Revisiting 2011: Singapore Trip part 2

Night Safari

Night Safari, the world's first wildlife night park was just a few steps away from Singapore Zoo. It was a unique experience to see nocturnal animals in action.  We rode a tram and embarked on a fascinating adventure.  We saw leopards, tigers, lions, hog badgers, Malay civets, tapirs, deer and many more. Flash photography wasn't aloud so I didn't bother taking photos.

The Thumbuakar Performance was amazing. It was a spectacular display of dance and fire-eating stunts. The human torches could blow flames up to 5 meters high! Imagine that! We could feel the heat from our seats.

 

We were entertained by the Creatures of the Night Show. It was a 30-minute show featuring trained animals such as otters, raccoons, snakes, wolves, hyenas, owls and many more.

Revisiting 2011: Singapore Trip part 1

Let me begin the year by filling the void I left on my blog.  Last year was a good year and I would like to take this opportunity to share some of those memorable highlights.

I'll start with our family trip to Singapore last summer of 2011. It was a very memorable vacation because it was Yohan's first airplane ride and it was our first trip out of the country as a family.  It was an adventure from the start because we didn't go on a tour. The tour packages we reviewed only featured selected places so we decided to go on our own.  It was a great decision because we were free to choose our destinations. I booked our airline tickets and hotel accommodation online.

Our Singapore trip was tailored fit for Yohan. We know how much he loves animals so we put the top 3 zoos in Singapore on our itinerary.

Singapore Zoo

The Singapore Zoo was so amazing! It was an adventure in a tropical forest. We came close and personal with different animals. Just imagine 2500 animals living in that 28-hectare sanctuary.

The animals in Singapore Zoo enjoy living in wide and lush habitats. They have a taste of freedom unlike the animals from other zoos that spend all their time in small cages.

 Some of the animal attractions in the zoo.

Here are just a few of the animals we encountered during our walk ...

It was a pleasure to see 3 beautiful white tigers, also called Bengal tigers. walking, swimming and playing in such a spacious habitat. 

One of the majestic white tigers at Singapore Zoo.

Yohan and I rode on the back of a beautiful Asian elephant. We also saw several other elephants playing with a huge ball and spraying each other with water. I've always been awed by the intelligence and strength of elephants.

Fun elephant ride.

  

There were free-ranging orangutans on top of the trees. It was so cool to see them swing, lounge and play right above our heads.

Swinging orangutans.

It was Yohan's first time to see a giraffe. We wanted it to be truly memorable so we let him feed one of the giraffes.  Just look at that long tongue!

Feeding the giraffe with carrot sticks.

At that time, Angry Birds was at the height of its popularity. It was funny because a foreigner approached my husband and offered to buy the shirt he was wearing. Jules politely declined. :)

The zebras were so close.

Before going home, we bought several furry pals and shirts as keepsakes.

At the souvenir shop.

Photo Hunt :: Sparkles

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When you enter the Jellies room in Manila Ocean Park, you'll be tantalized by these dancing fairies in the water. These free swimming jellies illuminate the dark room.

Yohan and his cousins were awed by the jelly fish and the changing hues. Their dazzling natural performance bring sparkles in the eyes of the kids.

Colorful Hustle and Bustle Outside Antipolo Church

After hearing mass at Antipolo, one will find it hard to ignore the hustle and bustle outside the church.

Local vendors have found a lucrative business selling colorful balloons and toys.  Small children are easily enticed by the sight of familiar characters floating on strings, flying winding birds and small toys with wheels that you can push back and forth with its handle. I saw a little girl frantically pulling her mom's hand towards the toy vendors.

Yohan didn't ask for any of those this year but when he was younger I bought him one of those ingenious mouse toys that move by pulling its string (made of scrap cloth and rock pulley-like mechanism). 

There are also vendors selling candles outside the church. Lighting candles is a popular Catholic tradition.  One usually light candles to pray for blessings or ask for divine intervention.

I always see these peculiar man and woman wax figures whenever I go to Antipolo but I have never asked what they are for. Some say the man and woman wax figures symbolize marriage but I may be wrong. Please share if you know.

A visit to Antipolo church will not be complete without buying casuy and suman (cashew and rice cakes). I took this quick snapshot when I noticed a lone red cashew among the yellow ones. I didn't buy any but hubby bought plain cashew nuts.

Back at home, we enjoyed eating fried suman with some sugar. It would have been better with ripe mangoes but it was still yummy.

Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in Antipolo

Last Sunday, we went to Antipolo to hear mass at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. Going to Antipolo church every month of May is an old tradition of hubby's family. We left the house before 5 a.m.

The drive from Batangas to Antipolo was smooth and quick. The traffic started as we approached the church. Parking was really tough. A guy in a white shirt helped us secure a parking slot in one of the nearby streets.  He ran along side our van as we made several rounds in the area.  He must be really fit to be able to endure all that running. To my surprise, he politely declined the tip from my brother-in-law. He just requested that we go to his food stand if we decide to buy suman and casuy (rice cake and cashew nuts) after the mass.  Suman and casuy are popular products of Antipolo.

The sight of the huge crowd made my knees weak. I doubted if we could get inside the church.

Slowly we inched our way near the church entrance. It was still early but the sun was already beaming its hot rays down on us.

We eventually managed to go inside the church. Luckily, my hubby, son and I were able to get some seats. Other family members had to go back outside because there were no more seats available. There were so many church goers that day.

Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, popularly known as the Virgin of Antipolo (Birhen ng Antipolo) rests above the pedestal. Many church goers ask Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage for blessings for a safe journey or passage (especially those who are going to another country). The image was brought to the Philippines by Don Juan Niño de Tabora in 1626. It was sculptured by Mexican craftsmen using dark hard wood similar to the Black Nazarene in Quiapo.

