Travel: Trip to UP and then Tagaytay

August 26, 2012

Ordinarily, we don't go out on Sundays because we just all want to rest and stay home in preparation for the new week ahead.  But since, it was going to be a holiday tomorrow and Patrick is test driving the Subaru Impreza, we all decided to take a trip to UP so that the kids can bike freely.  We were also looking forward to having lunch at Rodic's :) So here are the kids having Taho while on break :)

Now, we didn't take pictures at Rodic's because you've seen a lot of them by now.  What surprised us though was when Patrick decided to drive all the way to Tagaytay just to test the Subaru Impreza :)  So, we decided to go to Palace in the Sky which we haven't gone to.  It was quite a ride going up through the slightly  roads zig-zagging roads and we had to do a little climbing (walking) to get to the entrance.  Apparently, a lot of people had the same thought during this holiday as there were a lot of people here too.

So here we were, taking advantage of the views from our high vantage point.

Now these two succeeding pictures actually tell an unfortunate incident while we were there.  I took this picture (notice the umbrella behind them).  It was cloudy when we arrived that's why we took it and indeed, it rained a little while we were there.  At the next picture, Patrick took the shot and after that, we all went somewhere else.  Unfortunately, Patrick forgot the umbrella under this picnic hut!  We realized it after we climbed the other peak which was about 5-7 minutes away so by the time we got back to this spot, the umbrella was gone.  Patrick was pissed because it was his favorite Subaru umbrella and it was huge and can protect all four of us.

After a rather frustrating time trying to locate the umbrella, we just decided to chalk it up to experience.  We left Palace in the Sky (I think they call it People's Park now) but I was still keeping an eye out for that huge Subaru umbrella hehe.  To console ourselves, Patrick drove to Mushroom Burger since the kids haven't eaten there yet and it has been a long time for Patrick and me too.  After our snacks of burgers, fries and drinks, the kids went outside and spent some time in the playground :)

To end the day, we had dinner at Rose and Grace restaurant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Family Field Trip to Nuvali

For the past weeks, our family has been beset with sickness, yet again.  Dana was recommended to stay home for 5 days because of possible bronchitis.  It was funny because I was watching Dylan more closely because he was the sickly one and it turned out that Dana was getting sicker.  Patrick was also told to rest for a week because of severe asthma.  In the middle of all that, I also got sick from exhaustion and colds.

So, since Dana was asked to stay home, she missed going on her field trip.  Though it was better than missing the exams.  She, in fact, still went to school during those days that she was sick.  It's such a hassle to take special exams and by then she'd probably be feeling woozy from medication and her body is not up to speed so it'll really affect her performance.

When everyone was feeling better, I suggested that we take a trip to Nuvali since that's where Dana's field trip was so even though she missed it, she'll still be able to experience what her classmates did.  After all, it's only a short drive away and it'll be good for all of us to breathe some fresh air :)

We had lunch first at Rose and Grace Restaurant which is famous for their Bulalo (stewed beef bone marrow).  Naturally we ordered that and what's great is that it comes with refillable soup which Den loves hahaha We also ordered Lechon Kawali and Beef Steak :) Carnivores aren't we? ;) Combine that with 7 or 8 cups of rice and a tower of Nestea Iced Tea and you'd have rolled us to get to Nuvali which was just across the street LOL

Here are a few pictures while we were there :)

After that hefty lunch, we went straight to Nuvali.  Our first stop was the fish feeding station where you can buy fish pellets for P15/pack and feed them straight to the huge koi in the man-made lake :)  Dylan found it fascinating although he was a bit leery of the fish jumping to get at the food :) Though it looks like the fish are crowded, they're not.  They actually have the run of the lake.  It's just that this is where they flock because this is where most people stop and feed them :)

We spent some time taking pictures around the place while waiting for our boat ride.

We also spent some time in Conti's eating strawberry and blueberry cheesecake while waiting for our boarding time.  The place was jam-packed for the weekend and it was perfect timing that we got our seats so fast :)

After gulping down our cakes and drinks, it was time to board :) Donning our life jackets, we excitedly but quietly boarded the boat.  For a minute there I worried that one of us might be sick considering we just had a snack hehehe

Dana, Den and Mel

Dylan and Me

One of the fountains on the lake

Daddy and Dylan

 After 10 minutes going around the lake, Dylan got a little wet from the fountain and nobody puked (eww!) we're back on land and taking some time to take pictures again, this time at Pig Out.

All in all, it was a good day trip.  The kids had fun and there were a lot of reminiscing along the drive back to Manila ;)