Pictures courtesy of Lawrence Ling.
“Life is a rollercoaster just gotta ride it” – Lyrics from the song of Ronan Keating.
To sum the whole experience at SkyTrex, like what the poster says – It was dirty, it was wild, it was whacked-out! Whoohoo. I can still feel the adrenaline when I think about it.
Totally AWEsome experience I tell you. Thanks Jack ‘n Jill Roller Coaster for putting that awe into the -some.
It was about more than 1 month ago when I got the invitation to participate in this extremely extreme event. Via Says.my, I filled up a survey and was so elated to hear that I was one of the lucky ones to get chosen. I even get to bring 1 friend along for the X-treme challenge and 2 other pals to participate in the on-ground activities. How cool is that?
This wacky experience I had was dated 28th May 2010. (I should’ve blogged earlier. Ah, procrastination!!)
Getting There
The bunch of us on our way to Taman Pertanian Malaysia, Shah Alam where therein lies SkyTrex. By far, Taman Pertanian or Botanical Park is the BIGGEST park I’ve ever been in my life. Seriously it’s so big that one day may not be enough to explore the whole place thoroughly.
The place is just fabulous and grandiose.
Misai Kucing (correct me if I’m wrong) basking in the morning dews.
Magnificent sunrise at Taman Pertanian Malaysia. Look, it’s as if an angel is unraveling herself.
Yeah, I was totally X-ed out and hyped out to do the challenge.
A Funny Thing
A funny thing happened that day. So after getting ourselves registered and gotten our Roller Coaster T-shirts in bright yellow and light blue, we (the ones doing the Extreme challenges) were brought into the inner compound of the park.
They had mini vans chauffeuring participants inside. Then things started to get confusing when these mini van drivers started making a U-turn after a good 10, 15 minutes of driving.
Wo oh, only then did the thought of being lost occurred to me. We were technically sesat in the park. And these drivers were just confidently driving blindly, and leading the other drivers as well.
The funny thing is, there are an abundance of maps literally everywhere in the park, but incredulously the drivers can’t see them! We even stopped once and I thought “Okay, he finally saw that big map over there and he’s gonna take a look at it."
*Faints. Can somebody punch me in the face?
Nope. He didn’t do that. Instead he went to the back of the vehicle and held some discussion with the other drivers. Hahahaha. How peculiar…
Thankfully, with a bit of luck, we eventually got to our destination. : ]
Just look at how humongous the map is. And they’re like everywhere, ubiquitous, and in bright striking yellow too.
Bring on the challenge!
Thereafter, all fun broke loose as my friend Rouffino and I take on the challenge!
Because I’m chose the yellow one, I got to do the Extreme Challenge and my friend wearing blue got to do the Big Thrill. The Big Thrill would cost RM 45 and the Extreme one would be an extra RM 5.
I don’t have pictures to show you, but let me just describe the experience of the Extreme Challenge in a few words – Intimidating, Challenging, Exhilarating.
There were vertical obstacles, horizontal obstacles and so flying fox obstacles. I’m not gonna exaggerate, I went through the flying fox obstacles so many times that I lost count. Yep. It’s like a flying fox heaven up there. Some are long and some are shorter, and the long ones are really long!
It took me more than an hour to complete the whole thing because the whole course is quite long and tiring as well, taking into account the safety harness and accessories. And most of the time, you’re really by yourself so you’re in charge of your own safety at all times. If you pay attention during the safety briefing, most likely you’ll be fine.
Left: A female participant getting ready to get launched into the other side by means of flying fox.
Right: A daunting vertical obstacle.
I should also mention that all these obstacles stations are ALL built on trees. Sing for the might of tree trunks! Praise the strength of mother nature.
The Big Thrill is somewhat similar with the Extreme Challenge. I speculate that the only difference lie in the height and scariness of the obstacles, though some people even say that the Big Thrill is more thrilling than the Extreme Challenge.
The Others’ Journey
Meanwhile, my 2 other friends Thaya and Lawrence (the photographer) got the chance to roam the park. They rented a bicycle each and starting exploring every nook and cranny of the park, turning every stone along the road, so to say.
On-ground Activities
Well, if you think the fun is over, it ain’t. The organizers really got things planned out.
After a fatiguing exercise, participants relaxed and unwind. There are also game booths set up to suck the boredom out of the participants. We played the Guitar Heroes (full set with a singer, 2 guitarists and a drummer, wow!), PS3 game (Fifa 2011), foosball and a couple of other game booths.
Damn, it was FUN! The foosball was especially addictive. I played it for so long that I eventually got fed up and a bit of headache. It significantly improved my foosball skills. Any challengers?
At the same time, other participants who are not so into these kind of entertainment were entertained by a professional DJ. People were just chilling out and having a good time participating in quizzes and trivia.
And guess what is the prizes for the small informal quizzes? Roller Coaster rings of course.
Some of the participants playing a round of foosball after all the action.
The latest version of Guitar Heroes. Now 4 people can play at once. This booth was always full.
Look at those faces concentrating on a game of PS3 FIFA 2011! By the way, I lost all the matches. Haha, I really sucked.
The ole electrified wire game. Finish without sounding the buzzer and walk away with goodie bags full of Jack ‘n Jill goodness.
At the event, we also met some really cool people and made new friends all sharing the common interest of going extreme.
The Winners
By evening, the prize giving ceremony was in due course as participants waited eagerly to hear their numbers coming out from the speakers. The 1st prize was a brand new iPhone 4!
If I’m not mistaken, there were 5 prizes and 10 or 20 consolation prizes. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my share of prizes. :[
But still, the whole point wasn’t about winning anyway. It was about enjoying the moment and sharing good times with some friends and also meeting new people and making new friends. Well, that’s as worth it as however big a prize.
There’s More
According to the organizers, there will be more action pack events coming in the near future. So keep your eyes on Jack ‘n Jill and stay tune for more extreme activities, if it’s your cup of tea.
Some information about SkyTrex
Address:
SKYTREX ADVENTURE PARK
Taman Pertanian Malaysia
Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam
40000 Shah Alam
Selangor Darul EhsanContact them at:
SKYTREX SDN BHD
Management & Administration Office
C33-2-7 Block C Jaya One
No. 72A Jalan Universiti
46200 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul EhsanTel: +601 3276 9841 (Please call only from 9am - 6pm)
Fax: +603 7960 8290
Email: skytrex@skytrex-adventure.com
Website: http://www.skytrex-adventure.com
That’s it. Go experience it yourself.
Stay active.
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