It's not as big as San Diego's Sea World, but Orlando, Florida's own Sea World has as much to offer as well. The only thing that disappointed me was that there was no polar bear because it was under maintenance. I sooooo wanted to see a polar bear up close. Well, I've never seen a bear up close too and a polar bear would have been neater. I was freezing when I went there with my brother and sister. We thought even during November, Orlando was hot and we were wrong. I kept rubbing my skin to warm myself up. Aquatic animals you definitely can see here. Sea world does not just showcase aquariums of marine life but they also have rides and shows featuring dolphins, seals, otters and the ever famous Shamu, the killer whale. We didn't take much photos here because my camera was full of the shows' videos. There is one in Manila called Ocean Park but it doesn't offer much. I think they have one downhill ride called Atlantis. Better not to stay near because one the cart splashes down, nearby people would get soaked.

The photo on the right is where their dolphin and kille whale shows are played. Prior to the fishes' shows, they also have a bird show to start off with the presentation. Shamu, the killer whale is the symbol of Sea World. The show features fantastic acrobatics and emotional music (I almost cried haha). The crowd was supportive the entire time and crowd involvement only made the show more enjoyable. I would love to come back here if given the chance. I prefer hanging out here than hanging out in bars.

Las Vegas is not just about casinos and lights. They're also about entertainment and one of the hotels located in New Las Vegas, Bellagio Hotel offers people entertainment outside the hotel's vicinity. Beside it is a large area of water that, every few minutes will play a song coupled with a display of an array of water fountain performances synchronizing with the song. If a song's beat suddenly becomes hard, the fountains spurt out water very high. Bellagio hotel is very easy to find. See one of the pictures below where you see the Eiffel Tower replica? Bellagio Hotel is just across it and you will easily know it's the place because of the wide area full of water. We were lucky we didn't wait very long for their water fountain performance. We happened to pass by the hotel a few minutes before it started. The song lasts pretty long too! You definitely must not miss this one.

One of the hotels we went to was Caesar's Palace. Even though it's a hotel, it looks like a huge mall inside. Once inside, you'd think that you're outside because the ceiling's covered with designs that mimic the blue sky. Within the palace, they have a small man made river where you can ride Gondolas, the traditional Venetian rowing boat. If you're not familiar how it looks like (sorry, wasn't able to take a picture of it), they're the very same boats that you see people ride on in Venice's waterways. They also have statues, like those you see in movies that depict Romans, you know, white colored statues. These very same statues will move once their scheduled show comes into play. You better check the time schedule for this. We were lucky (again) to have caught the show at the right time.

They also have a Fao Schwarz toy outlet inside . This famous and posh toy store is famous for its large stuff toys of about anything from unicorns to dinosaurs and many others. I described it as posh because I find it posh haha. And I noticed that it's known for its large stuff toys, as in very large, maybe twice as large as the world's tallest human. I came to this conclusion because I saw the same things when I first went inside a Fao Schwarz outlet in Manhattan, New York.

Our photos in Caesar's Palace happened during daytime though but it was all good. This is one posh hotel and when you talk about Las Vegas, it's always about casinos which they also have one (as with probably mostly all other hotels).

Does that phrase ring a bell? One of our Orlando stops was NASA. It was a great place to see all air vehicles on exhibit. From the very first model to the newly proposed model of a space shuttle, you can see everything there. During that time, there was no shuttle launching scheduled, so we just toured around the facility. It's a pretty big place, so you also need a map for this one. If I remember it right, it is within NASA where you can experience riding in a space shuttle. Can't really remember since it's been 10 months since we went there and I'm blogging about it now. But I'm betting that it only happens in NASA (I doubt the ride's in Disney). You sit on the chair, as it moves itself letting you face upward like you're facing the sky. As the final countdown reaches zero, the simulation vibrates as if you're within a real shuttle launch. Once the boosters are off and the shuttle has launched, you're off to experience mach-5 hypersonic speed racing through the air and into space. The whole flight from ground to space actually lasts only two minutes. Then you bask in awe as the sight of space display in front of your very eyes. That was one of the awesome rides that I was happy we didn't miss out.

