I wanna go back to Manila again! Away from the stress. Away from work. Away from my worries in Cebu. Our first wedding anniversary together was all I could ever dreamed of and nothing could surpass it (haha maybe in the future there would be?). Everything went according to plan! ♥ I always wanted to try and visit an oceanarium and an amusement park. And what are the odds that we did just that? On our wedding anniversary, I dressed cutesy because it was a very special day! We reserved and spent our special day for Manila Ocean Park!
When I arrived in Manila, it was scorching hot. The temperature was 37°C! In Cebu, the temperature was only 31°C. I also got to ride their famous Light Rail Transit for the first time! I was like a child, giddying on every little thing I found amusing. Haha! Mark definitely enjoyed every reaction I made that day! ♥ I also got to practice my Tagalog. Those five days were short but Manila gave me lots and lots of memories! ♥
Anyway, Luneta Park was just across MOP so we just had to drop by and see Dr. Jose Rizal's historical landmark and monument (our country's national hero). The entrance was only Php20.00. A tabloid of his works were all over the place. We took lots and lots of photos! Haha! When we went inside the park, it was as if we had gone back in time. It was portrayed really well. :c Sad, huh? Since it was still 9 a.m. in the morning and MOP opens at 10 a.m., we kind of hanged out in the premises and just enjoyed the solemnity of the place. It was so peaceful. Oh, and did I mention there were fat and healthy pigeons in the park!? Haha! They were so cute that I had to take photos. And now that I remember it, they have officials guarding Dr. Rizal's monument 24 hours! That's right—24 hours! Knowing this, I just had to ask Mark and my Manila friends questions like Aren't they going to eat? Aren't they thirsty? Aren't they tired of standing without moving a muscle in this scorching heat!? Haha! But as always, they seemed to enjoy my childish reactions. Haha!
We went to MOP ahead of its opening time because we heard they have long queues. We had an epic fail moment when we lined up in a company outing queue instead of the real one. Haha! That was hilarious. We wasted precious time! Anyway, as we waited, we bought drinks to quench the thirst, but their prices were soaring like an eagle. A 500-ml bottled water already costs Php65.00. Haha! I don't know what's in their water (probably filtered from the beach, that's what my my brother-in-law joked about) but man, the price just made me think of my bank account. Haha!
We took the Php995.00 package. This package includes the following: Oceanarium, Symphony Evening Show, The Barnyard, The Birdhouse, Sharks & Rays Dry Encounter, Sea Lion Show, All Star Bird Show, Penguin Talkshow, Back of the House, Fish Spa, World of Creepy Crawlies, Birds of Prey Kingdom, Trails to Antartica (Penguin Exhibit and Christmas Village), and last but not the least, the Neon Rides. It was such a huge promo! Haha! Knowing that the original package is worth Php4,350. Thanks, summer, for bringing out such huge promo deals. So this package includes EVERYTHING Manila Ocean Park has to offer.
We had our itinerary ready. We had scheduled everything when we saw the opening times and closing time of the said attraction. MOP would give you a small schedule guideline to help you plan your day ahead. Fair warning though, if you choose the ALL-IN package, we were there from opening time to closing time. Haha! So you get the gist of it! ♥
Our Itinerary for Manila Ocean Park:
1) Birds of Prey – The place was huge (which was good so that the raptors can fly around as much as they would want to)! I tried calling them out to fly to my arm but Mark was like Go ahead! Get scratched by their claws because you're not wearing any protective gear. Haha! Now that I think about it, it was kind of funny recalling myself calling out to them to fly to my arm!
2) The Barnyard – There were lots of bunnies, hamsters, chickens, guinea pigs (♥), hedgehogs, and many more! My favorite part was using their hamster wheel intended for people! I have uploaded a video of Mark using it! Haha!
3) The Birdhouse – I enjoyed The Birdhouse so much! Lovebirds and parrots were all over the place. You are given some bird feed and once you put them onto your palms, they will come flocking to you! ♥ I have never felt so giddy and excited at the same time! Mark recorded a video of me feeding the birds, but my expression was that of fear, because man, they were aggressively cute! Haha! Like they would try to snatch the unopened bird feed from your hands! Haha! It was so funny! Mark even placed bird feed on his head (that's how goofy he is). So of course, the birds came flocking onto his head. Haha! What a goof!
