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Hey Explorers,

Can you believe how many places we’ve visited in Pattaya and we’re not even half-way through? Incredible, huh? Some of the locations we visited were easily 1/2 day or even full-day experiences. But sometimes when you’re on vacation you get these awkward schedules where you don’t have enough time to do the 1/2 day experience, but you still have enough time to make sitting in the hotel room a waste. That’s what’s nice about Underwater World. It fills in this gap and provides a good hour of entertainment. Perfect if you have some time before your dinner reservations or the evening show you’re about to see.

Ben loves aquariums. He’s been to quite a few. And while many aquariums have similar exhibits, each has something unique that makes it stand out from the others. At Underwater World, virtually the entire aquarium is housed underneath a glass tunnel. Sure there are traditional tank exhibits, but the flow through the building is a giant circle, under the water. Here’s some highlights from our visit.

If you’d like to view some photos from Underwater World, visit our Flickr Site here.

|Know Before You Go|

Appeals To: Families with children, Aquarium “FINatics” (like the pun?)
Suggested Stay: 1 hour or less. It’s a bit smaller than it looks, but great for a quick afternoon trip.
Cost: 450 Baht ($15)
Getting There: Conveniently located off the main road, Sukhumvit. Look for the giant white tent-looking building and the giant shark out front.
Don’t Miss: Animal feeding times. Check the schedule when you arrive.
Visit Online: | web |
BTW: Underwater World offers opportunities to dive with sharks and rays.

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Post-Pattaya Post 12 of 26

Underwater World boasts over 2,500 marine animals from over 200 different species. That’s a lot of fish. Where many aquariums have exhibits designed around different regions of the world, so does Underwater World – except they follow in a natural progression. As visitors enter Underwater World, they start along the coast of Pattaya in a Touch Pool. Have you ever held a starfish? Neither Brian nor I have ever held a star fish. We’d love to share with you our first experience at the touch pool.

The next exhibit that follows brings visitors closer to the ocean depths: the coral reefs. Exhibits continue deeper and deeper into the ocean until visitors encounter the featured display, the 100-meter long acrylic tunnel that is home to sharks, rays and other fish. Wouldn’t you like to see that up close?

Like many other aquariums there are scheduled shows and feedings. Here is a video we found on YouTube that shows just how hungry those sharks and rays can be during feeding time. I wonder what that diver is feeling in there?

Underwater World is just one of many great things to do in the City of Pattaya. Continue visiting adventureswithben.com for more exciting updates and news from our experience in the Ultimate Thailand Explorer Contest. And if you haven’t already, you can enter the adventureswithben.com Tugo contest by visiting here.

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Don’t forget, Ben and Brian are applicants in the Ultimate Thailand Explorer Contest. Please follow us on twitter@benandbrianthai and share our Ultimate Thailand Explorer Application Video to Puttaya, Thailand with your friends and family.

So began my adventure at Jazzin’ at the Shedd at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Aquariums are great, I have one in my home. Whenever I’m traveling and the city has an aquarium, I try my hardest to stop by and visit it. I can’t pinpoint when this fascination began. It might have been the summer I worked at the New England Aquarium in Boston, or the snorkeling trips I took on family vacations in the Caribbean. Whatever the reason, aquariums are cool. How could they be any better? Add a little Jazz music.

That’s exactly what the Shedd Aquarium did. Thursdays evenings in the summer the aquarium is open late. They set the patio up with a tent, added some food, drinks and jazz bands and an ordinary aquarium visit turned into something really special. What I first noticed was the building it was in. They don’t make ‘em like they used to, that’s for sure. Built in 1930, the aquarium is housed inside an old stone building along Lake Michigan. The building exudes majesty, authority and pride. It’s well-deserved. Once in the queue, I was impressed with the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

At first glance, what seems like an average chandelier, upon closer inspection reveals fishy animals on the bottom. Great attention to detail. There were 2 ticket options available to purchase. The cheaper version does not include the Shark Tank and Whale/ Dolphin exhibits. For an extra 6 bucks I bought the whole thing – and you should too. Not only are the exhibits worth it, but that money will only help the aquarium to continue to offer such great opportunities as Jazzin’ at the Shedd.

