Manila Zoo

Sadly, the zoo has been criticized due to its inadequate animal care and dirty surrounding. However, the city government of Manila is responding with efforts to make the animal habitats as comfortable and natural as possible.

With so much criticisms heralded against the zoo, I would like to focus my blog on what the zoo has to offer rather than its flaws. Initially, I wanted to visit the Avalon Zoo in Tanay, Rizal but ended up going to Manila Zoo. I am worried that my son might not endure the long distance travel and the enormous size of the zoo (Avalon) for it would require a lot of walking to see the vast collection of animal on display.

The Mammal Collection

The top 3 must-see animal on display are the Asian Elephant, Hippopotamus and the Bengal Tiger. You need a lot of patience to see these animals move around their enclosures just to have that special moment when you can take your souvenir shots. Take Mali the elephant in particular, she likes going in and out of her den. So it is difficult to have your photos taken with her as the background.

The Aviary Collection

The zoo has an extensive collection of birds. What I like best is the Cassowary. It is a strange-looking bird that can grow as high as 6 feet tall. With its enormous size (second only to ostrich), it can inflict serious harm if you were attacked by one. So if your travels ever take you to Australia (endemic to this place) and you happen to cross paths with the bird, you would be advice to be wary of the wild cassowary!

The Reptile Collection

The covered structure housing this collection is somewhat tucked in a corner just beside the elephant pen. Look out for it so as not to miss the chance to see the different lizards and snakes they have on display. This perhaps is the highlight of our visit, not because of the animals but because I had a good laugh when my son got scared from the monitor lizard (bayawak).

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To see photos of some of the animals [CLICK HERE]

What To Do

The choice of activities in which to spend your time whilst in Manila Zoo is not only limited to viewing the different animal collection. A must-see for all visitors is the lagoon where you can take a boat ride and paddle around the center island. There's also a section for horse back riding, wall climbing, a zip-line, a children playground and pictorial booths with tropical birds and exotic snakes.

The Oldest Zoo in Asia

It may have lost its luster that it used to have in its grand old days, still respect must it obtain. The institution is in dire need of help, first and foremost from the city government of Manila and from the general public. Collective efforts shall be put in order now. There is still hope. This is a place worth saving for. For it is a place where countless memories are made and cherished by many. This is the legacy [CLICK HERE] that I wanted to impart to my son...the day when we had our walk to remember at the zoo.

Avaha and Shalom

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featured song from the '80s: ANIMAL SONG by the Europeans (1982)

Al Dar Islands

Summer is slowly creeping its way in this part of the globe. Succession of thunderstorm and sand storm heralds its coming in the Arabian Peninsula. While its allies – high humidity and high temperature , bring havoc at its peak, everybody frantically stays indoor and seek comfort in the arms of our dear friend – the Air Conditioning Units a.k.a. ACU’s.

But before Summer reigns over us, we sneaked our way to Al Dar Islands for a fun and leisure getaway experience. The overcast sky the day of our trip makes it more perfect as the remnants of overnight sandstorm filters the strong sunrays and made our trip just fine and bearable.

Early that day, we headed off to Al Dar Islands Beach Resort office located at Sitra Fishing Port. You can buy your tickets there or in our case we bought it ahead of time for reservation purposes. It is always better to call and make sure if they are open for business due to weather conditions or if they have private functions.

Once you have your ticket, wait for the van that conveys passengers to the Coast Guard's office. You need to register yourself on the day of your visit. Don't forget to bring your valid IDs (CPR, Passport copy or Driver's license).

On boarding the sea taxi, present your tickets to the boat captain. You will be provided with a lifejacket and will be required to wear it. Children from the age of 2 are also required to follow this safety rule. Enjoy the boat ride!

When you arrived at Al Dar Islands, present your tickets to the security staff at the entrance gate. Expect for some minor inspection of your belongings. No food and drinks are allowed so if you have any they will be removed from your bags. For more photos of my Al Dar Islands summer getaway, just CLICK HERE.

Avaha and Shalom

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featured song from the '80s: CRUEL SUMMER by Bananarama (1983)

An American Reflection on the Philippines-pt 1

I haven't tried cooking misua (rice vermecilli) eversince I got my hands dipped in a cooking pot. One day I craved for it. So I logged in to Youtube and searched on line for its recipe. As my desktop monitor reveals the playlist results for this Filipino recipe, I scrolled down and continuously searched until one video thumbnail caught my attention.

Hey, what's this white man doing in a carinderia ni Aling Holy Vanessa?

