Tagaytay greens

After a short rest and some coffee at Taal Vista, we decided to hit the road and go home, but not before a stop at one of the numerous vendors of plants and flowers along the Tagaytay road. My MIL would rather have pots of beautiful plants and flowers for her garden than anti aging products.

So after a lot of haggling (you know moms), we were able to get four pots of flowering plants for just Php150. I think we bought two sets. At just Php300, my MIL was happy. And true enough, the minute we got home, she didn’t even bother changing clothes and went to arranging and putting her new plants in place.

Taal Vista

Also on our itinerary was a visit to Tagaytay’s famous Taal Vista Hotel. We primarily went there so Yuan can walk, run, and play on the huge spacious lawn at the back overlooking Taal Lake and Taal Volcano.

When we went in, there was a beautiful bride having a pictorial with her equally beautiful bridesmaids (none of whom had hormonal acne). And when Yuan saw her, he pointed at her and said “Danda!” I wonder where she’ll have her wedding ceremony and reception. The ballroom wasn’t prepped for anything. Whenever I see and/or attend weddings, I can’t help but reminisce about our wedding too.

Anyway, Yuan had a great time slowly going up the slightly steep slopes on the lawn and would get excited running down. We would hold his hands while he runs down or else he’d fall. A few more months and maybe his legs would be strong enough so he could run down all by himself. But at the moment, he still needs support. It was fun and tiring because the moment we’re down the slope, he’d say “Up” so we can climb and go down again.

One note though, there is a parking fee of Php100 per hour. So to get your parking ticket validated, just order coffee and/or juices and ask the wait staff to validate it.

secret garden

To burn more of the comestibles we consumed in LZM, after a short shopping trip to Ilog Maria, we went all the way to Sonya’s Garden, in Barangay Buck Estate, Alfonso, Cavite, which is another favorite spot.

I was quite surprised when I entered the parking lot because there were a lot of cars. Of the many times that we’d been there, that was the only time that I’d seen it that packed! After parking, we saw this sign at the entrance.

We burned a couple of hours exploring the garden and taking lots of pictures. Yuan especially enjoyed it. He liked running around exploring every single nook and cranny. We loved the soft cool breeze under the shade of the plants, which is perfect for reading differin reviews or maybe a good book. I could almost sleep on one of the benches if not for the huge throng people passing by. It would have been deathly embarrassing being caught off guard sleeping, with a bit of saliva oozing out, and people pointing and gawking at me.

Anyway, we drop by the Panederia to buy another favorite, cheese hopia. My wife’s cousins also bought an assortment of freshly baked breads and chocolate cookies. Of course being Pinoys, there was more kodakan as we prepare to leave and do last minute bathroom breaks.

Ilog Maria visit

With our tummies fully satisfied and most of us feeling sleepy, and for fear that my in-laws would fall asleep sitting on LZM’s comfy outdoor cushions, we next went to another favorite stop a few minutes away.

In case you didn’t know, Riza and I are advocates of going organic. As much as possible, we try to buy organic products. This means not only supporting organic produce but also other organic stuff like soaps, shampoos, vitamins, etc. Ilog Maria Honeybee Farms carries organic products, which explains why Riza and I are huge fans.

We bought our soap supplies, a lavender scented hand soap that was out of stock the last time we were there, and a bottle of healing massage oil. One more thing we like about Ilog Maria’s soaps is that it caters to different ailments like skin asthma and other skin infections. Some have anti-aging properties with doses of beta-carotene and vitamin A, and some others have whitening effects.

Read more about Ilog Maria here.

Riza’s birthday

For Riza’s birthday, we decided to treat the family to a trip to Tagaytay. So after hearing an early mass, we drove straight to Tagaytay. Since we barely had a bite for breakfast, and because it was almost lunch time, we stopped for an early lunch in Silang, Cavite, at one of our favorite restaurants on the drive up. It’s called LZM Restaurant, which is near the Riviera Golf and Country Club.

We ordered boneless bangus, which is their specialty. It’s quite huge and fat. It is covered or breaded with a special something that makes it’s outside skin crispy but really succulent meat inside. No amount of appetite suppressant is enough to stay away from this. We never fail to order this whenever we dine here.

Another favorite that we had was their Hot and Spicy Squid. One order has two squids stuffed with onions, tomatoes, and cheese and cooked to perfection. This is actually Riza’s favorite.

We also had sisig served on a sizzling plate. It was crispy and crunchy and very tasty. Very much what I want my sisig to be.

There was also an order of pinakbet to have more veggies in our meal. Of course what’s a trip to Tagaytay without sampling bulalo right? While I don’t eat beef, I did try the soup, which was tasty and doesn’t have that beefy smelly scent I so hate. This was beef that I could eat.

It was a wonderful satisfying meal to nourish our bodies as we start our trip to Tagaytay.