Friday, June 22, 2007

Pictures: Armenian Carnival Ride

We can all agree that Armenia is as close as one can come to heaven, other than Southern California, the French Riviera, the Alps, and so on. Regardless, it's a great place to be, albeit a little hazardous. If you've ever wondered why kids who grow up in Armenia are tougher, then have a look at these pictures of an Armenian thrill ride!

Click images to enlarge them.


Obviously there won't be any power, so you have to do it yourself. You use your arms, your legs, and your mental determination to get the thing moving!


You somehow jump on and hang on for dear life. Notice the many ways in which you can be injured if you lose concentration!


Will it hold? It seems to be held together by rust and sharp pieces of metal.


Oh my, what a pleasant and completely safe view!

Compare this to the plasticky and soft toys found in the United States. Did kids get hurt on these rides? You bet! Did they cut their heads wide open? Weekly. But just as toddlers must fall down to learn how to walk, kids must learn to deal with danger, learn about reliance on friends and themselves, and in general form into healthy adults. For without danger one becomes complacent and complacency is the deadliest thing of all!

Oh, and to be completely fair it seems that the ride in the pictures is not found in an amusement park. Rather, it is an old and decommissioned ride that is thrown in some yard for kids to have fun with.

Source: Amhoov on Flickr

2 comments:

Ankakh_Hayastan said...

This looks like the Luna Park in the Arcakh Purak in Vanadzor. A few years ago it was open to public and the rides were functioinal. I guess they went belly up and closed down abandoning the rides.

Anonymous said...

WOW! I cant believe they didn't throw this in some dumb, they should have threw it in some place were kids wont see it. Kids are splitting their head open with this! these kids want to have fun yet they get pain instead. Although i must agree that they must make mistakes to learn from then. This does make them tougher and smarter. They'll know how to deal with danger and to stay away from it!