About Me

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An occasionally belligerent mother of five and an autism parent / advocate who believes that traveling, good food and good company are vital to keep one sane. I've worked as a news writer/newscaster, a quality systems auditor, a ISO9001 consultant, an FM radio DJ, a Filipino tutor, TOEFL reviewer and have gone into the food industry both as an entrepreneur and as a mommy chef, giving a sponsored demo on healthy cooking in a mall and on local TV. My favorite job however, is being a mom and a wife.

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Monday, January 31, 2011

Our Ocean Adventure

Before heading off to our Zoobic Safari , we took the opportunity to enjoy the cool morning air and mild morning sun to check out Subic's marine theme park, Ocean Adventure. Getting there is just as easy as pie. 2 1/2 to 3 hours from Manila, Ocean Adventure lies at the Camayan Wharf,West Ilanin Forest Area, Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Here's a map (courtesy of the OCEAN ADVENTURE Website)



As you may have seen from their website, the park is open from 9 am to 6 pm daily. Rates are as follows:


Admission Prices :
Adult - Php 500
Children 12 years old and below - Php 420
Senior Citizen - Php 400 


A quick look at the place back in the summer of 2009, gave us the impression that the place was well maintained, the staff was courteous, well informed and very helpful.

Bamboo Shark housed at the Ocean Discovery Aquarium

First up on the tour was a quick peek at the sea creatures housed in the Ocean Discovery Aquarium. Sharks, fishes, crustaceans and other curious looking animals from mangrove forests, coral reefs, dark caves and fresh water streams, are all housed in this building.

Picture this baby without it's spikes, topped on a hollowed out cucumber...mmm :)
Baby manta
Next stop on the tour was the Sea Lion Marine Patrol Show. South American sea lions ham it up on stage with their trainers. If you could ignore the fishy smell of these mammals, this is one show that would delight young and old alike.

'Sup people?!
That summer, there was also a High Dive Show which featured a foreign diving team. It was quite entertaining but given that it was summer and the show was done in the afternoon, the sun beat down on our exposed precious selves mercilessly. 

the venue of the high dive show (forgot the name of the diving team that was in it..my bad)
the view from where we sat at the high dive show venue (behind us is where the Dolphin Friends Show is held)
Lunch was a pretty decent affair at the Ilanin Bay Cafe. Food portions were big enough for heavy eaters (not referring to us :p ), food options were plenty and varied and prices were quite reasonable. The air conditioned restaurant found in the heart of the park was a welcome respite from the summer heat.

After lunch, while waiting for the Dolphin Friends Show to begin, we chanced upon a group of trainers feeding dolphins nearby. Up close, and without a crowd, we got to take pretty decent pics of the animals.

Feeding Time
Waiting for the grub
Soon enough, it was time for the show. We were ushered into a mini amphitheater of sorts, that was overlooking a fenced in portion of the bay. Tribal music began to play, as an announcer began a tale of the wonders of the sea, the love for mother nature and how we, in our own way, can make a difference. As she was narrating, trained cetaceans (dolphins, porpoises, false killer whales and their pantropical spotted dolphin) performed leaps and tricks, delighting the audience. I remember comparing this show to a similar one at Ocean Park in Hongkong, and I must say, I was quite impressed with the one we have at Subic.

Nope, these dolphins are making a break for it. It's part of the Dolphin Friends Show
Tribal music ushered in the start of the show
 Of course a trip to Ocean Adventure won't be complete without an actual interaction with a live animal. Since we were heading off to the Zoobic Safari right after, we opted to sign up for a Sea Lion and a Dolphin Photo Encounter. After the Sea Lion Marine Patrol show as well as the Dolphin Friends Show, we got to get our pictures and interact with the stars of the show. On top of the entrance fee, shelling out extra moolah to hang out with these creatures was sooooo worth it. Here are the rates:


Sea Lion Photo Encounter 
Price: One to Three persons Php 350.00
Dolphin Photo Encounter
Price: Solo Php 500.00
Two persons Php 650.00
Three persons Php 800.00
*Photos will be burned on a CD.

Sea Lion Photo Encounter

Ocean Adventure Entrance fee: 500 php. Sea Lion Photo Encounter 350 php. Feeling the love from these gentle animals: PRICELESS!
Nothing prepared me for this experience. Touching a dolphin is neither gross or icky. It's actually like touching a latex body board, and they DO NOT smell at all!
Touching Dawn the dolphin's pin-hole of an ear. despite the intrusion, she was soooo friendly!

The processing of our photos was quite fast. After shopping a bit for pasalubong (presents for those back home) at the Ocean Treasures Gift Shop (cute, reasonably priced stuffed toys, magnets, shirts, keychains and so much more), our cd was ready for pick up. On top of our pictures with the animals, extra shots of the parks creature features and main attraction were burned into. (Note: the air conditioned photo kiosk had real pleasant people in it, and even without the shopping, waiting for your cd would not have been such a chore) . Also, for those with kids, they have a place called The Learning Center, were kids are given an entertaining yet educational lesson on marine ecology.

