Summer has finally arrived and I'd like to embrace it by doing things that I love. To kick things off, we went to a theme park on March 1 and had lots of fun.

The Manila Ocean Park (MOP) is the first world-class "oceanarium" in the Philippines. The people behind it come from the same Singapore-registered firm that runs four oceanariums in China.


MOP has a wide variety of marine animals showcased in five different sections (agos-flow, bahura-the reef, laot-fishing ground, kalaliman-the deep and buhay na karagatan-living ocean) located along a 25-meter long walkway tunnel with 220 degree-curved acrylic walls. On the second floor of the building lie the other two attractions: the overhang tank (which can be seen from inside the tunnel) and the pating corner which houses various shark species. The soft opening of the oceanarium took place on February 29, graced by Phil. Tourism Authority GM Barbers and PGMA herself. A day after that we joined hundreds, if not thousands of people, who wanted to be first to take a peek of this newest attraction in town.


On a different note, I am quite disappointed that when I called up MOP customer service prior to our departure to inquire if they accept credit cards for payment, the lady I talked to said yes. However, when we got to the ticket station at MOP, the lady at the counter said they don't accept plastic money yet. But guess what, there was a credit card machine beside her. Was it online? I believe so because we regularly use such a device in La Cocina de Tita Moning where I work part-time. I guess they probably just opted not to use it to make their service a little faster, what with the long lines and rows in front of them. It was a good thing we brought some cash with us, otherwise we would have gone home straight with a big frown on our faces.



We were a group of seven (six adults and a kid) when we toured MOP. We took a lot of photos, as usual. I found it very amusing to see school of fish and other groups of marine species swimming and playing and having fun, as if they knew there was a big audience around. Though the place was jam-packed with people posing for pictures left and right, it was still festive and fun. Except for some discourteous MOP crew who kept on shouting "No flash photography, please," in a very loud and irritating manner. I was not guilty of using flash but that made me slightly uncomfortable. I wonder if the management knows about it.



There are still other facilities under construction that, as what I've read from the posters, include a mall, a hotel, shops and function rooms. Meaning, it's not just a theme park, it's a huge complex where people can have fun in more ways than one. What an awesome marketing concept!


And oh, did I mention that there is a nice view of the Manila Bay at the back of MOP? If only the waters were as clean as before, it would have been a breathtaking scenery.


Aside from photos, we also took some videos which you can view here. Stay tuned for my next summer adventure. :D

Entrance Fees: P400 for adults; P350 for kids; P250 for students
Contact No(s).: +632 567-7777 (DL); +632 5672309 (FL)
Location: Just behind Quirino Grandstand, Manila
Attire: Casual
Rule(s): Flash photography is not allowed