Yexel's Toy Museum

The Simpson's Family

     We're back! We missed blogging! Been busy these past few weeks preparing for our next trip. :p We still have a backlog blog for our Hong Kong trip last August. Hopefully, we can do it in the coming days. :p

     And to kick off our return, we will be featuring Yexel's Toy Museum. We learned about this toy museum from Jamich's facebook account and since then, we wanted to go there. We thought we won't be able to go since there was a typhoon (Ofel) two days prior to our scheduled trip. But luckily, the rain stopped the day we went to the Museum.

     Since we will be going there via public transportation, we texted the Toy Museum and they replied promptly. Here's what we did. We met up at Starmall Alabang and from there rode the jeep to SM Southmall. We then took the tricycle to Pilar Village and stopped right in front of the museum.

Chipmunks!

     Yexel's Toy Museum opened last August 26. Visitors are welcome to come and see Mr. Yexel Sebastian's house/museum every weekend from 10am to 6pm. Yexel, a former member of Streetboys and a toy collector shares his amazing assortment of unique, cool and colorful toys to kids as well as to kids at heart like us. Hehe! :p

     We were greeted with the Simpson's Family once we entered the house-turned museum. The facade is still under construction -- can't wait to see how it's gonna look! We paid the 300 peso entrance fee and  asked the receptionist if we can leave our bags so that we can concentrate on taking pictures, to which she gladly agreed.

     Let's start the tour.. :)

Small to big!

     The first part of the museum is a display cabinet full of miniature figures of our well-loved characters from our childhood. Displays include Mario Bros., Doraemon, a lot of Disney characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Beauty & the Beast, the Little Mermaid and a lot more! These brought so much fun memories from when we were younger! :)

Lego Exhibit: It's More Fun in the Philippines

Pinoy Lego

     Lego again had another exhibit at The Block in SM North Edsa. Last time it was a Star Wars feature, now it's some of Philippines' famous landmarks. Good thing we had a day to check out the 2 week long exhibit! :)

The Block

Lego Land

     The exhibit featured a huge map of the Philippines, showcasing famous landmarks in the different provinces and cities. On the other area are the Lego toys for sale as a well a corner for kids where they can make their own Lego creation. 

     We'll guide you through the landmarks throughout the 3 main islands of the Philippines. 


Note: this is a picture heavy post. :)   

LUZON

     First up: Luzon the largest island in the country. Some of the landmarks include the Bangui Windmills in Ilocos Norte, old houses in Vigan, Banaue Rice Terraces, Mayon Volcano in Albay, Crocodile Farm, the Underground River and the limestone cliffs in Palawan, Fort Santiago and Luneta Park in Manila among others.

Bangui Windmills (Ilocos Norte)

Paoay Church (Ilocos Norte)

Vigan (Ilocos Sur)

The Mind Museum

Where Science Comes Alive! :D

     Science has been our favorite subject in school and what better way to  experience science than to explore The Mind Museum that we have been  wanting to visit since their opening day. We knew that the admission price is quite steep but this is for the benefit of public school students and teachers. Plus, you can't put a price on learning, right?! :p

Come closer

What to expect :)

     The Mind Museum, an interactive world-class science museum, opened last December 2011 at Bonifacio Global City. The 250 fun exhibits is housed in a 5000sq.meter area. The museum is open from Tuesday to Friday, 9am-6pm and on weekends from 9am-9pm. 


     Tickets cost 700php for adults, 450php for private school students, 150php for public school students and teachers. An all-day pass costs 750php. Some rules to follow: no eating and drinking, no bringing of pets, no running. You can take pictures but make sure not to take too much time on an exhibit. ;)

Aedi

     We then waited for our designated time for our museum tour. When it was our turn, the robot, Aedi (idea spelled backwards) greeted us and welcomed us into the museum.  Aedi told the visitors the do's and don'ts as well as some tips for an awesome museum experience! We were given three hours to explore the various exhibits.

    The Mind Museum is divided into 5 parts namely: Atom, Life, Universe, Earth, Technology. We'll take you through each one :)

ATOM: The Strange World of the Very Small

Story of the Atom

     This area contains contains the most number of interactive exhibits which feature elemental forces like gravity, electromagnetism and basis for our gadgets like cellphones, computers and medical technology.

Manila Ocean Park

Exciting. Enticing. Enriching.

     We went on our own field trip! :p This is our second time at Manila Ocean Park (MOP). This time though, we got to try everything they had to offer! There have been a lot of additions since we went here like the Jellyfish Exhibit, as well as the Penguin Exhibit.

