The mini port at the La Mesa Eco Park
By JOHANNES L. CHUA
Standing on a sea of green on a breezy Sunday afternoon seemed like the best way to welcome a New Year. I was at the La Mesa Eco Park a few days into January because I felt I needed some “fresh air” to boost my sagging spirit after the punishing holiday schedule got me sick and exhausted. Thankfully, I was able to convince my best friend Kenford (or did I bully him?) to drive me to this park, which I said “was just near the Quezon City Memorial Circle.”
The “nearness” of the La Mesa Eco Park will definitely surprise first-time visitors. Kenford, also a first-time visitor, was delighted with the smooth road leading to the park. Since it was a weekend, traffic was very light along Commonwealth Avenue that we were at the park’s entrance 20 minutes after finishing a light merienda in Jollibee Philcoa branch (the one near the entrance of the U.P. Diliman campus).
There were a lot of vehicles in the parking area and I noticed that a number of families were coming in and out of the park’s gate. There was life – in the voices of moms concerned with the safety of their kids who by now are running and laughing, in the way that chairs of different sizes are being dragged and carried, and in the voices asking for food, softdrinks, or utensils (add more laughter here). This is what a park is all about, I said to myself. It’s very comfortable that families seemingly treat it as an extension of their home’s dining table. There’s a constant buzz of activities that will surely put a smile on your lips – or a bit of envy especially if you have not had that kind of bonding experience with your family for a long time.
In the midst of an “orderly” chaos, there was a sense of serenity. The air at La Mesa Eco Park is fresher, the breeze cooler and that time seems to literally take its time. Even if there are a lot of people around you, you can find a quiet spot inside the very expansive park. You can pause for a while in one of the stone benches, or sit (or even lie down) on a patch of grass – which is what I did. And in that moment of silence, I relaxed and began to renew my spirit by assessing what I have done in 2009 and what I could accomplish in 2010. It sounds “cheesy” (a new term for being sentimental) but I felt that’s the right thing to do when your mind is clear and there’s no cellphone, youtube, PSP, etc. to distract you.
However, Kenford was more interested in more active activities. We walked further and arrived at a mini port where small boats for rent are docked along a clean river. The water comes from the waters of the La Mesa Dam. On that Sunday afternoon, the sun was softly caressing our skin. The whole scene was picture-perfect (we forgot to bring our digital cameras, which was a bad decision!) and the view reminded us how the beauty of nature has the power to evoke the senses. I was glad that I was “dragged” to that area though I didn’t try out the boat ride.
It was already around 4:30 p.m. but we haven’t totally explored the whole eco park yet. I noticed that the crowds especially in the picnic area were thinning out. And the sound of the forest seemed to reverberate more in our ears. The sun was turning like a mandarin orange hanging in the vast blue sky. The wind is now icier and I just kept myself warm by crossing my arm over my chest.
It was not exactly a spectacular experience but I was glad that I found a place to renew my spirit in this park
