Thanks to Summer's foresight and Cyndi's hotness, we were able to wrangle a ride from our ultra-friendly real estate agent. Thank goodness we got a ride, because Caribbean's a bit of a drive. Part of the expansive Everland theme park, Caribbean Bay is located in some lush valley in Yongin. It's a bit of a fortress, actually.
Despite the swarms of people, prevalence of mesh shirts*, and the chattiness of our real estate agent, I had quite a good time.
Caribbean Bay is not prettiest water park I've ever seen, but it's definitely the largest. The pseudo-Spanish/Mediterranean decor reminded me of a Tex-Mex restaurant back in the Homeland.
Did I mention the swarms of people? You'd think with the threat of H1N1 people would be more prudent and avoid crowded areas, but no, there were hundreds (maybe even thousands) of folks just as foolish as me. For goodness sake, parents. You should keep your children at home -- so that I don't have to wait 1 hour to go down a water slide!
Sorry. Nothing really exciting in this picture. Just a bunch of umbrellas and beach chairs. Though I carried my camera around in a waterproof pouch, I didn't really take very many photos. Firstly, it's quite a pain to remove your camera from a waterproof pouch. Secondly, it's quite a pain to take photos when you're wooshing down a water slide.
Here we are chilling in a hot tub. Finally! A jacuzzi where you don't have to share water with a bunch of naked ajummas. (No offense, ajummas. I just don't like sharing bath water with strangers.)
We kept coming back to the tidal wave area because it was the one attraction where we didn't have to wait in line. Not sure if you noticed our very attractive vests, but those babies were provided by the water park folk (My vest is less tropical because I got the little person's vest). I know that some girls were probably bummed that they had to wear such tacky and concealing attire over their cute two-pieces, but I for one was grateful for the life vest. For one thing, I was able to go out into the deep end of the pool without fear of drowning. Secondly, I didn't have to worry about any wardrobe malfunctions this time around. Trust me, ladies. Do not go into a wave pool in just a two piece unless you want to give the lifeguards a show.
Speaking of two-pieces, can I just say that Korean women dress to impress when it comes to the water park. I'm not just talking about the agashis. The ajummas were working the two piece. You ever see those swimsuits at Dongdaemum or your local super-mart, embellished with rhinestones, ruffles, or flowers, and wonder, where would one wear that? The answer is Caribbean Bay! In addition to their colorful swimsuits, Korean women know how to accessorize. From their hat, to their sunglasses, to a sparkly little cover-up tied at the middriff, Korean women look like they walked off the set of some summer music video.
You may also notice our headgear. Summer told us that the park requires that headgear be worn when in the water. Presumably, the head gear was to decrease the amount of hair clogging up the pools. Esther kindly loaned me her visor. I'm not sure if the visor was successful in keeping my hair in place, but it did a good job of protecting me from the sun. Thanks, Esther!
If you can put up with the massive crowds, Caribbean Bay is quite fun. It boasts a number of exciting water slides. I mean, I only got to try a few of those water slides due to long lines, but all those slides seemed like they'd be quite exciting.
I have to say many thanks to SK-unni for getting us tickets to Caribbean Bay. I owe you dinner!
*I wanted to spare people from my tangent on mesh tops, but since you've made it all they way down to this little asterisk, I'm going to assume that you're interested in what I have to say.
What's the deal with mesh tops? A number of women at Caribbean Bay were wearing mesh "cover-ups" over their swimsuits. Cover what? It's full of holes! A lot of women at the park seem to have opted for the mesh dress for the sake of a little more modesty. Am I alone in thinking that mesh tops seem more skanky? In my opinion, a bikini seems more modest than a mesh top over a bikin. In addition to their non-functionality, mesh tops are just plain ugly. I don't care if you have Heidi Klum's body. It looks like you're wearing one of those laundry hampers you buy at the dollar store. Thirdly, those mesh dress pose a safety hazard. Can you imagine your mesh dress getting caught on something? It happens to fish all the time.
1 comment:
My ex and I used to go to Caribbean Bay a lot. She enjoyed swimming, and the place is open year round (the outdoor part, of course, is closed off in the winter, but admission is cheaper).
Here in Hawaii, it's fun to see how many South Koreans come here and keep that modesty thing going. They're around half-naked people in the skimpiest of bathing suits, many who really need to lose a pound or ten or twenty, but it's the South Koreans who feel embarrassed.
Post a Comment