Jerudong Park, a treasure trove of memories.

Like I said in my previous post, I went to Jerudong Park with Munibah on Friday evening, just after exams ended (still can't believe they have!!).

For those who don't know, Jerudong Park used to be Brunei's #1 biggest tourist attraction and hotspot. The largest and most expensive (to build) amusement park in South East Asia. EVERYBODY went there, ALL the time! 

It's the combination of a massive playground, an ampitheatre (where the king of pop himself Michael Jackson played a FREE concert in 1996. Lol every Bruneian is so proud of that!!) and a theme park with zillions of free rides that was originally built for royalty but was then opened to public like... 15 years ago? 

I don't think I can explain in words just how amazing JP used to be. As a kid, taking the long drive to JP on weekends was like the BIGGEST treat. It was the most wonderful, magical place in the world. Brunei's very own little Disneyland.

More than a decade later, it's only a shadow of its former glory, with only like 10 rides operating and you've to pay. But I still felt like I needed to go back there one last time before I leave *tear-filled eyes*

It says "Know Our Country". Well, it's not my country, but after living here for 15 years, I like to think I know it pretty well.

Say hi to Mun looking all professional with her DSLR!

At what used to be Snakes & Ladders (a massive board game painted onto the floor) near the entrance of Phase 1 (Phase 2, with the rollercoaster and all the other exciting rides has been shut down).

HAHA WTF I look like I just escaped from an asylum!!

Wheeee we can has be Arabian princesses!

I LOVE this backlit photo!! The soft dusky light gives it such a dreamy, almost vintage appearance *joy*

You can't tell but I was holding on for dear life! So scared I was gonna hit my head/lose my balance and fall off. All while managing to take a nice photo! Dunno why it didn't occur to me to just SIT on the swing like Mun.

The carousel was our first stop! My fave ride as a little kid. I used to be damn scared of the horses that bobbed up and down though hahaha.

I can has white horsie with pink reigns hehe!

Love this photo! Feels like everything is moving except her.

Pretty paintings on the inside roof of the carousel.

A drove, a string, a troop, a herd, of horses! (There's also like goats and lions and strangely, rabbits.)

Mun while waiting in front of the bumper cars. That a dinosaur's ass behind her!

We had to wait AGES for the bumper car uncle to come and switch on the ride for us.  From daytime it became night T_T

I swear my bumper car was faulty!! Suai I had to pick the one that started rumbling and shaking as though it was gonna explode whenever I accelerated fml. And Mun and I were the only two cars there, fol. After we finished, a whole group of maybe 8 ppl started lining up. Double FOL!!

Observe Munibah posing calmly in her bumper car while I proceed to happily ram mine into the side.

My neck hurt for days afterward cause I got minor whiplash one of the thousand times that Munibah banged into me. I guess it serves me right for not bothering to put on the seatbelts. I somehow thought they were unnecessary cause I didn't think the jolting would be THAT violent D: Then when I saw the other people after us all putting on their seatbelts, I was like, "Wah! So kuai one!" I bet they didn't get any whiplash.

A colourful but thoroughly unexciting spinning ride.

I was really afraid that it would spin really fast and the chairs would lift up at kuazhang 90 degrees angle, so I kept making my mom ask the ride operator if it was scary and he kept having to reassure us that it wasn't and then looked at us as though we were nuts. 

Turns out he had reason to! It spins slowly and the chairs just go up and down a bit, e.g.:

After that ride, we still had one more ride left on our tickets (the shooting game I initially wanted to play was closed for some reason *grumble*) so we went on the kids' Pirate Ship! For "kids", mind you...

BUT HOLY MAMA!!! That was the scariest ride I've sat on in a LONG time!! Knn the ship flew up so high at such a steep angle I thought I was gonna fly out of my seat!!!! Somemore no seatbelts one! Me and Mun screamed through the ENTIRE thing HAHAHA!! SO MUCH FUN. Not even exaggerating.

If anybody is going to JP anytime soon, you HAVE to go on the Pirate Ship. My legs were wobbly for quite a while afterwards *satisfied*

After that it was like past 7 already, stomach rumbling like mad and I was so exhausted (I'd only slept like 4 hours the night before), so excuse any constipated facial expressions in the photos we took on the way out.

All these taken in front of the paddleboat fountain on the bridge that leads to the carousel. Very repetitive lol sorry.

Hahaha I look super rotund and pear-shaped in this photo!! Must remember never to pose like that ever again.

Me and my mommy ♥

Photos of the Crystal Arch and the fountain at the entrance to Phase 1.

I've always thought the crsytal looks like the solitaire diamond on expensive engagement rings! I can just imagine some giantess bride's finger fitting snugly into the lubang under the arch.

I love this photo!! If only it were more focused :(

Me and my mom in front of the Crystal Arch.

Classic jakun-ism tyvm :D

This is pretty much the exact same spot as the next photo, except this one was taken 12 years ago. I'm the little one in the red skirt and that's @ohsuzanne and my maternal grandparents ♥

The end!

Sorry I can't seem to think of any creative ways to end this post. Bye? I've to go eat dinner now? Lol!

Oh by the way, I graduate tomorrow wheeee! Gonna stuff my skirt pockets full of tissues!!