Lihpao Land + Taipei Shopping: My Fabulous Far East Trip Report - Part IV

Hello everyone! :}

Today we're diving right into some wild Taiwan theme park action! It's time for some thrills at Lihpao Land, home of the world-famous Vekoma Tilt Coaster, Gravity Max! And tonight, we're going into Taipei to take in some culture and some shopping!

Upon waking up and taking a close look out our window, Kaitlin and I made a very important discovery:

THERE IT IS. RIGHT THERE. LOOK AT IT.

But first: swanky breakfast time!

The breakfast dining area is so beautiful that I needed to show you two pictures of it in different lighting. :}

It means a lot to me when my bread asks me how I'm doing today. :}

"Cheery Tomato" ^.^

There's an impressive kiddo spread here.

"Open Sandwich" = plain bruschetta with chocolate sauce and sprinkles. I highly recommend it.

This city block toy model in the kiddo area is quite impressive as well!

Possibly the most well-rounded breakfast I've ever had: Fresh pineapple, inari sushi, steamed pork buns, and fresh guava juice! 

Lihpao Land wins the award for closest on-site hotel for a regional park; the courtyard that serves as the entrance to the hotel also serves as the threshold for the park. 

Crowds are absurd once again today.

Like Janfusun Fancyworld, Lihpao opens their park before the rides themselves. That means it's time for some Exclusive Shopping Time!

The only scrap of Gravity Max merchandise in the park ended up being one of the better I've seen for any given coaster: a squashed coin w/ keyring. 

Feast your eyes on one of the world's most remarkable roller coasters: Gravity Max (also know as Geocentric Panic in Cantonese). We'll be back for a ride as soon as it opens!

Lihpao Land is equal parts clean and colorful. The entire place was built pretty much all at once, and while not much has changed since the park's opening over ten years ago, what's here has been well maintained. 

Sonic Circle (Cantonese: Sonic Roundabout) is the park's Musik Express! We'll be back for a ride on this classic later in the day.

Gravity Max / Geocentric Panic's loop is particularly large and round. Reminds me of Tennessee Tornado back home. :}

This waterfall is both super beautiful and super not-in-America. There's nothing to stop anyone (besides common sense, of course) from busting their ass over these ledges.

Cute Asian sign is cute.

Energy Storm ("Extradimensional Storm") wasn't testing with the other rides that morning.

We'll check on this lovely-looking contraption later.

The park's log flume (Volcanic Adventure in both English and Cantonese) is definitely not going to be open today. It's too bad; looks like a great ride!

In the back of Lihpao Land is this charming and unexpected cactus garden, which lives in the shadow of this massive shuttered building. Not sure what used to be here, but the building is looking pretty rough.

IT'S TESTING. THE TILTER-THINGY ON GRAVITY MAX IS TESTING!

No sign of a train yet.

Look! Other people are here! Taking selfies, of course. 

First ride of the day is an unexpected gem: The Tango! A.K.A. "Sunshine Tango."

It's a rare Gerstlauer Dancing Pavilion! 

I've seen two of these rides before: One at Särkäniemmi in Finland, and the other at Belantis in Germany. 

There's a lovely, almost Disney-like quality about these rides. 

Speaking of Disney, there's a bit of a Disney quality about this Huss swinging ship, but I can't quite put my finger on it. :}

The Hook ("Adventure Hook") is a hit with the local kiddos. :}

There must be some kind of school trip happening. 

Here we have the ruined clown shrine – where all the world's nightmares come from.

The nightmares, however, are largely combated by this local individual, who has a vanilla yule-log-type dessert for a head.

It's time to seek the first credit of the day! But first, we must consult the Elder Train, who is a cross between Thomas the Tank Engine and Prince.

After receiving the Elder Train's blessing, we followed the directions of the local stickmen gold miners.

We made it! This park is wild. :}

Like its big brother Gravity Max, Mine Express reigns from the tulip-laden spoils of Holland.

The ride's Cantonese is "Mining for Speed," which I think is just swell. :}

Kiddos and coasters and chaperones, oh my!

Kaitlin and I were the only adults in the park that weren't either at work or chaperoning children.