The video made me anticipate to see some foreigner commenting various funny remarks about some of our exotic food. True enough, the guy on the video ate balut,dinuguan and pig intestines in a side street carinderia. The way his Filipino companion describe balut is hilarious when he (the Filipino guy) said:

“This one is a monster called balut. There’s a monster inside.”

Pati s’ya natawa sa joke n’ya (Even him laughed at his own joke.) LOLZ. But when the American guy mentioned in his video that the man he was with was a pastor, I thought to myself,

"Hey, wait a minute, what are they doing together in a carinderia?"

Later I found out from his profile that he is a Christian and had been in the Philippines for six weeks. I think he went to the Philippines for some missionary works, though I am not sure because it was not mentioned in his profile. Maybe this trip at the carinderia, was the pastor's way of showing him around the city and to make him feel or literally taste for himself what Filipino hospitality is all about.

See part 2 of this blog as I made some comments in one of his videos where he made certain funny remarks about his experiences while he's in the Philippines.

Read part 2 HERE.

the Saliendras in Manila Ocean Park

I wanted to be a tourist in Singapore someday. Not because I wanted to experience its urban chic (notorious for being one of the cleanest country in the whole world), but just to see the Sentosa Underwater World which have been a certified tourist attraction in that country. Having a Sentosa fridge magnet is perhaps the nearest the I could be in achieving that dream.

Entrance to the Sentosa Underwater World

"I got to be there."

That's what I exclaimed to myself after I saw a tv documentary about it several years ago when I was still in the Philippines. It made me yearn to be in that place and feel the sublime experience of walking on the ocean floor surrounded by the creatures of the deep without actually getting wet!

Thanks to the Manila Ocean Park. My dream became a reality without the hassle of going to Singapore anymore. Located behind the historic Quirino Grandstand in Manila, the Manila Ocean Park is the city's newest tourist spot to attract both the local and foreign visitors.

Surely, the Saliendras never mind queuing for a couple of hours just to be there. We enjoyed it so much and Marcus was so ecstatic to be surrounded by the creatures of the deep. Being an aquarist myself, I made sure to include it in my to-do-list during my vacation in the Philippines last June.

With its size, the 8,000 square meter Oceanarium is now recognized to be the largest in Asia, beating Sentosa's 6,000 square meter! The whole structure is spacious enough to accomodate an estimated population of 10,000 visitors daily.

The park is divided into seven exhibit halls and an activity center. The display section showcases more than 20,000 exotic fishes and aquatic creatures of about 300 species caught from the surrounding Philippine waters, mostly acquired from the local fishermen in Palawan, Cebu and nearby provinces like Cavite and Batangas.

Come and join us and together we'll journey through the exhibit.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MANILA OCEAN PARK SEVEN EXHIBIT HALLS

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AGOS (Flow)

1

Features 8 freshwater fishtanks with fishes
mostly imported from the South America.
The exhibit is in a rainforest set-up.

BAHURA (Reef)

2
With 48 tanks on display, it showcases
different artificial coral setup. Here, you kind find Nemo frolickingaround sea anemone.

LAOT (Fishing Ground)

3
It's a very dark hall.

Main feature on display is the eagle-spotted ray in a very long tank.

BUHAY NA KARAGATAN
(Living Ocean)

4

This is the main feature of the exhibit with its transparent 220-degree curved, 25 meter-long, transparent acrylic tunnel. It is unique, as compared to the 180 degree-curved tunnels from other oceanariums in other Asian countries.

KALALIMAN (The Deep)

5

Showcases marine animals found in the deepest part of Philippine waters.

PAGI (Stingray)

6

Display different variaties of stingrays as they "fly" over you while you're under this unique Overhanging Tanks.

PATING

7

Features several species of sharks.

CHILDREN ACTIVITY CENTER

Located at the second floor of the building that caters to children.



GLASS-BOTTOM BOAT RIDE

For a fee, you can ride on this boat and view the fishes below the BUHAY NA KARAGATAN exhibit tank.

FISH SPA

Nature's best pal for those tired sore feet. The swimming creatures eat all those dead skin cells on your feet to their own delight.

God has given us these creatures from the sea and the Manila Ocean Park provided the facilities for us to appreciate them in full view. But seeing them in their full glory doesn't end there, for the Manila Ocean Park's mission is to raise awareness among the general public about the present status of the different ecosytem that these animals come from. We may consider them to be the ambassador of their own species to assure the continuous existence of their own kind in this place we called EARTH - our home and their homes too.

Let us conserve and protect our environment.

BONUS FEATURE:

Play the video below and see my own underwater world here in Bahrain.

