Savor Hong Kong: Ocean Park

Experience mind-blowing rides, find nemo, and take a souvenir shot with the adorable giant pandas in HK’s favorite theme park.

Since our Singapore trip , we’re planning to take a vacation again, but this time, with the whole family.

I might as well say that our dearest bunso, Joy, is turning 18 so she has decided that she wanted to celebrate it in a different way rather than throwing a traditional party for debutantes. But, due to a lot of unforeseen circumstances, my dad, Ish and her family wasn’t able to join us.

Bottom line, an all-girls trip was set. With my mom and two sisters, we weaved the busiest city in the world, Hongkong!

Ni Hao!

We attended mass in St. Rosary’s Church in Kowloon before hopping off on a bus bound to Ocean Park for a starter. Thanks to the MTR and buses here, jumping from one place to another is a breeze.

We are blessed with a good weather. Sunshine and clear blue skies everywhere though a little bit cold because it’s still February. Perfect time to roam around.

I mentioned before that I’m a marine life fan, so of course, we went  to check out the Grand Aquarium. It is almost similar to Singapore’s Underwater World, though this one is a lot bigger.

Array of fishes, manta rays, sharks and other marine animals welcomed us. Yes, we found Nemo and there’s this giant tunnel containing hundreds of milk fish, swimming in different direction.  The entire area was dark, the only light visible were the ones coming from the aquarium. It is designed that way so you can really experience what it feels like to be in the deep depths of the ocean. We can only stare in admiration, everything was fascinating.

Upon reaching the end, we are led to a souvenir shop wherein you can purchase anything from key chain to stuff toys to T-shirts. Grand Aquarium mementos are everywhere.

Ocean Park is so vast that you need to ride a cable car to see what’s in store on the other side. The view was captivating, abundant of green trees nested on the calm blue sea. From afar, they looked like colorful marbles swinging from left to right and vice versa.

Abs and Joy are now aching to try those mind-boggling rides. Since my mom can’t ride those Hair Raiser thing, I decided not to join my sisters and instead spend some time with her eating ice cream and fries. I don’t mind anyway. 🙂

We tried the Ferris Wheel and Ocean Park Tower instead for a more acceptable ride for adults. A spectacular panoramic view can be seen from the top of these two carnival favorites. We also made a quick tour to the Rainforest, where you can see up close some rainforest animals, like snakes, birds and other reptiles.

There’s a railway system inside the park called Ocean Express, it’s like a submarine and train rolled into one. This mode of transportation can take you to the Summit and watch a breathtaking scenery beyond. When we reached the top, the air is chilly and the wind keeps on blowing on our faces, so as fast as our feet can carry us, we moved to our next stop.

One of the park’s notable attraction, The Giant Panda Adventure, will bring you closer to these adorable species from China. A lot of tourists are excited to take a snapshot, and just like them, I was able to capture a close-up photo with this cuddly creature. They ate bamboo, played around and then went back to sleep.

Another resident of the Giant Panda Adventure, are the Red Pandas. At first, I thought it was a raccoon, but reading the signboard, it is indeed a Red Panda. It was a good thing we were able to get a good sight of this mammal since it moves so swiftly and keeps on hiding on a bed of bamboo grass.

Panda stuff toys are available in every corner of the souvenir shop. There are also mugs, caps and other cute keepsakes for you to take back home. A bear hug with this life-sized stuff toy will do, too.

We also found out that Ocean Park is celebrating a milestone, their 35th anniversary! According to administration, it will be a year-long celebration and different activities will soon be held.

Another attraction of this theme park is the Goldfish Treasures. It is a pavilion that houses the latest and rarest varieties of goldfish. These bright-colored species are very important to the Chinese culture because they have this belief that these will bring peace and prosperity to every home or business.

To capture a happy memory, we wouldn’t pass the chance for a photo opportunity with one of  the theme park’s mascot.

Say cheese and peace! 🙂

We ended the day by watching a dragon Show entitled Symbio, a 360 degree water screen show where dragon images flashes and casts fire across the water. It  is a fountain show with incredible lighting and sound effects. Perfect for kids and adults alike.

It has been a long and tiring day for us, but we can’t contain our excitement seeing that tomorrow, we’ll be setting our feet on the happiest place on earth. ❤

Note: This trip was held last February 2012.