With a handful of girlfriends, I headed south of Manila to idyllic Tagaytay to celebrate a friend’s birthday. There were five of us, most of them from the frenzied corporate world, jumping at the chance to get away if only for a day.
As birthday parties go, this was rife with wonderful surprises. We entertained ourselves with stories, chips, and diet sodas during the ride that actually seemed much shorter than it actually was (we all squeezed into one van). The celebrant had loot bags for us, brimming with wonderful finds she picked out from a sea of treasures in168 Divisoria, or 168 Rue Divi as the sosyal set call it. Among them were jewelry cases fashioned from silk and brocade, metallic pens in jewel tones, fancy hair ties for our little ones, a crystal-encrusted hair accessory, and a fan. She even handed each of us our Christmas gifts.
Talk about Christmas in November.
One lady in the group could very well be the poster girl for a biyahilo ad, so the birthday celebrant thoughtfully set out a packet of menthol candy early on to ease any discomfort she might experience. I am happy to report to you though that nothing even close to that happened. Instead we ate the menthol candy to neutralize our taste buds as we pigged out in the car, like school girls on an excursion. Along the way we wondered how it was financially viable to have over five outlets of Colette’s (of the famous buko pie) in such a small place.
First stop was lunch at Antonio’s – a place that I have, for over a year, been wanting to go to. I just never got around to doing it. That’s how it is when you take for granted the easily accessible places. Before you know it, a year has passed and you wonder where all the time has gone?
Lunch was a delight for the senses, just as I thought it would be. The food was excellent – we had bread and mushrooms for starters, one decadently prepared with goose liver, the other with what I think was a balsamic vinegar dressing. We also indulged in a fresh salad with the most delicious guava and/or raspberry dressing, tender Angus beef, sea bass, and seafood risotto. We opted for a flourless chocolate cake and profiteroles for dessert. We had more than we could eat, but the troopers and big eaters that we all are ate every morsel laid out before us. Lunch was long, sweet, and languid, peppered with lots of conversation, laughter, and secrets – the kind only women truly comfortable with each other share. After our nth glass of delicious bottomless dalandan juice, and with waistlines definitely three inches wider than the time we arrived, we left the beautiful, gastronomic and visual treat that Antonio’s is to explore as much of Tagaytay as we could.
We stopped by the Pink Sisters convent to say a prayer, but not before dropping by Mushroomburger for their yummy fare. Although we were still stuffed, our feeble excuse for indulging was that it was very near Antonio’s, and definitely along the way to our next stop.
For fear of sounding like absolute gluttons, I will not tell you just how much later we enjoyed the mushroom burgers. Suffice to say that we did.
After saying our prayers we made a mad dash to Ilog Maria to hoard up on their wonderful products. We barely made it as they were already about to close when we arrived. Luckily, the shop owner and her daughter were very accommodating and they allowed us to go through shelf upon shelf of natural products. For more information on this interesting place, check out www.ilogmaria.com. The proprietors have been beekeepers for over 25 years. I bought all the variants of honey-based natural soaps that they had available, plus their honey throat spray, and their popular virgin honey which I love to drizzle on bananas. Because it is pure and untouched, its natural healing properties work wonders on cuts, wounds, and bruises. No wonder it has a five-month wait list – it is very in demand that they had to put a limit on the number of bottles a customer can purchase at one time.
The soaps from Ilog Maria, particularly their rosemary variant, are a happy addition to my huge soap dish. They moisturize the skin; not only do you come out of the shower smelling really good, the whole bathroom is left with a lingering spa-like scent. Ilog Maria is definitely a must-stop at Tagaytay. Do get a few bottles of their oils for aromatherapy. The peppermint is my current favorite, just a few drops of it mixed with water in my oil lamp and the room smells wonderful. Works well when you’re nursing a bad cough or cold.
Our Tagaytay sojourn ended with a contemporary version of the fortune cookie. As we said our goodbyes, Rowena, the birthday celebrant, asked each of us to pull out from a bag magnets with words printed on them. Mine was from Emerson and to quote a few lines – "To laugh often and much . . . to find the best in others . . . to appreciate beauty…this is to have succeeded. " Amen to that.
I was grateful to have been blessed with that kind of day. We were able to soak in Tagaytay’s rural charm, tune out of our fast-paced lives, recharge and refresh, and be filled from the inside with all that we need to be able to give back to the people around us. Amazing what a few hours of relaxation can do. As the song goes, everybody needs a little time away.
A week later, on another beautiful Thursday morning, Kris and our friend Rey picked me up so we could go to the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag, another place that I had been wanting to visit.
Kris texted, asking me to set aside a day so we could go and pray to Mama Mary who has been, to us, and I’m sure to countless others, a great intercessor. I cannot remember asking Mama Mary for anything that she did not help me with. I like to believe that it has to do with her Son who never refuses His mother.
Kris brought lots of water and a big box of Conti’s chicken pie – the latter so scrumptious that the only thing that stopped me and Rey from devouring all of it was the thought that we still had a big lunch ahead of us.
Our first stop was at the shrine where we prayed the rosary. It was a beautiful feeling to be there, especially for me because it was my first time, and on that particular day there was a choir singing a capella. It was all so serene, despite the fact that people were flitting in and out like the breeze. Kris led us to the place where the wishing candles were to be lit. It was obvious that she frequents the place because the people there could practically second guess what she needed even before she verbalized it. They knew we were going to light candles after we prayed in the shrine and the lady behind the counter already knew that Kris would be buying more than just one candle. She also took out the plastic covering of the candles she bought, for herself as well as for Rey and me.
I found out that Kris and I are the same when we pray; we are very specific. I liked the idea that long after we had gone back to Manila, the candles we lit for our intentions were still burning in Manaoag, the flame of Mama Mary’s intercession fanning the heart of Jesus.
I prayed that Richard and his team would win the gold in the SEA Games fencing competition (they were up against Thailand, perhaps the strongest team in the competition). They won. It was a very close fight that was as exciting as it was nerve-wracking.
There is much to be thankful for and as Kris reminded us, it is just as important to go back to Manaoag to say thank you for prayers answered.
Next stop was Isdaan, this huge restaurant owned by Rod Ongpauco (of Barrio Fiesta fame), which is amusing and imaginative. The food was delicious. There were only five of us, including Kris’ driver Mario and her helper Jasmine, but we ordered enough to feed a party of 10. We feasted on pinakbet (the best I have tried so far), kuhol sa gata, calamares (the batter was excellent), grilled hito with buro, lechon kawali, and bulalo (perfect as well). Their watermelon shake was very good.
There is a narrow walkway stretched across a body of water nine feet deep. The waiter told us that whoever can cross and succeeds gets a kilo of any fish of his choice for free. He asked us if we wanted to try; we said no even before he finished his question.
He also brought us to a huge three-cornered wall that had graffiti all over it. It had huge words like girlfriend, collector, ex-boyfriend, wife, husband, professor, tsismoso. The idea was to pick a plate or appliance – from cups and saucers to TV sets – and hurl it against the wall to release stress and anger.
The waiter tried and tried to persuade us to give it a shot. He finally let up when we explained that we had come from Manaoag and were in too good a mood to break even a toy plate.
On our way home, we realized it was Thanksgiving Day. We could not have spent it better.