On the way home from my uncle’s wake in Antipolo City last night, my family and I went to a nearby perya, the Pinoy community fair for amusement, carnival rides, and cheap thrills. It wasn’t hard talking them into doing so after citing the creepy superstition that souls and spirits follow people into their houses if they go home directly from a wake. What could be more compelling than this on the eve of All Saints’ Day? 
More than the thought of spirits coming home with us, I was thrilled with the opportunity of having the perya experience again. The last time I did was years back and I couldn’t even remember where.
Here are Nokia camshots of my perya experience:
Have it all. From toy planes to kitchen wares, a perya almost has it all.
A motorcycle is the grand prize in the popular bingo game, no wonder it’s one of the most crowded spots in the perya.
The horror train usually turns out hilarious than scary. Trust me, I tried it twice before
The Octopus ride is perhaps the all-time box office hit.
Family affair. For some Pinoys, going to a perya is family bonding time. But kids are too young — and sometimes too sleepy — to realize this.
Harvest queen. A mother gathers her children while she accounts for what remains of her coins and what she has already won.
They call this game hagis piso which is literally what it says. You win a prize if your coin lands within any of the color boxes.
Another version of hagis piso, but in this game, you roll a ball and if it lands within the color box you bet on, you win a prize. My mom played this game and won a pack of biscuits and a softdrink litro. You can bet we had midnight snack inside the car. Haha!
I was surprised to see that a videoke is already part of the perya experience. There were in fact three videoke booths, all full. The moment a guy started belting out “My Way,” I called it a night and told my family it was time to go. The guy’s voice was loud enough to drive bad spirits away so they no longer follow us home. Hahaha!
wow, that looks fun! and did you say cheap thrill? wanna try! wanna try!
I’ve been to grander pleasure stations already, yet everytime we go to the carnabal (as what perya is better known here in Zamboanga), it’s always such an experience, like the Ghost Train, I still get the creeps despite that now that I am an adult already, and not the child of years ago who once thought those monsters were for real, I still get nervous riding that train.
One thing—it’s a wonder how the perya there looks so similar to what we have here, all the rides and the games.
i totally win the hagis piso all the time. it’s so inane.
aCey: a perya does not have the same amenities as your favorite hospital which you wrote about on your blog, but yeah, go and try haha
major tom: the ghost train was creepy on the first try; the second time i tried it even much later, i was already laughing on my way out. haha.
mussolini: we can both go to a perya and see who wins the most in the hagis piso. dare?
gah, i haven’t seen this shit in a long, long time. memories of going back to the province. thanks, bro.
lol! it wasn’t my fave hospital, honey. hehehe. my favorite 1, i don’t think we can afford anymore. haha. btw, yeah, it was my bday. hehe. i wish i could go to a perya and play and win something. if i win food, i’ll share some with you. haha!
looks like fun bro. the perya in leyte looked the same. but i never dared the ride of horrors for fear of maniacs groping in the dark. eeewwww. but let’s have fun one of these days.
{illyria}: it’s funny how many people still think of province when they see a perya. dami nito dito sa manila! sama ka? hahaha
aCey: ey, belated happy birthday! wish you had a blast yesterday. and yeah, i’ll wait for that food, hehe.
bismuth: hmm,what kind of fun do you have in mind?
Perya is a fun place. I remember madalas me perya sa tapat ng house namin before a building was constructed at the lot. Very pinoy and lots of cheap fun.
is this in bulacan? this perya look so familiar to me…
erin: this is in antipolo. the look can be confusing because peryas do look the same.