Complaint: SUCKY RIVER HONGBAO 春到河畔 TRIP

So I just came back from my River Hongbao (春到河畔 2015) trip.

If you have no idea what River Hongbao is, it is an annual CNY carnival - Something like a huge-scaled night market a.k.a Pasar Malam.

*Don't ask me why my face look like this. YOU WILL KNOW WHY WHEN YOU READ ON!

I used to visit River Hongbao when I was a kid. (Sigh, those memories...) and enjoyed the CNY decorations, food and most importantly... The GAME STALLS!

Oh boy, those game stalls were one of the main reasons why I loved visiting River Hongbao. I would feel rich after receiving the tons of ang baos from my relatives and spent them on the games that were considered fairly cheap then.

UNFORTUNATELY, this blog post is not abut reminiscing the memories. Instead,it is a COMPLAINT that I felt I HAVE to blog about after my visit. Believe me, I was in a huge rage after the visit, so much that I promised myself that I would blog about this immediately when I get back.

No doubt that the CNY decorations were breathtakingly beautiful, especially when they came up with a special SG50 theme this year.

However, the food and game stall prices were WAY BEYOND ridiculous - almost like a daylight robbery. 

Can you believe that the prices are DOUBLE to that of a normal Pasar Malam (For eg: A Popsicle that can be commonly found at typical Pasar Malams for $1 cost twice as much at River Hongbao) and the game stalls do not come with cheap anymore.

Gone were the times when I could have the choice to try my luck at game stalls that used to be  $2 per game.

Call me outdated, but imagine my horror when I discovered that the minimal price to pay for the games were NOW $22 and $50 respectively, and they come in cash credits form. It's similar to an arcade concept - You top up the card once credits have ran out.

I didn't take any photo as I was too infuriated at the moment. But here are some photos found online:

(Credits to bumblebeemum.net)

As I was tempted by the soft toys that were hung there (one of the games didn't seem difficult), my Dokiboy got us a $50 card to play with.

Of course, I felt the pinch when he paid for it. I am one who doesn't believe in luck games (Yes,I don't believe in arcades even)

I was hoping that I would at least WIN one of the soft toys back. HOPE.

(Image credit to: spunktitud3.wordpress.com.) 

(Of course, what are the chances of not getting any single shit if $50 was invested, right? I mean, SURELY there would be a consolation prize or something...)

BUT BOY, was I wrong.

Here's what we got after $50 was spent:

Yes. A freaking SG50 balloon.

(Actually, we "won" 2 balloons. 1 of it burst along the way)

I mean, I am not complaining because I was unable to win anything.

I AM COMPLAINING BECAUSE THE GAMES WERE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO WIN.

(Probably the losing ratio is like 8:2)

Even the most supposedly basic Wheel of Fortune is no longer just a simple spin-and-win thing.

I had to "predict" the color of what the wheel would land on before spinning it.
WHAT KIND OF LOGIC IS THIS?!?!

Let's say if I bet on YELLOW and the wheel landed on other colors, then there would be 0 prize for me.

Not to mention that it is $5 per CASH CREDIT. 

That's $5 gone within split seconds.

Wow, easy money for them - Boo-hoo for me as the loser.

And there's another balloon dart-throwing game stall that only offers you 1 dart. It's a hit-or-miss thing and the player only has ONE freaking try for $5.

The worst part is, even if you managed to burst the balloon with your dart... It does NOT guarantee you a soft toy.
You will get this... ... for $5.
Congratulations.



Needless to say, many were on a losing streak.
(Poor thing, most people did not even get a balloon)

OH, OH - and not to mention that we witnessed a group of Indians CHEATING at those games when the stall keeper was not looking. 

One of their friends actually used their hand to swipe the ball and the stall keeper happily gave them the soft toy that they totally did not deserve at all.

I was flabbergasted at the audacity and how openly the organizers have allowed that to happen.

Of course, how could one hide the disappointment of not winning anything and possibly losing all my ang bao money on those games? I was hoping for a sure-win game stall but there appeared to be none. 

Is the organizer really that CHEAPSKATE? People already spent so much money at your stalls and I believe you would already have recouped your $$$. In fact, is there even anything to recoup?! You have absolutely nothing to lose at all and I believe there would still be a truckload of soft toys left even after the event. 

COME ON LAH, I believe I have higher chances of hitting jackpot at casinos than winning 1 single soft toy from any of your game stall.

With the games so expensive to begin with, the difficulty level is unbelievably ridiculous.

I suggest that the organizer should review the difficulty level of the games and the pricing - I will NEVER, ever pay for anything like that again. 

I would rather spend the $50 on eating Ding Tai Fung or restaurant food than spending it at game stalls that require a miraculous amount of luck to win.

So, to those who are considering to visit River Hongbao.... Think twice.

Even if the price are in Ringgit, I would still find it ridiculous!!!

*(#&$*(#$