Word of the Day: "Scenic Route"
Haha, I came back from my trip to Quezon province yesterday afternoon. It was an okay vacation. Let's start from the start, shall we?
We left on Friday, April 7. I woke up that day at around 4 am. I took a bath, dressed up, then checked my mail and burned some CDs. I woke up John, my youngest brother at around 4:30. Tim, my other younger brother got up at around 5, along with the rest of the family. We left at around 6 and dear, the start was horrible! I guess my mom and dad were really harassed. They kept getting mad, snapping and all at the start. Finally, when we were quite a long way from home, people started to relax. My brothers and I all slept until we had a pit stop and ate breakfast. Then, we continued the trip. It was quite enjoyable from there.
I slept a bit more first, then I began to take in the sights. It was really amusing actually. We got lost! :P Haha, we like to term it as the "scenic route". It started out when we reached the province of Pagsanjan. Then, we had to go up this mountain (I think my mom said it was Mt. Banahaw). There were a whole lot of curves and all, but finally we were going down the mountain. When we reached the bottom, we were back at Pagsanjan! My dad was like, "No wonder I recall seeing that town hall before." Apparently, there was a turn we should have taken to get to where we were going that we missed. Haha, it was fun nonetheless. If we didn't take that route, we wouldn't have passed by this dam and Lake Caliraya and a bunch of other stuff too! The second time around though, Tim vomitted 'coz of dizziness and all the twists and turns. Oh, and it was really funny because there was this Unioil with literally only one pump for gas! It was diesel too! Haha, talk about UNIoil. :P
Anyway, when we finally got to the place called Graceland in Tayabas, Quezon, we unloaded all our stuff in the unit my parents got. The place was actually really nice. It was full of grass and trees, and there was a lake, and it was big and spacious. It seemed new though since there were still quite a bunch of stuff being constructed and all. Nevertheless, it was nice.
We ate lunch at this place outside the country club called Kamayan sa Palaisdaan. It was a wonderful lunch. Mmhmm... seafood... :D That place was cool too! There were these huts and all where you sat and ate, and everything was on top of this pond with fish in it. :D
After lunch, we (my brothers and I) swam the rest of the day. :D It was a lot of fun! Then, we ate dinner at the cafe & grille they had in the country club. After, my brothers and I slept in a tent! There was a campsite there so that's where we slept. :D My parents slept in the unit though.
The next day, Saturday, my brothers and I woke up pretty late at around 7:30. I said I'd wake them earlier, and I did wake up early, but I decided to sleep again. :P My parents, miraculously, got up really early and they even walked around and ate breakfast. Anyway, for our morning exercise, we went biking. Now, my older brother is the only one of us who knows how to bike on a two-wheeler. I have honestly never ridden a two-wheeled bike before. I heard before from my brother and my dad that it would be easy for me to learn how to bike since I did roller blades. Still, it was different. I tried it out on my own, and I couldn't get it. My dad came a bit later on, and he tried to teach my 2 younger brothers to bike. When he saw me, he went to me to help me out. I'm proud to say that I have learned to bike and it only took me less than 30 minutes. My dad insists it's because I trust him and all. He says I'm his best student. The only thing I still have to learn though is how to brake. When I'm falling, my first instinct is to jump off the bike. Haha, it's like... falling, falling... BAIL!!! :P
After biking, we swam again then we ate lunch. We ate lunch in Lucban, Quezon in this sort of fastfood restaurant called Buddy's my mom wanted to try out. The food was okay I guess. After lunch, we went around looking for pasalubong and we decided to buy them at this bakery called Koffee Klatch. We also bought this thing called Kiping which are these sort of "crunchy" things that are different colors and made of rice. The people there make these into different flower-like shapes and hang them on their houses during the Pahiyas festival on May 15 to celebrate the harvest. It's really cool! We also found out that these could be cooked (either grilled, fried or boiled). :D
After lunch, we were planning to go boating but someone rented out the wharf for a reunion. So, we tried biking again, but since my older brother's bike got disaligned, I gave him mine then headed back to the unit. After a while, John came back as well saying that Tim told him to go back. I freaked out 'coz we had to pay for the bikes and all and John didn't even really bike. After, I blew up at Tim and as my older brother put it, I had a "really bad mood swing". Whatever. I went to the playground after that and just sat on the swings a while. My dad came a while later and sat with me. Then, when I was feeling a bit better, he and I played on the seesaw before heading inside to take a bath.
