la2lvtom Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 Love the colors on Space Mountain. All these posts are making miss Hong Kong Disneyland again. We were there when the Halloween stuff was starting up. A lot of 'green lighting' all over the park, lol. I have missed out on the Halloween event twice now but I will for sure go soon, probably in 2016. Next year finally getting the wife here to the states so concentrating solely on that but I see a trip to visit family in Guangzhou coming in October of 2016 and HKD is only a 1.5 hour train ride away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 2, 2014 Author Share Posted December 2, 2014 After we visited Hong Kong Disneyland we spent our final day doing the whole touristy thing in Hong Kong. Lily's boss lives in Hong Kong so he drove us all over the island to see all the "tourist" locations, I must say Hong Kong is truly a beautiful country I only wish the air was better when I was there but it was still beautiful none the less. I was in Hong Kong at the same time as the protests, this was the day after the Chinese government closed the borders to all tourists so we avoided all areas around where the protests were ongoing because I don't exactly "blend in" with the locals and didn't want to "accidently" be arrested, LOL. On to the Hong Kong proper pics... First we went to an ocean inlet that had this small beach, Lily's boss told us that the residences in the area start around 150,000,000 HKD. Must be nice. It would have been nice to rent one of these sailboats but I don't think I could afford it. Some of the high end residences, you definitely get an amazing view at that price. We next went to a popular tourist area called Stanley market in the town of Stanley. This is the Murray house, he explained to us that it was originally part of a military barracks but it was moved and rebuilt here. It really was a beautiful building, very artistic. There are some shops located in here now. The Blake pier at Stanley. The pavilion at the end of the pier had some really nice shapes to it. A group of small boats like this is so very relaxing to look at. Personally I find everything about China so photogenic, even this simple pot. We next visited an area know as Deep Water Bay. This is supposed to be another popular tourist area. Upon stepping on to the sand you are greeted by this lovely sign. Basically there is a net to keep the sharks out but sharks can still enter anyway??? Note to self... just stay out of the water! It was really a very relaxing area. There is a huge yacht that pulled in (just to the right of the lifeguard stand), what it must be like to have that kind of money. Yes, there is obviously money in this area also. These condos were very unique. If you look at the middle of this picture on top of the mountain is Ocean Kingdom theme park and the amazing B&M floorless coaster Hair Raiser. There, this portion is now officially theme park related and not just pictures of my family vacation, LOL. Our final location is an area known as the PEAK, it is a dinning and shopping area on top of a mountain. What makes this area unique is... the amazing views of Hong Kong. I have mentioned it before but Hong Kong really is a beautiful and picturesque city. Too bad the air pollution was very poor today. Although, it does make for great pictures with the wife. Apparently the man behind the Frightdome here in Las Vegas has branched out and made a haunted attraction here at the PEAK mall. It didn't open until later in the day so I was not able to experience it (the ticket sales was open although, so I asked them if I received a discount if I lived in Las Vegas, sadly no ). Throughout the mall they had displays setup for the haunt. These life size dolls moved, they were actually kinda creepy. I can just imagine what they are like at night. Interesting props... I just felt the urge to give him a big ol' kiss. Interesting... MMM BRAINS!!! Finally we stopped and had lunch at a restaurant on Victoria Harbor before heading to the train station to catch the train back to Guangzhou. Hong Kong was fun and hopefully next time we will have more than a half day to explore more areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 2, 2014 Author Share Posted December 2, 2014 Tomorrow I will be heading to Orlando for a few days so we can experience the Osborne lights at Disney Studios and finally visit Diagon Alley at Universal Studios so I will not have any updates until I get back. I will try to get all the small parks in Guangzhou, Canton Tower and Chimelong Paradise posted next weekend. Again thanx for visiting my trip report of Japan and southern China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 6, 2014 Author Share Posted December 6, 2014 On a side note I visited Disney World in Orlando yesterday which makes 3 different Disneyland's in 3 different countries in 40 days. I know people do this all the time but it's something I never thought I would have ever done in my life. Maybe I should go to Disneyland in California tomorrow and make it 4 different Disneyland's in 40 days... