CASE # 009: Holy Week at Tagaytay Part 5

Medyo mas matagal ang biyahe pabalik ng ZooRI compared nung papunta kasi matraffic na. Maraming nang sasakyan sa paligid. Pagdating sa ZooRI, nag-horseback riding muna ang mga bata which costed, Php50.00 per head. Tatlong ikot din sa malawak na field. Kung hindi marunong mangabayo ang bagets, may may kuya na pwedeng sumama sa kanila sa pagsakay. Sobrang nag-enjoy rito ang mga bagets.

Lunch at Mahogany Market

Pero halos alas-dos na rin iyon at hindi pa kami nagtatanghalian. Sumakay kami ng jeep from ZooRI to Mahogany Market (Php8.00 each). Medyo matagal nga lang ang biyahe kasi trapik. When we got to Mahogany, umakyat kami sa second floor nang mismong palengke dun sa meat section. There are food stalls lined up in the entire floor. All of them are offering Tagaytay's finest bulalo and tawilis plus other dishes that are worth trying as well. My favorite is Rommel's food stall. I have been to that place for a number of times already at during iba’t ibang taon pero hindi pa rin nawawala ang magandang service nila.

We ordered bulalo, crispy tawilis, sinaing na tulingan, 6 cups of rice, and a 2-liter bottle of Coke. The bulalo was steaming hot and served on a large glass bowl na nakapatong sa stainless na holder. It can be good for three to four persons pero dahil bata naman ang kasama namin so sumobra pa sa amin. Free refill of gulay and sabaw na rin. The meat was so tender and soft that it melts in your mouth. Fresh ang meat at hindi maanggo nor masebo. Fresh din ang mga gulay. Kaya naman sobrang sarap and it all costed Php350.00 pesos. Sulit!

The crispy tawilis was served on a small plate. Hindi ako mahilig sa isda so hindi ko tinikman pero sis-in-law and the kids loved it. Si Hubby naman, enjoy na enjoy sa inorder niyang sinaing na tulingan.

Pero kahit gutom kami, hindi pa rin namin napatumba ang servings nila. Pina-take out na lang namin yung bulalo plus additional sabaw at gulay. Pinabalot na rin ang natirang tawilis. May libreng saging din sila for dessert.

Sky Ranch

After ng food trip namin sa Mahogany, our next stop was Sky Ranch. Actually, I wanted to go back to the condo first para ibaba yung mga tinake out namin. Pero Hubby wanted to go directly to Sky Ranch para hindi na raw sayang sa oras. We were supposed to take a jeepney again pero puno ang mga jeep at matrapik pa. Nakakita kami ng tricycle who offered us a ride to Sky Ranch at Php50.00. Agree naman si Hubby since we didn't want to waste any more time waiting.

Blockbuster ang pila sa entrance nang makarating kami ng Sky Ranch. Entrance fee is Php80.00 per head. Once we were able to pay for our tickets, we proceeded in lining up for frisking. Bawal pala ang food and beverage sa loob kaya pinaiwan na lang ng guard sa baggage counter ang bitbit naming bulalo at tubig. Good thing kasi less hassle kapag nag-rides.

Sky Ranch was swarming with people. Iyong covered area sa gitna were lined up with inflatable play pens and other types of play equipment. The other side naman was converted into a tiangge where souvenirs and delicacies were being sold.

We tried taking a picture dun sa letter standee nila ng Sky Ranch pero mahirap maka-timing nang walang photo bomber. Lahat kasi kanya-kanya ng pose. After pictorial, we went directly to the ticketing booth. Sabi ni Hubby bumili na ng tickets for all the rides para isang pilahan na lang. As we computed our budget, tatlong rides lang ang napili namin. The Sky Eye for us adults, and iyong carousel at kiddie roller coaster for the bagets.

Favorite ko ang Ferris Wheel of any kind kasi iyon lang ang may lakas ng loob akong sakyan sa mga amusement park. Kaya every time mapupunta ako sa amusement park, iyon lagi ang choice ko sa mga rides. Hubby and sis-in-law were a bit tensed as we lined up for the ride. Pareho kasi silang malululain at takot sa heights. Nakakatawa kasi kahit pa ilang beses na kaming nakasakay ni Hubby sa malalaking Ferris Wheel ay takot pa rin siya.

