Sorry ha, EK lang ang kaya ng “travel blog” ko eh
March 22, 2014 — Having lived my entire life south of Manila, Enchanted Kingdom has always been part of the options for quick getaways—especially if we’re up for something a little more than mall bumming, but a lot less than a semi-impromptu overnight. The place is off-city so it’s definitely a lakad, it provides cheap thrills and group/family bonding scenarios, and you can be yourself without having to worry about anyone you know seeing you. For lack of a better term, you can go all out and be baduy—sling a belt bag balikbayan-style or wear man sandals with socks, for crying out loud. No one will care.
This may have been my 5th time to EK (6th, maybe). All I know is my last time there was in 2007; April 1, 2007, to be exact. My then-girlfriend, now-wife had a friend who had a Brit boyfriend. He had about 2 weeks here and we were tasked to fill the void between out-of-towners, so we mostly did doable-in-a-day, reachable-by-car trips. Hence, Enchanted Kingdom. I also remember this vividly because I was already blogging then, and I documented it photo blog-style. (Of course, I could’ve just said that.)
This trip, however, was kind of set upon us. We spent NYE (New Year’s Eve) at Crimsom Hotel in Alabang, and they had a tie-up. We got 8 full-pass tickets that were to expire March 31, 2014. I have 1 daughter and 1 wife (yes, 1); none from my side of the family could go (or wanted to go) so we auctioned it off to my wife’s mega-extended family. Besides, they had more younglings than our already-old family. It all turned out for the best and we ended up with a group of about 15—age ranged from 9 months to 34 years.
So, what is there to blog about an old theme park?
Nothing, really. Not much has changed with the park but there were some attractions that were new to me. More than anything, I just wanted to observe the current state of our only theme park. Degradation was to be expected; I simply wanted to know if it has aged well (has been maintained well).
Truth be told, and all factors considered, I had a hard time deciding whether to give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down (or an up yours). Not until our trip back home that I decided to give it an OK. If you’re very particular with colors—painted surfaces, condition of materials, rust, etc.—it’d be very easy to give it a fail. But, a big factor to the reversal of my sentiment was when we read that the park was to be closed indefinitely for maintenance. The condition of the park was one that was on the brink of a big maintenance cycle, and there we read it. Don’t get me wrong, the park was clean and still above average, it was just a little worn out.
Whatever, though. I just want to write. That’s my opinion, anyway. Let’s just start posting photos so I’ll remember what really liked and what stunk.
By the way, visiting Enchanted Kingdom as a tatay (and a chaperone, at that) is a whole lotta different. You get to ride the kiddiest of rides! Haha, nah, It’s just a whole lot tiring—with a lot of waiting, a lot of waiting for your turn, and a lot of riding alone. I’m all out for thrill rides so I had my solo moments.
The photos
A word of warning: there are 64 mo-fuckin’ photos here. If you don’t really know me or have better things to do, scram.
Waiting outside








Finally inside and the first few rides




Stuff that need repainting



Wheel of Fate – the view doesn’t get old










Space Shuttle – The Epic Selfie Series








Anchor’s Away, etc.
I wasn’t able to ride Anchor’s Away because we couldn’t separate our group to two batches. No biggie. I remember what that ride feels like and I know it’s just paulit-ulit na lula. Nothing lost.






Up, Up & Away, etc.




EKstreme – P*TA! with a capital P*TA!!!
Let me tell you something about the EKstreme drop tower—it’s the most heart attack ride I’ve ever ridden. And yes, I’ve ridden a lot of rides, at least more than the average person—US, HK, SG. Part of it’s probably because it’s my first time to do one of these drop thingies, but still…it sure is something. I rode this alone as no one dared.
Let me try to describe how it felt. It’s about 5 seconds of pure heart-pumping, all-muscles-flexed, eyes-shut-as-hard-as-you-can action. It’s not mamamatay ka scary, it’s just INTENSE. I’d do it again anytime, any day.






Rialto, Flying Fiesta, Fun Kart, Disk-O-Magic, etc.
Okay, here’s the last batch of photos. By this time it was already getting dark, we were all already really tired and hungry, and we were just waiting for the fireworks because, well, you have to wait for the fireworks.








I want to share a little something that happened right about when the photo above was taken. See, I was already so hungry so I decided to buy one of their local boxed rice thingies. I love all things boxed rice; you can go as my wife, my sister, they will all attest to that in a second. I ordered some beef-flavored thingy (I have since forgotten). My experience goes something like this: hindi ako nasuka sa kahit anong ride na sinakyan ko, pero sa kinain ko, mutikan na talaga. Alam mo yung toyo at calamansi? Ibuhos mo yun nang wagas sa kanin tas lagyan ng konting karne. True story.







EK, ilang taon ulit?
I guess the faded paint in the theme park looks good if it were for an “abandoned theme park” feel. Also, that EKstreme review, though. It makes me want to ride it even if I’m afraid of heights.