Travel: Tarlac Trip - Day 3, Monasterio de Tarlac

January 18, 2015

The Pool

Today was our last day in Tarlac and we still had a lot of fun even without the pool.  Though we woke up a little late because of our long day yesterday, we still had energy for one more road trip.  It also occurred to us to check how Manila was since Pope Francis was going to pass by our house but there weren't any posts about it on Facebook yet hehe.  So with time to kill, the kids just went around and took pictures. :)

We drove the Mazda 6 that Patrick used in the Canonball 1000 event.  As a passenger, it's such a sweet and comfortable ride.  But I can sense the responsiveness of the machine when Patrick changes lanes or when he has to overtake someone on the expressway.  But it's such a huge car that parking in our garage was cramped that the vehicles needed to touch noses to fit LOL Our garage is "old-school" meaning it's a relic of the past so it's cramped for big modern cars hehehe

"Sharknado"

Uncle Bebot's place had a lot of plants and we loved the flowers.  Some of them were dying from the cold though.

JR was the one who took us on today's road trip/tour since Ate Pinky and Kuya George's family went to Boracay :)  He had heard that we took a scenic drive yesterday and he recommended that we try a different route, this time with the Monasterio De Tarlac as the ultimate goal.  The Monasterio de Tarlac is located in San Jose, Tarlac and is known for having a Relic of the Holy Cross.  It also has a 30-foot statue of the Risen Jesus which is a favorite spot for visitors since it overlooks the whole area.

The drive to Monasterio de Tarlac took around 1 hour from Gerona.  We drove through Tarlac City where we took a right toward Uniwide Mall and then on to Carangian Bridge.  It's pretty much a straight drive.  We went in the direction of the Tarlac Recreation Center and the Tarlac Eco-Tourism Park in Bgy. Lubigan, San Jose, Tarlac.

At the Monasterio de Tarlac, there were a lot of people, primarily because it's Sunday and there were also exhibits of Pope Francis.  We weren't able to go around that much also because it was raining a bit.  We had to park a few ways away at a hill which was precisely why JR drove the Nissan Patrol.

After all that climbing, we headed to the snack shop/resto next to the souvenir shop.  We didn't stay long because there were a lot of people.  We just ate our snacks (siopao, chicharon and C2 iced tea) in the car.

The trip going back seemed to be shorter for some reason.  Still, we were hungry by the time we reached the Urdu restaurant in Tarlac City.  We placed our orders and in a short while we were eating really good and affordable food.  JR said that Urdu is mostly known for its catering services but we were still lucky that they haven't decided to close down their restaurant.

Dylan's order: Hamburger

my order: clubhouse sandwich

Patrick's order:  beef pot roast

This was the end of our road trip and we headed back to the house soon after.  JR had to go by the store while we got ready to go back home.  We did pass by the store to say goodbye to both JR and Tita Auring and to offer our thanks for letting us stay in their home.

On our way back, we stopped at the Shell of Asia and had dinner at Chowking.  We came at the right time since we already had our orders and were eating our hearts out when the people started converging and lining up at the counter.  It was really cold by then since it had been raining steadily since we left Tarlac.

When we were done eating, we walked around the place since it was our first time to stop here.  Patrick naturally went to the Puma Outlet store.  We stayed outside and waited for him to get Sharknado (that's what we named the Mazda 6) so we didn't have to get wet from the rain.

At the toll booth, Patrick decided to let Nodame (the teddy bear) drive LOL  There was a long line you see and he was getting bored LOL

For the trip back, we paid a total of  P380 on toll fees.  P58 for TPLEX, P104 for SCTEX and P218 for NLEX.

This was such a productive Tarlac trip and we're so happy and grateful for the experience.  Dana even commented while at the Monasterio that it was such a cool thing to do before she went back to school.

  

Travel: Tarlac Trip - Day 2

January 17, 2015

Yesterday, we found out that the swimming pool can't be used by the kids because the filter was broken.  Apparently, someone was rather lazy in cleaning the buildup on the tiles and was simply using a chemical to "clean" the pool.  This ultimately clogged up the filter totally causing it to fail.

However, I considered it a blessing in disguise because it meant that we had all the time in the world to explore Tarlac.  The kids were playing with their cousins and having a grand time even without the pool. So Patrick and I went to the Tadeos' market spot in the town square and we did a bit of walking around too.  

