We have long planned to visit La Mesa Eco Park and I am delighted that we finally managed to go there. Thanks to that Bogart Case Files episode that the little one saw that got him all psyched to visit the place. I did include visiting more parks in our list of things-to-do this year, so I thought a trip to this park is in order.
We have planned to visit La Meso Eco Park way back when the little man is just a little pea inside my tummy but we never got the chance to pursue the plan as we got busy and preoccupied. Good thing we finally managed to visit the place earlier this year {yes, this is a very long overdue post!}. And it is also good that we waited this long to visit as the experience was surely much more enjoyable with the little man around.
Our experience sure went hand in hand with our plan to spend more time outdoors this year, and lucky for us, the heavens also cooperated by giving us a very sunshine-y weather. It was nearly lunch time when we arrived and it was good that there are a number of stores serving food inside the premises, at very affordable prices, too. We settled for grilled fish and pork liempo. Jared refused to have lunch and explored the playground just behind the place where we chose to eat lunch. There is a big slide and a monkey bar, where other children were also playing at the time.
We proceed to exploring the park after having lunch. I do not know exactly how big it was, but it sure was a massive place to take on foot and it is advisable to start walking and exploring early. The expanse of trees and greens was also enough to relax anyone who visits. There are a number of park goers at the time, and some where either taking lunch or taking a break from walking in one of the many cabanas available around. These cabanas are for rent at Php500 for the entire day. Since we plan to walk more and explore, we decided against renting a cabana and started our tour. For those who prefer guided tours, tour guides are also available for a fee.
One of our favorite spots in the park is the Flower Terraces, we love the colors and the view of the vast blue sky while roaming there. The little one enjoyed walking up and the down the little hill. We also took the chance to snap some photos while Jared busied himself playing around the big patch of green.
After taking some more snaps and passing the time watching children climb and ran up and down the flower terraces, we proceeded to the next part of the park. We saw a nursery with lots of plants and seedlings. These are also up for sale.
Just right after the nursery is the amphitheater. The place is perfect for team buildings and similar activities. Tents where set up during the day so we assumed that a company is having an overnight activity there. Apart from the tents, lively music was also blaring from a speaker. I thought it would be an awesome experience to go camping and sleeping in tents, maybe we can do that next!
La Mesa Ecopark have more amenities, including the swimming pool complex {admission is Php80} and the Butterfly Haven {Php60}. Pavilions and halls are also up for rent for those who decide to celebrate birthdays and other special occasions in the park. You can also rent bikes for Php60-Php90 per hour, for those who prefer to ride instead of walk while roaming around the park. You can also try fishing, bungee jumping and horseback riding. There were also boats available for rent, but the boats were not well-maintained and so is the lagoon that you were to traverse aboard the boats. I hope they could do something to restore the lagoon in its former state. It would be a very enjoyable adventure riding a boat to cross it.
I simply love this tree + this photo, too!
One of the highlights of the park is the glimpse of the La Mesa Dam nearby. The view of a seemingly endless blue surely is relaxing. I would’ve taken a snap or two using my smartphone, but taking photos of this are is not allowed. But we did enjoy taking snaps of ourselves as we walk up the many steps to view the dam and on our way down. This is also the perfect spot to take a photo of the water and the huge trees in the park.
What we enjoyed the most in this visit was watching the koi fishes in the pond. Although the pond was green and murky, and badly needs some cleaning, it never stopped us from staying longer as we check out the fishes swimmingly lazily in their home. We also enjoyed feeding the fishes with the crackers I have included in the snack box I prepared for the little one that morning. The fishes seem to be hungry, too, as they finished all the crackers we threw onto the pond. If I will have a bigger yard in the future, I would love to have a koi in a tiny pond, too!
Apart from the stores selling food and snacks I have mentioned earlier on, there are also kiosks selling souvenir items and other stuff. I noticed a couple of local instruments on display, including this cool guitar center mandolin, but I am just not sure whether those are also up for sale. I also spotted some lovely dream catcher in one of these shops and it was too bad I was not able to return to get one as a memento of our trip.
All in all, we truly enjoyed our La Mesa Ecopark visit. It was really affordable at Php50 per head admission fee. But I just hope the authorities will maintain the premises well and upgrade some of its amenities. Otherwise, I would still recommend it as an enjoyable family activity. The little ones need to be exposed to nature more often and this is a perfect venue for that. I am sure they will enjoy seeing huge trees, birds, plants and simply communing with nature. I do look forward to our next visit.
For more information about the La Mesa Ecopark rates and amenities, you may check out their website, http://www.abs-cbnfoundation.com/bk/lamesa.html