Fishes are NOT Just For Eating

If you're the kind of person who is fascinated with the creatures that belong to the sea, then you should definitely visit the Ocean Park in Manila! It is basically an oceanarium which is the home of sea lions, various types of sea creatures of different colors and sizes, cute penguins, different kinds of birds that are very well-trained, and snakes. It opens everyday at 10AM and closes at 8PM. If you're interested, click here to find out their price rates.

Someone from Simple Pleasures Travel and Tours Consultancy bought me, my cousin, and my aunt the Sea Breeze Express package ticket, so I didn't have to wait in line or anything which is really great since it has been scorching hot! I have been sweating buckets all summer! Anyway, when you buy the ticket, the staff will give you a sort of sticker bracelet. You have to wear it at all times and NOT lose it since that will serve as your pass. Everytime you go somewhere, you have to show the staff your bracelet so they scan it. It's a way to make sure that you're only going to places you've paid for already. Aside from the bracelet, they'll be giving you a list of the activities that is included in your package so you won't lose track.

The Sea Lions were really adorable! And they were a bit cheeky, too! The older one was listening to the trainer at first, but the younger wasn't... at all! After a while, the older one stopped listening, too. *snicker* They're cheekiness definitely adds to their charm and cuteness.

Being in Ocean Park made me feel and act like a kid again! I kept taking selfies with everything - even more than usual. I took a lot of photos of the animals, too.

 Everything was just simply breathtaking! The fishes were very cute and interesting, some were really cool, too! The jellyfish were all so colorful, they were really pretty. Whenever I look and watch a scene in TV shows, movies, and even mangas where the setting is in the aquarium and the couple is having their moment, I've always wondered what was so romantic about it. I mean, what's so romantic about looking at fish!? But now that I've actually gone there, I was like, "Ohhhh. So this is how it is..." The place actually made me want to go there with my boyfriend.. that is, if I had one. Hahahah I found someone who could be my forever there though. He has a really nice nose!

Needless to say, I was dumped. That was a bummer. I really thought he was the one.

What got me get over getting dumped was the fish spa. It was my first time, so I was really looking forward to it. 

When I first dipped my feet in the pool, a whole shoal of fish immediately swam to me! It really tickled! I was trying so hard to keep the laughter in since that would be a little embarrassing. But it was impossible. Fortunately, everyone was very understanding, probably because they've gone through the same thing. They seemed rather amused even. I understood how they felt when more people who were new at this, too, joined us. It was very fun.

I would have loved to stay and enjoy everything until closing time, but we still had somewhere else to go, so I wasn't able to. But I promised myself to come here again. Hopefully with a special someone to experience first had the romantic ambiance the place radiates. ;)

Tracing Back Our History in Corregidor Island

Corregidor Island is just remarkable! I'm not just saying this because I'm Filipino or something like that. No, it just simply is remarkable! And that's coming from me! I mean, I am not a history buff, I don't find history to be fun. In all honesty, History class is what I call "nap time" in school. :P Shhh!

Don't tell my cousin about this, but I wasn't really all that hyped up about visiting Corregidor Island at first. I was grateful and excited about the journey to the island but not about the actual island.  She kept asking me if I was excited and I would always nod and say yes to be polite. However, when we actually got there? I cannot say thank you to her enough!

Corregidor Island is a place full of wonders, full of history. Obviously, since it was the battle place of the Japanese, Americans, and Filipinos during the World War II. 

As some of you might know, the Island is shaped like a cute tadpole. It is located in the Southwestern part of the Luzon Island in the Philippines.

You have to ride a ferry to get to the Island. It doesn't take too long though, so don't worry about getting sea sick or anything.

But before that, you have to book your tour with Sun Cruises first. You can do this on the actual day, but it would be better if you book your tickets in advance because chances are... there might not be any more slots left. I asked Simple Pleasures Travel and Tours Consultancy to book mine so it would go more smoothly, and I wouldn't have any problem. Heheh!

The check-in counters open 1 hour and close 30 minutes before the departure time. I advice you to get there earlier since, in my experience, there were already a lot of people waiting in line when we got there. The line to the counter was getting longer, and the line to the bathroom was also getting longer. You wouldn't want to miss your ride. For further information, click here.

