Phideaux

SFFT is weird I have been during the week and all the rides are walk-on and I have been during the week and it is crowded. I have asked the ride operators about it and they would always say "It was not crowded at all yesterday". With the new ride it might be worth the extra purchase to skip lines. For Chicken Fried Steak I have not found many places that make it better than homemade. In Waco (on your way to San Antonio) there is a place called "George's" and I like their chicken friend steak. Plus you can order a Big 'O' (it is a big glass of beer). The riverwalk is a must in San Antonio and just go look at the Alamo. I usually visit Mi Tierra for food and they have a Mexican bakery there. Mi Tierra is in the Market Square and after we dine we usually walk around the market area and do some shopping. Hope it helps and hope you do not melt while visiting.

A few weeks ago my wife and I went to Sea World to process my complimentary fun card. Sea World San Anotnio has complimentary fun cards for all teachers teacher that have a valid certificate and are currently employed. We took our oldest son along with us for his first roller coaster. The weather was great and we enjoyed all the shows and my son loved the ferris wheel and the carousel. We did not get to see much of Aquatica (it was closed). My only complaint is the park closed too early. We had a good time and wished we could have spent more time. I thought I would sahre my son's first roller coaster experience with everyone. Enjoy. Getting ready to go. He was more interested in trying to read the sign than looking at the camera. First of two laps.

Heck Yeah Bike Mike. (I am at school I do not think I can type Hell)

Seems to be all the rage in Australia. Whatever floats yout boat or plank.

Thanks for the report. I still owe my wife a trip to Hawaii and Maui is one of the islands I want to visit. Did you get a chance to go to any Luaus? I really enjoyed the Paradise Cove Luau on Oahu. Thanks again.

I wish I was able to stay and enjoy the night ERT. Maybe next time. Even though I only was there for the morning ERT, it was worth it.

Just came across this and thought I would share. Roller Coaster Bed!

I live in Austin and I used to live in Houston. US Highway 290 also runs through Fayette and is heavily travelled. Anything between 290 and I-10 would be a great location. Most people travelling to Houston from Austin take 290. La Grange, a ZZ-Top song, is also the only stop during the annual MS 150 (a bike ride from Houston to Austin supporting MS). In case you wanted to know a little more about the area.

Wildebeest looks like a lot of fun. Camera took good pictures. Someday I need to get a DSLR camera. I am torn between saving for a new HD video camera or a DSLR.

^I felt pretty safe everywhere. We went to a market and it was really crowded and I was warned about pick-pockets and if you have jewelry that might take it but my wife and her sister carried all the money. We even went around certain areas of Ho Chi Minh around midnight but my wife's friend that was with us was a police officer so I felt pretty safe. ^^I do not really remember exactly how they portrayed the history of man. They did start with dinosaurs and cavemen hunting and then battling with each other and then it seemed to skip modern man and go into the future but it was really sketchy. I saw the sign for the crocs but we did not go over there. I believe Shawn's (Packfanlv) report did experience the crocs at Dam Sen.

After suffering in the heat and humidity of Ho Chi Minh we drove to the city of Da Lat in the Mountains. The weather was around 70 degrees and it felt very nice. During our visit in the mountains we found a place called Valley of Love. It is hard to describe Valley of love. It is not an amusement park but a place for people to go and see gardens, view a lake from the top of the mountain, paddleboat around the lake, take pictures of statues, swing on a bench swing, and ride some rides. You could say it is romantic with a few kiddie rides and a coaster. The coaster was small and they let you go around two times which makes the second time really interesting. I really felt like I was going to fall out. They had a whole section of the coin operated rides that you find outside a grocery store and a place to shoot a bow and arrow. The hill tribes of this region reminded me a lot of the Native Americans with the clothing and feathers. Many of the attractions in the area were very pretty and very scenic as there are many lakes and waterfalls in the region. On our way home we stopped at another attraction in Da Lat that had an alpine coaster that took you down to a waterfall so you could walk around and then you rode it back to the top of the mountain. I really enjoyed my trip to Vietnam and would recommend others to visit. Like most things, Vietnam is not for everyone and a laid back approach is the way to go. If you decide to go knowing some locals really help. I would love to go back and if you want a tour guide I can try to convince my wife into going again and please feel free to contact me about anything. I really enjoyed my trip to Vietnam and I hope to return. Here are the pictures from Valley of Love and the alpine coaster. Valley of Love The credit, I was really surprised to see this. I barely fit, and I was scared. The second time around I felt like I was about to fall out. The wheels speed up the coaster before the turn. Worm train thing, with a small hill. The small hill Poster for the alpine coaster, I did not get a good picture of it so here is a poster. Looking back up the mountain at the alpine coaster. It is in there somewhere. Alpine coaster in action. Alpine coaster's lift. Best way to get back to the top. Random game found at a mall in Ho Chi Minh. You get to keep the goldfish if you ctach it! Wow

The SkyRide was pretty cool, I kind of wished we rode it during the day. At night it was cool to look down on the city and back at Vinpearl.

