By The River

Many summers ago, I used to go to this riverside park that cuts right through the heart of the city. It is one of the largest urban parks in the world. There are many picnic sites to hang around, a lot of benches to sit on, and numerous pathways and trails to get lost in.

Somehow I take this park for granted. The university that I went to sits right by the river so I never really thought of the park as anything spectacular. It didn’t even enter my mind until fairly recently when I went through my old photography blog and saw these pictures.

The park is smack right in the middle of an urban area. The surrounding greenery is a refreshing sea of foliage amidst a busy business district, and the best part is that it’s openly accessible to everyone. No gates, no tickets (although you might need a pass to take a guided tour in the riverboat).

The city is flat for the most part but there are also hilly areas here and there. The riverside park has many of these wooden stairs where people could walk up and down, rest if they must, or do some cardio exercises.

There is also an area by the river with Chinese-style architecture. I remember reading the slab of stone that explains the story behind the temples, but I don’t remember the story at all. Yikes.

Whenever I go to the park to take pictures, I also take photos of random people on the streets. I’m not sure what the policy is for posting these pictures online, so I mostly just keep them to myself. “Mostly.”

Other than walking around and taking pictures (like what I typically do), people also jog and bike around the park. Some people also fish in certain parts of the river, although I myself have not tried doing that.

If you follow the trails and walk far enough, you can get to the other parts of the city that you don’t normally visit. I like it when I get lost. Sometimes it’s nice to just go wherever the trails take me; the river is always there to lead me back anyway.

Quarantine measures in the city are no longer as strict as they used to be. The number of cases are shooting up, but they’re still not as huge as in other parts of the world. Maybe it’s time for me to breathe some fresh air, ‘no? I might pay this park a visit someday soon.