The Mediocre Wanderer: In The Year That Is and Was

From watching dolphins in the wild to enjoying a "Triple A" resort in the most unlikely place, The Mediocre Wanderer has been blessed with great sights, interesting people and the discovery of a myriad of experiences.

2011 was indeed a great year. With all the events, places and things featured in our blog, believe it or not, there are still a couple we haven't written about. As a fitting tribute to the year that is and was, here's a rundown of those that we've missed:

1. Enchanted Kingdom: opened in 1995, EK has been THE destination for fun and entertainment for both  old and young in Sta. Rosa Laguna. Something to look forward to during the holidays and the weekends, this 15.5 hectare wonderland has a little of something for everybody. Go karts, kiddie rides, thrills, and chills! Check out their website for more info!

the whole family @ EK

Ticket rates are as follows (from the EK website):

Carousel Ticket: Weekend / Holiday Rate:                   Php 150.00 Weekday Rate:                                 Php 150.00 Descriptions: Free admission to the park grounds and unlimited access to the Grand Carousel,Bumbling Boulders, and Boulderville Express.

Regular Day Pass: Weekend / Holiday Rate:                   Php 500.00 Weekday Rate:                                 Php 400.00 Descriptions: Enjoy unlimited use of all the Park’s rides: Space Shuttle, Jungle Log Jam, Swan Lake, Up, Up & Away, Roller Skater, Dodgem, Wheel of Fate, Anchor's Away, Bump n’ Splash, Rialto, Rio Grande Rapids, Flying Fiesta, Grand Carousel, Bumbling Boulders, Boulderville Express, Air Pterodactyl, Stone Eggs, and Dinosaurus.

Junior Day Pass: Weekend / Holiday Rate:                   Php 320.00 Weekday Rate:                                 Php 250.00 Descriptions: Applicable to children between 36” to 47” tall. Children 35” and under are FREE. Enjoy unlimited use of all the Park’s rides: Space Shuttle, Jungle Log Jam, Swan Lake, Up, Up & Away, Roller Skater, Dodgem, Wheel of Fate, Anchor's Away, Bump n’ Splash, Rialto, Rio Grande Rapids, Flying Fiesta, Grand Carousel, Bumbling Boulders, Boulderville Express, Air Pterodactyl, Stone Eggs, and Dinosuarus.

Of course, bringing the usual sun protection is a must :)

Cokey and Frai enjoying the heart stopping Space Shuttle

waiting for the kuyas to finish their ride

2. Bukid Garden (San Pablo Laguna): Nestled within the City of Seven Lakes, Bukid Garden (at Brgy. Concepcion) is one of the many resorts that dot the place. We chose this resort due to its close proximity to downtown San Pablo. Pretty decent rates and huge air conditioned rooms, as well as having two full sized pools make this an A-ok place. Major downer, resort doesn't have a restaurant. Great thing it's near town :)

cooling off at one of the pools of Bukid Garden

a full sized room, and a loft all for around PHP 2000/night
our crew of 8 managed to fit comfortably

3. MIHCA - The Magsaysay Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Arts at the fifth floor of Waltermart Makati. Yup! Adventures of the yummy kind were in order. Sign up for short lifestyle course or a full culinary course and watch how you turn out delicious treats one after another :)

with our instructor Chef Nap

4. Star City: Opened for as long as I could remember, Star City has always been a great place to go to if you're in the Manila area (it's along Roxas Blvd.). It offers rides, shopping establishments and food to fill or to just munch on. Ample parking, air conditioned and quite clean, the whole family is sure to enjoy dropping by. Ticket rates are as follows:

Entrance Only : Php 60 (Children 32 inches and below are free of charge)
3 Cheers Ticket : Php 300
(RAYC) Ride-All-You-Can : Php 350
Lazer Blaster : Php 100
Winter Funland : Php 120
4D Theater Max Rider : Php 120
Animal Wonderland : Php 90

lots of cute items for sale in the area

Star City Promo Packages:
RAYC + Winter Funland : Php 430
RAYC + 1 Game of Lazer Blaster : Php 410
RAYC + 4D Maxrider : Php 410
RAYC + Animal Wonderland : Php 410
RAYC + 1 Game of Lazer Blaster
+ 4D + WF + AW : Php 610

fish spa for only 4 tokens

Star City Park Schedule:
Monday to Thursday: 4:00pm onwards
Friday, Saturday and Sunday: 2:00pm onwards

5. Star City's Snow World (Winter Funland): Think of a giant freezer with beautiful ice sculptures, a gigantic ice slide you can slide on, and snow falling in Manila's own winter wonderland. Jackets will be provided, but just so you know, wearing pants, socks and closed shoes are must haves (which brings me to the question, how does one dress for winter in Metro Manila?).

I'm still in the process of checking my picture files for places that I may have missed, and could have written about. So far, this is all I've got. Will add the rest at a later date.

Who knows what 2012 might bring to The Mediocre Wanderer? Regardless of where we'll be in the next 365 days, one thing is for sure: we're sure glad to have shared it with you! Hope our humble blog has given you great ideas and tips.

 To Nuffnang and Johnson's and Johnson's: thanks for the gift pack and for everything else. To our readers: we never thought we'd even hit a hundred page views, we're now close to to two...thousand, thanks! To Miss Janice and the folks at Mommy Mundo, hope to be a part of another one of your events. We truly enjoyed it! To those who have shown love towards MY MUM's MUNCHIES, we hope to continue to serve great baked treats for all of you in 2012.And to the family and friends who have wandered throughout 2011 with us, MUCH LOVE! You guys are the GREATEST.

Here's wishing everyone a great year ahead! God bless you all and keep you and your family safe and happy always!

From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!