**Before we start with this blog, I would like to say that I am proud of myself that I FINALLY TOOK PHOTOS of the nest site!!! This was the same day where I decided that I should write about my Nest Expeditions hahaha
It’s been a long time since I’ve last seen a silhouette in my Sightings list. I already have 130 Pokemon (as of this writing) in my Pokedex, so not many Pokemon could get me excited anymore. I lack some Pokemon, and one of them is, who I consider to be the great Dragonite killer, Jynx.
In my intention to get Jynx in my Pokedex, I head on over to The Silph Road’s Nest Atlas to check if the 7th Great Migration of November 17 brought in a nearby Jynx nest.
True enough, I saw that the Marikina Riverbanks had a confirmed Jynx nest, with reports from other trainers that the Nest had Cluster Spawns of Jynx everywhere!
Since I wanted to add another entry in my Pokedex, I decided that I should pay a visit to this nest.
Location.
The Marikina Riverbanks is, from its name itself, found in the area of the Marikina River. There are a lot of roads where you can go through if you want to drive through this place. To find the most convenient roads to take when going to this place, I suggest you consult Waze.
If you will go there by commute (like me), here is one of the methods to do so:
- Make your way to Cubao. If you’re coming from the South:
- Via MRT: Ride the train going to North Avenue, and stop at the Araneta-Center Cubao Station
- Via Bus: Get a bus going to SM Fairview, and go down at Farmer’s Market Cubao
- If you’re coming from the North:
- Via MRT: Ride the train going to Taft Avenue, and stop at Araneta-Center Cubao Station
- Via Bus: Ride a bus going to Baclaran or MOA, and get down at the Cubao MRT Station
- Via Jeepney: Ride a jeep going to Cubao Kalayaan Ali Mall (if there is any in your area), and go down at the last point of the travel
- Walk to the Gateway Mall (ask the friendly guards) and go to the LRT station attached to it.
- Get an LRT ticket going to Santolan, and ride the train to Santolan (which is the last stop of the trai
n) - Load up Pokemon Go. You’re gonna want all of the walking distance that you’re gonna go through for your eggs and your buddy.
- Get off at Santolan station. Once there, turn left upon your exit from the station’s gates. You’ll see a very long overpass there with a sign on its entry “To SM Marikina”. It’s a straightforward path, so just walk through its whole length.
- Walk to the Riverbanks Center (found across the Marikina River found at the Left side of the mall, with you facing the SM mall)
- Once there, get ready for a Jynx spawn galore.
MARIKINA RIVERBANKS CENTER.
The Riverbanks Center “is a mall and office complex located off of A. Bonifacio Avenueadjacent to the Marikina River Park in Barangka, Marikina.” In it are a lot of outlet stores of different brands, as well as many tiangge where you can buy many affordable and interesting items for you or for your loved-ones.
The Riverbanks Center hosts a lot of different attractions around its vicinity. It has an amusement park, some small food businesses, a boat ride (that was not available at the time I was there) and so many more.
The Hunt.
The week before the 7th great migration, the place was an Electabuzz nest. Since I didn’t have an Electabuzz at that time, I went to the Marikina Center to get me one. Unfortunately, that day was a rainy day, and due to the hassles that the weather gave me, I only got to take a photo of the wet overpass going to SM Marikina.
As I was walking along the road-bridge (don’t know what to call it) directly above the Marikina River, something appeared on my sightings that got me really excited.
A silhouette. Finally, after months of not seeing it in my sightings, I finally got a chance too see another silhouette in my Sightings!!!
I would finally then get to have my own Jynx, my Dragonite killer.
As I further walked along the path going to the Riverbanks Center, finally she appeared.
I then proceeded to click on it, whip out an Ultra Ball that I’ve been saving for
that moment, add a Raspberry in the mix, and proceeded to catch this CP 1853 Jynx. It was a pretty tough battle, but after a few tries, I caught it.
It has been a long time since I’ve seen the purple screen before. What a beauuuty! (Steve Irwin Accent)
This Jynx didn’t really have the move set that would make it be called the Dragonite Killer that I always wanted, but according to my sightings, there’s a lot more where that came from anyway!!