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Photos courtesy of: i heart manila, bayang magiliw magazine, googles image

Bab Al Bahrain

I like this photo that I took myself. It captures the busy ambiance of the area.

The name Bab Al Bahrain means Gate of Bahrain. It is located in Manama's central business district (CBD) and marks the main entrance to the Manama souq. Built by the British in the 1940s, Bab Al Bahrain once stood at the water's edge. Due to extensive land reclamation in the later years, one needs to walk more than 10 minutes to get to the sea.

When it was originally designed by Sir Charles Belgrave in 1945, it housed the government offices of the time and overlooked the sea. The sea has long been reclaimed. Government Avenue, which runs alongside Bab Al Bahrain, and the new highway that leads to Saudi Arabia were built on reclaimed land. Currently, the Bahrain Financial Harbor is being constructed on further reclaimed land.

The monument itself was refurbished in 1986 to incorporate Islamic architectural features. Today, the ground floor now houses the tourist information office and a handicrafts shop. The monument essentially consists of a huge arch, below which runs a road, which is often referred to as the entrance to the Manama souq (marketplace).

The Government Avenue, which runs in front of Bab Al Bahrain, contains many major banks and business establishments. The Government Avenue is perhaps so-called because the offices of the Manama municipality are located on it. The Gold City (different from Gold Souq) is a shopping complex for gold ornaments and is also located on Government Avenue. The Indian jewellery giant Alukkas has a branch in Gold City. (Source:Wikipedia)

the Saliendras in Tagaytay City

Enjoying the sight and smell of Tagaytay City.

With its cool climate and clean air, Tagaytay City, is the perfect place for leisure activities like picnics, horseback riding, camping and sight seeing. It makes for an affordable weekend getaway for most Filipino families, like us, the Saliendras, hehehe...

So off we went to Tagaytay City one sunny Saturday morning and we decided to explore People's Park, a popular week end destination among low land city dwellers and that of course include the three of us.

the Saliendras of Las Pinas City

The park boasts an array of outdoor facilities that caters to the different interests among family members. Other than the leisure activities mentioned above, the park also has the following attractions:

The park's cool breeze is ideal for kite flying. You can rent one from here.

The zip line traverse above a deep valley.

Only the brave and and audacious dare to zip the line.

Or simply enjoy the picturesque view along the footwalk around the park.

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Marcus had so much fun that day. The trip indeed was a refreshing threat for the three of us. Come and explore Tagaytay City, and enjoy what it has to offer.

Metro Manila-Metro Guapo

I would like to commend Sec. Bayani BF Fernando of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for the traffic engineering projects he had accomplished along the Metro Manila major thoroughfare of EDSA (Efifanio delos Santos Avenue).

In the late '90s, I passed through this road almost everyday as I commuted to work from Las Pinas City to SM Megamall and what was once a chaotic and exhausting travel experience during that period, Sec. Fernando has put back order and discipline among the daily commuters of this road.

In the span of my entire 30 day vacation in the Philippines last June, it is inevitable to travel along this highway as I went to several government agencies in acquiring my son's authenticated birth certificate. It is so apparent to notice the foot bridges and waiting sheds at every bus stops alongside the road.

MMDA's footbridge at the Quezon Ave.-EDSA intersection

Walking over at MMDA's footbridge

You have to fall in line according to your destination at the MMDA's bus stop waiting shed. It has its loading and unloading slots and commuters are contained within the fence. No more pedestrian beyond the street gutter.

I've been to Hong Kong several years ago, and I am amazed of their road networks and transportation system. Buses come and go on schedule. Pedestrians are well disciplined and orderly as they walked along the busy streets of downtown Hong Kong.

With Sec. Fernando's dedication and vision, it is a pleasure to have him leading MMDA in making Metro Manila a global oriented metropolis for I do believe that we Filipinos deserve to have a world class city that we can be proud of and can be compared to other major Asian cities. Don't you think so?

His projects may have heap negative reactions among city dwellers but I believe that such undertakings from any public servants, for that matter, should have an impact to the majority, if not to all, in the improvement of the quality of life of the Filipino people.

Yet much work still needs to be done. Let's take it one step at a time.

Old Palace Road

One of the busy streets of Gudaibiya and a favorite hub-spot for many Filipinos working here.

The road has many connecting side streets where most of the Filipinos prefered to reside in because of its proximity to many commercial establishments.

Every morning, many bus stops along this street are filled with Filipinos awaiting for their respective transport services.

Thank You LORD

As Christians we should be the most positive and grateful people in the world. For it is an integral part of our faith and teaching. But sometimes many of us forget to do as such due to several reasons like pride, being busy and overwhelmed with too much problems.

