Before I get into my experience in Everland, I need to make a quick statement on why my face seemed swollen on certain shots, if anyone has noticed. After a few nights of wondering what was causing my face and neck to itch terribly and break out into rashes that I could luckily cover up on the first day, but however turned into a swelling that no amount of cosmetics could hide, we finally figured out the cause. And it was the bedsheets!!! After requesting for a change, even when the hotel receptionist insisted that they change it every day, the next day (which was the final day in Korea and filming has already ended!), the swell finally subsided and my face and neck no longer itched. I had wanted to look like a Korean beauty in my Everland filming, alas, a pig head is forever recorded on film! Oh well, such is life. On a bright note, I saw cherry blossoms! They still weren’t in full bloom, but I managed to capture a photo of one up close. So lovely and fragile.
Now, moving on to Everland. Everland is based in Yongin, a city in Gyeonggi-do province, South Korea. It is South Korea’s biggest theme park, and the ride that everyone stresses is a must-ride is the T-express. It is the steepest wooden rollercoaster in the world, with a drop angle of 77 degrees and maximum speed of 104 km/h, it is the second best ride I have ever rode in the series and in my whole life. What’s the first? Arkham Asylum. Want to know why? Check out the Movie World post to see why Arkham Asylum tops my list!
But back to T-express. I have always wanted to ride on a wooden rollercoaster ever since I was about seven, and finally got my wish fulfilled. It didn’t disappoint me one bit. Despite its lack of inversions, the thrills it provided more than made up for it. The first drop was really high, and the speed made me feel like I was plummeting to my screaming doom. I loved it!! Also, because it is made of wood, the ride is particularly bumpy, and I loved this very organic, nostalgic feel to it. As modern coasters are all made of steel, the rides do feel a little too smooth in comparison.
Other than this iconic ride, Everland is a great place for all wildlife lovers with its Lost Valley dotted with animals that you would only see on National Geographic or in Africa. You get to travel in this convertible amphibian vehicle which turns from a bus to a boat the moment it gets into the waters, and get really up close with this particular giraffe which has absolutely zero guards around humans as long as it can get its food. This giraffe will stick its head into the window just to grab pieces of lettuce from the park keepers. All my life, having just seen giraffes on the screen, it was quite amazing to see one just inches from my face… I was quite terrified to realise just how big a giraffe really is. Other than this fascinating experience, I got to see a few exotic animals that I haven’t seen before and was quite taken by them. Everland is indeed is a huge theme park, to be able to ride in rollercoasters and experience wildlife rides all in one place is pretty much impossible in Singapore, where even finding adequate space for housing is a problem for our tiny nation.
Aside from the caption above, you will soon see why I proclaim it as a lovebirds’ paradise. Besides being inundated by a rainbow of tulips because it was tulip season, Everland also has rose gardens with four romantic themes. The rose gardens with its various themes: Victorian Garden, Maze Garden, Venus Garden, and Cupid Garden, were all not in bloom yet, as it was still early spring. But with the installation of artificial white roses that light up at night, along with romantic Cupid statues and photo-taking booths specifically for couples, love songs filling the air, many young couples can be seen posing for their selfie sticks.