5) LIQUID — We had our lunch here! It was a buffet setting so we made sure we were stuffed. Their dessert at that time were buko pandan and coffee jelly, so I had heaps of the latter! Yum! I didn't go for a second round since I was already so full with the first! Mark had another round of heaps. Haha! Oh, and if you are looking for cheaper meals in MOP, they have lots of restaurants offering meals less than Php100.00. So don't you worry! :D
6) Sharks & Rays Dry Encounter — It was my first time to lay hands on a sting ray! Their sides felt smooth but the middle portion was rough and hard. They were so cute! Plus their eyes were like that of a cat's! Their stare was so intimidating but at the same, they were so cute! Haha! They also had nurse sharks. They were just in the corner, not moving. Haha!
7) World of Creepy Crawlies – Another grand place! Now that I think about it, Manila Ocean Park is somewhat a zoo! Not only do they offer us marine animals, but there are other animals too! Like these little critters in this World of Creepy Crawlies! They had poisonous frogs, scorpions, snakes, tarantulas, chameleons, lizards, geckos, and many, many more! You name it! Luckily, the poisonous ones were enclosed in such containment that it would be hard for them to escape. Scary! Haha! They're small but who would have thought that these little fellas bring such toxicity in their system?
8) All Star Bird Show — I have to apologize that the photos Mark took are all overexposed! I told him I would set it first but he wanted to take photos and not miss a moment of the bird show. He told me that it was fine. So yeah, tadaaa! Overexposed photos, baby! Haha! Anyway, moving on, it was my first time to see such a performance from birds! Their skit proved that birds are definitely cunning and smart! The host asked the audience to give him two numbers in which one parrot can solve it. The crowd shouted 32 and 16. The parrot picked up the flash card that read 4 and 8 and placed both together! I was dumbfounded. WOW! A parrot knows how to math. I was left aghast! Plus, there was this huge bird that flew majestically to the trainers. He was so beautiful! ♥ Plus, they played music as it flew in the air! It gave me goosebumps! HUHU! I wanted to relive that moment!
9) Penguin Talkshow — Of all the attractions and shows that we went to, this was the funnest and funniest show! Haha! At first, the name Penguin Talkshow made Mark and I wonder what kind of show was it. Do we see penguins that talk? Are we going to see penguins before we could visit Trails to Antartica (the penguin attraction)? When we all sat down in an AVR room, our eyes darted from on thing to another. Haha! It was definitely a Penguin Talkshow! There was this penguin on screen and someone from the backroom would do the voice-over! Luckily, that person doing the voice-over was hilarious! I remember the penguin asking, What kind of fishes do penguins eat? Mark answered, Fish fillet! And the penguin was like, Last ka nalang, koya ha? It made the audience laugh so hard! Haha! I really had fun! I had a selfie with him too! Haha! I told the penguin pose with me and so he did! ♥ It was amazing! We were disappointed when we entered and saw a cartoon penguin talking, but when we exited the AVR room, all we ever talked about was that penguin! How ironic! ♥
10) Fish Spa — Nothing new with the fish spa as we also have that in Cebu! Mark didn't want to get his feet wet because of his socks, but I told him, we paid for this deal so we definitely should! And as stubborn as I was (and he knows that I am), in the end, he gave in! ♥ YEY! Mau – 1, Mac – 0.
11) Back of the House — And another mystery to take in! We kept asking each other, "What do you think this is?" And again, both Mark and I had no answers. So it doesn't hurt to take a look! We ventured down the Back of the House and learned that it was their informative processes of how they're keeping Manila Ocean Park in full function! It is the place where they would prepare food for the animals, the filtration processes of the water, everything to keep Manila Ocean Park running! I was in awe. It was our quickest visit though. Haha!
12) Trails to Antartica (Penguin Exhibit) — AND FINALLY! PENGUINS! I was so excited to see sea lions and penguins! PENGUINS! I was finally able to see penguins! ♥ They were so adorable! There was also this one penguin that was so goofy. He was swimming against the glass and just kept swimming. I keep muttering, What are you trying to do? in Tagalog. Haha! It was so cuteee! There was this fat penguin at the back, and I wanted to hug it! :ccc Sad! He was sleeping at the far end! Haha! Anyway, having your picture taken with the penguins and interact with them costs Php500.
