How Did This Happen?
It seems like spontaneity is after my ass these days.
I had my plans set for Saturday (October 1st) which involved nothing much but preparing for October's Hive Power Up Day and attending Hive PH's event about The Power of Writing in Healing. The indoors are cozy. I could spend endless hours doing random activities.
But things don't always go according to plan.
Looking back at it, the scene felt like a spooky movie! I was browsing on my phone in the bathroom when I heard hurried footsteps going up the stairs, then into the bedroom. Dismissing the commotion as I thought it was just my sibling, I browsed for another minute or two and walked back.
The room was lit and there were no signs of movement. Did I turn the light on before going out? Before I could fully grasp what was happening, my partner, Carl surprised me from behind and told me to change my clothes ASAP. I looked at her face and she seemed happy, so it was definitely not an emergency. My brain was still trying to understand what on earth is going on but I listened and got myself sorted out.
Going out that day was something I was worried about. The next day was going to be my mother's birthday and I can't allow myself to miss that. Carl reassured me that I'll be home within the day and echoed that to my grandmother. I trust her enough anyway so off we went.
"Mission accomplished. Target has been kidnapped!" Carl happily said as we got inside the car.
Her sister, Paris, and her husband Milan were waiting inside and that confused me a little more. Where's the rest of the family? Where are we going? Why is nobody giving me any clues? All they did was chuckle and said it was a secret... No fair!
Normally, they would use the car's GPS program for navigation but they switched to their phones right after I got inside the car. Odd.
There was an instance when we rode down Alabang's main road and I quipped, "If you could tell me where we're heading to, I could probably show you a better route..."
"Nice try but no!" Dang it. What's with all this suspense? I still pointed to the shorter route and kept observing for clues.
One sign said that we were heading south. Another trip to Tagaytay? Laguna?
I asked again. "Where the f--- are we going?" They just responded with a laugh. How long do I have to endure the guessing game?
At some point, we stopped over at one of those gas stations to eat a quick lunch. Our go-to meals were siomai from Siomai House, siopao from Hen Lin, and iced coffee for me and Milan. They even bought a kilo of purified ice for the trip which left me puzzled for the nth time. It was for our supposed swimming trip.
But if we were to go for a swim, why wasn't I told to bring clothes for swimming? Carl then pointed at one of the tote bags and said that she has me covered.
Sure. I let them lead me on for a bit more but at that time, I was not buying it at all.
Back in the car, we continued messing around and singing along to songs. I looked at each sign until we passed through the Santa Rosa exit. At that point, my head was in the clouds, all thanks to white noise.
With smiles plastered on their faces, they asked, "Do you now know where are we heading to?"
It took me seconds to respond but it made sense. The exit. And the large billboard that was... "EK?"
To Where Magic Lives Forever
Enchanted Kingdom (EK), is one of the most known theme parks here in the Philippines. Located in Santa Rosa, Laguna, it has been open to the public since October 19th, 1995, and will be celebrating its 27th anniversary this coming Saturday, October 15th!
I can't recall when was the last time I went to EK but I was happy to be there again. As someone who did not go out as much during their schooling years, experiences like this were always welcome. Now that I am starting to feel more at ease with narrating them, I am hoping to look back and reread this after a couple of years.
We were expecting lesser people due to the inclement weather. On the contrary, there were several cars parked, and the lines to get in were fairly long. I guess we weren't the only ones excited about EK. It was a good thing Milan bought the tickets earlier via Klook. Long queues? Skipped.
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The first ride we took was the Flying Fiesta. Think of it as an upgraded version of a swing ride where you get twirled around for a little bit. If you have not tried any similar rides yet, this could be a nice start.
We took a stroll down Brooklyn Place and snapped some pictures. I wondered if the lane actually looks like Brooklyn. Some stalls were still operating - the souvenir shop, and the ice cream shop - but there were empty ones too. I wish I knew what they used to be.
After a couple more steps out of Brooklyn Place, we passed by a peculiar Christmas tree. It was made out of alcohol bottles and I did not know what to feel about that. How many people took notice of this? Perhaps not much. We were not after that anyway. Our next stop was the Wheel of Fate.
