La Mesa Eco Park: It's more than just a watershed

It's independence day here in the Philippines and I know, I'm supposed to be in Luneta; celebrating the occasion. But instead, I chose to go nature tripping. It was an unplanned trip and a spur of the moment decision to visit a highly recommended weekend getaway. By visiting the La Mesa Eco Park, you are helping preserve the environment.

Established in 2007, the La Mesa Eco Park is an extension of the La Mesa Dam itself that is the primary source of water in Metro Manila. The watershed is managed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and is listed by approximately 300,000 visitors each year.

How to get to La Mesa Eco Park

Public Bus: Take the Fairview/Tungko route and alight at Pearl Drive. Green tricycle at bus stop will take you all the way to La Mesa Eco Park for the amount of P50. Maximum capacity is 5 passengers. If less than 5 passengers, you will still need to pay the P50 fare.

From Munoz market to the watershed, Grab taxi will charge P261(max. of 2 passengers).

The Eco Park is open from 8am-5pm from Monday to Sunday and charges a minimal P50 per head to none QC residents. QC residents will pay P40 and senior citizens are free to enter. For a minimal amount, the whole family can do all sorts of activities within the park. 

Families can either bring or cook their own food inside the park. Designated cooking areas are available as well as sink to fetch water and wash your hands. 

The path leading to the Eco Park...

Pool Entrance Fee:

         Persons above 3ft.          P80

         Persons 3ft and below    P40

Take note that swimming attire is strictly observed and pool admission rates apply to everyone who will enter the pool area, whether they are going to swim or not.

The mini rainforest lies adjacent to the Amphitheater. It is perfect for joggers or those who want to do some side walking after a picnic. Some of the paths within the rain forest are paved while some were created by frequent passerby looking for a shorter way to reach their next destination.

Mini Rainforest

(Above) The mini rainforest of the La Mesa Eco Park came as a welcome destination for someone like me who's still trying to figure out how to work on a simple mobile phone camera. This is my first take on a vertical panoramic shot. :D

Massage anyone? :D

(Above) The  Carigara Blind Massage is located near the entrance of the swimming pool and alongside the fish pond. It can accommodate 4 people at the same time.

Water Biking anyone?

(Below) The stairway leading to La Mesa Dam. I was hoping to freely view and take photos of the water. If I can, that would be the highlight of my visit; unfortunately the gate at the top was closed and picture and video taking was not allowed.

(Below) My persistent nature awarded me with a glimpse of the Dam, after I took the photo, one of the personnel warned me not to take photos of the water. Some say, there's a myth behind the beautiful waters, but I'm not sure.

Taken from the tower supporting the zipline.

Ziplining at the La Mesa Eco Park costs P200 per head. The biplane gives you full view of the La Mesa dam on the left and a good view of the Eco Park on the other side. 

Not the best place to catch a fish for lunch, but it sure entertain those who want to pass the time.

The Fish Pond

(Above) The fish pond is adorned by lined picnic huts on both sides. People can fish on the pond or just rent a family shed for P500 the whole day. Featured below is a shed that can accommodate 8-10 people, but from what I see, some families were more than 15 and they fitted perfectly.

Fun Archery! A hobby that's becoming more and more popular

Care to Bungee Jump? This is the place to start

The Amphitheater

(Above) The Amphitheater looks like a the mini rice terraces and in good days, people set their tents in this area, creating a beautiful, colorful scenery of the place. 

(Below) The Butterfly Sanctuary fine print:

• See butterflies eggs in cluster and glimpse beginning of life
• Watch as caterpillars voraciously devour
• Feel the sensation of a caterpillar crawling on the palm of your hand
• Observe as caterpillars shed their skin
• Witness pupas in hibernation
• Behold as pupas metamorphous into butterflies
• Experience and be a witness to a butterfly's cycle.

The Flower Terraces give majestic view of the watershed fronting visitors. Lined up are different kinds of flowers, balancing the green with a different tone of color. On top of the Flower Terraces lies the La Mesa Dam and its serene waters during the summer.

A view of the Flower Terrace from the Koi Pond where we were seated.

A lot more can be seen at the La Mesa Eco Park, but we chose to visit the most recommended spots within the park. 

Yours Truly :D

This is Batanes...

Imagine the next time you need to park your..... "airplanes" ☺☺☺

These images were taken in the island of Batanes. The small airplanes travel from mainland to the island of Itbayat. Although you can reach Itbayat by ferry, another option is to ride these parked airplanes. Interesting isn't it?

These airplanes normally cater up to 8 passengers and it takes about 10-15 minutes to reach the island of Itbayat. Airfare cost around 2k per passenger so if you're not up to taking the boat and spend 4 hours in the water, this is your other option.

