Lihpao Land
31st August 2009
This park was known as Discovery World at the time of this visit.
The tail end of my trip to Taiwan last year coincided with Typhoon Sinlaku, with the major casualty of the weather being the world's first roller coaster with a broken track. Planning a return visit to a country around a single coaster is a dangerous gamble at the best of times, but we had a few spare days in Asia before a trip to China, and we needed to go somewhere!
Gravity Max (#1433) is the only Vekoma Tilt Coaster to have been sold to date, and it's a winner. Having ridden almost two thirds of the world's roller coasters it takes something special to unnerve me these days, but the sensation of the track tilting forward managed that in style. Perhaps it was the thought of what might happen should the clamp holding the train fail before the track had engaged properly, but having said that at least it'd be quick! The tilt might be thought of as a gimmick, which it is, but it's an extremely effective one that turns what would otherwise be a fairly insignificant coaster (drop, tunnel, loop, helix, brakes) into a top ten ride. Taiwan may be a bit off the beaten track, but this ride (and two B&Ms up the road) make it well worth a visit for any self respecting enthusiast.
We spent a few hours wandering the rest of what was for the most part an empty park, riding the World in the Circle ferris wheel, the Wild River Canyon rapids (which thoroughly soaked me), and one quick lap on the Mine Express. A couple of extra laps on Gravity Max made for an excellent conclusion to the morning.
