I have been to one glorified aquarium too many in this lifetime, why go see another one? I have nothing to do today, okay. I was supposed to go to Taroko National Park and maybe collapse in the middle of a hiking trail and die unnoticed, except that I woke up at around noon, and a good head start is recommended unless you want to be stranded there and have a slumber party with the snakes, which are said to be plenty this season. Paragliding was the second option, except that the feng is hen da. More or less they would not like their clients getting flown away too far and ending up in Fiji or some far-flung Polynesian island nation because of that strong wind. Paragliding would have been fun, and a first. If only that stupid typhoon would leave before Friday!
And so I ended up at Farglory Ocean Park, because it was the last resort, and it is a resort, sort of. Well, not really, but it qualifies as a theme park! I love amusement parks! How to get there? Take a bus from Hualien Train Station, in front of the orange building. My spoken Mandarin skills have not improved one bit, which made it difficult to convey what I wanted to say. What is amusing is how my listening skills have improved in that what I hear is no longer gibberish, and most of the time I could get the gist. I got a bus ticket for TWD40 and endured a half hour trip which was not really torture, thanks to that view of the Pacific coast.
The
driver chastised me for not ringing the bell, which they normally do when you
want to get off. I wanted to tell him that I prefer to shout para but then again my Mandarin skills
are too poor to defend myself. It was no big deal, however, as the entrance was
not that far. I even got to take a short video of the raging waves of the
Pacific Ocean, which sort of got me obsessed. Looking at that vast ocean and
realizing that the whole of Taiwan is just a small island floating on it gives
me the creeps. Imagination! I want to see some surfers ride those waves, just for fun.
The
good thing about this theme park is that it is not crowded, maybe because it is
a weekday, or maybe because all the tourists are either in Taipei or Kaoshiung.
Nonetheless, I still spotted some foreigners, as well as locals. It was not totally
empty, but you do not have to line up to ride something. You have to wait,
though, because there is a downtime for the rides, given the poor tourist
attendance for the day. Farglory is more Ocean Park than Disneyland, but the thrill rides
are nowhere to be found. They only have one roller coaster here. The Ferris
wheel is high enough to give a good view of the surrounding area. The Farglory
sign a la Hollywood is too small that it just seems so far. The water log
ride is probably the most thrilling, but I had to pass because getting wet was
not on my to-do list for the day.
They
have good shows! There is a sea lion show, a dolphin show, and a theatrical
presentation called Survoler le Ocean. I forgot what survoler means, but I remember that le and ocean are supposed
to elide to form one word. Grammar Nazi. Anyway, for the sea lion show, I had to
pass because I was busy pigging out at King Arthur’s Chichen. Given that I started my tour at around 1 PM and the park
closes at 5 PM, it is already a good indication of how small it is. To add to
that, I watched two shows that lasted for almost two hours, combined. The
attractions are set on cascading hills, which means some climbing if you have
babies in strollers. For everyone else that count as lazy, escalators
are readily available.
The
dolphin show was the highlight of my day because I have not seen one yet in
this lifetime. If I had, then I already forgot about it, which meant it would
have been boring. This one was not boring at all, and those gay sharks are
really well trained. They do the hula with their nose better than Shakira with
her hips that do not lie. They play football, probably better than the Azkals.
They jump high and do somersaults. Talented mammals, I must say. I was really
amused. Seeing them perform had me thinking about my job, and what would be an
interesting career shift to being a dolphin trainer.
By
the way, people were invited to participate in the hula game, and all of them
got prizes. Okay, you have to hold your breath for this one as the prize was
truly remarkable. What then, house and lot? One year membership? One night free
at Farglory Hotel? No. Okay, drum roll please. Toothbrush. Yes, those small
rectangular collection of bristles with a long handle intended to be used with
toothpaste to battle plaque and bacteria. I do not co-manage this theme park,
so please do not ask me questions. All I know is that we should be thankful
that Farglory Ocean Park is concerned about our oral health and hygiene. In
fairness to the toothbrush, the carton that holds it has a dolphin shadow
design. The show is held twice a day. I saw the afternoon show. Maybe they give
away free toothpaste in the morning.
Unfortunately,
I was not able to take a photo of the theatrical show, not because I did not
feel like it, but because it was forbidden, and by forbidden, they really mean
forbidden. Unlike in HK Disneyland where you could still take photos and even a
video without getting caught during the Golden Mickeys show, here the guards are kind of strict. They let one
of the gay sharks fin-slap you if caught. Lame joke. Apologies, I am sleepy.
Yawn. At least they do not have a corny OMB commercial before the start of the show, and they actually implement their rules.
The
show starts with a Caucasian girl who is obviously not under ten years old, but
supposed to be so because she has pigtails and is wearing a pajama. She begins to
play with various toys from an old trunk, life size versions of which are
played by actors in costumes in the background, which is obscured by a
translucent curtain for a dreamy effect. I love the theme, though. A series of
Chinese characters are flashed once in a while to tell the story. I no longer
bothered to try understanding them because my character recognition skills are
poor, not to mention that I am in Taiwan after all and those characters are in
traditional form. Triple language barrier! To cut the story short, the girl
dreams about India, a jungle, the United States, and finally, Taiwan.
I
thought I would not like the India segment because Bollywood dancing freaks me
out like a jack-in-a-box would do to an unsuspecting five-year old child. I
mean no offense to the people of the said subcontinent. My aversion probably
stems from the jerky head movements, the shrill voice of the background singer,
or both. What I love about it though are the hand and finger gestures, which
seem so well choreographed and difficult to do. It just goes to show that the
cast is well-trained and dead serious about their chosen profession.
The jungle segment was very enjoyable because of the trampoline, with some of the actors even falling on their backs and ending up back on that elevated platform, which was more or less twice or thrice their height. The USA part was cool because of the trapeze artists, both of whom seemed to be boneless. What ruined it were the two lip synching actors who were Caucasian but had the singing voices of Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle. It is hard to fool a Disney kid like me, guys. The Taiwan segment was a bit rushed, but the flying lady made to look as though she was wearing a three-story flowing gown saved the day.
The jungle segment was very enjoyable because of the trampoline, with some of the actors even falling on their backs and ending up back on that elevated platform, which was more or less twice or thrice their height. The USA part was cool because of the trapeze artists, both of whom seemed to be boneless. What ruined it were the two lip synching actors who were Caucasian but had the singing voices of Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle. It is hard to fool a Disney kid like me, guys. The Taiwan segment was a bit rushed, but the flying lady made to look as though she was wearing a three-story flowing gown saved the day.
As
for the remainder of the park, I already mentioned that it is for kids. If you
go here, are above 20 years old, and end up enjoying the rides, then there is probably
something seriously wrong with you, unless you have a serious case of acrophobia. Half a day
would suffice, as there are other tourist sites awaiting at Fengbin. I spent
half of my day sleeping in the morning, but then again I always operate like
that when I am out of the country. For those who are not like me and would like to maximize their
time, again, there are more to explore in this area of Hualien. Refer to your
tour guides for ideas. I think I saw a viewing deck and a beach in there.
FENGBIN: 01 - Farglory Ocean Park and Your Dental Health
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