Vinpearl was a really neat place to visit. When our boat taxi docked at Vinpearl we had to choose a package and pay to enter. I am not sure of the cost but we were able to do everything. Vinpearl had a water park, amusement park, an aquarium (pretty nice), and a laser water fountain show thing at night. We went to the aquarium first and then to the water park. The water park was quite fun with a lot of rides and you can even swim in the ocean. The amusement park was really nice with a good collection of rides and attractions. The roller coaster was very good and we must have rode it 20 times. Unlike the other parks you can ride as much as you want. If I ever get to go back to Veitnam I am going to make sure we got back to Vinpearl. Here are the pictures from Vinpearl. From our boat as we arrive. Entrance to the waterpark. Rainbow slides provided some good airtime. This thing hurt, but it was fun. Condor ride thing. On the compact coaster. Coaster doing its thing. Coaster sign rules! Another view of the coaster Carousel Mouse bumper car and a cow right behind. Screaming game, it was set to free play I could not talk after playing. Screaming game. My wife won, I am soo proud. Toddler area with a Disney theme. Crazy bike ride thing. I wanted to try this but it was not open at the time. Dumbo, I mean elephant ride. I wish I had a better picture of this ride. This is how we got home after our visit. I think it is a law to take a picture of this ride at night. Last view of Vinpearl.

From Ho Chi Minh we drove approximately 220 miles to Nha trang in a little over 10 hours. The speed limit was around 30 miles and hour for most of the way. You can fly from Ho Chi Minh for less than $100 and if I knew that I would have asked to fly back to Ho Chi Minh after our visit. The beach area was very pretty and there was a lot of things to do in Nha Trang like visit the hot springs, SCUBA, snorkeling, parasailing, banana boat, jet skis, fishing, Vinpearl resort, and we even found a small park right on the main street next to the beach. Nha Trang was a big higlight of the trip. We took a Taxi boat thing to get to Vinpearl and along the way we stopped for lunch. You literally pick what you want to eat right out of the ocean and they cook it for you. Phu Dong park is really small and is mainly for kids but it does have a credit and since Vinpearl is across the bay it is worth stopping for a visit. The coaster is small but they let you go around three times. Here are the pics from Phu Dong. Before the trip we went shopping for snacks. Hmmm, edible roller coaster steak flavored. Entrance to Phu Dong Park The credit! We rode the coaster at night so I went back during the day to get some pictures. The rider was not open at 8 am. Helix of doom or something. Ferris Wheel Children's ball pit, they have big balls in there. The 3D Phim, I wish we watched it.

Next park was Dam Sen. You can check out Packfanlv's report for more pictures and information. This park featured a waterpark but we did not have time to visit . We took all of our nephews and nieces to this park and we had a really good time. The coaster was better than the coaster at Dai Nam and the park was larger than Dai Nam with more things to do. They have a laser water fountain show thing but we were hungry and left to eat at Kentucky fried chicken (the kids love KFC, it is a real treat for them). They had some real interesting gardens and statues throughout the park. There was a couple getting married at the banquet hall at the park and another couple taking wedding pictures around park (near the gardens and statues, not near the rides). There were some monkeys, birds, snakes, alligators, and a cactus garden. The park featured a good collection of flat rides as well. One of the attractions was an indoor ice sculpture attraction thing. It felt nice to go inside for a while. Like every park they did have some subtle Disney references. On to the pictures. Be aware the first picture was found on the way to the park. I was hoping that was a menu. Waterpark as seen from the outside. magic carpet ride Monorail. Everytime I see one I think of the Monorail song from the Simpsons. Not so magic carpet slide thing. 101 Dalmatians or 14 random dog-like creatures with spots. Four dwarfs and one eating boogers and one hiding in the bushes. Sign for roller coaster Roller coaster through the loop. Roller coaster from across the lake Snake area Kiddie bumper cars Vietnam Memorial statue found in the park. Notice the cigarettes. Entrane to the Ice palace thing (Ice latern). Flume ride thing. Spinning coaster sign Spinning coaster. Did not spin as much as the one at Dai Nam Giant Ferris Wheel

^^ Suoi Tein was pretty heavily themed and the rides seemed like they were just placed there but I felt all the parks were very nice and there were many photogenic places (if that made any sense). I could have walked around Suoi Tien all day taking pictures.

