Monday we ran down to Pingtung to visit the
National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium near Hengchun, probably the best museum-type attraction on the island outside of the National Palace Museum. We hadn't been there in a decade, and I was looking forward to seeing what was new.
The coral reef exhibit always has some beautiful fish.
Like this one.
And other organisms as well.
The walk-through section of the reef exhibit is way cool.
Up close and personal with a manta.
A close up of a deadly fish.
A sea urchin.
For me the highlight of the visit is this awesome tank with a whale shark.
The whale shark.
On a whale shark, there's a sucker borne every minute.
Outside you can enjoy views of the coast, though Monday was ugly.
A newer building houses an exhibit on the ancient seas with 3-D animations and an exhibition of living fossils.
Like this nautilus.
And this gar.
Everything must be photo'd.
Also enjoyable were the seals, though their enclosure is far too small.
The kelp tank.
The penguin tank is a crowd favorite.
I admit they are seriously cute.
A very positive experience for the whole family. I highly recommend this place. $450 for adults, $250 for teenagers. Takes 2-3 hours to really look it over and enjoy it. Come early to avoid the busloads of school kids who arrive after lunch.
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Wow! Thanks for sharing Michael.
ReplyDeleteWe last made a trip in that area about 7 years ago ourselves, looks like we need to make a trip to check out the museum.
Looks really well done and their website is very cool.
How did you get down there, bus, train, etc.?
Thanks!
Sage we drove our van down. From the Chung it was 3.5 hours driving time, about 4 hours in all. The Aquarium is extremely professionally done.
ReplyDeleteI would take the aquarium over the National Palace Museum any day. The NPM is one of the worst displays of artifacts and booty I have ever laid eyes on.
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