Yesterday was a busy Monday for me, busier than my usual Monday, that is. I woke up around lunch time and I didn’t have the time to eat lunch anymore. My BIL drove me to the album supplier in Tayuman but before going there we passed by the party supplier first to get the down payment for my clients’ albums. My dad and the two kiddos were with us also and after going to Tayuman, we headed off to Quiapo. After Quiapo, we went to Luneta Park to look if the kite fliers were there. Unfortunately they weren’t so we just went to get a bite at the Harbor View Restaurant so that the kids could enjoy the view of the bay.

After eating merienda, we decided to pass by the Manila Ocean Park. There was no line on the ticket booth so we decided to go in. I was hugely disappointed with it. It still isn’t finish and it looked like they’re not even halfway of the whole project. Wondered why they already opened it to the public. I don’t know about other people who had been there already but for me, the entrance fee is definitely not worth it. I’ve been to the Ocean Park in Hong Kong and ours definitely compete with it, what more with other similar and but more famous attractions across the globe? They have an aquarium full of starfish which you can’t pet. It is a great idea for kids to learn but the aquarium is a bit deep for kids and you can’t even lift the starfish, you’re only allowed to touch it and they won’t even move it close to you. Then when you go inside, I think that the hallways are too narrow to accommodate all the people. And you can’t even use the flash of your camera when taking pictures. The aircon also can’t keep up with the number of people and it’s not even summer yet. I can just imagine how hot it’ll be in there when the season officially changes to summer.

For you to be able to exit the area, you have to go up on the second and walk around to other side of the building. The second is not yet finish, nothing in there except for a couple of small pools with schools of fish where you can dip your feet in (Imagine if someone with athlete’s foot is there with you at the same time, gross! Haha!), a restaurant which isn’t functional yet, and the souvenir shop which is filled with overpriced goodies.

The flooring on the entrance is not even beautiful, I mean it looks old and dirty already and it hasn’t been open for a month. And I find the water in the aquariums a bit cloudy and the big aquariums looked dull to me. I mean, I’ve seen better than those when I’m snorkeling, cleaner and clearer water and more colorful fish. They could add more colorful fish there and they could bring out the colors by being dramatic with the lights. They could the whole place dimmer and use more spotlights, or something like that, on the aquariums, kwim? Is it just me or anyone thinks the same as I am? Anyway, if you’ve been there already too, you can share your stories and insights and maybe try to enlighten me. And I’ll definitely go back but only when the whole place is already fully functional.

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Tags: Manila Ocean Park

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