Philippines has a lot of beautiful places to offer from beaches to indoor places with picturesque landscapes such as this 140-hectare, Ciudad de Victoria garden. This garden is a huge indoor landscape inside the Philippine Arena. It is located in the towns of Bocaue and Santa Maria, Bulacan. It's actually accessible to my hometown. Operation hours is between 8AM to 11PM. Here are some of the attractive landscapes inside the garden.
THE CHARIOT
This chariot is so lovely that it doesn't need colorful lighting at all. The regular light is good enough for this one. Seeing this chariot gives a Cinderella vibes. I personally wish they allow people to sit there and take pictures but since we're not sure about it, taking its photo would be the safest thing to do.
GIANT BOAT
This lovely boat is not made of Christmas lights like the usual ones we see in other landscapes at night. They used a different effect and it's stunning. The shades of pink and yellow look good together. This is amazing considering how big this boat is and yet they managed to make the whole structure glow without the need to fill it with Christmas lights.
FLOATING FAUCET
This floating faucet is the most creative structure I've ever seen in this garden. I'm so amazed as I wonder what technique they applied to make it look as if it's floating despite being big and heavy. Maybe the plants below it are good enough to give support. The blue lights give a magical pour as well. Everything is so creative in this faucet.
HEART LANDSCAPE
This is the most romantic part of the garden. It gives off the Valentine vibes even if it's not love month. Couples can enjoy romantic shots with two heart landscapes to choose from the romantic pink one to the colorful and festive one.
PEACOCK
This peacock is amazingly done with those meticulous details especially on the tail. It gave justice to the beauty of the real peacock. The lights suit it very well. Purple is a good choice for the tail part instead of green since green already dominates the floor. Purple made the peacock stand out.
ARENA RIDES
I've never seen a garden that has rides inside. It's not as intense as the ones in amusement parks since the place is focused on the garden. Still, this is a unique idea. The rides are kid friendly. This track is where my nephews enjoyed their car ride.
GAZEBO
Mom loves to take breaks between activities and this is the nice place she found to take a break from walking while my nieces and nephews are moving around. She's just relaxing at the gazebo with beautiful lights while waiting for them to fetch her. This is the best place to take a rest as well as another romantic place for couples to relax.
THE STUNNING JAPANESE GARDEN
Saving the best for the last, this Japanese garden is the most stunning part of Ciudad de Victoria and it's personally my favorite. I love anything Japanese themed. This entrance to the Japanese garden alone makes you feel like there's a shrine maiden waiting for you inside. The blue lights really look great and it's a good match with the theme. It emphasized more of the night garden look.
Surrounded by a pond and loaded with pink lights, this bridge and its surrounding trees make you feel as if you are in a cherry blossom garden at night. Cherry blossoms don't grow here due to our weather but I love the feeling that these lights were able to bring the cherry blossoms ambiance here.
The Japanese feels continues with this ancient house. I feel like having a tea inside it but it's more of a display so we are only allowed to take pictures. It really is beautiful and I love the creative idea of pink lights that make the tree trunk look like an improvised cherry blossom tree glowing at night, which adds to the beauty of this structure. Now this might also help me get an idea for a background in my future anime drawings. This starts to stir my imagination again as an artist.
If you are someone who loves plants and gardens, especially if you live near Bocaue or Sta. Maria Bulacan, this beautiful garden is worth the visit. It's an enjoyable place for dating or hanging out with loved ones.