Last Saturday we finally made it to Gambang Water Park after our previous failed attempt (where we got there only to find half the country queuing to get in and had to turn back, bone dry). We set off early in the morning, well, as early as humanly possible to bathe, dress and feed three young kids and pack them into a car.
By around 10 am, we were already there, towels a-ready. There were not many people there yet, so we headed off to the first pool that caught our eye. It was a shallow pool with a massive structure for kids to climb and slide down. I just waited near the edge as my dad (the only adult who could swim) played lifeguard and got wet. Suddenly a huge amount of water came crashing from the heavens and everyone shrieked in delight. It seemed that the contraption had a huge periodically water vomiting monster fish. Only Hamzah was rattled but he soon found a less exciting pool to splash about in.
Abah took Yousof on the the river cruise and came back totally zonked out. He had a bad case of motion sickness and had to lie down in the cabana. So I took over wet-guard duty and just walked in the next pool. The kids tirelessly went down water slide after water slide. You'd think after the 26th time, it would start to get boring but apparently not. Even just standing there at the end of the slides to catch them, their enthusiasm rubbed off on me.
Yousof was the most adventurous, he tried all the slides even the really long, super-fast, tunnel slides. Again and again, giving the energizer bunny a run for its money. He even got me to accompany him on the tube riding slide. I think that's what tobogganing down those icy chutes in the Winter Olympics must feel like. What a rush! I was thinking, if the kids slide was that awesome, imagine what the adult version would be. Yousof "forced" me to ride it more than 10 times (going down is super fun but trekking up carrying the tube, not so much), I even went with Aishah once, but in her own words "maybe if she was bigger, it wouldn't be scary. I was only a little scared".
I also took the river ride with Yousof, although by the time we went, there were so many tubes there that it was like KL traffic at peak hour. Thankfully a really nice young man got off his tube and basically steered (pulled) us most of the way. The river ride was so slow that at times we were hardly moving forward but we did get so thoroughly soaked from all the jets, sprays and waterfalls, the wavy part was also quite fun bobbing up and down but neither of us got dizzy (unlike my dad).
Finally, it was around 1 pm and we decided to call it a day (after a lot more splashing around in the pools). On our way out, the kids rode to electric cars and Hamzah enjoyed it so much that the whole ride back home he was bawling "Ummi, buy me a car! Buy me a car!".
I guess, for me, the prices were a bit steep but I'm told that compared to other places like Sunway lagoon/A Famosa, Gambang is cheap. The management should also look into refining the attractions as some of the attractions for example the river ride could be so much better. We didn't even get to explore the whole park since the kids were having too much fun at the three pools we did go to. So for next time, we will definitely take the time to see the other parts of the Water Park (the family rafting looked fun). I have not played in the water since I was 13 years old, always opting to stay dry on the sidelines but I really felt that by getting wet and joining in the fun with them, made the day more special. The kids can't wait to go again (hopefully with their cousin when she comes to visit), and don't tell anyone but... neither can I. :)
