Beat the Heat: Malumpati Cold Spring

I'm used to traveling like a tourist. I would always find myself visiting tourist destinations (and traps) that I'd miss several hidden gems only locals know. But exploring the country with R gives me a refreshing view of the Philippines. He'd always bring me to places I hardly know or even consider to spend a day or two. And more often than not, I would have a blast! True enough, my trip to Malumpati Cold Spring was memorable!

Hello, Malumpati Cold Spring!

I've never heard of Malumpati Cold Spring till a friend recommended this place when she found out that we were visiting Antique for a few days (a day and a half to be exact). In fact, I wasn't even familiar with cold springs. I know that there are several hot springs in the country and I've even visited the one in Coron, Palawan. Needless to say, I got excited, especially since it was scorching hot when we were there. 

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. ⛹🏻

Market! Market! = Fun! Fun!

I hardly visit Market! Market! because it is a bit far from my place and I find the mall to be crowded all the time. But my visit today made me realize that this mall in Taguig isn’t that bad after all.

It all started when I was trying to organize a laser tag event. I know that there is a laser tag arena in Market! Market thus when we were thinking of a place to play this really cool game (sorry, hooked to playing laser tag), I immediately thought of Market! Market! (especially since the other options are a bit too far—i.e. Ayala Town Center).

Since I wanted to make sure that the laser tag place where I played before is still there, I checked several sites (even to the point of texting the manager of the arena) and to my relief, LazerXtreme, Market! Market! is still very much alive. I found out other interesting things too. There are other activities to do in Market! Market! such as Camp Sandugo’s wall climbing, vertical bungee jumping (where you have to ring the bell), and food shopping.

Laser tag is so addicting. One game is not enough. At P190 per game, it may sound pricey but it is worth it. It is 20 minutes of sweaty fun! Okay, maybe it does not sound very attractive especially to girls but with a mere P190, you gain a unique experience + lesser calories and fats + new friends (or enemies). You also get a P20 discount if you play another game plus a glass of iced tea if you are the top player of the game. J

The inspiration... free iced tea

The gear

Camp Sandugo wall climbing is also a cheap way to kill time. At P50 for a single climb, you already get a belayer’s assistance. I think that this is a better deal compared to the unlimited climb at P140 without a belayer. You need to add P200 for belayer’s assistance. If you are the type who wants to make sure that everything will be fine, you could also rent climbing shoes at P50. Not sure how many times one can climb to make P340 worthwhile. Anyway, I opted to avail the single climb. I was super scared though because the last time I tried wall climbing was when I was still in high school (and please do not do the math) and the wall was way lower than Camp Sandugo’s. Nonetheless, reaching the top is one great accomplishment. J



The WALL



I am not very keen though with the food shopping part. True, I find the area well-organized with the delicacies of different regions on separate kiosks. But for some reason, this also seems like a tourist trap. The delicacies were OVERPRICED. My grandmother was craving for Mountain Maid (Good Shepherd’s) Ube Jam and since I love her oh so much and just can’t resist spoiling her that I bought a jar for P480. I know that it is around P200 at Baguio. True, there’s logistics and stuff but their markup is just too much.

Verdict: Market! Market!, a place to visit when bored. J

How to make your weekend action-packed!

I have always wanted to try paintball but I never had the chance when I went to Tagaytay Highlands. I was so glad though that I joined Couch Surfing and that someone organized a paintball event on January 30, 2011. J I made sure that I WILL BE THERE NO MATTER WHAT. 

Finally, January 30 came and we all went to the La Mesa Eco Park (yes, there’s Global Gutz there too) to play paintball and to also try other things (such as biking, rappelling, wall climbing, fishing, boating). There is also a zipline inside the park. :)

 

We first tried to bike. We got a bit disappointed because rented bikes cannot be used outside the enclosed biking area. But since I saw a pretty interesting bike, I still rented one. It was a bit more expensive than the basic bicycles (basic bicycles cost P60/hour and the one I rented costs P80/hour). The enclosed area is actually “supposed” to be a good place to learn how to bike. BUT, the ground was pretty uneven and it was also quite rocky. So, for first-timers… good luck.

Bike at your own risk!

Don't worry. The first aid station is very near the biking area :)

After biking in circles, we decided to find food. To our surprise, there are very, and I mean VERY limited food options. No wonder some people advised us to bring our own food. But we were a stubborn group and hardly brought food. Some brought some chips with them and thank goodness for that.

Anyway, we are now excited to do something… violent. *Off to Global Gutz.* To be honest, I got super nervous and even hesitated if I should still try it since they made us sign a waiver that they will not be accountable for anything that happens to us inside the arena. (We were “quite” safe though because we were equipped with masks and chest… uh pads.)But since a lot were still very game to try it, I gave in. It costs P350 for 50 bullets and P500 for 100 bullets. Extra bullets cost P4 each. Yes, it is quite expensive. But I guess we are paying for the unique experience.

At first, I thought that 50 bullets is more than enough but I realized that it is so not enough because we all became trigger happy when we see the opposing team. Note: Be careful of getting hit on the head. IT IS PAINFUL. Also, make sure that you follow the rules. 1.) Keep your distance. 2.) Make sure that you do not attack people with their hands up for they either ran out of bullets or were hit twice already. The masks get blurry and foggy after some time since we sweat (unless you are some demigod who do not sweat at all but glow instead). But you have to wear your mask at all times or face the risk of your eyes saying hello to paintballs (which look like egg yolks).

Our P350 lasted for less than 20 minutes I think. >.< But it was a fun-filled less-than- 20-minutes game. And several mosquito bites as a bonus!

The before PAINtball picture

The others even had the energy to do wall climbing while the others opted to try the zipline. Since I was dead tired (and was not too keen with the zipline because of the lack of view), I opted to… buy ice cream and let the not-so-polluted air dry my sweaty top. (Disgusting, I know.)

Overall, I will go back to the park and try the other activities namely fishing, boating, and wall climbing. :)

Captured! Yihee! <3