Dunia Fantasi - All the Adrenaline, Guts, Fun & Fear Factors

It had been ages since the last time I visited Dunia Fantasi (Fantasy World), Ancol. Never thought I still had it in me to chase all those rides. But there was a public holiday on June 2nd and the idea of taking Mathieu to that theme park just came out impulsively. There we went, five of us (with Andri, Mat and my teenage nieces - Feli and Valen). As I could brag about myself had already tackled almost everything in the past - almost - I realize, I had overlooked those kids' rides. Who could have thought of adults riding them, anyway? And the queuing was painful. I assumed because kids' rides were limited, and you know kids could be very demanding, many of those people who were standing in line were repeaters. It took so much of our time, we .. no, I .. missed some extreme rides I'd been intrigued to try. But that outing was a mission for the kid. I humbly accepted it, but I didn't let go easily.

So when Paroki Santa Helena held a family outing on June 29th (the second public holiday in the month), and my mom was planning to take Mathieu along, would anyone really think I should miss that chance? Heh. Though I went there with the other 35 people young and old (including my mom, Mat and our maid - Tati), this time, the mission was for Mat, as always, and for myself. I set up only three targets: Tornado, Kicir-Kicir and Hysteria.

Did I succeed?

Almost.

Based on those two recent visits and many, many visits in the past, I'm grouping Dufan rides as follows. (Click on hyperlinks and pictures for more information).

These are for kids. And adults who are young at heart.

Gajah Bledug (The Flying Elephant) - Observing from the queue, I bet this one is the most favorite among kids. Basically I just sat with Mat on an elephant, flying up and down and round and round. Ahh .. it's so easy to please a kid.

Burung Tempur (Pterodactyl Fighting Bird) - The ride takes form of jurassic birds called Pterodactyl. Very scary birds and it can get very high (up to 15 meters) chasing one after another. I let Mat riding with his dad instead.

Turangga-Rangga (Carousel) - What's a theme park without a merry-go-round? A grand and eye-catching ride, right after the park entrance. It looks very pretty in the evening with all those flickering lights. Kids will certainly love it. For adults, it might be quite dizzying cause the spinning is faster than usual. I am never fond of riding on spinning things. So I sit this one out for now. Mat rode with his grandma.

Some of these are the oldest rides. Old but never forgotten. I don't mind riding them again, only if I have spare time at the park.

Piring Oleng Ombang Ombang - It used to be my favourite. Feels like sitting on a giant plate or a saucer (dare I say, a UFO?), that is floating on a wavy ocean. Backward. Forward. For those who suffer sea-sickness, beware!

Pontang Pontang (Scramble Chair) - Fast flying chairs that seem nearly crashing with one another in random direction. I love the feel of wind blow on my face and hair. But I hate it I have to hold on really tight and trying not to be thrown and crushed to the right edge of my seat. Watch out for your kids (if they're allowed to ride on). Make sure they sit on the left side.

Istana Boneka - The star for all ages. Riding on a boat through a long tunnel filled with hundreds of animatronic dolls representing all over the world. Always gets an insane queuing. One ride should be enough for me. The boat moves really slow, it's always testing my patience. And some dolls are indeed creepy. But you know what, it's kinda nice to get on this ride at the end of the day, or when I feel tired and overheated. Just to steal a quick nap on the boat.

Lorong Sesat - A labyrinth of mirrors. Frustrating. I will never want to go inside the maze alone cause I'm no good in finding my way out. A hint I got from my last visit, the way out is by following the narrow alley. My question is, which one is the narrow one? Cause all looks the same to me. Kids are allowed to go in. But they might get scared cause the lighting is deemed and mirrors are disorienting.

Rumah Ajaib Rango-Rango (Tilt House) - a.k.a. Rumah Miring. So tilted that gravity is lost and I found myself walking like a very ancient lady; humped, slow, hard steps, grabbing things to fight the invisible force that kept pulling me down. One missed step, I could stumble and roll like a bowling ball.

