About an hour and a half after leaving the apartment, we finally see signs of Ancol. The wait to get in took another 10 minutes, while the ride to SeaWorld, our first stop, took another 5. Yes... the place is huge! So after many twists and turns, we finally reach the drop off point for SeaWorld Indonesia.
We're Finally There!!
My First SeaWorld!
Walking towards the entrance of SeaWorld, u're met by sharks and leafy seadragons 'swimming' above you, seahorses hiding in the benches, open-mouth fish dustbins, and a walking cow and egg. Waaaait a minuite... a cow and an egg? Yep... a cow and an egg promoting some milky custard treat which I didn't try, for the fear I might be sitting in the toilet for the next 3 nights.
Turning to the ticketing area, I was a little turned off by the crowd that had gathered there and almost wanted to turn back but realised that the queue for tickets was actually quite short, just somehow every person in each family had to queue as there were discounts for children and the elderly. Ooooh... mom and dad get discounts!!! Got our tickets in record time and we're off to explore what's inside.
Cow & Chicken (To-Be) Taking A Break.
Decor Sea Dragons
The Real Thing
I forgot to take my shades off and find myself blind in the darkness. A quick change to my normal specs and I'm snapping pictures like there's no tomorrow. After going through quite a few aquariums, I think this is the first one I've been to that has a Dugong... and a cute Dugong it is.
Hello Dugong
Mom spotted the remains of some fish in the Piranha exhibit and was considering waiting for the next feeding time. That would've made an interesting video, but without any information, we just didn't bother and moved on to the other exhibits.
I then came upon the box puffer exhibit and they were a quirky bunch with big boogly eyes and tiny fins just twirling about in their tank. Was taking a few pictures when this one decided to be the centre of attention. Isn't it cute?
Curious Puffer I Call Andy.
Moving on, we get to meet some really curious turtles, or maybe they're just greedy. There were also some rays that seem to like swimming with each other, flipping and flapping as they turn around the little pool. Soon they won't fit in it.
Flip, Flap And Flop
Then it was on to the tunnel, that every big aquarium seems to have these days. The strange thing this time was the line waiting to enter the tunnel, never before have I had to queue to get in, but for this tunnel, it looked like the jam on the CTE on weekday evenings. At that point, I considered not going in as I've had a few problems with tiny stuffy areas, and was afraid I might feel like throwing up halfway through. Well since the line started to shortened, I decided to give it a go, clearing the way with my vomit if I had to.
Going through the tunnel, it wasn't as bad as I anticipated, though the curved glass does increase the nausea factor quite fast. We're met with the usual shoals of fish, sharks, ray and turtles, as well as the divers who were there for their routine tank-cleaning session apparently. One was scrubbing the corners along the tunnel, while another swam past with a dead ray held in the left hand, making it seem as though the ray was swimming along with the diver. Good thing though since there were loads of children in the tunnel. This tank also seemed to house one of the biggest rays I've ever seen, so big that they had to cut the tail off, possibly to keep the divers from getting stabbed by the barb accidentally.
Tunnel Preview
Finding Nemo
He Got Nemo
Leaving the tunnel, we were greeted by a group of displays that held strange creatures in glass boxes. Not that all were foreign to our dinner plates or knowledge, but strange because they were all white and pickled, and some were bloated. Quite an interesting bunch of things to learn about, especially with the one that looks like a chicken from far. Once I was done with this bunch, my camera battery was running low and it was the end of displays in SeaWorld. Errrm... excuse me... where's Shamu?
Chicken Of The Sea?
Just outside SeaWorld were the usual souvenir stores and food, and after walking around and competing with the whole of Jakarta, mom needed to take a seat. I got a few stickers and a pink Dugong for souvenirs, and we had some snacks before moving on to the other attractions at the park.
Next place was Ancol DreamLand, full of promise and it seems like a place the locals really enjoyed. Mom was a little more skeptical and didn't like the crowd in there and so we walked out to check out another part of this area. We got to the cable car station and realised how much more area we had to cover, and that the other attraction I wanted to see was not too far away. We made our way to Atlantis.... and found out we had forgotten our swim wear. Atlantis seemed quite fun, but I guess it wasn't a theme park I was expecting. Now where is that rollercoaster?
Walked past Atlantis and a bouncy castle area just to get back to the same place and I decided we should just go and check out what DreamLand was all about. Mom and dad go on to get the tickets while I grab pictures, seems students don't get much discounts around these parts, unlike the seniors. They return from the ticket squeeze and we're on our way to what looks like a fun little theme park....
Ancol DreamLand
At the ticketing office, the lady informed my parents that the sealion show was about to start and thus we made our way towards the area with the big crowd that had just entered. As the crowd seem to have the same clothes, we thought that they might be of some special event happening and didn't bother about them joining the queue for the show. However, once we got to the queue, it didn't seem like it was a line but more like people gathered under a tent for some event. Confused by this, I thought I would find my way around these people but ended up being blocked by the actual Suzuki family-day event itself. Turning back, we realised the other tent was where you have to queue for the sealion show and I decided to give it a miss considering I already seen on in Thailand with Amy. Dad was also getting a little agitated by the crowd and so we headed into the fresh-water aquarium. After what you see at SeaWorld, this seems like you're walking through the local aquatic pet shop. One thing different was the bright lights they used in the tanks allowed me to snap clear pictures even with the camera on my phone.
Walking deeper into DreamLand, we find the queue for the dolphin show, and even though it starts in an hour, it looks like another line for hello kitty dolls at McDonald's. Not bothered with waiting, we continued walking and stumbled upon the dolphin therapy area, with the sounds of dolphins squealing and giggling. We entered the viewing gallery where some smart people have set up camp and watch the dolphins playing with a ball and trying to swim to the other section where another dolphin has been cordoned off. We first thought the area was for the dolphins to rehabilitate but soon realise that it was therapy for people using dolphins when we spotted the legs of a child in the other pool.
1 Of The Playful Dolphins
After the short break watching dolphins, we check out the rest of DreamLand and find the salt-water aquarium guarded by a shark. OOohhh looks like something good inside.... Sadly, the exhibit was as tiny as the fresh-water one, and really pathetic when it's situated right next to SeaWorld.
Finally, the last stop was the 3D cinema or something of the sort. We go there hoping to at least watch one of the shows and was greeted by another long line of patiently waiting people. Mom asks when the next show starts and is informed that the show runs every 15 minutes. 4 shows an hour and the line still snakes to the entrance? I honestly don't know how many people are actually in DreamLand, but judging by the line, I think there's more people in it than there are Singaporeans.
3D Cinema... And The Line That Snaked To The Entrance
Is It Gonna Topple?
Giving up on watching any of the shows at DreamLand, we decide to call it a day at Ancol and head home. Mom's back was also starting to hurt from the lack of rest and it would be just enough time to get some rest and freshen up before we head out for dinner.
Collecting Chops
Epitome Of Ripped Jeans
LPG?? Hahahaha!
Later that evening it was off to another shopping centre to have dinner as I was, once again, looking for a post card to send to my buddy in the US. Guess Kay's son is getting quite a collection of foreign postcards to show and tell.
Classy Entertainment In The Shopping Centre
Tomorrow it's off to look at Indonesia as a whole.
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