After taking a bath, we were supposed to hear an anticipated mass. We headed to this place called Kamay ni Hesus. Apparently, the schedule for masses is irregular so there wasn't a mass. Beside the church though, there was a high mountain with a grotto that supposedly has healing waters. My older brother and I were the only ones to go all the way to the top. My 2 younger brothers chickened out sometime in between, while my parents had to stop after the 2nd platform because my mom got tired. The grotto was in the middle, with a large statue of Mama Mary. There were two staircases with really steep and irregularly shaped steps on both sides of the mountain. After a certain number of steps, there'd be a platform that connects the two staircases, and in the middle, there were statues of scenes depicting the different Stations of the Cross. At the top, there was a large statue of the Risen Christ. The view from the top was incredible too! You could see mountains and trees (a lot of coconut trees I might add) and the city too! On the way down, we passed by the grotto and my older brother contemplated on getting some of the water because it was said that it had healing properties. I don't know why he didn't, but then he said "let's go" and he walked away. I made a split second decision before dipping my hands into the water then catching up with my brother. When I did, I grasped his hand with my wet hands and we walked down. When we reached the bottom, he said "thank you" even though I don't know exactly what he was thanking me for.
After, we went back to Lucban, Quezon to try and attend mass there. When we got there, it was 6pm and we found out the mass was at 7pm. We ate at a cafe (another place my mom wanted to try out) called Cafe San Luis. It was okay I guess. Anyway, after, we went to mass then headed back to the country club. My older brother, John and my parents went to eat dinner, while me and Tim decided to go to bed early. I was really tired. We went to the tent and Tim wanted to sleep outside so we set up a sleeping bag before I crawled into the tent. Tim decided a little while later that he would walk around a while, so I let him while I went to sleep. I woke up quite a number of times again that night, as I did the night before. I had a good sleep actually. It's just that the first night, it was kind of hot and we were all in the tent (as in all 3 of my brothers and me). The second night, my older brother and Tim decided to sleep outside in the sleeping bag, and it was a lot colder too. I still had a good sleep though.
When we woke up on Sunday, the 3 boys were planning on swimming but the pool only opened at 8am. They then decided to go biking instead. Apparently, they ate breakfast instead of doing either. All I know is that I was in the tent, trying to sleep some more. When my brothers passed to tell me they were going biking, my older brother told me a story. He said that the night before, while they were eating dinner, my older brother and my parents were talking about John, my adopted brother. John, apparently, wasn't listening and he was so bored. He didn't play with his hands like Tim would, nor did he start a conversation or join in the conversation either. Instead, he walked in circles around this tree outside with a goofy grin on his face. As my older brother said, he had a "creative output of 0". Anyway, after my brothers left, I finally decided to get up. I walked to the unit first to go to the comfort room and fix up a bit before I take a morning walk. I saw my dad at the unit and he decided to come with me on my walk. So, we walked around and we talked about John. Then, we ate breakfast just as my brothers left to go swimming. After I ate, I joined my brothers for a while though only Tim and my older brother were in the pool. I guess John didn't want to swim anymore because the day before, when we went swimming, my dad, older brother and I tried to teach him how to swim, and we kind of pushed him to do it. My dad can be especially brutal (without any actual physical harm or anything) when he's teaching things like that.
After our swim, we had to take a bath then get ready to leave. We had to check out at 11 am. After getting all our stuff in the car, we left Graceland and headed for home. It's too bad we weren't able to go boating and horseback riding. We only found out about the horseback riding right before we left so it's a pity really. We still had fun though. On the way, we passed by Pansol and bought buko pie and cassava cake for more pasalubong from my mom. We also ate lunch somewhere there. Our lunch was mostly fish. We ate sinigang na canduli with 5 hitos and this tanigue in vinegar (I can't recall what it's called). :D Yeah, we eat a lot. :P
We passed by our grandparents place in Pasay when we got back to Manila. It took us roughly 2 and a half hours to get back -- a big difference compared to the 5 hours to get there! Haha, it's ok though. We took the "scenic route". :P Oh, we also passed this really big and beautiful farm on the way. It was SO cool! Haha, I had a lot of fun despite the little bad parts. I learned how to bike!!! :D
I have a bunch of pics with me which I'll post once my dad finds the time to download them on the computer. Haha! :D Well, that was my vacation!