Kereta Layang Alap-Alap - A mini roller-coaster. No twists, only turns. However, do not underestimate this ride. It's harsh and bumpy. I once hurt my back, knocked against the back of my seat. One of my friend's eyeglasses (which she was wearing during the ride) were thrown out of the train. Safety is moderate too. But that was a long time ago and I haven't yet ride it again. I saw the commercial that showed kids riding this roller-coaster. Kids?? Maybe now it's not that harsh anymore.

Balada Kera / Kalila Adventure Animatronic Theater - Apes and monkeys all singing and playing music. Mathieu was very disappointed to find that Balada Kera was no longer playing. Now it's been replaced by Kalila Adventure, which by the last visit it's still under preventive maintenance. Argh.

Perang Bintang (Star Wars) - A shooting ride. One train fits for 6 people. It's really fun. At first I didn't know that I had to aim my laser gun to the little green dots. I shot randomly and my score was awful. So yeah. Shoot those green dots. They're scattered everywhere. I determine to pick up my score high next time. Oh, and there's an awesome statue right infront of the venue. Take some pics.

Teater Simulator - A simulator theater, the one with the moving seats following all events and effects that's playing on the big screen. The theme changes from time to time. This time it's the movie "Journey to the Center of the Earth". Kids are okay to go in. As long as they're accompanied by adults.

Bumper Car Rides - There are Baku Toki (for adults) and Ubanga Ubanga (for kids). Both is always a favorite, a guilty pleasure. Be patient.

I've tried this ride a couple of times. Due to the age factor, I might have run out of guts to ride it again. Need extra supply. Perhaps someday, if there's no long queue.

Perahu Ayun Kora-Kora (Boat Swing) - It's a boat that swings to reach almost 90 degrees up. When it gets to the maximum point and then it swings back down, I always feel like about to fly out of my seat, my heart drops and I just can't stand the tickly feeling inside. I think the butterflies in my stomach are having panic attack. But this one is a cool ride. Try the backseats.

I haven't got a chance to try these ones. I'm not sure if I will though. But out of curiosity, who knows?

Rajawali (The Flying Condor) - Seeing this ride, it looks like a combination of Ontang Ontang and Bianglala. Dizzying for the spin and terrifying for the height. Feli and Valen tried this. One said it's really a good ride for napping. Napping at that height? Seriously?


Hysteria - Its two towers are really intimidating. I thought if I could ride on Kora-Kora, why couldn't I ride Hysteria? And I've survived a 50 meters - 5G Bali slingshot as well. Hysteria is only a 4G force. That couldn't be bad, huh? I would only need to handle the fear of its 60 meters vertical height with eyes wide open. And its 3-times ride ups and downs. On my last visit, I was really sure I wanted to ride this, until I saw the queuing. While waiting for the line to loosen up, I got a chance to observe the ride from a very closed distance. Man, that height. Gaaaah. And all my guts sank. After a while, unfortunately, even my adrenaline had to give up to time and stamina. I was too tired to ride on some extremes. Later. I will go hysterical and tackling this one

*Update August 13, 2013: About two weeks ago, finally I rode Hysteria.  That was the first ride I took once I entered the park.  Not bad.  The scariest part was when it shot you up. Did I scream?  You bet I did.

I would never ride these ones again. Never ever. Ever. Easy rides, you think? Think again.

Poci-Poci (Spinning Cup) - It's for kids. True. But the cups only do endless spins, nothing else. I always wonder how kids can stand this without feeling sick at all.

Ontang Anting (Wave Swinger) - Once upon a time, I rode this. Not that scary at all. Sitting on a swing that made me flying fast into some degrees and heights. Up, down and round. Like riding on a Carousel: The Air Edition. The problem came when I had an adrenaline rush to try the other two rides: Ombang Ombang and Pontang Pontang. I should had realized that those similar names certainly gave the patterns away. Three in a row? An instant knock-out. I'm not a person who can vomit easily no matter how I sick I feel. I didn't, I couldn't, and it was really, really terrible.

