Sunday in Subic - Part 2

Zoobic Safari

Our next stop was the Zoobic Safari. The reason why we travelled all the way to Subic. The kids are very excited about this. JJ even wore his tiger shirt specially for this occasion. Entrance fee is P395 per person, P295 for children 3 feet and up. Below that, entrance is free. Our first agenda was to have our picture taken with a tiger cub. That is the primary reason why we wanted to bring the kids there so that they will have a close encounter with a tiger, to touch them and see them up close safely. I luv tigers.









After taking a picture and petting a tiger cub, went on a tour of all the animal on exhibit. We even got to feed and pet some of them. The kids were a delight to watch. They get so curious about the animals. they asked so many questions and wanted to touch all the animals.







After the furry and cute animals, my brother and JJ went to the serpentarium to look at their snakes. I didn't go with them that's why there are no pictures here :-)

The most awaited part of our tour was the Tiger Safari. Three tigers are realesed from their cages and are allowed to roam freely in a large enclosure. Jeepneys are converted as the “human cage” to protect us from the tigers. You can purchase a whole chicken for P200 and feed the tigers. A zoo keeper will feed the tigers on your behalf. Watch them up clode devouring your chicken. They even climb up the jeepney to get some of the chicken. They are such powerful and beautiful animals. Be prepared to be in awe.







Aeta's Trail

The next part is the Aeta’s Trail. Aetas are the local indigenous tribe. They will demonstrate native dances that mimic the movements of animals. One is the Sayaw ng Tutubi (Dragonfly dance) which they perform when it is about to rain and the Monkey Dance, which mimics the movement of monkeys (which used to be so abundant in the area). We were also treated to a hunting dance complete with bows and arrows The aetas are educated, please don’t make fun of them. They perform these rituals for us to preserve and share their culture.







Crocodiles



The last part for the tour are the crocodiles. There are hundreds of them in the enclosure. You can feed them raw chicken too for P50 each. Watch them snap their jaws and pull your chicken.



Subic may look like a ghost town, but there are plenty of things to do there for the weekend. Ocean Adventure, Zoobic Safari, Treetop Adventure, El Kabayo (haven’t been), Jet Skiing, Banana Boating, Beaches, Fishing, Nature Trails and Duty Free Shopping. You need a car to go around since there are no public utility vehicles.

Sunday in Subic - Part 1

“Ninang, you’re late!”

That’s what my nephew JJ told me as soon as I got out of the car to pick them up to go to Subic. We arrived five minutes later past the designated pick up time. Subic is about 3 to 3 1/2 hours drive from Manila. It’s quite far. If you’re taking a day trip, I suggest to leave early.

Hubby’s first speeding ticket

The newly constructed highway, SCTEX is already operational. It cuts driving time by about an hour as compared to the old highway. A warning though, the police have installed a speed gun and you will get a ticket if you exceed the speed limit of 100kph (that’s too slow for a highway devoid of any buildings, pedestrians and intersections). Hubby got his very first speeding ticket. He was none too happy about it. We felt that the traffic patrol do this intentionally to trap motorists. When you get a ticket, the traffic patrol will not give you any proof that you were exceeding the speed limit. So, I feel that later on, this will probably be a money-making scheme by the traffic patrol. Tsk tsk tsk.

Tree Top Adventure





Our first stop was the Tree Top Adventure Park. First, we signed up for the canopy ride. Children above three feet can take the ride as well. The canopy ride is a leisurely motorized cable ride above the rainforest. There are ten stations to complete the ride. It takes approximately a hour and a half to complete. Our little JJ wasn’t even scared being suspended 100 feet above the ground. The ride is very safe and quite slow.





We also signed up for the “Superman” ride. A motorized zip line ride. It’s a bit scary for some people who are afraid of heights. One girl got too scared and backed out. The ride wasn’t frightening at all. It’s just a short ride, too short in our opinion. Hubby was “bitin” and wanted to go again but the line was long.





Teriyaki Boy

Since we stayed at the Tree Top Adventure longer that expected, we got so famished. We had lunch at Teriyaki Boy found within SBMA. We had a lot of food! Everything you see below was wiped our except for two pices of Futomaki :-) (Not in photo, California Maki, Futo Maki and Tofu Steak)













To be continued.....

Subic!

It is customary here in the Philippines that companies, provide a summer getaway for its employees. (i think, it may be mandated by law even). For hubby's annual "summer fun vacation", his company prepared a fun-filled weekend under the sun at White Rock Resort in Subic.

Here's the view from our hotel room..... we were caught right in the middle of a typhoon. We couldn't use umbrellas for fear of being swept away by the wind. I know because I tried my very best to hang on to the thing amidst the delubyo that assailed Subic and most of Northern Luzon that day.



We had the best real estate in terms of beach accessibility. See, the jet skis are just in front of our porch.



Despite the rains, I had so much fun. Hubby's peers and bosses were very nice, funny and down to earth.

The most fun was cuddling up to hubby :-)

Sunday was more promising. It was mostly overcast but that's the way I like it. It wasn't too hot. Hubby and I went jet skiing and it was so much fun! Hubby and I are thinking of coming back with my niece and my nephew so that they can try it too.

The food at White Rock is mighty awful. Well, bland, blah and absolutely tasteless. If you're staying here, try to smuggle in some food.

The beach is not white sand, so don't expect picture perfect photographs :-)

After checking out at White Rock, we had lunch at the Boardawalk Inn within the Freeport Zone, the food was ok but the service was very slow. It's the good thing that we had pleasant company.

Since our companions had their kids with them, we decided to take a quick trip to Zoobic, a tiger safari. They have ten attractions there. My favorite of course is the Tiger Safari and the Tiger close encounter. I love tigers! Too bad we couldn't have a picture with them because it was already late when we arrived. Picture taking with the tigers is from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Don't miss it!

(Tiger image from mysubic.blogspot.com)

For a detailed description of their attractions, visit www.zoobic.com.ph

Here are some pics of our Zoobic Adventure:










Kudos to the staff of Zoobic, from an initial 10 tigers in 2004, the 50 plus hectare Zoobic facility now has 36 of them. I hope that breeding facilities like it will help the tigers get off the endangered species list soon.

There are more attractions to see in Subic and we hope to come back soon with my brother's family for a weekend of jet skiing, Ocean Adventure, Zoobic (again), Go Carting and Duty Free Shopping.

In the words of The Terminator, "I'll be back!"