Encircled

The lovely landscaped gardens and fountains of Greenbelt Park at the center of several malls which are, in turn, surrounded by the high-rise commercial and condominium buildings of the Makati Central Business District. The only building I recognize in this cluster is the tallest one on the right: the BSA Tower, a condotel.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

Still life with fountain

Simple lines, warm colors and fabulous textures at the foyer of Kimpura Japanese restaurant.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

A river runs through it

Another of TriNoma mall's numerous water features, which I've already featured several times, including a regular fountain, leaping jets and a pond which surrounds a Starbucks branch. This one mimics a river which ends in a cascade, with the added bonus of small leaping water jets. As the Ayala Malls' tag line says: "Lov'emall!"

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

The war of the malls

When I first wrote about SM City North EDSA mall's Sky Garden, I mentioned that it was a response to the challenge of the more beautiful TriNoma mall, with its lush plants and numerous water features, which opened right across the street. The Sky Garden has some ponds too, and Starbucks opened a branch right beside one, like it did in TriNoma.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

Boiled koi

This is the small koi pond of Dencio's Bar and Grill in its enviable location on the roof deck of the strip mall beside the Capitol Hills Golf & Country Club. Outdoor dining is nice, but not for lunch in the middle of the Philippine summer. Even the koi are taking shelter in the shadow of the pedestals. Thank goodness the restaurant has an airconditioned dining room.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

I don't want to meet their cousins

The Philippine crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis) is a relatively small freshwater crocodile found only in the Philippines and is named after the island of Mindoro in Luzon. The largest specimens do not grow longer than 3 meters (10 feet) and most are smaller. It is in the critically endangered list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) though thankfully, several conservation societies have created captive breeding and releasing programs for it. These Philippine crocodiles are in the Agos (flow) section of the Manila Ocean Park.



Pinoy Trivia: The Tagalog word for crocodile is buwaya, which is the most common term and image we use to depict corrupt law enforcers and politicians who prey on innocent people. Poor crocodiles.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

Beat the heat

The waterfall feature of Sofitel Manila's lagoon-shaped swimming pool. Exceptionally tempting right now since the Philippines is in the middle of summer, which usually begins in March and ends in May.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

No bathing

Remember the photo of TriNoma mall's facade which I posted two weeks ago? This is what the little stand of trees looks like from the curved walkways on the upper floors. There's a small fountain in the middle of it. What you can't see because of the trees is that the four sides of the fountain are cordoned off. My guess is that the mall administration was having problems with too many kids (and even adults) trying to bathe in it. TriNoma is right beside a large squatter community, after all.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

Good afternoon. Good morning.

The Philippine Plaza's lagoon-shaped swimming pool has been famous in Metro Manila since the 1970s when National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin designed it for the Westin group. In 2005, Sofitel took over its operations and refurbished the entire hotel, including the pool which now has bright blue tiles.



Sofitel Manila has every right to boast that it is Metro Manila's only resort hotel. With twelve acres of landscaped gardens beside Manila Bay, it is easy to forget that the big, bustling metropolis is just a kilometer away.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

Elemental

One of the stone and metal sculptures of Filipino artist Impy Pilapil graces the main entrance of the new Rizal Library of the Ateneo de Manila University. Titled "Wind and Soul," it stands in the middle of a small water feature, just one of many in this proudly green building. The aesthetically-pleasing water features, which use reclaimed rainwater, are part of a system which helps control the temperatures in the building, reducing the need for airconditioners. The library is the newest of the university's facilities (replacing a smaller library building which will be renovated for other uses) and was only inaugurated on December 8, 2009. This entrance faces east; the first photo was taken at 4:00pm and the second at 7:00pm after the sun had completely set.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

Squiggly

Remember the rainbow triangles which I posted five months ago? The Hong Kong-based Filipino artist, Joel Ferraris, found my post about it and pointed me to his own blog, and it turns out that its title is "Prism 24." I finally managed to get a couple more photos of his fun sculptures at SM City North EDSA's Sky Garden and here is another, titled "Rainbow Waterfalls." There's no real water, but I think it's appropriate enough to register in Watery Wednesday, don't you think? :)

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

One big rock

"Specific Gravity" by Reg Yuson, a sculpture and water feature at Bonifacio High Street, a shopping and dining promenade in Taguig City.



