A Day in Ocean Park Hong Kong

One of the many tourist attractions in Hong Kong is Ocean Park. Our second day vacation in Hong Kong was to just spend the whole day in Ocean Park. Personally, I think one day is not enough to fully enjoy and roam around the theme park. There are lots of activities in Ocean Park that you would want to try and experience.

Ocean Park is divided into eight (8) tourist attractions. They have the Whiskers Harbour, Amazing Asian Animals, Aqua City, Polar Adventure, Rainforest, Thrill Mountain, Adventure Land and Marine World.

Near the entrance is the Aqua City where the Grand Aquarium and Aqua City Lagoon are located. The Aqua City Lagoon has a very spectacular water show at night with fireworks which is worth seeing. Aside from these attractions, the Cable Car and Ocean Express Waterfront Station is located in Aqua City which transport tourists to the Summit. Other tourist attraction at Aqua City is Old Hong Kong which is a replica of the Hong Kong in the past. You may also dine in Aqua City Bakery and Neptune’s Restaurant.

Next place is the Amazing Asian Animals where you can see the Panda. Unfortunately we weren’t able to see the Pandas. Panda Café is located in this section of Ocean Park.

Whiskers Harbour is located at the far end of the park and we weren’t able to explore this part. Tourist attractions located in this part of the park are the Talking Tree, Toto the Loco, Whiskers Theatre, Fun Animal House, Kid’s Creative Corner, Merry-Go-Round, Clown A Round, Balloon Up-Up-And-Away, Frog Hopper, Pinniped House, Whiskers Harbour Playground and Bouncer House.

The Summit is where most of the fun rides are located. We rode the Ocean Express Waterfront Station to reach the Summit. The upper station of Ocean Express Waterfront Station is located at the Rainforest. The Rapids is one of the favorite attractions at this part of the Park.

Marine World has a lot of attractions but what we like most is the Ocean Park Tower which offers a 360 view of Hong Kong. The whole Ocean Park, Victoria Harbour and nearby islands can be seen when you ride the Ocean Park Tower. Aside from the Ocean Park Tower, we went to Ocean Theatre to watch a show which features a sea lion and dolphins. It’s a very interesting show that teaches the importance of caring for the environment to protect the animals. Other attractions include the Pacific Pier, Flying Swing, Ferris Wheel, The Abyss and etc. Restaurants at this part are The Bayview Restaurant, The Terrace Café, Café Ocean and McDonald’s.

After having lunch at The Terrace Café we went to Polar Adventure. Along the way we saw the The Rapids and Hair Raiser. The Hair Raiser is one of the popular rides in Ocean Park and which is part of Thrill Mountain. 

Polar Adventure is where you can see the animals in the South and North Pole. The North Pole Encounter is where you can see the seals and walruses. The South Pole Spectacular is where the penguins are located. Luckily I have my jacket because it gets cold when you enter the place. Aside from having a closer look at the animals in the North and South Pole, there are also souvenir shops located near the exit.

We rode the cable car going down the summit and had a spectacular view of the theme park. The lower station of the cable car is located in Aqua City near the Old Hong Kong. We took a few pictures of the Old Hong Kong and then head to the Aqua City Lagoon to watch the water show. 

Honestly, I felt like a kid again even though I didn’t try any of the rides. Just being in the theme park, walk around and get excited on what you can see brings back the excitement of a child in me.

At The Peak in Hong Kong

With its tall building surrounded by mountains, Hong Kong is best seen at night from a high vantage point. The best way to experience this is by riding the Peak Tram Sky Pass which offers a panoramic view of Hong Kong. You can also experience riding the Tram which is a funicular railway that brings tourists and residents up and down the upper part of Hong Kong.

The Peak Tram was opened to the public in 1888. The tram was built by workers with no mechanical support. The lower terminus station of the Peak Tram is located on Garden Road. The station consists of a single track with two platforms for the boarding and exiting of passengers. The upper terminus, which is the Peak, is located below the Peak Tower shopping and leisure center complex at Victoria Gap. The station has the same arrangement as the lower terminus.

The viewing terraces located at the different levels of the tower gives a spectacular view of Kowloon skylines and Victoria Harbor. Before going up the viewing deck, you may also check Madame Tussauds Wax Museum located in level 2. You may see wax figures of famous celebrities like Bruce Lee, David Beckham, Jackie Chan, etc. There is also Museum Context at level 3 which contains different stuffs.

At the viewing deck is a 360 view of Hong Kong. It’s best to see the cityscape of Hong Kong and Victoria Harbor at night where you can marvel at the night lights of the city. At the top there is a telescope that can give you a closer look of the city which costs 5 HKD.

The Peak is also a favorite place for wedding proposals. As a proof of this there is a video that shows a guy proposing to her girlfriend at the Peak.

Sky Ranch Half Marathon in Tagaytay 2015: The Worst Run Event!