You'd also get to see a demo on how a real shuttle launch would look like from the command center. Or pilot a Mars Rover on a replica of Martian soil. Get inside a look-alike shuttle model and see what is inside or feel a moon rock on display (don't worry, there are no radioactive germs, lolz). Get to see one area of its facility where parts of the International Space Station are hosted. These parts are a joint cooperation of the different countries involved. The NASA area doesn't just sit on any ordinary land. It is surrounded by some marshes, home to some animals and reptiles like alligators. You can see them while you take the bus ride touring you around the facility. When you think Orlando, naturally you think about Disney right away. Or Universal. NASA shouldn't be overlooked because it is one of the best places to go to in Orlando. Trust me. And experience that Mach-5 ride aboard a simulated space shuttle ride.

Our last day of our honeymoon trip took us to Orchard Road, well, I'd say Singapore's ultimate shopping district? The map made me look at it as just a tiny area that it occupies until we walked almost all of it from end to end and surrendered when it was nearing 6pm. So this trip took us to malls and more picture taking! I noticed that their malls have such small corridors for people to move around. Seemed like everything is maximized there, no matter how miniscule a space might be. This was also the area where I found out that elderly people still work, and they mostly make up the food court staffs cleaning tables when customers finish and others. It's not a good place to retire there, you'd end up working your ass off till you die old. One of them was sort of ashamed that I helper her place our left overs and garbage to her tray rather than her doing it. I went out right away after that because I couldn't bear watching them work. Elderly people should be enjoying their pension and relaxing hehe. I think we also two kinds of ice cream along the way because they all looked yummy when we first saw them. Couldn't resist ice cream, mmmm.

If you're into branded things like designer shoes, clothes, even food, you definitely will find what you are looking for here. Although Orchard Road is a big area, you definitely must have the feet to keep walking to be able to scour all of the stores, buildings and malls from end to end. Again, never forget to bring your camera. Else, go back to where you are staying and get it. It was good for us because we (my wife and I) went there alone without anybody's help. A map is all you need to go around there.

When we finished our time in Sentosa, we went back to Vivo City to walk around and have more picture taking with any interesting stuff we came across. You can go outside near the harbor and get a view of ... gulp ... ongoing construction of I don't know what it is they're building. Other than that, you can see Sentosa from just across, large ships everywhere (Cruise ships included). They also have a large area that's foot deep of water and you can splash around like crazy if you want. We only had our feet wet since we were already soaked by the rain during our time in Sentosa so we were well behaved this time not wanting to get all wet and possibly get pneumonia lolz

Singapore does have one theme park and it's called Escape. It is actually just beside Wild Wild Wet (a water theme park). Once we got in, I was disappointed because it was not very big. I think Enchanted Kingdom in Manila, Philippines is way bigger than this one. The only ride that I enjoyed was the Go-Kart. They have two tracks, one for beginners and another for advanced. Naturally, haha, we opted for the advanced tracks and was it one hell of a drive. You go around the tracks 3x then your turn is over. It was funny because my wife was the last one who finished. She was nervous on a part of the track where you go downhill. The wait can be a bit long but the drive's worth it. Definitely shouldn't be missed. I chickened out in the haunted house section because I hate it. As I am afraid of heights, I didn't know what got into my head that I allowed myself to ride on the Viking. Even if it was a smaller version than the bigger ones you see in other theme parks, I wanted to destroy that ship while it kept swaying back and forth. After that traumatizing ride, I avoided this ride ...

