Water parks a welcome escape from the heat

Too hot to handle: Visitors having a fun time at Sunway Lagoon to seek comfort from the scorching heat.

PETALING JAYA: The school holidays have come at the right time for many seeking to escape the heatwave.

Instead of running air-conditioners full blast at home and facing higher electricity bills, many headed to water parks to get drenched.

At 3pm yesterday, the Meteorological Department recorded the temperature in Petaling Jaya at 36°C; 34°C in Prai, Penang; 36°C in Ipoh, Perak; 36°C in Alor Setar, Kedah; 34°C in Malacca; and 37°C in Chuping, Perlis.

Businessman Yusri Saad, 36, brought his wife, three children and sister to Sunway Lagoon to enjoy the water rides and other facilities there.

“It’s really hot these days. I feel that these parks are the best place to head to. It is still blazing under the sun but the water cools us down,” he said.

Young couple Lee Charng Yonq, 28, and Daphne Ng, 23, also decided to have a wet date at Sunway Lagoon.

“Even at night, it is very uncomfortable without the air-conditioner switched on,” said Ng, a roadshow executive.

Over at the adjacent Sunway Pyramid, a huge crowd took refuge from the heat. The ice skating rink there especially, was a big hit.

Technician Rais Aziz, 28, who came from Kelantan for his sister’s convocation, said that visiting shopping malls was his way of escaping the scorching weather.

Sunway Shopping Mall and Theme Park chief executive officer H.C. Chan said there was a 20% to 25% increase in visitors recently.

“Many are going for the water-based activities in Sunway Lagoon while others are in the mall enjoying the cool ambience,’’ he added.

Bukit Gambang Resort City marketing and communications manager Karen Tan said the number of visitors to the facility in Pahang was usually about 3,000 on weekends, which has doubled during the school holidays.

“With the extreme weather now, we are expecting even more to flock to the water park.

“It is surrounded by greenery and our facilities, such as the slides, are shaded by trees,’’ she added.

In Penang, many people were in the pool at the Penang City Park (formerly the Penang Youth Park).

Children and adults immersed themselves in the cool water as the afternoon sun beat down.