Bandung Trip 2014 : Trans Studio

Hey guys!

How's the long holiday (for Indonesian and other nationalities that are on long Eid Al-Fitr holiday) so far? For most of you it's coming to an end while for some others (like Baby Boy) still got another week to go. The latest epidemic locally is "the disappearing maid" where one or more maids in every households keeps on postponing their promised returning date (this is ALWAYS happening. Why can't we take their words, ever?) with increasingly ridiculous reasons (the winner so far's LL's daughter's nanny "One of my grandparents just died, now i have to wait for the other one to die before i can go back" WTF) or just never returned with no announcement whatsoever.

Currently our household's dealing with both, normally my parents has more than half a dozen of helpers and only half stayed. I, on the other hand had to unceremoniously sacked Baby Boy's nanny not only because she keeps on trying to prolong her holiday (which is already double the length of the others) but also because she tried to pull a "sulk and threatened until i get my way". I have had enough and totally refuse to back down to her Diva-ish demands and has been enjoying taking care of Baby Boy by myself so far, even though there are times when i really want to kick him a little bit *LOL*.

Anyway! I didn't mean to moan about it, i just got carried away (if i didn't, that'd be strange) :p. Today i'm gonna tell you all about our little visit to Trans Studio Bandung.

Sorry the picture's actually taken after we finished playing and it's already dark outside because when we arrived at 1 PM the back light was super bad and it was just not possible to snap a pic of us then

Trans Studio Bandung (there's another one in Makassar) is an indoor theme park that belongs to a famous (not that i watch local TV but of course i know them) local TV studio, Trans TV. Almost all of the rides are inspired by various TV shows (their own, obviously)/movies and it was our second time there (i think it's nice enough for a second visit but honestly probably not the third) but since i was not into blogging/taking pics yet in our first visit, i don't have any pics to share on that previous visit.

Our first visit was when the theme park just opened and the experience was half great half horrible from all of the waiting, ride malfunctions, underprepared staffs and their stupid penchant on shooting "celebrities" *okay, they really are celebrities-but for me all local celebrities are total trash so i like to put the quotation mark :p* riding on the rides suddenly when the rest of us were already queuing for hours which was not met with a kind reaction. People started yelling profanities at them, myself might or might not started some... And half great part was discovering that the theme park is actually decent and not made half-heartedly like most Indonesian theme parks. 

We almost went there the second time last year but MT got real sick and we cancelled, Baby Boy hasn't stop going on about it so i decided to just take him there last school holiday because we have no other plan anyway.

First thing first, a pic before we leave (taken at the corridor of our hotel in Bandung, Grand Setiabudi)

Took this blurry pic while hunny was rushing to exchange our (very problematic, i think i'm gonna blog about it if i remember to hahaha) entrance ticket because i was using pinko again

Trans Studio Bandung's entrance's located at the second floor (connecting to the Trans Studio Mall). Took this pic of very annoying looking hunny on the way up. One thing that really annoys me about him is his tendency of getting flustered and panicky over things like entering theme parks. I already bitched about it when we went to Disneyland Hong Kong and this time's no difference. He'd be very hard to talk to and reluctant to take pics (seriously, why did we even go if he didn't want to take pics? Half of the reason i went there the second time is to take pics, FYI!). It's really really maddening and it's just now that i'm seeing the pattern. I'll be keeping notes and see if he's behaving similarly in our next theme/amusement parks' visit!

There's an open space souvenir shop outside the entrance and a few others inside, all selling those extremely non-appealing merchandises. One more thing about Indonesian theme/amusement park is their half-hearted merchandising that's far from buy-worthy. The only one that is in a completely different league would be Bali Safari. That's a real shame since i think this is a good aspect that if explored fully can benefit the theme parks themselves in getting serious profits! I wouldn't be able to refuse super cute merch with slightly throat-tightening prices while cheap but unappealing ones would not even get a second glance!

The real entrance

It was quite crowded that day (even though it was much better than our first visit, there were probably less than half the crowd than back then but it was still very crowded!) and picture taking was a bit hard coz Indonesians tend to not be aware that they're getting in people's way and would stand around like they own the effing place *i'm clearly in a pissy mood while writing this, eh :p*

Slightly better

There are  a lot of attendants in costumes and this is one of them

In our 2 visits, somehow out first stop would always be the errrr... no idea about the name of the ride, but it's like a pretty huge track where you can drive a car (you have full control of the car even though there's a rail and all) and it's always one of the longest queue in the theme park (second only to the 4D cinema) for some reason. I myself couldn't see the attraction since errrr... I'm not into cars and i don't drive (i can't even handle bumper cars FML) but since i'm with my boys... I had no choice...