The view on the top of the wheel was truly amazing. You get to see the whole city on one side, and the whole lake on the other. Breathtaking at talaga namang napakaganda. Kung pwede nga lang ipa-pause muna ang pag-ikot ng Sky Eye para tumambay muna kami dun sa tuktok.

After the Sky Eye, pinagbigyan na muna namin ang mga bagets sa rides nila. Dalawang rides na lang naman iyon so I looked for place where I can sit down and wait. Masakit na kasi ang paa at tuhod ko kakalakad the whole day. Certified Tita problems.

Walang pagkasawa ang mga bata. Kahit na nakapunta na sila roon dati at nakapag-rides na rin nang maraming beses sa iba pang amusement park and center, excited pa rin sila. Gusto pa nga sana nilang humirit ng isa pang ride pero pagod na kaming mga thunders kaya inawat na rin sila.

Tanaw na mula sa Sky Ranch ang Tower 1 ng Wind Residences. Pero we still have to walk a few meters sa may pilahan ng tricycle to get our ride. Hinatid naman kami ng tricycle hanggang sa gate ng building. Dati raw allowed sila mag-drop off hanggang lobby pero this time pinigilan sila ni Kuya Guard at sinabing hanggang gate na lang. Napilitan tuloy kaming maglakad na lang papuntang lobby.

Hubby and I already had a silent understanding na pagdating sa condo, mauuna na muna silang umakyat kasi pupunta ako sa clubhouse para magtanong pa rin tungkol sa pag-avail ng swimming pool services nila. We secretly agreed on it kasi ayaw namin muna ipaalam sa mga bata dahil baka umasa na naman sila sa wala. So, I gave the key to my husband and walked towards the clubhouse.

Maraming nagswi-swimming na mga bagets sa pool. Mga batang adik sa tubig at halos ayaw nang umahon. When I reached the clubhouse, I was able to talk to the receptionist. Sinabi niya sa akin na pwede naman daw mag-request sa admin. Mag-e-email lang iyong caretaker ng unit namin to request for approval for us to use the pool. Ibibigay lang unit number, names ng guest na magswi-swimming and date kung kailan. Once ma-approve, they will be notified and mapapayagan na kaming mag-swimming. Iyong fee raw will be charged on the tenant upon billing ng admin sa dues nila. In short, babayaran na lang namin sa caretaker upon check out.

I was given a ray of hope na pwede pang matupad ang pangakong swimming sa mga bata. I called the caretaker, so she can email the admin. Kaso ang sabi ni Ate Rona, si Ms. Julie (unit owner) should be the one to e-mail the admin. She will try to contact Ms. Julie and have the request email sent. I also tried contacting Ms. Julie through my AirBnB app.

When I went up the unit, I told Hubby the news pero I still asked him not to let the kids know yet. Baka kasi hindi ma-push yung request at ma-disappoint na naman sila. Nagpahinga na lang muna kami habang naghihintay. Nagluto kami ng instant pancit canton for merienda. We opened the bottles of flavored beer and some chips tapos nag-chill na lang muna kami sa balcony hanggang dumilim.

The unit owner messaged me through the AirBnB app notifying me that the email had been sent and waiting for approval na lang. Since madilim na rin naman, we decided na for tomorrow na lang iyong swimming bago mag-check out.

Dinner Time

Tinamad na kaming lumabas for dinner so we made do of the food we have. Ininit namin iyong bulalo take out namin at iyong natirang crispy pata from Gerry's. May hotdogs pa rin na natira from breakfast kaya ininit na rin namin. May tawilis pa rin pero hindi na namin ininit kasi baka umamoy sa buong bahay. It was still a satisfying dinner despite the tira-tira food.

Sa balcony na namin sinet up ang food para naman may magandang ambiance ang dinner. Overlooking. We capped the night of with ice cream for dessert kahit pa ginaw na ginaw na kaming lahat.

After kumain at magligpit ng pinagkainan, kanya-kanya freshen up na. Knock out agad ang mga bata dala na rin siguro ng kapaguran sa activities buong araw. Hindi rin nagtagal, pati ang mga certified tito at tita knocked out na rin.


to be continued...