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 6, 2014 Author Share Posted December 6, 2014 After we returned to Guangzhou from Hong Kong we had a couple of days of rest then Lily went back to work and this gave me an opportunity to visit some of the little parks in Guangzhou for this trip report. For the first location you must take the Guangzhou Metro line 2 and exit at the Yuexiu Park station towards "B1" exit/entrance. Just a few steps from the Metro exit you come to the entrance to Yuexiu Park. This is the largest city park in Guanzhou and is home to 2 small theme parks. The most famous landmark in this park is the 5 ram statue. The legend states that 5 immortals descended upon Chuting (Guangzhou's former name) riding rams carrying corn millet and gave the corn millet to the locals as a sign of good harvest. The immortals then left as their rams turned to stone. This statue represents the people of Guangzhou's good harvest. Also found in Yuexiu park is what I have been told by many here part of the first iterations of the great wall ran through Guangzhou and this is what is left standing of the original wall. You can rent a paddle boat here so you and your significant other can have a romantic cruise along the river OR get a bunch of your buddies and act like pirates as you pillage the couples on the lake. Just beyond the paddle boats you come to the first of the parks, Beixiu amusement park. This one is more of a kiddie park. The large ride here is Torrent Surfing, it is a splashdown boat ride into a pool of malaria. This is a staple at all small Chinese parks, In-Line Cars Riding On The Interchange. A "Luxury Carousel" can be found here. Can't have a children's park without a children's bungee attraction. An off the rack tiny train. And finally an enclosed Kid's Zone. As you make your way to the second amusement park here you come across many randon statues. I believe if this had water it would make more sense but sitting here randomly I was confused. The main amusement park is located at the top of the mountain. Yinjin amusement park is kinda a staple for me, I have only failed to visit it one time and that was my wedding trip to Guangzhou. It really is one of the nicest "small local amusement parks" I have visited in China. Once you pass through this archway you descend down the mountain and the park is situated on the mountain side. You will find a nice assortment of flat rides, and yes the ride op was sleeping. A Chinese knockoff Dumbo themed to bees. A suspended whiplash flat ride. Another staple in small Chinese parks, the Viking. It is mandatory that every park in China has some sort of shooting ride (practice for the young ones I guess). When I first started visiting this park this ride was heavily military themed but recently they changed the theming to sea life, I'm thinking so it would not appear so obvious. Although the real tank is still here. Over the years I have resisted temptation to get on the tank, don't think it would be appropriate for an American to jump all over and actual Chinese tank, I think it could be a trap. This Paratrooper flat ride is fairly new to this park. Standard bumper cars. They had a nice "swings" ride that lasts about twice as long as any swing ride I have seen in America. They added this "medium" Frisbee ride within the last year, I am not a fan of these rides and if I don't see the giant Huss placard on them I do not ride them but this is a nice addition for this park. This is the one ride that always had people on it while I was here so it was a good investment for the park. This overhead "railway" ride has been here a long time but they replaced the ride vehicles 3 months ago. The old vehicles were human powered, you had to peddle them like a bicycle to get them to move. The new vehicles are electric and you can control the speed and now make them spin, in this picture the vehicle is going backwards. The Chinese haunted attraction where the employees touch and grab you. This will not fly in America but in China these are at all the parks and they only really grab your ankles so it's not inappropriate. They are adding a Top Spin that should be open early 2015. It is nice to see that this park is spending some money to update its attractions. This is an old park (my wife used to visit it when she was a child) and on the side of a mountain so you would think the owners would just let it get old but no, they are spending money and that makes me happy. At the back of the park is the only credit here and it just a typical Chinese flying squirrel but a credit is a credit. Preparing to ride the most terrifying series of coasters ever built... the Chinese knockoff flying squirrel, but it is okay because the vehicles are retro Mickey Mouse themed. Okay, that ride was terrifying. After the lift hill you make a sudden left and every time I ride it I feel like I will fall off the track and I grab on for dear life, this time I grabbed on a little too secure and the next morning I wake up with this on my inner bicep but a credit is a credit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 7, 2014 Author Share Posted December 7, 2014 The following day when Lily went to work I set out to my next destination, the Guangzhou zoo. Anyone who went on the TPR China tour 2012 should remember this park. Take the Guangzhou Metro line 5 to the Zoo station and depart at the "B" entrance/exit. This will place you at the rear entrance of the zoo which is good because the Amusement park is located there. This is the entry plaza to the Guangzhou zoo. Once you enter the zoo walk down the path and past a restroom on the right and you come to the entrance to Happy World. They have what