By: Juan Carlos Aranas
Park is a place where you can do whatever you want, and some of them are exercise and used as a meeting place. Even with those given things that you can do, there is more task you can do in a park than you have ever known and so here are few things that you can do in a park that not only are people-friendly but also is free.
Free Concerts
Here in the Philippines where from acoustic sessions to original Pilipino music, there is a lot of musicians that play in different parks to showcase their music without even buying premium expensive tickets, for example, like in Paco Park in Manila. Scheduled every Friday evening, it is one of the public projects of the country’s Department of Tourism in collaboration with the National Parks and Development Committee. Admission is free, and the concert starts at 6:00 PM so you better come in early to get the best seat.
There is also a thing called busking where the underground musician plays songs and sings in parks to introduce their artistic style to a unique range of audience and also collects the donation from them to help them start their career as an artist. It is a way for buskers to be known while helping the park to have visitors, it is a mutual relationship between both.
Free Yoga Session
Yoga session is known to be an expensive type of exercise because you need someone professional to help you get through the session, but because of open parks, you don’t have to worry about that. Most parks here in manila offers yoga session for all ages and the good thing is that it’s free! Nancy Siy, a professional yoga instructor, offers free yoga classes at the Legazpi Active Park every Sundays from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM. If you want to experience this free exercise routine, you must come in early because the class starts and ends on time.
Free Outdoor Gym
If you are wanting to lose some weight but also you don’t have enough money for gym entrance, well outdoor gyms in parks are the right answer for you. Though the equipment is not high end just like in some expensive and gold-reaching gyms that offer professional instructor that is intimidating to guide you and gym equipment that is complicated as hell, these apparatuses are very helpful and also user-friendly. Not to mention that it is free to use for all ages, that’s one thing that is a high advantage for people. Most parks in metro manila have outdoor gyms that can be used just like in Pasig Rainforest Park that has a gym and fitness center.
Free Artwork Exhibits
Parks now in the modern time has been adding art exhibits to fully immersed their visitors to the parks whole environmental atmosphere and also attracts a new wave of audiences. These art exhibits will not only attract visitors but also beautifies the whole surrounding of the park. The most notable park that has Art Exhibits on it is Salcedo Park in Makati City.
Free Relaxation Spot
I know this is one of the main functions of a park but people tend to forget about this. Rather than focusing on doing physical activities, why don’t you just relax and enjoy the view that parks have. Parks’ surroundings can be a tool to help you recover and search for your inner peace and be a safe place for you from of its peaceful and calm aura that it has.
It is said that parks now in our generation are likely to become private and costly but what people forget is that we can think fast on every alternative we can have. Life is fun, and there are a lot of free things that we tend to overlook. The best part is that sometimes, those that come as free stuff offer the best experience. Why not start your “Free Itinerary” today?
La Mesa Ecopark: Nature’s Hometown
La Mesa Ecopark is one of the places that I’ve been wanting to visit because of its nature and whole environment and luckily, because of the strong urge of me to go somewhere to just relax and have a me-time, I went and visit the park for the first time!
This park is located at Quezon City, along the natural boundary of the La Mesa Watershed Reservation also known as Novaliches Watershed. It has underwent renovation under the “Save La Mesa Watershed Project”, a collaboration between Bantay Kalikasan, the Metropolitan Waterworks, and Sewerage System and the local government of Quezon City because of years of neglect it experienced from the last management. It was reopened on September 2004 and was renamed as "La Mesa Ecopark".
The only thing that I can say about this park is, Excellence! My visit to this park truly brought the peace and calmness aura I’ve been wanting to have and it helped me to relax from the stress I've been dealing with because of school works.
Horseback-riding, mountain-hiking, zip-lining, etc. are some of the activities that you can do in one of the most known parks in Metro Manila and even if you don’t do those kinds of activities there, you will still enjoy the sceneries this park have.
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