Off to Ever Everland

Everland is an amusement park just south of Seoul. Nearly every day one of my students mentions Everland, usually asking "Teacher, Eh-ber-lan-duh spelling is what?" And Everland comes in handy when describing a variety of things to the kids, such as the meaning of the words 'beg' and 'hope' (Mom, please please please can we go to Everland this weekend??). So we went to Eh-ber-lan-duh and now I'm gonna tell you about it.

The spread and the contents of the park are somewhat unique. The rides are nestled into a hill, so there are moving walkways and ski lifts to take you up and down when, like we were, you are too lazy to walk. The other distinguishing aspect is that Everland has a zoo sprinkled around the park. There were all kinda of animals, from kooky looking birds to polar bears, but also regular old domesticated dogs and the rare skunk.



It was refreshing to break up the day of waiting and exhilarating with the animals, but the conditions these creatures live in were more than mildly upsetting. Zoo cages and corrals are always a target of criticism, but never have I been uncomfortable on an animal's behalf. The tiger and lions were in the same small area, with literally no room to run.  There was a seal in a tank the same size as the home of a the few penguins that live next door. I didn't even try to count how many squirrel monkeys were squeezed into a room a little larger than my apartment. The animals didn't often look healthy and were oddly active and people friendly, unlike my experiences in basically every other zoo where the animals are usually chilling and don't want anything to do with the gogglers. One elephant was eerily shaking its head back and forth as if it were in a semi-violent trance. Some people said it looked like she was dancing; I thought it  was reminiscent of banging your head against the wall.

Derping

On the brighter side of things, we went on some pretty sweet rides.  The T Express is the best wooden roller coaster I've ever been on, and apparently other people agree with me since it has been ranked the world's best in recent years. The track is long and the first drop is I'm Not Sure If I Trust Korea This Much steep. We loved it. We also went on an extensive water flume ride with multiple drops (why isn't every water flume like that?) and this awful ride that cranks a row of seats around, and then loosens the hold on the seats so that they free spin while being cranked around. Terrifying.

One other ride of note was a river rapids ride. We couldn't help but poke fun at the Korean sensitivity to presentation, as there were plastic covers to keep you from getting wet on the water ride. But we quickly ate our words when we realized the raft was not a bowl, but individual seats with open slits in between, and we all got soaked. Extra points went to Korea for the team at the end of the ride that wiped down the seats so your butt didn't get wet when you sat down. Korea is so confusingly smart.

We happened to visit right in the middle of a rose festival, and were pleased visually and olfactorily (I made that word up) by the rose garden.

Another interesting detail is that the performers at Everland-- people in the parade and the (kick ass) jazz combo that played in the restaurant area, and not the general employees like ride operators and food vendors-- were all foreign, and mostly white. I'm not sure what my commentary about that tidbit will be, so I'll just let it marinate for a while.

Lastly, I have to mention again that Korea does amusement parks, and many other weekend excursions, the right way. The entry cost was not that expensive, and the food and ridiculous amusement park junk for sale inside were also reasonably priced. Was the park that amazing? Eh, 7 out of 10. But returning wouldn't be unheard of since the price is so friendly. And that wooden roller coaster was really awesome.

And it lit up at night!!!