By the time we got there, Amy started getting a weird rash that looked like an allergic reaction to something. Now I'm thinking this trip is jinxed with two bad things happening in the first 2 days of our trip... NICE.
Since she wasn't too bothered to get something for it just yet, we just followed the guide. First off, we were brought to the bus depot where we got our I/D stickers and a short briefing from our animated, street-smart guide. Soon we were chucked onto a bigger bus that started the safari tour.
Once we were in, we were greeted by giraffes who didn't seem the least bit bothered about the buses and if the windows could be opened, we sure could have gotten a lick or two from those curious buggers. Along the way, I caught sight of 2 ostriches showing each other who's boss, as well as camels about to engage in something natural. There were also a lot of storks, seagulls, herons, and goodness-knows what other birds, just chillin' in the algae-ridden water or on wooden stumps. Rhinos were keeping their distance under the shade while some enjoyed breakfast with company. Soon there were many little clusters of reindeers, gazelles, goats and other deer species eating without a care in the world. There was also a strange zebra that popped out in the most unexpected places.
Peek-a-Boo!
Hmmm... Foooood?
Zzzzzzzz...
The final part of the safari had the bears and peacocks. While some bears were also keeping activity to a minimum, others decided to cool off by taking a dip in the water. Once we passed them, we were greeted by the peacocks, some of which were shy, while others were definately not.
After the safari part of the tour, we were brought to our 1st of 5 shows for the day - the Sealion Show. The show was really good, the sealions really funny but the heat in that place was a killer! I was perspiring as if I was sitting in a sauna and even Amy was hot and bothered. It was obviously good opportunity for the drink and fan vendors walking about, and there were loads of them. If you didn't get one vendor's attention, sure enough there'll be another coming to fulfill your order. Anyway, on with the entertainment.... The show was really entertaining but since the place was made for the locals, all the commentary was in Thai and we didn't have a clue as to what abilities they were going to showcase. Thankfully most of the actions speak louder than words and hopefully so do the pictures.
Otis The Bartender
Right after the show, we took a walk with half of the country for the 2nd show which was a Western Cowboy Stunt Show. It started out with a big bang (literally), had cowboys on horses running around, and even 2 big pigs, one of which decided to stop for a snack in the middle of its act. The whole plot for this show was about a bank heist and how the horse-riding hero, along with the Red Indian, a klutz and a karate-queen-disguised-as-a-damsel-in-distress help save the whole town. As if the klutz and damsel weren't funny enough, they included a town drunk that took a lot of punches when he tried to put shaving cream on the audience. They pulled off rather good stunts and special effects for the amount of space they had, and a good amount of fake blood was used too! Nice touch there....Although the bad guys were defeated and every good guy lived, the klutz did a good job of blowing up one of the buildings.
After that it was time for lunch and once again it was a buffet. This one, however, was much more organized and had a better selection of food. Good thing there weren't any irritating, farty people with us today as we were assigned tables. I even ended up having a chat with one of the guys from Oman, who seem to like Thailand so much that they've been to the floating markets more than once. Well our turn was tomorrow and we'll get to see what is the big deal about it. We had about half an hour to spare before the next show was up and what else could you do than take pictures? Since amy was scared of anything listed under "ANIMALS" she wouldn't go near the tiger cubs, but decided to try take a pic with some of them that were in the cage. I wanted to take pics with all the animals they offered but only managed to get one taken with my new pet (how I wish!), little Tigger!
Glimpse Of Tomorrow's Trip?
3rd Show for the day was the Dolphin and Beluga Whale Show, the only one in South East Asia... but I bet that title won't last long... Anyhoo, when we got there we felt like we were in India as they started playing Bhangra music and there was a bunch of Indian tourist dancing infront of everyone. Must have been someone's birthday or something. Back to the animals, they were talented, cute and cheeky but there was one dolphin that decided that it wasn't a work-day. Just like the sealion show, commentary was in Thai but it didn't really matter.... just watch.