~Syv
We left on Friday, April 7. I woke up that day at around 4 am. I took a bath, dressed up, then checked my mail and burned some CDs. I woke up John, my youngest brother at around 4:30. Tim, my other younger brother got up at around 5, along with the rest of the family. We left at around 6 and dear, the start was horrible! I guess my mom and dad were really harassed. They kept getting mad, snapping and all at the start. Finally, when we were quite a long way from home, people started to relax. My brothers and I all slept until we had a pit stop and ate breakfast. Then, we continued the trip. It was quite enjoyable from there.
I slept a bit more first, then I began to take in the sights. It was really amusing actually. We got lost! :P Haha, we like to term it as the "scenic route". It started out when we reached the province of Pagsanjan. Then, we had to go up this mountain (I think my mom said it was Mt. Banahaw). There were a whole lot of curves and all, but finally we were going down the mountain. When we reached the bottom, we were back at Pagsanjan! My dad was like, "No wonder I recall seeing that town hall before." Apparently, there was a turn we should have taken to get to where we were going that we missed. Haha, it was fun nonetheless. If we didn't take that route, we wouldn't have passed by this dam and Lake Caliraya and a bunch of other stuff too! The second time around though, Tim vomitted 'coz of dizziness and all the twists and turns. Oh, and it was really funny because there was this Unioil with literally only one pump for gas! It was diesel too! Haha, talk about UNIoil. :P
Anyway, when we finally got to the place called Graceland in Tayabas, Quezon, we unloaded all our stuff in the unit my parents got. The place was actually really nice. It was full of grass and trees, and there was a lake, and it was big and spacious. It seemed new though since there were still quite a bunch of stuff being constructed and all. Nevertheless, it was nice.
We ate lunch at this place outside the country club called Kamayan sa Palaisdaan. It was a wonderful lunch. Mmhmm... seafood... :D That place was cool too! There were these huts and all where you sat and ate, and everything was on top of this pond with fish in it. :D
After lunch, we (my brothers and I) swam the rest of the day. :D It was a lot of fun! Then, we ate dinner at the cafe & grille they had in the country club. After, my brothers and I slept in a tent! There was a campsite there so that's where we slept. :D My parents slept in the unit though.
The next day, Saturday, my brothers and I woke up pretty late at around 7:30. I said I'd wake them earlier, and I did wake up early, but I decided to sleep again. :P My parents, miraculously, got up really early and they even walked around and ate breakfast. Anyway, for our morning exercise, we went biking. Now, my older brother is the only one of us who knows how to bike on a two-wheeler. I have honestly never ridden a two-wheeled bike before. I heard before from my brother and my dad that it would be easy for me to learn how to bike since I did roller blades. Still, it was different. I tried it out on my own, and I couldn't get it. My dad came a bit later on, and he tried to teach my 2 younger brothers to bike. When he saw me, he went to me to help me out. I'm proud to say that I have learned to bike and it only took me less than 30 minutes. My dad insists it's because I trust him and all. He says I'm his best student. The only thing I still have to learn though is how to brake. When I'm falling, my first instinct is to jump off the bike. Haha, it's like... falling, falling... BAIL!!! :P
After biking, we swam again then we ate lunch. We ate lunch in Lucban, Quezon in this sort of fastfood restaurant called Buddy's my mom wanted to try out. The food was okay I guess. After lunch, we went around looking for pasalubong and we decided to buy them at this bakery called Koffee Klatch. We also bought this thing called Kiping which are these sort of "crunchy" things that are different colors and made of rice. The people there make these into different flower-like shapes and hang them on their houses during the Pahiyas festival on May 15 to celebrate the harvest. It's really cool! We also found out that these could be cooked (either grilled, fried or boiled). :D
After lunch, we were planning to go boating but someone rented out the wharf for a reunion. So, we tried biking again, but since my older brother's bike got disaligned, I gave him mine then headed back to the unit. After a while, John came back as well saying that Tim told him to go back. I freaked out 'coz we had to pay for the bikes and all and John didn't even really bike. After, I blew up at Tim and as my older brother put it, I had a "really bad mood swing". Whatever. I went to the playground after that and just sat on the swings a while. My dad came a while later and sat with me. Then, when I was feeling a bit better, he and I played on the seesaw before heading inside to take a bath.
