How do you measure a person's courage? Simply invite him to the fun fair at the Global Village and dare him to ride the Bomber or one of those rides even you wouldn't try.
Rest assured he'll finish the ride in one piece. But this heart-stopping experience will be a thrill he'll remember for the rest of his life. After a ride on the Bomber, which raises you 10 storeys and plunges you back down at the speed of a fast train, you'll thank the technicians for bringing you back in one piece.
The fun fair at the Global Village is attracting many visitors. But parents must spend a lot of money to give their children the ultimate thrill.
"This year there is a wider variety of choices in terms of rides. Some of these are for small kids, others are suitable for teenagers. There are also rides for adults," said Kabir Ahmed Siddiqui, who was keeping a close eye on his son on one of the rides.
| A general view of the fun fair at the Global Village. ©Gulf News |
"But I must say, the rides are pretty expensive this year. A token costs Dh5, when it used to cost Dh2.50 in previous years. So if you need two tokens for a small ride, then for each ride you spend Dh10. We spent almost Dh100 for a few rides."
Other visitors had the same impression. "Had they reduced the price, more people could have enjoyed them. For a family of four, imagine the amount of money they would have to spend each time they visit the Global Village," said Hani El Khateeb, an Egyptian resident. "But all said and done, the fun fair brings the true feeling of a festival to the Global Village."
Most visitors said they liked the greater choice of rides. "It has perhaps the widest collection among the seven editions of the Global Village and caters to people of all ages," said Andrea Joseph.
"However, I feel the pricing of the rides is a little high. The organisers should reduce it to allow more people to use them. After all, they are here for people to have fun, not to go away unhappy."
Freij El Zein, owner of Freij Entertainment, denied that the rides are expensive. "The rides for children cost only Dh5, and those for grown-ups are Dh10, which is normal."
| Children riding dodgem cars. ©Gulf News |
"The cost of setting up and running all the rides at the Global Village costs us Dh6 million. To recover it at the rate of Dh5 per ride we need 1.2 million customers.
"Our rides are safe and secure. We give the highest priority to our customers' safety. That's why there have been no casualties so far. We have highly qualified safety engineers," he said.
An official said the Global Village does not get involved in the pricing of products or services. "It is up to the organiser or the management of the product or service. We normally do not involve ourselves in the financial aspects," the spokesperson said.
