Year-end Vacation at Tidewater Matabungkay, Batangas

Tidewater Resort rooms with the infinity pool

It was less than a week and the year 2014 will be ending. Before the year ends, me and my friends decided to meet up, welcome a balikbayan friend and went for a vacation. It was hard to decide where to go especially if you are on a tight budget. Choice of destinations is Tagaytay, Bataan or Batangas. After searching for several days, we finally decided to go to Tidewater Resort at Matabungkay, Batangas.

We rode a bus bound to Calatagan at the terminal at Coastal Mall in Pasay at around 8 in the morning. Drop off point is at Lian town proper as we still need to go to the marketplace to buy our food for our overnight stay. The Calatagan bound bus can also get you directly to Matabungkay. After buying food, we tried to search for a nearby ATM machine for some of my friends needed to withdraw money. Unfortunately there is only one ATM (Landbank) which is not working at that time. The other bank in the area are rural banks and does not have any ATM. Luckily two of my friends have extra cash that we can use for transportation and miscellaneous expenses. Since it was already 12noon, we decided to have lunch at a carinderia in Lian before going to our resort. When lunch was finished we went back to the marketplace where the jeepney terminal are located and rode a jeep bound to Matabungkay.

the walk at the beach

The jeepney ride was short and you can literally feel that you are in the province. You can feel the air in your face and smell the farmlands. Our drop off point is like an intersection, straight ahead is the beach, both left and right is arrays of resorts and residential houses. The jeepney driver told us that we can reach tidewater by walking through the beach’s shoreline. We follow the driver advice and went to the beach and walked at the shore looking for the location of Tidewater. It was around 1 am already and we can feel the heat of the sun as we walked through the shores. We already saw several resorts but we still haven’t found Tidewater. We asked a vendor where is our resort and the vendor helped us in reaching Tidewater.

We are all happy when we reached our destination especially after feeling the heat of the sun, we all wanted to have some rest. What added to our joy are the beautiful resort, nice view and relaxing ambiance of the place. You would be easily mesmerized by the infinity pool and the nice view of the beach. The place was not hot as there are a lot of trees providing enough shade and air that would sometimes tickle your spine. The duyan is also inviting as it just near the pool.

the duyan with a good view of the beach

the pool with the setting sun

The pool is so tempting, that you would definitely want to dive in to it immediately. The cold water would give you some shivers as you plunge to the water, but once you get used to it you will be seeing yourself swimming around the pool. You can also just simply look at the beach or the sunset as you rest at the edge of the pool.

sunset reflection

For the food, one does not need to worry where to cook, as the resort has a kitchen that has a refrigerator, rice cooker, and cooking pans and grill area. You can use these amenities with no extra charge. Even the LPG is also free. You just have to clean the utensils and kitchen before leaving. There are three kitchens in the resort so there is enough to accommodate other guests.

When morning came, me, my sister and a friend decided to take a walk at the beach. It was still dark and the fishermen are still busy with their boats. We can see the birds flying and catching fishes as they swoop at the beach. It was low tide and as we look closely at the shore we saw some starfish, small crabs, little fishes and hermit crabs. It was really beautiful and the whole beach was picturesque especially as the sun rises, except for the garbage that we would see being carried by the waves.

the fishermen's boats

low tide during the morning

the burst of sunrise

Our year-end trip to Matabungkay was enjoyable and very cheap. Me and friends are already planning to get back whenever stress hit us. I learned and discover a lot of things in our trip. Matabungaky is beautiful and we should definitely learn to keep it that way.

starfish at the shore

watching the beach

The Calamba Church and the Rizal Shrine

A trip to Laguna would not be complete if we did not go to Calamba. Calamba is mostly popular because of its part in our history as the hometown of our National Hero – Dr. Jose Rizal. So before heading back to Manila we decided to make a short trip to Calamba Church and the Rizal Shrine.

The Calamba Church and the Rizal Shrine are just across each other so it is very easy to go to both of them. And also just at the same place is the large pot known as the Calambanga that symbolizes the name of Calamba City.

 The Church of Calamba is same as the other churches that we have went to in Laguna. They are very all very old and still have the Spanish architectural design with its brick stones and wooden door that is the same as the St. John Baptist Church in Liliw and Nagcarlan Church. Aside from the architecture, you will also be welcomed by the big statues and the garden surrounding the church.

 

After visiting the church, we cross the street and went to Rizal Shrine. The Shrine was full of people when we went there as there was a school also having their field trip. At the entrance you will be asked to log in your name and some information.

The first floor of the house or the “silong” contains some brief history and information about Dr. Jose Rizal. The second floor shows the different furniture, pottery and housewares used during the Spanish period. The second floor features the dining room with a big fan, the room of Dr. Jose Rizal and the kitchen.

Aside from the house of the Rizals, the Rizal Shrine also has a souvenir shop and museum with various pictures and paintings of our national hero.