I’m a running enthusiast. I try as much as I can during weekends or whenever it is a holiday and I have free time. I have joined several fun runs but I’ve never done a 21K run because I feel that I’m not yet ready for that. The farthest that I’ve able to join is a 15K rum that was organized by Takbo.PH. It’s seldom that fun runs have a 15k run it’s only usually a 5k, 10k and 21k. I didn’t hesitate when a friend invited me to a run that has a 15k and will be held in Tagaytay. I thought that it will be a great opportunity to surpass my limitations and check if I’m ready for a 21k.

The run is Sky Run Half Marathon which will be held near Sky Ranch. Since the run will be held in Tagaytay, we opted to find a hotel which is near the venue. We weren’t able to get many details about the run because they didn’t include any race map when we claimed our singlet. There is also no information about the time of the run. We’ve only found details on their Facebook page. It was a day before that I learned that the run was organized by Prince Multi-Sport.

The gun start for 21k was at 4:30AM while for 15k and 10k for my surprise was both at 5AM. My previous runs usually have 30 minutes gaps in between to ease congestion of runners.

The street that doesn't have streetlight

We arrived at the venue of the run 10 minutes before 5AM but the starting line feels chaotic. There is just a small distance from the starting line to the baggage counter and the booth of Columbia which is one of their sponsors. There is no stage so I wasn’t able to see the guy who is giving a brief orientation to the runners. There was no warm-up as it was only 1 minute left. There was not even a gun start, just a lady who announced that the run has started. At that point, it was not a big deal. It doesn’t matter if there are no proper warm-ups or gun-start.

So I started to run. There was a part that you have to cross the road and I saw two to three Marshalls. I didn’t know that they will be the only Marshalls we will be seeing on the entire run. Since it is 5AM, it is still dark and there is part of the road that has no streetlights. Should I blame the organizers or the city government? Other run events I have joined set-up lights on places that are dark or there are Marshalls to assist the runners.

The thing that irked me very much was the water station. At more than 3k there was still no water station. My sister who also joined the run was able to catch-up on me and she was also angry because there was no water station. Then we saw the water station which is just made of two mono blocks table with two girls pouring water on the plastic cups. My sister asked them at what distance is each water station and they said that it is at every 2.5k. A runner said that it’s already more than 3k which means our GPS is correct and the place of the water station isn’t right. We continue our run but we have already doubts of continuing.

When we reached the next water station, to our dismay there is no plastic cups. We asked the guy on how should we drink and suggested that we can drink on the cover of the water jug which was also used by other runners. My sister and I decided not to continue the 15k and made the U-turn for the 10k. I don’t think that I can possibly run dehydrated.

no cups for water

 Jeepneys and buses started to pass by us. Every time there is a vehicle we have to stop or slow our pace to ensure we will not be hit. There was even an instance wherein I almost bumped a 21k runner who is on his way back. There is no portion of the streets which is closed and there is also no sidewalk so we really have to check if there are any passing vehicles.

It was a very disappointing experience. My worst run! There were no Marshalls, no markers for the distances, water station is not fully equipped and the venue doesn’t even have enough parking. Well, there are some runners who seemed to be happy. Even our friends who invited us seemed to enjoy the run. I don’t know to them but for me it’s a huge crap!

Showcasing Philippnes' Arts & Artifacts at Silahis

Part of our Intramuros photowalk is to visit Silahis Arts and Artifacts. It is a store which houses wooden furnitures, house displays or ornaments, drawings, paintings, sculpture and Filipino books. They have a large collection of drawings and paintings that you'll forget that you are inside a store and not a museum. 

Before roaming around the store you may go at the back and check the wide array of masks. There is also a grotto at the back. The first floor is where most of the wooden furnitures are located. They even have a wooden Eiffel Tower but mostly it consist of the traditional Filipino furnitures. There are baskets, religious statues, ref magnets and even locally inspired stirrers. There also some delicacies, local food  and other Filipino products.

The second floor is almost the same as the first floor but they have some jewelries in this part of the store. 

The third floor and fourth floor is where you'll se their art collections. Some of the antiques were even before we were colonized by the Spaniards.

There are some statues and arts that show the rich culture and arts of other Asian countries like China, Indonesia and India

Of course, it ultimately boasts the rich Culture of country through different work of art like this traditional Nipa Hut and wooden carved human figures.

You'll be amazed on their huge collection of arts which are created in different mediums like acrylic and oil. It is also amazing to see that the drawings or paintings are not just made in paper but other canvas.

They have a small room where all drawings and paintings done in paper are stored. I think they segregate it intentionally so they can easily maintain the quality of the art. Drawings or paintings done in paper can easily be destroyed so there should be extra care.

As I've mentioned the creativity on this place is endless just like this statue.

Below are some of the wonderful arts that can be found outside and inside of Silahis Arts and Artifacts.

Intramuros is more than just a walled city. Its an art place!

B is for Burgers & Brewskies

Me and my friends went to Estancia Mall to have dinner but we don't want to have rice or pasta so we decided to have burgers. Good thing is that Burgers & Brewskies opened up a branch in Capitol Commons which adds to the list or must-try restaurant in the vicinity.

Burgers & Brewskies is of course known for their gourmet burgers and different choices of beers. We had a hard time choosing from their menu since all burgers seems delicious. All their patties are made of 1/3 lb 100% U.S. beef which are made fresh everyday and cooked in medium to preserve its tenderness. The meat is really juicy that I have to hold a napkin below my mouth whenever I take a bite of it.

