After the AAP Caravan - Overnight stay at the MC Mountain Home Apartelle

November 27-28, 2010

If you've read the previous posts, you'll know that we have had a busy and tiring day because of the 2nd AAP Caravan.  Starting at 4am wake-up time to around 8PM when the tour ended, that's roughly 16 hours of activity hahaha The thing was, I didn't want to risk going home when we're that tired, especially for Patrick who was doing most of the the driving so we decided to stay overnight in Tagaytay.  I thought at first it was a great idea seeing that we're in the Cavite-Batangas area.  What I didn't know was that we were coming from the other side of Batangas! LOL  

When I made the reservations I assumed we were touring the Tagaytay-Batangas area which meant our reservations at the MC Mountain Home Apartelle made sense.  But coming from the Provincial Capitol, it was taking the long way round to get to MC so we were even more tired upon arriving.  I think it was around 10PM already when we arrived and it was so chilly it was crazy!! 

It was also a good thing that the owners of MC were very accommodating and they held our reservation even though we were arriving late and we even got discounted rates! So thank you! :D  We were all too tired that after washing up, we fell asleep immediately LOL

The next day, we woke up to such a great view - Farmville! LOL

Since we really didn't have plans for going around town, we just savored the lovely and cool fresh air of the mountains :)  We had breakfast at the Main building - yummy!  After, we just went around the place taking lots of pictures along the way as you can see from the slideshow I embedded here. :)

We did have a bit of excitement while at the Apartelle.  While Dylan and I were out taking pictures, Patrick and Dana remained in the room.  When Dylan and I went back so we can take Dana with us outside, we found that the lock in the room was broken, with us not being able to get in and Dana and Patrick not being able to get out.  LOL  Dylan and I then went to the Main Building to report it and it was Danny, the owner himself who went out to help us.  He tested the lock and indeed it was broken!  He had to remove all those bamboo posts behind Dana to gain access to our room from the balcony.  

After being refreshed and relaxed, it was time to go.  On the way back to Manila, we stopped at the ROse and Grace Restaurant along the Sta. Rosa Highway.  You can't imagine the traffic going to Tagaytay that weekend.   I think it was because of a long weekend that vehicles going to Tagaytay were taking over the other lane rather indiscriminately causing massive traffic jams.  Oh where are those traffic enforcers when you need them??  Why can't drivers be disciplined enough to wait their turn??

Anyway, once we left several bottlenecks along the highway and we reached the SLEX, everything was a breeze :)

AAP 2nd Caravan - First Stop: Museo De La Salle

November 27, 2010

We all woke up early to participate in the Automobile Association of the Philippines' (AAP) 2nd Caravan, this time traveling through Cavite and Batangas.  The meeting place was at the Blue Wave Petron Station (as Petron is a major sponsor with free gas!) around 0630AM.  It wasn't so hard to wake up the kids as they were both excited to go on a roap trip :)  We first had breakfast while we waited for other participants to arrive.

Our first stop was at the Museo De La Salle inside the De La Salle University Campus in Dasmarinas, Cavite.

The 2-storey building was constructed to replicate the "Bahay na Bato" architectural design that was popular in the 19th century. The ground floor of the building was made of brick, mortar and stone. The 2nd floor was constructed out of wood. Inside the building are family heirlooms and artifacts of the same period generally donated or on loan from famous collectors and families. Since the collection was continually growing, the building was made to accommodate 4x the original size of the common "bahay na bato".

The tour started on the 2nd floor.  To reach the 2nd floor, you need to pass a huge and grand staircase that leads to the foyer or the "caida".  It is the receiving area and is called caida from the Spanish term caer (to let fall).  When Spanish mestizas climb the stairs, they have to hike their skirts up so they won't trip.  The moment they reach the last step, they let their hemlines fall, hence the term :)  As you go around the area, you'll feel transported to the time of the Spanish Illustrados.  The living rooms, the bedrooms, the kitchens - all showcase the opulence of the times.  It's easy to picture Kapitan Tiago, Maria Clara and Crisostomo Ibarra  (characters from Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere) moving about the place.  :)

When you look out the capiz windows (like we did) you'll see a lake and a garden. The breeze that flows from the outside cools the whole house, much like it was in the olden times when electricity was still a dream in the distant future.

After going around the 2nd floor, we took the opportunity to take pictures of the displays in the ground floor. So here we are at the belen and at the "carosa".

When we were done, the kids went running around the gardens outside the Museum.  The provincial government of Cavite also provided some snacks after the tour.  Dana liked the garlic bread that came with the spaghetti :) I just replenished myself with the drinking water :)

AAP 2nd Caravan - Last Stop: Provincial Capitol of Batangas

November 27, 2010

Before heading to the Provincial Town of Batangas, we passed by the Municipality of San Nicolas.  San Nicolas is recognized as a terminal point if you want to head to Volcano Island where you can visit the Taal Volcano National Park, the 1911 Crater Lake and the 1965 Crater.  While standing on the beach, Mayor Epifanio Sandoval gave a short speech on how we, as domestic tourists, can inspire other people to come and visit their locale to boost tourism and thus help their local economy.  

