there are no ants in antarctica...

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That's something new I learned as Ate Bing, Ate Mary, and I walked into this exhibit at the Manila Ocean Park called "Trails to Antarctica".

But there are penguins. The penguins calling Manila Ocean Park home, however, are not the emperors which live in Antarctica. These penguins are the South American ones which were born and raised in Germany. Confusing, huh? Aside from seeing the penguins, we were able to feed them with fish as well. That was a unique experience for me; I've seen fairy penguins in Sydney before (from a boat deck) but I've never been close enough to a real live one. I had wanted to pet the one I gave the fish to (as if it were a stuff toy) but the marine biologist who guided us warned against it. After all, these were still wild animals despite being near people their whole lives.

Humboldt penguin
Humboldt penguin

Feeding the penguins, if it can be taken as a risk, reminded me of the time I walked along the side of a building in Cebu City. Being in the penguin enclosure must be like being behind the scenes, among The Penguin's penguin army, in the movie Batman Returns (1992).

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