Kincir Raksasa Bianglala (Giant Wheel) - Some say a ferris wheel is a kiddie ride and people laughed when I told them this ride was the scariest. They say, in the evening time, it will give me a romantic sight because of all the lights seen from above. But this wheel is 33 meters high. It is high. And I'm terrified of height. Especially when I have lots of time to be aware of it. A ferris wheel cart rotates really slow upright, and it will stop for a while to let the passengers enjoying the view and the height. Me, no. I spent my time up there trying to be calm whenever the wind shook my cart. I didn't care about the spectacular view of the Java sea and all Ancol area. I only wanted for the cart to rotate back down immediately and hoping that my prayer could be heard (hey, from my position, it's closer to heaven). The ride felt like forever.

The best, the funnest and the extremest. I'm loving it. Bring it on!

Niagara-Gara (Flume Ride) - It never gets old. I can see it from the people who are willing to wait for average 30-90 minutes in line. This ride is one of the pioneer rides. The queuing spot is set up inside a western-style wooden building. When it was packed with people, with the sweat and other unidentified smell, I couldn't help but feeling claustrophobic. I got the longest queuing time on my last visit. So it was such a relief and refreshing to get on the wet log (my shoes .. oh no ..), floating slowly through the small river toward the 30 meters tower .. and plunged. I sat at the front. The wettest spot. But it's damn fun, I needed those water splash.

Arung Jeram (River Raft Ride) - It's not a real 3 hour journey where you have to row your raft through the river rapids. This ride is only a matter of whether or not you dare to get wet inside and outside. Apparently many people want to ride on, but don't want to get wet. I found out the operators providing plastic raincoats for sale. I had already prepared Mathieu's Doraemon raincoat and put it on him. Just because. Me, I changed my clothes into a simple outfit before joining into the line, ready to face the raging river. Arung Jeram is best tackled before dark, or right before you end your trip if you don't want to continue riding while looking - and feeling - all wet from head to toe. Allow 30-60 minutes time to queue.

Halilintar (Twisted Roller Coaster) - A primadona of all rides. A must-have. Halilintar roller-coaster turns, climbs, goes down and twists like an obese lightning. Do not overthink that something bad might happen as in "Final Destination 3" or "Rollercoaster". Because once you're the train, you'll find it's too fast to worry. I'll take this again and again anytime, but by sitting at the middle rows. Chicken! Buck, buck, buck, buck, buck! I know, I know.

Kicir-Kicir (Power Surge) - You see the picture on the left? It's only a windmill. Only. Here, have a closer look. Now, it got your real attention. I saw Feli and Valen rode Kicir-Kicir. I saw how they were randomly turned and twisted in 360 degrees. The movement was like a giant fan that had lost most of its screws and bolts. I joined in the line with Tati on my last trip. Surprisingly the waiting wasn't long. Or it didn't feel that long because I had fun watching the people on the ride. Their reactions were hilarious. When I finally got on the ride, the reaction was mine. I'm not a screaming diva, and I had never heard myself screaming that loud in my entire life. Especially when I was in a face-down position. (Has Superman ever had this kind of fear while flying?). I could see all eyes were on the ride, and that they were also amused. I didn't care. It was shameless, and screaming felt so good to release the tension. I bowed down to the craziest ride in town. I don't mind getting on it again. The aftermath effects: wobbly knees, sore throat caused by lots and lots of screaming and nausea. The nausea thing can be avoided by prior observation to choose your seat, facing forward or backward. Though later on that ride you'll have a blurry awareness of which side you're actually on, at least you have advantage to be prepared of what's coming from the very beginning. And keep your eyes open.

