Manila Ocean Park Sea Lion Show and Marine Life Habitat

It's not everyday that we get to see a sea lion, so I consider this part of the trip a treat. Although thanks to the movie Madagascar, I can't help but feel for these beautiful creatures being plucked out of the wild so they may be used to spread awareness for their preservation, and hopefully not fall to the hands of illegal poachers.

Loaded with popcorn, nachos and soda, we sat on the first row of the side bleachers to avoid the afternoon heat

The sea lions performed clever tricks and dance routines with their trainers, to the tune of Mission Impossible which set the mood for the seals going on exciting "missions"

After the show, we went to the Marine Life Habitat where you can take photos with the sealions (500php.) Of course, the children are too small to be allowed (by their dad!) Here you can get up-close with the sea lions and see them in underwater action just right below the viewing platform.

The coleman filled with sardines kept the seal happy to perform some more tricks

More on the next post!

Manila Ocean Park Oceanarium and Shark Tank 2012

No Ocean Park is ever complete without an Oceanarium, a long glass tunnel which takes us underwater without getting wet. In the oceanarium, we got a good glimpse of how the other fishes interact with the other fishes in the wild, even with the limited space. Eels can be seen hiding under the corals, manta rays can be seen gliding their way through the other fishes and some lay low, minding their own business careful not to bump into others.

OMG ang sarap gawing sweet and sour fish!! Giant lapu-lapu

Since the fish are fast and I don't have the luxury of time waiting for them to pass nor chasing after them with a baby in hand amidst the big Sunday crowd, you need to make do with these blurry shots :D

At the very end of the whole attraction are Marco's most beloved creatures: Sharks!

The ceiling has a glass bottom to view stingrays

This giant tank holds several species of shark

Marco at the Trails to Antarctica

Miggy looks on to the nearby harbour :)

More on the next post!

Manila Ocean Park 2012 Exhibits

We took the kids out on a trip to the Manila Ocean Park two weekends ago. It was not easy taking care of children and their dad on a family day out. Their dad doesn't usually like taking the kids out to public places because he's always feels up to neck about taking care of the three. It's not that the kids misbehave, it's just that they're still too small to be be left unattended for even one minute. What we do is take them one at a time, while running errands or doing the grocery. Boring life for children, I know. It sucks to be children growing up around concrete with little greenery. I myself grew up climbing rocks, getting scraped by talahib and catching bugs from mango trees. Hopefully by next year we can find our own little house so the children has more space instead of the sad penthouse with no playmates.

The high ceiling at opening past the entrance looks like this. The glass separates the park entrance from Hotel H20.

It opens up to an even higher atrium, with three floors of attractions and retail/dining areas.

The kids take a quick pose at a photo of a shark while an attendant gathered our tickets

A flight of stairs led us to the first few exhibits, with thriving vines that hung from the ceiling

Have your photo taken while feeding koi (Php100)

Daddy E with the three Ms

And of course, with Mommy!

The iPhone4s takes wonderful photos :)

With one of my favorite fishes, the lionfish

This deck houses schools of larger fishes and gives them ample space to move like how they do in the wild

Huge pampano

This diver cleans the tank by vacuuming all the fish poop. 

More on the next post!

Circque du Soleil's Varekai in Manila!

They say you should see Cirque du Soleil at least once in your lifetime.

The touring arm of the world-renowned Cirque brings one of its best productions to Manila, Varekai. Varekai has been touring for the past nine years in North America, Australia and Europe and this is the first time they're performing in Asia. 

A short synopsis from Everything In Budget reads:

Varekai is a Cirque du Soleil touring production that premiered in Montréal in April 2002. Its title means "wherever" in the Romani language, and the show is an "acrobatic tribute to the nomadic soul". The plot is based loosely on the Greek myth of Icarus, who melts his wings after flying too close to the sun. Rather than drowning in the sea below him, in Varekai Icarus lands inside a lush forest, in which the creatures teach him how to fly again.

The Varekai troupe consists of 56 performers, of which there are a few principal characters. Varekai's acts comprise many acrobatic talents, ranging from aerial arts to Russian swing, among others.

Taken from The Manila Bulletin:


“What I love about ‘Varekai’ is that it was always meant to be a celebration of life,” Cirque du Soleil's Artistic Director for Varekai Matheiu Gatien shares. “From the beginning of the show, all the cast is onstage, and we really kick it off with incredibly beautiful music… very explosive. In times that are a bit difficult, economically and for different reasons, we need to give people a place to dream and to escape… and to just appreciate something that’s just beautiful.” 


For the first time in its storied history, the world renowned Cirque du Soleil comes to the Philippines with one of its touring productions. With a promise to bring its audience into an extraordinary world deep into the forest, at the summit of a volcano, where the story unfolds, “Varekai” will be an explosive fusion of drama and acrobatics set in a magical forest with fantastical creatures all joining the absurd-yet-extraordinary adventure of a young man in the midst of it all.


Just to give a brief idea of how intricate the production is, the costumes alone provide astounding figures. There are over 130 costumes in the show’s wardrobe—with a total of 600 original costumes, shoes, wigs, hats and accessories developed after over 33,000 hours of hard work. In North America, Cirque du Soleil has almost 400 full time employees working in fields as varied as shoemaking, textile design, wig-making, lace-making, and so on.

And because the show is so intricate, and without time to train local workers or even artists, Gatien admits they could only hire local front-of-house staff (ushers) as well as food and beverage people for each stop, like they would in Manila. “It’s more… [for] welcoming of the people. We trust the local people to know how to operate, how to speak to them, to make them really welcome in our big top,” he notes, but also adds, “The follow spot operator, we hire one every city, as a gesture.”


This not-to-be-missed spectacle runs from June 23-July 10, 2011 at the Blue-and-Yellow Grand Chapiteau (Big Top) Tent at the Luneta, across Quirino Grandstand. Make Varekai that once in your life chance to see Cirque du Soleil!