The ride's obvi sponsored by Dunlop

Got bored of queuing and snapped pics of myself. The look of the day was obviously My Little Pony themed, i was never a fan of their TV show but i LOVE everything else related to them! Weird thing is Indonesians tend to call all things My Little Pony... Unicorn. Like my sweater and necklace were called Unicorn by the online shop selling them WTF

If i still looked calm and collected in the pic above, i came out of the ride an absolute mess. I was sweating like a pig (furry sweater in Bandung on a hot day is a huge mistake, my dear) and all disheveled because i spent the whole time in the ride panicking! I couldn't control the slightly-more-realistic-than-bumper-cars car AT ALL. I kept on getting stuck at bends because the car got jammed EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I also kept making traffic jams (on a tracked ride WTF) that at one point a car behind me had to hit us hard so that we would get unstuck T.T. It was embarrassing and traumatic and i never want to have to ride such rides ever again T.T.

Look at our scarred expression. I made even a 7-year-old panicked with my driving *__*

Got photo-bombed by the (mad?) scientist at Science Centre. I love this pic cos i look extra long (like i really am in real life) instead of short and stocky like how i look in most of the pictures hunny took *___*. I had to calm myself down with a Caramel Ice Blended after the traumatizing experience, okay...

Time to explore the Science Centre

The group of "scientists" who's supposed to do some kind of experience's demo but i guessed we missed it coz they didn't do anything much the entire time we were there *LOL*

The place was pretty huge and there were quite some interesting things to do but if i have to compare it to the only other Science Centre i've been to-Singapore Science Centre (which i'm rating 9 out of 10) then i'd give it a 3 *LOL*

Giving a try on the Grip Strength measurement machine

Hello?

Yes, papa?

Who's the puppet masters?

My boys were haha

A pose that only fellow Plant VS Zombie fans could relate to... Brainnnsss....

Dinosaurs...

I also want a pic there... As you can see my outfit pretty clearly here then this is my #OOTD shot lah okay haha
My Little Pony Sweater & Necklace : IG Online Shop (not recommended, so i'm not linking her page)
Mint Skort : Cache Cache
I only bring one bag and shoes in this trip so i kept on wearing them lah okay haha

Fascinating ball that looks like it's filled with liquid soap (I already forgot what it really does already T.T)

I read in Arman's blog how his son tried laying on a bed of nails and was quite stoked when i saw they also have one here! Immediately demanded hunny to try it on-you have to ask for assistance to use this device though  Another super annoying characteristics of Indonesians is that they would avoid stuffs where they'd need to ASK to use it (too lazy, perhaps?) but as soon as someone gets the attendant to try it ,they'd swarm the exhibit and even tried it on straightaway without permission, before the person who actually called the attendant could get on! GAHHHHH!!!! Indonesian needs to learn to have more MANNER!!!!! *tearing hair out in frustation*

There's an acrylic (i think) protective layer when you get on the device and the attendant would lower the layer to reveal the pointy nails. Hunny said while it didn't hurt, it was pretty prickly and pointy. I guess he's at least 3x times heavier than Arman's son (okay, maybe 4) hence the different opinions hahahaha

Making smoke rings vigorously

Did some pull up

And trying to solve a 4D riddle

Succeed within secs!

I don't like sweets but i am crazy about gigantic fake sweets!

One of the many interesting fake buildings inside the theme park

With a supposedly scary character

Woohooo, Dunia Lain (direct translation : The Other World, a haunted house)

WOOOOO.... I've always wanted to bring Baby Boy into a haunted house but he's always been too scared. I've finally managed to convince him to enter one and since i know this Dunia Lain ride is the mildest, least scary haunted house ever (no loud, scary noises, no mechanical ghosts or people in costume jumping out to scare you and no sudden or violent movements. Basically it's very peaceful, which is a very weird word to describe a haunted house) i thought this was the best haunted house to introduce him to a concept of a haunted house. He was quite scared at first but after getting into the ride and basically nothing happened, he got braver (maybe it helps because i couldn't stop laughing at the silly "ghosts" so it's definitely not scary at all)

Pretty fun ride! Going up and down fast like riding on a pet dragon *LOL*

This inner side of the theme park is darker (hence the dark, very blue pics) and with darker themes too. Seems like they're very inspired by Harry Potter here (with all the witches statues and broom stick "shops" decor)

Hunny refused to ride that water ride behind us even though it's probably the only (slightly) thrilling ride that i would ride (there's a roller coaster and another extreme ride, which are too wild for me. I do not like being dropped too fast from great heights and being turned upside down >.<). He said we'd be wet and i was still sick so @___@...

