Trip to Subic: A Classic

For some reason, Subic never gets old. It only has a few unique tourist spots - that you could visit them all in a stay of 3 days and 2 nights. Despite this, we have been among the frequent Subic-goers, since I was little. We've even established our top choices of hotels which offer the best packages & rates. Unfortunately some of them have closed already. So that's how often we go to Subic - we've seen it develop, we know which hotels & stores have closed, and which ones are new.

As a kid, any place that's more than 2 hours away from home is FAR. Through the years, my definition of FAR has changed. I guess its proximity and accessibility from Manila is one of the reasons why we've been frequent tourists of Subic, especially now that the SCT-Ex made travelling faster and even more convenient.


We've just spent the weekend at Subic, however, since we've been to ALL that's there to visit - we ended up just enjoying the place, staying at the hotel, munching & going shopping. The photos I'll be including in this entry will be a collection of pictures I've taken through the years, and of course the most recent ones:)

I guess despite the fact that we've seen all of Subic & that there's nothing much to do, we keep on coming back since it has become a family tradition & it has become a part of our "growth." Whenever my parents would ask us if we wanted to go to Subic, I'd always answer with: "Uh, what are we going to do there?" haha! That's the adventurous side of me who likes going to new places, with new activities to do. I guess Subic will always be that special place we'd still frequently visit, despite its remoteness & the very hot weather.

Here are my Top Picks of must do / must go to, however I don't have pictures of all the places, since some of them were shot using cameras which used film (Did I mention we've been going there since forever? haha):

OCEAN ADVENTURE

One of my favorite places in Subic! We've been to Ocean Adventure thrice already, latest was just this January 2012. I instantly felt like a kid the moment we went in, what more when I saw the dolphins & whales. They have improved a lot compared to our 1st visit, which was back when they newly opened. And my 2nd visit, back when I was in high school (or grade school? not sure!). It's best to go there at around 1pm, or exactly during opening time. They have developed a systematic way of attending to their guests to be able to maximize the stay. This will take roughly 4 hours, because they have different attractions & performances which start at a specific time. Ticket is approximately Php450-500 per head and take it from me, it is very much worth it! Plus you have the option to swim with the dolphins for a higher cost. Always wanted this but never tried it because it was just too costly! I wasn't able to get good shots of the sea lions, but that's the best show, next to the dolphins, of course! Ocean Adventure is a 45 minute to an hour drive from the Subic proper. And this is a must visit for those who haven't been here:)

ADVENTURES OF OLANGAPO JONES: foreign 

performers grace the air as they show off their stunts

ZOOBIC SAFARI

Photo from:  

http://philippinesplace.blogspot.com/2011/01/zoobic-safari.html

Zoobic Safari is a zoo (haha obviously), with lesser variety of animals, located in the heart of a jungle - popular for its close encounter with the tigers. It has been years since we last went here. We planned to go back a couple of times already, but never happened due to time constraint and the weather. You'll need probably 3-4 hours for the tour, where in you'll walk to visit the animals and ride to have a close encounter. Our visit there dated years back, also when Zoobic has just newly opened. I believe a lot has changed already. We tried the close encounter, but didn't get a chicken to feed the tigers (we were little & were engrossed by the thought), plus it was noon time, so the tigers were hiding. Tip: get a chicken to feed them! I don't have photos since digital cameras weren't the thing yet back then - yes, that's how long since we've been there! (Photos were from the websites acknowledged)

Photo from: http://www.vistapinas.com/article/zoobic-safari

TREE TOP ADVENTURE

The Tree Top Adventure is more for the outgoing people. We've been here several years ago, so I am not so sure as to how far has it developed. Nothing much to see, just a few animals (monkeys, birds, bats), hanging bridges, and of course the suspended-in-the air activities, such as zip line:) They have a minimal entrance fee and added charges for the activities.

