The Land of Bricks and Nasi Lemak

Lego. Who doesn't know what Lego is?

Legoland Malaysia opened it's doors to Asia and the world early this year. And we were lucky enough to have been able to book a trip with everyone's busy schedule. At the very least, our short holiday included one full day to spend at Legoland, and lounge around the days before and after.

We went to Johor Bahru, Malaysia with little knowledge on how to go about our trip. All we knew was the name of our hotel and where we were going, Legoland. Nothing new, we were in the same situation as we were when we went to Penang earlier this year. It's good to get lost. Trains, bus rides, long queues, immigration and four kids. No problem.

We went on this trip with Jakjak's cousins; the twins and a ruckus. The first thing you notice is how burning hot it is. You could probably cook an egg on the pavement, no kidding. I had Jakjak and the twins cool off in the ATM booth while waiting for our tickets. I had high hopes that the kids would enjoy the park, but with the sun against us, not so much for the parents.

Legoland differs itself from other theme parks with it's, well, theme. Which is, half of the park is made up of Lego bricks. At it's core, it is still a theme park with rides and attractions designed to entertain anyone from 3 years onward. While some of the more extreme rides like roller coasters exist in the park, you can't help but think that the place was designed more with children in mind. Not surprising, Lego is a learning toy, and is considered for kids. You do appreciate the uniqueness of the Lego-themed rides and attractions, based on Lego's diverse line of bricks (when I was a kid, a Lego brick was a Lego brick). From the basic Duplo all the way to Technic, the areas were designed to mimic the general feel for who these types of Legos were made for. That being said, Lego has tons of products and you can't expect them all to be in front of you. Duplo made up the babies area of the park where parents can (supposedly) drop off the kids and get a sitter to look after them while they stroll in the park. Technic hosted an intriguing coaster that was shot up per car. Academy had Lego building classes that you can get your kids to take a part in (gladly would as it's in an airconditioned building!).

The park itself is not really that big. You can probably get the Legoland experience in one day. Of course, that's taking into account that you don't need to go on each ride and attraction. The queues on the main rides can take up to an hour, and there are classes for kids that are scheduled with fixed intervals. One ride per area can get you through the park. Mini-land may take a little longer if you like to stare at the details. It was a mixed experience as we went there twice, first in the scorching heat and second as the sun was going down and the lights on the building were being turned on. I would suggest leaving it for winding down. Apart from the day being a bit cooler, you would end up in getting the evening view where the lights start to open up on the buildings and streets of the Lilliputian metropolis that it represents. 

It's a brilliant concept. One that kids would enjoy. If only the place had more trees ...

Adventure Day At Universal Studios Singapore | 2012

Just like when Enchanted Kingdom opened in the Philippines all those years ago, we weren't that excited when Universal Studios Singapore opened in October 2009. It was not because we were not interested nor were we too eager to go there. It's just that feeling of "it's right there in my backyard, so what's the rush", right?

Well, the time finally came that we had time and expenses to spare to go to Universal Studios Singapore. And we went with cousins and family, which made the trip more fun for everyone.

When you have a child, there are some priorities that you need to consider when going to theme parks. On this instance, you realize that not all rides are kid friendly. Flashback to a few years back, Jakjak barely reached the minimum height for the rides at Escape theme park in Pasir Ris. It wasn't a pretty sight seeing him sad and disappointed. So this time, I had hoped that he would be able to ride most of the attractions at Universal (and thankfully, he is! and most rides will allow smaller children to ride with an adult companion).


First stop then, Madagascar. It was a water raft ride where you go on board a raft and watch Madagascar come to life with Alex, Gloria, Marty, Melman and the penguins. Entertaining, but definitely kidstuff. 

Transformers, The Ride was up next. We expected the queue to be long, and it is but it was acceptable. Plus the kids did get to push buttons and hit switches while waiting in line so it wasn't at all that boring. Action packed 4D awesomeness. We all enjoyed it. Jakjak and Andrae (his cousin) enjoyed it so much that they had another go at it (and they also figured out that there were 3D glasses for children).

A dizzying Accelerator ride with the kids and Revenge of the Mummy coaster for the adults later and most of us were already pretty stumped. The heat does that to you, I guess.

We soon arrived at Jurassic Park where a flying Pteranadon ride called Dino-soarin' gave the youngest of our pack their first ride (we brought along 1yo twins!). Fun, but again, kidstuff, even by Jakjak's standards. It was the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure that took the heat off our bodies though. Literally. As the warning sign at the ride entrance says "you will get wet, possibly soaked". They weren't kidding. Ponchos were available to buy, but we were there to get wet, and we did. The combination of action, suspense, darkness and getting wet was all good. The best ride for us thus far (yes, even better than Transformers). I am no theme park expert, but these rides are real and beat altered reality (3D and 4D) rides by a margin.

The drying pod didn't do us any good, so we lined up for the next ride that we thought might do the trick, the Canopy Flyer. It wasn't really a roller coaster, but you sit on a canopy, feet dangling over air and it wasn't really slow. Not at all. Fun and tame for adults, but exciting enough for kids at 122cm (and above). That was the last ride for the day though. The park closed it's doors as it was getting dark. Seven o'clock was the final call.

We ended the day taking more pictures. With lunch, snacks and ice cream thrown in between. That, and lots of liquid and fans. A little bit of shopping (we did get vouchers with our tickets after all), a good hearty dinner and it was lights out (if only we lived a tad bit nearer). It's interesting to note that you can have tons of fun with your kids here, although it doesn't come cheap. You can consider multiple trips with an annual pass, which is not cheap outright. However, if you take 3 or more trips and don't mind the queue, then it is well worth the price it is offered at.