Benin

Sexuality will always be controversial, purely because of the general sense of outcast it does bring to someone's life.Of course maybe in the future, more people will be understanding in the playgrounds, but it's up to the parents and teachers to ensure that it is something that should potentially be discussed in classes. But of course, if we were to introduce such a thing, the small-minded unwanting minority would no doubt yell loudly and stamp their feet thinking that their children would be 'corrupted' or some such nonsense.It is still ridiculous though bullying in schools over it. Something does need to be generally done about it.

Nail on head. The Wing-Rider concept isn't about speed or forces, it's about interaction and the open sensation you get from the seating.If that final inline is taken quickly, then the near misses will be, well missed. But if taken slowly, the experience is heightened much more. Kinda like how Colossus goes through them at about 5mph.But of course, trims are the bane of our enthusiast lives, and hence should be mocked and ridiculed because they ruin coasters just by existing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfT4za2nhlc
One of THOSE weeks...

I always like a console that provides my personal information to hackers so easily... I must say I have slightly warmed to the Xbox since I won one (freebies ftw), but really, the current game market is so... BLAND... I don't WANT a FPS that looks exactly like another one... Urgh... In addition, I did laugh when all the Xbox and PS fans laughed at Nintendo for the Wii idea, and then had to shuffle quietly as Kinect (URGH) and Move (GLOWING BALLS!) came out... Epic troll...Also...

Did someone say bird's eye view?NOM NOM NOM!

Funnily enough, we all had that urge when you turned up

I always like a console that provides my personal information to hackers so easily... I must say I have slightly warmed to the Xbox since I won one (freebies ftw), but really, the current game market is so... BLAND... I don't WANT a FPS that looks exactly like another one... Urgh... In addition, I did laugh when all the Xbox and PS fans laughed at Nintendo for the Wii idea, and then had to shuffle quietly as Kinect (URGH) and Move (GLOWING BALLS!) came out... Epic troll...Also...

Funnily enough, we all had that urge when you turned up

Funnily enough, we all had that urge when you turned up

Done it in 1... No biggie... ;)Tomorrow is Fifa 12... Yay for wasting my money on frivolous items!

A working part, I would hope.

Once again I am in disbelief over how awful the park PR has been in recent years... Just how do they even come up with these ideas? Pick up some common/uncommon (last month's dwarf debacle) complaints out of a hat with several others helping what Mike Vallis will 'say'?JUST GO AWAY!

Saw The Room again last night...Even better the second time around... Words cannot describe it...This picture can attempt to though...

Strangeness over, we headed back to John and photographed Raptor lots more, as well as riding it 5 more times...To say this ride is photogenic is an understatement, so damn beautiful to look at and watch... After the 5th time (8 times each on both B&Ms, score), we decided that it was time to say farewell to the park and head back to the hotel for one final night... Overall, Gardaland needs more high quality coasters in there, as without Raptor it really lacks a really good ride to take over the role of star attraction... Maybe Merlin have good plans for the park, but out of the 3 we visited, it certainly felt like the weakest ride line up...Still, Raptor is definitely worth it... Just a question now to see if Swarm/X-Flight/Wild Eagle are to be as good...

Double post but meh...Woo for being on Towers' Facebook page

Strangeness over, we headed back to John and photographed Raptor lots more, as well as riding it 5 more times...To say this ride is photogenic is an understatement, so damn beautiful to look at and watch... After the 5th time (8 times each on both B&Ms, score), we decided that it was time to say farewell to the park and head back to the hotel for one final night... Overall, Gardaland needs more high quality coasters in there, as without Raptor it really lacks a really good ride to take over the role of star attraction... Maybe Merlin have good plans for the park, but out of the 3 we visited, it certainly felt like the weakest ride line up...Still, Raptor is definitely worth it... Just a question now to see if Swarm/X-Flight/Wild Eagle are to be as good...

And then you realise you're listening to MCR...

Tinker Tailor Soldier SpyThis was a strange one... Expecting a talky film, wasn't a lot of that, but also not a lot of action... Having not read the book, I might well be missing some major things, but it's certainly a weird film, with random violence for little reason and long silences...However, a very strong cast with strong performances, Oldman and Cumberbatch being excellent... And it's so British they eat in a Wimpy and have a discussion whilst buttering toast... Just for that it deserves points...7/10

This basically... Was a bit of a needless post... This sort of topic isn't one where silly comments about people being potentially confused belong, due to the very nature of the situation...

