Luzon Road Trip

Bade adiós to rain showers and embraced radiant sun rays on the first few weeks of March as it marked the kickoff of my favorite season of the year, SUMMER!

And to perfectly commence summer time, my friends and I set off to an adventure and experience of a lifetime.. .

I.Road Trip
(march 26, 2011)

Straight from the airport, we journeyed back in time and explored Philippine history at Intramuros. It is situated along the southern bank of the Pasig river and was built by the Spaniards during the 16th century. Intramuros, which is nicknamed "The Walled City" is actually the oldest district of Manila, the capital of our country, Philippines.  Its name, in Spanish literally means "within the walls" which describes the place to be actually surrounded by thick, towering walls and ditch. 

 What better way to tour around the location than a kalesa ride with Petra "the kabayo" and with a loquacious and comical horse man!

Except for the fact that he was so demanding in terms of providing him a huge tip. Kuya talaga! Tourista nga kami, pro ang laki kayang nabayad namin sayo and you wanted more! tsk3x. 

But other than that, we definitely enjoyed our brief trip for almost an hour that cost us only p100 per head.

As one of our friends, Daut, arrived with wheels, we persisted on and drove along the long way to Batangas. Still drowsy due to lack of sleep, we still managed to stay awake because we just could not afford to miss any sightings along our expedition.
Daut, being our tour guide as well, took us to Caleruega at Brgy., Nasugbu, Batangas.
There stood rising tall and exalted Transfiguration Chapel. From here, one can feast their eyes on the extensive scenery of the gorgeous sky, trees and distant hills. 

Caleruega is a house of prayer and renewal. It is open to activities like retreats, recollections, prayer, and renewal workshop, study, research, youth camps, marriage and family encounter celebrations, skills training, leadership seminars, art, music, and liturgy workshops, and environment and agriculture-related activities.

www.dominicans.ph/caleruega 

Caleruega, Philippines.

Close to Nature. Close to God. 

This was my second time in Tagaytay and I just could not get enough of this place. Ideal spot for nature lovers like me, Tagaytay offers a spectacular view of the Taal Lake, a lake within an island with a lake. In addition to that, I loved the climate since the place is characterized by a relatively low temperature. The City is blessed with rejuvenating climate with an average temperature of 22.7 °C. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagaytay

Aside from admiring the marvelous landscapes of the City, we went on

a food trip to satisfy our hungry stomachs.  

Rowena's houses the best tasting mini tarts I have ever consumed. 

Their tarts come in a variety of flavors; buko, apple, mango, 

pineapple, ube, chocolate, strawberry cheescake and blueberry cheesecake.

The latter has become my favorite ever since.

Other than the tarts, the gourmet house also offers variety of delicious 

home-made items. 

Nearing dinner time, Daut mentioned that he had some friends 

back from work who prepared dinner for a small gathering and we were 

invited as well. But before pursuing there, we stopped by at Bag of Beans

wherein our friend recommended palatable eats for a reasonable cost.

We just ordered a few just to tease our appetite before digging in the main course in a little while.

Our friend, Loura a.k.a Askal, testified that their mashed potatoes is one of the 

best tasting so far. So we did not hesitate and judged it ourselves.

and OMG. It was indeed 'muy bien'. As in really good. Not to mention their garlic and mushroom pasta was uber divine too!

It was like a heavenly celebration of good tasting dishes in our taste buds!

We fell in l♥ve with Bag of Beans! 

Hoping we could come back for more someday. ..

Hungry for more, we proceeded to Daut's friend's creative and humble abode which was located just at the heart of the city. We were greeted with a warm welcome from his friends despite from the freezing breeze in the cool night. 

Bon appetit! 

Salad. 

Bulalo.

Adobong manok.

Danggit.

Fresh fruits.

Sweet adorable cupcakes.

Dried mangoes. 

Om nom nom! Nothing beats lutong bahay! ;)

 

The rest of the gang shared a few drinks and laughter after a superb supper.

F.Y.I The slanted frame behind us is actually tilted in purpose to create an artistic feel in their charming home. 

(Motha and Jeric frying the danggits!) The couple, Milet and Rodel (not the ones in the picture), who owns the adorable house hand painted themselves the walls of their kitchen. Neat huh? ;)

 After everyone were slightly intoxicated with alcohol, we called it a night as we still have to catch an early flight the following day. We drove home safely and dropped off some Daut's friends along the way in Bacoor. We exchanged farewells and we continued towards Daut's place to catch some shut eye. ..

Feeling drowsy and gastronomically satisfied at the same time, we dozed off exhaustingly as another adventure awaits as soon as we awake .. .