I was impressed with how friendly the staff was. The ticket seller, ticket collector, photographer, cashier, food runner, everyone was glad to be there and glad to meet me. That’s uncommon in a lot of businesses. I was smiling all night long. My first stop was the Beluga Whale Exhibit, known as the Oceanarium, since it closed earlier than other parts of the aquarium. There are several Beluga Whales in the tank, two of them are pregnant. It is amazing to see these animals and think that there is a baby beluga swimming around inside. Lighting is generally dark in an aquarium, but I did my best to bring to you some of the highlights at my YouTube Channel. Here I am in the Oceanarium searching for the Beluga Whales.

The aquarium has the standard fare of exhibits: dolphins, river creatures, the Amazon, Lake Michigan, a Coral Reef and several others. One could easily spend 3-4 hours reading every panel and pressing your nose up to every glass. I had plans to see other parts of the city that night and spent about 2 hours. I felt like I was rushing myself. In fact, I walked past one tank and saw nothing but a big rock. It turns out, that rock was actually an Alligator Snapping Turtle. Take a look.

City museums are notorious for closing early. Case in point, I really wanted to visit The Field Museum of Chicago to see Sue the Tyrannosaurus Rex Fossil. Unfortunately, the museum closes at 5 P.M. each night. That’s why I was doubly impressed at the Shedd Aquarium. They were open late and enhanced their evening entertainment offerings. I went out on the patio to check it out.

My colleagues from work decided to go out to eat Thursday night at a fancy Chicago restaurant. I was the only one interested in going to the aquarium instead. I think I made the better choice, don’t you? Timing my meal right at sunset, I grabbed a Mozzarella and Tomato Panini, found a table on the waterfront and relaxed to the sounds of Jazz in the air and the Chicago City Skyline in the distance.

That Panini by the way, was the best Mozzarella and Tomato Panini I have ever had, seriously. Usually museum food stinks, but this was the exception. This was hit #2 for Chicago food. You may have read about hit #1 yesterday, Portillo’s. I was going to leave after dining outside until I accidently stumbled upon the Wild Reef. Remember I had paid to go see it, but I somehow neglected to stop there during my explorations.

The Wild Reef is home to their coral reef exhibits and shark tank. Coral reefs, no matter where they are, are beautiful. The colors are always stunning and the Shedd delivered. What was more impressive however, was their shark tank.

Though it pales in comparison to the ocean tank at the Georgia Aquarium, the shark tank here is pretty wild. It has tall panes of seamless glass looming over you. They were polished clean and provided an excellent view into the diverse aquatic environment on the other side. If I had a chair, I could have just sat there and watched it all day long. Be sure not to miss it.

The Shedd Aquarium is hosting it’s last Jazz night tomorrow night, August 27th. If you’re in the Chicago area, it’s worth checking out. Judging by the crowds in attendance, which by the way were dressed up like they were going out to a fancy restaurant, I’d expect them to have it next year.

Upon leaving the aquarium I sought out to discover the nighttime sights of the city. You’ll see those tomorrow. Until then, you can visit my Flickr site for more photos from my evening at the Shedd Aquarium. And after all the picture taking, I didn’t take any photos of the bands themselves! I don’t know how that happened!

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That’s Manta, the newest coaster at SeaWorld Orlando. It also happened to be our first stop Saturday night on an adventure at the aquatic-themed theme park here in Central Florida. Unlike most traditional coasters where riders are in a seated position, Manta rotates riders so that they are lying face down, as if they were flying – or gliding – through the water like a Manta Ray. It was terrifyingly awesome. Through the inversions, twists and descents, there was nothing beneath me to catch me should I fall. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience here in Orlando. Check it out!

Following the ride on Manta we explored the Sting Ray Aquarium, which was beautiful. The collection of sting rays was enormous and truly captivating to watch as they effortlessly glided through the water.