Selca with Baby Boy in one of the babyish ride, Bolang (short from Bocah Petualang or Adventurous Kid. Yet another popular show in Trans TV about kids adventurers in Indonesia). It's basically a doll house/It's a Small World type of ride

Bolang in different regions of Indonesia

When we got off from Bolang, we found out that the parade's starting. Yes, they have parades too... Since it is a TV studio theme park, the characters are celebrities impersonators and famous TV characters mostly. It's pretty bad (the costume and all) LOL so i thought Baby Boy wouldn't be interested but... I forgot that 7 year olds' taste is not all that sophisticated yet *LOL*. He was actually interested so we stopped and let him gawk at the passing characters for a bit.

Horrible looking Michael Jackson

They also have a ripped off version or the Little Mermaid, i totally forgot her name errrr... It's something similar to Ariel!

At least the girl playing the mermaid was quite pretty LOL

There were some scary creature characters too and somehow those creatures (that passed too fast for me to snap pics of and most already passed before we got there) are the most convincing ones, at least they don't look too stupid/cheap. The vampire was pretty hot *LOLOLOL* (sorry, i have a thing for vampires) :p.

I was getting exhausted by then and my feet were killing me (from standing up for hours queuing) but Baby Boy really wanted to watch the Marvel's 4D show (it wasn't bad) so we decided to brave it. It was the longest queue (it was already the same length when we first arrive so we skipped it first and hoped it'd be quieter when it's late. Clearly it didn't happen) of the day, i think we waited for more than 1 hour.

Baby Boy was really tired so i told him just to sit on the floor

While mummy cam-whored with her Pinkie Pink Pony (i just googled her name LOL, horrible My Little Pony fan)

Hunny snapped this pic without us noticing and i really love it coz it shows our close mother-son bond ^^

After the pretty long 4D movie (it's probably the longest 4D movie in a theme park we've ever seen, no wonder the queue took forever!), we're super tired and feel like we've ride every single rideable ones so it's time to wrap up our time in Trans Studio Bandung. I quite enjoy our time there but probably nowhere near as much as Baby Boy (when you're 7 then every theme park must be super fun for you, even if you've been there plenty of times. He keeps on asking to go to DuFan even though he must've been there 5 times or more in his full 7 years year!) mainly because i've been there before and it hasn't changed at all in 2 years (so there's nothing new and there's no exciting novelty factor anymore).

If you've never been to Trans Studio Bandung yet, i would highly recommend you to go there (for Indonesian who has Mega credit card, don't bother booking your tickets online coz it's much cheaper if you buy it directly there using Mega card!) once. If you've been there once then even though going there a second time is not exactly horrible (especially if like me, the first time we went there not all of the rides were operating and the Science Centre was not open yet) but it's skippable. I personally wouldn't be interested to go there again except if they have new rides or expanding the park.

They claim to be one of the biggest indoor theme park in  the world (or was it Asia?) and that's bold coz it's certainly not that big (and there aren't too many rides, less than 15?)! I've been to Lotte World in Korea before and i think it was nicer LOL and the size was comparable too. If you go there on peak season, you might want to go as early as you can (and if you can bear paying the same amount as the entrance fee for a fast pass, then do it) because queuing would be a total bitch (it was on fasting period when we went, so even though it was on school holiday it wasn't as crazily full as it might've been had it not been fasting period) but if you're there on non-peak season, don't worry about it. You can cover the whole park and ride all the rides within 3-4 hours (we were inside for almost 6 mainly because of the car riding and 4D queue).

I am a bit confused on how to advise you how to dress to this theme park because the first time we went it was FREEZING (even though it was mad crowded) and the second time (where i dressed warmly in anticipation of the cold) it was very hot and humid -___-. I guess it'd best to dress comfortably (shorts, legging, loose tops) and airy, but perhaps keep a cardigan in your bag in case they decided to up the air conditioner...

I would recommend this theme park for older kids (5 and above), teenagers and young at hearts (me included) because it's not suitable for very young kids. The place is a bit dark and they made some parts' atmosphere to be more mysterious and cool, there are also (kinda) scarily dressed characters roaming the park so younger kids might be a bit scared (they do have a special section for toddlers, but really... It's so not worth the entrance ticket just to play there! You'd better off going to malls with arcade zone and spend less there on similar rides!) and wouldn't enjoy the rides. LL and her family went there an hour before us (because we had to drop KD at the train station, then get stucked in Bandung crazy traffics plus got lost a few times) and by the time we get there her 3 year old daughter already cried her little heart out because she didn't enjoy herself and they had to exit the park, that's more than 1mill rupiahs down the drain...

One more pic before we go

Then we just had dinner and had a  peek into the Trans Studio Mall (not a very interesting mall for me, nothing to shop at except Guardian LOL) while waiting for my 'rents to pick us up. I was very attracted to the beautiful hanging butterflies decor so i asked hunny to snap a pic of me with that background...

And that marks the end of this post! I hope you enjoy "visiting" Trans Studio Mall with us and look forward to the next post (i'll take you to Kampung Gajah and Dusun Bambu next!). Toodles!

#Pink