Attractions offered in MOP

     Did you know that the Oceanarium which is 8000 square meters is larger than the Sentosa Underwater World oceanarium in Singapore? The Manila Ocean Park had its soft opening last March 2008 and since then it has developed and expanded to what it is now. The park now has a marine-themed mall, hotel, restaurant and outdoor pools. 


     We explored five of the attractions that MOP has to offer: the Oceanarium, Sea Lion Show, Jellies Exhibit, Glass bottom boat ride and the Fish spa. 

SEA LION SHOW (150php)

     We first went to the attractions outside the Oceanarium. It was a good thing we were just in time for the 11am show. The next show is at 2pm - under the scorching heat of the sun!

On stage

     The show featured Icis and Ira, the adorable sea lions of Ocean Park. The show was both entertaining and educational. Not only did we see the cool stuff they could do but also learned about these smart animals! We saw them swim fast, jump, slide, clap, wave, even act sad! The lively trainers also made the show a hit especially for the kids and the kids-at-heart. :)

Balancing Act

Cha-cha-cha! ^_^

     Though we've seen a lot of sea lion shows already, we still had fun! These cute and smart animals never fail to put a smile on our faces. :) The crowd was active which also made for a good show.

Lego Exhibit: Star Wars

LEGO Star Wars

     We've grown up playing with Lego and watching the Star Wars films and we were excited to see the exhibit at SM North Edsa - The Block. Seeing the toys at the exhibit brought out the child in us. The Star Wars Lego Exhibit started last February 25 and will last until March 11, 2012. :)

Galaxy far, far away

     Did you know that "LEGO" is the abbreviation of "leg godt", two Danish words that mean "play well"? It has been an established brand, started out in 1932. All of us have enjoyed playing and creating with these LEGO blocks! 

     Star Wars has been a pop culture phenomenon since it was first released in 1977. From this, video games, books, television series and toys were created. It's fitting that LEGO made a series out of this popular hit! :)

Battle at Endor

     On the right side before the entrance is a battle scene at the forest moon of Endor, between the Ewoks and scout troopers. The scene is made more alive with the bright green Lego trees, troopers and Ewoks with their weapons.

Ewoks versus imperial AT-AT

Ewok battling an Imperial scout trooper

Casa Santa

House of Santa

     Do you believe in Santa? Father Christmas? Saint Nicholas? You'd be delighted with the many figurines, dolls, objects inspired by Santa found in this house! To get there, we rode an FX from Cubao to Antipolo then took a tricycle to Casa Santa. 

     Santa Claus' story begins with Nicholas who became a bishop and then a saint. He was known for his generosity to the needy and for being the patron and protector of children, sailors and voyagers.

Gingerbread house :p

     Casa Santa is inside Jardin de Miramar, a garden-like venue for parties and different celebrations. The Jardin has different themed areas, gazebos, and function/ reception halls. 

The Owner of Casa Santa

     Casa Santa houses over 3,000 Santas in every form and size collected by the owners of Jardin de Miramar. The Casa was formerly a rest house, and was just converted into a museum in 1995. Unlike other museums, visitors can look at the items closely, even play with them! There are Santas dressed like athletes, in national costumes, as bishops and more! 


    There are home decors inspired by Santa like plates, glasses, utensils, some stuffed Santas, as well as small Santa figurines and display items. The entrance fee is 150php per person.

     In front of the house, you'll be greeted by a Santa who's seated and seems like to be inviting you to sit on his lap! There's also one by the door going up a ladder. :) There were a lot to see so we toured the house in parts! :)

Pinto Art Museum

Entrance to Pinto Art Museum

     It was raining that day, there's a storm even, but that didn't stop us from our agenda that day-- to visit the Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo. Our travel to Pinto Art Museum (PAM) reminded us of when we went to Laya a year ago and that was one memorable trip! The museum collects a fee of 100php for adults and 50php for children. We were then asked to log in and PAM brochures were given to us.

Brochures

Little church

     Several decades of devotion to art and culture has led to this haven of creativity. It took almost two years to plan, construct and organize the project. Finally on December 5, 2010, Pinto Art Museum (PAM) formally opens its doors to the general public. It is nestled within the confines of the Silangan Gardens. - from Pinto Art Museum's brochure

Simple words and Simple Deeds: 
No to Plastic

     After getting our brochures, we then headed out to the First Gallery. The glass jars with random things from the Marikina flood caught our attention. It was somehow a sad reminder of the alarming, traumatic and catastrophic event that happened during Ondoy -- that day should've taught us to be more aware of our environment, to be more caring and considerate to Mother Nature.

First gallery

     The first gallery we went into was not too big, it even looked like a house in Greece, with the white plastered walls and simple lay out. There was a small area up the stairs where more works of art are displayed. There was an open space with a small fountain and an archway that led to another room.