Visit 'The Papier Tole Shop' in Intramuros and see why people keep on coming back

I don't know where my fascination for thrift shops started, but I do know, my youngest sister and I share the same interest. We are bound by our crazy interest on small bookstores like really small ones packed with maybe second hand books ranging from romance to travel and even DIYs. While we can spend hours on bigger bookstores like National and Powerbooks, it's different when we're at "Booksale," say... double the amount of time we spend on it.

Needless to say, we're both enchanted by stores that are more personalized (handcrafted items, old novels that has seen the times, journals etc...). I personally collect organizers and yes! pens! but on this particular day, I was greeted by a thrift shop with an impeccable feature.

The Papier Tole Shop
Address: General Luna St, Intramuros, Manila, Metro Manila

Handmade crafts from post-its to small journals, pens, table top notepad, notebooks that can be counted as collectibles and the list could go on. A locally made wrapping paper is also available and hundred more paper products that if you compare it to food, it's gastronomic as it is pleasing to the eyes. WOW the description :D

Inventory? yup! I wonder too... The knickknacks are endless and the variety of items were too many; it actually makes the place very interesting.

The store keeper was kind enough to offer me to take a look at the backyard. This is the path within the store leading to the back where the view is equally enchanting.

The one time I really paid attention to Intramuros

On Sunday, my sister made a rare request of attending mass at the Manila Cathedral. I said ok, despite thinking the amount of gas I have left in my car ☺. It's the second time I attended mass in the church, aside from two prior visits that resulted to watching two weddings ☺. So, yes! visiting the place gave me renewed experience towards the historic stance of Intramuros in the Philippine history books. Good thing I was accompanied by some willing people that eagerly walked the narrow streets of Intramuros, under the scorching sun.
I apologize for the limited photos, but they are just the places we encounter on plain sight. I know, Intramuros has a lot more to offer so, maybe next time? :)

After attending the mass, these are the few places we were able to visit before we head home.

Manila Cathedral
Address: Sto. Tomas, Intramuros, Manila, 1002 Metro Manila

Mass Schedule:

• Monday - Friday
• 7:30 am and 12:15 nn
• Saturday
• 7:30 am
• Sunday
• 7:00 am, 8:30 am, 10:00 am, 11:30 am and 6:00 pm
• BAPTISM
• Monday - Saturday by appointment
• COMMUNAL
• Sunday 9:30 am and 11:00 am
• CONFESSIONS
• Monday to Friday at 7:00 am and 11:30 am
• Saturday 7:00 am
• Sunday 7:00 am, 8:30 am, 10:00 am and 11:30 am
• WEDDINGS
• By appointment

Palacio Del Gobernador
Address: Gen. Luna St. Cor. Postigo Cor. Soriano St., Intramuros 658 Zone 70, Manila, 1002 Metro Manila

Bureau of the Treasury
Address: Soriano Ave, Intramuros, Manila, Metro Manila

Aduana Building
Address: Magallanes Drive Cor. Muralla St. Intramuros, 654 Zone 69, Manila, 1002 Metro Manila

I was told, this was a former prison but history says it's the Aduana building also known as the Intendencia; a Spanish Colonial structure that is home to many government offices centuries ago.

Casa Sto. Nino
Address: 400 Solana St, Intramuros, Manila, 1002 Metro Manila

Mercantile Insurance Building
Beaterio St, Intramuros, Manila, Metro Manila

...and we discover history like we never had before. as chilling as it may sound, it's interesting to discover more about the past. So yes, if you're up to experience some sort of "spiritual" intervention, then you might want to visit the places mentioned. In fact at that time, I was standing on a place where a mass massacre once transpired.

The path going to San Agustin church

St. Augustine Church (Our Lady of Correa)
Address: General Luna St, Manila, Metro Manila

 Mass Schedule:

• Sunday at 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM 
• Saturday at 5:30 PM 
• Monday to Friday at 6:30 AM and 5:30 AM
• Saturday at 7:30 AM

Intramuros has an eerie past and it's undeniable how often it made us look at Philippine history in a more compelling way.

Manila is more than just a city

Are you looking for a place within the city where you can still enjoy the true blessing of nature?
Unless you count Baywalk at the back of Mall of Asia (MOA), yes I've seen the captivating view of the less than clean waters of Manila Bay. But on Sunday, I was able to capture a different Baywalk when I purposely went there for these pictures. My apologies for the poor images, but it's the best my smartphone can do :D.

Except for the taint smell of the water, which I consider a big plus if it smelled tangy with "fresh" salt water; the place pretty much hosts early birds and those who wish to savor some moment of peace, stillness and being close to nature in the middle of the city.

Thanks to a chance encounter with the place while I was on my way to the Deaprtment of Foreign Affairs (DFA), I promised myself that I'll be back to take a closer look.

I wonder if she had breakfast already :) It would have been nice if we came there equipped with food enough for the rest of the wandering children.

Like any other place that takes pride on its bay side views, Manila's Baywalk is definitely NOT a let down.