Mining for Speed selfie!

We exited Mine Express with a large group of kids. The most charismatic of the group asked Kaitlin and me (in very good English) if his group could join us. 

…and that's how Kaitlin and I adopted seven local kiddos at Lihpao Land!

The kids were very curious about us and had lots of questions, but were extremely courteous and friendly. :}

They love to take pictures and they love amusement park rides! They were thrilled to hear that we have amusement parks back in America. :}

The kids turned a quiet day at the park into a party! It was such a pleasant surprise. 

Not only were the kids wonderful company, but they helped me get pictures of some of the kiddie rides in action! 

Kaitlin and I were much too big for the Mermaid Boats (Mermaid Canoes), but when I asked the kids if anyone would be interested in riding, the two smallest girls rose to the challenge!

Even the ride operator was tickled by our unusual looking crew :}

The park's kiddie area (Popaland, named for the native fictional characters that populate the area) is quite extensive and very well landscaped.

This next snail-themed kiddie ride is not only the cutest thing ever, but also has possibly the greatest ride name in the world (in both English and Cantonese): S-CAR-GO!!!

Only the smallest of our kids was able to ride, but she was happy to help us out!

Yes. S-Car-Go is a self-powered railway ride featuring snail vehicles with mushroom parasols. 

Thank goodness for these kids! Without them, we probably wouldn't have gotten to see S-Car-Go in action!

Okay, everyone! It's showtime! Time to do what we came here to do!

Kaitlin and I are so excited!

Gravity Max's station is hidden within a thick cluster of palm trees.

Our kids were nervous about riding, but all of them ended up joining us! 

Crowds hadn't picked up much since the kids showed up, and things in Lihpao Land were still pretty quiet.

The ride operators at Gravity Max seemed apprehensive about running the coaster without a full (or close-to-full) train, but fortunately more school kids showed up to fill the train! These kids are the greatest!!

After Kaitlin, I, and all of the school kids are safely strapped in to Gravity Max, we quickly dispatch from the station and round the left turn into the lift hill. The lift is quick and steep, providing us very little time to contemplate our fates before approaching the swiveling brake run atop the incline.

We are met with a series of clinks and whirs from the ride (plus squeals of fear and excitement from the kiddos) as we anticipate our pause at the end of the brake run. When the train finally comes to a halt, there is a moment of silence, followed by the sound of Gravity Max's hydraulic brakes clamping the train. 

Soon, our seats at the back of Gravity Max's six car train slowly began to rise. Kaitlin and I looked in horror and awe as our train gently tilted itself forward, and as our view of the sky gradually transitioned into a view of the midway below. The tilting process feels like an eternity; as the far end of the brake run finally comes within reach of the connecting drop piece, the continued transition into a 90 degree angle becomes agonizingly slow, forcing riders to reconcile with the decisions in their lives that led to this moment as the two pieces of track ever-so-carefully link together. At last, the tilt is complete, and Gravity Max's petrified riders now hang in the balance. Dozens of children in the midway meet our gaze as the seconds until our departure tick by.

*CLANK*

A chorus of screams erupts from the train as Gravity Max's brakes disengage, hurling us down the vertical drop and into the pitch darkness of the tunnel below (in this moment, "Geocentric Panic" does indeed feel like a more apt and descriptive name for the ride than "Gravity Max"). The deafening shrieks of riders echo as the train takes a hard left beneath the midway and then blasts back into daylight and into the large vertical loop. 

At this point, it occurs to me that, while this ride is a Vekoma, it is also incredibly smooth! The smoothness continues as we fly into Gravity Max's double helix finale. The ride is still racing along, but riders are already catching their breath, knowing that their terrorizing tilt and drop are behind them.

Cheers and laughter erupt from the kiddos as we collide with the final brakes. Kaitlin and I are in shock, but not so much so that we can't take a quick selfie on the brake run. :}

"OH MY GOD WHAT JUST HAPPENED?"

Soon the train reaches the station, and Kaitlin and I exit the train with our excited kiddos amid enthusiastic post-ride chatter. Once we make our way back to the midway, the kids take a break for lunch while Kaitlin and I await the next train for photos. 

