Thanks to the rapid expansion of cities in the Philippines, many of the country’s farms are being pushed further and further away. Fortunately for city dwellers looking to get away, the bi-annual Balik Bukid event at the Santa Elena Farm is just about an hour away from Metro Manila.
Nestled close to the Cabuyao Exit on the South Luzon Expressway, or SLEX, Balik Bukid allows children to experience how fun farm life can be like. Instead of just seeing them on a computer screen, they get to touch, hear, and even smell the animals, food, and land.
But if people think that the place is only about the children, they would be mistaken. Even the adults have something to look forward to something on the farm.
Table of Contents
What do we Wear?
Before we go on, we need to establish what people need to wear for Balik Bukid. The conditions are not extreme, so you don’t have to go to great lengths to prepare for it.
For a farm, there is surprisingly quite a lot of shade. The open dining area has a fabric cover strung between the trees to keep the sun out. Even the paths taken by the Horses and Carabaos are covered by trees.
Not Suggested
Some extremists may think that showing up in a straw hat, tattered pair of jeans, and slippers is the way to go. And while this would be appropriate if you are going to till the land, is a little too extreme for Balik Bukid.
Registration Booth
On the other hand, putting on a pair of Chinos with your best pair of Suede driving shoes might not be a good idea. Not only is it possible for you to get mud all over them, it may be impossible to scrape all that Carabao dung from your delicate shoes.
Another thing you might want to avoid are wearing a pair of boat shoes sans the socks. They may be relaxed, but they can become uncomfortable after a while. Walking around will get sand and interesting stuff inside your shoes. You’ll then need to stop every now and then to tap out the contents of your shoes.
Finally, you don’t need to take a hat or bulky umbrella with you. They’re only needed if it rains or if you are very sensitive to light.
Suggested
Even if the wind is cool during the -ber months, it can become humid by lunch time. So those who perspire easily may want to keep this in mind.
Parking Area
Walking shorts should allow you to stay cool as you move around the area. Pairing it with a light shirt or blouse might help you from panting with the heat.
To help you cope with getting up on the horse’s saddle, the Carabao’s Kareton, and the boat, a pair of rubber shoes with socks would be a good idea.
Just be prepared to pick up some soil, and even Carabao dung, as you walk around. In this case, shoes with shallow treads would be ideal because they don’t collect as much mud and are easier to clean.
If you are not bothered by the humidity then a pair of long pants and hiking boots may be a better option. They’ll come in handy if you decided to run through the obstacle course. The shielding provided by the long pants can help minimize scratches. The tougher exterior of the boots should also help keep any damage to a minimum.
And if your boots are waterproof, you won’t need to take them off as you thoroughly rinse them in the wash area.
What Activities can we Do There?
Now that we have gone through the different animals to delight kids in the first half of this series entitled Balik Bukid, Part 1 – The Animals, its time to look at the other things to do in Santa Elena Farm.
Boating
Boating
There were two small boats right beside the tiny lake used by the Geese. The lake itself isn’t very large, being about three times the size of an average home swimming pool, but it is enough to delight the children.
Each of the two boats was manned by a farmer who did the paddling. I noticed that one of the boats had an extra paddle, which my nephew happily used to twist his boat in various directions while the farmer tried to paddle him around.
Obstacle Course
This was not a simple obstacle course that you would find in places like Club Balai Isabel. This obstacle course was huge. And when I say that, I mean that was at least two stories high. And the area covered was the widest I have seen in quite a while.
Obstacle Course
And while I have seen obstacle courses made of wood, the materials used were never this large. Sure, the logs here didn’t look as big as those in military boot camps, they were still quite large by today’s standards.
[They don’t make ’em like that anymore.]
Mud Race
I was kind of hoping there would be some sort of contest were kids would tackle muddy pigs, but Balik Bukid didn’t have them. Looking at the pigs in their pen made me understand why. Those are humongous pigs. Not only were they big, black, and hairy, they looked as mean as the Carabaos. I pity the kid who is given the task of tackling them.
So the next best thing to get kids all muddied up was to have a mud race. And sure enough, when we arrived, there were a couple of kids with mud from head to toe.
[Just looking at them, I couldn’t tell who won or lost.]
Other Activities
There was a zip line available, but the height was designed for kids. Unfortunately, the line was quite long so we decided it would be better to use the other facilities instead.
I also understand that there were family games, a puppet show, a crafts workshop, and yoga scheduled for the kids. For those interested in more challenging activities, a biking and running trail was available.
What Food can we Eat There?
Being a farm, I was expecting the food to be more of the native kind. Dishes like Lechon, Adobo, Bulalo, and maybe even Laing. This is, after all, an event designed to help bring people back to their roots.
Dining Area
So when I saw several commercial booths, I was more surprised than disappointed. I should have been disappointed because it started to feel like any other bazaar out there. But after looking at the food and feeling the festive environment, I was happy to see that the choices were not the common variety.
Native dishes included Pork and Chicken Barbeque at very reasonable prices. Even the grilled Bangus was a great catch at PhP 80 with rice.
As expected, the line to the Lechon booth was long. This was no surprise as the Lechon they were serving was being cooked right behind the booth itself. It was as fresh as it could get.
For burger lovers, they had two organic booths to choose from. While their prices seemed to be a bit high, with the average being around PhP 200, they did compare favorably to the designer burgers that can be found in Metro Manila. And since these organic burgers don’t have the same amount of chemicals as the other sources of beef, I’d say they were worth their weight in gold.
Pork Barbecue
I overheard someone mention that bottled water was not allowed. If this was true, then I think that was a great idea. All those empty plastic bottles will only serve to pollute the farm. This probably explains why I saw so many paper cups.
Those looking for an ice-cold bottle of beer after a whole day’s worth of activities didn’t have to look very far. A covered area was serving cold beer for people who needed something to whip away that heat.
There were a lot of tables in the dining area, but every single one was filled up by lunch time. So if you decide to go next year, you might want to have an early lunch.
What Entertainment is There?
Pizza and Beer
Speaking of entertainment, since November 24, 2013 was the day of the Pacquiao-Rios fight, a flat screen television was set up in the covered area. Interestingly, it was in the same place where the beer was served so boxing aficionados could enjoy a cool one while watching Pacquiao bring honor to the Philippines once more.
If you prefer something along the lines of a concert, Rico Blanco and Lee Grane were scheduled to play at six in the evening.
Final Thoughts
Balik Bukid is a very good idea, with the implementation being just as good. It offered families a chance to get away from the city and enjoy a day of clean air, healthy activities, and organic food. It was perfect for family bonding.
Event Grounds
Best of all, 100% of that day’s ticket sales will be going to the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda. People get to learn about life on the farm and get to help others as well.
[It doesn’t get any better than that.]
The next Balik Bukid event will be held in the summer of 2015. If you weren’t able to attend this year, then you’ll get another chance. I’m sure that families, especially the kids, will enjoy a day on a farm instead of just reading it on the internet.
Must Do’s
- Try to get there early to avoid the heat and crowd.
- Hiking Boots or Rubber Shoes with socks are a good idea.
Bring a change of clothes. - Don’t risk going through muddy areas as your vehicle may get stuck.
- Bring your camera.
Comments are closed