The 360 degree picture is really cool. Good Job Will

A few days later one of my wife's friends took us to Dai Nam with two of our nieces. You can check out miniviews on his trip to get more information about this park as it will be real interesting when they finish this complex. The amusement park side was not that big but it is a good start. They looping coaster hurt but it looked nice. The rides were pay-per-ride and my nieces wanted to go to the waterpark so we did not ride much. They had an indoor snow hill and it was a lot of fun. Vietnam is hot and this was a great place to get out of the heat. My niece got super cold so we did not stay too long. We only visited the amusement park and the waterpark. The waterpark side was really just two wave pools. One with fresh water and another with salt water. I was impressed with the size of this complex and all the construction going on. On to the pictures. Kind of an entrance, not sure exactly. Drop tower thing. Bumper boats Roller coaster, it hurt. Coaster entrance. Coaster through the loop. You can rent tandems to get around the park. Spinning coaster, yea! View of spinning coaster. I rode alone Trucks driving through the middle of the park. Hmm food, the pictures look good. We did not eat in the park but I wanted to try the hamburger Scary snowman or nerdy snowman could not figure it out. Indoor snow hill. The bump made for some interesting spills. This is also not a chicken. I do not know what is in there. Sorry. Freshwater wave pool. Construction around the complex. I would like to visit when it is all finished.

I will try to post some pictures from every park we visited. It was interesting to see Vietnam and where she grew up and went to school. We ate a lot of fruit around her house as it literally grew on trees. That lift hill made The Ultimate look fast.

Last summer (June '09) my wife and I went to Vietnam to visit some of her family and friends. I forced her to take to me to a few of the parks that we knew about and we even found a couple of parks we did not know about. I am sure there are many undocumented coasters in the country. Most of them I imagine are small and not worth the work in finding. One of the first trips into Ho Chi Minh City we drove past a large stadium near the airport and I noticed a small city park with a small roller coaster. I asked if we could stop but the coaster looked closed and I was told we did not have time. We could never find it after that day and I swore I saw a donut shop but we could never find it as well. If you go to Vietnam you need to look around the airport for the coaster and donut shop. In almost every city and town we visited had a small park with some kiddie rides and a circular train. This will not be a great photo trip report because we did not get to spend as much time in the parks as I would have liked so I had to be quick with the camera and then run to catch up. We hired a driver ($30-$50) for most of our trips and the driver stayed with you the entire day and took you where you wanted. Parks Visited: Suoi Tien (This post) Dai Nam Dam Sen Page 2 Phu Dong Park Page 2 Vinpearl Page 2 Da Lat - Valley of Love Page 2 The first park we visited was Suoi Tien on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh. I was hoping we would get to spend some time at the waterpark before seeing the rest of the park but we did not have time. The website showed pictures of people in the gerbil ball things in the wavepool (I wish I could have seen if this was true). My wife and two of her sisters went along as well as four nephews and three nieces. Like most of the parks in Veitnam it was a pay-per-ride so we only rode a few of the rides. The roller coaster was very slow (there was not much speed to be found anywhere on this thing the lift hill alone took over two minutes). The park had a viking ship ride, drop tower, paddle boats, bumper boats, two ferris wheels, teacups, and some smaller kiddie rides. There was a lot of Buddhist statues, fountains, and art throughout the park. I really wished we had time to go back for a second visit like we planned Here are the pics of Suoi Tien. Entrance to the park. You walk upstairs then walk back downstairs. Just inside the park before you walk back down stairs. The waterpark side. I wish we went over there. It looks neat. The roller coaster car. The seats remind me of my friend's 1980 Pontiac (they do not recline). From the lift hill you can see the drop tower and viking ship. Two minutes after the start of the ride we are almost to the top. Another look at the roller coaster. Random crazy flat ride with my nephew. Flat in motion. The big Ferris Wheel Not so big ferris wheel Every park in Vietnam had some Disney reference I thought this was a chicken. It is not a chicken. This housed a water dark ride. Inside the dark ride that shows the history of man. Naked souvenirs. Dragon turtle thing and coaster.

