Tagaytay is about three hours drive from Manila and It’s a favorite place to go unwind to during weekends because of its proximity to Manila and it’s cool climate as it is situated at “many feet” above sea level (bit lower than Baguio) and the highways around Tagaytay offers breathtaking view of nearby Taal Volcano and it’s surrounding lake.

I went there two times in the past year, the first was when we took some photographs around and the later was after the beach outing with some office mates.

Places we went were Sonya’ Garden, a place surrounded by a lush garden with flowers you don’t normally see in the big city and for about 500 per plate you get to dine their menu for the day, what we had that day was pasta accompanied by different sauce (don’t ask me what kinds),vegetable and fruit salad.





Along the way you get a wonderful view of the countryside, It was raining that time, that plus the normally cool climate of Tagaytay really makes having coffee sounds like a nice idea.


What’s great about Tagaytay is you never ran out of places to stop for coffee and a decent meal, rows of establishments can be found along the roadside, “Bulalo” being one of my favorites.



Next stop, we dropped by Caleruega Church, which is actually already within Nasugbu, Batangas if i’m not mistaken. A popular choice for couples getting married because of its simple yet fascinating location which offers a tranquil view of the nearby mountains and atop a small hill and a stair leading up to it all creates a dreamlike setting.


If i win the lottery, I’d have my wedding here lol.


Taal Volcano and the lake is also visible during clear un-foggy days.


Other photos from another “passing through” Tagaytay.

While Jandeska was learning how to surf I was busy capturing some sunset pictures.



There was this golden Labrador retriever at the Surf Camp resort and was friendly with the guests. I always wanted to have a Labrador retriever as a pet dog since they are known as very friendly, loyal and sweet.


It was a great weekend learning to surf – bonding with Jandeska and drinking during the night and just wander around the area watching the sun goes off and paved the way for the night and watch it again rise the next day.








This was my second time in this place and for sure I’d be delighted to plan more surf trips in the near future.

As part of our sidetrip to Caramoan, we dropped by Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC) to give wakeboarding a try.  The place was filled with both experienced and newbie wakeboarders, I put myself in the newbie category as I haven’t experienced wakeboarding before.



I was too eager to try it that I ditched listening to the instructions of one of the staff there, I thought by watching closely at the form and style of those experienced wakeboarders I will give myself a better chance at pulling it off at first try.

Alas, I crashed during my first 3 or 4 tries to the embarassment of picking myself and swimming out of the water into safety and back again to fall in line. After that i stopped by to listen to the instructions for the kneeboard, a much easier position, instead of standing on a wakeboard, you have to kneel on the board and strap your lower body.





I pulled it off during my first try, crashing on the turn, swimming back, falling in line and giving it a try again. After I was able to complete one lap of kneeboard I went back to give wakeboarding a try.

To sum it up, I crashed half a dozen times, lasted for half a lap once, completed one lap one time and after that i decided to rest as it also takes a beating on your body.
Will definitely come back someday and hoping, I’d get it all right next time.

Accommodation at CWC consist of cottages and trailers which looks cool from the outside and from what i’ve heard cozy in the inside. It has amenities like a swimming pool, wakeboard shop, souvenir store and a place to eat. (try out the popular “Laing Pizza”).




Plus you get to see the wonderful view of Mount Isarog on a clear day.

Punta De Uian is a beautiful beach resort located in Pundaquit, Zambales. Everything about it expresses tranquility, peace and a majestic setting fit for one’s pursuit of total relaxation and leisure. Nestled in the fine white beaches of Zambales it offers a wonderful view of the ocean and the nearby Capones Island.

Enjoying the beautiful sunset while lying on the beach is an experience one will never forget.
The beachfront is popular for being a turtle habitat, every week there are turtle egg hatching being done in the resort and afterwards the turtles will return to sea only to return for an unspecified time.

Activities are a plenty as well, the resort offers the use of Jet Ski, banana boat and kayaking even up to the nearby Capones Island. Visitors can also rent a boat in Punta De Uian to go to nearby Anawangin another beautiful beachhead part of Zambales but is only accessible by boat.



