The Other Side of Mae: Hong Kong Ocean Park I

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Hong Kong Ocean Park I

If I've said that Hong Kong Disneyland is vast, wide, colossal, and enormous in my previous blog entry here, well Hong Kong Ocean Park is vaster (if there’s such a word), wider, colossaler (worse), and enormouser (worst)! It is like going from one mountain to another where attractions are scattered in the mountain ranges. It was so, so, sooooo exhausting getting around Ocean Park than Disneyland! So you must have these guides to get you going all the way through:

To start with, Hong Kong Ocean Park is divided into two parts: The Waterfront and The Summit. As the words suggest, waterfront for the sea side at the foot of the mountain and summit for the top of the mountain. The Waterfront is the welcoming point of the park having the following attractions:

Aqua City Lagoon

It is where the Symbio! show is being held every night. It is more than just a fountain show which is by far, the world’s first 360-degree water screen show. It features the clashing 9-meter dragons wherein you will be dazzled with the laser lights, water sprouts, and fire flames in the beat of captivating music!

The Grand Aquarium

This is the largest aquarium I’ve ever seen my entire life! It is more gargantuan than Manila Ocean Park and Singapore’s Underwater World. It offers spectacular views of the sea with rare sea creatures like manta rays and hammerhead sharks. You can watch them swim and glide above your head as you enter the aquarium’s dome. You can also see them brush past you at the panoramic viewing panels that surround you.

The Secret Lives of Seahorses

Just as small as seahorses are, that’s how big my learning was! In my age, I just found out that male seahorses are the ones who would carry their youngs with them. Yes, that is true! Male seahorses have brood pouch for nurturing babies just like what kangaroos do. Oh, the joy of being a female seahorse! Right after the sack, she can just go about anywhere without the worries of getting preggy. Hehehe….

Papa and Ep2x Dance Like Seahorses

Sea Life Carousel

Hop into a carousel that doesn’t use horses in tow! Be enchanted with this charming themed carnival ride that features rare marine animal designs! Now that’s definitely a very unique ride you’ll ever have your whole life through!

On the other hand, Hong Kong Ocean Park is not just all about the ocean and sea creatures. It also has other animals and the following are their homes:

Panda Village

We haven’t got inside this attraction because it just didn't sound appealing to us. Or maybe, we just got tired of queuing up. I can’t say if there are really real pandas there or what. So we just took photos outside this village instead.

Amazing Birds Theatre

Emperors of the Sky - this is the only show that we managed to watch when we were there. Shows were cancelled due to bad weather which we endured the entire day. But the birds in the theatre were pretty amazing! They seemed like doing a fashion show. We didn’t fully understand the story because it was in Mandarin. However, we still enjoyed it and feasted our eyes with the beautiful birds in catwalk and wings full in their flight.

Moreover, Hong Kong Ocean Park also has sub-parks that everyone young and old would surely enjoy and these are:

Whiskers Harbour

For the kids and kids-at-heart, this would be the best playground ever! It is so colorful, so cute, and just so childlike! Kids would definitely enjoy spending the whole day in this area for it offers a complete package of what a children's park should be.

Old Hong Kong

This sub-park showcases the beauty of traditional Hong Kong. When you're there, you would really feel that you are at the very heart of Hong Kong in the olden days. Chinese songs are also being played which brings back the nostalgia of ancient Chinese culture.