Strangeness over, we headed back to John and photographed Raptor lots more, as well as riding it 5 more times...To say this ride is photogenic is an understatement, so damn beautiful to look at and watch... After the 5th time (8 times each on both B&Ms, score), we decided that it was time to say farewell to the park and head back to the hotel for one final night... Overall, Gardaland needs more high quality coasters in there, as without Raptor it really lacks a really good ride to take over the role of star attraction... Maybe Merlin have good plans for the park, but out of the 3 we visited, it certainly felt like the weakest ride line up...Still, Raptor is definitely worth it... Just a question now to see if Swarm/X-Flight/Wild Eagle are to be as good...

After a burger of buccaneer proportions, we headed off to start our dark ride double bill, starting with...I CorsariProbably the most hidden dark ride in existence, the entrance itself is tucked away in a dead end, hiding within the giant ship of the area... I doubt many people even realise where this ride is, let alone what it does...And so begins the most random dark ride I have ever encountered, there is apparently a story, and some really good animatronics in there, but... Just...I don’t even know...You jump from scene to scene, including traditional PotC rip-offs, to swamps and jungles, and perhaps the scariest thing ever to appear in a dark ride, before ending under the sea and then it’s over...But it’s AMAZING!Seriously amazing, no idea why, but it’s just something of sheer random quality that I loved it... Great atmosphere, great theming and just great times...9/10After that random bout of fun, it was time for...RamsesMore down to earth theming abound, as it does what Tomb Blaster tries to, but excessively better, as it involves amazingly detailed sets, animatronics and I always like a shooting ride that has things react to you shooting them...Not gonna spoil things, but the ride really transforms into something different after the initial scenes, and the constant story updates in the televisions are a neat idea, helping the narrative evolve along with you... Add in some stylish music and the ride is set for what is a very good dark ride, probably in my top 5... No Huntik but it’s still awesome...9/10Now what could be the best way to possibly follow those two epic dark rides? By going to the corner that no park ever wanted, apart from Gardaland’s original owners (thankgod we can’t blame Merlin for this)... A Vekoma looper and our first ride, a S&S Screaming Squirrel...Sequoia AdventureAWFUL AWFUL AWFUL! WHOEVER DREAMT UP THIS IDEA IS A FRIGGIN MORON!Ahem...Never have a felt such a displeasure on a ride... Even Cedar Point’s Mean Streak is better than this... Constant 3 seconds of headrush does not a good ride make... Especially with the throughput being terrible as they can only have one on the track at any time... WTF?Seriously, this is the worst ride I’ve ever been on... FACT...1/10Magic Mountain (Fanta – The Ride)Following the S&S travesty to the coaster world, anything would seem better, even a Vekoma... Interestingly this also has the new Vekoma restraints, which are their attempt at being like B&M...It doesn’t work...But, it’s definitely a better attempt than before... Still rickety but at least it didn’t try to pummel my head to a pulp... Just want to know why I craved a Fanta after riding this... Only the heavens must know...5/10After that disasterous 30 minutes, we needed something nice, so went onto the final new coaster of the day and trip...Ortobruco TourA Bigger Apple coaster... And it was like one of the rides on RCT where the builder has realised it can’t get over the hill normally, so has put lift hills everywhere so it can finish the course...It was stupid really... But certainly a better idea than a normal Big Apple...5/10All the coasters done and the heat not leaving, we decided to go on the nearby log flume...Colorado BoatMuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! Says the sponsorship on this amusing little flume ride... Again nicely themed and landscaped, with a surprising amount of wetness once more, this time from just milling about in the trough rather the drops... Random times... Still another fun ride though... 6/10That done, John split off from the group to go and watch the Raptor Magic Show, whilst the rest of us headed off for some magic of our own...Magic HouseSituated in the massive tree is yet another strange Madhouse, with yet more lifts and a strange story...However, this one is punctuated with the one, the only, PERVY WIZARD!Perhaps the greatest fail in a Madhouse build up ever, the pre-show is quite cool with the park’s mascot Prezzemolo going on about something, only for the perv to turn up and ruin our fun and make us go on the ride...So the ride has some epic music, which as per the norm builds up, with some good scenery and light changes really making it impressive... It builds up to the finale... And then...THE WORST PROJECTION OF THE PERVY WIZARD APPEARS IN THE ROOF...It’s so awful it’s funny... Never has such a good ride be let down by something so pathetic... But Magic House did it... Tiny projection onto a massive roof? IT MAKES NO SENSE!A real shame... Though with the lifts on exit it makes me wonder if they are such a good idea, as they really do ruin the mood after the finale... Maybe they just need to be done well?5/10