The Antipolo church has been a center of religious pilgrimages for three centuries.  One of the popular annual pilgrimages is the "Alay Lakad" from Quiapo Church to the Antipolo Cathedral.

There are LCD screens placed in strategic areas of the church so that people outside can still see and hear the on-going mass.

Photo Hunt :: Monthly

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My hubby, son and I love good food. We make it a point to eat out at least once a month. I guess you can say that dining out is one of our monthly bonding moments.

We recently had dinner at Buon Giorno! It's a lovely and cozy restaurant in Cliffhouse, Tagaytay that serves Italian cuisine. 

You can dine outside al fresco or you can choose to eat inside.  The interior of the restaurant has a homey feeling to it.

We ordered Buon Giorno's Special (crisp crunch of mixed lettuce greens, cucumber and tomato with feta cheese and dressing).

We also had New York Pizza (assorted meat, bell peppers and cheese topping on a crisp,crusty dough). 

I wasn't able to take a photo of Yohan's order. He had kiddie chicken fingers with curly fries and a tall glass of Mudslide freeze (blend of chocolate shake).

This is Buon Giorno's most reserved place - the Opium Bed.  It has big fluffy pillows and white canopy.  When you reserve this place, you can enjoy the scenic view of Taal as you dine.

Buon Giorno! Caffe & Bistro
Unit 4, Cliffhouse Tagaytay
Gen. Emilio Highway
Tagaytay City, 4120
(046) 4132102

Koi Action and Water Taxi in Nuvali

Nuvali is a nice and refreshing place where you can dine, relax and unwind with family and friends. Aside from restaurants, it also has a multi-functional lake, outdoor trail and wide open spaces. Visitors can feel close to nature because of its green surroundings.

Nestled at Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Nuvali is becoming a favorite place by many. 

A great activity that you can enjoy in Nuvali is fish feeding. Fish feeds are sold for P15 a pack.  Take note that only Nuvali fish feeds are allowed.  So don't make a mistake of throwing a piece of bread or chip in the water.

I've seen Koi ponds before but this is the first time I've seen a lake with a massive number of Koi. Adults and kids will surely be delighted by the overwhelming abundance of Koi swimming and eagerly hoping for Manna from heaven.

The moment you drop some feeds in the water, the exuberant Koi will swim frantically to get some of that coveted treat.  It's an amazing display of fin flapping and fish tail movements. You might even see one or two Koi doing a cartwheel in the air. No kidding!

Perhaps the Koi are doing it on purpose so that you'll go back to the booth to buy some more of those feeds. ha! ha!

I surely fell for it because I went back to the booth several times to buy fish feeds.  It was worth it because my son had a great time feeding the overzealous Koi.

Fish feeding at Nuvali is from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM daily.

Riding the Water Taxi is another fun activity for the family.  The short boat ride costs P30 per head. 

Enjoy the refreshing wind on your face and watch birds flying nearby.  Expect to feel gentle water splashes as the boat makes a turn.

After feeding the Koi and riding the Water Taxi, my family settled for appetizing snacks at Conti's. Hubby had halo-halo, Yohan chose chicken empanada while I enjoyed a slice of Bananalicious Pie.

It was an afternoon well spent.

Laiya Beach Trip

Last April 21, 2009 my family and I went to Laiya, San Juan Batangas. We like going to that beach because it's just a two-hour drive from our place.


It was raining hard on our way to the beach. I couldn't cancel the reservation so we pushed through with our beach trip despite the weather. In the car, I told my son, Yohan to pray for some sunshine. Surprisingly, the rain began to subside and the sun began to shine as we reached San Juan Batangas.


We had an overnight stay at a small resort called Sigayan Beach Resort, where we also went last August 2008. In March 2007, we stayed at Balai Resort.


We spent the night at the cottage called Halaan 1 (Sigayan Resort Resort). Halaan is the local term for clam as evident by the painting on the wall. The cottage has 2 air conditioned rooms and 1 private bathroom. One bedroom has one double bed and one double deck and the other has one double deck. It has a small veranda that comes with a refrigerator, hot and cold water dispenser with one 5-gallon purified water and gas stove. The place is good for 6-8 people.


We were thankful that the sun was out when we arrived at the beach. Mount Lobo makes a beautiful backdrop.


My son didn't waste time and hurriedly went to play in the sand. He loves playing in the sand more than swimming. He brought his sand toys, toy truck and some plastic sea animals to complete the scene. :)





I thought we escaped the rain but towards the late afternoon, the dark clouds began to form. We were at the beach when the rain poured hard. It was a memorable moment because it was Yohan's first real bath under the rain. When he was younger, he experienced a little rain but this time it was the real thing. I wished I had a water proof camera with me to document it.




Last year, I wrote our names on the sand but this year, I decided to use pebbles that I gathered from the beach. I started with Yohan's name but I have to admit I got tired of looking for more pebbles and didn't push through making my name and hubby's name. Ha ha!


We spent the night at the resort. The weather improved the following day. Hubby and I had a wonderful time snorkeling while Yohan stayed with Yaya and our other helper. We all had a great time and we hope to go there again soon.


Planning to go to Laiya Batangas?

Here's a list of websites of some resorts in Laiya (arranged alphabetically):

• Aquatico Resort
• Balai Laiya Resort
• Blue Coral Resort website
• Kabayan Resort
• La Luz Beach Resort
• Laiya Coco Grove Resort
• Palm Beach Resort
• Sabangan Beach Resort
• Sigayan Bay Beach Resort
• Taramindu Beach Garden Inn
• Tivona Beach Resort
• Virgin Beach Resort