Manila Ocean Park

Hey guys!

We finally made it to Manila Ocean Park today (Friday, June 7), and we had the times of our lives!! It was SO MUCH FUN! I got to experience things that I never thought I would in my lifetime! I can't wait to share it with you guys. :) Since I took so many pictures, I decided to consolidate some so the blog post won't be so long. Enjoy!!

Eyen and the entrance to the park. It was neat!

Selfies. 

The top left is a Giant Arapaima. (No idea what it is, but it was huge!) The top right is a tank full of piranhas. The middle left is a crocodile! The middle right is a tank with fish and sting rays. The bottom left are seahorses. The bottom right it a Longhorn Cowfish. 

Can you see them?! I'm not sure what they are, but they blend in so well! 

These are Striped Eel Catfish. 

Little Nemos!!! (Clown fish)

A crustacean. 

A cool looking fish. 

Common Lionfish.

An eel. 

Another eel of a different kind. 

More eels...

These are even eels. haha

A scuba diver!

Eyen with the fish tank. 

A school of fish. 

Selfie. 

A shark!!

The fish were above us! 

All different species in one tank. 

Sharks and sting rays. 

She was able to capture my excitement perfectly. haha

Admiring the sharks. 

Too happy! 

Shark's Tale. 

A shark and stingray above us!

This was a really cool experience (see from our faces below). It is called a fish spa. You put your feet into the water, and these little fish suck on your feet and toes. They get your dead skin off! 

Eyen's face= priceless! Ate Cassie told us to make sure we do this while we were here! I'm glad we did! 

I was scared to put my feet in! 

It felt SO weird at first...

But I learned to like it. :) 

I finally talked Eyen into putting her feet in. haha. 

It tickled a lot! 

This is what they are called, Doctor Fish!

This shark was playing with us. He kept blowing water over the side onto us. haha.

We got to go diving with the sharks, stingrays, and other fish!!!! 

Right before I go in!

Eyen before diving in! 

Us down below! As you can see, the people visiting the aquarium can see us! 

This is the sign for "ok" :)

She was just as happy as I was! 

It's actually very difficult to walk underwater. 

We had a blast! 

It looks like we're being chased by that monster of a fish behind us. haha.

A sting ray by Eyen's head! 

More fish!

It was so cool because the fish would come up to our helmets and just stare inside at us. 

Another sting ray! 

Fun Fun! 

Trying to kneel down. lol

We are A OK! 

I'm running out of things to say besides that it was fun. haha

I actually waved at some kids looking inside at us. They waved back. haha

Fish! 

I had so much fun doing this! 

This was Eyen's favorite part of the trip. 

Us trying to walk again. 

My favorite animal!!! :D I was so excited to see them!

I was really surprised to see penguins in the Philippines.

Some really cute penguin art. :)

They are so cute! I wanted to stay in this room forever!! lol. 

It's so cute!!! 

I got to feed the penguins!!!! 

I was super duper excited!! I know that our friend Paige would have LOVED this, too! 

I was TOO happy. haha

I laughed so hard whenever Eyen fed them... She screamed because she thought they were going to bite her. It was hilarious! 

She's having fun. 

She is too goofy! haha. 

I have the same smile in every photo haha. I was so excited to be this close to them I could barely move. hahaha

I kept my fish low so they wouldn't attack me. 

They're so cute! (The penguins, not us.) ha

They kept fighting over the fish. 

I wish I could have fed them more!

The girl told us to give a thumbs up, but there aren't any penguins in the pick. >_>

These next few photos are from an All star bird show they put on at the Manila Ocean Park. It was actually really neat. I will explain what is going on in the pic since it is kind of hard to tell. 

In these 2 pictures, a parrot is raising up a flag by himself! The show was all about how smart birds are and some of the things they can do. 

 In these 2 pictures, the cockatoo was brought out to figure out which bowl was hiding the ball underneath it. He got it right on the first try! 

