Down South: Caleruega-Alfonso-Tagaytay

A weekend getaway:

Caleruega for a wedding.

Tagaytay for sleep.
            Alfonso for a re-union.

Caleruega, Batangas  'Beautiful, Intimate, and Serene.'

Majestic during the day, even more at night.  It’s a wonderful place inside and out.  Truly a great place for a wedding.

Brick Walkways add romance and
authenticity to the ambiance

Walking along the tree-lined brick walks made me feel like I was transported into another genre that I wouldn’t want to get out of.

It’s a long way from the metro, but once you get there, the trip is worth it --whether it be your wedding, a friend’s, or maybe even a stranger’s. 

I don’t have much pictures as I was in awe too much to even bother to take shots.  There are tons of pictures in the web though.  Worth checking out when you have the time… and maybe even considering for your own wedding.

Just so we’re clear, NO, I’m not part of their Marketing team... I'm just a big fan of the place. =)

Tagaytay, Cavite.


Having no hotel reservation, and what seemed like a storm coming our way, we opted for the closest hotel -- Taal Vista Hotel.

It turned out to be quite much for a person on budget, but I figured it was worth treating my mom to a good place to rest.

The room was spacious, with complete amenities, but looked like your standard room.  Nothing really to make you go ‘wow’ and feel like you’re in a posh place, matching that posh price.

The view from the hotel was great though, and it was fun playing around the grass in the area overlooking Taal volcano. 

Going around, I found the swimming pool, and the water was so inviting.  I’d jump into the pool if I could at that moment.  Too bad I didn’t have any other change of clothes.

What did it for me though was the wonderful breakfast buffet.  A good variety of food, mixed with pleasant service from the crew, delicious watermelon juice, and good company.

All in all, if I were to rate the hotel, taking into account the cost of staying a night, I’d rate it a three out of five.  The rooms were nice but really should have been grander; at least that’s this person’s opinion.

Alfonso, Cavite.  'If it's good, it's Brewed For You'


The reunion was not actually mine, but I decided to tag along to see the place myself.  I was pleased to be introduced to this wonderful coffee place: “Brewed For You”

This is where you buy the coffee.

             

Coffeemakers from yester-years

The whole ambiance of the place is ironically homey, despite it being what seemed like a warehouse.  Come to think of it, I believe it has to do with the blend of wonderful coffee and hot chocolate mixed with the touch of the owner’s life.

There's nothing like Acoustic guitars to match the rustic feel of the bench.

Exploring the place, you see all sorts of knick knacks.  First thought I had in mind was actually, “This place is interesting, but was such a mess with too much stuff around.”  But after looking closely, I gladly take back my first thought, and declare it wonderful.  

Yes, I declare it wonderful!

Yes, that's a black-beaked-king-rubber duckie! 

(not really sure if its made of rubber though..

it's just good to say rubber duckie, like Ernie :P) 

So what's interesting about this place?

Here's a peek at what's in store for you when you get there... 

Anything goes...
and I mean anything.

From handmade figures, to musical pigs & a little duck;
From aged business cards to models of vintage cars;

From an actual bong and to liquored coffee and even Lambanog.

Writing about this, I’m longing for a cup of that 

'oh so delicious' hot chocolate… maybe even two.

Exploring these new places was definitely exciting... i think exploring always will be. 
Til the next trip!

Something to ponder on...
Despite how short a time you spend in that place, it’s what you make of that moment that will matter and what you’ll carry with you the rest of your life.

Spontaneously Renewing: The Simplicity of Ternate and Maragondon

One Saturday afternoon, I got a call to pack for a day of shooting.  Always wanting to try going off with photography enthusiasts and see them in action, I found myself in a car the next day, off to Ternate, Cavite. 

Having been to Ternate and Maragondon before, we decided to visit the Shrine of Andres Bonifacio as our first stop.  Built on Mt. Nagpatong, the shrine marks the spot where Andres Bonifacio was allegedly killed and buried along with his brother Procopio Bonifacio back in May 10, 1897.  The shrine has a mural, depicting the highlights of the life led by Andres Bonifacio, spelling out the word BAYANI.  It's a good sight to behold, and definitely worth visiting if given a chance.

"A shot of the muddy path to the Shrine.
We were already walking at this point."

Unfortunately, because of the recent storms that had swept the area, the car kept screeching from underneath whenever it encountered pot holes and extremely corrugated roads.  Determined to make it to the shrine, we found ourselves going out of the car to lessen the load (and screeching) whenever we encounter a path.

"Car-Mercy-Point" :)

Finding ourselves cringing with every screeching sound, and that terrible sound happening more often than we expected, we finally decided to finally have mercy on the car (and the owner :P ).  So we stopped, and turned back.  


Being halfway down the path to the shrine, we decided to make the most out of the place and see what was there to shoot.

I was amazed by how sensitive one of the guys was towards his surroundings.  What looked like mere shrubs to me was a haven of macro subjects for him.  He oddly had the ability of sensing the presence of the smallest insect, and spotting a bird’s location and even breed from the sound of its chirp.  Often I found myself staring at a leaf, with him seeing an insect from the same perspective.  He definitely opened my eyes to seeing beyond what’s “there”.

It was then that I realized that getting a great shot isn’t just about the lens, but also finding the perfect subject and getting the opportunity to capture it at its best perspective.

Not being able to see what he sees, I settled with capturing them in action.

The moment we were done, we were off to Caylabne for a sunset shot. 

Caylabne has a view deck right before the entrance gates where they said had a good view of the sunset.  It was around 3 o’clock in the afternoon when we got to the view deck.  Being early, we decided to check Caylabne out, where we got a couple of shots of the area.

"The puddle-stashed road the to the dock in Caylabne."

"Just about Sunset.."

It was quiet - not that many guests that day… probably because it was the rainy season.


Going around I found myself thinking, with the beach, pool, and the look-out point hut, this definitely used to be a wonderful place of lazing around and just having fun.  It was a bit sad to see the evident hint of abandonment to the place.  Although, on my opinion, there were still good spots for shooting.  

"Sunset from the Bar"

"A closer look at the rock formations by the dock...

Walking along the shipping dock, I found myself delighted to be able to capture this shot.  I’ve always been one to try to take images of things less noticed.  I’ll always remember this day as the day I found my heart – and in concrete!

** A snapshot of My Concrete-Heart **

A simple day –-
   spontaneous... 
       light on the pocket...


and one which absolutely lightened my stress-load. 


Definitely worth trying out...
   Experience "snapping" your stress away!