13) Trails to Antartica (Christmas Village) — I touched snow for the first time (?). Haha! They made artificial snow there (knowing probably, it was just shaved ice) but heck! I enjoyed and imagined it like it was the real deal! Haha! You can see it from my face! It was so, so magical! And plus, since that day was super duper hot, Mark and I kind of spent a decent 30 minutes in Christmas Village because it was cool. Haha! #YOLO
14) Oceanarium — This was the place I wanted to have a decent photo for Instagram-worthy pictures! Haha! It was our anniversary and I still haven't posted a picture of ourselves on social media! So, Mark and I got our phones ready and snapped away selfies. I wanted to let people know that we were in the main attraction of Manila Ocean Park and that was the oceanarium! There were gigantic fish everywhere! There were also lots of grouper fish! I was oooooh and ahhhhh the whole afternoon! Haha! There were clown fish, lion fish, eels, sharks, alligator gar, crocodiles, and many more! We were also able to witness the feeding of the sharks and people diving into the oceanarium ♥ I think it costs around Php995.00 if you decide to join the marine animals in the oceanarium. Thinking back on it, I was like a curious child, muterring this and that as I was engulfed in awe. I want to visit again. :c
15) Neon Rides — Haha! This attraction made you feel like you were running in a marathon! It made us sweat like pigs! Guides would recommend doing this during the evening because from the name itself, it emits neon lights, but we still have the Symphony Evening Show to attend to that evening so we had to just push through. We were the first customers to try this out that day since they open at 4 p.m., and it was already around that time. Haha! So we went for a ride and damn, it was heavy, cycling your way for two whole circuits. Hahaha! I was also feeling uncomfortable since I was wearing a skirt! The ride pumped up loud music and you have the choice to choose or skip a song. Haha! You are given this USB with the latest songs. Exemplary! ♥ (Before riding this, I was able to buy a cat hairband. IDK really. It's just too cute)!
16) Symphony Evening Show — This was the last show for your Php995 package. It was a show that played with a state-of-the-art technology combined with water. Music was played and it made the audience clap their hands in excitement as we viewed the performance. There were cartoons and dance performances displayed on the water. It was amazing at first, then three minutes into the show, I kind of lost interest. Haha! I don't know. Maybe because it wasn't something I imagined it would be! Haha! I was expecting fire dances from professional performers, but the technology was doing all that so it kind of disappointed me. :) But hey, there's no harm trying to watch this performance! ♥ Weren't able to take photos of it because it was too dark and I think my camera couldn't get a decent pictures of the show! So, in order for you to watch it, you'd have to go view the show personally. Haha!
Anyway, God was able to blessed our anniversary day with a beautiful eclipse. ♥
After everything that had happened that day, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., we spent and actually enjoyed our anniversary in MOP. Thank you so much for the experience, Manila Ocean Park! I wanted to relive every moment that day! We were so tired but everything was worth it! EVERYTHING! ♥ We rode LRT back to our humble abode in Marikina.
I want to go back to Manila. :c
Manila was so kind to me.
I would also like to special mention Martin, Don, and Mark Glen for exerting effort to see us that day! ♥ Thank you so much, guys!
And of course, thank you to Mark for touring me to these places and for always being there for me! ♥ Happy first , love.
2) The Barnyard – There were lots of bunnies, hamsters, chickens, guinea pigs (♥), hedgehogs, and many more! My favorite part was using their hamster wheel intended for people! I have uploaded a video of Mark using it! Haha!
3) The Birdhouse – I enjoyed The Birdhouse so much! Lovebirds and parrots were all over the place. You are given some bird feed and once you put them onto your palms, they will come flocking to you! ♥ I have never felt so giddy and excited at the same time! Mark recorded a video of me feeding the birds, but my expression was that of fear, because man, they were aggressively cute! Haha! Like they would try to snatch the unopened bird feed from your hands! Haha! It was so funny! Mark even placed bird feed on his head (that's how goofy he is). So of course, the birds came flocking onto his head. Haha! What a goof!
