HAUNTING CALARUEGA. Had a blast traveling to Tagaytay with B2, D2 & C2 to Calaruega. Sorry to hear iVinchy had to work. The rains couldn't stop us from exploring the place and the somber mood and overcast conditions made the place much more intriguing, if not mystifying. Haunting even, with the shadows falling this angle and that. 'twas great photo-op for D2 who wasn't optimistic about taking great pictures considering the poor lighting conditions and the rain. The hydrangeas were abloom, the plants I feel, were happy about the downpour. Felt I did my overpolluted lungs a favor; twas also nice to reconnect with nature for a change.
The chapel is nice and cozy, definitely a solemn and romantic venue for weddings, et al. The adjoining structures -- the residences, including the garden are great. The view of Taal from the deck is awesome, one can see the rolling terrain shrouded by the rolling fog. Then also there's also this sweet smell of the earth after the rain that's soothing and calming. I know a lot of people hate it when it rains but ain't one of them. I certainly envy C2 whose family has a house on the ridge. Would've been happy reading a good book at the porch with a steaming cup of barako coffee. Thanks B2 for patiently driving for us, even with near zero visibility at the height of the downpour!
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD! Well, what's a road trip without good eating? Breakfast at Antonio's was superb, the fresh corned beef was tasty to the last morsel. That and freshly-brewed coffee to match the cold, foggy and rainy Tagaytay morning made the breakfast well-worth the wait (we had almusal at past 9 na). Alfresco dining is really enjoyable with the kind of weather we were having. We would've had lunch at Leslie's as we were looking forward to a pot of steaming bulalo and lotsa tawilis but sadly, there was a wedding reception happening. So off to Dencio's we go where the supersarap laing paired with manggang hilaw & bagoong, bulalo, and inihaw na tuna more than made up for missing out on Leslie's. The fog cleared long enough for us to get a glimpse of the lake and take pics.
HOLY COW! The scoop of the day? Mud cow! We saw this bunch of cows grazing, looking like they need a shower. We kept thinking of what to caption this sight -- putikang baka? Nagpuputik na baka? Nope, mud cow is it!
CRICHTON! Anyway, took a leave yesterday to fix my move this weekend. On the way home from the gym, took a side trip to a different bookstore on a hunch. and guess what? I was right. I finally got a copy of Crichton's "Prey"! I'm totally absorbed in reading, I've read almost half of it overnight! More to tell in the coming days.
