Joyride

After weeks of non-stop rain, I woke up last Saturday with what appears to be a bright and sunny day. A good omen for what’s to happen, a joyride with my friends.

We intended to leave the city by seven in the morning to avoid the traffic and since I have less than an hour to make it to the assigned meeting place (yes I woke up late) I skipped breakfast and just did my absolutions before getting to a cab. Flor was first to arrive and since it was just 5 minutes before our departure time we were wondering where the others are. Did we get the instructions right, so text messages were sent to the three ladies who will complete our party. Charity, our designated driver and tour guide arrived 10 minutes later just as Flor and I purchased a waffle to ease our hunger pangs. Thirty minutes later and countless dance tracks on the radio we started our road trip to Lipa City, Batangas.


First stop was the San Sebastian Cathedral in Lipa with its circular dome and massive walls. The murals and stained glass windows inside the church are very impressive. After giving thanks and saying my prayers I took some photos of the interior but since they're not that good I'm posting the ones taken by Pau. More picture taking followed as we checked the sites along the compound. You can view them here and here. Then it was time to get back to the car, next stop is Batangas City.



Charity gave us a quick tour of the city that has been her home for a few years working as a medical representative. But with just a small hotdog waffle and chips for breakfast we all felt the need to be nourished ASAP. We found ourselves at T.O.P. otherwise known as "The Other Place" a Filipino style restaurant that boast of the best "crispy pata" (deep fried pork knuckles) in town. The lowdown was that it took them a long time to get the food at our table. I was really, really tempted to stand and check the kitchen myself and ask what’s taking them so long to get our meal done. Lai finally gave up and got some chips and chocolates for us to nibble and by the time I finished a small packet of M & M, our food was served. We were all so hungry we barely took noticed of the ruckus that was happening around us. Alvin Patrimonio, a basketball superstar of the 90’s and now a coach of a professional league team entered the restaurant and was shaking hands with the staffs and some guest who are looking his way. I had to admit I was a big fan of his during my college days. I even strained my vocal chords several times just by watching him play. So we just checked him out for 2 seconds just in time for him to notice us. I’m certain he was about to say hi but we are so hungry we’d rather eat than stare at him. I swear the look of uncertainty on his face was priceless, too bad I was not in the mood to take photos. By the way the food was really delicious; it totally made up for the long wait.



After paying our bill we decided to stay outside for a few minutes just to settle the food in our full stomach. But being the wacky bunch that we are, Charity immediately launched into her rendition of Shinhwa’s Perfect Man complete with choreography never mind if she’s in full view of the passing buses and cars along the highway. Pau, Lai and I took turns taking photos and videos of her performance while laughing hard. It was during this time that Alvin and his party came out of the restaurant where he was again mobbed by the customers in the nearby shop. His Manager noticed us and thought we are waiting for Alvin because I saw him calling his attention and pointing in our direction. Flor whispered “Alvin is coming our way. He thought we are waiting for him. Just take a photo and get it over with”. So I volunteered to take the first shot and then his manager offered to take another shot so I can be included in the photo. We went inside the car immediately after and laughed our hearts out. If only he knew that we have no interest whatsoever in him but in fairness we seemed genuine enough in acknowledging the people in that vicinity. Suddenly feeling drowsy from the combined effect of the weather and food, we decided to have a strong cup of coffee at Hotel Ponte Fino but of course we won’t waste such a good location without having our pictures taken, nice ones right?



It started to rain hard as we pass by Lemery on our way to Taal, one of the two most culturally preserved sites of the Spanish colonial era the other being Vigan, Ilocos Sur. Kudos to the people of Taal in making a conscious effort to preserve the old houses. I started to feel like we are doing a “Visita Iglesia”. A Holy Week tradition in our country where you have to visit 14 churches preferably on foot to commemorate the 14 Stations of the Cross. We made our way to the Basilica of Saint Michael De Tours which was first built in 1575 but was destroyed during the eruption of Taal Volcano in 1754 and was later rebuilt in 1755. It was once noted to be the biggest in South East Asia with its combined patriotic, religious, and artistic influence. Its façade is baroque and consists of a single mass of stone shaped into rich complex designs. We said our prayers and then off we went to the nearby Caysasay Shrine with a well that is reputed to be miraculous. Connecting the two is a flight of 123 rough-hewn marble steps. One look at those stairs and we immediately asked Charity if she really wants us to climb those steps because I’m the first to admit that I’m not up to the challenge. She never mentioned hiking was part of the day’s activity. Good thing we only have to climb about 20 steps before we entered a path that leads to the Santa Lucia well and the ruins of the Old Caysasay Church. The trail was muddy and with overgrown trees and grasses around, you can’t help but feel a little creepy. We kept chanting “tabi, tabi po, makikiraan lang sandali” excuse us; we are just passing through for those unseen beings that may inhibit the place. A group of young lads offered to get water for us from the well using a pail attached to a bamboo pole. It was getting dark so we did not linger and went back to where we parked the car and said another prayer at the new church.


Shortly after it rained really hard just as we are on a zigzag road going to Tagaytay City. You can hardly see what’s in front of you. We kept checking the fruit stalls along the road because we all wanted to bring home some atis. Batangas is reputed to have some of the sweetest variety. The heavy downpour worked to our advantage because we were able to get a very good price for the fruit and we even got some boiled corn on a cob to munch while enjoying the disco music from the 70’s and 80’s.

Too bad the rain did not abate so we have to dine indoors at “The Viewpoint”. I would have been better if we had our dinner “al fresco style” in one of their huts. We had our coffee at Starbucks near Taal Vista before heading back to the city and calling it a night.