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If you've found your way to this blog space you're probably interested in all things waterpark resort and you've come to the right place! Check back regularly for weekly updates from me and don't be shy about sharing your thoughts. To see what our former editor Rin-Rin Yu had to say, vist our Archive (2007 and earlier).

Sunday, October 1, 2006

Gold Standard

First came the fur trade, then the Gold Rush, then the search for oil. Today, people from all over Canada and the world flock to Edmonton for another commodity: water.

Marketed as the city’s biggest trading post, the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Albert, Canada, boasts more than great shopping. Water is everywhere at its World Waterpark. And when there’s a blizzard outside, it’s a balmy 86 degrees inside. The 5-acre park houses the world’s largest indoor wave pool (12.5 million liters of water). The roof allows natural light through, and lazier patrons take in the scenery from their inner tubes on the wave pool, the hot tubs or their seaside lounge chairs.

Active guests can find the thrill of their choice with 23 slides at the World Waterpark, such as the Sun Runner for children or the Corkscrew for the more adventurous. If speeding straight down the Sky Screamer is not thrilling enough, there’s the Blue Thunder Bungee jump, sending daredevils down 30 meters and slingshotting back up.

Adjacent to the park is the Fantasyland Hotel, with rooms decorated in Hollywood, Roman, Polynesian Victorian, Canadian rail and other themes. The West Edmonton Mall is recorded in Guinness World Records as the largest shopping center, bursting with more than 800 stores, 100 eateries, amusement park, minigolf, sea-life caverns and miniature neighborhoods. Looks like prospectors discovered gold here after all.