When we fail to give thanks, God is greatly offended and our hearts are alienated from our Heavenly Father. For this reason we need to constantly work on this aspect of our lives so that we do not fall short.

At the TORCH Bearer camp everyone are reminded to be thankful in everything after they unravel the mystery word in a game. Afterwards, we read the story of Jesus and the Ten Lepers in Luke 17:11-18. In the story, we marvel along with Jesus when only one of the ten lepers returns to express his gratitude. We found ourselves that often times we are like the nine lepers who were so caught up in the joy of their fortune that they simply forgot to say "thank you."

At the end of game, everyone were asked to say the things that they are thankful for. See the video below, and see how each and everyone had glorified God that day by simply expressing our gratitude to God.

CREDITS:

Location : Andalus Park

Organizer : TORCH Officers

Opening Prayer : I am sorry I can't remember.

Game Master : Bro. Edwin

Videographer : Sis. Grace (sony ericsson K800i)

Song : Thank You Lord

Closing Prayer : Bro. Leo

Food : Pot Luck by group (mixed adobo, ginataang isda, nilagang baka)

Mobilization : White Van Driver: Bro Larry /

Blue Van Driver: Bro Gomer

TSF's Tour of Bahrain 2008

We started the day early, meeting up at the Um Al Hassam Prayer House. First stop, we headed off to Amwaj Island, an exclusive sub-urban floating city of residential complex built on a reclaimed island. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed inside the compound by the security officers. Hence, we proceed to the Bahrain National Museum.

1. BAHRAIN NATIONAL MUSEUM

The museum is part of a proposed civic complex, which will include the national library, exhibition halls and an aquarium. At present only the museum and the arcade, which will form the center of the complex, have been built. In the museum itself, a central spine turned at a 45 degree angle gives access to four cubic gallery blocks. These massive, square, stone boxes formed the exhibition spaces.

After everyone has toured the entirety of the museum and have some pictures taken around the museum compound, we proceeded to the Bahrain Fort and while on our way we wonder with much anticipation if what awaits us behind those massive walls.

2. THE BAHRAIN FORT

Once the capital of the Dilmun civilization, and served more recently as a Portugese Fort. For these reasons, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. It is Bahrain's equivalent to the Philippine's Walled City of Intramuros, though to a lesser extent in terms of land area.

Photo: With the Bahrain skyline in the background, TSF family enters the fort's main gate.

About 25% of the site has been excavated revealing structures of different types: residential, public, commercial, religious and military. They testify to the importance of the site as a trading port over the centuries. On the top of the 12 meter high mound, there is the impressive Qal`at al-Burtughal (Portuguese fort), which gave the whole site its name, qal`a, meaning fort.

3. THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX SAKHIR RACE TRACK

This was built for the Bahrain International Circuit which has its debut on 4 April 2004. The completion of this world class race track outshadowed the Kuwait Circuit and became the center of motor sport in the Gulf Region.

It made history when it hosted the 1st Formula One Grand Prix in the entire Middle Eastern Region, with German driver Michael Schumacher winning the historic first race of 2004.

Photo: Getting ready for the big race, Schumacher watch out and eat my dust!

On the lighter side, did you know that the winning drivers do not spray the traditional champagne on the podium, although alcoholic beverages are legal in Bahrain, in contrast to neighbouring Qatar and Saudi Arabia?. Instead, they spray a non-alcoholic rosewater drink known as Waard.(wikipedia)

4. THE TREE OF LIFE

It is indeed Bahrain's nature wonder and one of it's famous tourist destination among expat. It is a 400 year-old mesquite tree that has grown marvelously big with several low branches extending out in every directions, just crying out to be climbed upon.

This unique tree stands alone in the middle of the dessert about 2 kilometers from Jebel Dukhan, the highest point in Bahrain. The source of water for this tree remains a mystery because it stands in a place completely free of water though I would like to assume that it gets its water nourishment from the humidity in the air at night time.

Photo: TSF family at the Tree of Life in the middle of the dessert.

The tree itself is located at the southern part of the island, far away from the main city. Making it a good excuse to travel far in the middle of the dessert. This was the last place we visited and we had a blast. Everyone had a wonderful time that day. It was a great time for all of us to enjoy what Bahrain has to offer to all of us working here. It was also a great oppurtunity to build-up camaraderie among brethrens at the TSF family.

The island of Bahrain is about the size of Negros Island. It may be small but this is home for most us. We came here to seek peace and prosperity. And by the grace of God may it be so all through the year.