would be a nice flume ride if it were not for the fact that it drops you into a pool of malaria. They have a kiddie dragon coaster or as we call it... A CREDIT. This park has changed quite a bit since the TPR trip in 2012, a lot of money has been spent on improvements. This is a new Disc-O ride they added themed to motor bikes, for some reason. They have a rocket ride. This is a neat kiddie boat ride that has guns mounted on the boats and you shoot at targets on the scenery. They have a "swings" ride. And of course the Viking swinging ship. Seriously this thing is in every small park here in Guangzhou. This park also has a shooting water ride. The monorail pillars have a fresh new paint job. I am guessing the track will be next. The park has added a new Ferris Wheel to its ride line up. In the base of the Ferris Wheel they added a new Dinosaur 4D ride. The second coaster at this park is yet another Chinese knock off screaming squirrel. The things I do to present to you a complete trip report. This one didn't tilt as much as the one at Yinjin park the day before so it wasn't as terrifying to ride but scary none the less. They were in the process of repainting the coaster while I was there. The coaster was still running but when the car approached where they were painting they all stepped back and once it passed they went back to painting. Here is the view of the entire park from the top of the Ferris Wheel. Much like Yinjin park the owners have been spending some money to update this park and it shows, I am so happy that they decided to update these parks and hope they continue to update them. Within the zoo is Ocean World which is the largest "in land" aquarium in China. At the entry to Ocean World is this statue. Penguin statues to take pictures with. There is a show featuring Beluga whales, dolphins and sea lions. Jumping for the ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 7, 2014 Author Share Posted December 7, 2014 To enter the main aquarium you must go down this escalator that is surrounded by this acrylic dome that has a great view of the aquarium. [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 7, 2014 Author Share Posted December 7, 2014 More from the zoo... Once you reach the main room in the aquarium there are several smaller tanks set up with various fish. The round tanks were really unique. The salt water fish are always very colorful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 7, 2014 Author Share Posted December 7, 2014 Some video of the different tanks... [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 7, 2014 Author Share Posted December 7, 2014 More pics from the zoo... The catfish tank. A water feature found in the aquarium. Watching the giant turtles swimming really puts you at ease, they are just so majestic when they swim. This artwork was very Chinese to me. Awe, how adorable. Wish Lily was with me so we can get a photo together. For the life of me I can't remember what these were so since it is China let's just call them giant rats. Porcupines, don't you just want to reach out and hug them??? The lions were out in full "walk around in circles" mode today. The pelicans were out on a leisurely swim today. This guy heard there was food being thrown into the water so he hurried over to beg... The miniature horses stable was designed to resemble an English cottage, because everyone knows that all miniature horses are located in England. Llama, Llama, Llama, Llama, Llama, Llama... sorry, flashback to the Jimmy Neutron ride at Universal Studios Orlando. They are doing a huge construction project that spans from the reptile cage all the way over near the amusement park. I asked at guest services if they were expanding the amusement park but no, they are just creating new exhibits for the future. For anyone that remembers their visit to the zoo, this is the area that had the earthquake exhibit and the science building, they are both gone now. Over by the amusement park, this is a large area that is under construction, can't wait to see it finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 7, 2014 Author Share Posted December 7, 2014 [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Watching monkeys at play is always good for a laugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 (edited) We decided to have a date night and although there are many nice places in Guangzhou for a date night my favorite is the Canton Tower. At 600 meters tall (1968 ft) the Canton Tower was, at one time, the tallest structure in the world (now it settles to be just the tallest structure in Guangzhou but just barely). At the top you will find several observation decks (including the worlds highest observation deck), a bubble tram (think Ferris Wheel layed flat) and the worlds highest thrill ride (2 Intamin giant drops). Within the tower are also several restaurants (including one that revolves), a 4D movie theater, A science and Technology exhibit and the Spider Walk. Enjoy the pics... Take the Guangzhou Metro line 3 and exit at the Canton Tower station and you will arrive at the Canton Tower in all its glory. Anyone who has seen the latest Transformers movie should remember that Guangzhou plays a big part of the plot of the story so Transformers are really hot in Guangzhou now. This one must have been 30 feet tall. When the tower first opened you were able to purchase activities