A day at the Australia Zoo

I grew up watching Steve Irwin and all his Crocodile Hunter adventures on TV. I remember when he died in that tragic accident, I couldn't believe it and was so heartbroken. Anyway, it's always been a dream of mine to visit the Australia Zoo which is owned by the Irwin family. We weren't able to visit the first time we went to Brisbane, but luckily we were able to come back a year later and this time I made sure not to miss it!

Meeting the World's Largest Crocodile! (Green Island, Australia)

Do you remember Lolong? He was captured back in 2012 in Mindanao and was declared the largest crocodile in captivity. The Guinness record was previously held by Cassius, a 5.48-meter crocodile being cared for at Marineland Melanesia on Green Island, off the coast of Cairns in Queensland, Australia. Well, after Lolong died in 2013, the record reverted back to Cassius. And we were able to meet him!

Our koala & kangaroo encounters at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

I'm a big fan of Steve Irwin and it's definitely a dream of mine to go to the Australia Zoo. However, upon checking the location, Australia Zoo is quite far from Brisbane City where our hotel was. Actually, it's like the same distance that Gold Coast was, which was about an hour away.

Another alternative was to go to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary which was nearer and cheaper. Only 12km from Brisbane City, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is the world’s first and largest koala sanctuary with more than over a hundred koalas. Here you can hold a koala anytime, hand feed kangaroos, and meet a large variety of Australian wildlife in beautiful, natural settings.

An afternoon at Manila Ocean Park

After our staycation at the Manila Hotel, we decided to go to Manila Ocean Park. The first time we were here was in 2011 and we only brought Miley with us since Sabe was just a few months old. This time, I was excited to experience it with all my kids. :)

Field Trip at Sta. Elena Fun Farm

Miley went on her school field trip last week to Sta. Elena Fun Farm and unfortunately, I wasn't able to go with her since I had to stay home with the baby. But she and Daddy were able to spend some quality time together and they had so much fun!

The place looks really great from the pictures that hubby took. I checked their website and found out that although the farm is open to the public, you have to make a reservation if you plan to visit. Rate is P300.00 per head (child/adult/companion) and is inclusive of the following activities:

1. Carabao-cart riding

2. Horseback-riding

3. Animal feeding (bunnies/guinea pigs)

4. Mini Fishing

5. Mini Row-boating

6. Use of rope course & obstacle course

7. Use of mini zipline

8. Use of playground

9. Use of bike trail

8. Use of sand house

7. Use of Pavilion or picnic grounds (bring your own food and drinks)

I definitely have to schedule a visit here in the future for the whole family! Anyway, sharing some photos from super fun trip they had. :)

According to hubby, Miley had so much fun playing with and feeding the guinea pigs and rabbits. They look so cute even I'm tempted to get one as a pet haha! ;p

Here's Miley doing all the other activities around the farm.

fishing (they didn't catch any fish though hehe)

carabao-cart riding

at the playground

horseback riding with Daddy

Sand House

inside the Sand House, which was another favorite of the kids

riding the tractor

what a cute swing!

zipline area

I was so proud of Miley when hubby told me that she went on the zipline - 3 times! I can't stop watching the videos that hubby took - she was so brave and she enjoyed it so much! Go Miley!!! :)

I'm sad I missed going on Miley's first field trip. But I'm so happy she and her Dad had such a great time bonding together. When they got back, Miley kept saying her Daddy was now her best friend! Haha! Well, I can't wait to visit this place myself with all the kids. It seems like such a really great place for the whole family to enjoy. :)


STA. ELENA FUN FARM

OPERATING HOURS: 9AM - 4PM

ADDRESS: Sta. Elena Properties Inc. Barrio Malitlit, Sta. Rosa, Laguna

WEBSITE: 

http://holycarabao.com

EMAIL: holycarabao@gmail.com

TO BOOK A FARM VISIT, 

CALL or TEXT: 0920-4688785 / 0918-8886588

Taronga Zoo

I wasn't really planning on going to the zoo when we were in Australia because of the hefty entrance fees, plus I figured it would just be like the other zoos I had already visited. But Vins changed my mind since he is such an animal lover (his dream when he was a kid was to become a marine biologist). Good thing there was a 15% discount coupon in one of the Sydney Guides I picked up at the airport. So from $44, the entrance fee came down to $37.40.

We went to Taronga Zoo via ferry from Circular Quay, which took about 15 minutes. The zoo was beautiful, clean, sprawling and probably one of the best zoos I have ever been to.

First animal we saw was the koala! I read online that it was better to go to Featherdale Zoo (although farther and smaller) since you can really touch and interact with the animals, unlike in Taronga where you have to pay extra for an encounter with them. But since all I wanted to see during this trip was a koala and a kangaroo, I was already thrilled just watching them from afar. =)

Here are just some of the fascinating creatures we saw in the reptile section...

Plus other animals which you don't normally see like a komodo dragon, tasmanian devil, tapir, and a big gorilla. It was extra exciting seeing these creatures, some for the first time!

