I hadn't been to a theme park in years so I was a little nervous about getting on rollercoasters. The first one we went on was a backwards one that is in the dark. It was alright; it really wasn't that fun, it was more of just a warm-up ride. The only reason I laughed at all on the ride was because Nemz (Naomi)- who has the loudest laugh which is almost like a cackle and one can't help but laugh when they here here - laughed through the entire thing which made it worth the ride.
After that we headed towards the SAW Rollercoaster. I was hesitant to go as once you get inside the buildings they (usually) have live actors, and as much as I love horror movies I hate being in them myself and refuse to go into haunted theme parks and mazes where I will be in the dark with crazy things jumping out around any corner and touching me which just results in me being so terrified I scream and shit myself the whole time; it's really not fun. Lucky for me they had to stop the live actors because they were scaring people so bad that they were getting punched in the face - kind of funny - so it was actor free. The ride consists of a little 8 person car - 4 in the front and 4 in the back. It really didn't look that scary except for the first hill it climbs which is at a 90 degree angle straight up, but of course due to there being no live actors I couldn't wimp out. We get in the car and off we go. The first bit is inside which was unexpected and it goes quite fast and the drops are pretty much at a 90 degree angle which was fun. Then we get outside go around a little bend and stop at the bottom of the 90 degree incline. My heart starts racing. I have had nightmares where I am in a car and a road that is narrow like a rollercoaster track and windy with hills and drops and sometimes the roads aren't connected, so this hill really didn't look inviting to me. There are two t.v. screens at the bottom of the incline where the stuffed clown from the movie appears and starts talking and then cackles the evil little cackle he does - not the happy cackle like Nemz. The car clicks and moves forward and shifts into a complete vertical position. "Oh my god guys my vertigo is kicking in. I'm not liking this..." Breathe in, breathe out. "It's ok I can do this I have jumped out of a plane." It gets to the top tilts forward for one second and then off we go, straight down under two blades and then quickley into an upside down loop. Wow!!! This is so much fun!!! It was so fast, and everytime you get to the top of hill where usually you get a second to breathe it would just drop again into another hill or loop!!! It was awesome!!! "Ummm ya just to let you guys know, my vertigo really wasn't kicking in, I was just really scared!"
I was completely warmed up and my adrenaline was going and ready to go on more, but we stopped to eat lunch before enjoying the rest of the rides.
Video of Stealth at Thorpe Park
I was shaking so bad by the time it was our turn to get on the rollercoaster. I tried calming myself down by reminding myself I had jumped out of a plane but it really wasn't having the calming affect I was going for. We pull down the shoulder bars and I grab on to it, knuckles turning white. My vertigo was really kicking in this time, the thought of that 205 ft hill was not really sitting well with me. "Baby, I really mean it this time, my vertigo, I'm really starting to panic." "It's okay baby." He says with a big smile and putting his hand on my knee. "Seriously baby I am freaking out." Breathe in, breath out." "It's gonna be great" he says. The car inches forward and stops just underneath the traffic lights. While in line I had counted how long they are red for before they go green, 7 seconds. I really didn't want the 7 seconds to end. GREEN. We fly forward so fucking fast that all you can do is scream. Within one second my scream go stuck in my throat because the G-Force hits your stomach that I felt like I couldn't breathe. We fly up the 90 degree incline - not as fast but still - really fucking fast when you get to the peak of the hill you actually lift off your seat about an inch - thank god for the shoulder bars. My body is in such shock that I still have my mouth open but there is nothing coming out. The car then dips down to a 90 degree drop and rushes forward twisting a little bit to one side, the ground coming so fast towards me. It's all over within 10 seconds. Dan looks my way and says "you okay baby" only for me to answer with my eyes bulging out of my head and my mouth still open.
A video of Stealth from the front seat. You definitely wont feel the speed or the G-Force but you will get a bit of an idea of what it's like.
The next rollercoaster and last one we needed to ride (as we rode all the rest) was The Swarm. It was 3pm and had about a 70 minute wait meaning if we were lucky we could get one more in after it before the park closed at 5pm. Just before we entered the gates to line up a young guy in a Thorpe Park uniform and badge said "if you want to pay 5 quid each you can skip the line and wait only 5 - 10 minutes." We paid the man and walked in the backway and got on right away - no wait!!! Definintely worht the 5 quid each. Swarm is quite a different rollercoaster. It sits on the track but the seats hang over it so when you look at it from a distance it looks like a bat. The shoulder bars are comfortable but have no little handles to hold onto so you have no idea where to put your hands, and it flips upside at the top of the hill before you go into your first drop. It was really cool, the building where you wait in line is made to look like an old rundown ruin of a building and the rollercoaster flies through a crashed plane and wreckage site.
We were on and off within 5 mintues, meaning, we had two hours to hit 2 rides again. First Stealth, and then SAW to finish off the day. The line for Stealth this time was only 10 minutes, lucky us. This time I was ready for it and because I knew what to expect I knew I would enjoy it a little more. Off we go, once again screaming. It's literally like you don't have a choice to scream, it's almost an automatic reaction. This time though, instead of my scream getting stuck I stopped myself becuase the G-Force hit my stomach so strong that I had to supress it to control the funny feeling in my stomach. Up the 90 degree incline of 205 feet I actually felt it slow down this time at the top, though enjoying the one inch lift of my seat more and welcomed the 90 degree drop with an open heart lol. So much better the second time. Dan even decided to listen to the instructions this time and keep his hands inside, the last time he left them up and the G-Force was so strong he actually hurt his arms.
The last ride we were hitting was SAW. As we waited in line, it rained for the first time. Not a lot, but still, it rained. The ride even shut down for 20 minutes and then had to do some test runs, but we made it on by 5pm. This time, we got to sit in the front row of the car. Soo much better. The first drop in the dark, has a huge blade hanging over it which I didnt see from the back row. When you drop it actually feels like you are going to get cut by it and I actually ducked my head. The 90 degree incline that I was not a fan of last time was now fun and exciting - especially after riding Stealth. Stealth was like my skydive of the day. Once I conquered that nothing else seemed scary.
We had so much fun. It was so nice to get out and have some good old fashioned fun for a day and not worry about anything. Though when I wanted a Starbucks and Dan said it was to expensive after he had eaten three meals and I had one, turned into a bit of an argument, but other than that it was a good day - resulting in no Starbucks and Dan holding off on another meal until we got home.
Things here are good. Dan works heaps so we really don't see eachother much. He has been getting home close to 2am and I am usually sleeping by then. I only have 2 shifts a week at the cafe, which sucks but at least I get out of the house a couple times a week. Plus I just started taking (Hot) Bikram Yoga which has been awesome. I feel so good and am detoxing so no drinking for thirty days. Nemz's friend Even (the one who came to Thrope Park) has signed up and comes to yoga with me a couple times of week, it's nice to have a buddy to do things with.
I came down with a cold this week but I went to Yoga and it cleared me right up, though I did have a woman yell at me yesterday in the change room because I was sick. She said I shouldn't be in public, I should be at home in bed. I told her if she was that worried she should just drink some bleach to flush it all out. Haha...I'm just kidding...I SHOULD have said that to her though. Anyways, I'm all better now, the yoga seriously helped me get rid of it. Especially it being hot yoga I just sweated everything out of my system within a couple days.
The weather sucks, it's just getting colder and more and more Dan and I just miss Australia. We are so missing the heat. My beautiful golden skin that I had for the past year and a half has now turned back to a Canadian Winter (Paisty) White. Only a few more months.
*both videos are from www.youtube.com and are not credited to me*
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