HOLIDAY GETAWAY: SkyRanch Tagaytay
This is the second part of my Holiday Getaway travel blog this weekend. For the first part, you can read my entry about Taal Vista Hotel.
Like Taal Vista Hotel, we were no strangers to the amusement park called Sky Ranch. If you're not a lazy bum, you can reach the park through the long walking distance. It's not that far away from the hotel. Perhaps, it's the nearest leisure area that's not as small as the Play Palace from the McDonald's across the hotel or as "adult" as the Casino Filipino behind the fast food chain. Sky Ranch welcomes everyone of all ages.
Unlike the typical amusement park, guests have to buy tickets for the rides again. That is already after buying the entrance ticket. I feel ripped off but amazed at the intelligence of this scheme. Regardless, you still get the experiences you paid the rides for.
My brother (Patrick), our housekeeper, and I only rode one ride this visit: the Flying Bus. Originally Patrick wanted to ride the Super Viking. I was willing, but our mom was hesitant to let only the two of us ride. Both housekeepers immediately rejected the idea of riding with us. Nobody in our group, health-wise or by choice, wanted to ride the best ride Sky Ranch offered.
Eventually, we settled with Super Viking's younger brother, Flying Bus. Same idea, different direction, less thrill. But we still enjoyed it. I turned on my Facebook Live for my relatives to watch us screaming. Honestly, I wouldn't have done that if we rode on the Super Viking. I could've dropped my phone from my fear of heights!
(Yet I continue to ride that ride for some reason I don't understand. Maybe it's my inner thrill-seeker wanting that.)
Although I've never tried them, I always passed by the stalls where you can win toys through hitting targets. One of my cousins mentioned how these games rig itself to make the player lose (unless s/he's really that good). With that in mind, I avoided this kind of stands in amusement parks. It's the less-stigmatized form of gambling. Worse is, anyone under 21 can get addicted to this! With Sky Ranch's system of paying tickets for one ride, this will drain your money once you get addicted.
But honestly, as long as you got cash, they're still fun.
But the "Main Attraction" title goes to the Sky Eye. The ferris wheel boasts of being the highest of its kind in the country at 63 meters (2,207 feet). My brother and I would usually ride it with others. However it was the evening before a holiday... That meant an immense, blockbuster line that reached beyond the barriers.
However, it's alright. Looking up at the Sky Eye during the night brought a new perspective we admired. The neon lights kept changing colors that affected how the ferris wheel looked.
We ended our visit with dinner at one of the restaurants in the park. My mom wanted something different from our usual pick. So we ate at Downton Pizza & Pasta / Red Engine, two restaurants from the same management. (Also yes, for the first time, my mom wanted a pasta place! Something that happens in a blue moon!) I ended up ruining my diet with the pizza and mozzarella sticks, but I realized... Damn did I miss mozzarella sticks.