Then we saw some kangaroos! The big ones were sleeping though (check out that batugan pose on the upper left). There was a part where you can walk inside this area with the smaller kangaroos but I was afraid to go near them hehe! We also saw some red tailed kangaroos (bottom right).

It was also fun and educational watching the seal show and the bird show which showed spectacular views of Sydney in the background...

The zoo was so clean I don't even recall any animal smell. And each enclosure for every animal was huge! Check out the elephant and chimpanzee enclosures below. If you remember my post about our trip to Manila Zoo, the lone elephant there was in a space (or more appropriately cage) way, waaaaay smaller than this. And he didn't even have any water. In Taronga Zoo, they really emphasize the conservation of animals and they are given ample space to live, romp and play comfortably. I just wish our zoo here in Manila could even be half as good as the ones abroad. Then you would actually appreciate and enjoy the animals rather than feel sorry for them.

So in the end, I'm so happy we went although it was bitterweet since we were missing the kids the entire time! :( We definitely have to bring the kids back here when they are a bit older. I can't wait for them to see and enjoy these animals for themselves. =)

A trip to Manila Zoo

While browsing through my files, I found our pictures from a trip to Manila Zoo a couple of months ago that I forgot to post about! Well, better late than never right?

The last time I went to Manila Zoo was years ago. I remember being so traumatized after seeing the animals. Most of them were so thin and dirty. I've been to the zoo abroad so it was definitely a shock seeing the animals in small, filthy cages that looked and smelled horrible. The lion, who was supposed to be the king of the jungle, looked like he could barely walk. I couldn't even see the animals in the water since it was so murky. Instead of fluffy fur, some animals looked like their hair were falling off. Instead of having a good time, I was so depressed that I swore when I grew up, I would do something to save those poor animals from this harsh prison they called home...

Well, that didn't happen. I graduated, worked, and had kids of my own, those poor animals forgotten. Until the day that I decided to go back to the zoo. Both my kids love animals so I figured we could go and visit Manila Zoo to see how it is now. I've heard feedback from some people that it was definitely better so off we went! We went during a weekday at around 7:30am so that it still wasn't that hot. Entrance fee was P40 for adults and P20 for kids below 4 feet.

The first thing we saw when we entered was the elephant. He looked lonely but at least his cage looked clean. Although I think it was still too small for him! 

The place was definitely a lot cleaner (and better smelling) than I remember. At least this was an improvement from the last time I was here. The kids were still amazed with the animals they saw. =)

baa baa black sheep

black and brown zebras

at least the tiger looks healthy

this monkey was just freely roaming around (eating a lollipop!) I was scared it would jump on us!

crocodiles

owl

Side kwento - what was funny is that there was a shooting for a GMA show when we went there. Of course, my mom who was with us wanted a picture. Here she is with Miley having their photo taken with Elmo Magallona haha! ;p

The main zoo was okay but the highlight of our trip was really the Kinder Zoo. Right before you exit, you'll see the entrance to the Kinder Zoo which is basically a petting zoo. What was irritating though is that you have to pay another fee to go inside - P100 per person! I almost didn't want to go in anymore, but I figured it will be a nice experience to interact with the animals inside.

Right before you enter, you can have your picture taken with some animals like this baby croc. I was so scared to touch it (can you see how excited Miley looks as well?). Vins however loves this kind of stuff so we gamely posed for the camera.

Since we were there early, we had the whole Kinder Zoo to ourselves! I guess the entrance fee is put to good use since this part of the zoo was so clean and nice. =)

amazing lego displays scattered around

What's nice is that you can roam around freely and touch the animals. Its a good learning experience for the kids too.

Daddy getting a turtle for Miley...

but she ran away! (akala niya hahabulin siya ;p)

the BIG tortoise! the zookeepers kept telling us that we can sit on its' back while we were taking pics (kawawa naman)

There were also lots of birds just perched on the tree branches...

Then the zookeeper brings out this monkey for us to play with. Honestly, I was really scared of the monkey being close to the kids since you never know what it might do (baka parang When Animals Attack!). And actually, after we had our photo taken with the monkey, it suddenly ran away and the zookeepers had such a hard time getting him back!

Daddy with his newest baby

Now this is the highlight of my day. The annoying zoo attendant suddenly placed this parrot on top of my head without any warning! As in one moment I was admiring the bird, then the next second it was on my head! 

Then he proceeds to dump the parrot on Miley's head!!! With the dirty chain hanging from its foot! Not cool. Poor baby! Good thing she was just chill, not like mommy who was freaking out. (siyempre Daddy was there to document everything ;p)

Here we are at the entrance again getting our photos taken with the parrots. There's actually a professional photographer there who takes and prints your photos after a few minutes for P100. We decided to get the one below as a souvenir. =)

I can honestly say we had a fun day. Manila Zoo still has a long way to go in terms of providing the animals with the best possible living environment. But at least I've seen some improvements. I do hope in the future though, this zoo can be renovated into a place we can truly be proud of.

Btw, we were told that Kinder Zoo accepts bookings for parties which can be held at the Kinder Zoo Party Barn (no air-con though). You just have to pay for the entrance fee of all your guests and of course arrange for catering and decors. Just another alternative party venue for parents out there. =)