Dec 21: Villa Escudero
Villa Escudero was our main destination for our second day. It is a plantation and resort on the border of Tiaong, Quezon, very south of Makati City. It was the first tourist-y activity for the trip, so we were excited.
When we arrived at the resort, my excitement doubled as I saw Tita Marie, my friend Deng's mom, at the entrance to the Villa. I didn't know she was going to join us. And it was such a lovely gesture for her to take time out, surprise us and get to meet Luis. I was so happy! It was rather difficult to concentrate on anything else. But I managed to get through the tour.
Museum. The first activity on the agenda is the museum. It houses the largest collection in the Philippines, unparalleled in "eclectic diversity". The museum itself is part of the collection, in that it is a replica of an Intramuros church that no longer exists. When you enter the museum, you are greeted with the core of the collection, which is colonial religious art. As you move through, you'll be taken through exhibits on natural history, Oriental ceramics, costumes, weaponry and household furniture. It truly is multiple museums in one.
Carabao Ride. After the museum, it was time for our carabao ride. I was very reluctant to partake in the ride, since I felt sorry for the carabaos. But we had to get from the museum to lunch, and my companions will not be walking. Mom and Dad explained that the carabaos are really well-fed, and I did see that they had days off. So I suppose it wasn't too bad. To top it off, the name of our carabao was Sexy. So how can you say no to a carabao like that?! On the ride, you are entertained by Escuedro serenaders, singing old romantic folk songs. Luis didn't understand any of it, but there was clapping and guitar music involved, so he was entertained enough.
Waterfalls Restaurant. Lunch was served on bamboo dining tables set in a few inches of running water from the waterfalls beside it, hence, the Waterfalls Restaurant. It was a buffet of native Filipino cuisine, including lechon kawali (crispy pan-fried pork), grilled tilapia, pinakbet (stewed vegetables), and turon (banana spring rolls). I learned that Luis didn't like tapioca, but other than that, Luis ate everything and we thought everything was really good.
Unfortunately, it all had to end. There were other activities that we could've done, but we needed to make it back to Manila for dinner. So we rode back on another carabao, Mahinhin (modest, refined). At the entrance pavilion, we had some coffee and then had to say our goodbyes to Tita Marie. It is hard to part ways, but at least, we had a chance to be together.
Dinner at Astralis. We returned to Manila, with enough time for a short nap before dinner. We were still recovering from jet lag, so the short naps were important. Our dinner date was Tita Letty, my friend Bonnie's mom. She picked Astralis in Rockwell for our only fine dining experience in Manila. We had a scrumptious dinner and wonderful conversation. For appetizers, we had beef carpaccio and baked oysters. Luis had the lapu-lapu (grouper) and I had the mini Wagyu burgers done in 3 ways (awesome!). Then for dessert, we tried the tofu cheesecake. Despite the number of food items, we weren't too stuffed. It was a great evening to end a wonderful day!
When we arrived at the resort, my excitement doubled as I saw Tita Marie, my friend Deng's mom, at the entrance to the Villa. I didn't know she was going to join us. And it was such a lovely gesture for her to take time out, surprise us and get to meet Luis. I was so happy! It was rather difficult to concentrate on anything else. But I managed to get through the tour.
Museum. The first activity on the agenda is the museum. It houses the largest collection in the Philippines, unparalleled in "eclectic diversity". The museum itself is part of the collection, in that it is a replica of an Intramuros church that no longer exists. When you enter the museum, you are greeted with the core of the collection, which is colonial religious art. As you move through, you'll be taken through exhibits on natural history, Oriental ceramics, costumes, weaponry and household furniture. It truly is multiple museums in one.
Carabao Ride. After the museum, it was time for our carabao ride. I was very reluctant to partake in the ride, since I felt sorry for the carabaos. But we had to get from the museum to lunch, and my companions will not be walking. Mom and Dad explained that the carabaos are really well-fed, and I did see that they had days off. So I suppose it wasn't too bad. To top it off, the name of our carabao was Sexy. So how can you say no to a carabao like that?! On the ride, you are entertained by Escuedro serenaders, singing old romantic folk songs. Luis didn't understand any of it, but there was clapping and guitar music involved, so he was entertained enough.
Waterfalls Restaurant. Lunch was served on bamboo dining tables set in a few inches of running water from the waterfalls beside it, hence, the Waterfalls Restaurant. It was a buffet of native Filipino cuisine, including lechon kawali (crispy pan-fried pork), grilled tilapia, pinakbet (stewed vegetables), and turon (banana spring rolls). I learned that Luis didn't like tapioca, but other than that, Luis ate everything and we thought everything was really good.
Unfortunately, it all had to end. There were other activities that we could've done, but we needed to make it back to Manila for dinner. So we rode back on another carabao, Mahinhin (modest, refined). At the entrance pavilion, we had some coffee and then had to say our goodbyes to Tita Marie. It is hard to part ways, but at least, we had a chance to be together.
Dinner at Astralis. We returned to Manila, with enough time for a short nap before dinner. We were still recovering from jet lag, so the short naps were important. Our dinner date was Tita Letty, my friend Bonnie's mom. She picked Astralis in Rockwell for our only fine dining experience in Manila. We had a scrumptious dinner and wonderful conversation. For appetizers, we had beef carpaccio and baked oysters. Luis had the lapu-lapu (grouper) and I had the mini Wagyu burgers done in 3 ways (awesome!). Then for dessert, we tried the tofu cheesecake. Despite the number of food items, we weren't too stuffed. It was a great evening to end a wonderful day!
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