I made my way to the Fish and Mermaid statue in front of the Riverbanks Center mall. Back when I was a kid, in Cubao, when all of the lots weren’t taken by corporations that put big malls in it, in an empty property, there was just a large body of water. And at the center is a statue the same as that Fish and Mermaid that I took a photo of. I don’t know if that Cubao statue is the one that I was looking at in front of the Riverbanks center.
This statue, in Pokemon Go, is actually a site for a Pokemon Gym. When I went there, the gym was a Team Instinct Level 3 gym. Since it’s a low level gym, I figured that I’d take it down and place my Gyarados in it. I didn’t collect my coins yet after, hoping that my Gyarados wouldn’t be taken down until I find another gym for the day.
As I made my way further in the Riverbanks Center Area, I came across the many Pokestops that were surrounding the amphitheatre there. The Jynx spawns were absolutely EVERYWHERE! This was a good nest!
Walking around these Pokestops, you would come accross the beautiful sights in the Riverbanks center. Among those found in the Riverbanks Center is the amusement park. In it, Various rides were placed, but at the time that I was there, the rides weren’t turned on. The Rides were closed, but you can still walk around the amusement park.
From afar, I noticed this very grim Pokestop labeled as the “Death Mural”. It could actually fit well as a band name for a Metal Band. I got curious on what is actually there, so I went and checked it out. Apparently, it was a design of a Horror Train.
I went in further in the Amusement Park, and took another photo. On that site was where I found another Jynx beside a Paras.
After catching that Jynx, Sightings didn’t show any Jynx for a while. Since that’s the case, I decided to take more photos down at the Amphitheatre. On my way down, I saw a Pokestop marked as “Palarong Pambansa”. The statue that corresponds to this Pokestop depicts the annual competition held in the country, where sports-oriented youth join to compete in their respective sports categories.
I continued going down the stairs towards the Amphitheatre, I looked back to where I came from. The view shows that of a great variation of things. In one part of the Riverbanks center are the shops and small food businesses, while on another is the Amusement park. From where I was standing on spanned the huge Amphitheatre.
When I faced the other way, I saw the famous Marikina River up close. There, I found a group of men fishing.
On another part of the River, I also saw some kids hanging around.
When I went near them, I saw that there were more of them, only, the other ones were coming out from the water. They were actually swimming in the River!
After a while, I saw that Jynx was back in the sightings list. When I saw it, I hoped that it would spawn along my path of where I was walking.
I decided to make my way back to SM Marikina, back to the LRT Station and go home. I thought my hunt went well on that day. I also came across a random WWF logo placed in a spot by the Riverbank.
I decided to take a different path back, one that involves the collapsible bridge on the River. It was quite unnerving to know that that bridge was collapsible (as it gets taken out during bad weather where the River usually overflows), since that certain function may make it quite unstable. When I crossed it, I realized that it was actually pretty sturdy. I even pulled off a Criss Angel Walk on Water trick in Pokemon Go since the bridge didn’t register in its mapping.
On the other side of the bridge was another Pokestop that marks the site where the famous Marikina Carabaos were placed. Seeing it again in person after quite some time got me happy like an excited kid for reasons that I don’t know why.
My Jynx Nest hunt was really fulfilling for me. Not only did I get a good number of Jynxes, but I also got ones that have Ice Type moves that could destroy any gym’s Dragonites. Not to mention, I was able to add another entry in my Pokedex.
After looking at the catches of my day, I then proceeded to go back to the LRT Station through the long overpass. The entrance to the overpass at the SM Marikina end was quite appealing for me, so I took a photo of it.
Don’t let the Marikina River’s reputation destroy its real and actual beauty.
The Marikina River is still beautiful in itself. Yes, when it overflows, it brings in a drastic amount of floodwater to the roads surrounding it. But if you don’t think about that, you’d realize that the River, and even the places surrounding it, are incredible. With or without the purpose of playing Pokemon Go, I recommend that friends and families visit the place, and I’m sure that everyone would have a great time there.
A Call to Action.
Now, when you go there, please do remember to keep sacred the environment surrounding the River, as well as the River itself. Only a few of these wonders exist in the Metro, so please, take good care not to disturb the beautiful image of this wonderful place.
Oh, and yeah, I took down a second gym for the day on my way home, when I got down at the Cubao LRT Station.
And I also filed in my report in the Silph Road’s Nest Atlas too:
The Manila Trainer 