But, weather forecast says rain and strong wind, up to 40kph...
What do you do? Do you give in to your stubborn feelings of wanting to go out to look at tulips despite the weather? or do you do the right thing, heed the weather forecast and stay at home, enjoying a cup of hot cocoa while it's cold outside??
I tried calling a few of my friends if they want to go, but all gave the same answer, "Are you nuts?"...
The answer is obvious, isn't it?
Head out to see the tulips!!
BUT...like all my stories, none of it is "normal".
Managed to borrow a car from a friend of mine, drove about 10 minutes to the park. And just as I stepped out of the car, strong gusts of wind buffeted my body...wind was so strong it was like 'He' had a lot to complain about and tried to tell it all in one blow.
So, how strong was the wind? Here's a brief explanation..
Man fights with wind...
Man's ass got kicked...
I was also forced to pay 710 yen for parking and entrance fee...not to mention that rain is starting to fall now. But never mind that. Headed for the main entrance full of optimism...
But as soon as I stepped in, I was greeted by the sight of people leaving the park...oh, how encouraging. Come on!! I just paid 710 yen and have only been in here for 2 minutes!!
But then again, Randy's not the kind of guy to let small things, like strong winds and rain falling sideways, to hamper his spirits, right?? And so I walked on, looking for the tulip grounds..
Ahh...bright, contrasting colours calling me onwards to them.
And guess what? The wind and rain is starting to let...my day might not be so bad after all!! So, armed with with trusted vid-cam, loaded with freshly charged batteries, I marched to the grounds....and got the biggest laugh of my life!!
It just cracks me up to look at these up close...hahaha. Every tulip in sight was bent at a funny angle!!
Bent to the will of the winds..
Of course not all flowers were this way...there were a few brave souls who defied the wind.
They were destroyed and became "the tulip that was". Never say no to the wind...
By now, the rain started to fall again...so I took off to exploring the rest of the park. Found this fountain which was playing on along with one of Beethoven's..
The wind started to pick up again...blowing stronger than before. And as you can see in the photo, the wind was adding unnecessary exaggerations to the fountain display. Somewhat cool though..
The weather really started to suck big time...but lucky me there was some parasol shelter where I was, so I decided to sit the symphony out. It played two classical songs, then went dead...time to go I guess...
Being far away from the main building and having no other options, I headed out into the grumpy weather once again to explore...
But I'll be damn, the weather proofs to be in a mood worse than a teenage girl suffering PMS. After my humble umbrella turned inside out for the third time, I decided that enough is enough...so I ran to the nearest shelter, a toilet sitting in the deepest part of the park.
While I was taking photos of mangled tulips moments ago, I was thinking "Hey, it's not everyday when you get to take pictures of tulips shape like this, right?!! *laughs*".
But, now that I am stuck at the toilet alone for about 30 minutes, soaked through my socks, shivering from the relentless cold, stomach reminding me that I haven't had lunch, holding an umbrella which committed suicide....I'm REALLY starting to lose my humour and good mood.
While I was shaking all over from the cold, alone and feeling angry....a shuttle bus appeared right in front of me, asking if I need a ride to the main building! According to the driver, he was making the last round and going to stop the shuttle service. I almost cried at his kindness...
My luck's started taking on a good run now..
When I reached the main bulding, I thanked the driver profusely and immediately headed to one of the restaurants. Ordered a pizza for late lunch...
This one is straight from the hearth...
It turns out that I was the only patron there, so the baker gave me extra cheese for the topping. She later treated me a cup of coffee....on the house. How nice...^^
Having finished lunch, and not exactly eager to head out to the wind again, I visited another area of the building selling souvenirs.
This is made using Japanese paper. One piece(the round one) costs 850 yen. A bit expensive...but it was beautiful...and I DID go through all the trouble with the wind and rain...I decided to buy one. The lady who sold me this liked my smile...said that it is very nice to see someone who was totally messed up by the wind, smile brightly like that. So she gave me another piece free of charge...hehe.
Two good things just happened to me, I was feeling very happy and decided to call it a day and head back home. But as I was heading to the exit, it occurred to me that I have not seen all of the building, so I went round exploring again...
I met a bunch of Malaysians sitting around...being in a good mood, I went to greet them. Turns out they were having lunch and asked me to sit with them. They had with them THE most delicious rendang, nasi briani and mee goreng....and not forgetting the warmest hospitality.
Sigh...how can such a bad decision turn to be a good one?!!
So, the next time you REALLY feel like doing something, go for it!! Even if it's going to see ugly tulips bullied by wind.
Good things always happen when unexpected.
PS: I do have some decent pictures taken. Posted on Facebook.