BAT KINGDOM

This used to be a must visit for field trips back then. It's basically a parking lot over seeing tall trees with bats hanging upside down during the day time and wild monkeys roaming freely underneath. Unfortunately, bats are highly sensitive to noise. So, through the years of numerous visitors, especially field trip goers, the bats have fled to find a more peaceful place to stay. Thus, the extinction of the so called bat kingdom. All there's left would be a group of monkeys, which are wild. I had a close encounter with one, which was scary because they're too stubborn & again, wild. I was trying to throw a small portion of a Nutella sandwich to a monkey a few feet across me, without me noticing a huge male monkey was already standing next to me, grabbing the sandwich bag. It even had the rudeness to show its teeth despite my generosity. Since then, we never went down to feed them! Another instance, was when we parked behind a car (we stayed inside though). The owners of the car were not inside, so a monkey climbed the car and later on attempted to remove its side mirror until it was shooed away. Such  wild creatures!

These creatures are just roaming freely at Subic's rich forrests, occasionally stays beside the road (uphill portion). They got used to people feeding them junk food of all sorts! Being the tourists we are, we still enjoy seeing them in Subic. 

These are among the remaining Hot Spots for Tourists left. Others such as the: Jungle Suvival Tour, Go Kart Race Track, Crown Peak's Mini Golf, Butterfly Garden, Bay Walk (elevated area where you can stroll at) are no longer there:( 

BLAST FROM THE PAST: This was back in 1999, when Crown Peak offered packages with a boat ride. :)

(Left)
FAST & THE FURIOUS: Me & my brothers enjoying the Go Kart Racing Track last 2008

(Bottom)

GOING SOLO: I'm a boy deep inside. I've always enjoyed Go Kart Racing & all other guy activities.

Despite the changes, we still keep coming back probably for a change of environment. Subic has always been so peaceful & serene, compared to Manila. "The Walking Dead" series can surely have a shooting there without disturbing anyone. It's like an abandoned place but has been preserved well.

Subic doesn't have any night life at all though. Their duty free shops close at 7:30 PM. That's when you can go to the restaurants by the bay, then... either go to Starbucks or Pier One or Gilligans. We usually stroll at the bay walk (which is now gone), so we ended up at Pier One instead to get some drinks & enjoy the live band.

They have a newly constructed mall, very similar to Greenbelt 5, only smaller - Harbor Point. It's not much of a tourist spot, but they do have a good mix of stores & restaurants. Soon to open are Mango, Guess, CPK, Claw Daddys, and a whole lot more! They have the all time favorite Starbucks, however, their customer service there needs improvement!

MEAT PLUS CAFE

Indeed, you should never leave Subic without grabbing a bite from Meat Plus Cafe. I've always noticed this Cafe, but never paid attention to it. We just discovered this around 2 years ago. And to our surprise, they do have the BEST STEAKS EVER. We've tried Burgoo, Outback, TGI Friday's, Racks, etc, nothing beats Meat Plus. Well there's Tender Bob's - and we're not sure if they are owned by the same people running Meat Plus. They have some things common though - the A1 steak sauce, their utensils & THE BOMB (Must try heavenly potatoes!), and their steaks taste the same, some how:) However, they've got different menus. 

 

(ABOVE: Tenderloin, cooked medium well)


So far, I've tried the Baby Back Ribs, Tenderloin, New York End cut, & steak ala pobre (not sure if this is correct). All are good & they do justify the prices, which are reasonable considering they're steaks!:) (Approx Php 250-300/head)


Best side dishes are the Potato Skins (Php 55) & The Bomb (Php 75).


NY Cheesecake is also too delicious! It's a bit pricey though. That slice is Php 200, but it's pure cream cheese - pure heaven!:)

My brother who has a great love & taste for steaks, really enjoys it here, so does the entire family:) I'm sure you will too! This place is packed with people every time we go there.

Here ends our Subic routine! Oh and of course, we just have to always in ALL WAYS, shop at their duty free stores - this routine is unbreakable! Not to mention, they have tax free gas stations, so better fuel up before heading back to Manila!:)