Later it was time to have some fun at the SeaWorld Orlando gift shops. Others in our party were browsing to actually purchase some goods. While they did that, I entertained myself by trying on a hat or two…

… or playing with some of the Dolphin Plush on the wall. Do you recall those toys that make noise when you press their hand or foot? Sea World had a shelf of dolphins that giggled and vibrated when you pressed their fins. It created quite a loud disturbance in the shop. So much so, that a nearby child loved the idea that he did it himself. I think I created a convert for life, and now every time he enters a toy store with toys that say, “press here”, I think he’ll do the same. Take a look for yourself.

SeaWorld after Dark continues the fun and excitement of the day with a whole new Killer Whale Show called Shamu Rocks. Our friends suggested we sit in the Splash Zone for the show, which under daytime (and sunny hot conditions), would be fine. But it’s nighttime, and there is no way I’ll be drying off after the show, so I was a bit reluctant to sit so close. Majority ruled however, and we wound up very close to the tank. See for yourself.

Oh did I mention that the Splash Zone is actually the Soak Zone? Brian was quick to correct that error.

And Soak Zone it was. We were forewarned to stow our electronics away since they would have a good chance of being ruined from the water. So I don’t have any photos of the event. Perhaps on another trip I’ll be able to make that possible. Suffice it to say, there were two moments when things became very wet. I was nervous with anticipation.

The first was when the killer whale swam up to the glass and with it’s hind tail, made a one time splash towards the crowd. I turned my back in protection, but it was not enough and I was drenched. The second moment occurred at the very end. Shamu was swimming on it’s side at the far end of the tank near the glass and swam continuously towards the other end of the tank, propelling itself with it’s rear fin, splashing the audience continuously.

It felt like one of those slow-motion moments in the movies. I saw the tail hit the water and the water fly through the air towards me. I could make out individual drops of water which quickly surged into giant buckets. The 6th row, as I have now discovered, is the precise row where the bulk of the water spray lands. For a millisecond, I thought I was off the hook, but the rest of the water followed and I was soaked to my skivvies.

It was well worth it though. What a fun time. It was a shared moment between all of the spectators as we laughed at how wet we were and the fact that it was created by a whale 10 times heavier than my car. We couldn’t stop laughing.

The first thing I did when I got home was jump in the shower to remove the whale poop that was probably all over me. How many parts per million were diluted in the tank? I may never know, or want to know, but a good time was had by all. Thank you SeaWorld Orlando and for the friends that made it possible.

P.S. I have more photos from SeaWorld Orlando at my Flickr site.

Above everything else, you must arrive early. Ticket Holders are allowed to enter the park at 830 while those who must purchase tickets at the gate must wait until 900. Do the smart thing and buy in advance. You’ll be glad that you did!

After renting a locker and claiming our beach chairs (on the soft, white sand), we proceeded directly to the flagship waterslide, Dolphin Plunge.

You’ll want to do this first thing since the lines will get long very quickly. The end of the slide goes into the dolphin pool where Commerson’s Dolphins swim alongside. The truth is, you’re traveling too fast and the clear portion is too short to get a good look at them. For a better view, check out the training programs throughout the day at the top of the pool, or stop by the underwater viewing area for a great view of both the dolphins and swimmers sliding by.

The part that I enjoyed the most was a not-so-lazy river called Roa’s  Rapids. Picture a lazy river without the tubes and water that moves fast  enough that you can’t stand up. The moment you step into the river the  current lifts you off your feet and you zoom along the river. It felt like I was  flying. Wearing a life vest helps you to float even more. I could have spent  the entire day in this river. I’ve never seen anything like it before.

The rest of the park has the usual fare: body slides, tube slides, family raft slides and a wave pool and lazy river. They also have, a toilet bowl slide that is worth several re-rides. Aquatica even has misters built into the concrete to keep the pavement cool during the hot summer temperatures.

This was a fun park, but the crowds fill up quick. After 4.5 hours in the water we left for lunch. Upon arriving at home I slept for 2 hours. The sun will do that to you!

Have you been to Aquatica? Do you have any tips to share? Comment below.