finally, the road trip materialized. akala namin hindi na mangyayari eh. it was supposed to be 3 new cars plying the roads of luzon but we just can’t seem to get everybody on the same page so instead of 3 cars, we settled for 2 new white cars.

we left calamba at half past 3 in the morning of august 23. we had to go to cavite pa to fetch selle’s family. we then met up with francis, kathleen and the kids at petron in alabang at around 5 am. then off we went to subic… with a planned breakfast stop at shell nlex. after being surprised by the an extremely long qeue at kfc (as in soooobrang haba), we settled for the almost empty kenny roger’s. hehe. after having a hearty breakfast, off we went… straight to subic – with francis leading the way. now, we weren’t sure if having francis as the lead car (and trying to stay with him) was a good idea but we had no choice cause he’s the better navigator. and i was able to stay with him naman along the way (ibang usapan yung pauwi na kami ha. hehe)… achieving a top speed of 180 kph at sctex along the way. heck, we even have this subaru impreza story which is better told in person.

we had an itinerary planned – with the planning done at francis and kathleen’s house a week before the trip – and first stop was, ocean adventure. and the good thing with francis leading the way, you won’t be late. we were early for the shows so we explored the aquariums first.






then it was time for the sea lion show.



entertaining and educational. it was kinda humid though kaya lagkit na lagkit kami after the show.

we had lunch immediately after. buti na rin lang at dumiretso na kami sa resto dahil after namin mag-order tsaka nagdatingan ang mga tao. even the mascots dropped by.



while waiting for the dolphin show, we went to the souvenir shop to pass the time. selle and her family shopped for some pasalubong. while i decided to give sarah, my inaanak, a small stuffed toy. then it was there when i noticed that i didn’t have my steering wheel lock keys with me. then panic started to creep in. ngek, pag nawala yun eh pano ko pa mapapa-andar car ko? yes, i have my car keys pero nakahiwalay kasi yung steering wheel lock keys eh. nasa calamba pa yung duplicate nun. so i did a quick rewind on the things i did and kinda realized that i don’t remember having my keys in my pocket. so naiwan ko sa car? i rushed to the parking lot and opened our focus… whew! naiwan ko nga sa loob. note to self: when going on a long trip, bring your duplicates with you.

relieved, we went to the dolphin show area and got a well-ventilated spot.



then the dolphins started doing their thing. sayang kasi sam was asked by the organizers if she wanted to be part of the show. to be up-close and personal with the sea mammals. kaso sam declined (despite our pangungulit). anyway, she still had fun watching the show – and so did we.







next up on our tight itinerary was zoobic safari.



a multi-activity area, we started off with a walk around the zoo. yun nga lang the heat and humidity was getting to us kaya when it was time for some animal shows, we were kinda spent and didn’t watch it that much anymore. we just had ice cream, cold drinks and some rest instead.




afterwards we went to the viewing of the tigers – both those in captivity… and those in the “wild.”




then a couple more stops: a museum and a crocodile park – nothing compared to the one in thailand though. hehe.




zoobic safari has promise but it needs to be managed better and have a couple of improvements here and there. pero it really has some promise.

tired, we then went to forrest hills to check-in our overnight residence. located inside a residential area, this was a budget find by kathleen. we unpacked and then rested a bit.



actually, we rested too much and had to re-arrange our itinerary. instead of go-karting, we settled for a quick shopping spree – can you believe there’s a powdered gatorade? – and dinner instead. for dinner, we took the recommendation of rex, a zambales native, and dined at meat plus. if you love meat, this is the place for you.



with still a couple of activities lined up the following day, we called it a night and rested. but not before a short pictorial session with our roommates.






we started day 2 of our vacation with a stop at tree top adventure. a relatively new attraction in subic, tree top adventure boasts the longest motorized canopy ride in the country – something we really wanted to try. but before we jumped in, there was a short briefing and then we had to be harnessed for safety.





then off we went to the canopy rides.




the canopy ride was a relaxing and enjoyable ride from tree top to tree top – with heights going as high as a hundred feet above the ground. the speed ain’t fast but is at a deliberately slow speed – enough for the guests to enjoy nature… and we did enjoy it.












after an hour or so of going from tree to tree, we had a quick snack (nakakauhaw din kasi) then decided to go the the superman ride. as the name implies, guests are hanged horizontally ala superman and zipped – this time at a considerably fast speed – for a distance we forgot to ask. hehe. if the canopy ride was a relaxing ride, this one was a thrill ride.



the tree top activites do not end there. there’s the tree drop, a 60 feet free fall – this one we had to pass on. but not francis and kathleen. tough dudes.




after all the thrill brought about by the tree top adventure, we went back to forrest hills to pack. we then had lunch right across le mans go kart – our last activity in subic.



masaya yung go kart, though we wanted our karts to go faster. heck, d nga namin maabutan ni francis si selle eh. later on we were told that selle had one of the fastest karts in lot. kaya naman pala.

disaster almost struck us while francis, selle and i were talking at the pit stop when this kid decided to not step on the brakes and just ram his kart unto selle’s kart. buti na lang wala na si selle sa kart.






to end the subic stay, we had a quick shopping stop (again).

it was getting late so uwi na kami. again, francis took the lead pero this time i couldn’t quite stay with him. hehe. iwan sa sctex… iwan sa nlex… iwan kahit sa manila. hehehe.

it was a tiring ride home but the trip was well worth it. ’til our next road trip, guys. we definitely had fun.

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