My Middle-of-the-semester Break

After days of consistently convincing me to cut classes for this trip, my Mom succeeded.

As much as I dream of settling in New York, it has always been a relief for me to escape the city every once in a while. One of the things that I like about this particular escapade is that we didn't need to go by plane or ferry. We spent the weekend in a beach house of a family friend in Batangas. Despite my familiarity with the province, it took us around 4-5 hours to get to Calayo, Batangas. Yes, it was indeed malayo (far). It took me a container of TicTac to get me through the ride.

The first thing that I realized when we reached the place was that, it was a real beach house! It isn't just a house beside the beach. Well, it is beside the beach, but it is more than that. The furniture in the patio, the furnishing of the house, the veranda, everything spelled SUMMER! Unfortunately, I don't have good pictures of the beach house.

I am not sure if this is a positive or negative thing about the place, but it makes me feel completely off the grid. My service provider's signal was really poor.

We did not stay at the beach house for the whole duration of our trip. We visited one of the famous resorts (commercialization there had begun) in the area, Pico De Loro. The place was simply amazing! One of the best things there is that they have Wifi! Hahaha! They have big swimming pools, which are very modern and artistic.

I had so much fun catching small crabs, and being chased by waves. I miss waking up and knowing that it will only take me a couple of steps to reach the sea. I love the silence and the peace of mind that the place gives me. I love how I drank beer and sang along the videoke machine like I didn't care. Also, falling asleep at night, I imagine the crashing of waves as the last thing I hear.

I will keep this post short. Calayo is indeed for people to discover (and not destroy).

Note: I own all of the photos in this post.

One-day Escapade

This one is for all the people out there who only has a day to allot for FUN and RELAXATION. No, this is not about going to Star City or Enchanted Kingdom. This place is something for the whole family. No distractions from work, city, or whatever, yet offers a lot of enjoyable activities. Don't worry about extreme physical pain, activities there are merely for fun, and not crushing anyone's skull or anything.

Isdaan (fishery), and yes that's the name of the place, is in Gerona, Tarlac. It's around 4 to 6-hour drive from Manila, really depending on traffic and stops. It's a floating restaurant. Well, not just a restaurant, it's more of a fun park now, still there is no entrance fee. I have been here twice, and I really like the ambiance of the place.

There are huts ( kubo), which are surrounded by water (6-9 feet deep). This serves as a group's table, and where customers eat and stay. I estimate 10 people max can occupy one hut. The water is a home to several kinds of fishes, but mostly koi. They also hand out (just ask a waiter) free fish food, so that visitors can feed the fishes.

There are so many statues there of monkey, fishes, dinosaurs, Buddhas, and a lot more. Since there are a lot of Buddhas around, it reminds me of Thailand.

There is an area of the park, which is devoted to kids. It's called Bata-batuta Park. There are statues of different super heroes, such as Iron Man, Hulk, and more. People will also see Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and more Disney characters. It's like a replica of Disneyland (no rides of course). There are so many characters for children to enjoy. This area also has a playground.

The also have this Tacsiyapo corner, where you can let out that anger or wildness inside of you! It's basically a wall where you throw/break stuff at. Just point it toward the evil source of your distress, and throw that object while screaming 'Tacsiyapo' (It expresses a lot of meanings, but in this case is equivalent to 'Son of a bitch' or 'Putang ina').

Don't think that activities there are all mild and easy. They have this challenge for visitors to cross a very narrow bridge. It is too narrow that I couldn't stand with both feet on it. I had to go sideways. Yup! I took that challenge when we went there for the first time. Fortunately, I did not go over and fell in the water. I reached the other side, only with a small scratch on my knee. The deal here is not simply to balance, but also to avoid water pumps hitting you (for it may knock you over) and giant shells  blocking your way. It's kinda hard, but really fun. Quite embarrassing for people will really watch as you go across. It's worth it though. I won, and we got a kilo of freshly-cooked fish.

Food there is amazing! Definitely! Everything is so Filipino and freshly-cooked. Different kinds of fishes (lapu-lapu, tilapia, hito, etc.), inihaw na baboy at manok, buro, and more scrumptious food are served in Isdaan. I didn't get a chance to take any pictures of the food, because I was so busy eating. Hahaha! As for the price, it's totally reasonable. The food is worth every peso we paid.

This is definitely something that I would suggest for a day out. The place and food are both incredible. It is something that I think a family will enjoy, because my family loves this place. :)

Note: All the pictures featured in this post are mine.