Enjoying Batangas and Tagaytay

 

My family and i went to our first wedding event last Saturday at Balai Isabel in Talisay, Batangas. It was our second time to go there. The first time we were there was for a wedding that i hosted for one of my clients. The kids enjoyed the pool while Mommy did some work. This time, we were guests to a good friend’s wedding and this was why hosting their reception program was even more special. And again, the kids enjoyed the pool while Mommy entertained the guests by making them forget about the extreme heat and focus on the reason for the occasion: To rejoice in  love and celebrate new beginnings.

As expected, our water babies stayed in the pool till almost dinner time. While i did not go for  a swim myself, it was enough to watch their bliss while also getting a majestic view of Taal Volcano.

If not for their grumbling tummies, they would have stayed in the pool till closing time. Good thing we were able to get a room at Balai Sofia, which is right beside Balai Isabel. It’s a new bed and breakfast addition to Balai Isabel’s facilities.  A much cheaper alternative to the quite pricey rooms and villas but a perfect choice for those attending a wedding and who have kids who will spend most of their time at the pool and less time at the hotel room.

We loved the simple coziness of our room. It has everything you need for a comfortable rest. I especially loved the stained glass windows and sliding door to the bathroom. And because it’s new, they haven’t installed the televisions yet which is a most welcome absence for me. Truly, a good night’s rest means no TV:)

But before retiring for the night, we headed for Cafe Terazza for a buffet dinner. We were not disappointed.  While we delighted our tummies with the fresh tilapia, juicy pork liempo, saucy beef kaldereta and mouth-watering leche flan, the little one chose to doze off just after a few bites of his pasta:)

We didn’t make any plans for the following day. Spontaneity has always been a trademark of our family. So we played it by ear and decided as a team the next morning.

Our unanimous decision took us to Tagaytay. We took the zigzag road just a couple of blocks from Balai Isabel. The first time we took that route was in the evening. It was so dark that we didn’t get to see the breathtaking view.  This time, we were treated to the best view that we ever had of Taal Lake. The entire 9 kilometer uphill trip towards Tagaytay was filled with “Ooohs and Aaahs” and one innocent remark that would sum up our weekend getaway from our four year old son.

” Wow, Mommy, this is a special place on earth”.

Indeed, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45)

Before we knew it, we were at Tagaytay City already. Not wanting to be overwhelmed by the huge number of people eating in the usual popular restaurants, we headed to our “usual” simple but homey corner at Papa Prito and had our favorite nilagang bulalo and took out a couple of pork barbeques at Eli’s. Our simple yet very filling lunch:)

Next stop was Fun Time Arcade at the Summit Ridge where we all had a marvelous time being kids:)

And of course, a day in Tagaytay will never be complete without a horseback ride. Because it was a special day, the kids got to ride bicycles too and a fun time at the Residence Inn playground.

It was happy day for all of us. I thank God for his provision, for the gift of our children who are a constant reminder to us how beautiful life is. I thank Him for the gift of family because at the end of each day, no matter how bad things get, they will always be my silver lining. The one thing that will always be there.

A day at the Zoo

Our family has been meaning to visit Ark Avilon Zoo ever since it opened it’s first branch at Montalban, Rizal. Somehow, we never got the chance to do so. This was why it was a welcome surprise to find out that my son’s preschool class has scheduled a trip to Ark Avilon, in Tiendesitas.  Though i heard from friends that the one in Tiendesitas  is  smaller, it was more convenient to take small children there instead.

As a parent, me and my fellow Moms had high expectations.  To our youngsters, just the promise of seeing the animals is enough to excite them.

We were scheduled to start our tour at nine o’clock in the morning. Anticipating the traffic, we left a couple of hours early to be there on time.  True enough, there was heavy traffic along Katipunan, all the way to Libis. Still, we arrived thirty minutes before opening. The Zoo’s facade is very appealing. You just have to make sure that your child knows the concept of the story of Noah’s ark before taking him there. That way, it will be more fun and interesting for him while he tours the zoo, discovering all the animals.

The zoo’s lobby was  very nice. The kids saw a couple of birds feeding as well as guinea pigs, turtles and rabbit that were for sale. These animals were not in cages and the children were encouraged to observe without touching them. Good thing the kids were all well behaved  or we would have bought everything that they touched 🙂

Though there was one bird that they were encouraged to touch, without having to pay for it. My son quickly obliged 🙂

Once inside, we were treated to a colorful  display of toys and other knick knacks. There were stuffed animals, slippers, pencil cases and animal figures too. The prices are also affordable, ranging from one hundred to three hundred pesos for each of  the stuffed animals.

And being kids, they all momentarily forgot the animals  as they were all hooked on choosing which toy and souvenir to buy 🙂

We were the first group to visit the zoo that day and so there was still a very relaxed atmosphere in the venue. A guided tour soon followed after our group was divided into two.

To my son’s delight, the first animal that we saw was the white tiger.

