It’s tatay’s birthday!
This year, we celebrated tatay’s birthday in Tagaytay. We’ve always liked to visit Tagaytay as it is near our city; hence, when we want to go on a quick out-of-town trip, Tagaytay is our go-to place.
A quick story about our first trip here: We always thought Tagaytay was the southern version of Baguio. When we didn’t have a car and searched for it on the internet, people said it was cold in Tagaytay. We rode a bus, and after we dropped off, it was so hot. We were all wearing thick jackets and had a lot of baskets for the picnic. We were sweating really hard, and up until now, we still talk about that experience when we visit Tagaytay.
On this day, we visited a church, San Antonio de Pascua Chapel. It was a pretty long walk from the entrance since there was no parking inside. Hence, prepare yourself when visiting the chapel, as you will be sweating a lot like we did. But after reaching the chapel, you will appreciate the beauty of Tagaytay. The view is incredible; you’d feel awe when you go inside the chapel. It feels like a home I would like to stay in. It looks so surreal.
There is a pathway at the side of the church that directs you to a spot where you can see the full view of Taal Lake. Ferdie and I got separated from my family, and it was funny that while we were taking a picture together, my family got caught in the picture as well.
There was only one mass scheduled that day, and we weren’t able to attend it, so we prayed inside the church.
After that, we went to Picnic Grove. It was hot as usual, but we did a lot of activities first. First, of course, we had our lunch at one of the available tables. It is 250 pesos per table, so we only got one since there is an entrance fee of 75 pesos per head. We also set up a tent so we could sleep inside, but I didn’t, since, again, it was very hot at that time.
We roamed around and also tried the strawberry taho; this is a must-buy when visiting Tagaytay or Baguio. It’s quite expensive for me since one cup is 50 pesos, and it is more syrup than strawberry jam. In Baguio, I can say that the strawberries are cooked with the syrup to make it taste more authentic than just plain syrup. We explored and checked on some stores there. We bought my little brother some bubbles, and there was this little kid who was very jolly and kept inviting Chy to play.
Papa, my sister, and I tried the zipline. It was a fun experience. I was very nervous at first, since it had been years since I tried a zipline. You hold onto a metal lock, and it feels like I could have it opened and fall. I don’t know how to describe it, but here is a drawing I did of how it looks.
And, here is me in zipline.
We went to Shakey’s afterward to have our dinner. The view was astonishing, the food was great, and we also tried their drinks: the cucumber and the strawberry. I liked the strawberry better, but the cucumber one was refreshing.
We safely got home and rested for the night.
I used to be unable to join family outings since I either had work or school, or maybe already had prior plans. Lately, I’ve been trying to join them as much as possible since we’re aging, and I want to spend more time and create more memories with my family. Learning on your own, being independent, and creating your own life is great, but I would give my all just to have more time with my family. At the end of the day, the moments we create and share are the ones that make us rich in life.
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