A Journey to the Future
While walking through the aisle of the entrance of Jamuna Future Theme Park, I overheard two friends standing near the mini amusement park, arguing over which ride would provide the bigger thrill – the rollercoaster or the pirate ship.
On a weekend, hundreds of visitors flock to the share the joy of riding those spine-tingling rides. Claimed to be the twelfth biggest mall in the world, Jamuna Future Park hasn't officially opened yet but the amusement park; the entertainment zone and the food court have started their journey. In fact there are usually more people standing outside the park than inside.
We decide to try a few of those gigantic rides at Carnival, a name well suited for the colourful, lively ambience it creates. We queue up in front of the counters. There are two counters, and none of them is crowded. The park offers six different kinds of rides- Magic Windmill, Flying Disco, Tower Challenger, Pirate ship, Sky drop, and a Roller coaster. Other than the Roller coaster, each ride costs Tk 150 and an entry fee of Tk50.
The roller coaster provides with a heart stopping, yet breathtaking high velocity joyride, but I believe 300 taka is a bit too much to pay. The Tower Challenger is exciting as well, trust me I am holding on to my heart as I race down that monster. Pirate ship is another fun ride which gets your adrenaline going.
Once we are done with the theme park, we head for the movie theatre on the top floor. The shopping mall is not open yet, so the theatre is also empty. As we reach the top floor, we find some people loitering around, even though there still isn't much of a crowd. We rush towards the ticket booths to get our tickets for “Gravity”. The multiplex theatre has seven cinema halls in total- Thrill, Utsab, Iris, Transition, Montez, Exposure and Club Royal. We think of grabbing 3d premium seats from the last rows which cost Tk 500 each.
Our show is about to start from 7:30, so we decide to stroll around the floor till the movie starts. So far we have already spent quite a fortune on the rides in the mini park, and movie tickets, hence some of us are reluctant to experience the future world. But the zone, which is illuminated with colourful lighting, proves to be too tempting. I spend another Tk 500 on buying coins and get ready to indulge in the coin operating video games. As I step into the zone, I find it is a whirling kaleidoscope of lights and colours and of course a number of indoor games. Equipped with four less thrilling rides mostly suitable for kids under 10, there are 157 video games, a rock climber, magic show and seven d-rider, three rooftop rides, double-decker and floating valley, this indoor park is able to cater to everyone's liking. In the end, my friends agree that Future World is certainly worth the money, if you don't like one, there are always many other options that you may give a shot.
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After spending a few hours inside Future World, we discover another zone named Player's Club. As I peep through the glass I can see the bowling alleys, karaoke stations and pool boards. As soon as I decide to make my entry, I find out that you need to pay yet another entree fee! As I am ranting to myself, a guard standing nearby informs that it offers 22 lanes of bowling alley, two pool and billiard boards, three snooker boards, eight karaoke stations and a musical floor.
When we are overwhelmed with gaming, we realise that it is time to eat. The food court is quite spacious, hosting around 4500 restaurants and renowned fast food chains. The food court wont disappoint you, in fact we come across a large array of different cuisines including desi, Indian Continental, Thai, Chinese or fast food, however, most of the food shops are fairly empty.
After a brief security check we head towards our designated hall. Small wonder, the hall is pretty empty as well. The movie begins; we sit on the seats wearing our 3d glasses holding our munchies in one hand and drinks in the other. Once again, I miss the presence of the usual eclectic crowd of a mall, around me.
On my way back home, I kept wondering why there are so few people in the mall despite it being a weekend. Was it the far off location, the horrible traffic or the steep prices of entertainment options that fail to bring more people in? I don't know the exact reason for the absence of people but what I know for sure is that Jamuna Future Park has undoubtedly the potential to be a joyful respite for city dwellers. We are waiting to see whether it could prove that worth!
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