This was really fun to watch. These are pictures of 2 red scarlet macaws playing basketball against each other! The one on the left is a boy named Bandit, and the one on the right is a girl named Sassy. Boys are supposed to cheer for Bandits, and the girls are supposed to cheer for Sassy. Bandit won, but Sassy challenged him to a 3 ring race. Whoever can get the 3 rings around the pole first, wins!... 

The race started and Bandit picked up 1 ring and put it around the pole, and then proceeded to get the 2nd ring. In the meantime, Sassy picks up all 3 rings at once and puts them on the pole, winning it for the girls! haha. It was a show to prove that girls are smarter than guys. ;) haha

This is a photo of a parrot doing math! The question was 8+7=? He got it right! 

A guest from the audience posing with the cockatoo. 

These are from the bird sactuary. (where cameras aren't technically allowed) hehe

Don't let this creature fool you.. It definitely IS as scary as it looks! >_< I thought we were going to get attacked!

We had about the exact same wing span! haha

The next several photos are from the Sea Lion show that was put on today at the Manila Ocean Park. It was an amazing show! The 2 sea lions are Annie and Isabel, and they are TOO CUTE!

Jumping in the water at the beginning of the show. 

They were so smart. They were clapping and having a good time. 

They were showing how flexible the Sea Lion's neck is and how their fins differ from Seal's fins. 

They put on a good show. 

They were saluting! Did you know that the U.S. Military will actually use Sea Lions in special operations? Sea Lions are great divers and can do undetected by radar. They are smart enough to signal when trouble arises, and they can maneuver around trip wires from enemies! 

I loved watching them do their tricks! 

This was a cute skit they did. Isabel was telling him they had another toy to find, so they went looking for it. Isabel mocked his every move and helped him find the missing toy. 

Scratching their heads trying to figure it out and moving across the stage to check other places. 

Tapping their feet while trying to think. haha. 

Running around and doing tricks.

Now it comes the time for audience participation. "We need an adult volunteer..." Hmmmmmmm.... I wonder who it could be..

YUP. That's correct. It's me! haha. 

Of course I am going to volunteer! :)

A round of applause. hehe. This is Annie the Sea Lion. 

She was cute. 

So, they wanted me to dive in the water first...

Like this.....

I said " O.O"... 

She had to show me how to do it.. 

I asked if I could at least take my shoes off. 

He said "Nope. You have to dive in that exact outfit." hahahaha

I said "Wait... Hold up." hahaha

Luckily, it was just a joke. lol

Shaking hands. 

So next he asked me if I was afraid of her. I answered "No, not yet" 

Then she growled at me and showed me her teeth. 

She scared me. haha

Then he explained that she has teeth, but Sea Lions swallow their food whole. 

These are my intrigued faces. haha

She was so cute! 

Next, I had to throw this fish into her mouth.. If I missed, then I had to catch a fish with my mouth. HAHA

A round of applause before I throw it... 

Needless to say, it's been a while since I played softball. >_<

I missed and she had to go get it. haha. 

<3

Cutie. 

I was ashamed. hahaha

Luckily, it was another joke. lol 

She was so cool. I loved playing with her! 

So, she is telling him a secret. 

It is something she wants to do before she says bye to me. 

She was embarrassed to say it. Awww look how cute she is. 

She wanted to give me a kiss... ON THE LIPS!

But she said no tongue. hahaha. Notice her tongue sticking out. 

Just kidding... 

NOT!!! hahaha. 

I actually kissed a Sea Lion ON THE LIPS. HAHAHA. 

I wasn't sure how to react to that. hahaha

But it was fun. 

Sorry Eyen... I didn't mean to cheat. ;) 

She was a cutie. 

Heyyyyyyyyyyy. 

I loved my Sea Lion experience. Most people will think that I am crazy for kissing a Sea Lion, but I definitely do not regret it... Even though I smelled like fish the rest of the day. hahahaha. Here are the rest of the pics from our Manila Ocean Park adventure! 

The next exhibit we visited was the jellyfish exhibit. It was very simple, yet artistic. I really liked how they set it up. 

The lights made the jellyfish look majestic. As the colors changed the jellyfish would move around. 

