Adventure Hijinks: Becoming (Aqua) Green Arrow!

Last week I went to Ninja Academy to learn parkour, the first thing I needed to become the vigilante of the night I've always dreamed of being. This week, I've learned the second thing - archery!

AMAAAAAZING!

Where do I start?...ARCHERY WAS FREAKING AWESOME! I FINALLY SHOT AN ARROW!!! I KNOW ARCHERY!!! AND I WAS GOOD AT IT!!! (At least I think I was.) IT WAS FANTASTIC!!! SUPER FANTASTIC!!!

Katniss Everdeen.....and Bett.

Ok, I'm getting WAY ahead of myself. My blog isn't just for me to go batshit about what I did, it's a public service!

Archery is a classic sport with already a strong following in the Philippines. But recently, it's experienced a surge, partly thanks to Katniss and Hawkeye. More and more people want to try their hand at archery and if you're one of them, go to Gandiva Cafe and Archery Range. They offer an archery experience you'll never forget!

The walk in rate is P980/hour on the weekends (P680/hour on weekdays). This is inclusive of the range rental and equipment rental, plus a professional coach assisting you throughout your stay.

Our coach gave us our equipment to start: 

1) Armguard - forearm protection for if the string accidentally flicks your arm.

2) Quiver - arrow holder. But on the side instead of your back. When you think about it, it IS safer that way.

 Armguard and Quiver on the side.

3) Bow - a classic recurve bow. 

If Robin and his merry men had an armory, this would be what it'd look like.

4) Arrows - the thing that flies through the air.

5) Target face - your target. It comes in 4 different designs. For my first time, I chose the normal target. Although there's a zombie head target. It's distracting but pretty funny.:)

Shoot your arrows at the target of your liking!

Then our coach explained the basics and do's and don'ts. I need not elaborate everything, but suffice to say that for the next 5 minutes, he was already able to cover the essentials - how to load a bow, how to pull and release the string, how to use the target sight, the proper posture, etc.

Orientation only lasts 5 minutes!

For the remaining 55 minutes, we were shooting! And for those who don't know, one of my favorite shows on TV right now is Arrow, and one of my favorite comics is Hawkeye, so can you imagine the sheer amount of  joy I was in while I was playing? I was in my own little bubble, channeling my inner Kat...I mean, Ollie!

Mental Note: Legolas' rapid firing is impossible.

Focus. Be the arrow.

I honestly thought that 1 hour was too short a time to properly learn, let alone really have a fun time. But 30 minutes in and my arms were already tired! 1 hour felt like 2 coz it felt like I've already launched a hundred arrows before time was up! Sulit!

Coaches advise throughout your stay.

My first bullseye!

Bettina Tell.

My second bullseye and Bett's first! (Sort of.)

You can go there with your friends and try it together! Gandiva has 9 lanes, but they can compress it to make room for 12 if needed. They also have a class rate of P12,000/15 hours for anyone wanting to take their archery skillz to the next level. On the other hand, they're soon opening Arrowland, a laid-back, mall-based, archery range for people who want a more casual game.

Shooting with the peeps of When In Manila.

We practically ripped that target apart in an hour!

After playing you can enjoy a nice meal at the vegetarian Gandiva Cafe. And as I've learned from recent experience, vegetarian doesn't automatically equate to dull, especially here in Gandiva!

From owners who respect ALL life!

Mushroom Crispies (P130) 
Who doesn't love mushrooms?!? And you're sure to love it even more when you taste these mouth-watering fritters. Crispy on the outside and stretchy and chewy on the inside!

Bacon Cheeseburger (P290) and Tomato Basil (P250) Pizzas.
They use vegetable meat for the Cheeseburger flavor. It's almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
And the Tomato Basil Pizza had a very strong basil aroma and flavor. You could almost taste the healthy!

Veggie Sisig Rice Meal (P140)
Veggie. Sisig. I'll let that sink in for a while...
The healthiest and unhealthiest food in one concept. It's a paradox. But it works! 
It tastes like real sisig! It even tastes as fatty! It's sorcery, I tell you!

The range also offers the equipment if you're planning to seriously pursue archery!

Pimped out bows of seasoned archers, and a cutesy arrow pen, for newbies like me.:)

Recurve Bow VS. Compound Bow

The Recurve bow has tips that curve away from the archer. It takes quite a bit of energy to draw and aim but I guess you could say that it's the more traditional bow. While the Compound bow has mechanical aids to help with drawing the bowstring. You'll really feel the difference of the draw!

***


Thanks to Ms. Casey Diy and the awesome coaches of Gandiva!

Archery was such an incredibly fun sport!! I thought it was going to be too complicated but as it turns out, it was accessible to us beginners (thanks to the instruction of Gandiva's coaches!). And now I am happily able to say that I know how to shoot an arrow! Amazing!

So criminals beware! I'm trained with the skills of archery and parkour! I work in the shadows, hide in plain sight and strike from a safe distance! (Because you can never be too careful when fighting crime). I am AQUA GREEN ARROW! (The much gay-er cousin of Green Arrow!)

ARROW  PUNZ!!!!
(Coz I have a lot of time in my hands like that.)

Gandiva Cafe and Archery Range

is open from 10am - 7pm on Sundays to Thursdays
and 10am - 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

They're located at Unit 703-705 One Corporate Center
Julia Vargas corner Meralco Aves.
Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines.

For reservations and inquiries, you can contact them at
+63 (2) 638 - 4549 (Cafe) 
+63 (2) 638 - 8771 (Archery) 
or email them at info@gandiva.com.ph or
marketing@gandiva.com.ph 

They offer team building and event packages.
They can even take the Archery range to your event!

Don't forget to follow them on Facebook.