Us bloggers converged in Quezon City Hall, and from there we were divided into groups. Each group had our own set of itineraries. Our group was set to visit three places - La Mesa Eco Park, Erehwon Center for the Arts, and Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife.
Our first stop was the La Mesa Eco Park. I have already visited this place (some 4 or so years ago), so it was refreshing to see the changes in the park. That day being a Saturday, there were a lot of people who were either doing photo shoots, team building and there were also some families enjoying the company of each other.
If you are someone who wanted to enjoy the great outdoors, practice your photography skills, and if you wanted some tranquil moment to contemplate, this is indeed a great place to visit. Getting there is easy as well - considering you don't have your own vehicle, you may hire any tricycle along Winston street (near Puregold Commonwealth in Fairview). Bring your own food if you want to, but there are a lot of food kiosks around, so food will never really be a problem.
Next stop for us - Erehwon Center for the Arts. Located inside Villa Beatriz in Commonwealth, it was the first time I heard of such place and was extremely ecstatic to know such place existed. It is not a commercial gallery nor a museum, but a center where artists - be it in music, visual arts, or dance - gather and exchange opinions, ideas, and visions.
The name of the center was inspired by the Samuel Butler book, "Erehwon," but instead of reading it as "nowhere," like Samuel Butler intended it on his book, the center is called "Now. Here," hence the black dot around the word "now."
We toured the four-storey building, and was in awe of the artworks all over. There weren't much, that I would say, but remember, this is not a commercial gallery nor a museum. Once a year though, they hold art exhibits with particular themes. The center is now aiming to expand in key locations nationwide.
Erehwon Center for the Arts is located inside Villa Beatriz in Commonwealth avenue. A landmark I could say would be the old Montessori (still a very well known place 'til now), where you can take the tricycle going to the center.
Our last stop was supposed to be the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife along Quezon Avenue, but it was already 5PM when we arrived and the park was already closed. Maybe next time I will share a separate post for that.
Exploring the La Mesa Eco Park and the Erehwon Center for the Arts, all of us were tired and hungry, so before calling it a day, we stopped by Kenny Rogers Roasters located in Matalino Street. We had our own choice of meals, and I went for the Solo B set (pictured above). The two pictures below were some of my companions' choices.
It has been a very wonderful experience. Not only was I able to hear some bits of Quezon City's history (thru our tour guide), I also got to visit a new place and spent time with fellow awesome blogger pals.
To know more about the QC Blogventure and see other pictures from other blogger groups, do check out the hashtags - #QCblogventure, #iLikeQC, #QC75, and #QCrocks75 in different social media sites (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). For more information, you may check the website - http://www.quezoncity.gov.ph/index.php/visiting-qc.
My heartfelt thanks to the Quezon City government - Mayor Herbert Bautista and Vice-Mayor Joy Belmonte as well as to Earth Rullan and Niccolo Cosme for making me a part of this event.
I come from a family who loves cooking and eating. I never had any formal training in cooking and that I taught myself how to cook based on the handed down recipes, but I could say that I can cook good food. In 2008, I started documenting my food trips for my