Ever since the Philippines loosened travel restrictions, the tourism sector once again thrived, boosting the local economy. And summer is in full swing, so it's definitely a great time for the students to have their yearly educational field trips. I was looking forward for a good excuse to leave my work desk so my wife and I decided to accompany our eight-year-old on their tour to Pampanga.

San Guillermo Church

Our first destination was the San Guillermo Church in Bacolor, Pampanga. Since the Philippines was under Spanish rule for over three centuries, promulgating Catholicism, old churches like this are still around all over the country. But what's peculiar about the San Guillermo Church is that the lower half of its original structure was buried underneath the ground.

There was a volcanic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo back in 1991. This led to ashfalls and eventually lahar mudflows that affected a lot of areas around Luzon. We were told that what we were touring was just the uppermost part of what once was a taller structure.

Me, my wife, and my one-year-old getting ready to sprint away.

The topmost part of a once grand window is now at the church's ground level.

The church also houses a collection of historical and religious artifacts.

The mood inside San Guillermo Church is quite solemn. I'd say it's even more so than the typical Catholic churches I visit. It would be a perfect location if you want to reflect and calm your spirit. But I can tell that it's always busy due to the number of tourists when we got there. And it's definitely a worthwhile visit for the younger generation to have a glimpse of the past and learn about resiliency against the odds in life.

Insectlandia

Well, I did not do research on this one. When I read that one of the places we were going to visit was Insectlandia, I thought we were going to an insect zoo. It was actually a park filled with various animatronic giant bugs, which is also nice, I guess.

Smiling for the camera but we're already tired and hungry at this point.

While it's an overall nice attraction, I feel like it would have been better to visit it at night. I've seen spotlights at strategic points and it would have highlighted the animatronic insects even more when it's dark, adding to the wow factor.

Dinosaurs Island

The Dinosaurs Island was just across the Insectlandia and part of the same theme park. It's also filled with animatronics but dinosaurs this time around.

The Dino Feeding Business
In the middle of the dinosaur animatronics trail, we were greeted by a very large replica of a Tyrannosaurus. I was taken aback by how good the details on it are. I saw a small flight of stairs leading to a platform near its head. And then it hit me, it's a photoshoot business.

https://youtube.com/shorts/LRiqmnvzue8?feature=share

They charge 20 pesos ($0.36) for a child to climb up to the platform while holding a mini dinosaur. They then extend it towards the gargantuan mouth of the T-Rex while the parents snap a nice cool photo of the moment. I was just amazed of how lucrative this business idea is. My son was not even 20 seconds into the whole process and it was done. There's also batch after batch of students lining up behind him waiting for their turn.

It's nothing much individually compared to the once in a lifetime experience of feeding a T-Rex, but the revenue sure adds up if you think about it. Probably more than enough to cover the electricity cost of the entire collection of animatronics scattered around the theme park.

Dinosaurs Island is fun and amazing experience especially if you are with your family. Aside from the animatronics showcase, there are also a lot of other activities to do like wall climbing, zipline, and safari trail, among others. But the scorching summer heat combined with long treks can definitely sap the energy out of you especially if you're a parent in the late thirties like me. But at the end of the day, my kids had a fun experience and that's what matter most.

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