DamSen Water Park.

Eggs and bacon, fuel for our day at Dam Sen water park. We'd read mixed reviews about this place, but hey, we're up for a challenge! 

On the way, in the words of the boys 'it took ages!'.

Scooter action, was trying to get a pic of the Labrador on the from of one but was too slow. 

With phones securely in the 'foreigners lockers' (which we recon a 2 year old could break into) we didn't take many pics so let me set the scene.....

Flo, Jamberoo it was not! 

We arrived around 11am and had been led to believe it would be pretty quiet. It seemed like every school and college group in Ho Chi Minh were there! The only quiet area was the 'foreigners lockers'.

We changed and headed into the madness.

The rapid river was hilarious, it was like people soup, you couldn't move. And of course we were the only Westerners so high 5's, amused stares and giggles all round.

Mark tried afew of the more thrilling rides and I actually feared for his safety, some of the look like they've seen better days.

Next the wave pool where despite the heaving crowds we managed to clear quite an impressive space around ourselves. Freddy charmed the locals with his handstands in the hope of bagging a rubber ring.

Next El and Mark took on the Multislide which is tackled headfirst on a mat. We watched as brave civilians hurtled down in mid air practically skating the water at the end and very nearly headbutting the concrete steps! They loved it!

Next Mark braves the Space bowl in which end up swirling in a giant bowl before ploppy out into questionably shallow water below. 'Someone call a chiropractor!'

We break for lunch, more high 5's and handshakes and get back into the action. We love the wild river, after dragging a double dinghy halfway across the park and up 3 flights of steps you cruise down a curvy slide and into a giant pool ( just hope the attendant isn't having a cooling swim as you hurtle towards him!) then you are pushed into the next slide where you pick up speed and spash into the pool below. Gracefully disembark the inflatable to the words 'can we do it again?'

Joking aside, it all great fun and then the clouds that have been threatening suddenly break and about 80% of people disappear! Result, we head for the waves and those elusive rings, yay, one each!

We finally bagged some hoops!

Boys in wave action.

Freddy finds a 5000 dong note in the wave pool! ( About 17p)

We play for another 2 hours through rain and thunder. Mark and El find a young couple who help to make up the threesome needed for the boomerang which I am too much of a wimp to try. 

And we're off into the crazy, stormy, Friday night streets of Ho Chi Minh City to get a ride home. Why is it such a busy Friday?

Back at the apartment we meet one of our neighbours (possibly the tallest man we have ever seen) who informs us it Ho Chi Minh's Birthday and a public holiday.

That explains a lot!