Sunflora Farm (Jala-jala, Rizal)

This blog post may not be about food, but it's still about going off the (b)eaten track, right?

I know that my province, Rizal, is beautiful -- located between the lakes and the hills -- but I don't have much time nor the energy to explore it. But I am glad that I did, just recently!

Sunflowers are favorite flowers of most people. They connote happiness, cheerfulness, and positivity.

While I have seen a sunflower, I had never been to a real sunflower farm or garden before... right until that moment when I visited Sunflora Farm in the municipality of Jala-jala!

Sunflora Farm is a nine-hectare farm that is the home of not just sunflowers, but of other flowers and plants as well, although it highlights the beauty of this popular bloom. It also has a vegetable garden, as well as a budding sanctuary for organic farm chickens.

We live in the Binangonan-Angono border, so I thought that a trip to Sunflora Farm would take us a little over an hour. But we were surprised to discover how long our commute turned out to be. From Binangonan, we had to traverse four other towns -- Cardona, Morong, Baras, Tanay, and Pililia (in that order) -- before finally arriving in Jala-jala, which is, geographically, the last province in Rizal.

We never thought how secluded Jala-jala was. Yes, Rizal is a province, but we live so close to Manila that much of its rural charm has been slowly replaced by commercialism. There are now big malls and shopping centers, and we experience traffic that is almost akin to the traffic in Manila. It's how the "'burbs" are.

Throughout our three-hour commute to Jala-jala, it was a welcome change of scenery. We finally felt and enjoyed the rural simplicity as we were going thorugh several towns. The aroma of the freshly-cut grass from the ricefields was invigorating! We saw the expanse of the Laguna de Bay, with the faint visage of Talim Island on the background. It is the home of the highest peak, Mount Tagapo, where we climbed some four years back.

At about 8 am, we arrived at the Sunflora Farm. Too bad we were late to catch the sunrise, as it is the best time to go there. Nevertheless, the sight of the bright yellow sunflowers was enough to make us excited!

By the time we went there, the entrance fee cost only Php30 per head.

Although the name is Sunflora Farm and Restaurant, we didn't see any restaurant. Or so we thought. Too bad, we would have wanted to have some breakfast there!

It rained the day before, so the soil became wet when we visited the farm. As you might expect, our shoes were covered with mud! I just wished they provided boots (or they should have thought of having them for rental for such instances).

But the beauty of the flowers, the serenity of the place, and the fact that we were close to nature compensated all these snags.

Anyway, we went there on a Monday to avoid the weekend crowds. And we were not disappointed in our bid.

However, the sun was already up even at 8 am. As first timers, we did not expect that it would become too hot this early in the morning. Much of the expanse of this lot was open, since this is a farm. Although there were some mango trees that dot throughout the property, we would love to go out at the open expanse of the farm and take lots of pictures of these beautiful flowers. We would have brought hats or applied some sunscreen to protect us from the sun's rays.

I guess, the best time to go there was before and during sunrise and during late afternoon, so that it won't be too hot for you to go there.

Aside from the "star" flowers -- the sunflowers -- the Sunflora Farm is also home to a few other species, such as cosmos, celosia (or cockscomb), and another flower that looked like a Vietnam rose, but not quite. There are some plots of other sunflower plants that haven't bloomed yet. I loved it! I only wish they add more and varied flowers for people to enjoy!

PLEASE, THROW YOUR TRASH PROPERLY!

But no matter how you want to make the place beautiful, there are still some people who want to ruin it by turning it into a vast garbage bin. Like this eyesore I encountered.

This is one of the reasons why this country is not moving forward. It's because of people like them. If they care for the environment, no government official will tell them on how to dispose of their trash properly.

Do you think any garbage makes a place beautiful? Or are you just lazy to look for a garbage bin?

Sure, there are caretakers at the farm. But you must cooperate by taking your own initiative. Sunflora Farm has garbage bins... just do a little effort, guys. Nasasanay na kasi kayo sa convenience, so you just throw your trash wherever is convenient to you, kahit hindi naman sa tamang lugar.

I picked this plastic cup up and disposed of it into one their trash bins.

Sunflora Farm -- a place to love and appreciate Mother Nature!

You don't need to travel all the way to Baguio, Pangasinan and even Quezon to see a sunflower farm. Sunflora Farm is a three- or four-hour ride away from Manila, depending on the traffic.

Sunflora Farm is slowly but surely gaining popularity as a place for taking selfies, groufies and dronies, as well as taking nature shots. It is a great place to make lovely memories.

It is open all year round, from 6 am to 6 pm., so you can visit it any time you like.

Just keep in mind that you want to go here to appreciate nature, first and foremost. And as part of that appreciation, please keep the place clean and beautiful.

Sunflora Farm
Pililia - Jala-jala - Pakil Road,
Barangay Punta,
Jala-jala, Rizal