Day 6 – Chilling in VeronaThe original plan for this trip was to do all 4 of the major Italian parks, including Movieworld Studios, right is effectively next door to Gardaland, however, we must have angered the Coaster Gods, as the opening times for the park changed for the worse, meaning it was shut midweek and we had very little alternative as to what to do...So we sat in our hotel room all day and chilled... I like days like this on holiday, as it allows everyone to either sleep/read/sit or just do whatever without any need for rushing or walking... We did venture out for extra supplies of food midway through the day, but aside from that didn’t do anything until the evening, where me, John and Mark hit the town to see what it was like...A rather depiction of Italian roads I feel... Random canoeing in the river is random... Looked fun though... And just what could lay beyond this rather dark and dingy hallway? Why it’s Juliet’s Balcony of course, from that rather popular play of Shakespearian standards... Dunno why Verona have claimed it, but they have... DEAL WITH IT! Meanwhile, in Verona... Most epic looking music venue ever! The Arena is slap bang in the middle of the city and has more restaurants than you can shake a stick at... And who was playing?George Michael... Hungry, we elected to eat at the weirdest theme/name for a restaurant in Italy... Even this place has Spider Crabs... And as John is demonstrating, the biggest menus I’ve seen in a long time...Talking of big things, here’s the drinks... Totally extraordinary... Unfortunately so much ice made it practically undrinkable after a while, but still, epic size is epic... Spag Bol, Italian style... Do try the Oreo and Kinder Ice Cream... It’s AMAZING <3 Unable to get into the concert, we wandered back towards the hotel, only to find... OMG I’M SO THERE!Next up – Gardaland...

Double post but meh...Woo for being on Towers' Facebook page

After the show, it was time to continue the car theme and head over to the park’s 2nd big coaster...iSpeedApple naming rights aside, iSpeed has a well done atmosphere around it even though you can’t see most of the ride from the outside or the queue... But what you do see is the trains dashing around madly refusing to lose pace at any point in the ride...After a dull shaded queue, we reached the station and this is when I realised this was not a hydraulic launch, but rather LSMs, making it a lot more like Maverick than I thought it would be...After a quick speil the launch happens, and boy is it fast... No wonder Intamin thought the hydraulic launch was a bit poor now, fast and powerful and barely needs the same amount of space as the others... The top hat provided a great dose of airtime as did the hill afterwards, even with the trims attached onto it...The rest of the ride is a complete blur, with twists, turns, loops and dives coming at you thick and fast... It’s amazing how it keeps the speed on it throughout the entire course all the way to the random MCBR above the station... Also random was how the final turn swooped up into about 2 feet of brakes which then went down into MORE brakes... Why did THAT happen?However, as great as the ride and layout is, there is one major issue... And just like Maverick, it’s the restraint system... Intamins just do not agree with my neck and corners with their OTSRs, and iSpeed was no exception... If they could fix this issue this (and Maverick) would make it into my top 10 no question, but because I need to constantly brace myself in order to enjoy it fully, it loses marks for that... A real shame that it’s so easily ruined...9/10On our way to the next attraction, we discovered a ride which perked our interest so much we had to experience it...Crazy HouseMost random experience on a flat ride for a while... Spinning, talking and random effects are the order of the day here, and it was worth it just for the sheer randomness it produced... Great fun and I think more parks should have these... Could be easily modified into some rather interesting concepts and themes...8/10Distraction aside, it was time to head towards the only dark ride of the park...ResetReset is so far away from the rest of the park it’s unbelievable, indeed, it could easily be classed as a car park dark ride as it’s closer to that than the park itself... It does and doesn’t work with the theme, as the apocalyptic theme works as you wander further away from the hustle and bustle (with some great music Swarm needs to be inspired by) but it’s just so out of the way it didn’t have much of a people atmosphere, which at a theme park is sometimes needed...However, into the dark corridors we went and straight onto the ride, where the weird shooting system annoyed me as well as the lack of story... It is apparently explained in tv form in the queue, but as one didn’t exist, we knew not why the world had ended, or what we were meant to be doing... Even a Portal Personality Core couldn’t help matters... Probably not helped by Huntik’s awesomeness two days before, but it just didn’t seem to have a really engaging narrative and seemed even more mish-mashy than Duel... Just didn’t enjoy it as well as I thought I would...6/10Walking back from Reset, we noticed that Depth Charge’s clone had no queue, so we went on...Blu RiverIt’s Depth Charge, only you can’t ride by yourself... And I lost my hat on it into the channel, however, this did work in my favour as a soaked through hat was bloody amazing in the hot weather...6/10We then did iSpeed again where we met the wonderful FABio ride op, who ensured that idiots trying to jump into the shorter normal queue from the longer front row queue were sent to the back, always like seeing staff do their job effectively even on empty days... Well done...After bracing myself, it was time for some more water ride action...AutoSplashAn unique Log Flume theme here which perhaps could have a lot more going on for it... With only two drops and a random tunnel between them it’s definitely not the best version of it’s type, especially as it suffers from the first drop being wetter than the final drop, and the tunnel actually has absolutely nothing in it... But still the water was well received in the heat...6/10