After about five minutes, with our G5 photo session at Janfusun still fresh in our minds, I decide to send Kaitlin in line to make sure that Gravity Max dispatches another train within a reasonable amount of time. While turnaround still took about twenty minutes, the kids and I soon heard the growling of the ride's chain dogs as it approaches the lift hill.

OH MY GOD! LOOK! THE THING IS DOING THE THING

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH!

LOOK! THERE'S KAITLIN!

O______________O

*CLUNK*

ASGFADLKFNIANSLNFKWIASLSFKLLKASNF

WOOOOOOO!!!

*EXCITEMENT*

No sooner did Kaitlin return from our fantastically successful photo shoot (yes, all eight of those last pictures are of the same train) did we turn around and get right back in line! We also had to say goodbye to our kiddos, who had to get back to school. Kaitlin and I couldn't thank them enough for making our day at Lihpao Land extra special!

THE MOST XTREME FRONT SEAT POV AMAZINGNESS EVER CONCEIVED.

Lemme just tell you that front seat on Gravity Max is even worse than back seat. You get to watch yourself get stupidly-close to the end of the track on the lift hill, and then you're brought face-to-face with the connecting dive. You even get to see the emergency train stopper vanish below the track before the plummet. 

As we exited Gravity Max, we saw a large group of guests making their way to the ride's station. My cup runneth over again! More photo opportunities! :D

OK YOU GUYS THE TRAIN IS IN PLACE. GET READY FOR IT TO DO THE THING.

*HEAVY BREATHING*

*HEAVY BREATHING INTENSIFIES*

*CLANK*

Did I mention how fulfilled I feel right now? It's like getting to take pictures of Bigfoot right after he invites you over for tea. 

CELEBRATORY RIDE ON "TEMPORAL FLYING MAN!!"

(English: The Stinger)

This particularly lovely Chance Aviator gives some impressive views of Lihpao Land.

I'd now like to mention that after our flawless Gravity Max experience, we didn't see the ride run again for the entire day. 

Here you can see just how huge that shuttered building in the back of the park is.

In the middle of the park is a lagoon, complete with stadium seating for a show that was not running during our visit. 

Here we have the entrance plaza, with our hotel to the left.

And back 'round to Gravity Max!

Ooh! Let's get our ride on Sonic Circle!

If Sonic Circle's excessive-looking overflow queue is any indication, Lihpao Land was built to handle massive crowds. Whether or not the park has actually seen massive crowds isn't for certain.

Musik Express selfie!

Next we rode Energy Storm. Here's Kaitlin comforting a local girl; it turns out she had every reason to be scared. This ride was nuts. Picture a slow-moving scrambler that goes upside-down and stays there for way too long. lol

Next we rode the park's Top Spin, "Galactic Spin" (Or "Calactuc Spin" on the website; "Galaxy Fighter" in Cantonese).

It didn't run the best program, but it had the BEST music! 

At this point in the day, Kaitlin and I were ready for a more relaxing ride. The miniature spinning boat ride did just the trick!

Ferris Wheel time!

Look! It's Popa and friends! They haven't made much of an appearance at the park today.

As we approached 1 o'clock (yes, it's really only 1p.m.), we noticed that only a handful of school kids were left in the park. Things were quieting back down again.

This corner of the park could really use some TLC.

We see you, GM!

Looks like a few school kiddos are giving Hook one last ride.

While not much in Lihpao Land has changed since it opened, the resort has grown quite a bit. Along with a water park and a hotel, Lihpao Land will soon be next door to the new largest Ferris Wheel in Taiwan! I bet Janfusun is pissed.

We've got one last ride to hit: the rapids!

One last look before landing!

We better grab a snack before our rapids ride. :}

Mmmm ^_^

Okay, so the park's rapids has a rotating station, except it doesn't rotate. It's clearly supposed to, but has been modified to use the more traditional stop/go loading method. If this day is any indication, it could have to do with the park's light crowds making constant boat dispatching unnecessary.

The ride was great, and not too wet. :}

Here's a flower. :}

Kaitlin and I took a peek inside the indoor portion of Popaland, but all that's inside was a desolate food court and an equally desolate play area. It's probably much more lively when there are actually people here.

