Richard Bannister

A remarkably efficient exit from Manila Airport had us at Storyland Southmall an hour before park opening, so we relocated to a nearby restaurant for a morning coffee. We returned to the park entrance just before the posted time and were almost immediately spotted and welcomed by the park operations manager; it appears that two six foot plus westerners may stand out just a tiny bit in a crowd of Filipinos!

Once we explained who we were he gave us the bad news straight away; the powered coaster in Storyland Fairview was down, awaiting spare parts from Zamperla in Italy. He was also kind enough to make sure that we knew about the various other coasters in the Manila area. We decided to go look at the closed ride anyway, as we had the spare time and it was not that far off route, and though I've not written a trip report for the other park I'd still recommend it to all enthusiasts for its impressive looking powered coaster located in the rafters above various other rides. It'll be somewhere else to go back to next time we're in this part of the world (along with Star City, which sadly was closed this week).

As the appointed time the gathered patrons were treated to an entertaining dance routine by the entire team of ride operators (seriously) which the manager described as morning exercises; quite! The choreography was perfect, suggesting this was a well practiced routine. In due course it came to an end and we all entered the park.

Silver Streak (#1436) may be the most spread out family coaster I've ever had the pleasure to ride. It tours its way around what is a huge park area, and uniquely it does this with a maximum height that cannot have been more than fifteen feet. Three lift hills at different points on the course give the train its potential energy, and though they are sufficient for the train to complete the circuit there are nevertheless a few points where it seems to only just make it. Having said that, it is a family coaster in a park for families, and to that end it is close to ideal for its target audience.

World of Fun is for the most part a collection of arcade machines, with only a handful of amusement rides in the mix. Pride of place is taken by Twist'n'Shout (#1437), a cookie cutter ride that has been spruced up slightly with the addition of a model leaning tower of Pisa within its bounds. There is also a rather low budget dark ride, the Horror Train, the only such ride I've ever tried where guests enjoy three trips round the course. Something grabbed my ankle on the second pass, which might have accounted for the screams coming from the car in front of me!