The 10-day tour with Leo’s family came to an end and we said goodbye at Narain Niwas. Only Leo’s sister, Lynn, and her partner, Dana, had plans to stay on in India for a few more days. While Leo, Lynn, Dana and RY went for another cooking class, took the other kids to an amusement park in Jaipur called Fun Kingdom.
Kids have a sixth sense about whether the place we are going to will be dull or fun. I didn’t know what Fun Kingdom was going to be like, but the name alone made it sound promising. The kids were giddy with excitement when we arrived at the entrance. We weren’t sure if the place was open because there were no other people around. We approached the ticket counter and bought tickets for the “amusement” side of the park that was suitable for younger kids. The “adventure” side of the park was targeted at older kids.
Fun Kingdom is an old-school style amusement park with small scale rides. It reminded us of the amusement centers in Beijing parks that we used to frequent when RY and AY were small. The closest thing we could think of in the US was Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, but minus the ocean views and salty sea air. The rides were numbered and we were encouraged to go on the rides in consecutive order so we wouldn’t miss anything. For each ride, there were two or three uniformed staff members who were responsible for operating the rides and assisting visitors in general. They were extremely friendly and tried in limited English to chat with us and make sure we were having a good time and most importantly, not skipping any of the rides.
The kids had a blast on some of their favorite familiar rides like the carousel, bumper cars, ferris wheel, mini helicopters, mini roller coaster and many others. But the best attractions were ones that included an element of physical challenge.
Runner-up for Best Attraction
The kids’ second favorite ride had two long extended arms, one higher and one lower, that required the kids to jump over and duck under to avoid being smacked. It looked like it belonged on one of those stunt elimination shows where contestants compete to make it through various obstacles. The arms rotated with increasing speed until the kids were all knocked out.
Winner for Best Attraction
The kids’ number one favorite ride was a spinning dome that the kids had to climb up and sit on. The children tried to outlast each other on the dome as it spun with increasing intensity. From my vantage point, the best part of the ride was the circus-like color combination that created a dizzying effect as the kids were spun around and around until they tumbled down the side of the dome, one after another.
By now, there were a few other visitors in the park, but it still felt completely empty. After lunch, we went on a few more rides. We strolled around the park and enjoyed an ice cream before it was time to call it a day.
When we were waiting at the entrance of the park for our Uber, we were approached by the marketing team of Fun Kingdom. They asked us if we would be willing to record a short video to describe our experience at the park, which they said they might use in their marketing and promotional materials. Maybe somewhere in Rajasthan, you can see us in an advertisement for Fun Kingdom.