It was really cool. They had a lot of jellyfish! 

I am SO scared of this jellyfish. I have never been stung by one, and I don't want that to happen! 

This part was so cool! 

All of the colors and jellyfish inside of the tubes. They all changed colors.

 We were so intrigued by the whole thing. If you look closely, you can actually see our silhouettes in the mirror of the pictures. :)

The last show we went to was the Penguin Talkshow. It wasn't live penguins. It was a digital animation and puppetry show. It was actually pretty neat.

Over all, the trip today was AMAZING!!!! I had so much fun! Eyen made it all happen, and I can't thank her enough for it! I love animals, and this is something I will remember for a lifetime!! 

I have a few more pics I'll share with everyone. It is mostly just the things we have eaten the past few days since the last blog. Enjoy! 

Having fun with Optimus Prime! 

Lola and Eyen with Optimus. 

I told them to pose like a Transformer... I got the Hulk instead. haha

Lola and myself at lunch. 

The beautiful Lola Yna finally out of the house!! We brought her to the mall to shop for some new shoes and shirts. She found both! We also took her to lunch and to shop at the market. 

<3

Our drinks. Sarsi is a Filipino brand of root beer. 

I just wanted to capture her face. haha

These are pork and veggie dumplings. We ate at a Taiwanese restaurant, but I can't remember the name. 

Salt and pepper squid. Ate Cassie would love it! 

Fried rice. 

Tofu with pork and veggies. 

2 thumbs up! 

hehehehehehe >:] I learned from Eyen. 

The restaurant. 

It was really nice. 

Us grubbing on the food! 

This looks like some kind of creature out of a Stephen King movie! It's a huge shrimp, but it gave me the chills it was so huge. 

We went to watch Will and Jaden Smith's new move "After Earth", and these were our seats! VIP! :) Kicked off our shoes with the recliner. The movie was very good. I would recommend it. 

We met up with our friend Patrick (who is actually visiting from Houston as well!!) at The Coffee Bean. I had the Triple Decker cheesecake and a hot chocolate. 

Later we went to Jack's Loft. It is just a small bistro type place. This is Eyen and Patrick.

The famous Jack's Loft iced tea. It comes in a fish bowl. hehe. 

Loaded fries. 

Chicken salad sandwich... and Patrick lol

Fried calamari. (squid)

Later on, we met up with Eyen's 2 childhood friends Joe and Nikko. We went to this local place where people go to drink and hang out. 

It was fun! 

This is lunch from the other day from Trattoria Gourmet's. We had a meat lover's and seafood lover's pizza. 

This is lunch from today at the Manila Ocean Park. We had seafood Pad Thai and Soamai. 

Eyen's favorite drink from Quickly. It is chocolate pudding and Taro. It is really good! 

Tonight we ate at Cafe Luna. HUGE MENU. lol 

Loaded Nachos. 

Sinagong soup. (Sour soup with tuna belly and veggies)

BBQ squid and BBQ pork. 

We have had a lot of fun the past few days. I am so happy about all the experiences we have had on our trip so far. I have gotten to see and do so much here. I am happy I am able to share it with everyone as well. I stayed up late just to write this blog for you guys. (It's 1 am here.) 

We are leaving at 6 am tomorrow to head to Corregidor!!! I plan on going on a ghost hunt, so you will want to stay tuned for that one! :)

Ace Water Spa (and June 1- June 3)

Hello everyone!

Yesterday, Eyen took me to a place called Ace Water Spa (for my birthday month hehe), and we had a good time! You aren't able to take pictures while inside of the spa, but I was able to snap a few before we left.

The only thing you can really see in this pic is the large indoor lap pool, but to the right is the spa. I pulled some pictures from their website to show you guys our experience! 

In this photo, you can see all the different stations you can go to. They have all different kinds of therapy. Some for legs, some for arms, even some for your butt! ;)

This photo shows the actual spa we went to. (There are different locations) It has a lazy river, different stations, and even a buffet. As you can see, everyone is required to swear a swim cap. We looked bald! haha

This is the Rainfall Acupuncture. It was really neat! It massages you with different levels and pressures of rainfall. 

