still, they were great racing coasters and would be even more awesome if management would let them dispatch both trains, that way.

^ Wow, no ordered use of seatbelts of over-the-shoulder restraints??? We'd never get away with this thing in North America, unless "all of the above" were installed for "the public's safety" (Unless of course, there IS one one these things already here, somewhere in NA...) My thoughts and healing words go out to the woman's family and close friends.