Spend Your Afternoon at Tagaytay

If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Metro Manila without sitting on a carseat for too long, then going to Tagaytay would be one of your best options. Tagaytay is 1-2 hours drive from the Metro and when on the right spot, it offers a great view of the Taal Volcano.

I and three of my officemates went there for half a day not only to unwind but also to have a taste of their famous bulalo.  The cool breeze alone was worth the almost 2 hour drive. When I tasted the food and saw the magnificence of Taal Volcano from afar, it was even more worth it. Unfortunately, we weren't able to discover the beauty of the famed underwater volcano because of lack of time and extremely expensive boat ride. For me, 500/pax for a ride to Taal, isn't a worthy offer at that time. At the right season and with the right haggling skills, I can probably get that ride (hopefully soon) at a cheaper price.

At Bulalo Point. Php300+ each for this sumptuous lunch+ fresh buko juice

Spending the afternoon sipping coffee with the beautiful Taal Volcano as our backdrop.

If you're in town, Picnic Grove is a great place to experience outdoor fun,  view the Taal Volcano and eat bulalo. Entrance fee is Php50.  Souvenir shops and food stalls also abound the area.

At Picnic Grove. From here, you can see the beauty of Taal Volcano.

My Jumpshot

They spent Php200 each for a henna tattoo (after less than an hour, umulan ng bonggang bongga.boom! *evil laugh)

From Pasay, you can ride a bus going to Tagaytay for Php100-200 one ride. Once you're there, there are jeepneys and tricyles that can take you from one place to another. 

A thousand pesos would be enough to take you to and back from Tagaytay. It could be lesser than that if you spend your money wisely. 

*Thanks to Chris, Irish and Zeth for being a great company

The Ultimate Experience at Manila Ocean Park

Hearing about mountains, oceans, animals, and forests wakes the nature-lover inside of me. I find solitude everytime I see pristine white sand beaches or see the moss-covered earth of the forest, hear the splash of the waves or running water, chirping of birds or whatever sound animals make. Being with nature makes me see how beautiful our world is and lets me appreciate the simplicity of life. Manila is such a busy, complicated and polluted place to be and visiting Manila Ocean Park is a breathe of fresh air.

Manila Ocean Park is for the whole  family and people who love to be with the sea and animals. Some of the attractions may be pretty expensive for some but the worth of each attraction depends on every person's interests, likes and level of satisfaction.

When I first heard about Manila Ocean Park, I was really at awe and envied my friends when I saw their pictures taken with the famous oceanarium as the backdrop. Visiting this ocean-themed park is on top of my list when I started living here in the Metro. So when there was a cheap promo for Manila Ocean park tickets at work, I never hesitated to get one for myself. For an Ultimate adventure (Oceanarium, Trails to Antartica, Fish Spa, Jellies, The Marine Life Show, Musical Fountain Show), I only paid Php600 which was a total steal!  The ticket for Oceanarium alone is Php400 if you pay it at one  of the park's booths and just imagine how much I saved by getting that cheap ticket at the office.

The Attractions

Oceanarium. Want to know the different fish species  and life under the sea? The Oceanarium is the best place to be.

Different sea creatures.

 Personal experience rating: 2 out of 5. 2 because I was expecting a better experience and better interior. The tunnel-like aquarium would be an excellent backdrop if your purpose of going there is to take pictures but when it comes to activities, hmnn, not that much. I was expecting that it's going to be a long tunneled aquarium but it's not. Aside from reading a little info and seeing the schools and varieties of fish swim, the other thing that you can do is camwhore.

Trails to Antartica. Offers the slide-o-fun which will let you experience a bit of thrill while sitting on a tire as it slides down the sloped and iced pathway. 

At snow village with Mr. Snowman.

 Other than the slide-o-fun, you will also see cute little penguins inside an aquarium. In addition, Trails to Antartica offers the Snow Village where you get to experience Antartica inside a room with subzero temperature. 

Marine Life Show. Meeting the entertaining sea lions is one of my most memorable experience when I visited Manila Ocean Park. They're adorable and highly-trained sea creatures that you cant help but become amazed at how fascinating they were. 

A kiss from a sea prince.

Jellies. Is where you can see different species of Jelly fishes. The mirrored walls, soothing sound and changing aquarium lights create a stunningly beautiful ambience perfect for those who want to get away from the mob of the park.

Fish Spa. After walking to and from inside Manila Ocean Park, it's nice to have your feet pampered for a while. Fish spa is the best place to be where you dip your feet on water full of nibbling schools of fish. Tickling at first but eventually you'll get used to it and will definitely love the sensation it brings. After a 10minute foot spa, your feet will feel relaxed and less tired. 

Musical Fountain Show. It showcases a jaw-dropping presentation of lights and fountains plus a theatrical presentation of artists wearing sea creatures costume. Thanks to the storm, we weren't able to get decent pictures yet at the same time, the lashing wind and rain made the musical fountain show our ultimate experience finale when we visited the Manila Ocean Park.

A random picture from Google

Had to wear this raincoats during the duration of the show.

My visit at the Manila Ocean Park is definitely an unforgettable experience. 

Grazing the streets of the Metro

Travel has never been an unfamiliar word in my family. At a young age, my parents introduced us to traveling even if it means motion sickness and plenty of travel mishaps.  We would frequently go to my mom or dad's hometown and our relatives' place. But most of those trips were in Mindanao and the farthest family trip we got so far was maybe Bohol via Cebu. Basically, it was not of cityscapes and crowded streets but it's more of the rural landscape and the panoramic view of the sea. The town where I was raised is urbanized enough to give us more than the basics but it made me wonder what life is beyond those huge mountains and the vast ocean. I have and will always love my hometown but there's a part of me that had always dreamt of leaving my comfort zone and see what the big city has to offer.  After countless long talks with family, friends and even myself, I set off with resources just enough  for me to survive a week or two. But I was and  am still fully-equipped with determination and success in mind that  even the threat of a huge storm and flood wasn’t able to stop me from leaving.

Early Morning at BoniHigh Street, Taguig

 Night Life at Metrowalk, Ortigas

The gates of the famed yellow house, Quezon City

Malls abound the Metro and one of them is Greenbelt5 where you can find posh restaurants and boutiques.

University of Makati is just a stone-throw-away from my workplace

enjoying summer at Cavite

Experience the thrill of StarCity, Pasay

Experience Underwater Life while in the big City at Manila Ocean Park, Manila

The first time my feet  landed on the wet cement of NAIA's ramp, I said to myself that this is it! It was a sunless and cold day of June 25th. It was the month when rains and storms start to lash this part of the country. But despite the bad weather, there I was feeling excited, happy and sprightly. My feet felt so springy because I just couldn't wait to graze the streets of the metro. With that dream, I am crossing out some of the items on my bucketlist. Now I know how it feels to live in a highly urbanized city. Everything's fast paced but things turned out great for me that I didn’t realize it has been a year already since I had first caught the polluted yet full-of-promise smell of Manila.