Manila Ocean Park: A Destination for Kids

For the past 3 times I've been to Manila Ocean Park, it was always because of a field trip for my students. Hence, it was such a relief to visit the place this December as a mere visitor- without the numerous kids I have to take care of.

My family and I availed the Holiday Delights promo of Manila Ocean Park. For P600, we can take a glimpse of the various fishes at the Oceanarium and take the Trails to Antarctica. Personally, I had enough of the Oceanarium but since we have a baby with us, it seemed like a good idea to have her see the colorful fishes.

the gang visiting the Oceanarium

 The Ocenarium starts with fresh water fishes including an unmoving crocodile. 

motionless croc

Moving on are salt-water fishes enclosed in different aquariums. For first timers, it would be a surprise to see unimaginable fishes like the rock-like stone fish, the grandiose lion fish among others.

my sister posing with unknown fishes

the lionfish!

The highlight of the Oceanarium is the section named "Sa Ilalim ng Karagatan," wherein an aquarium surrounds the place- left, right and overhead.

 a friend "underwater"

The last section contains the big fishes underwater. There's a tank with sharks where visitors can swim with them for a fee. (Honestly, it's not worth it. The swimmers will just be dropped in the tank caged. It's not really swimming but a close encounter.)

What I was excited about was the Trails to Antarctica which is a new attraction that just opened this year. It has three parts- the Slide O'Fun, Penguin Exhibit and Snow Village.

my mom and niece posing against a snow-covered backdrop

Upon entering, the Humboldt Penguins can be seen already. This is the Penguin Exhibit. According to the Manila Ocean Park's website, Humboldt Penguins can thrive in warmer climates. The exhibit is a glass encased corner. There are several small penguins with large statues of big penguins.

the Penguins!

 Across the Penguin Exhibit is the Slide O' Fun is similar to sledding. The good thing about it is it's a new thing in Manila Ocean Park. And the rest is that it's not worth mentioning. For first timers, just try it to get your money's worth.

after sliding...at the end of the slide

Last stop is the Snow Village. This is similar to Star City's Snow World but it's smaller yet colder. According to the staff, the temperature is about 15 degrees Centigrade. The best thing to do here is take pictures! Just a friendly reminder, wear closed shoes and pants if you're planning to go to the Snow Village. It's really cold so after a while, your hands and other exposed skin will get numb. Free jackets are offered but beware that a lot of guests have already used them.

my mom and niece chillin' at Snow Village

trying to be serious amidst the cold

"choking" Santa at Snow Village

It took us three hours to go through the Oceanarium and the Trails to Antarctica. Manila Ocean Park offers other attractions such as the Sea Lion Show, the Musical Fountain Show, Birdshow and Jellies. They also have a swimming area. So I think, an entire day is needed if you're planning to experience them all.

The best way to experience the place is when you have kids with you. They haven't loss their sense of wonder yet and everything may seem new to them. And unless the park offers a new set of attractions, a visit to this place once or twice is something to look forward to. 

After visiting Manila Ocean Park, you can go for a historic walk at Rizal Park which is just across the park. You can also dine and shop at SM Mall of Asia, a few minutes away from Manila Ocean Park.

Bataan Resort: An Intimate Hideaway at Bonito Resort

Tucked along the shores of Morong, Bataan and hidden by the Zambales mountain ranges, Bonito Resort is the perfect place for a relaxing weekend getaway. 


It's an accidental blessing that I came across the website of Bonito Resort. Initially, my family planned to stay at Coralview Resort, also in Morong Bataan. However, Coralview has an earlier peak season (Nov. 20) compared to other resorts so we decided to look for other places. (When it's peak season, prices are so way up!) Two days before our trip, I was able to personally talk with Ms. Zenaida Guico, the owner of Bonito Resort. She was very congenial and was generous enough to give us a discount and discharge us with corkage fees. Since there are more than ten of us travelling, we were able to save a few thousands!

My brother's girlfriend along the shores of Bonito Resort

We arrived at Bonito Resort at around 2 pm. We were readily welcomed by one of the staff- Ate Nelia. She doesn't smile that much but she looks approachable. She allowed us to have our lunch at their restaurant while the other staff were preparing our room. The best thing is that we have the whole place for ourselves since we were the only guests at that time!

After eating lunch hurriedly (since we're so starved cause it's way past lunch), Ate Nelia ushered us to our room- a dorm room good for 12 people. It's airconditioned, with cable TV and private bath. The room size is enough to move around. The double-decked beds are wide enough to hold two people for each bed. Aircon was cold that we had we turn it off several times. The private bath has hot and cold shower ideal for families with little kids.

My sister on the viewing deck

Bonito Resort also has a restaurant and bar but they did not open it since we were the only guests. However, Bonito Resorts offers cooking services for their guests. The staff was helpful enough to instruct us where the market is. We bought rice, fish, danggit and longganisa good for dinner and breakfast for the following day. The staff was very accommodating. They lent us utensils and glasses without charge and they prepared our food on time! Given that there were a lot of us, I think they were very patient with our demands.

