How We Had Fun at the Boarding Gate
2:47 PM
Anyone here feeling slightly anxious after an announcement has been made that your flight will be delayed and you have hours ahead with an active kid? Ever wonder how time could pass by unnoticed by your toddler?
Good news, for those traveling from Manila. NAIA Terminal 3 Departure Area just launched and opened yesterday a Children's Play and Activity center at the Boarding Gate.
A Guide to Traveling with a Toddler on a Road Trip
7:09 PM
Driving on the road for five to six hours with a toddler, I admit, daunted my husband and I. Hence, this inspired me to write a post to share our experience and how mishaps turned to our advantage and future learnings.
The ultimate creed we had during the entire road trip was, "Chill.."
Though as we all know, there's enough bickering between the wife and husband over which road to take, when to overtake and whose fault it was for not having room reservations when all hotels are fully booked. Relax...we will all manage and the worst thing that could happen was having our toddler cry a bit louder and longer inside the car while we figure things out.
What we realised is, your inner Mac Gyver will shine through in unforeseen situations.
A Day Trip to Tagaytay City
10:36 AM
"A volcano within a lake, in a volcano within a lake, on an island."
It was my youngest sister's birthday and aboard their minivan, our entire family happily spent the weekend on a road trip to hilly Tagaytay City, 70 km south of Manila. The home to the magnificent Taal Volcano, an active volcano, one of the most active in the Philippines.
It was my youngest sister's birthday and aboard their minivan, our entire family happily spent the weekend on a road trip to hilly Tagaytay City, 70 km south of Manila. The home to the magnificent Taal Volcano, an active volcano, one of the most active in the Philippines.
Taal Volcano was formed during one of the major eruptions in the middle of the lake. The last notable one was in 1977, however there were 33 more eruptions since then. Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHILVOLCS) continuously monitors water temperatures and seismic activity there. They strongly prohibit people to live on the Volcano Island because it is a high risk area and it is marked as a permanent danger zone.
Did you know?
Taal Lake is actually a crater of an inactive prehistoric super volcano. In this lake, surrounding Taal Volcano, there were many other eruptions that formed other craters and micro-lakes. Tagaytay city is a ridge that sits on the rim of the caldera, meaning this will be the first to be hit if this super volcano comes to life. This was something that our Geology professor told us back in college.
If adventure is right up your alley, there are boat trips with hiking trails to the volcanic crater from Talisay, Batangas. Check out advisories from Philvolcs first.
However, if you prefer appreciating the magnificent scenery from a distance, then a relaxing day trip to Tagaytay City will more than satisfy and delight your senses.
However, if you prefer appreciating the magnificent scenery from a distance, then a relaxing day trip to Tagaytay City will more than satisfy and delight your senses.
Where is it? How do we get there?
There are many ways to get to Tagaytay City. Above is a link showing how to get there. Like many travelers, we chose the SLEX (South Luzon Express Way) Sta. Rosa exit where we had a quick stopover in Nuvali to enjoy the leisure park and feed the koi fish.
Tagaytay City is a memorable place for my family. When we were young, growing up in a Catholic School, we spent countless spiritual retreats here.
This was where Yohann and I had our first out-of-town date together in 2001. We also spent days up in the hill near Taal Lake staying with my best friend and her family's mountain cottage in the middle of a forest Talisay, Batangas.
Garden Wedding in Tagaytay City in March 2006 |
Here we were, making another memory in Tagaytay City.
A Visit to People's Park |
History has it that People's Park was supposed to be a Palace in the Sky, a project that former first lady, Imelda Marcos initiated, to build a mansion on the land owned by the government possessing the best view of Tagaytay. It was rapidly pushed to be completed for the intended visit of President Ronald Reagan back in 1983. The presidential visit didn't take place and the mansion remained unfinished to this day. It was later converted to an urban park. The view and cold breeze up on the summit is wonderful but a lot of maintenance and renovation work are still needed. Entrance to People's Park in the Sky is Php 30 (USD$ 0.65) per person.