This is what the whole piece looks like. No matter how many times I've seen it, it always fascinates me. And I'm definitely not the only one.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

Can you see it?

The Philippine crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis) is a relatively small freshwater crocodile found only in the Philippines. It doesn't grow more than 3 meters (about 10 feet) in length and is found mostly in the northern part of the country. In fact, it is named after the island of Mindoro in Luzon. Unfortunately, it is in the critically endangered list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), originally because of commercial exploitation but now because of human encroachment on its preferred habitats and also because of bad fishing methods. As of August 2009, the IUCN reports that the total population surviving in the wild is estimated at only 100 mature individuals. Thankfully, several conservation societies have created captive breeding and releasing programs for it. Together with awareness and education campaigns for local communities, the programs might just succeed in bringing it back to healthy population levels. The Manila Ocean Park has several Philippine crocodiles in its Agos (Flow) section, where I (barely) saw this one enjoying a quiet moment under the rainforest waterfall.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

Bored

Caught in slow-moving traffic one rainy morning, I finally noticed the graffiti-covered buildings under the Katipunan Avenue flyover. They're not abandoned but are still being used as offices of some kind. And no, I wasn't driving.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

Dancing fountain

About two weeks ago, I showed you a picture of the new Eastwood Mall. The bridge in that photo goes over a water feature located in the middle of the square surrounded by the mall and residential and office condominiums. What I liked best about the water feature is its dancing fountain, digitally programmed for musical performances. I wish I knew how to add music to this post, but it would be useless anyway because I can't even remember what the song was! My memory's hopeless. All I remember is that it was fast dance music.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

Leaping for joy

Trinoma mall in Quezon City is designed in such a way that many of the restaurants and cafés are centered around open areas which extend from the second to the fifth levels. Those open areas are filled with plants and interconnected water features. I've already posted a photo of the charming location of the Starbucks on the fifth level and another of this same area but looking up from the third floor. The jets of water are shooting up from fountains on the lower levels.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

19th century promenade

One of the fountains in Plaza Moriones, a park just outside the main gate and moat of Fort Santiago, one of the oldest fortifications in the City of Manila. During the 19th century, it was a promenade for the residents of Intramuros. Now, the gardens can be rented for special events such as wedding receptions.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

Tiny bubbles

The unusual and modern water feature in the square connecting the two wings of The Medical City, a large hospital complex along Ortigas Avenue in Pasig City. While I was taking pictures of it, a security guard came up to me to ask me to stop because photos aren't allowed without the permission of the hospital's marketing officer. Hate that.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

Spanish Dramatist or Filipino Saint

This ornate white fountain stands in Plaza Calderón de la Barca in front of the Binondo Church in Manila's Chinatown. The plaza is named after Pedro Calderón de la Barca, a Spanish dramatist of the 17th century whose play La vida es sueño (Life is a Dream) continues to be reinterpreted and staged until today. This tiny space is also known as Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz, after the first Filipino saint who happens to be from Binondo.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

Relaxing rooftop

This rooftop swimming pool is probably the most charming spot in the entire Bayview Park Hotel. The rooms are nothing extraordinary, there's only one café, the business center and gym close at 5:00 p.m., and the lobby doesn't even have armchairs so guests could at least sit while waiting their turn at the check-in counter. But Bayview Park does have several things going for it: compared to other hotels along Roxas Boulevard (which runs parallel to Manila Bay), it's very inexpensive (especially when booked through Agoda); it's one of the stops of the colorful hop-on-hop-off jeepneys; and it's right across the U.S. Embassy.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.