A Refresher Walk at the Country's Most Famous Park

There is no park in the country that is more famous than Rizal Park, which is located along Roxas Boulevard and Taft Avenue in the City of Manila. This historical-urban park sets as the home of the Philippine greatest patriot Jose P. Rizal. A 42-feet monument in honor of him stands in the middle area of the park, which also serves as a mausoleum where his remains are placed.

    Rizal Park also known as Luneta(Lunette), named during the Spanish Colonial period because of its crescent shape. Aside from Luneta, it was also called as Bagumbayan, then during the American Colonial period the park was also called Wallace Field. In front of the Rizal monument you will see a marker, from which road distances from Manila were measured, it is called as Kilometer Zero.

     On the northwestern part of the park you can enter the landscaped garden which was arranged by National Artist Idelfonso Santos and see a captivating tableau of statues constructed by sculptor Eduardo Castillo, that commemorates the crucial event on the morning of December 30, 1896 as immortalized in the memorable photograph captured by Manuel Arias Rodriguez. This was the exact place of Rizal's execution in a firing squad by the Spanish colonizers. Contradictory to the popular belief that Rizal was shot where his monument stands. If you have a lot of time to stay in the park wait until nighttime, you can witness the display of light and sound production of Rizal's final hours up to his execution. "The Martyrdom of Rizal" featuring an interactive media dramatization runs every Wednesday to Sunday evening both in English(7:00-7:30pm) and in Filipino(8:00-8:30pm).

  Other Interesting Places to Visit Around the Park

The Japanese Garden

The Japanese Pagoda serves as the main entrance  into the garden. Pagodas are usually made of wood. You can enjoy crossing bridges over fish lagoons. Inside the garden you will see a "gong" it is a percussion instrument that takes the form of a metal disc, these are commonly seen in a Japanese garden. This garden in Rizal Park was created  to build up friendship and mutual understanding between the Filipino and Japanese people.

The Chinese Garden

  

An entrance fee of P10 you can enjoy walking around the garden, you can feel the ambiance of  being in the mainland of China through the sights of Chinese Temple. There is also the statue of Chinese Great Philosopher, Confucius. You can also take a walk in the "Wall of Wisdom"  where  quotable quotes can inspire you.

The Lapu Lapu Monument

  Around the Agrifina Circle is the 50-feet monument of Muslim Chieftain Lapu Lapu. Taking a photo with this towering statue is worth a while.

The Children's Playground

 This place can be appreciated by kids and also kids at heart. It offers swings and slides where children can play as long as they wanted. Kids at heart can also enjoy this place by getting in and out of the Hippopotamus' mouth. You can also climb up and down into the Jurassic creatures cast in cement or you can just sit back and relax under the shades of tall trees which gives you a fresh air to breathe.

             Everyone  can also enjoy capturing  photo on every picturesque area of the park. This photo was taken inside the Japanese Garden.

              We always want to treat ourselves after getting a lot of stress and getting exhausted of our works. A refreshing walk at the country's most famous park can release the stress in our body and in our mind. Walking and enjoying the sights of the park can make us feel relaxed, forget the stress and the demanding needs of our work. It also reminds us of what Dr. Jose Rizal did for our country.  Getting there doesn't need or requires too much budget. There are minimum fees for every entrances enough to enjoy it's offering.