Akuaria Adventure

So our trip did not end at Petrosains. The next destination was Akuaria, which was in the near vicinity. We walked the way through an underground tunnel and arrived shortly after in Akuaria.

The place was essentially a zoo for aquatic creatures, short of a few reptiles and amphibians. The moment a visitor steps in, they can see opened aquariums in which they can touch the animals in there. This is one of the few "interactive" exhibits the gallery had to offer, if one compares it to the Petrosains.

Moving in, one can see various marine species in their natural habitats (minus the glass case), which differs in their sizes, shape, colours, and whatnot. There was a particular species of frog that I could remember; the Bumblebee frog, which was the inspiration of the Bumblebee character in Transformer movies. It had the same distinct colours, which were yellow and black. I realized past experiences plays an important part in learning new experiences; I would not have remembered the amphibian if it was not for the movie.

Further in, there was an exhibition in which you can hold a snake and take pictures with it. I'm no expert in reptiles, but definitely not of the poisonous kind(the skin was colourful though, aren't those poisonous?) and harmless (probably). Not one to take risks, I took the safe way out and ignored the exhibition.

Immediately next to the reptile is the entrance into the underwater tunnel(which goes under a huge pool) which exhibits the actual sight one would see under the sea. Visitors can stand on the moving platform that goes through the tunnel until the end, a clever device that allows the visitors to ogle at the animals while keeping on the move at all times. There were also exhibitions of gaping mouths and dropped jaws as the visitors strain their necks to see the exhibits which were uncomfortably rather high up than the usual level. Children, on the other hand, were content on observing animals abundant on their eye levels.

An exhibition of underwater feeding was scheduled; apparently it was the main event of the gallery. Children were given priority of the first class seats, right in front of a large tank which struck me as an oversize television. As the show proceeds on, the children who were fascinated were practically leaning against the glass case, much to the dismay of the exhibitors, who kept asking the children to politely restraint from doing so through the PA system. Which, as we all can attest, is ineffective to children.

After quite a few nibbles and bites later, the fish feeding show ended. It was a fresh experience, a welcome change from toiling through technologies to navigating through nature.

As I made my way through the hallways exiting Akuaria, I realized that nature is a great teacher. Living in a concrete jungle, the residents have lost connection with nature. It is in bastions such as this that we get to experience another side of the world.