San Nicolas is also where you'll find the ruins of the Old Taal Church, the original church of Taal.  It was destroyed by several earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and the ruins are all that remains from the old church.  It was rebuilt on a new location, the current Taal Basilica.

Our last stop was the Provincial Capitol of Batangas.  We were really pressed for time and the energy was lagging by this time.  We reached the Provincial Capitol around 7PM, around 3 hours behind schedule.  The kids were tired and cranky but we soldiered on.   .  Upon reaching the Capitol, we were pulled to it by the smell of Batangas Barako coffee :)  It was like what you see in cartoons, where you see the wisp of smoke beckoning you to enter :)  Patrick and Dylan headed straight for the Christmas tree and were pretending to be part of the Belen.  Dana, as you can see, thought it was all so foolish! LOL

We were all treated to Batangas native snacks and endless coffee! :) Dana loved the puto (which she had a lot of !)  Patrick loved the suman.  I just drank and drank the coffee hahahaha  The Press officer gave a short briefing about what the Province of Batangas has been doing.  There were some raffle prizes that were given away too :)

And that was the 2nd AAP Tour Caravan!!! It was tiring.  It was educational.  It was fun.  It was an adventure.  I sure hope we'll be invited to the next one! :) 

AAP 2nd Caravan - 3rd Stop: Taal Heritage Village (Taal Town Proper)

November 27, 2010

So far, we've been to the Museo De La Salle and the GBR Museum in Cavite.  The next part of the tour will take us to Batangas Province, to the Tall Town Proper to be exact.  We passed some great scenery too that kept the kids entertained on the way.


The Taal Town proper, I just learned is a bevy of  historical treasures.  The Taal Heritage Village is in fact famous for its ancestral houses and are in the process of renovating and restoring much of the dilapidated structures to bring them to their former glory.   (Notice the 7-11? haha)

After the ride, we stopped at the Taal Basilica where right beside it was the Escuela Pia and the Taal Cultural Center where we all had our lunch break.  It was a native buffet of adobo, tapa, atsara and native delicacies.  The best part for me and Dana was the coffee! hahaha Batangas brew is the best! :D  If you're interested in knowing more about the Taal Town Proper, feel free to visit their website, http://taal.com.ph/ and I found another website, http://www.lakwatseradeprimera.com/batangas-exploring-taal-heritage-town/, that has a lot of good pictures, descriptive prose and generally good information! :)  Oh and before I  forget, we also bought a lot of souvenir goodies like panutsa (sweetened nuts, like peanut brittle but different), pastillas and uraro.

AAP 2nd Caravan - 2nd Stop: GBR Museum

November 27, 2010

To continue with my journal about the 2nd AAP Caravan, our next stop was the GBR Museum, in the compound of the Gateway Business Park in  Gen. Trias, Cavite.  The Museum contains more than 3,000 vintage photographs chronicling the History of the Philippines.  Once you reach the compound, you'll see the monument to the Cavite Mutiny.  

There are five (5) pavilions inside the building:  Pavilion A showcases 19th century photographs;  Pavilion B has the Underwood and Underwood archives from 1898-1905; Pavilions C & D showcase collections of different model aircrafts and paintings; Pavilion E has photographs during the 2nd World War.  Here are some interesting pictures from inside the aircraft pavilions.  

Space Shuttle Lapel Pins

Space Shuttles

Here on the right is a Flight Certificate awarded to GBR for riding the Concorde in November 1995.  

 

To the left is Charles Lindenberg's plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, which he flew when he made the first solo trip across the Atlantic.  To the right is a piece of mail, signed by the original crew of the China Clipper during her maiden voyage in November 1935.

In another pavilion, I took the liberty of taking these photos (of photos) which really made me smile.  I had such a fun time going around and gazing at photos from this period becaue it's like being taken to that point in time even when I can see and touch the "now" version.  Photos from Quiapo, Binondo, Avenida are so endearing because you see them in their heyday - clean, well-dressed folk, trains and calesas.  There were just too many pictures to take in and to savor.  :)

Being a kid from Sampaloc, Manila I am familiar with the Malacanang Palace.  Here's a picture of the old Malacanang Palace on the Pasig River (left).  If you love visiting Tutuban, Divisoria, here's the original facade of the main terminal station of the Manila-Dagupan Railway inaguarated in 1891 (right).  

Coming from a replica of the "Bahay na Bato" from the Museo De La Salle, here are actual pictures of the 'sala' of the photographer M. Rodriguez's sister's house during that time.  They really are very opulent !

Dana was delighted to see pictures of the Philippines' national heroes on display as they have been studying them in school.  She especially found it funny to see the picture on the leftmost side because there was an exact replica of it in JT's Manukan Grille, one of our favorite restaurants.  I even took a picture of the names because in JT's picture the names were blurred and we couldn't read it LOL

I found it funny to see our national hero, Jose Rizal in such a relaxed pose with Juan Luna, here after a bout of fencing :) Coolness! :D  Emilio Aguinaldo sure looks handsome! :)

 

We took such a long time looking at the pictures that we were the last ones to leave the Museum hahaha Dana even found time to relax inside. After, there was a snack break at the Petron Station in Tagaytay where we all enjoyed ice cream! :)

More to come in the next post! :) Stay tuned! :)