Tornado (Wind Shear) - My first impression on Tornado from afar was, sure I dared riding it. Don't ask me why. Perhaps it was because of the fact that Tornado could carry 40 people back-to-back in one shot, and I always considered it as the more the merrier. Then there came the evening nearly closing time when we - Feli, Valen and I - tried our luck to approach the ride. Queue line was closed. The last ride was on going, carrying only around 10 people. It was a multiple-round ride that went so amazingly threatening from our point of view. We just couldn't take our eyes off it. During one quick stop, one of the operators saw us glued in front of the ride. He called us to join in. My adrenaline said yes, but my guts said no. Feli and Valen gave it up as well. None of us accepted the offer. So we walked out. Yeah. Disappointing. (I kinda felt upset with myself afterwards). It became my 1,000,001 Things to Do Before I Die. And I got it. Just when I thought I would miss it once again, after being exhausted by the Niagara-gara 90 minutes queuing and I only had not more than 30 minutes before group meeting time. I passed by Tornado and saw there was no one visible at the queue line. And the adrenaline rushed all of a sudden. I asked Tati if she would like to join the ride, she backed off once she saw it from close distance. So I ran inside. I ran so fast I didn't let myself had a second thought. Apparently there were people inside indeed, waiting for their turn. I had to wait two rounds to get to mine. While waiting, all I could do was to look up above in awe. Seeing those maneuvers in 17 meters height .. 360 degrees turnings, rolling, twisting, tilting left and right in 45 degrees or more, moving toward and away from a center (general physics call it centripetal and centrifugal) .. basically it treated those people just like suckling pigs or if anyone ever felt being thrown into the eye of a twister. My jaw kept dropping. I mentally prepared myself by observing the ride. I saw two girls picked their seat, but then they retreated. I heard someone shouting "God Almighty!!" over and over again. Screams were intense. Phew. Then my turn came. One of the beauty of Tornado, that though you ride it alone, you are not lonely. I sat at the middle, among the people I didn't know at all .. but somehow I was in an instant unity. Whatever might come or happen to me during the ride, would happen to my surrounding too. My fear was lowered down to some extent because of that. I might be ready before the ride, however, the things I felt on the ride was absolutely unreal. It's not as simple as in what you see is what you get. How could I find enough words to describe it when I felt - and saw - everything around me was turning upside down, when the sky was literally under my feet? When I lost all sense of direction and defying gravity? Tornado moved in a dynamic rhythm and stopped a couple of times in various position, and it was breathtaking to figure out where I was at those certain points. Having said that, I could say I was pretty much alert during the ride. I even managed to catch a glimpse of terror on the spectators' faces. Very very entertaining. And apart from the Tornado accident rumors a couple years ago, I felt safe riding it. That's the most important thing. And I felt like a winner tackling this ride. Tornado is the best ride up to date. I'll definitely get on it again, wanna try evening ride and sitting at the edge of the row. The aftermath effects: blushed and warmed face caused by blood drawn to the head, cold sweats, physically shaken, emotionally drained, lost of appetite, headache, nausea, vomiting, total fear, pride, numb/dumb feeling. A mixture of addiction.