We ordered nachos which munched while waiting for our burgers. Their nachos have piccadilo meat, fresh tomato salsa, cheese sauce, pickled jalapeños and sour cream. We don't like jalapeños so we just patiently removed it on the nachos. 

Nachos

Aside from nachos we also ordered Buffalo Wings but since we are not fan of spicy food our Buffalo Wings are drizzled in Honey Garlic Sauce. The taste of the sauce was really good that we always dipped the chicken on the sauce before we take a bite on it.

Buffalo Wings

We haven't finished our appetizers when one by one our burgers arrived. Just the look of it will want you to have a grab of it and just devour all of it. They have a lot of choices for burgers which will give you a hard time to decide.

Well, for me, I ordered a Philly Burger which is stuffed with sauteed thinly sliced steak & B&B chees sauce topped with sauteed onions and peppers.

Philly

One of their Best Seller is Kandi. Inside the bun are roasted garlic aioli, B&B cheese sauce, onion confir and spices candied bacon. This burger is a must-try and something that you would always want to have everytime you visit B&B.

Kandi

Most of their customers are employees whose office are just in Ortigas or near Boni Avenue. Its a very accessible place for a after office hang-out with friends. 

Intramuros Photowalk

Intramuros also called the walled city is a favorite destination not only for pre-nuptial pictures but for photowalk as well. The walled city is still able to hold some of its ancient features and structures even though human negligence and advancement has transformed some of its parts.

I was able to do photowalk for two consecutive weekends in Intramuros. The first was with my sister then the second was with my colleagues. The two photowalk has different routes which was so good because so I was able to take pictures of the place in different angles. I also got very good advice from my colleagues who are really into photography. It was nice because they teach you the techniques and show you how it is done.

The photowalk with my sister started near Mapua. Our first stop was the Baluarte de San Andres. Actually we really don’t know where we were going but just decided to follow the street of Muralla which we realized was a long stretch and cover most of the Baluartes. My sister asked directiona to a guard dressed in guardia sibil and he pointed us the way to Baluarte de San Francisco de Dilao and Baluarte de San Diego.

We went to Baluarte de San Francisco de Dilao where most canons are located. There were tourists on the place and students practicing for their school declamation or play. Baluarte de San Francisco de Dilao gives you a view of Manila City Hall and SM Manila. You can also see the photo bomber Torre de Manila. 

Next stop is at Baluarte De San Diego which is popular for pre-nuptial pictures and wedding events. You have to pay an entrance fee of P75.00 to get inside the baluarte. The place is also well-known for its unique structure. I began imagining how soldiers would hide and fight behind that fortress. The place has lots of flowers and they even have a pavilion.

Looking our map, we saw that Silahis Arts and Artifacts is just near so we decided to visit the place before going for lunch. You will surely love Silahis Arts and Artifacts if you are an art lover. The place is just overflowing with artistry. There are furniture and other items being sold on the first and second floor. The third and fourth floor is full of drawings and paintings.

We searched for a place to have our lunch and we ended in a hotel near San Agustin Church. After having some rest we immediately went inside the San Agustin Church and Museum. The entrance fee for the museum is P100.00. San Agustin Church is another place for art lovers. Large paintings are hung in the hallways of the place. It took as an hour to fully tour the place.

We went to Manila Cathedral after San Agustin Church however we didn’t go inside the church anymore. After taking some pictures of the exterior of the church we head to Fort Bonifacio.

Fort Bonifacio is one the popular place to go in Intramuros. Adults have to pay P75.00 for entrance fee while students have to pay P50.00. Before getting to Fort Santiago you will pass Plaza Moriones where there are lots kalesa to tour you around the place. There is also a museum inside Fort Bonifacio that shows the life of our National Hero, Jose Rizal, before he was killed.

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On my second photowalk, this time with my colleagues, we took a different route. We started first at Manila Cathedral and passing Fort Bonifacio however we no longer went inside the place. We went on the other side of Manila Cathedral and one of my colleagues showed us how beautiful the Cathedral was at the side. 

After taking some street photography we went to the Graffiti Wall. We just stayed for a couple of minutes to take some pictures.

We continued our walk going to San Agustin Church where we saw some tourist riding the bamboo bike. There was also a wedding happening in the church so the place was really full of people.

We passed by Silahis Arts and Artifacts going to Baluarte de San Andres. My colleague started to explore my DSLR and showed how me how I can maximize its special features. Our walk led us to Baluarte de San Francisco de Dilao where we took our own places to capture some photos. We stayed there for a while before going back to Manila Cathedral to take our ride going to Harbor Point for the sunset.

Unfortunately, the weather was so gloomy. I and one colleague were able to reach Harbor Point before the heavy downpour so I was able to still to take pictures. Our other companions arrived at Harbor Point in the evening and wasn’t able to follow us on the restaurant where we decided to have some early dinner.

Both photowalk was very amazing. I’ve learned a lot and was able to see the different sides of Intramuros. I can’t wait for another photowalk!