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Published: February 15th 2007
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My officemates and I were at the Zoobic Safari at Subic Olongapo last Sunday February 11. We left Manila on Saturday after our 8:00 - 1:00 P.M. office work. My travel and adventure was spent with 3 of my officemates. We meet Tessa @ SM Manila at around 2:00 PM and headed out! The drive was a little over 3.5 hours, including a stop for gas. Along the way, we saw Mt. Pinatubo at a distance and lots of fruits stands along the road. I took pictures of the acres of acres of rice paddies lining the highway on our way to San Fernando Exit in Pampanga. We arrived at Subic International Hotel @ around 5:30 PM. The hotel I must say was old and not as what we expected it to be. But nevertheless we made our reservations ahead so we did not have anymore choices but to stay there. After we had settled our baggage at our hotel room, we went @ the Royal Duty Free and bought some stuff for our next day adventure including Margarita Mix for our planned drinking spree @ night. After our dinner @ Magic Lagoon Bar and Restaurant, we decided to roam around
Olongapo and we passed by Barretto Street - the red light district of Olongapo City. We made a U-turn at Gigolo Bar on our way back to Subic Hotel. Upon our arrival @ our hotel room, Tessa and Gilda busied themselves preparing our beverages for our planned drinking party. Tessa decided to read the label of our Margarita and found out on the label that what we bought was a non-alcoholic drink. The two decided to scourge Subic Bay of any open store to buy any available tequila. We started our drinking party @ around 10:00 PM and finished off around 2:00AM of Sunday. We had fun and inebriated ourselves of the hombre tequila imitation.
We woke up around 7:00 AM Sunday February 11, we had our American Breakfast @ the hotel’s coffee shop @ around 8:00 AM. We checked out at the hotel @ around 9:30 AM and headed to the Zoo. Zoobic Safari is located deep in the old Naval Magazine tropical jungle. As you enter the lobby you will took notice of the arch above with tiger eyes on the top. Everything, including the staff, was covered in Bengal tiger orange and black stripes. Entrance fee
to the zoo costs us 395.00/person and 295 for children. As you enter the zoo you will already got to see tigers in their cages. Baby tigers with oversized, fuzzy paws were running and jumping in larger cages. Beside the cages, there’s a photo shop where visitors can have their pictures taken while feeding the tiger you just have to pay an additional 240.00 though. We had the chance to hold the cub during the photo shoot that made me really nervous. You can see it in my picture that I was really scared. After the photo shoot we sat down for the introduction video, we were provided with a staff to guide as along the two-hour five-part tour.
The tour guide first led us to the Serpentarium the only one in the country which showcases a variety of iguanas, lizards, snakes, turtles and other reptiles.
Then we went to the Tiger Safari where we boarded into a Safari jeepney which drove us to the 15-hectare Safari with 4 adult tigers roaming around, mostly in the area of a large pond. The jeepney has one inch, open wire mesh, covering window and door areas. For an additional cost,
you can also buy chicken to feed the tigers during the ride. One of the male guides, in the jeepney, then dangles a chicken tied with a rope from a window. Eventually one of the tigers meanders over to the vehicle to catch the chicken being thrown at. When the tiger finally strikes his bulk hits the jeepney, causing the men, women and children on board to scream. Unperturbed, the tiger drags his meal away.
Then we made a walk through the tropical jungle - The Petting Zoo where deer, cassowary, mini horse, apes, sheep, carabao, wild bear, monkeys and many other animals roam around their wide cages. There was also a pinkish albino cow, several rabbits and a number of goats.
We went into the Savannah and saw ostriches from Africa and Australia. There are also potbellies, wild boars and guinea fowls.
We went to our last attractions which houses the Crocodile farm. On our way to the farm we passed by the Aetas Trail where a group of Aetas performed to the delight of the tourist. They came prepared dancing the dragonfly dance, war dance accompanied by an Aeta guitarist.
After the tour, we
decided to left and look for a place to eat. We decided to drop by at the Razon’s Halo Halo Restaurant on our way home at San Fernando Pampanga.
I would suggest that you bring your own food. You can have your lunch inside Zoobic Safari's lobby.
We had so much fun on our two days stay in Subic. So come and experience your once in a lifetime fun at Zoobic Zafari Forest Adventure.
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bert
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Interesting! I'll make it a point to to check out the place when I get a chance to revisit the Philippines. I was there in 1985 visiting relatives and friends. I imagined there's been tremendous changes since.