4) Sea Lion Show — AAAAGHHH! SEA LIONS!!! It was my first time to see sea lions! AGHHH! I was so excited! I wanted to sit in the front but damn, the seats at the front were already jam-packed. :c I couldn't see the performances very well but at least I got to see a sea lion personally! They did amazing tricks and their skit was spectacular! Aaaaah! I wanna get myself a picture with them, but it requires a fee. :c And at a very high price at that. There were two sea lions, male and female! Their names were Sandra and Vincent! ♥ They were so spectacular! I wanted to have a photo with them but it would cost you a bunch. :c Until next time, Sandra and Vincent! :cccc
5) LIQUID — We had our lunch here! It was a buffet setting so we made sure we were stuffed. Their dessert at that time were buko pandan and coffee jelly, so I had heaps of the latter! Yum! I didn't go for a second round since I was already so full with the first! Mark had another round of heaps. Haha! Oh, and if you are looking for cheaper meals in MOP, they have lots of restaurants offering meals less than Php100.00. So don't you worry! :D
6) Sharks & Rays Dry Encounter — It was my first time to lay hands on a sting ray! Their sides felt smooth but the middle portion was rough and hard. They were so cute! Plus their eyes were like that of a cat's! Their stare was so intimidating but at the same, they were so cute! Haha! They also had nurse sharks. They were just in the corner, not moving. Haha!
7) World of Creepy Crawlies – Another grand place! Now that I think about it, Manila Ocean Park is somewhat a zoo! Not only do they offer us marine animals, but there are other animals too! Like these little critters in this World of Creepy Crawlies! They had poisonous frogs, scorpions, snakes, tarantulas, chameleons, lizards, geckos, and many, many more! You name it! Luckily, the poisonous ones were enclosed in such containment that it would be hard for them to escape. Scary! Haha! They're small but who would have thought that these little fellas bring such toxicity in their system?
8) All Star Bird Show — I have to apologize that the photos Mark took are all overexposed! I told him I would set it first but he wanted to take photos and not miss a moment of the bird show. He told me that it was fine. So yeah, tadaaa! Overexposed photos, baby! Haha! Anyway, moving on, it was my first time to see such a performance from birds! Their skit proved that birds are definitely cunning and smart! The host asked the audience to give him two numbers in which one parrot can solve it. The crowd shouted 32 and 16. The parrot picked up the flash card that read 4 and 8 and placed both together! I was dumbfounded. WOW! A parrot knows how to math. I was left aghast! Plus, there was this huge bird that flew majestically to the trainers. He was so beautiful! ♥ Plus, they played music as it flew in the air! It gave me goosebumps! HUHU! I wanted to relive that moment!
9) Penguin Talkshow — Of all the attractions and shows that we went to, this was the funnest and funniest show! Haha! At first, the name Penguin Talkshow made Mark and I wonder what kind of show was it. Do we see penguins that talk? Are we going to see penguins before we could visit Trails to Antartica (the penguin attraction)? When we all sat down in an AVR room, our eyes darted from on thing to another. Haha! It was definitely a Penguin Talkshow! There was this penguin on screen and someone from the backroom would do the voice-over! Luckily, that person doing the voice-over was hilarious! I remember the penguin asking, What kind of fishes do penguins eat? Mark answered, Fish fillet! And the penguin was like, Last ka nalang, koya ha? It made the audience laugh so hard! Haha! I really had fun! I had a selfie with him too! Haha! I told the penguin pose with me and so he did! ♥ It was amazing! We were disappointed when we entered and saw a cartoon penguin talking, but when we exited the AVR room, all we ever talked about was that penguin! How ironic! ♥
10) Fish Spa — Nothing new with the fish spa as we also have that in Cebu! Mark didn't want to get his feet wet because of his socks, but I told him, we paid for this deal so we definitely should! And as stubborn as I was (and he knows that I am), in the end, he gave in! ♥ YEY! Mau – 1, Mac – 0.
11) Back of the House — And another mystery to take in! We kept asking each other, "What do you think this is?" And again, both Mark and I had no answers. So it doesn't hurt to take a look! We ventured down the Back of the House and learned that it was their informative processes of how they're keeping Manila Ocean Park in full function! It is the place where they would prepare food for the animals, the filtration processes of the water, everything to keep Manila Ocean Park running! I was in awe. It was our quickest visit though. Haha!
12) Trails to Antartica (Penguin Exhibit) — AND FINALLY! PENGUINS! I was so excited to see sea lions and penguins! PENGUINS! I was finally able to see penguins! ♥ They were so adorable! There was also this one penguin that was so goofy. He was swimming against the glass and just kept swimming. I keep muttering, What are you trying to do? in Tagalog. Haha! It was so cuteee! There was this fat penguin at the back, and I wanted to hug it! :ccc Sad! He was sleeping at the far end! Haha! Anyway, having your picture taken with the penguins and interact with them costs Php500.