It is said all the time that first impressions are very important. Punta De Uian impressed me from the get go as we parked our car and noticed the fresh wind breeze coming from the ocean. It continued to impress me as the helpful and friendly staff entertained us and offered to help us unload our things plus the presence of Punta De Uian’s manager who answers at the name of Guy Morales continues to make sure that everything we needed are being taken care of.



Punta De Uian offers many choices of room accomodations
Garden view
Moutain view
Single de luxe
Double de luxe
Suite
Family Villa
Me and my friends stayed at the Double De Luxe room which is good for 6 people, it was spacious and clean and neatly designed that provides for a cozy stay. Makes you want to stay there forever. The foods are delicious and prepared well by the in house chefs of Punta De Uian. Menu selection was vast that includes both local and foreign cuisines. Other features includes hot and cold shower, cable TV, wi-fi internet connection, karaoke and many more.



Special thanks to the friendly staff of Punta De Uian headed by Guy Morales, our stay there became a memorable and truly enjoyable experience. for reservations email elsa.puntadeuian@gmail.com or visit www.puntadeuian.com. pundaquit, san antonio zambales

As i sat on my bus seat during our trip to Sagada from Baguio, my leg starts to cramp the same time my butt started showing signs of numbness. I wondered how long more is the trip. I remember what the ticket seller has told me that it takes “6 to 7 hours” when i asked her how long is the trip to Sagada.


But all of these inconvenience didn't matter as I sat there gleefully directing my sights to the rooftop of the Philippines, represented by white clouds hovering over the green-filled countryside of Benguet and later on the Mountain Province. It was a bumpy ride and sleep would come at me at an intervals of 30 minutes, each time it came i struggled to stay awake so as not to miss the wonderful sights that we are passing by. Sharp curves, zig zag roads, concrete and rough roads, everytime the bus would make a sharp turn i could see the deep ravine just inches from the edge of the road. It was both an exhilarating and frightening sight.


We passed by small towns along the way,people would disembark and others will hop in, these peace loving people from the countryside there’s an aura of harmlessness among them, we stuck out like a tourist would be but i bet it would be so much easier to belong with these people than the ones i left in the big city.


I was delighted and i came to know the purpose of my trip, which was to leave some of my confusions behind and all those bullish thoughts that ramshackle my mind worrying about everything, to leave it all behind as i stare on the road ahead i understand the noble fruition of moving on, its time to move towards a new place and hopefully learn something when i come back.


We arrived at Sagada about a quarter to 4 in the afternoon, the moment i got out of the bus i can smell the clean,cool air and the cold air starts to bite inside my skin. The town proper greets you like a long lost lover, the locals stared at us with smiles on their faces,i feel at ease in an instant, i wont have any problem exploring this town i told myself.


After registering at the Municipal Hall and getting our map we settled in the Green House Inn, it was an old wooden house which according to Lola, who owns the house was a bit older than her. It was painted green at the outside and a warm sky blue color was painted on the inside, our room has a wooden bed and cushion, a side table and enough space to move around, not that small or big but cozy enough as the window gives us a view of the mountains outside and a tree that bores Oranges.


Me and my friend April hurriedly settled ourselves for a brief rest, changed clothing, put on an extra shirt and a jacket and we then explored the nearby surroundings which includes the historic St.Mary’s Church,the sight of World War II bombing by the Americans to try to wipe out remnants of Japanese troops who fled to the Mountain Province countryside towards the end of the war.


Before that we took our long delayed lunch at Yoghurts House which came highly recommended by those who’ve been to Sagada before, I ordered a plate filled of cheese and mushroom pasta and a Strawberry with Banana Yoghurt.


Me and April took pictures, walked along a path with tall pine trees on the side towards St.Mary’s School, which was founded in 1904 by the wife of Rev.Staunton as part of the mission that followed the American occupation of the Philippines in 1898.




As the wind grows colder and the sun starts to set leaving a magnificent trail in the sky, i stood there watching the view overlooking a basketball court, a tennis court and an empty field.I told myself, i should come back again to this place and that was just our first day Sagada and already i was making plans of coming back.