The word fascinated is not enough to describe my son’s reaction to the tiger. He was simply rooted in his place. We were still in front of the tiger’s cage even after our group has moved on to the next animal. Truth be told, he was okay to go home already after seeing the tiger 🙂

The other animals that we saw after that did not interest him much anymore, except for the crocodile. But then, the crocodile was sleeping and he wondered and asked me a couple of times if the crocodile was dead 🙂

The zoo also has it’s most famous celebrity. And for the Tiendesita’s branch, it is “Jenny” the Orangutan. For only fifty bucks, guests can sit beside Jenny and have a photo with her.

Aside from  Jenny,there are also photo opportunities with the other selected animals.

Although the photo sessions did not appeal to my young explorer, he most definitely enjoyed feeding the rabbits. Carrots  and leafy vegetables are on sale for forty pesos per piece. A tad too pricey, i might say, as you can buy these at the market for a much lower price.

The feeding station is located at the second level of the zoo. It is also where the goats are kept, and so it was a bit smelly. Good thing the area is not enclosed and there was a substantial amount of air coming in.

There was also a play area right beside the feeding station where arts and crafts activities are done.

Here are some artworks done by previous guests as well as Ark Avilo’s very own “Jenny” the Orangutan 🙂

A small canteen is also located at the second level beside the play and crafts area. You can choose from a variety of affordable snack items from hot dogs, sandwiches, popcorn, ice cream and chips.

Our visit lasted for about an hour. This already included  the feeding and arts and crafts activities. The guided tour was a bit short and the explanations a bit quick for a preschooler’s pace. Although the tour guide assigned to us was very pleasant, one can’t help but notice a couple of wrong grammar used  and some mispronounced words. Perhaps the management can provide a more comprehensive communication training for  their guides.

Apart from this, we had a pretty good tour,  and wouldn’t mind visiting again.

A lazy weekend in Sta Rosa, Laguna

Our family is blessed to have doting in-laws who love us generously. Family outings with the Aunts and Uncles are always a blast and our children always look forward to these trips.  And so on a cool Saturday morning, we packed our bags with overnight things and headed to Laguna, a couple of hours away from Manila, to cheer and give moral support to my sister-in-law who was participating in the “The Bull Run” for the first time. We told the kids that it would not be a weekend of activities as we will be in the hotel room most of the time. The weekend will be all about sleeping, eating and sleeping. We hadn’t even planned on going out of the hotel. The children seemed content. To me and my husband, this was the dream weekend:)

My sister-in-law booked us at El Cielito Hotel, a couple of minutes away from Paseo Premier Hotel where she and my other sister-in-law were billeted. Our tagging along for this weekend getaway was decided at the last minute and all the other  hotels near Nuvali, where The Bull Run would be held were fully booked. Our room at El Cielito was the last one. I thought, it was really meant for us 🙂

The last time we stayed at El Cielito was almost six years ago. We had a very nice experience and we pleasantly noted that nothing much has changed since then. It was still the same, simple, but homey hotel. The staff was very friendly, though service during that weekend was a bit slow. We thought that they were probably overwhelmed with the number of visitors they had. It seemed that majority of the guests, if not all, were participants of the Bull Run and their families.  We didn’t mind so much.  The friendliness of the staff made up for it. Parking was a bit challenging though as there are limited slots at the Hotel’s basement. However, there are a couple of parking spaces out front. You just have to be very careful not to leave any personal belongings and to secure your vehicles.

My favorite part of our stay were the bread and pastries. I was surprised that they tasted good. I honestly did not expect they would as the display was done so simply and the price was very affordable. A gentle reminder to me that good things do come in simple packages.

For coffee that afternoon, we tried their whole meal bread. We were not disappointed. And for only sixty six pesos, our tummies were instantly filled. The price may be cheap, but it certainly was not done cheaply. Among the other bestsellers are the blueberry cheesecake and raisin loaf, which i can honestly say, taste just the same with the famous Baguio Country Club version. And it was way cheaper too at only ninety nine pesos.

After coffee and pastries and depositing our stuff in our room, we then headed to Paseo Premiere Hotel to drop off my sisters-in-law.  It is also a business hotel and fairly new. It is conveniently located within the Paseo shopping and dining district. It is also right beside the South Luzon Hospital and for Moms like me, this is a very reassuring thing when going on out of town trips with the kids.

I brought the kids’ swimsuits just in case we could find a nearby place to swim. We knew that our hotels do not have a pool. Still, you never know what we may discover. True enough, Paseo Premiere’s sister hotel, Technopark Hotel had a pool and guests of Paseo Premiere are welcome to swim there upon endorsement. The kids were jubilant. I silently congratulated myself for thinking of bringing their swimsuits 🙂 The drive to Technopark was no hassle at all. It was just a couple of minutes away from Paseo Premiere. And just like at El Cielito, the hotel staff were very friendly, courteous and accommodating.

We were the first ones at the pool that afternoon and we took advantage of it pretty well. The kids swam while i devoured a novel i brought with me. I never leave home and go anywhere without a book. You never know when that precious and rare moment would come when you could read 🙂 My husband planned to swim with the kids but he never got around to it as fronting the pool was a billiards table. It has been ages since he played. I was so happy to see him enjoy his  “me time”. Best of all we all got to do our own things that afternoon while being together in the same place. It was truly a lovely afternoon for us.