After taking a bath, we were supposed to hear an anticipated mass. We headed to this place called Kamay ni Hesus. Apparently, the schedule for masses is irregular so there wasn't a mass. Beside the church though, there was a high mountain with a grotto that supposedly has healing waters. My older brother and I were the only ones to go all the way to the top. My 2 younger brothers chickened out sometime in between, while my parents had to stop after the 2nd platform because my mom got tired. The grotto was in the middle, with a large statue of Mama Mary. There were two staircases with really steep and irregularly shaped steps on both sides of the mountain. After a certain number of steps, there'd be a platform that connects the two staircases, and in the middle, there were statues of scenes depicting the different Stations of the Cross. At the top, there was a large statue of the Risen Christ. The view from the top was incredible too! You could see mountains and trees (a lot of coconut trees I might add) and the city too! On the way down, we passed by the grotto and my older brother contemplated on getting some of the water because it was said that it had healing properties. I don't know why he didn't, but then he said "let's go" and he walked away. I made a split second decision before dipping my hands into the water then catching up with my brother. When I did, I grasped his hand with my wet hands and we walked down. When we reached the bottom, he said "thank you" even though I don't know exactly what he was thanking me for.
After, we went back to Lucban, Quezon to try and attend mass there. When we got there, it was 6pm and we found out the mass was at 7pm. We ate at a cafe (another place my mom wanted to try out) called Cafe San Luis. It was okay I guess. Anyway, after, we went to mass then headed back to the country club. My older brother, John and my parents went to eat dinner, while me and Tim decided to go to bed early. I was really tired. We went to the tent and Tim wanted to sleep outside so we set up a sleeping bag before I crawled into the tent. Tim decided a little while later that he would walk around a while, so I let him while I went to sleep. I woke up quite a number of times again that night, as I did the night before. I had a good sleep actually. It's just that the first night, it was kind of hot and we were all in the tent (as in all 3 of my brothers and me). The second night, my older brother and Tim decided to sleep outside in the sleeping bag, and it was a lot colder too. I still had a good sleep though.
When we woke up on Sunday, the 3 boys were planning on swimming but the pool only opened at 8am. They then decided to go biking instead. Apparently, they ate breakfast instead of doing either. All I know is that I was in the tent, trying to sleep some more. When my brothers passed to tell me they were going biking, my older brother told me a story. He said that the night before, while they were eating dinner, my older brother and my parents were talking about John, my adopted brother. John, apparently, wasn't listening and he was so bored. He didn't play with his hands like Tim would, nor did he start a conversation or join in the conversation either. Instead, he walked in circles around this tree outside with a goofy grin on his face. As my older brother said, he had a "creative output of 0". Anyway, after my brothers left, I finally decided to get up. I walked to the unit first to go to the comfort room and fix up a bit before I take a morning walk. I saw my dad at the unit and he decided to come with me on my walk. So, we walked around and we talked about John. Then, we ate breakfast just as my brothers left to go swimming. After I ate, I joined my brothers for a while though only Tim and my older brother were in the pool. I guess John didn't want to swim anymore because the day before, when we went swimming, my dad, older brother and I tried to teach him how to swim, and we kind of pushed him to do it. My dad can be especially brutal (without any actual physical harm or anything) when he's teaching things like that.
After our swim, we had to take a bath then get ready to leave. We had to check out at 11 am. After getting all our stuff in the car, we left Graceland and headed for home. It's too bad we weren't able to go boating and horseback riding. We only found out about the horseback riding right before we left so it's a pity really. We still had fun though. On the way, we passed by Pansol and bought buko pie and cassava cake for more pasalubong from my mom. We also ate lunch somewhere there. Our lunch was mostly fish. We ate sinigang na canduli with 5 hitos and this tanigue in vinegar (I can't recall what it's called). :D Yeah, we eat a lot. :P
We passed by our grandparents place in Pasay when we got back to Manila. It took us roughly 2 and a half hours to get back -- a big difference compared to the 5 hours to get there! Haha, it's ok though. We took the "scenic route". :P Oh, we also passed this really big and beautiful farm on the way. It was SO cool! Haha, I had a lot of fun despite the little bad parts. I learned how to bike!!! :D
I have a bunch of pics with me which I'll post once my dad finds the time to download them on the computer. Haha! :D Well, that was my vacation!
~Syv