13) Trails to Antartica (Christmas Village) — I touched snow for the first time (?). Haha! They made artificial snow there (knowing probably, it was just shaved ice) but heck! I enjoyed and imagined it like it was the real deal! Haha! You can see it from my face! It was so, so magical! And plus, since that day was super duper hot, Mark and I kind of spent a decent 30 minutes in Christmas Village because it was cool. Haha! #YOLO
14) Oceanarium — This was the place I wanted to have a decent photo for Instagram-worthy pictures! Haha! It was our anniversary and I still haven't posted a picture of ourselves on social media! So, Mark and I got our phones ready and snapped away selfies. I wanted to let people know that we were in the main attraction of Manila Ocean Park and that was the oceanarium! There were gigantic fish everywhere! There were also lots of grouper fish! I was oooooh and ahhhhh the whole afternoon! Haha! There were clown fish, lion fish, eels, sharks, alligator gar, crocodiles, and many more! We were also able to witness the feeding of the sharks and people diving into the oceanarium ♥ I think it costs around Php995.00 if you decide to join the marine animals in the oceanarium. Thinking back on it, I was like a curious child, muterring this and that as I was engulfed in awe. I want to visit again. :c
15) Neon Rides — Haha! This attraction made you feel like you were running in a marathon! It made us sweat like pigs! Guides would recommend doing this during the evening because from the name itself, it emits neon lights, but we still have the Symphony Evening Show to attend to that evening so we had to just push through. We were the first customers to try this out that day since they open at 4 p.m., and it was already around that time. Haha! So we went for a ride and damn, it was heavy, cycling your way for two whole circuits. Hahaha! I was also feeling uncomfortable since I was wearing a skirt! The ride pumped up loud music and you have the choice to choose or skip a song. Haha! You are given this USB with the latest songs. Exemplary! ♥ (Before riding this, I was able to buy a cat hairband. IDK really. It's just too cute)!
16) Symphony Evening Show — This was the last show for your Php995 package. It was a show that played with a state-of-the-art technology combined with water. Music was played and it made the audience clap their hands in excitement as we viewed the performance. There were cartoons and dance performances displayed on the water. It was amazing at first, then three minutes into the show, I kind of lost interest. Haha! I don't know. Maybe because it wasn't something I imagined it would be! Haha! I was expecting fire dances from professional performers, but the technology was doing all that so it kind of disappointed me. :) But hey, there's no harm trying to watch this performance! ♥ Weren't able to take photos of it because it was too dark and I think my camera couldn't get a decent pictures of the show! So, in order for you to watch it, you'd have to go view the show personally. Haha!
Anyway, God was able to blessed our anniversary day with a beautiful eclipse. ♥
After everything that had happened that day, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., we spent and actually enjoyed our anniversary in MOP. Thank you so much for the experience, Manila Ocean Park! I wanted to relive every moment that day! We were so tired but everything was worth it! EVERYTHING! ♥ We rode LRT back to our humble abode in Marikina.
I want to go back to Manila. :c
Manila was so kind to me.
I would also like to special mention Martin, Don, and Mark Glen for exerting effort to see us that day! ♥ Thank you so much, guys!
And of course, thank you to Mark for touring me to these places and for always being there for me! ♥ Happy first , love.
The failed queue. We wasted precious time here! Haha! This was for a company outing. What an embarassment!
"If there's a Batman, there's a Batfish." - Mark Villamor 2018
THANK YOU, MANILA!
YOU HAVE A VERY SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART! ♥
What do you think of my Anniversary look?
photos taken by Mark
Dress bought in Gaisan Country Mall
World Balance Pink Shimmer Sneakers
Green Cute Backpack Bag by BagsMumu
Accessories bought in Gaisano Country Mall
OH.WOOOOWWW!!!
ReplyDeleteI am utterly happy for you. I am happy that you are happy and that you are enjoying yourself to the fullest. You get to see penguins!!! Yay!
This may be a little bit late but...HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to you and your hubby. <3
Thank you, Labsuuu! Yeah! The penguin reminds me of me! Stout but cute! HAHAHA JOKE!
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