Exhilarating, adventurous, rekindling – precious yet blissful of fun getting to Magaul Bird’s Part at Jest Camp Subic is one of the momentous summer getaway one cannot be missed.
Subic would always be a favorite spot for me when I was still in the academe and active in Tech advocacies.
- First, it was one of the places where we do our tech educational tour visiting different I.T. manufacturing way back then.
- We also organized an outreach tech group in Subic where I went there 2 to 3 times in a month for them to be oriented and later on be on their own.
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After work was done then, leisure will came along like staying overnight in one of the hotels, visit the bay, oriented in Jest Camp, bat watching and last part would be Duty Free shopping.
Getting back to Subic with the launch of Magaul Birds’ Park was such a glimpse in the past that adding this attraction would made you really come back for more.
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The invite came by early last year. Since I was committed on the weekend, what I did was to give this to fellow road trippers who experienced first-hand activities and acquaintance with different birds.
In order for me to go back again, what I did was to booked a hotel and scheduled a visit for family summer get-away.
It was early this summer that me and hubby got an invite again to see latest developments – not just a day tour but an overnight stay that would try us the Jest Camp style activity a.k.a. “Hunger Games”.
There was a bit apprehension if we will push thru since we already put this in itinerary.
We still decide to go to see what to expect and let our kiddos be excited to convince also to join us since we’ve been here.
We put our stuff first at the dormitoy – eight bed double deck room which highly recommended for a team building group who wished to have an overnight stay complete with bedding, air-conditiooned with ready bathroom / toilet.
First stop was the usual Jest Camp Survival 101 orientation.
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Nice to recall again these series of session from the Aeta like:
- getting water from the water vine
- doing bamboo utensils like spoon or glass
- how to cook rice in a bamboo stalk
- making fire with the use of the bamboo
After the demonstration, we have our lunch at Kawayan Kitchen where food served in freshly harvested bamboo stalks. Just like what we have in a demo, food cooked in a native way as Aeta is doing it.
Kawayan Kithchen replicated it making each dishes astounding on its own especially pouring those bowl of sinampalukang manok pipping hot in our clay pot. I also feasted in Halabos na Sugpo that is soo fresh and succulent.
Our rice was also cooked in bamboo stalk.
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The highlight of our visit in the afternoon was to bring half a thousand birds on stage from all directions of the Alula Amphitheater at Magaul Bird Park.
It was a spectacular experience with the birds.
Hundreds of pigeons circle to our seats. Guinea fowls graze also to our heads as they descend towards the stage. We were marvelled with those Rufous Hornbills and majestic Macaws who just fly over. And as I looked up in awe, the giant wings of white bellied sea eagle cast a shadow over the audience. We were also gazeb by Sun Conures as it bring a shine to our eyes.
After they all arrived, I jumped around the stage trying to reach them through my own eyes and I was smiling seeing them flying, walking or just taking a swim in that small pond.
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We were starting to missed my kiddos. Wishing they were also here with us as we enjoyed those whole bunch of birds.
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We capped the night with a bonfire heating up hotdogs and marsmallow.
Now for our 2nd day, I usually started it with a quick fitness run and some stretching. The usual, a souvenir warrior post infront of the stage would do. Maybe because I was preparing for spectacular activity for the day that made me inhale lot of positive vibes even at the back of my mind, it was too clotted.
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We took a quick Tocilog (tocino, egg, fried rice) brekfast and headed for our morning activity.
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Again, a continuation of Jest Camp training like:
- Fire Making
- Shelter Building
- Setting Trap to get Animals
- Archery
Some of it, we will personally do it like Fire Making and Archery that would led us points to carry over with the Hunger Games activity.
I’m not that competitive nor have to strength to do it. To tell you honestly, I was about to back-out as I was a bit worried on the dust and heat I will be enduring that would led me to asthma attack. Anyway, I’m used in doing this before and definitely, will just enjoy this team building activity.
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We were served a Boodle Fight style lunch prepared again by Kawayan Kitchen. I was looking for something veggies here. Anyway, am I just stressed for the next activity for this afternoon that I was craving for more food to eat? LOL!
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Now the fun adventure began called Jest Camp a.k.a. Hunger Games.
I came across this one when my daughter borrowed a book to her classmate and didn’t stop reading it. She even downloaded the E-book version to continue the series of books. When she found out it will be in a movie, I was intrigued to watch it with her to know the story more.
It was more on surviving the fittest that comes with killing which was not the case with our Jest Camp type.
Have borrowed these pictures courtesy of Aci of http://www.lifeofaci.com/ since we were instructed to bring only a used bag where we can put our weaponry like the toy water gun and water balloon.
Some spectacular moments I remembered then were:
- Blind-folded and put some colored face paint in our faces.
- Directed to a suburban forest area, again blind-folded.
- We were given three blue ribbons to put around our body. We have to protect not to get it from other tribe.
- The more ribbon you got, a chance to hailed as a winner or else you will be out if you’re run out of ribbons.
My take?
I did the first initiative to run and fire them with water toy gun and throw those water balloons. Maybe I was too impatient then that the more time waiting would kill me more. Some have their own tactics to do like hubby really hide. Again, for me, I’m just here for the fun even I tumbled down up and down the hill, running around.
Yes, I was the first to be eliminated and again, I’m just A-ok.
Hubby hailed one of the winners which I found it deceitful since he just hide together with Carla of blissfulguro.com as the first and Julius of lakwatserongtsinelas.com, the third placer. Anyway, hubby still deserved it for the bullseye shot during the archery challenge and some of the last activity.
Picture courtesy of http://www.lakwatserongtsinelas.com/
Do you think I was already restless after that?
Nah, I still go around and enjoyed other activities like feeding these love birds to my hands and getting a pail to feed also those giant ostrich.
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Overall, I ended my weekend with lot of blast – a trip adventure with the birds,, a food trip w/ Kawayan Kitchen and what more acquainted with former / new friends around with the Hunger Games team-building as I conquered all my fears getting sick nor hurt.
I was also rekindled with the Survival 101 series which I miss to learn.
Yes, definitely, will come back with kiddos as one of our summer getaway this 2015 as we share this learning to them.
For more information, please visit www.magaulbirdpark.com or call 0472521489 or text 09177964668.
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