My wife and I went to the place in Austin called Oasis and this guy looked like he needed some toilet paper. So that is how rocks are made. I am sure he will use it when he finishes. Here you go man, I know you need it.

I would recommend a trip to the bio-bay on Vieques if you are there when there is no moon. Search bio-bay Puerto Rico. It was by far one of the best things we did when we visited. The free rum drinks on the boat ride home helped too. Culebra was nice and I kind of like history so a visit to the fort in Old San Juan was fun. We did not visit any of the amusement places as they look fairly small. You should have a good time. I am looking forward to going again someday. Hope this helps and let us know how the trip went.

Thanks, I am just glad she can put up with me at the park. She is a great sport and I anticipate she will join me in other park trips around. We are actually debating a trip before summer to either New Jersey or Virginia. I will keep you posted.

Hello All, My wife and I went to SF Fiesta Texas for Fright Fest on Saturday October 4. I have always enjoyed Halloween but my wife does not care much for Halloween and roller coasters. She is a very good sport and will accompany me to Sea World, Fiesta Texas, and Kemah. She was not mad at me when I woke her up at 7 am so we can get to the park by 9:30 only to discover the park did not open until 12. Yeah I sniffed too much glue in grade school. After a short visit to Target and Subway we went to the park. It was not very crowded but I would say the park was busier than normal. All the coasters were running and some of the rides that were not operating were themed for Halloween with spider webs and skeletons on them. We attended four shows and I noticed they had two scare zones this year. The scare zones had two to three actors walking around trying to scare people. Some people were scared and freaked and some just smiled. Small children seemed to be scared and some parents seemed annoyed. I think the scare zones would have been better if they had more monsters. The scare zones started at 2 pm and ended at 8 pm. On to the four shows: Last Chance Legends: I enjoyed this show the most. It featured dead entertainers singing parody of their songs. The talent was rather good and made me laugh. Some of the entertainers included: Gooey Armstrong, Johnny Rash, Scarilyn Monroe, and Pelvis Wresley. There were also cameos from some dead actors and one not so dead actor. Creature Feature: This show showcased popular monsters singing a parody of some songs. Igor sang “Walk This Way” and the Bride of Frankenstein sang “Frankie” to the tune of “Rickey” (you know “Rickey your so fine you blow my mind, Oh Rickey”). Dracula sang “Ain’t Going Down ‘til the Sun Comes Up”. It was a singing and dancing show. My wife liked this show the best. Ritmo Fantasma with Regina Garcia: Mostly singing and dancing with hot chicks. Mayor Slayer’s Monster Mash Bash: The last show of the night. Mostly heavy metal with some fire, sparks, lasers, motorcycles, and dancing. This show was good but I think it would be better if it had more songs I would know. Last time I went to this show I knew most of the songs and I enjoyed it more than this year. I guess I need to start listening to more current music and take out the Men at Work CD. I would not make a special trip to Texas just for this event unless you really want the credits or you want a family friendly event with decent music and dancing. There are no haunted mazes. Hope you enjoy the photos. - Jim and Kim Our TV at the hotel needed better reception Goliath at night I thought this was cool, it was projected on the quarry wall Kim is that John? I cannot compete with the undead. Mayor Slayer and his Posse. Now only if he can get his Posse on Broadway... Boomerang, so not worth the wait Poltergeist through...Poltergeist, I am not very original Boomerang near scary skeleton thing Superman entering cobra roll Now she wants this convertible Even at Fiesta Texas your Cadillac symbol can be jacked Ok, babe, who is John? Huh So I have to finish it all or she will not let me have desert. My wife loves Turkey Legs even thought she cannot eat it all The Rattler rattling away Roadrunner Express through...Roadrunner Express "Come back baby, I am sorry I did not mean to eat your boyfriend" Colored the water blood red for Fright Fest or it is some plague. Kim enjoying the convertible, now she wants one for Christmas Trying to be artsy, too bad it look likes spooge on the mirror Tony Hawk through ... Tony Hawk Hot chicks at Regina Garcia show Bride singing to Frankie Creature Feature Pelvis Wresley at Last Chance Legends Kim being cooky at the Spooky Cooky Pumpkin Town Hmm statue booty! Hmm size matters, then make it bigger! The lone rider testing Goliath before the park opens. Should be illegal to name a coaster Goliath if you can see it all from the parking lot More flags more fun, Four ghosts? Not as scary?

Not to worry it is a made of wood, it will float.