Sorry guys for the break but I was down with a quite severe attack of Flu & Tonsillitis.

Anyway to continue with the trip to Manila….

Philippines Dairy Part III

By the way I have been getting a lot of emails and comments from friends and people I don’t know (Juan from Miami??) who have written to say that as interesting as the blog is, it is ALL about food.

I know, I know but then apart from the interviews all we did for the first 5-6 days was eat out… so…. anyway this last part should more than make up for all that….

Enjoy.

After the Japanese Dinner (See Part II) we headed to a place that teaches all kinds of ballroom dancing. There are boys and girls who for a nominal fee will guide you around the dance floor quite expertly. Val danced her heart out and I was quite content just watching the assorted crowd do the jig including an old stern spinster who danced with the most fearful expression on her face. She would miss a step and then snap at her instructor. The poor boy looked like he would burst into tears at any moment. Aaaah... the things people have to do to earn a living....

Val trying to let her partner lead

Friday 22 June

Interviews. Last day, so we had a lot to complete and became quite tired. Decided to go to the Spa with Val, Yolanda & Adore. (Actually the interviews were not quite tiring but what the hell, do you really need an excuse to visit the Spa?) Slept early as we had a full day ahead of us on…

Saturday 23 June

Woke up at 6am and after a quick bath, meditation and prayers, rushed down for breakfast. Y&A were prompt to pick us up at 7 and we drove to a place/resort called Hidden Valley.

Now coming from Nepal myself I am used to greenery and forests but this was beautiful in another way. The resort has number of natural springs which have been tapped and made to form natural pools.

the tranquil pool

The water in these are crystal clear due to the flowing water and surrounded by jungles etc it is quite an experience to swim in them.

The Hot & Cold Pool. Yolanda in the hot pool while Val gats a hydro massage

They have many pools like these scattered around the huge resort with names like Tranquil Pool, Soda Pool (it has bubbles) and Lover’s Pool (semi-heart shaped and secluded). The best of them is the 3 layer pool which is actually 3 flowing inter-connected pools. The first pool has 2 natural water sources, 1 cold and 1 warm.

the 3 layer pool

It is quite heavenly. The only drawback, if you can call it that, is, as Adore put it, bus loads of Korean tourists who descend on the resort with their usual cackle of touristy sounds. After swimming and lazing in the pool we had a simple Filipino lunch in the resort dining hall and while eating we were serenaded by 2 men playing guitars and a plump girl singing soprano.

it aint over till the fat lady sings

Satiated we drove (actually Adore drove and we napped) to Tagaytay Highlands which is a vantage point from where you can see the Taal Volcano.

It is an extinct volcano surrounded by a Taal (Lake).

Incidentally Taal is Lake in Nepali too.

Strange Naa?

Very beautiful but with lots of commercial constructions coming up around the hillside so I am not sure how much longer it will remain naturally beautiful.Taal Volcano

WE were supposed to head back and spend the night in the hotel but Adore suggested we drive to Subik (an ex US Naval base) in the evening and spend the night there.

After a quick change in the hotel we were off again.

This time we had Yolanda’s children join us. Her daughter’s name is Venice and she too blogs quite regularly and so is a kindred spirit. The son is France but he is better and more affectionately known as BiBoy. He of the Cliffhanger Sandwich fame.

BiBoy, Venice and a Proud Yolanda

Both sweet kids and very very well behaved. For a 13 and 15 yr old that’s saying a lot. They are a great asset and credit to Yolanda.

On the way we stopped in a place called Dinalupihan which is the home of Adore’s mama. And like a true Mama she had put out a spread for us. Shrimps and Pork and heaps and heaps and heaps of fresh Crabs of the juiciest variety. I thought that I loved seafood but Yolanda & Valerie did not speak for the next 45 minutes as they gorged on the succulent dishes.

Mama truly outdid herself with her hospitality. This mix of great restaurant and even greater home-cooked food is what made the trip to Manila truly memorable.

Mama is such a sweet and hospitable person that it is no wonder Adore has turned out the way he has.

Mama. Thank You for opening your house and your heart to us. We miss you.

Mama and Adore

Then ofcourse the adventure began....

Y&A had booked us into the Forest Hills resort in Subik and as the name suggests it is in the middle of a forest. After taking ages to locate it we finally reached there at about 9:30 pm only to find it old and musty and Yolanda being the great hostess that she is, immediately said we would NOT stay there and would instead go to town and check into a hotel.

The 1st hotel in town we passed was Subik Intl, which allegedly has a reputation of being old and stuffy so we all turned our noses at it and drove on.

Good Plan… except there was a carnival on that day plus it was the weekend.

Hotel after hotel we stopped at and checked in, but all were fully booked.

With the prospect of sleeping in the car looming we finally swallowed our egos and drove to Subik Intl and finally fell asleep at 1am.

Sunday 24 June

Y&A woke us at 6am and after a tepid bath when I came down to the restaurant, the whole family was chirpily eating breakfast. They have to be the most energetic and cheerful family I’ve known in a long time.

Drove again to a place called Anvaya Cove.

This is a cove surrounded by hills on which private residences are being built. Yolanda has bought a property there and the community has its own private beach.

And what a beach.

Pristine, clean and no sign of the Koreans anywhere.

I could describe it in many words but, like they say a picture is worth a thousand words…..

the view of the private beach....

which is so beautiful that...

it makes my amateur photographs look like postcards

On the way back the kids wanted to stop and go horseback riding. The place is called El Kabayo which apparently means The Horse which is strange because Kabayan means fellow-Filipinos.

Strange that Horse and FellowMen sound so similar.

BiBoy on a horse....

Did I say the kids wanted to go horseback riding???

Well, what’ a person who has let the kid in him die….so I decided to ride too….

No vacation is complete without horses…. Ha haand BigBoy too...

Our flight was at 12 midnight and our late checkout was only till 4pm. So after packing and checking out at 4 what do we do????

Why, we go back to the Spa ofcourse.

Departure

At 9pm finally after 10 tiring but glorious days Y&A dropped us at the airport and while we were hugging and saying our goodbyes a curious sensation overcame me.

WE almost felt homesick… like we were leaving home and going back.

And in a way we were….

We had swum in natural ponds.

We had bamboo rice with Crispy Pata.

We had visited the heavenly Spa… again and again and again…

We had fresh crabs at Mama’s.

We went up a volcano

And Came down to a private beach…

and above all

We had found great friends in Adore and Yolanda.

Once again a BIG Thank You to Adore & Yolanda for making this trip so memorable.

As we looked at the city one last time, two quotes came to mind:-

By Shakespeare & Schwarzenegger.

Shakespeare who said:-

"If we shall meet again, well then we shall smile. If not, this parting was well made"

and Schwarzenegger who simply said:-

"I'll be Back"

manila skyline

Ciao Manila