Looking back at Phuket FantaSea: The animal attractions

See related post:
Looking back at Phuket FantaSea

I made it clear yesterday that everything at Phuket FantaSea is all about grandeur. Simplicity simply does not exist in this theme park. Apart from the rides and shops, the park also has a place where guests can check out some fauna. How they present them to the viewing public is just over-the-top!

rszDSC_8262adj

I was thrilled to see baby elephants and for (I think) 500 baht, photo op! Well, they did build a backdrop. The pachiderms were just so cute even if they smelled. My Bibe was a bit uneasy. She said, even if they were babies, they were still elephants that could trounce you with ease. Me? I was just happy. Look at my smile.

We went inside what the park dubbed as "Tiger Jungle Adventure." Upon entering you're welcomed by the sight of t-shirts, stuffed toys, and all these merchandise for sale.

rszDSC_8237adj
The entrance.

rszDSC_8243adj
These toy snakes are just so cute. I was able to resist the urge to get one, however.

rszDSC_8247adj
At first we thought this lady was holding a real snake. The way she held it, caressing and petting it, sure got us fooled at first.

We then went through a dark passage dotted by aquariums that housed snakes. And they just couldn't make it simple. One python was supposedly guarding some jewels -- huge replicas of diamonds and other gems that illuminated his lair.

rszDSC_8253adj
This is the "real" entrance.

rszDSC_8258adj
These are the "jewels" the python was guarding.

The dark passage soon opened up to a dreamy place I thought at first was just fluff. Turned out there were birds in there. And I forgot to say that this whole place was airconditioned.

rszDSC_8272adj
That's not a real bird. It was a mechanical thing that moved in patterns. I only realized later that there was a real bird in that fancy cage after all.

rszDSC_8275adj
Now this is the real bird. Feels so much like fairyland here.

rszDSC_8279adj
After checking out a few more animals, we came upon this staircase. I can't get over what the Thais are doing! Corny, maybe. But still I'm impressed!

rszDSC_8282adj
This part here just blew me away. These birds (They're cockatoos, right?) were just comfortably perched on the faux branches of this faux tree, minding their own business. They weren't caged or anything, yet they also never flew around. How'd they make them behave like that? There are dog and cat whisperers. Could there be a bird whisperer too?

rszDSC_8284adj
I don't think these ones here are as behaved as the cockatoos, which is probably why they're kept inside a glass cage.

In as much as I admire all the fancy stuff around, there are also those I find downright cheesy, like this one here:

rszDSC_8291adj

We came to the end of line: the "Tiger Kingdom." And what a palace it was for the resident white tigers! I don't really know how many tigers they have since we only saw a pair in the glass-paneled cage.

rszDSC_8294adj
They really want to make the tigers feel like royalty with this cage. And yes, it's also air-conditioned.

rszDSC_8299cropadj
I had a picture of him peacefully asleep, like some cute little kitty I'd so love to pet. Then he opened an eye, like, "Hey, I'm watching you."

The park also offered elephant rides in front of the "Palace of the Elephants," but more on that later. We thought we'd seen enough animals already until we stumbled upon a pleasant surprise as we were about to enter the theater to watch the show we came for -- another photo op! With a tiger cub! My eyes lit up.

rszT3-030adj
This cub was just the cutest, and he had nothing on his mind at this point but to finish his milk. No cameras were allowed here so this was a paid shot. But even how quickly it came by, I was happy.

During the show, we got to see more animals -- on stage, of course! But that's it for now.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

FRAGRANCE | Green Cedar EDT by Bench: An environmentally-conscious offering from the Philippines' premier retail brand

Man of style: Steven Tyler