Wonder at Wonderland
It was the day after Eid, Sunday, 29 November 2009. With a few places to go to with my two children and wife in such an evening, I opted for the Wonderland Park in Gulshan in my neighbourhood. We found our way into the over-crowded amusement centre with a ticket of Tk 100 each which included 'Entry+All Rides'. Thrillrider, 3D Zoo, Water coaster and Coin Games were kept out of the Eid Package. We queued for the Merry-Go-Round ride but the line was unbelievably long. Discovering that the Bumper Car queue was much shorter, we went over and joined it. Before it was our turn, we got to know that we would have to pay the regular price, though the ticket clearly said it was not excluded from the package. We had to miss the turn, buy the tickets and queue up again. I asked the attendant about the matter but he advised me to talk to the authorities. The joke of it was that all the popular rides were kept out of the offer and many people had to wait for two hours just for a Merry-Go-Round ride. Spending almost a couple of hours, we managed a 3D ride and a Bumper car ride, paying the regular charges for both.
I wouldn't be writing this letter if it were only my family or few others who suffered. There were literally hundreds of families who came here to have some fun. There were many who travelled from out of the city and did not care for the educated-urban-middleclass silence and voiced their anger loudly. I promised some of them I would talk to the authorities in the premises and ask about the matter. I found none that I could complain to. Being one living in the neighbourhood, I felt guilty to those simple-minded people who take any promise seriously. I apologize to them.
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