Rio Lento!

Our summer would not have been the same this year without our membership at one of the waterparks in the area- Rio Lento.  (yes, I agree that this is an odd name for a water park in a Middle Eastern country, and no, I have no idea why it is called that...  I do know that the owner is from Atlanta, GA so go figure...)  Anyway, we first started going to this waterpark several years ago and it quickly became a family favorite.  Nestled in a beautiful valley, surrounded by mountains, away from the concrete jungle that is Beirut, it truly is a wonderful escape.  If you know me well, you know how I need my wide open spaces, and this park has been perfect for our family.  I didn't do the best job of taking my camera so the pictures are kind of random, and you might have to use your imagination a little bit.  As a mom, I love the layout of the park.  The wave pool and kiddie pool are right in the middle, with the lazy river going all the way around the edge.  It makes it possible to choose a spot somewhat in the middle and pretty much have an idea of where everyone is all the time.  There are various slides scattered around the park- several great innertube slides that empty into the lazy river, one pretty straight down slide called the Kamikaze, one called the sidewinder that is a pretty steep drop and is like a massive skateboard ramp except you do it on innertubes, and one that my girls have dubbed, "the toilet bowl" (you'll see why).   Above picture is the wave pool with the sidewinder (skateboard ramp like slide) in the background.  They have all sorts of snack stands set up when you walk in- some normal, some not so much...

Notice the sign above for SnoBiz (and also cotton candy which you can't see), right alongside the stand for "Healthy Corn".  Strangely, this is a popular thing here.  Basically it's a big vat of canned corn that the season and serve in little cups.  Of course, you are not allowed to bring food into the waterpark as they want you to buy their stuff.  On days we're staying awhile, we pack a picnic in the cooler and go out and eat it in the car and come back in.  

Maddie and Naomi like to eat picnic style.  Abbey and Jason (when he's able to join us), enjoy sitting in the cool car. (I'm usually eating on the go..)

Here's the kiddie pool.  Every toddler's dream!

I love how we're surrounded by green at this park!

The yellow and blue striped tube slide that you see in the background is what the girls call the "toilet bowl".  As Abbey explains, you go flying down the tube until you get to the circular part at the bottom where you spin around and around until it flushes you out...

(sadly no pictures of this slide in action because it's not always open but it's a madhouse when it is.  The people getting "flushed" out the bottom always come out looking a little dazed.  No, I have not tried this slide.  

Here are some action shots.  The wave pool is by far the favorite thing.  Naomi is all about "riding the waves" with Daddy and no one else will quite do.  She is always thrilled when he is able to go with us...

(and yes, swim caps are required in almost all pools here- isn't it cute??)

Naomi riding the waves alone while the big girls are in the deep end .  The child is fearless...

AJ and Maddie getting in on the fun too...

The sidewinder quickly became a favorite of Maddie.  She will fly down with hands waving in the air.  Abbey has tried it once, and it was not for her.  Personally, I agree with Abbey...  I'll try anything, but in my opinion this one is just not fun.  Maybe I'm too old for a tummy drop like that, I don't know but it was just not that fun to me...   Naomi on the other hand has been begging to go down and when the girls came and told me that other small kids were doing it, we thought, why not?  So up we climbed to the very top (yes, I sacrificed to ride the thing with Naomi on her first time down, but that was it for me- she goes with Maddie now).  Anyway, up we climbed to the very top only to my told by the teenage lifeguard that Naomi was too small.  At which point Naomi went into hysterics as I carried her back down the steps.  Fortunately as we got to the bottom of the steps, one of the lifeguards who we have known for at least 3 years now asked what was wrong.  When I told him they wouldn't let her go, he immediately said, "that's not true" and picked her up and we headed back to the top.  To ride on the double float, Naomi kind of has to sit right behind the person in the front instead of down in the hole of the float but she still absolutely loves it...

Here are Maddie and Naomi climbing up to the top...

The initial drop off (this is what always gets me...)

(Maddie in front, Naomi in back)

You can't really tell by Naomi's face that she's enjoying herself, but she always gets off saying, "again, again!"

Here it looks like she collapsed back once the initial shock was over...

Worn out!

It's been a great summer!