We left Technopark a couple of hours later, just as the other guests started to come down for a swim. They too were families of the Bull Run participants. We were grateful we were there early. We went back to our hotel after to freshen up and a short rest. By then, other guests , all participants of the Bull Run have started to arrive as well.

Rested and refreshed, we then went back to Paseo to have dinner with my sisters-in-law. It was a very cool evening and the stars were out. We browsed through a couple of Outlet Stores first before settling into Zong for dinner. We were happy we chose to dine there. The dishes we ordered were very filling.

Fried salt and pepper squid. Me and my husband’s all time favorite.

Roasted chicken. For my chicken lover little boy 🙂

A different kind of vegetable rolls.

Steamed boneless milk fish. My first time to try this dish and it was absolutely delicious.

After dinner, we strolled for  a bit to enjoy the cool breeze and the starry night.

We even stayed to listen to the live band for a bit as they sang our family’s favorite  Rey Valera song.

We would have stayed a little while longer but we planned on having a early start the following morning to watch my sister-in-law start and finish the Bull Run. So we headed back to our cozy hotel. But the night proved to be too early for our late sleepers and soon we found ourselves down at the hotel’s coffee shop once again to eat more pastries  and ice cream. It was a busy evening too at the hotel as the Bull Run participants were already having their breakfast at eleven thirty. They were due at the starting line at one o’clock in the morning.

After coffee and cake we went back to Paseo Premiere to see my sister-in-law off  for some good, solid, family support. We were her very own cheering squad:)

Breakfast the following day was simple but filling. The buffet  menu was the same as what you would would normally have at home on a lazy weekend. The kind of food that our cozy, little family enjoys. We were never a fan of fancy food. The kids had cerreals and donuts while me and my husband had corned beef, omelette, seafood chowder, garlic sausage and my favorite raisin loaf.

It was a quick weekend getaway, but surprisingly there was nothing quick in it. We enjoyed everything at our pace and had a relaxing, unhurried and beautiful time.  My sister-in-law finished the 42k marathon and we were so proud of her. Though we were sad to leave, we made a promise to visit Sta. Rosa again for another lazy weekend and further explore the other amazing things that it can offer to simple and fun loving families like ours.

Best title in the world

Had the most refreshing, relaxing and insightful conversation in a long time. It all happened  at eight in the evening, while comfortably lounging on a cushion-filled couch in a room softly illuminated with two night lamps. The topic: boys, girlfriends, peer pressure and secrets. My date: My seven year old daughter. Oh we had so much fun, with giggles, rants, raves and all. It was one of the best times of my life. I knew it right away and decided to write it down so i can remember it forever and get back to it when she feels too big to spend her evenings with me.

I could’nt remember being as candid to my own mom when i was her age. I wish i did. It would have saved me a lot of heartaches and poor decisions.

I also wished i had captured that precious one hour on video. To be able to keep her small voice and girly laughter forever is one piece of gem i would never trade for anything in the world. But to do so would destroy the moment and the spontaenity of it. So i regretfully settled to memorizing each word and facial expression and keeping them safely locked in a corner of my heart. To be a constant reminder that i have been blessed to be called “Mom” of this amazing creation.

What a joy it is to be trusted and confided with matters that are important to her fragile heart. “Don’t tell Daddy” is always added after each revelation. A strict reminder with a hint of a mischievious smile, and a twinkle in her eyes, as if the two of us are now members of an exclusive club where no boys are allowed.  This gave me a special status, a higher rank from her unsuspecting Daddy. How i love the privilege it brings!

How do i freeze time and stop the years from passing? I would do everything all over again, endure the birth pains, body aches, sleepless nights, tightening of  belts to make ends meet, putting careers on hold and laying my life on the line. All these i would do again without batting an eyelash, for a chance to keep my babies as babies forever.

How did everything happened so fast? I look at my precious angel and i see a gorgeous butterfly raring to fly and see the world. How did we ever manage to raise such a smart, sweet, funny and loving child? By God’s grace no doubt.

We could have gone well past midnight just talking for hours if not for the other angel stirring from his slumber and expectantly waiting for Mommy to cuddle him back to sleep. But no, he refuses to go back to dreamland after seeing Mommy. All he wants to do is to play, wrestle and tickle. And that was what we did while i hilariously read to them the story of the “Frog Prince”. I dont think they understood the story except for the “ribet-ribet” sound effects that i had to do to make it sound real.

My son. Our son. A miracle. We waited a long time for his arrival, but God’s timing is always perfect. He came at the most blessed time of our lives.  He has a special voice and look that he only saves for “Mimi”. I would give anything for him to call me “Mimi” even after he is grown and starts driving his own car. I think i am his first love. Sorry girls, already beat you to that.

What a delight to come home to his infectious energy. Always jumping in excitement as he opens the door to welcome us back after a day at work and in school. Always eager to share his escapades for the day in a unique language that only “Mimi” can understand. Tough as a man and brave as a lion, but always has a soft spot for “Mimi”.

So if you ask me if there is anything else i would want to be, i’d say i am already “it”. Won the best title in the world. Not once, but twice.