Mt. Samat National Shrine

If  I were to  take an exam about history,  probably, I would  get a  6/10 score.  I am not really good in this subject.  I only  know a few from my elementary days and the rest,  I've learned  from my father  who loved history.    My  father knew almost all the details  about  the Spanish era,  the historical  date, the colonization,  and  the story   during World War II.  He would always tell us about the war although he was just  a few months old  when  WW2  begun and  barely  6 years old  when it ended  and  the  fall of  Bataan  happened.

During our visit to Bataan,  I told my children some  information about Bataan, those only that I knew and heard  from my  father's story.    They are smarter than me and the stories from the books are still fresh from their memory.   Their  grandfather,   on my  husband's side, however  is a war veteran and that  made them prouder to  know  what  the heroes  of  veteran war did  to fight  for the country.

Dambana  ng Kagitingan  is  on  the summit  of  the Mt. Samat.  Visiting  historical landmark  is another  way  to learn and remember  the story   aside from reading  the book.  It's  easier remembered and appreciated once you see the place  yourself.  

     

At the memorial ground,  there's an altar, esplanade and museum. As soon as we entered  the  Mt. Samat,  we  were given  tickets  that  served  as  entrance to  The Shrine  and  Museum. 

Shrine of  Valor is a memorial shrine erected on top of   Mt. Samat  in Pilar,  Bataan as a remembrance to the soldiers who fought and lost their lives in the battle.  The Memorial Cross stands  about  311 ft (95m) high.

There's another option going up to the shrine, either by car or  by  stairs.  We chose to get  there on foot.    At first  I thought it was just an easy  journey  but I realized that taking the stairs up was a bit tiring  and  it made me  stopped for  a rest  for several times  before I finally reached  the top.   From the  Shrine,  we took the elevator going to the arms of the cross.
 

A  little sacrifice getting there on foot made them appreciate the place more.  The  cool breeze  on  top makes  it  all worth it.

The view  from the cross.

A  lift that took us to the  towering cross can only  accommodate ten  people and that's the maximize count. We're  ten  plus the guard and  shrunk ourselves inside.  I  was  hesitant at  first  to join with them but my children were eager to see what's on top.  The guard reminded us to be quiet to keep the sacredness of  the place.  The highest point of  Mount Samat  is 555 m above sea level.

The viewing deck where you could see the panoramic view of Bataan.

April 9,  Araw ng Kagitingan  or  Day of Valour  was declared as a National Holiday in the Philippines.  It was  formerly known as  Bataan Day  to commemorate  both  the Fall of Bataan  (April 9, 1942) and Fall of Corregidor (May 6, 1942.)

I hope that the stories of  our ancestors'  heroism  be  always  remembered and  be passed on to future generations. 

The Enchanted Kingdom Trip

It was another annual post holiday and my brother's pre-departure get-together at the Enchanted Kingdom. We had a blast that day but it would be more fun if we arrived early and complete. My two nephews did not make it. The next time we visit the park, we'll make sure that everybody is present.

We arrived very late, I say late like 6pm and we only got to experience four rides because of the long lines in every ride. First stop is carousel. Of course, it wouldn't be complete without Grand Carousel trip. I was not very lucky because I had two rides at the carousel. Half kidding. I'm the happiest to capture this moment.

Next stop is the Wheel of Fate

and Flying Fiesta.

and the Jungle Log Jam

It was thrilling that I could hear them screaming on top of their lungs. I regret after a while why I let them took this ride. If there's only way I could stop, I will. There's a guard house uphill reminding the passengers to stay seated and relax and hold on the boat. I saw the log went down so fast. Really fast and the water splashed right through their faces. I counted them all again if they're still in pair. Lol. Before taking the ride, I arranged their sitting position placing one adult and a child in front and reminded nth times to keep their head back and not to stand up. They were all thrilled going up because they knew that the next thing to happen will be rapid down the rail.

It was dark and that adds to the thrill. I tell you, I was really shaking because there were no seat belt to hold them. I was at the bridge looking at them waiting at the exit gate.

They're happy anyway. The splash of dirty and smelly water makes their ride more rewarding. :)

See the long lines and we weren't even reaching the starting point. It was almost time for the park to close. It's a zigzag line and I think we're on the hundredth in the line before this sign.

The RioGrande Rapids. Almost the same as the Jungle Log in terms of soaking wet. "Expect to get wet with this ride," I saw it posted in the entrance gate. They were already soaked and what would you expect after the Rio Grande Rapids then? They were not prepared to get wet but there's a Treasure Island that sells souvenir items right at the exit gate. You can find the complete outfit but we opted not to buy and just stay wet and rushed to go home to change. Unfortunately, the van came very late. lol

Happy faces after the soaking ride

They can't get over with the rides at the park and the most thrilling to them was the Jungle Log Jam. The next time we visit again, we'll make sure to be there early and experience everything in the themed park. We only had a total of four rides and missed a lot. It was the last holiday weekend but the park was still a big crowd.


www.enchantedkingdom.ph
Enchanted Kingdom
San Lorenzon South,
City of Sta. Rosa Laguna

Ticket Prices:

Weekend / Holiday Rate: Php 500.00
Weekday Rate: Php 400.00

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. 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.

A visit to Fort Santiago

After too many plans that we weren't able to push through, we finally visited Fort Santiago on Rizal Day. It wasn't crowded as I thought it would be considering it was December 30, holiday and commemoration of death of Jose Rizal. For a very minimal entrance fee, P50 each for student with ID and 75 for regular pass, one will surely enjoy the historical place. Most of the tourists that I saw inside the park were foreigners.






We took the opportunity to take more photos while inside the park. So I thought that DSLRs and other cameras are not allowed. No. Tourists could freely take photos inside. There are just some areas where flashes of the cameras are required to turn off.



Fort Santiago is open daily from 8:00am to 5:00pm. Rizal Shrine is open on Monday from 1 to 5pm and on Tuesday - Sunday from 9:00am to 6:o0pm as posted at the entrance gate.