Subic has been infamous lately as the location of the controversial rape case involving "Nicole" and four U.S. marines, whom the victim met in Neptune Club. To date, the case is still ongoing but if you want a timeline of the case, you can read about it here: Timeline of alleged Subic rape.

This former U.S. naval base is also a famed tourist spot because of its many attractions as well as the fact that it is a freeport zone, making it a haven for duty-free shopping centers.

Last July 16, TIto Jun, Mama, Joseph and I toured this fascinating zone full of wonders.

Olongapo, the gateway to Subic, is approximately three hours away from Manila. We rode a bus from Victory Liner - Cubao station and from Olongapo, we hired a van to take us to the hot spots.

The World of Spiders inside JEST Camp

Our first stop was the JEST (Jungle Environmental Survival Training) Camp. In this nature camp, you can watch a demonstration on how to survive in the wilderness by relying only on your bolo and the ubiquitous bamboo.

It was exciting to watch the military man bring forth fire in just a few minutes of rubbing bamboo sticks together.

My favorite part was getting to drink liquid from a bamboo-like plant - it wasn’t rainwater or tree sap. It tasted a bit like drinking am or rice wash. 

In the butterfly room, we were able to meet a friendly cockatoo.

We then moved on to Zoobic Safari where we had lunch. It was too bad, though, that they had run out of dishes cooked out of bamboo (or buho, as the natives call it).

Still, we had a delightful lunch just in time for the guided tour of the place. Our guide took us on a walking trip to view the rodents, bears, ostriches, pot-bellied pigs, a stag and my favorite, the porcupines.

The highlight of the trip was definitely our close encounter with the tigers. For an additional amount, visitors can buy a dressed chicken that would be fed to the tigers so we could see them "in action." It might have been contrived but it was exciting nonetheless.

While riding the brightly colored safari truck with grilled doors, I could have practically reached out and stroked the mighty beast’s claws had I dared.

After that adrenaline rush, we settled down in the laid-back atmosphere of Ocean Adventure.

Joseph and I were mesmerized by the lively performances of the dolhins and false killer whales. Imagine being able to ride a gentle sea creature like a surfboard - what a life!

The sea lions were just as entertaining and educational as well. They danced and reminded us of the need for reducing, reusing and recycling our garbage.

This California girl was lucky enough to interact with the sea lions

We couldn’t pass up the chance to take a look at their version of Baywalk, which had gray sand and several establishments like Pier One and of course, Neptune Club. They even offered banana boat rides in the area.

A day trip isn’t enough to explore the many facets of this fascinating naval base.