*To see more pictures head over to:
Unsettled TCK Gallery*
*Note: Most of the rides and attractions in Ocean Park during Halloween are Haunted Houses. Also performers will just wander up and randomly scare you. BE WARNED! I didn't know and I felt like I walked into a terrifying scare trap. Also, if you only want to read about Halloween at Ocean Park, skip down since it starts halfway down the page under the obvious heading "Halloween."*
*Also, if you can't be bothered to read everything: BUY THE MOST EXPENSIVE TICKET. You can either choose the Privilege Ticket or the Privilege Ticket Dinner Combo and both of these give you VIP access to bypass the lines. It gets really crowded and you will definitely get your money's worth. The Boy managed to go through every single haunted house (I opted out a couple of times) while most people without the VIP only get to see a couple.*
*This was written in October 2010 and published November 2010*
Personal Update
So, it's been about a month and I've been remiss in my updating of this blog! So I'll be sure to do a good written update as well as a photo one.
In the last month, I have been to the Philippines and back, played zombie laser tag, and by far and away the greatest accomplishment: I've made four children cry (don't worry, karma got me back by making me cry at Ocean Park). I will take credit for two of the tear sessions but the other two were due to sheer grumpiness on their part (by the way, there were two girls and two boys who shed some of them tears)! It's good to know that I have the capacity to be strict, although I always feel terrible about it and end up undoing all my hard work by capitulating to the children.
My cherry was popped when I made a little boy cry because I changed his participation from a happy smiley to a frowny one. So much for that whole boys are tougher than girls bit! There was even a younger girl in the class who was sweet and kept saying, "don't cry, you're a big boy now." This is in retrospect quite humorous but at the time I felt like the devil.
Then a couple of weeks later this same little girl cried on me! I swear this wasn't from anything I was doing. I was merely showing her how to create spaces between words by measuring by her finger when all of a sudden she burst out yelling, "MAMA MAMA MAMA!" Then the waterworks began. I spent about twenty minutes with her on my lap reassuring her that I could be trusted and that I would never yell at her.
The third was a devil child who is very similar to the character Constance Contraire in the series The Mysterious Benedict Society. She likewise started to bawl upon a simple request to read a five word sentence.
The fourth I will take credit for. This actually really made me feel bad because he is a good kid but he became a bit of a bully. He wrote a story about another boy in class and how naughty and greedy that boy was. When I told him explicitly he couldn't, he changed the name by changing the first letter of the kid's first, middle, and last name.... Not the most crafty. I pulled him aside for a private chat and that started him going. I think it's all remedied now, I pulled the whole, "You are one of the leaders in class and leaders aren't bullies."
Hopefully that will be the last of that for awhile!
Halloween
*Keep in mind that there are different attractions every year, so check the official website to see what you can expect.*
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| Ocean Park Hong Kong during Halloween |
Halloween was a blast! Every year
Ocean Park puts on a Halloween Bash, changing the theme to suit whatever new fad is going on. The year I went it was all about Chinese Hell and the darkest depths of the underworld. If you are looking for a real treat then head over to Ocean Park and I guarantee that it will be a night to remember.
I will preface this by saying that I absolutely hate haunted houses. I'm sorry but I derive no pleasure from having people jump out and yell loudly in my face. This will happen constantly during the evening. If this floats your boat, then have fun. If it doesn't, then there are some other attractions that you can occupy your time with. The saving grace of the night was a combination of The Dragon roller coaster, zombie laser tag, and the Boy winning a ton of stuffed animal prizes.
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| My consolation prizes at Ocean Park Halloween |
Basically, Halloween at Ocean Park is like a scare-for-all. You're not even safe in the streets because performers will randomly wander up to the person in front of you, stare vacantly and eerily before leaping out at you. There are areas where the terrifying wanderers are not allowed to go and I looked forward to walking in them. If this sort of thing really bothers you, there is supposedly an amulet you can wear that tells people to leave you alone. I never found it, unfortunately. Also, places that might not seem like haunted houses really are. Make sure you look closely at the map that you will be provided. It tells you what type of attraction that you are heading into. At one point we thought an advertised vampire club was an actual club/bar but no, it just ended up being yet another haunted house.
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| Right before this picture was taken he freaked me out during Ocean Park Halloween |
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| The outside of one of the Haunted Houses at Ocean Park |
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| This was the outside of the first haunted house we went to. It was based off of a movie that I did not see because I was too scared |
One of the highlights of my night was zombie laser tag. It was awesome because it distracted me from those who were trying to scare the living daylights out of me. I was so focused on getting points that the zombies only irritated me because they got in the way. I place my survival skills fairly high in a zombie apocalypse because my aim is pretty sharp. I even got the highest score in my group and I might have had more if not for a zombie that came up and started to tickle me by using his plastic knife to slice at my neck and back (yes, they actually touched you in these houses but it was usually limited to a light brush against the arm). Also, the zombies were more concerned with trying to fire at you than scare you, so it was a win-win for all.
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| Blurry outside shot of the laser tag arena in Ocean Park Halloween |
I will say one thing in favor of the haunted houses: they are creative. Some of them are your run-of-the-mill creepy setting with creepy figures rocking insanely in the corner and lurking around you. Then there are others that really take the art of displaying a haunted house to the next level. When I went in October 2010 there was a really interesting ride where instead of walking through, you were sent through in a coffin on a conveyor belt. The scares came from the ceiling and from monsters on the side. It was simulating the stages of the afterlife if they go horribly wrong. Pretty creative. I had my eyes closed 99.9% of the time, so I can't really describe what was in there.
Also, I HIGHLY recommend taking the cable car at night. Ocean Park is divided into multiple levels that can be reached using a cable car. It is really beautiful and kind of eerie. And a good option if you need your heart to stop racing.
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| Cable cars in Ocean Park during Halloween |
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| Beautiful, albeit blurry, view of the rest of Ocean Park from a moving cable car |
There are also a ton of live performances that include singing, acting, and dance choreography. Honestly, the set for the choreographed dance club number was a bit better than the actual dancing but it was good to enjoy a drink and unwind from the scares.
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| Impressive stage and slightly better than mediocre dancers at Ocean Park Halloween |
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| One of the more impressive feats from dancers at Ocean Park Halloween |
I opted for the dinner combo ticket and in terms of the food, it was not bad. Not the greatest of culinary fare in Hong Kong but definitely satisfying. We had to pick a dinner period to go to and we chose a later one. We figured we would get most of the rides out of the way rather than risking an upset stomach in our fear.
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| One of the dining halls at Ocean Park Halloween |
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| Great menu presentation at Ocean Park Halloween |
Finally all of the regular rides such as roller coasters and those ones that drop you from a tremendous height continue to run. They are also beautifully lit and the view from the Dragon roller coaster was quite spectacular. There are also the regular carnival games where you can win stuffed animals and prizes. However, even in these areas there are still pathways that are "haunted" and you will have to watch out for jumpy-outy-performers.
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| View from the Dragon roller coaster at Ocean Park Halloween |
If you were on the fence about whether or not to go, I really think you should give it a try. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, unless you live in Hong Kong in which case there is always next year.
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