A Muddy Weekend Adventure in El Monte

A Muddy Weekend Adventure in El Monte, Tanza

It all started when Nicole mentioned that she wanted a three-days vacation here in Manila.

I knew three days was short, but it was not her first time visiting in Manila.

The truth is, she wanted to see her boyfriend, who happened to live here in Manila.

She also wanted to ride an ATV car and play Airsoft.

We planned everything thoroughly, but as the day of her vacation was getting closer, I found out that the exact day we planned to go to El Monte was the same day of my exam.

Yes, we planned to go to El Monte, where people can enjoy different activities such as ATV, archery, paintball, Go-cart, and airsoft.

It was raining on Saturday morning, the day of our trip to El Monte, Tanza.

I was hesitant to go because I had an exam that day, but there was nothing I could do, since my best friend Nicole really wanted to go.

Rakimah was also with us.

Rakimah booked an inDrive ride so it would not be a hassle for us to get there.

When we arrived, the road was full of mud because of the rain.

The place was spacious, and we were excited to try different activities.

I chose ATV and paintball, while Nicole and Rah Ki Mah chose ATV, paintball and airsoft.

I only played two games because I did not have much money.

The workers welcomed us and guided us to an area where we could rest and wait.

After an hour, one of the workers approached us and told us that we could finally start the ATV ride.

There was also a family with us who would be riding the ATV.

All in all, we were seven of us.

Before we could start, they gave us instructions on how to drive the ATV.

I believe, it was the first time for all of us to ride it.

I chose the smaller ATV because I was afraid that I would not be able to drive the bigger one since I do not know how to drive a car.

They arranged us in a line before we started. Nicole was first in line, followed by me.

I saw that Rah Ki Mah was second to the last, making us seven riders in total.

We had an instructor who led the way, and since Nicole was first in line, I followed her when she started driving her ATV.

I was expecting that we would simply follow a road, but I was wrong.

While driving the ATV, we entered the forest where I could see many trees and, of course, a muddy paths because it had rained in that morning.

It seemed like we would face a difficult path, and I was right because the muddy roads were difficult to drive on, but it was also fun.

I expected that I would find it difficult to drive the ATV, but I managed to drive it well.

The only thing I could not do properly was reverse, well it’s my first time, so what could you expect? Haha

We passed through roads that went uphill and downhill, and we also had to make several turns.

There were also roads covered with water that were difficult to pass through.

I noticed that our pants became dirty because the muddy water from the tires splashed onto us.

But that was fine, because it was part of the fun and excitement of riding the ATV.

It took us one hour and 10 minutes to finish the ride, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Whenever we had a difficulty climbing uphill, the workers were there to help us.

They pushed the ATVs hard so that we could get out of the deep mud.

It was really fun, and I am sure that I will ride an ATV again.

The one hour and 10 minutes were definitely worth it.

After that, we went back to our resting area and waited for our next activities.

We chose paintball, where we would shoot each other using a paintball guns.

The guns were loaded with small balls filled with paint.

Since there were only three of us, we would be playing against each other.

Nicole and Rah Ki Mah were my opponents.

I jokingly told them to watch out because I was going to shoot them in the head.

Before the game started, someone gave us instructions on how to use the paintball guns.

The workers who assisted us was also from Mindanao.

His hometown is in Cotabato.

He is a Maguindanaon, and he told us that he had only arrived in Manila in January of this year.

He told us to hide so that the game could begin.

We were equipped with paintball guns, helmets to protect our heads, and protective clothing to protect our bodies.

When the game started, I saw Nicole and immediately shot at her.

I also noticed that Rah Ki Mah was shooting at her too.

I told myself that this was going to be difficult because they were my opponents, and I wondered what I would do if both of them targeted me.

I was right because after a minute, both of them started shooting at me.

I could not fire back properly because I did not know which one of them I should target first.

After a while, Kuya (the worker) told us to stop firing because Rah Ki Mah was having difficulty breathing.

Because of the helmet, she could not breath comfortably, so she decided to stop playing.

Since Rah Ki Mah was no longer playing, Nicole became my only opponent.

When the worker instructed us to continue, I could not see Nicole because she was hiding.

After waiting for a minute, I decided to leave my hiding place because she was still not showing herself.

Bravely, I walked toward her and told myself “bahala na”.

Since she liked hiding, I decided to go after her and shoot her instead.

When Nicole saw me, she shot me, and I shot her as well.

Nicole hit me in the back.

Kuya noticed that my paintball gun was out of ammunition.

Since my paintball gun ran out of ammunition, we ended the came.

Although it was tiring, we had so much fun.

We returned to our resting area because I was so exhausted after paintball.

Also it was hard to breath because of the helmet we were wearing.

Nicole and Rah Ki Mah wanted to play more.

They played airsoft while I stayed in our resting area to study because I had a removal exam at 6:00 p.m.

We also played billiards for only fifteen pesos per game.

We laughed the whole time because none of us really knew how to play billiards.

At 1:00 p.m., I told them that we needed to go home because I had an exam later that day.

We left El Monte, Tanza with smiles on our faces and promised ourselves that we would surely come back.

By: Kaironiza Yu