Gerona Public Market

Gerona Town Hall

This was the first time I've ever walked around Gerona but Patrick seemed to know his way around from previous trips when he was a kid.  He said there was a lot that has changed but essentially everything is still the same.

In the afternoon, Kuya George, Patrick and I went for a road trip.  Kuya George wanted to test the Mazda 6 for himself and it was a treat that Patrick was driving one for this trip.  From Gerona, we drove around Moncada with its quaint Spanish houses then went on to Paniqui and Camiling.  Kuya George wanted to show Patrick a new, shorter path in going to Lingayen, Pangasinan.  It was practical to know these things from someone who's a native around the place.  The drive was awesome!  Lots of scenic views, mostly of farmlands.  Every once in a while you'll see huge houses/mansions that were built by people who worked abroad.  As we reached Camiling, the mountain ranges of Zambales were clearly very visible.  Here is a short clip of the scenery we passed on the way there.

On the way back, Kuya George stopped at the St. Jose Maria Escriva Parish Church in Magaspac, Gerona, Tarlac.  It is the first and only Diocesan Parish of the Opus Dei in Asia.  The Parish was established in February 2003 but the construction of the actual Church began in 2010 and was blessed in February 14, 2014.  The Church was designed by Father Alex Bautista who was himself an architect before he became a priest.

The Church is simple and subtle on the exterior which is why you'll be surprised when you get inside.  It's bold yet not flashy.  It's extremely well-thought of and I especially loved the Baptistry.  It's private and can probably accommodate 50 people.

View from the back

Close up of the altar

The ceiling

Baptism Altar

Where the Child is Baptized

Close up of the Baptistry Font

Where you dip your fingers in Holy Water

The Confessionals

Because of the long drive, embarrassing as it is to admit it, we all needed a trip to the restroom.  I was so amazed at the completeness of the restroom that I couldn't help but take pictures of the interior of the girls' restroom of the Church.  It had a bidet sprayer, tissue paper, soap, strong running water and it was so clean!

To see more pictures and to know more about the St. Josemaria Escriva Parish Church, you can visit their Facebook site here or through the Tarlac website here.

Travel: Tarlac trip - Day 1

January 16, 2015

We were running a little late because I went and saw Pope Francis as he travelled along Nagtahan on his way to Malacanang Palace.  Instead of leaving early, we were only able to take off around 1130 AM.  It was still a fast drive since we reached our first toll booth at around 1215 where we paid P45.  By then, everyone was hungry and we ended up having lunch at Jollibee Shell Station along NLEX.

Even after finishing their lunch, the kids were still hungry in the car and started eating their Sweet Corn snacks.  This kept them entertained during the long drive.

Eventually, we reached our 2nd toll gate on the NLEX.  We were exiting at Dau to reach the SCTEX and at this Toll Booth, we paid P173.  There was a bit of traffic with a number of cars heading to Subic.  Good thing that they set up extra toll booths along the extent of the highway to cope with the volume.  We paid P104 to use the SCTEX.

 

We continued driving and the kids were fascinated by Mt. Malarayat in the background.  

We reached the TPLEX (Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway) in no time.  It took about 20 minutes from the SCTEX to reach this point.

It took another fifteen minutes to reach the exit at Pura, Tarlac from the TPLEX.  At this point, we paid another P58.  The total travel time was around 2 hours since we entered the NLEX at 12noon and reached the Tollbooth at Pura by 3PM.  It took one hour for us to eat our lunch.  That was a fast drive considering it used to take us around 3-4 hours before.

We would have reached our destination in Gerona in a few minutes but we chose to drive to Pura instead to visit our Tita Flor but unfortunately, she wasn't home.

All in all, we paid P380 for the toll fees.

When we reached Uncle Bebot's home, we got settled in first.  Later in the afternoon, we tagged along with JR when he did his errands about town.  We went to SM City Rosales (didn't take pictures because SM malls are relatively alike) and then to City Walk in San Roque, Tarlac where we had snacks at Nathaniel's.  Their Buko Pandan Salad is to die for :)

Inside City Walk

Buko Pandan Salad

That wraps up our first day in Tarlac.  Technically, we all had a busy day today starting with the Pope and it's good to end it with family and good food :)