Throwback Thursday! Ripley's Aquarium, Toronto!

Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto is actually quite new, and they tried to make it as innovative as they could. Its an okay aquarium, but really busy and a bit overpriced for the attractions they had. That said, I would still recommend going on a trip to the CN tower (the aquarium is right underneath).

aquarium and CN tower

Skeletons on display

So many people

fishies!

Here's looking at you, kid

Octopus tentacles 

Reef (which is highly endangered FYI)

Fishies 

Sharks (also endangered)

Sawfish (endangered...see a trend?)

Swordfish (obviously endangered)

Sting ray 

JellyFish (not endangered-the only one)

Honolulu aquarium

Given how sun burnt I was in Hawaii, I tried to do things in the shade, or indoors. Needless to say, there aren't a lot of options like that around. Not in Waikiki or Honolulu anyways. So, we went to the aquarium, in hopes to see some cool fish, and leave my poor white skin alone. 

Little baby sea turtles!

Octopus are my favourites.

Little stingray, all smily and stuff.

I like the vibrant colours.

You'll note that there isn't a lot of pictures. While my phone was having some issues, that wasn't the only reason. In truth, the Honolulu aquarium doesn't have a lot. Which I thought strange given the fact that the waters surrounding Hawaii are a marine reserve. I expected more education and more outreach, given how threatened aquatic ecosystems are. I mean, it was only $15 to get in, so it was okay, but, really, if you have the choice between the aquarium and almost anything else-go for the other thing.

Aquarium!

Again, we went to the Vancouver Aquarium! I love aquariums, although I will say that I am getting tired of the one in Vancouver. I find there is nothing new, and nothing I haven't seen before-I've been too often to make it really fun anymore.
It was still good for one last hurrah though. We went because we had cheap tickets, and also because our Korean friend had never seen a sea otter. Crazy, right?
I do love aquariums, I just think I'm over this one. I have potential plans to visit some other ones this summer. Have any suggestions for good aquariums?

California Academy of Science

I would, again, like to apologize for my prolonged absence the past little while. The cold and broken rib thing really kicked my ass hard. Like, wow.

Anyways, I have just a few more blogs about San Francisco left, so bear with me on this. This was such an amazing trip, and I just want to share all my cool adventures!

One of the cool things we got to do was the California Academy of Science! I LOVE science, and nature, and all those things, so this was totally a place for me. The fact that it had some AMAZING exhibits just made it more awesome.

There is an elaborate area dedicated to the study of evolution, not just of animals and specific species, but to the migration of these species and why things are they way they are at a particular location. There was also a lot of history, in terms of evolution of species, the earth, and how we humans have shaped that evolution. It was some super neat stuff!

There was also a pretty extensive aquarium. It was actually better than the 'official' aquarium in a few ways, mostly in its variety of species. They also had parts of the aquarium running through the entire building, so that, almost anywhere, one could see sting rays and small skates swimming around. I wish I got a picture of that!

In addition to these areas, there was also an earthquake simulation room, an indoor Amazon rain forest with butterflies and plants from the Amazon, and a planetarium. Now, one of the EXTRA cool things about the California Academy of Science is that they have a Night Life night, in which there is booze, no children, DJ's and artist exhibits from local artists. In addition, most of the normal exhibits are also open, and the planetarium even has some special shows that they only show at the Night Life. Of course we went, and it was AMAZING.
A tip to those who go to Night Life-arrive early, since it sells out fast, and be sure to get your little tickets to the extra planetarium shows early, since there are limited seats.

 Alright, so there are 2 more posts about San Fran, and then we (finally) get to move onto things I've been doing lately! Also, if you haven't already, subscribe to my YouTube channel and watch the videos! I will (likely) do at least one a week, so enjoy my awkwardness at talking, thinking, expressing, and videotaping.

xo

San Francisco-Cable cars, Aquarium and Shark feeding!

Did you guys know that San Francisco is one of the only places left in North America that still has the cable car? It is the city that is most famous for them, at any rate. It is one of those touristy attractions that everyone does. Even the locals take the cable car if occasion warrants it.

That said, because there are so many people taking the cable car, there is often a long line up to get on. We waited about 30 minutes before getting on ours. That said, we did hit the "peak" time at around 11:30am. We all like sleeping in a little, and had some food beforehand, making us leave a bit later than we'd expected.

Our trip ended at Fisherman's Wharf, which is another one of those huge touristy destinations. It is also the terminus stop of the cable car. When they are at the terminus stops, the cable cars have to be turned around by workers, and it creates a backup. That means that the cars are stopped for a while, leading to some fun photo ops!

We didn't stay long at the Fisherman's Wharf, but instead made our way to the Aquarium of the Bay! We had pre-booked tickets to do a behind the scenes tour and shark feeding, but wanted to go around the aquarium first. We did go to a lovely cafe for dessert, but, you'll have to wait for the glorious, mouthwatering photos of those until later, when I do my desserts of San Fran post.

Do you know which wrist is mine?

I think I've made it clear that I LOVE aquariums. I hate the whole captive fish thing, and the removal of sensitive species from their natural environments, but I also love science and the wonder of things that inhabit the most unknown area of the world-the oceans. The sheer amount of beauty in the creatures under the sea, and the weird turns through the path of evolution that some of these species have made is just mindbogglingly awesome.

The actual aquarium wasn't that spectacular. I've been to some of the world's biggest and best aquariums (such as Osaka Aquarium, Tokyo Aquarium, Busan aquarium, etc) so this one was rather small and limited in the species that were on display. It was still a nice aquarium, but I think I've been spoiled too often in the past, in terms of awesome aquariums.
The actual tour was pretty awesome though. We got to learn about the different feeding and breeding programs that some of the species undergo in the aquarium. We also got to see the decontamination areas for new incoming fish, as well as where the creatures go when they get sick. Finally, we got to feed all the different kinds of sharks! I didn't get any pictures of that, since I was wearing my gloves, and didn't want to get my camera covered in fish guts. But, this is right after the feeding.

How cool is that? If you're in the area, I highly suggest taking the tour. It was super informative and a lot of fun to feed the sharks!

Up next-ANOTHER chocolate factory, and the Exploratorium!