The Fusion of Food at Tokyo Cafe

 It was my second time to eat at Tokyo Café. The first time I went here was unexpected and also somewhat memorable. My first impression when I went here was it was a pricey restaurant offering Italian and Japanese food. I remembered on my first visit we ordered a pizza, pasta and chicken. Since we were not able to eat some Japanese food back then, I decided to try one on my second visit.

I wanted to try the Creamy Ebiko Pasta but it was not available. According to their menu it was a must try and one of their bestseller and also it is a Japanese pasta, so I was a little disappointed that it was not available. I ordered instead their garlic and shrimp pasta. One of my friends ordered a Ju Kalbiju and my other friend chose the Ju Oyako-ju.

When my Garlic and Shrimp Pasta was served I was surprised. I was surprised to see the abundant shrimp in my pasta. I counted the shrimp and there was five pieces of them. Unlike in some of the restaurants that I have went the most number of shrimp that you will get is only three. The other reason I was surprised is the way the food was served. It was kind of messy. There was no plating and there are drops of pasta sauce on the sides of the plate/bowl. My friend who is a graduate of HRM and had worked with other restaurants also notices this.

Ju Kabilju with miso soup

While still discussing with the presentation of my pasta, the Ju Kalbiju and the Ju Oyako-ju arrived. It was served in Japanese boxes with chopsticks and miso soup. Compared to my pasta, the presentation of the two dishes was fine. The Ju Kabilju is rice with beef while the Ju Oyako-ju is rice with chicken strips.

Ju Oyako-ju with miso soup

As we were already hungry we dive in immediately with our food. There was really nothing special with the pasta, except really for the shrimps. One of my friend even commented that the pasta taste similarly with the Italian restaurant near the area. For the rice dishes, both the beef and chicken were tender and tasty and the miso soup was also great.

One thing great about Tokyo Café is their menu. If you are not into Japanese food, you can order for Italian food as they have pasta and pizza, they also have burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads, crepes, parfaits and coffees. 

The Italian Taste at Trattoria Poggio Antico

It’s a Friday night and me and my officemates are feeling tires for a week long full of work and deadlines that we all wanted to go home already. But when we stepped out of the building we were surprised to see people all over the street, fx and van terminals with long lines and the cars stuck in traffic jam. Instead of joining the long lines of people waiting for an fx or van, we decided to eat first and gave ourselves a treat.

Our office is located at McKinley and although there is the Venice Piazza and streets full of restaurants, we always find it difficult to decide on where to eat. Especially now that payday is still a week away, we are on a tight budget but we don’t want to settle on fast food chains especially if we want to treat ourselves. So as we walk along Tuscany, we reached Trattoria Poggio Antico.

At just by the name, you will already know that this is an Italian restaurant serving and by the looks of the place you will think of it as an expensive fine dining restaurant. We would have not thought of eating at the restaurant if not for the accommodating waiter that introduces as to their menu. With a very sincere smile the waiter invited us to dine as he told us that all their food is good for sharing, there is a complimentary bread basket and we are very lucky as beer is in the house as well. Without second thoughts we decided to oblige at the waiter’s request to try their restaurant.

the bread basket and the dips

As we sat at our chairs, the waitress put the basket of bread at our table together with pesto and salsa dip. It is just the right way to ease our hunger as we went through their menu that is in Italian. It took us some time to decide on what to eat as we find each item in the menu as a must try, but we finally choose the Salciccia Arrabbiata (grilled Italian Sausage in spicy sauce) as appetizer, two pastas – Tagliatellealla Carbonara (fresh flat pasta with egg and bacon sauce) and the Spaghetti allaPescatora (spaghetti with assorted seafood in tomato sauce); and a pizza, the Arrabbiata (pizza with spicy pomodoro sauce and Italian sausage).

It took around fifteen minutes before the order was served but because of the bread we did not mind waiting that long for the food. The pizza was served first then followed by the Salciccia Arrabbiata and then the two pastas.

After some photo shots, we then dig in to our food. I got a taste first of the spicy Saciccia Arrabbiata. The spiciness of the Italian Sausage is bearable even if you dip it in the spicy sauce. Don’t expect the sausage to be pure meat as it is just like the other sausage there are small amount of fats that tis present, but still I think the fat adds to the texture of the sausage.

spicy Saciccia Arrabbiata

creamy Tagliatellealla Carbonara 

The next one I had is the Tagliatellealla Carbonara. I loved the taste of this carbonara, so very simple. It’s just pure creaminess. There is no other side taste that would battle in your taste buds. Plus, there is also a hefty amount of bacon that compliments with the creamy carbonara.

