What thrilled us to celebrate our mother’s 60th birthday at Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort is their unique dining experience on native cuisines in Labasin Waterfalls Restaurant and the showcase of the Philippines ‘ rich cultural heritage. We skipped the usual beach getaway this time to enjoy a whole day of fun in the hacienda and to embrace our unique culture. Ika nga, “Iba ang Pinoy!”
Since my hubby enjoyed our two-day couple getaway at Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro last January of this year, he fulfilled his promise to our kids that will go back to this beautiful island with the whole family. Aside from our kids we also enjoined my mom and my nephews Miko and Isha to join us in this exciting family beach escapade in one of the top diving destinations in the Philippines.
At Haligi Beach
We, the members of the “CATS” grand prize winner were all excited as we boarded a hired bus going to Leofoo Village Theme Park, a theme park and safari located in Guanxi Town of Hsinchu County, Taiwan. This is part of the tour for winning in our 2008 Christmas Party in Manila, another surprise treat apart from our four-day tour in the northern part of Taiwan.
The members and make-up artists of CATS winning group
Cash and trip to Taiwan are our prizes for winning the grand prize in our 2008 Christmas Party musical dance contest which was held in Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati. We performed Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “CATS”. As the organizer and co-leader of our group, it was an overwhelming feeling that for two consecutive years, the Central Area did it again!
The members of the CATS getting ready for our performance in the Big Night
La Mesa Ecopark is within La Mesa Dam Watershed. It is located in East Fairview Subdivision in Quezon City. Thanks to the joint partnership of MWSS, ABS-CBN, and Quezon City local government for turning this neglected area into a well-developed park which is now an ideal spot for communing with nature and indulging in healthful outdoor activities. This is a perfect getaway for a family or group of friends, especially on weekends.
Mama the Queen, the celebrant, and her happy smile
Ogtong Cave Resort is one of the beautiful white-sand beaches located in Barangay Pooc, Sta. Fe, Bantayan Island, Cebu. The resort has a stunning beach with a cliff limestone backdrop, a swimming pool, and an underground cave.
The creepy but amazing underground cave
We left Manila around 5:00 am and headed to Subic in Zambales to celebrate our mother’s 59th birthday for a beach escapade in no particular resort. With our van, travel time took us two and a half hours only. It was almost 7:30 am when we arrived at Subic Bay Freeport. We all hopped out and walked around at the first resort we visited.
The serene feel
It was so rejuvenating to revisit the Cagsawa Ruins and the Mayon Skyline (formerly called Mayon Resthouse), with our first time at Busay Falls this morning. We ended our day in a cool refreshing dip at Dhio Endheka Spring Resort located in Barangay Buang, municipality of Tabaco. We were so thankful to my uncle, Tito Jaime for providing his jeepney and his driver Danny on our road trip to my humble hometown, Albay.
We are all ready to get down and swim!
We saw traces of typhoon Reming’s aftermath when we visited our relatives in Albay this Lenten Holiday. It was so pathetic as our uncle, cousins, and friends told their stories during and after the catastrophe. But somehow, they were slowly recovering from their losses.
Summer heat hits the entire region so off we went for a sojourn in my beloved hometown Albay. We’ve been told by our relatives that it was raining the past few weeks. But I was so thankful because the weather was very cooperative the moment we arrived at our vacation house in Malinao.
Mayon up close and personal