Time to make our way to the 2nd stunt show of the day. This time its theme was circled around Agent 007, James Bond, but this was more James Prataporn. Along the way there, we got to the Polar Bear enclosure a little too late for their feeding and only got to see one of them finishing up the last bit of its meal. The bears looked a bit odd since they were shedding their fur, they looked rather diseased. One of them was quite friendly with the children... or maybe it wanted to make a snack out of them? By the time we made our way to the stunt show, the video had started playing and we managed to figure out that the whole plot was to save the world from total domination (as in every 007 story) by some evil war lord in a really fancy-schmancy suit. This show started off really tacky but ended with a lot of action and the must have... the big bang(s).
Dead Before He Could Rappel Down...
It started to drizzle and the winds picked up, which was a big relief too all. We had one last show left to watch and using the signs, made our way to where it was supposedly held. Everyone seems to do the same and all of use got lost. The heat didn't help Amy with that rash of hers and when we found the Bird Show we agreed to skip that. One reason was I couldn't take another climb up a flight of stairs. Both of us also wanted to cool down in the air-conditioned shops and get some souvenirs. I also wanted to get her to the first-aid station instead of rushing & competing with half the world as we would have to if we watched the show. There were a lot of souvenirs but none were as nice as the one we got yesterday. Once we cooled down enough we headed for the first-aid station and got a bottle of lotion, probably calamine. Soon everyone started to make their way out of the park and it was time to get back to the hotel.... or so we thought.
Next stop on our journey was a jewellery-making factory that also sold locally made products like silk, bags and wood carvings. We took a walk around, basically for the cool air and looked around for the elusive Blue Elephant I wanted. Sadly it seems to be hiding from me still. Once everyone got bored of the place, we were split up into groups and brought to our respective hotels.
If you think that was the end of the day then you are totally mistaken, with about an hours rest, we were headed out again. This time it was to Siam Paragon (SP) as I wanted to have a look at Siam Ocean World which was built into the basement of the shopping centre. Amy and I decided to split up since I didn't want to do shopping while she wasn't interested with animals. So I ended up going alone, which was nice in a simple, fuss-free sorta way... I'm sure she felt the same. Walking in the darkened room, I felt as though I was back in AQWA though the Thai signs obviously told you the difference.
Weird Tubes:
Shy Hermit Crabs:
Amy is that you?
Camo Expert:
Strange Crabs:
Won't Eat
Will Eat
Bobbing Jellyfish:
Starfish & Friends:
Stingray & Friends:
One thing about this place is the amount of height they have and they've made good use of it.Shy Hermit Crabs:
Amy is that you?
Camo Expert:
Strange Crabs:
Won't Eat
Will Eat
Bobbing Jellyfish:
Starfish & Friends:
Stingray & Friends:
Diver Chit-Chat
Heading down to the floor below, you have to walk across a bridge that leads to the downward spiral ramp that's flanked by huge tanks of fish. There were also other exhibits, one of which had the fat rodents they called water-rats, and the other had some rather boring penguins.
Fat Water-Rats:
Fat Lump In The Center
Rigid Penguins:
Big Eels:
Car-shaped Aquarium:
Mr Big Fish:
Sharks & Friends:
Big Tanks:
By the time I was done, I got a call from Amy saying she was on her way to Ma Boon Krong (MBK) Shopping Centre to check out the shops we didn't get to see the night before. Well I decided to stay to check out this shopping centre and I'm glad I did. With the amount of photos and videos we've been taking, I ran out of memory space and needed another SD card. Since she was at MBK, we compared prices and we got a card from MBK at half the price of the cheapest one in SP, in fact, even the one I got in Singapore. Have to see how it works tomorrow I guess.
Along the way I popped in to get a few treats from Starbucks which I got to try the night before. It's called a Cream Cheese Cookie and it's 2 pieces of chocolatey, brownie-like cookies held together by a nice layer of sweetened cream cheese. Since I wanted to use my card I had to get a few more items and it was a blueberry cheesecake with a cute little chocolate decoration and an apple tart, just for some fruit.
Choco-Topping
Later on, I got my dinner and by the time I left for my hotel, the cabbies seem to be on their shift-change or something. So while everyone decided that it was a free-for-all in the taxi queue, I walked off and bargained for a tuk-tuk ride home. Quick and fun!
I'm Tired!
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