Thrilling sights and rides at Legoland

NUSAJAYA: Visitors to Legoland Malaysia travelled around Asia in a day when the theme park opened its doors to guests for the first time.

Among the iconic Lego replicas featured were the Petronas Twin Towers, Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad and KL Tower in the Miniland theme area while Asian landmarks included the Taj Mahal, Great Wall of China and Angkor Wat. The buildings in Miniland are recreated on a scale of 1:20 using more than 30 million Lego bricks.

Iconic replicas: Children pointing to the miniature versions of famous buildings at Legoland Malaysia in Nusajaya, Johor.

Hundreds of lucky visitors, including members of the media, got a sneak preview when the park opened its doors yesterday (1 Sept). Legoland Malaysia will officially open on Sept 15. Telekom Malaysia employee Norhayati Mohd Yasin, 50, said Legoland Malaysia is definitely one of a kind.

“My four-year-old son was so excited to see the colourful decor and rides,” she said, adding that one drawback was that the park was very hot and lacked shady areas. “Also once you enter the park you can't exit as the ticket is only valid for one-time entry,” she said, adding that the park should provide wrist tags instead.

Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) student Zarith Zahrah Mohd Zakaria, 22, said she enjoyed the roller coaster rides at the medieval-themed Lego Kingdom the best. “It is a great place to take pictures,” she said, suggesting that the park provide lockers and look into installing more fans.

The theme park's spokesman said that all the rides except those at the water theme park are open to visitors. “The water theme park will be launched next year and we will also build a Legoland hotel the year after,” she said.

Meanwhile on Merdeka Day, staff of Legoland Malaysia also had an opportunity to enjoy the park's 40 rides, shows and attractions. They also marked the anniversary of the country's independence by raising the Malaysian flag at a replica of Dataran Merdeka.

Legoland Malaysia is the sixth in the world after Denmark, Britain and Germany as well as California and Florida in the United States.

-thestar online.