Tagaytay trip

 For this summer vacation, we decided not to fly and opt for more accessible destinations.  I had reserved a large room in Bataan (post to follow) at the end of the week but the heat in Manila was unbearable so we hied off to Tagaytay for a quick overnight stay. To avoid getting caught because of the number coding on cars set by the MMDA, we had to leave home by 6 a.m. It was just as well because this meant avoiding heavy traffic during the rush hour. To kill time, we first went to the St. Scholastica center for spirituality. Mama and her school go here for their retreats so when a nun saw us, she graciously invited us to the cafeteria for coffee and sandwiches.  That was so nice of them!


Hinulugang Taktak Ng Pilipinas

or Hinulugang Taktak National Park :) Not much has changed since we visited except for the new paint job. The falls are still smelly and the entrance fee still cheap at P8 per person! The place is still 5 degrees cooler than the rest of the city because of the large trees.

hinulugang taktak

went to antipolo on a thursday to avoid the crowds and were able to hear mass inside quite comfortably and parking was not a problem at all. we then went up to the stairs leading to the image of our lady of peace and good voyage(sadly, no picture-taking allowed). there is now a small exhibit showing the clothes and the perfumes donated to the holy image. there were also pictures of the old cathedral which was destroyed by american bombs during the 2nd world war. most of what survived can now be found at the san agustin museum.

bas relief depicting the arrival of the image in manila

one of the few surviving statues from the original cathedral


naturally, we had to but kasuy (P300/kilo) and suman. maybe it's because it was an ordinary day, there weren't many fruits available. no duhat or mangoes, just bought some siniguelas(P60/kilo)

for P50, one can ride the hammock while 2 men carry you around the plaza

then, we decided to try and find the famed hinulugang taktak, the waterfalls of antipolo which was immortalized in the song "tayo na sa antipolo". we tried looking for it before but then as now, there are no clear signs to direct you to it. we did manage to find it now and for a measly P8, you can get in and enjoy the view of a once glorious treasure which is now sadly, polluted. foam from detergents is all over the water which is now unsafe for swimming. but there are still swimming pools and picnic tables around and i imagine that with just a bit of sprucing up and a political will, hinulugang taktak can be saved.

save hinulugang taktak!

too bad they were cleaning the big pool that day

Antipolo

Nuestra Senora de Paz y Bienviaje

I got a call at work from my sister telling me we were going to Antipolo the next day because we always go in May. So, off we went and naturally, the church was filled to the rafters and spilled all the way out to the parking lot.

Lots of people go here especially before leaving for foreign shores or have their new vehicles blessed because this is the church of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. I go because we get to buy kasuy and suman and other fruits after mass.
Summer fruits: Duhat, kasuy still attached to its fruit, lanzones,mangoes, mangosteen, santol, green mangoes and siniguelas

Not the horse we grew up with. This new papier mache horse rocks like a hobbyhorse

I find the new additions they've made to the altar a tad too over- the- top. All the gold and the large paintings are distracting...but I do like the stained glass.
Jesus works out---he has abs!