Archery 101: Arrowland by Gandiva

One thing I do not like about Manila is the lack of fun activities one can do in the city. Unlike other places like New York, Seoul and the like, we do not have parks, easily accessible mountains, or even spacious and well maintained zoos to spice things up and avoid mundane activities such as shopping and watching movies. Don’t get me wrong, I also enjoy shopping and catching the latest blockbuster but there are times when I crave for adventure or simply do something different. And I found the solution when I stumbled upon Gandiva in Ortigas. I had a blast firing arrow after arrow but I didn’t like the heavy price I had to pay for an hour of fun. Thankfully, Gandiva heard my prayers and created Arrowland.

Hello, Arrowland by Gandiva. 

I’m sure you’re wondering what makes this different from Gandiva. It’s also an archery place with pretty much the same set up as Gandiva which just happens to be located inside the always busy and packed SM Megamall. 

The venue alone already serves as a clue on what differentiates Arrowland from Gandiva. It made archery a lot more affordable and accessible to everyone interested to try being Katniss or Hawkeye by offering this action-packed activity in sachet-like packages.

Kids at Heart Paradise: Jump Yard

With vouchers expiring soon, I asked R if he could accompany me to visit Jump Yard, an indoor trampoline place near Tiendesitas, beside Ark Avilon Zoo. We have a very tight schedule to work on so we decided to visit last night.

Hello, Jump Yard!

The place was packed with kids and their parents when we visited. There were a couple of teens but it was undeniable that we were among the oldest (but not the least fit individuals in the trampolines, I hope).

It was a good thing that the place gets cleared up every hour to make room for new jumpers. And when it was finally our time slot, there were not a lot of kiddos around.

We were a tad too excited that we started to jump without warming up. As soon as we saw available trampolines with hoops, we played basketball, super jump style. ⛹🏻

[Activity Alert] The Zombie Room: Breakout @ Trinoma

I get super excited when I get to do or see something different. This is the reason why I was so hyper when I discovered Mystery Manila. I got so hooked after trying (to solve) Justice for Jamilla. I wanted more. I felt like I was possessed by Detective Conan. I just want to keep on solving mysteries! But it was hard to pull people to join me with my “quest” for justice and answers. (Okay, I have to calm down now.) It has been four months since my last staged adventure. I am not sure if it was fate or what but I saw something that made me so excited again.

Breakout Manila @ Trinoma!!!

I’m a big fan of the series, The Walking Dead and I sometimes imagine what I’ll do when a zombie apocalypse happens. Yes, you read my mind… I will get all the food I could get. Hunger scares me more than zombies. Okay, going back to the activity…

Breakout Manila, the other Saw-like company that made people so frustrated to escape the rooms they designed, is determined to make hearts go wild again this February 20 to March 22, 2015.

If you happen to hang out a lot in Trinoma, you might want to keep the blood pumping by being Rick, Daryl, Glenn, Maggie, Michonne, or Carol for 30 minutes.

The story is as follows:

It’s dark. You’ve been popping in and out of consciousness not knowing where you are… Then you discovered you are in a cage.

At least you’re alive… for now. [Then] You hear a growl. A sound you only hear in nightmares. You discover a zombie across the room.

You and your friends have 30 minutes to escape from not only the room but the flesh eating zombies as well. Can you breakout or will you become zombie bait?

Exciting right? This is one interesting activity to do with family, friends or your special someone!

Check www.breakout.com.ph for details on how to secure slots. [Note, there’s an extra PHP50 for online transactions.]

See you there!

-Gluttonshopper

All images are from Breakout Manila’s website and Facebook page.

Archery 101: Gandiva Café and Archery Range

I am a big fan of The Hunger Games and I fell in love with Jennifer Lawrence when she portrayed Katniss way better than I have imagined. (Oh and as a LOTR fan, I get googly eyes whenever I see Legolas and his oh so smooth long blonde hair.) And just like about more than half of the girls who watched the movie, I wanted to throw some arrows and be just like Katniss Everdeen. Luckily, two of my friends were feeling adventurous and wanted to try archery too. So off to Gandiva Café and Archery Range.

 

Okay, it wasn't exactly my first time to visit Gandiva. My first time was with T1 and T2 but given that we're collectively named T3 (The Takaw Trio), we just ate. This time around though, it was time to unleash the Katniss/Legolas in me.

We had to sign a waiver and pay PHP980 (which covers the use of equipment and instructor's fee) before we could enter the archery range. (Note: You have to call to reserve your slots and you also have to be there 15 minutes before your schedule.) 

When we got in, we were given arm protectors and fanny bags for our 4 arrows. Then we can choose which bow we want.

First 5 to 10 minutes is for short briefing such as right stance, where our hands and arms should be and basically how to shoot an arrow. (To make it short, we need to have one foot behind the shooting line while in a parallel stance then we have to stretch one arm straight while the other arm/hand tugging the string and the hand should be right below the chin with the elbow pointing up then... let go of the string with the arrow.)