Beating the heat

Next week is Holy Week, and for most of us, this affords us some lounging time. For our family, Maundy Thursday is a yearly tradition of "Visita Iglesia", though we don’t chalk up as many churches now as before, in the days of my parents when we had to go to at least seven churches. These days, practicality has overtaken tradition, and we manage the 14 Stations of the Cross in about three churches.

On Good Fridays, our family gathers around at three o’clock and prays the rosary. And that sums up the family observance of the Holy Week, which has been with us for the past two decades or so. That’s our calendar for the Holy Week, year in and year out, and the kids grew up steeped in family traditions, whether we chose to stay home for the long weekend or we braved the traffic for some destination.

I remember one Holy Week that we spent in Baguio. We had the bright idea of leaving Manila on the midnight of Holy Wednesday, at exactly 12 midnight. We quickly loaded the van full of bags and people and set out in good time, only to find out that hundreds of other families had the same bright idea. Would you believe that we reached Baguio on Thursday, around noontime? That was 12 hours of travel, and though the van was comfortable, the banter among family and friends light and cheerful, you still had to contend with cramped seats and legs folded far too long to stay comfortable. It turned out to be a good vacation, but the memory of a 12-hour journey still rankles.

Tagaytay is an excellent alternative when you want to beat the summer heat because it’s about a quarter of the distance to Baguio. Of course, Baguio denizens insist that the atmosphere is not quite the same, and I definitely agree. Baguio has retained the quaint air of a mountain hideaway that Tagaytay has not quite achieved. But Tagaytay is sprucing up to be the next summer capital if only for the distance and the good roads, and people trek to its cool winding roads this Holy Week.

There are quite a few choices too in Tagaytay. Last year, we stayed at the Gulod in Evercrest together with my long-time business partner, Tony Sulit. The rooms are very comfortable and very clean, with prompt efficient service from the staff. Most of all, the rates were very affordable. We only slept here nights up to noon, then proceeded to my brother Rey and Evelyn’s summerhouse in Tagaytay Royal Pines High Grove. So lunch was either at their home or Prime Roast Beef at the Highlands, and afternoons were reserved for our favorite family past time, which is poker.

This usually lasts till the wee hours of the morning when we would sleepily go back to the Evercrest for some sleep. My commander, Baby usually brings a Tupperware of homemade Bacalao, its saltiness balanced by a generous dose of olive oil. It was always a treat reserved for Holy Week and forms a great part our family traditions. The Bacalao, complete with garbanzos, potatoes, bell peppers and olives, would be eaten the whole day, for days until the Tupperware could be wiped clean of the last morsel of cod.

Even the kids have learned to appreciate it, and my brother Rey as well as my sister-in-law Evelyn will not speak to us again if we don’t bring our obligatory Tupperware of Holy Week Bacalao.

This year, however, we will spend the Holy Week in Batangas, specifically in Anilao in our good friend Charlie Leobrera’s resort. Aptly named Vistamar because of the excellent vista of the sea and sand, Vistamar Beach Resort and Hotel has been a favorite destination of the family. We usually alternate between Tagaytay and Batangas, and when we find ourselves in Batangas, it’s definitely Vistamar for us. It has become a second home and our kids literally grew up with the staff. They watched our children grow, and we also watched them get ahead in years, with just a hint of gray hairs creeping on at the temples a couple of years back, to a head half full of gray now. It’s amazing how the same staff has greeted us and welcomed us into the homey atmosphere of Vistamar. The same waiters who stooped to help my son Ray Louis with his spider catches now crane their necks to chat with him. It’s a testimony to my friend Charlie’s way of treating his employees as part of his extended family. I always believed in the saying that what goes around comes around, and Charlie is a shining example of that. He has built a chapel in his vast compound as his and wife Fely’s way of giving back. His blessings have been many and his holdings have grown by leaps and bounds over the years. Who would have thought that this seaman would lord it over the many resorts in Anilao, a town itself teeming with dives and resorts? Yet Vistamar has persevered, through inflations and deflations, regardless of what the economy is going through.

Maybe it’s because Vistamar is simple and unpretentious. It’s a big resort in terms of size and can accommodate several big groups at one time. That’s why companies opt to hold their outings and seminars here. But the rates are very competitive, which is why these companies can afford to reserve for weekends instead of just overnight. The rooms are just big enough, with all the basic needs addressed. There is a TV and ref, and the housekeeping staff sees to your needs very efficiently. There is ample running hot and cold water, and the beddings smell fresh and clean everyday.

They have hot buffets on weekends with a good balance of meat, seafoods and vegetables, and Charlie has a good F & B staff that caters to your needs. Lately, he has added another wing of deluxe rooms which he inaugurated a couple of weeks ago.

We are looking forward to a few days of rest, sun and sand, and good food at Vistamar next week. The waters of Anilao are clear and unpolluted, and Charlie himself is a responsible lover of the sea, keeping his backyard clean at all costs. That should make for good swimming and snorkeling for us, perhaps the highlight of this summer for us. Who knows?

The Poker King’s throne awaits

The wait is not going to be long as barely a month remains before we crown the "Poker King of the Philippines", who may just be a "Queen" instead, as anybody of age and regardless of gender can join the Poker King Challenge Series.

This "no cash" tournament, organized by the Poker Club of the Philippines will have its eliminations for its 1st leg on April 16 at 1 p.m. at the new Hyatt Hotel in Manila and its finals a week after on April 23 at the Casino Filipino in Parañaque. To assure all the participants of the tournament’s integrity, it is being held in partnership with the Philippine Amusement & Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), the country’s ultimate gaming authority. This is so despite the fact that the winners shall not go home with winnings from wagers but with trophies and valuable prizes and the champion with the prestigious title of "Poker King of the Philippines 2005."

To keep the initial staging of this year-long tournament as manageable as possible only three deals shall be allowed to be played – seven-card stud without change, five-card stud with change and a three-barrel table deal with the fourth card a "must use" or "obligado" and the fifth card wild or what’s more popularly known as "Hibok". All deals shall be on a "high only" mode with the number of participants limited to the first 60 who would register with a P1,000 entry fee.

Those interested to join may still call 817-9092/816-6195 and ask for Cindy for more details regarding the tournament and for the few remaining seats available.

Poker has always been regarded as a mind game rather than a game of chance. As a matter of fact, it’s was specifically ruled in a presidential decree as not part of those games that are considered as illegal gambling.

Poker – a mind game where Pinoys can really shine and rule.

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.

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