The Wheel of Fate is EK's Ferris Wheel. The four of us split into pairs and rode two gondolas. It was pretty sunny when we reached the top but the winds were nice to feel. Carl is not a fan of high places but she was okay with riding this. It was fun to watch her look around. I honestly would very much prefer to have Ferris Wheel rides during the evenings but I'll take any chance for moments like that.
Was I ready to kick things up a notch? Paris told me that Air Race was fun and it had a piece of funny background music to accompany it. I didn't want to believe the latter part but I was very game to try the ride. Carl and Milan sat this one through.
Imagine being on a ride that turns you 360 and you hear this bit for the whole duration of it. I kept laughing all the way through and so did Paris. On the other hand, I can't say everybody had the same feeling about Air Race! There were glimpses of pale faces and I think I heard some talking with shaky voices. Heh.
We went to Swan Lake and ended up turning it into a bumper car ride of some sort. Paris and Milan kept bumping into us and vice versa. At one point, I pulled out my phone and claimed that I would be filming the commotion and reporting it to authorities. A classic Karen move if I say so myself!
After so much bumping, we eventually made it back to the starting point. We went to one of their food courts but found that it was pretty crowded. It was then decided that we should try the other food court as it had more options. We passed through some skill games - Carl and I tried Break-A-Plate but won nothing. Didn't bother retrying as it could cost us more but I found out that throwing things to break other things can be therapeutic.
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Upon reaching the food court, Milan went to order ice cream for all of us. Our attention was diverted to Enchanted Kingdom's girl group, SMS (Sun, Moon, and Stars) while we waited. Initially, we thought they were just another KPop cover group but their vocal performance that day was too hard to ignore even if they were missing one member that day! From then on, we started cheering and throwing hearts at them. There were also several times that we had to stop and focus on listening because we weren't sure if the audio was prerecorded. How could they maintain those despite dancing for 4-5 songs per set?! I could probably go on and on about how much potential these girls have but I'll save it for a post dedicated to them!
We were walking towards Space Shuttle when I asked the rest if we could circle back and converse with SMS for a bit. There was a strong feeling in my gut to congratulate them on a great performance and encourage them to keep it up. After a few snaps and exchanges, they also invited us to watch their second set. I told them that we'll see if it fits our agenda for the rest of the day.
Riding the Space Shuttle is always a must for me even if I've only been to EK a handful of times. It's a roller coaster ride that turns you around forward and backward. Unlike Air Race which makes 360-degree turns, you get turned upside down instead. This is also one of the rides where you get your pictures taken before and during the ride so you better buckle up and think about that in advance.
Carl did not join us since she was not yet ready for extreme roller coaster rides. Paris and Milan sat together while I got designated to a different coach since I had no one to sit with. I ended up in one with a family of three. To make it more awkward, pictures were taken and I avoided the camera at all costs. They were happy when the engine started... During the ride? Screams. With my laughs on the side. Will they ever try it next time? I wanted another run and Paris shared the same sentiment but we had to see their pictures first and go on other rides too. Luckily enough, they were satisfied with how they looked in the shot!
There's no rest for the wicked. We headed to Jungle Log Jam to get some water action going. So much was going on while we were waiting in the queue - debates about how many people will be sharing the same log, who sits in front, which pose are we doing for the picture... Dorks, I tell ya. We decided to sit in one log and go for a prim and proper pose.
Everything was all set! We got past the first slope and prepared for the next one since the camera was positioned there. My insides got all tangled up as we reached the peak - the log was very close to its descent. My eyes were darting for the camera as I tried to pull off a smile despite the clenched jaw.
A second felt like a minute and it was relieving to see the camera flash. Finally, I was able to squeal at the very least! I was avoiding shouting as I might ingest water... Yuck. I was fortunate enough to avoid that but the log splashing into the water got my shirt wet. We picked up our photo which turned out nicely! We then proceeded to grab a Milo Dinosaur drink and line up for the Rio Grande Rapids.