The shoreline of Bonito Resort is clear and fenced. There were also several resorts next to each other so the place was quite lively until the early hours at night. The beach water is clear with moderate waves. The sand is fine and dark. Sunset is the best time with the horizon changing hues several times. Bonito Resort has a viewing deck that can give you an overview of the area.

My brother swimming on Bonito's pool

A 4 feet pool with slide is also available for kids. Open cabanas that can hold 15 people surround the pool area. I think it's not a good thing to visit this place during peak seasons since the resort is not too big.

The market and other stores are also within the area so it's convenient to buy water, food and other stuff. 

With clear shoreline, glorious view of mountain ranges plus an accommodating staff, Bonito Resort can offer you a relaxing stay.

How to Get There: 

Bonito Resort is best reached through a private car.
From NLEX, exit through at Fernando, Pampanga.
Pass through San Fernando, Guagua and Lubao until you reached Layac Junction.
As a marker, Layac Junction has a group of statues clustered togeter. When you reach Layac Junction, drive straight towards SCTEX.
Drive through SCTEX using Tipo Exit.
Continue driving until you reach Morong Gate. From Morong Gate, follow the winding roads until you reach the town proper.
From the town proper, follow the markers of Bonito Resort.

Caution: Although the roads are not rough, they are winding so beginners are not advised to tackle these roads.

Cost: From our house in QC to Bonito Resort and back, gas cost us less than P1000 using Mitsubishi Adventure. Toll fees are about P500 in all.

Other Activities: 

1. Singing with Videoke

Bonito Resort has a videoke machine. You can request the staff to turn it on.


2. Island Hopping and Snorkeling

The Pawikan Sanctuary is about 20 minutes away but to be honest, there's nothing much to see there. The boatmen also offer snorkeling services but there's nothing much to see underwater so it's not worth it.


Other Tips: 


1. The best place to swim is on the shore at the right side of the resort after Phi Phi Laya Resort. The immediate beach area of Bonito has some big rocks.

2. Make reservations through phone call so you can haggle with the owner if you're on a budget.


For more information: http://bonitobeachresort.com/













 

Review of Online Job Sites in the Philippines

I've been job hunting online for the past weeks using various job search engines. This led me to share the following reviews of online job sites. Let me share my insights about them.

1. Search jobs at Jobstreet but as much as possible don't submit your application online. 

website: www.jobstreet.com

I've been using Jobstreet since I was in college to search for job vacancies. The good thing about jobstreet is that a lot of prominent companies post job vacancies on this site. The job postings are also reliable since companies pay for each job post. However, as much as possible don't submit your applications on this site. I've applied to various jobs here and submitted applications here but I haven't got a positive response. It's always the application is in process then the application is closed.

Honestly, I don't know if the staff of jobstreet actually considers every application. Modesty aside, I have excellent credentials. This can be attested with the fact that when I submit my application through a company's email add, I am always considered and most of the time, I reach the final stage of application.

Instead of submitting your application through jobstreet, send your application directly to the company stated on the job post. Usually, there's an email mentioned on a job post. If none, look for the company online and search for the email add of the company. If there's none, that's the only time you submit through jobstreet.

In a nutshell, Jobstreet's job postings are reliable but their screening and application processes are doubtful. 

2. Use Best Jobs for best results when searching for local employment.

website: www.bestjobs.ph

Obviously with the heading, I love Best Jobs. The best thing about this site is that it indicates exactly how to apply. The site prefers job seekers to send their applications directly through the company. Most of the job postings also indicate the salary and the duration- things that job seekers need to know. Based on my experience, Best Jobs give results. I mean most job postings that I've applied through Best Jobs, contacted me. This is also true with some people I know who use Best Jobs. The only edge that Jobstreet has against Best Jobs is that some companies that post jobs on this site are small-scale companies since it is a free site.
I haven't tried using this site for employment abroad but this is absolutely reliable with local employment.

In a nutshell, Best Jobs is highly recommended with local employment esp. with small and medium-scale companies.  

3. To ensure safety and reliability, use Work Abroad for overseas employment. 

website: www.workabroad.ph

Yes, I also searched jobs overseas and workabroad.ph is the most reliable site for overseas jobs. First, the agencies who listed the jobs have licenses from the POEA. Second, you can check through the site the approved job orders by POEA and which agencies offer them. Third, agencies actively searches the jobseekers' profiles uploaded on the site. Lastly, the site offers a lot of information regarding working abroad including placement fees, visas and other requirements. Thus, it can be said that when you use this site your worries about illegal recruiters will be greatly reduced.

In a nutshell, this site is very reliable for those who are searching overseas jobs.

4. Browse Jobs Db for additional list of possible jobs but don't rely on it too much.

website: www.jobsdb.com

The only reason why I use JobsDb is that I already exhausted the other three sites. So far, I don't reget not prioritizing this site. Honestly, I don't know if this site is reliable at all. Just like with jobstreet, I sent a lot of applications through this site and I haven't got ANY response at all- not even a mail telling me that the position is closed. I also uploaded my resume on Jobs Db, but I don't think it's ever been browsed. So if you'll use this site, just look at it as a supplementary job site. Actually, you don't need this site at all!

In a nutshell, if you have extra time use Jobs Db. 



The good thing about this online sites is that job hunting has never been this convenient!