In less than five hours, Kaitlin and I thoroughly took down Lihpao Land!

Goodbye Lihpao! You were wonderful! Time to take a taxi to the nearest train station!

The Gashapon machines in the station were strong. #foreshadowing

In retrospect, I should've looked to see if the stamp shop in the train station had a Ferris Wheel stamp. I betcha they have, like, twelve.

We made it to our hotel in Taipei!

The hotel is the tiniest thing ever. It has five floors, with three rooms on each floor. Here's a map of the hotel's entire surface area!

The rooms themselves are quite lovely. :}

Mmmmm! Delicious fast food sushi! This is a popular chain in the region and almost always seems to be busy. Normally there's people pushing and shoving each other to get to the most popular rolls!

Time for a train ride into downtown!

Time to do some more crazy nighttime market shopping!

CULTURE CREDIT!

Shilin Night Market is the largest market in Taiwan. In addition to great shopping, the district boasts of tons of independent carnival games with great prizes!

Here we have some kind of bingo-ish looking thing.

And an American classic! Dairy Cow Jugs!

Duck Hunting and Plinko are here too!

At the center of Shilin Market are escalators leading underground. Where do they lead?

To the most incredible food court I've ever seen!

Fresh seafood as far as the eye can see!!

No caption needed.

Kaitlin and I were getting pretty hungry, so we found ourselves a restaurant that had a good selection of seafood and veggies.

Each little restaurant has a tiny kitchen, a tiny seating area, and (as you might've noticed) a huge menu! We noticed that several of the restaurants are connected, with each little kitchen specializing in a different dish that is then shuttled to whichever seating area orders the corresponding meal.

Kaitlin is sitting pretty as we wait on our food!

BRING ON THE FOOD!

Popcorn soft shell crab and Korean beer! Definitely one of the top meals of the trip.

For those about to fry, we salute you!

Time now for another local favorite for dessert: Shaved Ice!

But this is no ordinary shaved ice: Taiwanese shaved ice uses massive blocks of deep-frozen ice cream that are then shaved into a big pile of ice cream dust with a lathe. 

I got pudding flavor. :}

Kaitlin had chocolate banana!

Oh, and here's a map of this crazy place. Look at how small each parcel is compared to the staircases! 

How about more dessert? Candy?

Or some Hello Kitty wine?!

Not in America: decorative cigarette cases and novelty ash trays.

OH MY GOD YOU GUYS. This kind of temptation is going to be a problem. 

I think what I want now is a really cool Taiwan keychain. Something unique and colorful and fun!

*dies*

This country really understands my needs. 

There are so many people here! It brings me right back to the wonderful chaos of the German fun fairs at night. :}

Look at all of the little Baymaxes! *o*

There's more where that came from! There are a handful of arcades at the market that are filled with crane games!!

Prizes range from miniature "back" massagers...

...to Stitch...

…to whatever these are...

...to teeny Ferrero Rocher-type charms! I actually managed to win one of these on my first try! :}

Some of the fashion stores even have arcade games! Whatever this game is, it looks fabulous.

Need boy band stuff? Shilin's got you covered.

Likewise, plushies! 

And undies!

And Taylor! Man, this place has everything! 

OOH A GASHAPON STORE! We have to stop.

At this amazing store, you can either try your luck with the crank machines, or chose from a wide variety of complete sets straight from the manufacturer!

I knew I had to take a set home with me. I ended up picking the complete box set of the 1950's Mickey Cafe!

Here's the spread. :}

The store also has individual toys for sale. It's sort of like Plan B Toys in Kowloon, but they lacked the actual Gashapon machines. 

Here's a little bit more not-in-America-ness for ya. lol

Wow indeed! This place is amazing! We better call it a night before I buy anything else.

What an incredible market! Goodnight Shilin!

What a wonderful day in Taiwan it's been! And we've got one more tomorrow! Tomorrow is our last park in Taiwan, and its the one we know the least about: Leofoo Village!

All we know for sure about Leofoo is that they have two cool Intamin coasters and some excellent scenery! See you then! :}