My Manila: Kinder Zoo at the Manila Zoo

The Kinder Zoo is the one thing that you shouldn't miss when visiting Manila Zoo. I missed it last week and went back to see it. The return trip was so worth it.

Kinder Zoo only occupies a small area but every meter gives a dose of animal fun. As soon as you pass through their  arc, you will be welcomed by a snake and a crocodile on a table, colorful birds perched on a tree and a couple of pot-bellied pigs lazily walking around. Following the cemented path, you will find small turtles in a pond, more birds perched on branches, a tamed ostrich and an enclosure for giant turtles.

There weren't that many animals and the Lego figures for picture-taking purposes were faded but I still enjoyed the mini-zoo. What I loved about Kinder Zoo was that it was highly interactive. Birds gamely pose on visitors' shoulders, kids can ride the giant turtles and the ostrich and you can have a picture taken with a snake draped on your shoulders or a crocodile on your lap. A lot of the animals are not in their cages and their handlers encourage visitors to touch them. The friendly handlers seem genuinely fond of the animals and show them off as if they are children. I had so much fun watching a bird fake its death when the handler says, "Bang!" Even the pot-bellied pigs know how to turn around and bow. I even found it funny when the smaller pig, Benjie, started crying when the bigger Jackpot stole its food.

I was planning on being there for just an hour since I was planning to take shots of the Manila Bay sunset. I stayed there for 2 hours as I really enjoyed watching the animals. I can always watch the sunset another time.

*** Kinder Zoo charges an entrance fee of P75.00 on top of the P40.00 entrance fee for Manila Zoo.
*** While the Kinder Zoo try to keep their animals clean, people should wash their hands every time they touch the animals.

More pictures are here.

My Manila: White Moon Bar at Manila Ocean Park

After our Manila Zoo adventure, we just wanted to sit and relax. When we're in Manila, we usually have ensaimada at the New Diamond Hotel. But since we were on adventure mode, we decided to try something new.

I remembered seeing a feature on White Moon bar so we headed to Manila Ocean Park. White Moon Bar is an open-air bar with a gorgeous view of Manila's famous sunset. It has huge, comfortable white sofas, low tables and capiz-decorated speakers. Last Sunday, they were playing 80s music, which was probably perfect for most of the customers. It served really cold beer (a bit pricey at P80/bottle) and other cocktails. Our waiter nicely suggested that we also order food and swore by their beef nachos, but we had to decline as we already had dinner plans. Most of the other customers also just ordered drinks, which the waiters efficiently served.

The atmosphere was very relaxed. Some of the customers were a couple, 2 small groups of tourists (4 or 5 persons in each group), and a group of men. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves with drinks but the place was never noisy. I couldn't even hear the laughter from the group of men who were 3 sofas away from us. The gentle winds probably carried out the sound.

With the comfy chairs, the magnificent sunset, the 80s music and the perfectly cold beer, we forgot all our cares and snuggled deeper into the sofa. For that moment, there were no bills to pay, no global warming to worry about, and the world was in peace.

Tips:

• If you're bringing a car, park inside the gate of Manila Ocean Park. There are plenty of parking spaces inside even on a Sunday.
• Go early. The sofas get filled at around 5:30 PM.
• If you get there before 5PM and you can't stand the heat, you can explore the complex first.
• You can catch the Musical Fountain Show after sunset. If you pay online or get an SMS coupon, the ticket is only P99. Check out http://www.manilaoceanpark.com/promos.php?id=96&l=indexnews for details. Promo is valid until 31 March 2011.

*White Moon Bar is at the second floor of the Manila Ocean Park complex. You can take the main entrance, take the escalator near the food stalls at the left side of the mall, then walk right, heading towards Hotel H20. You can always ask the guard for instructions, they're very helpful.

My Manila: Manila Zoo

7 Feb 2011 - B and I have decided to see Manila as if we were tourists. First stop: Manila Zoo, the field-trip destination when we were in elementary school.

Manila zoo has improved over the years. Only the chimps' cages retained the broken tile and cement flooring. There are now huge cages for our eagles and other fowls. There are lots of picture-taking opportunities - you get to carry a snake or a bird on our shoulders, you can ride a horse or ride a boat. There are also several play areas for kids. It's still not as nice as the public zoos I've visited in other countries, neither does it match Avilon Zoo on the other side of Metro Manila. But it's not a bad place to spend your P40.

Travel tips:

• We went on a Sunday afternoon and while there were a lot of people, the place wasn't too crowded. 
• Bring lots of coins or small bills for the toilets and the other stuff that you may want to purchase (ice cream, bottled water, soft drinks, etc.)
• Be patient - a lot of kids are running around.
• Read the signs.
• Wear closed shoes. With kids running around and parents running after them, someone is bound to trample on your toes.
• Look of the Kinder Zoo - I didn't so I now have to go back to Manila Zoo!