It was Thursday night when an officemate sent news to our official group in the office that February 24, Friday, was a holiday! Suppose it was the next day, February 25. The announcement was late, and the long weekend was unexpected.
I am not planning to go home and am glad the other officemate/housemate didn't. I was eating lunch when he knocked on the door and said he wanted to dine with me. As we are eating, he suddenly burst out. Why not visit Quiapo church today?. Seriously? It was almost one in the afternoon.
Thus, he reasoned that we don't have work, so it was fine. That's it, we go out unplanned, and after attending the mass, he was like again. Would you like to go to Baywalk, Intramuros, etc.?
Intramuros was one of the tourist destinations here in Manila as it plays an important role in Philippine history. Aside from being the oldest city, this is where the Spanish government was located back then during the colonization.
However, we got a problem, none of us both the in and out going to the city. It might take us time to figure out. Aside from that, our budget was only $9.10 or around P500 in our currency. So, getting a taxi or a grab was out of choice. Ultimately, we both agreed to visit Luneta Park, also known as Rizal Park. (Rizal or Dr. Jose P. Rizal is the Phillipine National hero)
The gate was straight, not curved, but since I shot using Panorama, that was the result 🤣.
The park was around 58 hectares and was known as the country's most expansive and historical urban park, located at Ermita Manila. This is where you can find the monument of Dr. Rizal. There is no entrance fee, and everyone can enjoy different outdoor activities such as jogging, sports like badminton, family picnics, or simply wanting breathe of fresh air. Though it was located in the city, there are a lot of trees around the vicinity. Thus, the latest tourist attraction here was the dancing fountain displayed from 8 - 10 am to 6-8 pm.
We arrived at perfect timing as the fountain was already on display.
The fountain was located near the entrance. There is only one entrance at the moment as they are trying to control the crowd. I was even cautious in passing by as I might ruin some pictures as a photobomber. We choose to stand at the end to have the full view.
As the sun started to hide through the clouds and the place got darker, the fountain became more appealing as the lights began to show up.
They added different colors and a twist of fire, flaming. At first, I thought they were using some effects, but it was not. There were several tubes where the fire was. I am even wondering how they manage or if they are using gas. Nevertheless, it makes the show more enticing.
Photos were taken only during twilight, so we stayed until night. We wanted to witness it until the place was utterly dark. That decision I didn't regret as the wait was worth it. I wasn't able to capture the moment through photos but I uploaded a video using 3speak. If you want, you may watch to enjoy the dancing fountain.
There were a lot of tourist attractions near this park that are all Free entrance and maybe I will be visiting soon.
Before I forgot, as I mentioned our budget was only $9.10. Overall here is the breakdown of expenses we incurred.
Food was not that expensive as we chose eat in one of the famous fast food here Mang Insal
At affordable budget, we managed to unwind for a while without going out the city. If happened you are around in Manila, this is one of the place you can visit without spending much.
Thank you for reading.
Pinmaple code:
[//]:# (!pinmapple 14.58296 lat 120.97890 long Rizal Park - A tourist spot to visit in the heart of Manila, Philippines, if you have a limited budget. We enjoyed the dancing and colorful fountain. d3scr)
Lead Image was edited using Canva
Video - Capcut
All photos and are mine
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