After lunch, and after the conclusion of our seminar, my colleagues and I went to shop for some duty free goodies. I didn't buy much, just some chocolates for my family and co-workers considering that I would be commuting from Subic to Manila by bus. Anyway, we went to Pure Gold and to Royal Duty Free, and after that, we headed back to the hotel for dinner. If there is one thing that I hate about Subic, it is haggling with the cabbies; they don't use meters and a five-minute journey would cost you about Php 100.00+; if you asked to be picked up from your hotel or elsewhere, it's going to cost you an additional charge of Php 50.00. A trip to the Zoobic Safari would be around Php 300.00 and some cabbies charge up to Php 500.00. It's okay if you're travelling with 4 or more people as the cabs can fit around 8 persons, but it's not very lone-traveller friendly.
Speaking of Zoobic Safari, we paid a visit to the tigers and other animals on the zoo the following morning. The travel from our hotel, the Subic International Hotel, to the Safari was just around 15-20 minutes; there's no traffic inside Subic. We were at the gates by 9:30 a.m. and had to wait for some 10 more minutes before our official tour started. Inside the waiting lobby for orientation, the tigers surrounded us in their cages. There was a white tiger, who was restless and kept pacing back and forth, as if he was toying with the people who wanted to take his picture, and about four more and a cub, who was so cute though he's a three-foot long baby. You can cuddle with the cub and have your picture taken with it.
Then our tour started. First, we went to the mini-zoo where animals, some I've never seen before, were kept. Of all the animals inside the zoo, I was most in love with the ostriches, the deers, which reminded me of Bambi and of Chris Colfer's line in Glee, "I cried so hard when they shot your mommy," and of course, the tigers.
After the mini-zoo, we boarded the tiger trams; the people who bought the regular tickets took the colorful Tigger-looking trams while the Zooper ticket holders like us took the bland white tiger trams. The only difference, aside from the slightly higher price we paid, was the refreshments that came with our tickets: mineral water, some chips and thank god, a wet, cold towelette, which relieved us of the blistering heat.
Our first stop was to a new attraction called the Forbidden Cave. Before entering, a warning was posted outside which goes something like, not for those who are afraid of snakes, among others. When we went inside, it was so dark, and the only illumination came from some steady, faint yellow lights which could only illuminate it's immediate surrounding. It was eerie and there was a man-made hanging bridge which kept wobbling whenever you take a step. Then we came to the first light and saw a baby crocodile! It was so still in the near darkness! It was enough to elicit screams from my colleagues. Then there was a white and yellow python curled up on a branch, then cue screaming; and well, a regular python near the end of the bridge.
After the Forbidden Cave, we proceeded to the Tiger Safari and boarded a modified jeepney with translucent top and grill-protected windows. We bought a dressed chicken for Php 200.00 which would be fed to the tiger, and then drove in the tigers' lair for some up close and personal encounter. We had a native aeta who handled the feeding and who called a tiger to eat the chicken. The tiger's name was Vladimir. He was so beautiful! I was at the rear of the jeepney and the handler was in front of me, so the tiger was beside me when he was eating the chicken. My colleagues were screaming a lot; I was enjoying the experience. Then the handler threw the remaining chicken on top of the jeep which cued in Vladimir to jump over (cue in screaming passengers). I was shocked, not because Vladimir jumped but because some chicken juice got into my face. Well, Vladimir was causing disturbance from the passengers who were incessantly screaming and we can only see Vladimir's movements because the glass was not transparent; it was sort of frosted. I think, the more chicken you buy for the tigers, the more tigers would come to your jeep.
Then it was time for the Close Encounter with the tigers who were chilling out in their cages. We were a foot from the edge of the cages and there were so many tigers. I was really interested with them, though they don't seem to mind us, people, but man, they stink! The guide said that when the tiger's tail points up, it'll pee and we should run for our lives, err, no, immediately get out of the area to avoid being splattered with tiger pee. The smell would mark us for 3 to 4 days, and we would not be advised to come anywhere near a tiger during that time, not that we have a tiger at home or at our disposal but, the hey, I don't want to be marked by a tiger.
Afterwards, our tiger tram proceeded to where the ostriches and wild boars roam freely. The guide told us we could hop off the tram if we could outrun an ostrich should it try to chase us. No, thanks! We also went to the crocodile farm, and we watched the local aeta's perform some of their tribal dances for us. One of the aeta's even leapt to a tree because he was mimicking a monkey. It was pretty amazing!
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