Once you check in, you'll be given a sticker that will serve as your ticket to the ferry, as well as lunch or dinner or whatever you have booked for. You can stick it on your chest or wherever you want. I stuck mine on my arm. JUST DON'T LOSE YOUR STICKER! On your ticket is your seat number and bus number. You'll sit accordingly. My seat number was 162 and my bus number was 6.

The lower deck of the ferry has two bathrooms for the ladies on the left side and two bathrooms for the gents on the right side. I'm not sure about the upper deck though, since we were assigned to the lower deck which I didn't really mind since I don't really like too much sun exposure and the heat that day was extreme. Oh, and  you don't have to worry about the bathroom once you're in the island either because each location has one for each gender. :)

Anyway, once you get to the island, you'll immediately see the buses. They're parked right in front and they have their respective numbers stuck on their windshields. Go to your bus and choose your seat. The bus can accommodate 45 people since there are 8 seats which can accommodate 5 people. Now remember, your chosen seat will be your permanent seat. Meaning, you'll have to sit there for the rest of the tour, you can't change seats with another person. That is to avoid any conflicts or confusion. 

The tour will start once everyone is accounted for. On the way, the tour guide will explain about the places that you'll be visiting. Our first location was the Malinta Tunnel which means "Tunnel full of Leeches". Don't worry, there aren't any leeches left. The reason why it is called that is because the 1,000 prisoners from the Bilibid Prison in Manila who were provided by the Philippine Commonwealth to do the labor found many leeches at the time.

Malinta tunnel was built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Initially, it was used as a bomb-proof storage and personnel bunker but later made into a hospital with only 1,000 beds during the war. After their defeat, this is where the Japanese are believed to have committed harakiri or seppuku, which literally translates to "cutting the belly", it is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. But according to history, they committed suicide after getting trapped in there by detonating explosives within the tunnel on  February 23, 1945. The collapsed parts of the tunnel were never excavated.

On the way to Malinta tunnel, you'll see great sceneries! Now, pictures can't really give justice to the actual thing, but I still took some, so take a look:

If you want a better view, you can go up the light house on the island. :)

After going in the Malinta Tunnel, you'll be going to lunch at the Corregidor Inn! Yum! It's a buffet so don't worry about not getting enough food to satisfy your hunger. Their food is delicious, too! Although I don't know about the Chop Suey since I generally don't like it and therefore did not eat it. The Inn is located at the top, so you get to eat while enjoying a great view of the Island!

Many statues can be found in the Island, statues of our heroes and the statue of Buddha, as well as shrines. Each of them are very well preserved. I took pics of all of them, but it got accidentally deleted. Boo. But here's some of the ones that were salvaged.

Aside from the statues and shrines, the island is also full of artillery! Real ones, too. Corregidor Island was fortified to defend the entrance to Manila Bay and the city of Manila from attacks by enemy warships during the war, hence the island being full of coastal artillery and ammunition magazines. You can take as much pictures as you want with the artillery, you can touch them, too. We even sat on them. :P Do excuse me if my photos are weird. I was trying hard not to show my fascination towards guns on my face because that face would be weirder. Hahah!

Well, if there are guns, there's bound to be ruins, right? Corregidor Island is just full of them. Actual ruins! From actual battles! They were actual buildings from the actual war and ruined by actual bombs! Even someone like me found it amazing! I also find it somehow ironic since the cement used in making these were bought from Japan.

Looking at these ruins, it makes you wonder... how did these ruins look like before? How did the people who lived there manage? What were they doing when they were bombed? How many actually survived and how many precious lives were taken away because of the war? I don't know. But being in the island made me... grateful.

I have lived and thought of my life as my own and no one else's. But being there made me realize, I owe each of the unnamed heroes, the soldiers who fought for our country, my life. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be enjoying freedom like this. Who knows? Maybe if they didn't fight for our country, we would be enslaved by other countries and ceased to be Filipinos.

So, this is to pay tribute to not only the heroes whose names were recorded in our history book but as well those whose names were not. Thank you!

I encourage all of you to go to Corregidor Island and bask in the history of our country. For those who don't have weak hearts, you can stay overnight in the island and join their Ghost Hunting activity later in the evening.

You can contact Simple Pleasures Travel and Tours like me, so you wouldn't have any problems. :)
For bookings/inquiries, you can contact them through their direct line: (02) 843-4653, their mobile land line: 785-1225, and their mobile: 09178848413. You can also visit their facebook page by just clicking: Simple Pleasures Travel and Tours Facebook Page.