Do you Mind? - Mind Museum at BGC

It was my daughter's birthday yesterday.  Even at 19 she still wants to go to a museum ('guess that part she inherited from me).  So, after lunch we headed for the newest world class museum in the country  - the Mind Museum at the Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Philippines. Even on our 2nd visit, the museum still is new to us.  The first time we were there we checked out the exhibit on the human body and went to the science park where we played.  Yup, as old as we were, we enjoyed playing at the park.

Ikee and I bought our tickets ahead of my husband.  He had to park the car and it took a while for him to do so. When we got inside, we went straight to the Atom exhibit.  There was a demo experiment going on so we watched it.  It was rather fun specially when we were asked to go to a room where we temporarily left our shadow.  Wake up Peter Pan!  It's not just you who left his shadow.




There were other things that we did there.  The shows we watched were good specially the "Ang Simula"  which was done by ABS CBN (one of the Philippines' leading TV network).  It is a story of how science thinks the philippines evolved. Another one was the planetarium show although I liked the show at the planetarium in Manila years ago.

One of the highlights of the museum is the presence of the TREX skeleton.  I had seen one of those at the Museum of Natural History at Washington D.C. before but it's good to see one in Manila.

So, if you're planning to go visit a museum here, do include the Mind museum.  It's fun for both adults and kids I tell you.  Although they have a 3 hour visit which costs 600, the all day pass only costs 750.  Take the latter as you can't enjoy a museum with only 3 hours.  Oh, and they're closed on Mondays and are open Tuesdays to Sundays from 9 am to 6 pm.  Sorry for the pics by the way.  there was very little light and I didn't have a tripod (sheesh!).

Singapore Zoo

A delightful treat to kids (and adults too) while in Singapore is a trip to the world class zoo. The park is just about 15 minutes from the city proper. It is accessible by taxi and I believe I saw some buses that brought tourists too.

The zoo is not as big as the other zoos in the world but it is well kept and the animals seem to be well taken cared of. The plants have are healthy and are green even in the summer. They have a tram which takes the visitor all about the zoo.

They have a package which includes unlimited tram ride and another package includes a tram and boat ride too. The visitor gets to see the whole place without walking too far. However, it is advisable to leisurely stroll through the zoo and muse at the animals they have there. One of the most interesting animals when were there is the kangaroo that the children got to pet. Our neice, Sofia, was hesitant to go near it at first. But, when she finally got convinced (by me of course) to join the other kids, she enjoyed the animal and even took my hand to touch its fur.


Also, the zoo had some of those so-called doctor fish which would eat the debris from a visitor's foot. We didn't try that though because we feared we'd not have enough time to see the whole park. The reptile section was one to muse at too. Sofia was delighted to see them though one particular poisonous snake was probably hungry and its head was sticking out of the branch that it clang on to. Ewwwww!

Just like the other world class zoos, they have some animal shows there. One which we watched was that of the stray dogs and cats which the staff had picked up from different areas of Singapore. Some cats did an opening number while one dog played frizbee with some children. Sadly, it was a short show and I felt it would have been nice to have more tricks played.



Like I said the zoo is not huge but it is just the right size for a visitor to walk about and see the whole park in a day.

Notes on Sagada and Banaue

For this summer, the highlight of our vacation (and probably the only one) is our trip to Sagada. Here are some of the websites that have helped me with my research and planning for our Sagada and Banaue trip:

1. G-Strain my husband's friend, Gerry, and their other buddies' trip to Banawe. Details include a cost accounting for a budget tour.

2. Pictures of a Sagada trip - Calming the Giant

I love the pictures by this hobbyist taken during his trip to sagada. You just have to check this one out too.



Visitasagada.com and the sagadagenuineguides.blogspot.com are most helpful too. I'm still looking for other companions so we can share the expenses. It will bring down the costs for all of us. The more, the merrier or so they say.

Some Like It Cold

Have you ever thought of what you would like your vacation to be? As for me, a trip abroad normally would consist of going to a museum or somewhere historical and a visit to a place where my daughter would be interested in. But, if I were to choose, I'd like to go to a place where it is cooler than the Philippines. You see, I like dressing up but dislike doing so when the weather is hot. So, what's your idea of a perfect vacation?