The do's and don'ts:
1. Dufan never gives clear information about any promotion whatsoever. When you're in front of the locket/cashier, do ask. Show every credit cards, member cards or even cellular operator logo that you have and ask for any discount. Senior visitors at the age of 60 are entitled for special price. Show some ID cards.
2. Children at the height below 100 cms are free. Any child taller than that will have to pay full price. There's a yellow line painted on the locket and there's a height measurement as well. No use to cheat on your children's height. I personally think Dufan should apply special price for kids above the height limit. How many rides can a child ride in one day, including the queuing time, anyway? And no matter how tall your children are, some rides might still be too scary for their youth. Choose it wisely.
3. The weather at Dufan area is usually hot. Wear comfortable outfits. But considering you'll be quite exposed while riding some of the extremes, you'd better not wearing anything too loose either. Bring some change.
4. Leave your high heels at home. Don't wear heavy makeup. Tie your long hair in a bun or a ponytail. Wear sneakers or sandals if you prefer (you can always take it off whenever is necessary). Being trendy doesn't hurt, but as you spend your day outdoor screaming, sweating, getting twisted and wet, nobody will pay attention to any overkill looks anyway.
5. Something's never changed. Like that stamp they gave you for your ride pass. Careful with the ink. It's likely to smear on everywhere. On your clothes and on your face. Sooner or later Dufan needs to think of a better idea to replace that stamping.
6. Drink lots and lots of water. From my last two trips, they didn't check my belongings. So you can try bringing water inside the park. Otherwise, buy it from those stalls. It's overpriced, but you got no choice.
7. Don't eat heavy meals in one shot. Especially right before or after riding on spinning or wavy patterns. It's better to chew on light snacks like popcorn or bread. Unless you're really hungry. Give it some time between rides.
8. There are free lockers available inside the park. Use it and be practical so you can go far with the rides.
9. There are maps planted at some spots. You can use it as your guide. For me, it's too confusing even to locate where I'm standing at the moment. I'd rather follow the paths freely. But if you feel the need to study the location and all the rides before you go to the park, you can find it on the website here.
10. Dufan is always packed during weekends and holidays. Know that it's almost impossible to ride everything in one day and be ready for long queuing time. Choose your targets tactfully. Everybody hates waiting. So don't complain while you're in the line. If you can't stand it, leave and come back later if you still have a chance. My tips: Extreme rides and kiddie rides are popular. If you're longing to take it first, jump into the line and endure the waiting. But if somehow you're sure you can sustain a bit, try other rides first and don't go to your targets yet. Approach it later on that day when the queuing has loosen up, hopefully. Fresh adrenaline and excitement are the best stamina boosters.
11. *If you don't like to queue, and if you have extra money in your pocket, buy the Fast Track tickets. The price is almost the same as the entrance ticket, so yeah, it's costly. Fast Track allows you to choose 6 of your favorite rides and you will able to bypass the queue. This, is one of the reasons why queuing time is endless for others who don't have that special ticket. Quite irritating, to be honest. But hey, in this country, money do talks. A lot!
12. Follow every warnings or restrictions. Don't be a jerk doing reckless or stupid actions on the ride. It's for your own safety, and for the people who ride along with you.
13. Know your limit. Of how much your body and mind can take the rides. It's not wise to show off whatever is left in you if you don't feel like it. Screaming, cursing or laughing out loud on the ride will do no harm. These things can do magic in releasing your tension and fear. Crying may get to someone else's nerves, but vomiting and fainting .. are really not cool. (I once heard someone puked while riding on Tornado, right there up above. Can you imagine getting the splash?). Observe the ride closely. Learn how it goes and its maneuvers. If you think you will not be able to handle it, leave before you get on the ride if possible. Otherwise you might be delaying everyone. (One Niagara-gara rider was almost hysteric when she realized that nobody would sit in front of her. She screamed over and over to the operator that she didn't want to sit at the front. I couldn't help but shouting at her from my queuing spot: "For God sake, just get off!! Get off!!" One other shouted to the operator: "Just ignore her and start the ride!! She's wasting our time!" Finally she got off, after almost fell down to the water because of panic). My tips: No matter how scared you are, there's nothing worse than riding with your eyes closed. You will not know what's coming ahead of you, you'll let yourself unprepared. So try to keep your eyes open. Aim your focus farther and not on the ride itself. You'll be surprised, and maybe entertained even more.
14. Always check your safety belts/locks a couple of time. It must lock firmly before the ride starts. If it doesn't or if you feel it doesn't, raise your hand and call the operator to fix it. If it still doesn't feel right, back off immediately and calmly. Safety is the number one thing to be concerned of in every ride everywhere. Though Dufan management assure you that their rides are all safe, we cannot know for sure. Don't let yourself be blinded by pure adrenaline. You gotta learn to trust your instinct as well. And don't forget to pray.
15. Extreme rides draw the most attention. That makes every people on board a celebrity. People who don't dare riding may laugh watching you, but believe me they are also amazed and amused by your courage. So give them your best and fun behavior. Something that can make them wish they had it as big as yours.

Enjoy your ride!



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