piece meal (individually) but now they only sell them in packages. Although I know Lily probably wouldn't do the spider walk (now called sky walk) I opted for the Glamor Pass because it was the only one that offered the 488 out look and I wanted to present a complete trip report. A nice little ZEN flower arrangement was found in the lobby. This fancy pants piano was used in the opening ceremony of the 16th Asian games held in Guangzhou. The exterior skeleton runs through the lobby. Yep, it's officially Chinese once the lantern are hung. Edited December 9, 2014 by la2lvtom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 Here is video of the glass elevator that takes you to the enclosed observation deck at the top of Canton Tower. [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 Canton Tower... As you depart the elevator you are inside the enclosed observation floor at 428 meters (1404 feet). This is the first view you come to out of the elevator. There are benches that line the windows so you can relax as you enjoy the view of Guangzhou from above. Okay, I am not afraid of heights or anything like that but this enclosed glass plank kinda freaked me out a bit. Once you look down at the ground so far below it was a bit unnerving. The outdoor observation deck wraps around the top of the tower and changes elevation from 433 meters (1420 feet) to 449 meters (1473 feet). Here is a view of the bubble tram from the highest point on the observation deck. The bubble tram follows the observation deck around and changes elevation with it. The Star Trek bridge from the Canton Tower looks so small. Time to ride the bubble tram. The heart of the city from the bubble tram. The building to the right of center is a new office building. It is 590 meters tall (1935 feet) and that is without an antenna on top of it. That's just crazy. Looking in the direction of the Pearl River. Starting the incline to the highest point of the bubble tram. A look at the Star Trek bridge from the bubble tram. There are 2 small benches in each "bubble" with room for 6 people. Plenty of great picture opportunities. Reaching the highest point on the bubble tram, 455 meters (1493 feet). Starting the descent back down. This is a really unique ride, it takes 20 minutes to make the full journey and it is highly recommended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 Next up is the worlds highest thrill ride, the Giant Drop... You ride 2 different versions of this Intamin giant drop, the first one is the standard sit down version. You start at the 454 meter (1489 feet) level then rise to 485 meters (1591 feet) and the freefall back down to the deck. The version on the other side of the tower is a floorless & tilt giant drop. Ascending up the tower. Making the drop back down on the floorless side. This is my first floorless & tilt giant drop and it is really fun but even though the tilt is minor at the top it really does make you a bit nervous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 Here is a video I took last year while on the tower of the floorless drop. [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 The "bubble tram" looks pretty cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconsfury Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 that's a rely cool piano. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maverickpoint Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 that's a rely cool piano. I was thinking the same thing lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Great photos! I really need to get back to Canton Tower Do you know who the manufacture of that bobble tram is? I'm thinking about Chance because of the track style but couldn't find anything online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bert425 Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 The "bubble tram" looks pretty cool. They used it on the Amazing Race last year. looks like quite the fun ride! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 10, 2014 Author Share Posted December 10, 2014 final pics of the tower... Through this chapel looking door you reach the elevator that takes you to the 488 look out, the worlds highest observation deck. Guinness has made it official, at 488 meters (1601 feet) this is the highest observation deck in the world. The heart of the city as viewed from 488 meters in the air. Although this is only 30 meters higher than the main observation deck you really get a different perspective from this deck. Looking down to the main observation deck and bubble tram from the 488 out look. The giant drop rides are just below this deck. Looking out at some of the residential area from 488 out look, the bubble tram is in the lower portion of the picture. Looking down the Pearl River from 488 out look. We didn't stay too long on this deck because it just crosses that threshold of a calm night on the main observation deck to violent, freezing cold winds on this deck. 2 Guinness records for highest attractions aint too shabby. Its funny to think my main residence is in Las Vegas, home to the former record holder and my second residence is Guangzhou and is home to the current record holder. Just above the indoor observation deck you can tour the innerworkings of the tower including the stabilization system for the tower and the fire control system. That's a big shock absorber. I'm thinking