For some time I had been under an ‘obligation’ to travel with Xavier up to PortaVentura on the Costa Daurada, approximately an hour thirty south of Barcelona on the coast.  When the day arrived, the rain was hard and briefly I held out hope that it might turn into yet another day of galleries and a lot of Picasso … but up early for once, we made our way south for a day of thrills on some of the best roller coasters around.  From a distance we could see the park … a rather extraordinary skyline of curving looping steal … and I think the both of us felt just a little giddy.  Well, I did.  The wooden roller coaster at Oceanic Park in Hong Kong is still a fairly vivid memory: clenched teeth, exposed out over the ocean.  I’m too old for it, really.

When we finally arrived the sound of screaming didn’t help.

The Furious Baco wasn’t running – which upset Xavier and not me … Furius Baco is a hydraulically-launched steel roller coaster lthat takes you to 135 kph in 3.5 seconds … using the same technology they launch jets off carriers with …. saved!  We then warmed up on a fairly lame water ride and then got moving on a neck wrenching wooden coaster in the Wild West section.  The first real terror came with the Hurakan Condor – a ‘giant drop’ ride, where we were lifted to 86 m … in the last few seconds the seats are tilted forward to force your gaze down, and then it releases you into a freefall, hitting 115.00 km/h. Hmm. At that moment I might have retired for the day but our Shambhala: Expedición al Himalaya experience beckoned…

Shambhala: Expedición al Himalaya … is the tallest (76 m) roller coaster in Europe, and it also has the tallest drop (78 m) and is also quite terrifying as you creep up into the sky knowing damn well you are about to hurtle back to earth …

http://youtu.be/s6-3zyC9W_s

The yelling on my part was to add to Xavier’s enjoyment.  We were at such a speed, the rain more than just stung, and my neck still aches …

The we did Dragon Khan … a steel sit-down roller coaster that boasts eight inversions, which was a world record when it was first built.  You climb 45 m before plummeting back down to earth and straight into a 36m vertical loop, followed by a diving loop, a zero-G roll, and a cobra roll. You then get a short break at the ride’s trim brakes before coming back down into a smaller vertical loop and then onto the last two inversions – the interlocking corkscrews.

http://youtu.be/AD4qONgLVX0

I ended up doing them all twice … Xavier thrice … the day was well worth it 🙂

[Research by Xavier … who has discovered a small select group of engineers make a living from designing these things.]