Then I got a slice of the Arrabiatta pizza. The nice thing about the pizza is that although it is thin-crust, the crust is not hard to bite, and it is also flavorful. The pizza is also covered with so much cheese. There is some part of the pizza that is salty but according to my officemate, it may be caused by the olive that is in the pizza. Overall I still find the pizza delicious.

the cheesy pizza Arrabbiata

After finishing my carbonara, I also get a serving of the Spaghetti allaPescatora and I might say that this is one of the delicious pasta that I have tasted. There is a gracious ingredients of seafood – clams, slices of squids, pieces of salmon (I think), and shrimps. The taste of the tomato sauce is just right; it is neither too sour nor salty. The squid is tender, the fish is not salty and there is this big shrimp that is like completes the whole pasta.

the sinfully delicious Spaghetti allaPescatora

beer in the house

When we finished our meal and us we walked through the door, the waitress that served us was with all smiles as we joke around with her. And when we stepped out, the very accommodating waiter waved us good-bye and sincerely invited us to come again. The staffs are all friendly and you can feel that they are sincere as you talked to them, unlike other restaurants where every word of welcome, greetings and farewells are part of a memorized dialogue.

Although Trattoria Poggio Antico is far from our office, I would not have any second thoughts, if somebody invited me to eat there. I might be even the one inviting my office mates to go back to the place.

An Unforgettable Experience at 8 Cuts Burger Blends

It was a friend’s birthday and we decided to celebrate in a cake shop at Serendra. Since it was a Friday night, the cake shop was full when we arrived. We are third on the waiting list. We were already hungry and we cannot wait to get seated that we decided to look for other restaurants at Serendra. Just across the cake shop, we found the newly opened burger house – 8 cuts Burger Blends.

We were already planning to eat at 8 Cuts when we learned that a store will be opening in Serendra, but we did not expect it to be this soon. The newly opened burger house was not yet full when we arrived so we easily find a comfy seat for us. We were not familiar with the menu aside from that they offer burgers; it took us awhile to decide on what to eat.

After some discussions we decided to order for a Four Cheese, Double Cheeseburger and a Piggy for the burgers. We also ordered for the pastas – Shrimp and Tomato Alfredo Pasta and Creamy Shrooms Spaghetti. For the appetizer we had fries with bacon and cheese.

the big "double cheeseburger"

the juicy 'Piggy Burger"

the simple yet delicious "four cheese burger"

At first look, you will find the burger big and oily. But unlike the other big burgers that I have tasted, the burgers at 8 Cuts were not that greasy, even the Piggy Burger which have bacon on top. It was so flavorful and every toppings compliment with each other. The Shrimp and Tomato Pasta has a plentiful serving of shrimps, unlike the other seafood pastas that I have tried. The shiitake mushrooms of the Shrooms Pasta have a good taste and it did not overwhelm the taste, nor did it not give any after taste.

the fries with bacon and cheese

the tasteful "Shrooms Pasta"

the flavorful and oozing with ingredients - Shrimp and Tomato Pasta

the complimentary dessert

Since it was a friend’s birthday, we were given a complimentary Caramel Vanilla Bread Pudding which we shared.

Our experience at 8 Cuts Burger Blends did not end on the birthday of my friend. After two days we went back again at 8 Cuts Burger Blends for another reason. My friend forgot her credit card at 8 Cuts Burger Blends when she paid them. It was her treat since it was her birthday, and she used her credit card. She forgot to get her card after paying. The staff tried to come after us, but they were no able to catch up with us. Another remarkable thing about 8 Cuts Burger Blends are the staff working there. They still remembered our group, even after two days. Upon retrieving the card, they even gave us another complimentary – onion rings.

Visiting the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery

One of the places to visit when you went to Laguna is the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery. This quiet place is located along the busy road of Nagcarlan. The cemetery is located under a church that was built in 1845. It was built and designed for burial masses by a Franciscan priest named Fr. Vicente Velloc. 

In 1978 the cemetery was declared by the National Historical Institute as a national historical landmark. Aside from being a burial site for elite Catholic families, the cemetery became a secret meeting place for the revolutionary Filipinos of the KKK during the 1896. During the World War II, the burial site also became a safe house for our soldiers. 

entrance to the church and cemetery

the Nagcarlan Curch surrounded by tombs and a lush garden

You will feel serenity as you reached the place. The architectural design of the church invites people to come and enter the place. Upon entering the church, you will be asked to sign up your name and residence in a logbook by the National Historical Institute. It is important that you write your name; this helps the National Historical Institute to track the number of tourist who came to the place. There is a feeling of coldness as you walked downstairs the cemetery. I believed that it is because of the rock walls that formed the crypt. If you looked at the encryption on the tombs you will see that the oldest date’s goes way back to 1886.   

Today, there are no regular mass held at the church. Masses are only held during the Feast of the Christ the King and Holy Week. During Lenten Season a Senakulo is being held at the place.

the altar inside the church

going down the crypt  

the tombs inside the underground crypt

The Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery is open during Tuesdays to Sundays at 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If you are commuting, you can reach the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery by riding a jeep bound to Liliw. The cemetery is hard to missed because of its architecture that stands out along the Nagcarlan road.  

a closer look at the tombs