First of Summer

Since Philippines has only two seasons, I guess it's a given that most us choose summer as our favorite time of the year. Besides, we have a lot of beautiful, pristine waters to brag about that one needs not go any further  than an hour travel by air and kick off summer in the overrated,  world-famous party island. Boracay has always been my favorite place though I can't still figure out why people don't spend much time swimming on the white beach. This year, I missed out on a plane ride and instead got myself some few good friends  and stories to tell along our way to Batangas, a 4-hour drive from Manila. Since I grew up in the South, exploring the Northern part of the Philippines excites me just as much as whenever I travel out of the country. 

With my good friends Meg and her husband Mel and Tish at Bag of Beans

We left Manila at dusk, around 6 am, and then traveled to reach Tagaytay in time for breakfast. We stopped over at Bag of Beans (Rotonda) where we savor the healthy sunlight and warm breeze of Tagaytay and a beautiful backdrop of the lake as we ingest some good food.(Their cheesecakes were to die for, paired it with their bottomless coffee.)

Tagaytay is merely an hour and a half away from Manila, still have a long drive to go to reach Batangas. On our way to there, we passed by this Pick and Buy farm of Salad! This Bautista Organica is a series of farm in Batangas where  they grow and sell 100% organic products. They supply to some big hotels in the Metro.  

Talk about big veggies!

All varieties of lettuce for P150/ kilo! What a Bargain!!

I would want to have a garden like this, seriously!

At Nasugbu in Batangas we met with Barn who took a day off from work to accompany us to our destination,  Pico de Loro. Since Barn's family owns a condominium at the Hamilo Coast, he  automatically becomes a club member and can bring in guests who only have to pay P300/guest for their whole stay. Guests then can use all the amenities available without having to pay, except for the food, of course. Condo units are being sold at  3.8M up but that automatically makes them member of the Pico de Loro Country Club worth P800,000. And if only I have that amount to splurge, it would be a great deal to spend it here. But Barn said, Condominiums at the Hamilo Coast are being sold like pancakes even if they are only for pre-selling yet. The tagline's true afterall, Pico de Loro is a piece of paradise! 

Capped the night with a yummy dinner along the hi way of Tagaytay, Tish's favorite Bulalo and Liempo! We were supposed to go to Bagiuo but then, there was last minute change of plans, and here we were and I couldn't be any happier for this getaway. We have Barn, who took us to Pico de Loro, Mel who is an Art Director for a TV network who took these great photos of us and the beautiful location, and I have us three, Me, Meg, and Tish, few of my closest friends. What more can I ask for for a summer kick off? Happy Summer, everyone! 

xoxo,

Mae 

PS. ALWAYS GO FOR RANDOM TRIPS! :)

Me.

Why is it so hard sometimes? Well, you know what they say... Kapit lang (Just hang in there)!

A Weekend of Everything that Flies

Lack of sleep didn't hinder me from going to this year's A Weekend of Everything That Flies, an International Hot Air Balloon Festival hosted by the Philippines and held at Freeport Zone in Clark Pampanga. It was a 3-day Festival held last February 21-23. We went there on the last day and I I wish we could have gotten to the location earlier so we could have watched the balloon being inflated, which is everyone's favorite time since it could be a good backdrop for a Profile picture. We departed Manila and went for an hour and a half drive to Pampanga around 4 which is quite late if you want to see the balloon before they try to reach the clouds. Cars and people were everywhere, and that means traffic which we anticipated, that was why arrived at the place at almost 7 (Which was quite late already). There, we met with my friend Tin and her siblings who were there at 4am and saved a great spot for the viewing (and yes, they brought a tent which was awesome because I like picnics). Around 830, the much anticipated Breitling Airshow was up. Oh boy, I was speechless. There are a lot of moments that I found myself with my mouth open! Given that I work for an airline gives me the idea how it not a joke, in fact, very ridiculous to fly planes, close to each other, make a 360-degree turn through the skies and the planes themselves!!! I AM IN AWE. I even felt, at that moment, beyond that. Awesome, awesome show! Everything we have done to get there was all worth it!!! We were supposed to wait for the balloon comeback at around before lunchtime but the heat was suffocating so after the show, off we went to have brunch and so some grocery shopping in Clark Commercial Zone where you can find the cheapest imported grocery items at Puregold Duty Free Supermarket! We missed out, however, on the booths because we didn't come back after lunch so we could go home and rest early since we have early morning work the following day.
I have always loved long drives and unexpectedly good shows like the Breitling Show. I think I could never get over that. Ever. Anyway, here are some photos I have taken using my IPhone. This makes me nostalgic of my deeply loved Nikon. How could it miss moments like that? :(

Thanks to Tish, Chi, Tin and Dave who attended to us like a Kuya!! Hahah Till next time!