The night I rode the Octopus was so memorable. It was my first time, filled momentarily with fear and excitement with my working student.
I have had my working student with me for five years now. And when we were talking, she mentioned that she had not tried any of the extreme rides because she was once living in a far-flung area.
When I was planning to go to the plaza, I invited her and told her that I would treat her to all rides. She was hesitant to try an extreme ride, but I let her try the Octopus ride, too, because she had not tried it since she was younger.
As I climbed going to my seat, I kept on calling her and asking questions if it would be okay to ride. She was seated beside me.
Since I was young, I have seen Octopus in Carnivals, but I did not dare to ride. And now I can remember its sizeable appearance with multiple arms with several attached seats and is shaped like the tentacles of an octopus.
Indeed riding an Octopus cost me only a dollar, but it was filled with worries and thrills, especially experiencing it for the first time. Perhaps I felt twisted and whirled everywhere with my greatest fear of falling.
What I did not like about the ride was having no secured safety belt. It was only a steel arm for holding and gripping, but I did not find it so secure.
I have a lot of what-ifs, and my mind was highly distracted by fear and worry. What if I panicked and forgot to hold on to the arm? What if I fell out of my seat while moving? What if the ride malfunctioned? And what if I crashed to the ground? Would I still survive?
I admit that I had a lot of hesitations, but when I looked at the kids being pinned and whirled, I saw that they were enjoying themselves. And so, I was convinced to try for the first time.
And that my heart beat so fast when the ride operator started spinning and whirling Octopus. At first, we were slowly turned and rotated, but I was anxious about falling because I did not have a seat belt to secure me well.
And as we were spun many times, I kept shouting while closing my eyes. I felt the first rush with so much speed.
Suddenly, we were lifted timely significantly off the ground. The seats were turned around by the operator with the most vigorous motion in different directions, and we were rising higher and stronger into the night sky.
I was scared, but I was thrilled. I felt my heart pounding in my chest as my body was lifted high into the air all around in a 360 degrees motion.
Consequently, I felt my body was being pushed and pulled in all directions. The most vital force of the ride made me think that I might fall and fly out of my seat since I only had my hand to hold tightly without the seat belt. The force of the ride made me feel like I was going to fly out of my seat. I tried to hold on tight and keep my eyes closed, but the thrill of the ride kept me opening them repeatedly.
When the ride came to an end, I was feeling weak but satisfied. Still, a part of me was enjoying an extreme ride, primarily when I successfully conquered my fears. I was able to face my fear and survive the ride. And it was a priceless experience that I will never forget.
And I must say that the fear and thrill of riding the Octopus were all part of the beautiful experience. My working student and I shared a moment of an unforgettable extreme ride adventure we had never experienced when we were younger.
Disclaimer: All texts and pictures are my own unless otherwise stated.