A few weeks ago Bosco Mukiibi and myself went to visit 2 family amusement parks in the Netherlands. They were carefully selected among the hundreds (!) of parks and initiatives around the country. We wanted to visit parks that have elements we can take to Uganda. Of course the real big parks are nice, and we can learn lots from them, but the smaller parks give better examples of what we could actually achieve in Uganda. Hans van Leeuwen of www.Slimm.nl helped us pick two parks in Apeldoorn: FamilyFunPark Koniningin Wilhelmina Toren and Children Paradise Malkensloten. Both parks have complete different themes and concepts. One park works with a mouse who lives in 'the tower', the other park uses a piggy who has fun on the farm. They both focus on children, but both from different angles.
Bosco said it well: In Koningin Juliana Toren, there were many attractions with an on/off switch. Great for the 'thrills', but they don't really get children 'active'. Malkensloten on the other hand has many 'do-it-yourself' activities, and is low on the 'thrills'. We both agree that both parks have elements we want to try in Uganda. In Tjeko FunVillage there will be 'thrills' and 'do-it-yourself' activities in a themed world.
It was great fun to see these parks through the eyes of somebody that has not been exposed to many parks before. We wrote down many ideas, do's and don'ts and other practical tips. It was an amazing experience and we want to thank both parks for their co-operation
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