When you go to Singapore, the very first thing that comes to one's mind or to anyone who's familiar with the country is, Sentosa. I bet you a million bucks anyone wouldn't first blurt out Jurong Bird Park haha. Quite possible would be Night Safari but Sentosa is the very first tourist attraction that would come to mind when you talk about Singapore. So off we went on a Friday, our second day in Singapore. The weather was not hot nor dry though we saw dark clouds brewing in the distant and sensed that their direction is to the city. Frankly, and I'll get straight to the point, I was disappointed with Sentosa. I thought it was some huuuuge theme park with lots of attractions and all. It's just one big island full of resorts. You're better off going to Disney instead. It didn't take long when we got there that it started to rain. We went there via cable car back and forth. If you plan to watch and ride their other attractions, your total payment would be more expensive. The other attractions we went to were their underwater world aquarium, plus the dolphin show and a 3-d ride called CineBlast. Their aquarium is nice, not that big but ok for my standard. They have a variety of crabs in there and you also get to touch fishes and rays. The dolphin acrobats in the Dolphin Lagoon were good but the music that accompanied them sucked.

Within Sentosa, they also have a Merlion statue and you can go inside and go up above its head to get a wider view of the harbor and horizon. But ... you got to pay for it. Other attractions include Songs of the Sea, but I didn't pay for it since I already saw this kind of show in Disney. The only ride that we weren't able to get in to was the Luge & Skyride since it was raining that time, they had the rides closed. We ignored the Tiger Sky Tower since you can see the same views when you're in the cable car. Other than these attractions, it's just one big Boracay island type with lots of resorts and resto-bars. Even though it was raining, our friend Lyn kept clicking her camera capturing every moment we were on that island.

One of the reasons why my wife and I didn't take tours in Singapore was that I have lots of friends who are working there. If we want to go to some place, we'd never get our time wasted because someone would show us around. Anyhow, I met up with most of my friends on our second night, before we headed off to Esplanade's merlion. We ate dinner at Cafe Cartel in Marina Square. The place was alright, packed with lots of people. Their food was good too. The only problem for me was their crew. They all look like high schoolers to me. Even the way they fix their hair, some looked like addicts or everyday bystanders. The only thing that made them look decent were their uniforms. Good serving and good food. worth your money. Definitely not disappointed when we dined there.

A few pics of the luxurious cars that were displayed in Epcot near the Test Track was. Won't be able to get into one of these anytime soon. Lookihere ... a Hummer! Also saw some Hummer Limos downtown, didn't expect it to have one. It looks stupid by the way. Better a regular Hummer like the orange one than a Limo Hummer. And ... I just love sports cars! This white experimental car that users hydrogen as fuel looks like a one-seater.

Heard of Bread Talk? They actually own the Food Republic which first started in Singapore but then expanded to Hongkong. It is a food court chain which combines local hawker fare with mini restaurants in an open dining concept.

Some stalls are also run from standalone pushcarts. Food Republic's elaborate decor and furniture are designed to invoke a nostalgic kampong atmosphere. We happened to pass by on one branch on our way home in Tsim Sha Tsui from our trip in Macau. The address is Silvercord Basement, Silvercord 30 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.

This dam got even more famous after the Transformers Movie live-action was released in theaters. The scene where the dam's body was first shown during Starscream's first robot-mode transformation. The area was also the place where Megatron was kept frozen until he broke free. Prior to departing for Las Vegas I asked my cousin what his plans were. When he told me about visiting Hoover Dam, I asked myself, "a dam? what's so special about it?". Like I'm that ga-ga over a dam? When he mentioned it was in the Transformers Movie, it totally changed my preference from not really excited in going there to looking forward to being there he he he. It is not far from Las Vegas which was why we were able to stop on that location before proceeding to Las Vegas.

We only got to pose for pictures outside the dam as during that day it was closed for whatever reason that was which I forgot. They also had this very high bride under construction I was so impressed with it that I had to take a picture of it ;). We spent around 2 hours roaming around the area for pictures. The weather was not that good that time. If it was sunny we would have gone to the Grand Canyon as Arizona was just behind the mountains on the area that Hoover Dam occupies. My uncle said checking out the Grand Canyon on a not so good weather would be equal to plain useless and your camera shots won't produce the beauty when the sun sets.