With all honesty, nothing beats Milo Dinosaur drinks from Singapore, and the one Paris bought from EK's stall tasted like... sugar. With some cocoa.
The queue for the Rio Grande was too long for us so we opted to have a change of clothing instead. We also refilled our water bottles while we were at it. It was then time for a snack and SMS' second set! Back in the food court, we had hotdog sandwiches while cheering for SMS. We got lots of smiles and hearts in all sorts of forms in return! It was another great set.
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With bellies full of water and hotdogs, we took our time walking to another crowd favorite - The Grand Carousel. Carousels are always great for kids and adults who want to take things easy. I'd say that this Victorian-themed ride is better than the Flying Fiesta but that's my preference. It may be a calmer ride versus the previous ones we rode on but we still hyped it up with wees and woos. Silly, I know, yet it's nice to be with people radiating the same energy!
We were not yet done, though. It was merely the calm before another storm! Bear with us as this is the last leg of our trip.
One of my main concerns about being in an amusement park was Carl's enjoyment. I asked her if she was okay with trying out rides A or B or C and I probably asked that question a lot. One of the things I'll never do is force someone to do something they don't want. When I pointed toward the Roller Skater (which we called a baby roller coaster) and asked if she would be comfortable riding on it, she said she was willing to do so. It wasn't her first time to be on it anyway.
As with Space Shuttle and Jungle Log Jam, Roller Skater also has a camera set up. You probably know the drill by now. This time, we went after forming a heart with our hands but due to the twists and turns, we never got it right!
Paris and Milan made finger hearts. Carl and I ended up with an S. We laughed at our photos but did not go with having them printed. Maybe next time!
Riding Anchors Away for the first time was one memory that I would never forget. That night's ride, however, was different. In contrast to my previous experience where I was screaming silently from being too thrilled, this was tamer yet filled with more fun.
It was Carl's first time being on it and while I was used to sitting near the end of the boat, we settled for the middle part of it. Paris and I sandwiched Carl so she can feel a little more secure. It wouldn't be too daunting, right?
The boat moved back and forth, slowly at first, and we started to feel the cold breeze of the night. Bit by bit, I started to hear squeals and screams from all directions, including Carl's and Paris'. The excitement started to crawl in faster and in a matter of seconds, I was joyfully screaming and laughing along. I looked at Carl, then at the sky, and I let her know that it was better to look up than look at the ground. I'm not sure if she did but I preferred doing that instead of making any eye contact with people in front of us, lol.
I was already thinking about riding Anchors Away the second time as it slowed down but we had to dash - the fireworks show would be starting in a couple of minutes. All of us, except for Carl, got some corn as a quick snack and buko shakes for refreshments.
Nights at Enchanted Kingdom are magical. I've seen photos but never experienced them firsthand. Not until that time, of course. We strolled toward Jungle Outpost and saw that the crowd was building up. Everyone was trying to get a good spot for the fireworks show.
7PM came, and EK's theme song started along with the synchronized fireworks. Despite the fact that I've seen better, I still basked at the moment and imagined what would my younger self think. Perhaps she would shrug any excitement off, think about how explosives work, and try to remember each line and curve that streaked the night sky.
Milan and Carl were running out of juice while Paris and I still had some appetite for wild rides. We queued up for Disk-O-Magic to cap our Enchanted night off.
Seeing it for the first time reminded me of a smaller dizzying version of Anchors Away but since I'll be riding it with someone I know, I was happy to be dragged around. The seats felt odd as you only had to ride it as if you were going to ride a motorcycle. The only thing that would secure you from falling was the back support that locked into place before the engine starts.
Why am I even voicing out my anxiousness on this last ride of the day? Silly me.
It was a nice ride to end our EK adventure. There were fewer people to mind and it was one of the moments where I could get back into my head. If you want to know how clothes are when they get spin-dried, this is a good simulation.
And with that, we left EK with smiles on our faces and magic that is hopefully enough for our next visit. Being taken away for a surprise trip isn't bad at all.
Thanks for sticking around. I hope I was able to take you on this trip. See you next time?
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