This is the little children's play area they have. I slid down the slide, and it is actually really fun! 

This was my favorite part of the trip! This isn't exactly what ours looked like, but it is the only picture I could find that showed the different colors. These are the herbal pools. There are actually four different pools, and you go in a cycle. The pools are in a square shape and in the middle of the pools is a freezing cold pool. Each pool has a different temperature and a different herb in the pool. Mint, Jasmine, and Lavender are the important herbs they use. As you can see in the picture, there are metal bars you rest your head on. The bars are kept cold to regulate your body temperature. You dip into all the pools (least hot to hottest), and when you are finished, you submerge yourself in the freezing cold pool. It was so cool!  

Ace Water Spa was very neat because I have never experienced anything like that before. They also have steam rooms and saunas. I would definitely go back!

Other than the spa, we have been eating, mostly. (surprise!) Tomorrow we are going to Manila Ocean Park (which I'm super excited about!). I will get to have a penguin encounter! :D

This is breakfast that Lola made us. Fried spam with garlic fried rice. This is a typical Filipino breakfast, and it is GOOD!

This is lunch that Lola also made. It is rice with adobo. Filipino adobo is a dish and process that includes seasoning and marinating a meat. It is could unofficially be called the national dish of the Philippines. 

This is oil and garlic pasta with ham and bacon from a place called Veneto. Eyen and her family used to come to this exact spot when she was younger to eat. The same people still work here from 4 years ago!

She hungry! 

The pizza we ordered. Half seafood pesto, half mushroom puttanesca. It was very good!

An up close photo of the seafood pesto pizza. 

The following day we had lunch at Cafe Bola. It serves contemporary Filipino dishes. Here we have spaghetti with baby crab fat, fish roe, and asparagus. 

This is adobo flakes with rice and kesong puti (kay-song poo-tee). Kesong puti is "white cheese". 

This from Ma Mami House inside of Trinoma. It is jumbo soamai. They were huge!

This is beef mami. It is kind of like Filipino style pho. It is a noodle soup with beef. 

This is a rocky road blizzard from DQ! 

This is from a place called Mr. Kabob. It is ox brain... literally ox brain. It tastes kind of like crab fat, and it is really high in cholesterol. 

This is beef kema. You eat it with the ox brain. 

This is a kabob plate with beef, tomato, and pita bread. 

This is the same beef kabob plate except with butter rice. 

This is another breakfast Lola cooked for us. It is fried egg, vienna sausage, torta (ground meat omelette), and rice. :) Eyen also included tomato garlic basil paste with bruchetta. 

After the spa, we went to eat at Healthy Shabu Shabu. (sha-boo sha-boo). 

Hello. 

We had beef tenderloin, seafood platter, and veggie platter. :) 

This is the seafood platter. Shrimp, squid, oysters, fish, and sea cucumber. 

The veggie platter. It includes tofu, noodles, and squid balls. 

Eyen mixing up her sauce. 

The beef tenderloin. 

We eat a lot. 

The beef tenderloin in the soup. 

My large shrimp friend. 

Eyen trying the sea cucumber for the first time. 

For dessert, I had Halo Halo, only this one was different! It was full of fruits and is healthy for you. It was so good! 

We have a privilege card now. :)

We had dippin dots for dessert. Banana split, cafe au lait, and java delight. They have more unique flavors here in the Philippines, but I still prefer the U.S. because they have chocolate. lol

A few pictures from inside of the Shang ri La mall. It is an international chain. 

I can't wait for this movie to come out!

For those of you who didn't know, I'll be attending college in the fall... At MU! haha. 

Our breakfast this morning thanks to Lola. :) Corned beef, rice, and egg. 

This little guy decided to join us this morning... A lizard! He scared us to death. He is somewhere inside the room, and we aren't sure where he went. O.O

As I said before, tomorrow we are going to Manila Ocean Park! I am super excited. If you are an animal lover, you'll want to read the next blog! Even if you don't love animals, but you love food, you'll still want to read it! :)