that the engineers from Windseeker came here and got their idea on how to make the seats stop crashing into each other. The whole are is rather large and takes up 2 floors. It really is unique to see how they keep the tower under control during high winds and the crazy weather in Guangzhou. The entire exhibit is really detailed and they explain the entire process thoroughly. While we taking the tour we watched this giant piece of metal moving on the guide rails, really cool and really scary at the same time. With the exception of the indoor observation deck and the revolving restaurant all the glass on the upper area of the tower have solar cells built into them so the lighting (including the 7000 exterior LED light fixtures) is completely reliant on solar power. I personally find this hard to believe with all the air pollution but hey, if its on a plaque it must be true. The skywalk, formerly known as the spider walk is the longest spiral staircase in the world at 1000 meters long (3280 feet). They start at the 32nd floor of the tower and end at the 64th floor, along the way there are glass stairs so you can get great views below you. Looking up at the staircase from the 32nd floor. It was at this point that Lily said no way and backed out. When you are at the bottom looking up it really is quite intimidating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 10, 2014 Author Share Posted December 10, 2014 Great photos! I really need to get back to Canton Tower Do you know who the manufacture of that bobble tram is? I'm thinking about Chance because of the track style but couldn't find anything online. I honestly can not tell you who manufactured it. Like you I have tried to research it but have come up empty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 The final small park I visited in Guangzhou is actually way on the outskirts of Guangzhou proper in a town named Nansha. To get there you must take Guangzhou Metro line 4 (from the metro station at our apartment, Jiangtai Lu, it takes about an hour) then take a city bus for about 45 minutes to arrive at the Park. Metro line 4 is the only subway in Guangzhou that actually travels above ground for the last 30 minutes of the journey. On to the pics... Once the subway leaves underground and comes above the surface you are treated to views of small fishing villages farms and towns. Old buildings are seen everywhere, this area is not very well developed or modern. Here is the inlet of the Pearl river as it flows to Guangzhou from the South China Sea. This area of Guangzhou is truly a complete opposite of the concrete jungle that is Guangzhou proper. Finally you come to the Jiaomen station in Nansha and take the "A" exit/entrance. At the bottom of the Metro station you arrive at the Nansha city bus terminal. You now take either bus 4 or 5 to the end of the line. Nansha is where the South China Sea spills into land forming the Pearl River. Here are tankers heading out to sea and as you can see the pollution was really bad today. Just follow this road to get to the next park, it is about a 10 minute walk. To the left is the Goddess Of The Sea shrine which is a statue of Mazu who oversees ships as they go to sea and provides them with safety on their journey. Here is a picture of the Goddess Of The Sea temple that I took on a previous visit to the area. You can see how truly beautiful this temple is. I finally found it, Binhai amusement park. I visited on a Wednesday and the park was a ghost town, it was so bad that only a handful of rides were actually open. The entry plaza to the amusement park. There are 3 coaster credits at this park, the first is a junior dragon coaster, it was not operating today. Bumper cars with the added bonus of a pink lawn chair. It was open but bumper cars are no fun alone so I passed. A unique looking flat ride, it was not operating today. Standard swing ride is found here, it was open, I know because at one time I saw a ride op but most of the time I was there he was no where to be found. They have a lake of disease separating the front half from the backhalf of the park. This is looking towards the rear of the park. They had a compact swinging Frisbee ride, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a trailer version of the ride. Lets see... Breaking Bad character as a pimp, check... Lightning McQueen, check... Large breasted anime character being groped by a panda, check... Yep, must be China. This was the arcade building by the way. They have a Tagada, it was not operating today which was sad because I kept telling myself on the ride to the park that today was the day that I was finally gonna ride the infamous Tagada. Maybe next time. The insane Chinese top Spin, this ride was open but no way in heck will I ride this one. Unlike the Top Spins in America where they are setup to only spin a couple of times the Chinese versions let the operator control the spinning and they are crazy when it comes to controlling the ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la2lvtom Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 Here is a video I took from a previous visit to the park. I did not get the whole ride cycle of the Top Spin but I was able to capture 20 flips. The entire ride must have had 50 flips, those poor riders. [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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