Macau Tower + Senado Square + St. Paul Ruins

     After visiting Grand Prix Museum and the Wine Museum, we hopped onto a bus going to Macau Tower. We paid around 3 patacas for the bus ride. We had a good view of Macau because of this ride. =)

Macau Tower tickets

     Original price for the ticket costs 120 patacas each, but Ate Lyn gave it to us for a discounted fee (saving is important!) :) We wonder where she gets her tickets. Hehe! :)

At Macau Tower's first floor

     The Macau Tower, also known as the Macau Sky Tower, measures 338 m (1,109 ft) in height from ground level to the highest point. It offers the breathtaking birds-eye view of Macau and  has been used for a variety of adventurous activities.

 At the top of the world - at 1109 feet!

     Our Macau Tower tour is divided into two - the 58th and 61st floor. The 58th floor is where the Main Observation Deck is while the Outer Observation Deck is on the 61st floor. Glass fronted elevators were also used so that we won't miss the spectacular view as we reach the observation decks.

     
     We first went to the Main Observation Deck which gives us a panoramic view of Macau. Sections of this deck are fitted with glass floor that lets us see the ground beneath our own feet! Stepping on them feels like we're walking on air.

Fisherman's Wharf + Grand Prix Museum + Wine Museum

     We woke up very early to get the first trip to Macau. We left at around 5:30am and took a taxi to the  ferry terminal. (Good thing the driver can understand English! We were in a hurry!) We then headed straight to the New World First Ferry (NWFF) ticket booth but it was still closed. Early birds! Haha! :)

 Got our tickets! Yay! ^_^

 NWFF ticket to Macau

     While waiting for our boarding time, what else is there to do but to take pictures! =D

Brrrrr.... :/

     At exactly 7am, we were called to board the ferry. It was so cold -- felt like 8 degrees! The 1 hour ferry ride was ok, sans the alon moments but even motion sickness won't dampen our moods for an eventful day ahead!

Welcome to Macau :)

     We were greeted by Ate Lyn and Ate Jo, our kababayans, who would show us the must-see places in Macau! Time to ready our cameras!

Ate Lyn and Ate Jo
Lyn Montero - 0921 361 2766

     First stop: walking distance from the terminal -- the Oceanus. We registered (using our passports) and they gave each of us cards with free $50hkd to gamble (our first casino experience. yay!). We then chose our slot machine and played away. We won about $100hkd (balik taya lang! Haha!). We would have won more if we knew how the game works from the start. Too bad cameras are not allowed inside casinos. :/

Peak Tram + Madame Tussauds + Sky Terrace

     After our Ocean Park trip, the next stop in our Hong Kong itinerary is the Peak Tram, Madame Tussauds and the Sky Terrace. From MTR Admiralty Station, we went down at Central Station and followed the road signs going to the Peak Tram.

Entrance to the Peak Tram

 Photo op at the entrance:)

     The original price for the Peak Tram (two-way) is 16hkd, Sky Terrace is 25hkd and Madame Tussauds is 160hkd, total of 221hkd. But since Madame Tussauds offers a combo package, we opted to avail it which costs 200hkd. We saved 21hkd, yey! pampasalubong din yun! :)

Our tickets for the Peak Tram and Sky Terrace (one with the arrow)

and Madame Tussauds

     The Peak Tramway  is a funicular railway in Hong Kong which carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of Hong Kong Island. Running from Central District to Victoria Peak via the Mid-Levels, it provides the most direct route and offers good views over the harbour and skyscrapers of Hong Kong. (Wikipedia)

 While waiting for the Tram ^_^

The Peak Tram

     Getting there is an unforgettable trip. There's nothing in the world like the Peak Tram. The tram, pulled by steel cables, climbs about 1,200 feet) It's so steep that the buildings we passed look like they're leaning at a 45°angle! We surely loved this trip. ;)

Myth of the Human Body Exhibit

Agenda: Renew our licenses and see the Myth of the Human Body Exhibit at Taguig City.

     We met at around 11am at PRC, had our pictures taken, paid 450php then got our claim stubs. The whole process took us about an hour to finish. Not bad! Hehe! :)


     Grabbed a bite before going to the exhibit. We took an FX to MRT Quezon Avenue, MRT to Guadalupe Station and then a jeep to Bayani Road which costs 13php. Whew!

 Neobabylon Building at Bayani Road

Explore your Body with the gods and goddesses ^_^

     Tickets to the exhibit cost 350/head. Cameras are not allowed inside the hall (Bad for trigger happy persons like us!) Taking of pictures are only allowed in the entrance and after the tour itself.