When 2,000 people want to go on the same ride

Hong Kong has two theme parks it boasts of. One is Disneyland, which is a newcomer of obviously American origin, and still has not been embraced by the local population. One of the reasons that people aren't flocking to Disneyland Hong Kong is because the confusion Chinese families face when confronted with the local version of the Magic Kingdom. Most Chinese families don't care to go on the rides and will spend their entire time strolling up and down Main Street, browsing the stores, posing with the characters, and stopping off to get bites to eat. Apparently the way Disney approaches its theme parks doesn't work in an environment where the family enjoys the park as a unit. It makes no sense to the Chinese to have the children go running off to do their own thing while the adults do theirs. Yet another reason to get to know your customers.

The other theme park in Hong Kong is Ocean Park, which is a local favorite. Located on the south side of the island, Ocean Park has been in operation for 30 years now, and continues to draw large crowds. Because we wanted to avoid these large numbers (especially after having experienced the crowds of Mong Kok), Saeeda and I decided to visit the park on a weekday. Smart idea, we thought, because all the kids would be in school. Not quite. We didn't realize that the Chinese New Year holiday extended well into the week, and that schools would remain closed for another few days. The result? See below.

It is one thing to face these crowds in a city, where you know that once you reach your destination you will eventually be ok. People will peel off one by one until you are safely where you need to be. But in a theme park, you are in a caged container. The more people that pore in, the denser the crowd gets. There is no releasing the pressure.

Crowds had never bothered me until today. As an example, I left Saeeda sitting at the Dolphin Show to get a bite to eat for us. The show wasn't supposed to start for another 45 min. and I decided to head for - what else - the McDonald's in the park. Getting there, however, meant slogging and hacking my way through a crowd such as the one above. Once at the fast food outlet, I then had to stand in a 40 min. line (I would have gone elsewhere but trust me when I saw McD's was the most appetizing thing around). Once I had the meal, I had to slog back to the venue where Saeeda was sitting. The whole thing took an hour, and because the show had started already, the attendants had locked the gate and refused me entry. Part of the reason, I think, was to hold back the hordes of people that were trying to get in, despite there being no seats left in the place. I had to put on my best authoritative, British English accent to be let through. No sooner had I sat down, though, that the show ended. Arrgh.

To be honest though, this was the best behaved crowd I've ever been part of. Although it took forever to get from point A to point B, and inevitably entailed a ridiculous wait for a ride once you were at your destination, not once did I hear an angry curse word or see a frustrated face. This has to be something to do with the Buddhist mentality.

The funny thing was that the scariest rides, such as the fastest rollercoasters, had the shortest lines. Apparently, none of the adults wanted to go on these rides, and it would just be the kids (and us goofy adults, of course) waiting around to get on the things. The longest waits were for the attractions that the whole family could enjoy, such as the Dolphin show, the cable car rides, the train around the park, and the aquariums. Again, this goes back to what Disneyland had't completely figured out when it opened its park - in Asia, it is the family unit that matters the most.

I have to admit, the day was enjoyable, despite the crowds. I also left with a newfound respect for all the queueing theory that goes into the theme parks in the US, as well as a longing for the crazy rides that can only be found state-side. Asian rides are tame by comparison.