Three LSI Teams On A Bulacan Escapade: Malolos tours and zip-lining

Members of the WHT, DEV, and Traffic teams made their bonds stronger through an exciting tour in historical sites of Malolos and one of the most dangerous and extreme outdoor activities—zip-lining. Enjoying the whole course of their bustling activities, all teams achieved the main purpose of the escapade—to connect their ties out of their comfort zone and escape the fatiguing routine of their official duties.

The three teams agreed to rendezvous in the busiest road of Makati last Saturday morning. With the sun as bright as everyone’s enlivened faces, they knew that nothing could stop them from indulging in their months-long planned out-of-town escapade. Aboard the van, they left the deafening noise of the metropolis!

From the skyscrapers of Makati to the urban jungles of Manila and Quezon City, the scenery, little by little, changed into a vast plain of grass fields as they entered NLEx. When they made an exit from the expressway, they pulled over and grabbed some inipit, ensaimada, and other native goodies from Eurobake to share with the team or bring home as pasalubong for their families. Only then they realized that they already arrived at their first destination—Malolos, Bulacan.

Malolos is known for its history and heritage, which played vital roles in the formation of the identity of the Filipino. In a site of historical establishments, everyone went “back in time” as they entered famous churches, old Spanish houses, museums, and other heritage sites, such as Barasoain Church and Museum, Malolos Cathedral, Casa Real, and the Kamestizuhan District.

Main features at the churches and museums, such as images of saints, religious vestments, antique retablos, trompe l’oeil paintings (“to fool the eye”), and baroque architecture were appreciated by the teams. After their educational and entertaining ventures, some of them made their way to the shops and bought religious items while the others continued to ponder and pray inside the beautiful churches. The next stop in the itinerary was Casa Real and Kamestizuhan.

Everyone enjoyed walking around the streets while sharing what they perceived about the most impressive edifices they’ve ever seen. Not even the hot rays of the sun had put a grimace on their faces. With some treats of a little native ice cream from the mamang sorbetero (ice cream vendor), they continued walking in the middle of the day.

It’s about lunch time when they arrived at Amana Waterpark resort in Pandi, Bulacan. Thankfully, the heavy volume of traffic was on their side, and they made it to the resort in a timely fashion even before their bellies growled! They gobbled some Filipino favorites: Sisig, Menudo, Rellenong Bangus and Hipon Guisado—all of which were cooked by Kevin, DEV team’s member.

After the guys and gals let their lunches settle down in their happy tummies, all of them enjoyed a game of One Night: Ultimate Werewolf. A game of psychological warfare, the members helped each other and aimed their focus on catching the deceitful werewolves, trusting their co-villagers and avoiding the treacherous tanner among them. However, even though the game required some of them to lie to one another, all of them enjoyed and laughed at the whole picture, which only made their bond stronger than ever.

Fear of height. Even though flying is one of the human’s frustrations in life, not everyone appreciates and is willing to glide on a rope suspended 80 feet high in the air and 300 meters long. Well, this escapade’s main highlight is zip-lining at Amana. Due to the ride’s height, this adrenaline-packed activity made some of the members felt nervous at first, but the others reassured their teammates that everything would be fine, strengthening their trust among each other. 3, 2, 1… GO! Screams of joy and laughter filled the air! As one member finished, another one gave a try—all of them waiting for each other on the other side of the line. When everyone completed this activity, only stories of thrilling experiences were heard from them as they went back to their cottage—signifying a successful team building endeavor, a memory that would last a lifetime.

The evening suddenly overshadowed their cottage. It was the signal to pack up and travel to Iyan’s house in Baliuag, Bulacan. Tales of joy filled the van with elation through the journey, and without noticing the travel time, they arrived safely at the team member’s home. His family welcomed everyone with utmost hospitality, serving them with native Bulakenyo cuisine for dinner. Some of the viands served were Kare-Kare, Kalderetang Bibe, Pinaputok na Tilapia, Burong Isda, and, for dessert, Buko Pandan. The members dined while talking about the escapade they experienced on the same day—not only fulfilling their stomachs, but their hearts as well.

At exactly 8 o’clock, they wholeheartedly thanked the family for welcoming them into their humble abode. Everyone boarded the van back home. As their vehicle traveled along, and dropped a member off at their respective stops one by one, all of them waved with bittersweet emotion until the last ones got off. Such gestures show that the WHT, DEV, and Traffic teams fortified their bonds and built fruitful relationships, and it would be easy to say that the whole day was spent in memorable fashion—achieving the essential purpose of their team bonding with great thanks to LeadYa, a company they love the most for sponsoring almost everything they need be it at work or outside world for fun.