Bali Holiday Planner

Water sports aren't just limited to those you can do on the beach, butinclude those you can do on human-made slides and pools, just as longas you're willing to get wet

text chris le image courtesy of waterbom.

If you look at the top corner of this page, you'll probably notice theword "adventure which is coincidentally the name of this section. Now,I know Waterbom might not qualify as an adventure unless you'reextremely hydrophobic and the sight of a waterslide sends you runningaway like a screaming Japanese crowd in a "Godzilla flick. No, it's notjumping out of a plane, and no, it's not climbing a Himalayan mountainduring a blizzard, but there are more than a few leisurely thrills tobe encountered if you're willing to get wet.

So what is Waterbom? If you guessed something that explodes underwater,not only are you wrong, but you must be very new to the island. Infact, you've probably picked up this issue of hellobali on the planeprior to landing in Bali for the first time in at least sixteen years.

Waterbom is Bali's only real water park for you newcomers. And if you have to ask what a real water park is, read on.

Waterbom sits on a luscious piece of tropical land in the middle ofJalan Kartika, much like a bright green square smack in the centre ofan urban jungle. At first glance, you'll probably perceive a rainforestwith a bunch of water slides protruding through a dense arborouscanopy, but the jungle has many secrets, and to reveal these secrets,you have to walk to the ticket counter and purchase a pass to go inside.

Once inside the park, you'll notice more than a few attractions thatyou could see yourself getting into. At first it seems like there aretoo many things to do, like a predatory fish fooled by the sheer numberof its prey, it can be overwhelming. All you need to do is relax, takea deep breath and take it one step at a time. Reading the rest of thisarticle should help.

If you are around eight years of age, then you should probably ask yourparents if you're a good enough swimmer to not wear a life jacket, ifnot, the park offers free floatation vests. Then you should check outthe Bombastic, a fully aquatic playground that gets dunked by a giantbucket of water every so often. If your parents smoke, you're in luck,ditch them, because there's no smoking allowed in the kids area. Sincethis magazine isn't a colouring book and didn't come with free crayons,you're probably older, but don't feel left out. Just read on.

If you're slightly older, let's say middle to high school, this parkmight just be made for you. There's a ton of slides for you to choosefrom and your youthful bodies won't wear out from climbing the stepsassociated with waterslides. Most important is the fact that there is abuffet of people of the opposite sex in your age group wearing skimpyswim wear. That's a guarantee at Waterbom, but you're responsible forthe courage required to spark up a conversation.

If you're in this magazine's target demographic, you're also in luck.Not only are there all those waterslides to give you a safe thrill, buta plethora of other distractions. First and foremost is the booze.There's a poolside bar at the heart of this family-friendly water parkwith a glut of beverages and cocktails to choose from. Pools are forgetting tanked in and I can't think of anything more satisfying than analcohol induced waddle in the blazing heat of the Bali day. If you'reup for it, and you can motivate enough people there's even a volleyballnet in the same pool.

What if I'm already hungover? Excellent question. Waterbom has theanswer. The lazy river at Waterbom drifts at the same pace as the mindof one who had way too many drinks the night before. All you have to dois sit in a tube and let the river do all the work. Sunglasses arestrongly recommended as is some sort of sun protection. It'ssurprisingly easy to pass out on a giant floating donut.

But what if you don't like water? No problem, there's a food court withan amazing array of consumables. Everything from bubble tea to hotdogsto pastries is served here. Then there are the retail shops, where youcan purchase a Bintang singlet... Or volcanic glass! You can also getinked up with an airbrush tattoo. Plus there's a Euro bungee spot whereyou can pretend to be in low gravity.

If you're way too extreme for any of the above, Waterbom has one moreace up its sleeve. The ride is called the Climax. Sceptical? Don't be.This ride is 19 vertical metres of savage altitude. You start on ahydraulic trap door that opens beneath your feet and the pull of theearth rockets you to a top velocity of 27 metres per second. That'smoving a hundred feet in the time it takes you to read the word"Mississippi. Not only does it make you go insanely fast, the turnwhips you around at 2.5 times the gravity of Earth. If that doesn'tpump some adrenaline in you, you're dead inside. "

Jl. Kartika, Tuban, Kuta, T: 0361 755 676, waterbom-bali.com.

SENT IN ENQUIRY TO sales@nicetourbali.com if want to get he price.