Regrettably, our visit at Ocean Adventure came to an end. Checking out their website showed me recent additions to their already great roster of activities and features. Among those I'd want to check out are The Adventures of Olongapo Jones and the The Walk on the Wild Side Show. I would definitely come back and hopefully have all the kiddies with us in the next visit. Just don't forget to bring the usual summer travel essentials (drinking h2o, sunblock 
(banana boat or our very own, locally made Beach Hut products are the bomb) , maybe some after sun lotion, a hat and sunglasses, and you're all set for this summer getaway!


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From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Zoobic Zoopreme!

To kick start The Mediocre Wanderer's travel bits, I dug deep into the recesses of my Fujitsu external hard drive, to a folder simply marked as ZOOBIC.

A 2 1/2 drive from Manila (and 6 hours from Baguio), Subic Bay is a perfect destination for kids and adults alike.  Click here to see the map (courtesy of the Zoobic Multiply Site). Its got everything from water sports and shopping to good food and nature tours. 

A highlight of our 2009 summer was our impromptu stop at Zoobic. We were in town for a birthday party and decided to checkout Zoobic and Ocean Adventure all in the same day before heading off to Manila.

We had just come from Ocean Adventure earlier that day. 10 minutes away was Zoobic, your own safari adventure in Subic's own backyard. 

A quick look at the counter upon entry showed the prizes of the Zoobic Safari: 
Zoobic safari Entrance Rate: 
Adult Rate: 449.00/head 
Child Rate: 349.00/head (3ft. below is free) 

White Tiger at the Pavillion

While waiting for our tour to start, we got to check out the tigers around the Pavilion, or the main building. We also found out that we could get our pictures taken with one of the tigers. The 2 hour tour consisted of us walking through the Zoobic Park that housed various mammals and birds (see pics below):
Don't let this harmless looking bird fool ya, it's beak and claws are made of solid keratin and could just tear into you. the bump on it's head could really hurt you if you got close enough

While documenting how tall I was compared to an adult ostrich, that live one on the lower left hand corner of the pic managed to poke its head where it doesn't belong
Don't need to go to the desert to find one of these =)
Oink!
Asian Albino Water Buffaloes

Further off into the tour, we hit the Bone Museum (where the bones of animals that have died in Zoobic are kept), The Aetas Trail (a replica of a typical Aeta village, complete with Aetas), Croco Loco ( You + Big Caged Pond + LOTS of crocs...and not the ones you buy at the mall), plus a couple more places to see reptiles, birds and more mammals. 
Getting left behind by the tour group as I posed for the cam
And they say I have a big mouth LOL
Converted bomb shelters turned into cool museums. Behind me is the entrance to the Bone Museum
Molting ostriches seen during the Savannah ride

The view below at Croco Loco
One of our meat-eating avian friends at The Birds of Prey
After the Savannah, we got to see the main attraction of the place,  the Tiger Safari / Tiger Close Encounter.  We got  into these customized vehicles to see the tigers in their habitat. These big feline creatures are allowed to roam around, just like in a real safari. Sometimes, these big cats would even climb up a vehicle and allow its passengers to feed it fresh chicken (arrangements must be made prior to the start of the Tiger Safari).

Most of the caged tigers positioned themselves this way 
Feedin' time. See video below =)


All in all, this spur of the moment trip became one of the highlights of our summer. I would love to come back soon and bring the rest of my motley crew to enjoy the sights, learn about ecology and just have fun. There were places to buy souvenirs for those who missed it and food and drinks to replenish all the lost energy. Prices were reasonable.

Oh, and a quick tip, wear comfortable walking shoes, as there definitely will be a lot of walking. Don't forget to bring a hat, sunglasses, sunblock and water as not all areas will be shaded, and of course, bring a camera, just because it's one trip you would want to remember =)

Posing with a rather heavy tiger cub

"No sudden movements"...as if I would
From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Cogito Ergo Sum, Therefore I Blog

I have always ALWAYS been a blogger at heart. From the time I received a Rainbow Brite diary when I was 9, I have been writing about my likes, dislikes, experiences and opinions on almost anything and everything. This was a particularly creative outlet for a particularly talkative child.

For those who do not know me, I would like to be introduced as a mother of four headstrong boys. That alone would give you a psychological, physical and definitely, a spiritual idea of who I am.

As a profession, I am a Freelance ISO 9001:2008 Consultant and Technical Writer (note: I work from home, with occasional work days with the companies that hire me) and have, a fairly new events coordinating company (note: I am self employed too). On the side, I do book reviews for Euro Reviews (all gratis, as nothing beats reading a free book) and wish that I would one day be a permanent part of the food industry. For the time being, I am quite content in creating little homemade baked goodies for our brand MMM (My Mum's Munchies) as well as doing media related activities (primarily hosting), so as not to forget my roots as an FM radio announcer/DJ/news writer and newscaster.

Feeling that my life is but an open book (or blog, if you will), I share with you my greatest passions: food, travelling and motherhood.