If you get the opportunity, do drop by Tagaytay Highlands next to the park. We were fortunate to visit this exclusive community after our wedding back in 2006.
After a short hike to the summit of People's Park, tummies will definitely growl afterwards.
Lunch with the Family at Dencio's |
View of Taal Lake and Volcano during our lunch at Dencio's |
Dencio's Bar & Grill is a large restaurant chain offering Filipino cuisine. Filipino comfort food at its best, wonderfully shared with the family with this amazing view. Cost would be around Php800 (USD$ 17.37) for 2 people.
Sonya's Garden |
My daughter got uber excited and ran around inside Sonya's Garden |
Sonya's Garden Bed and Breakfast |
Tranquil landscape at Sonya's Garden Bed & Breakfast |
Organic Vegetable Farming at Sonya's Garden |
I wrote about my first visit to Sonya's Garden here back in 2012. Click here for the article. It's a popular garden wedding venue. There's a Bed & Breakfast, Restaurant serving organic produce, an organic farm, landscaped gardens, greenhouse-looking function rooms, an apothecary and a bakery serving the yummiest Spanish bread that will make you forget your name and start speaking in Spanish. Just kidding. This is my Spanish-speaking brother's inside joke whenever his colleagues ask him how he became so fluent in Spanish. He always replies with, "I ate the Spanish bread from Sonya's Garden in Tagaytay."
Skyranch. We briefly stopped by Skyranch for a peek. The sun's blazing heat and large busy groups made us skip it. Perhaps next time.
We made a coffee addiction detour to Bag of Beans Coffee Shop, Restaurant & Bakery for coffee, drinks and dessert. Here, we ordered their famous blueberry cheesecake.
We made a coffee addiction detour to Bag of Beans Coffee Shop, Restaurant & Bakery for coffee, drinks and dessert. Here, we ordered their famous blueberry cheesecake.
Blueberry cheesecake with House Blend Brewed Coffee |
Don't leave Tagaytay without trying this. Blueberry Cheesecake (Php 160 / USD 3.50 per slice) with a mug of House Blend Brewed Coffee for Php 120 (USD$ 2.60) regular / Php150 (USD$ 3.25) for bottomless. We bought a whole blueberry cheesecake and we shared it with everyone including my daughter who went hyper sugar-rush crazy after having several bites. It's not too sweet at all by the way. It exceeded my expectations. It was smooth with the right amount of sweetness.
Herb garden seedlings and plant shopping |
This is a popular destination in the south to do your plant and seedling shopping. Along Sta. Rosa Tagaytay Highway, there are fruit and vegetable stalls. You can purchase a chilli plant for Php 50 (USD$ 1.09) and a thyme seedling for the same price. I also went crazy fruit and vegetable shopping. I got 4 fresh organic romaine lettuce for Php 100 (USD$ 2.17) and 3 pcs ripe avocados for Php100 (USD$ 2.17). I also got bananas and freshly harvested pineapples.
On the way home, a quick stop to buy buko (coconut) pie and other local sweet treats is a must for Filipino families. A popular one is Rowena's Cafe. Though we didn't try it due to the long parking and waiting queue along the main road which was causing traffic.
Instead, we went to the Orient, The Original Buko Pie at the Caltex Station along Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road. It's always sold out and they don't accept order reservations by phone. We waited for an hour (eating fish balls at the nearby food cart) for freshly baked buko (coconut) pies and I must say they were worth the wait, nothing fancy but there's a lot of coconut meat in it.
Which activity in Tagaytay do you enjoy best?
A food trip with the view of the Taal Volcano no doubt. :)
Love & light,
Arni
Fish Feeding in Nuvali
11:52 AM
It's the weekend and a diversion is due. A case of wanderlust and itchy feet. Nuvali, in Sta. Rosa -Canlubang, Laguna, south of Manila is a quick getaway from the hustle and bustle of the metro. A master planned development that is sustainable and environment friendly surrounded by medium to high end subdivisions with a harmonious suburban vibe. There are pavements wide enough for jogging and walking. There are smooth roads and off road trails ideal for biking. Yes, you can rent bikes here too.