World Light Expo 2007

they had the soft opening last Feb 13, 2007. i went there last night and the damage was P300.00 for the entrance fee. take note, that's only for the entrance. aside from the Pagodas, the Korean and Chinese circus, the well-lighted archways, the water screen laser show, the little fireworks and other lighted structures, you have to pay an additional P20-50 for the -18 degree centigrade Harbin Ice & Light Festival (na hindi ko napasok, mukhang pinapalamig pa yung tent hehehe), the 1st Qin Emperor's Terracota Army (na nasilip ko lang kasi pinipinturahan pa yung ibang "sundalo"), me mga mini-rides din na napagtyagaan ng ibang "adults" at nung sumakay na sila parang napaisip sila kung bakit sila sumakay hehehe.

some facts i extracted from the Expo brochure i got upon paying the entrance:

• Gross Production - Usd 6 millions
• Gross Staff hired - 10,000 persons
• Production period - two years
• Job creation in the Phils - 12, 000 persons
• Number of bulbs used - 2,000,000
• Design Team (Philippines, Korea, China, Italy) - 200 staffs

the Expo is open everyday from 4:30 pm onwards (up to 1 am on weekends), Feb 13-April 22

Adult (over 4 ft) Php 300.00

Child (below 4 ft) Php 200.00

Children under 3 years old - Free

Parking is on the Macapagal Avenue side. If one is coming from Makati, take EDSA going to Mall of Asia then turn left upon reaching Macapagal Ave. You can also go there by boarding the bus with the signboard MIA Baclaran and go down on or before the Coastal Mall.

yellow t-shirt wearing staffs can be found around the area, you can approach them for some queries and you can even ask them to take your pictures.

the colorful pagodas and the long-bodied dragon made of ceramic/plastic plates, cups and spoons are prominently on the center of the Expo.

when i went there last night, i saw korean food stalls with the London Bridge-inspired lighted structure as its "landmark" and Indo's, strategically located near the stage where the circus and some performances are being done on an hourly basis. i didn't bother checking the food and the price as i am more interested in taking pictures than eating. hehe

there are more to see there that these pictures may not be able to give/impart, if you think the P300 entrance fee is a "expensive but-a-once-in-a-lifetime-experience", then by all means, go there, but if your idea of the expo is a star city theme park and that you can ride-all-you-can with your P300, don't go.

but this one is a nice way of appreciating other culture. and a very good opportunity to practice and/or enhance that photography talent you have. and perhaps, a huge project like this might never happen again in the very near future.

and this is for the benefit of Pangarap na Lupa Foundation (Children with sight impairments)

(my random thoughts, how much are they going to pay Meralco for the huge, huge, huge amount of electricity they will use for that 2M bulbs?)