Three days honeymoon in Tagaytay

November 12, 2017 Sunday

I contacted Paula the manager at Taal Vista Lodge as soon as my husband told me we’re going to Tagaytay for a three days honeymoon. Baka naka ecstacy sya. Haba pala ng bakasyon. Paula returned my call and she informed me she no longer works at Taal Vista hotel. She joined Casa Luntian also located in Tagaytay beginning in August. I hope she finds her prince charming there. Wala daw kasi sa Taal, either they’re taken or kabaro.

She gladly contacted her former workmate Denise at the hotel to assist me, they know me naman daw. Paula’s former assistant, Denise Paula (Paula also), got us a premium room with a view of Taal Lake. Despite their 97% booking, nakasingit kami. With our room booking confirmed, we set out on a three day honeymoon in Tagaytay.

We left our house at 8:30 am on Sunday. We avoided the time consuming traffic along Sta. Rosa Road all the way to Aguinaldo Highway by taking the side streets. Nowadays, even if you take alternative routes, there’s no way you could reach Tagaytay from Manila in an hour. That’s a bygone era.

Starbucks should award my husband a badge of loyalty. Sana this Christmas they send him a gift, 10 free cups of coffee.

We went straight to the farm. It’s not really a farm, but it does have some old trees that still grow fruits and once in a while we are able to harvest bananas, langka, buko, sitaw, good for our consumption at home.

While I was in the US, Edmund was able to get a master electrician from his friend Pong. He borrowed him for a week to continue the unfinished electrical works at the farm. We didn’t have lights in the unfinished kamalig and unfinished cottage house. Puro unfinished. The first thing that the electricians (3 of them) told E as soon as we arrived was “Sir, merong multo dito”. They alleged that they heard a crying baby. They’ve seen daw an old woman sitting on the white bench. Of course white lady. How come ghosts always wear white?
The ghosts also whispered in their ears. When I asked ano ang ibinulong, ihip lang daw. The wife of our gardener also alleged that she saw a ghost at 4 in the afternoon sitting beside the mango tree. This time it was a male.
Ganun din ang istorya, bumulong daw sa kanya. When I asked what the guy whispered to her, whoooo, yun daw. And of course, she also heard a crying baby. Her theory was someone had an abortion and threw the fetus into this lot. She also said nung araw daw this area was a dumping ground for dead bodies.

Last August I ordered iron railings. The fabricator assured me that he would use epoxy paint. “Mam, ginagarantyahan ko sa inyo na hindi kayang pasukin ng kalawang dahil makapal ang pintura ko at kalidad”. To justify the P24,000 labor and materials total job contract he guaranteed the quality of his work. He installed the railings while I was in the US, so it’s been exactly 1.5 months. Eto, kinakain na ng kalawang. Anak ng kalawang.

I told him to repaint the whole thing with epoxy paint. He promised to do it this week. Bakit ganun, ugali na natin na tinitipid para lumaki ang tubo. Kung makakadaya mandadaya. Paghindi binantayan, ganun ang mga ginagawa.

Edmund told me Harry daw ay nanunuwag.

Ang gwapo at makisig

All he does is eat and munch the grasses. It’s easier to maintain him than the chickens. I don’t spend a cent on his food unlike the chickens, meron pang dagdag na corn feed.

I am going to rent out this farm for small garden weddings / events once it’s finished which would probably be in 2020. Bakit ang tagal? Temporary electrical works— this week.
Ceiling and interior painting—- February 2018. Windows and doors—July—- Two toilets—- September Small kitchen—- March 2019 Furniture July 2019. Pond —- February 2020, ang tagal ano? Patigil-tigil kasi, pakonti-konti lang. Siguro 2020 tapos na yan, pero bulok na kaya 2020 it would need repairs. Ngayon pa lang inaanay na.

I want to cover the whole exterior with ivy. I want the cottage house to look like it’s in Provence.

Kung masipag lang sana yung caretaker namin, dapat puno na ito ng ivy. Kung hindi ko pa sabihin, hindi pa gagawin. Ang nagtanim lang nito yung dalawa kong kasamahan.

Uso sa Cavite ninanakaw ang mga wirings. Dapat talaga underground.

E—- “meron na tayong lanzones na tanim, baka 70 na ako bago lumaki. Para sa mga apo mo na lang yung prutas”.

Edmund always complains that we don’t have enough papaya trees. He bought several plastic trays to grow seedlings but we found the trays scattered around, tila balak itapon nung caretaker. My dear husband said dapat daw the whole area must be planted with papaya. On our way home, we saw a papaya tree by the road that is full of fruits, dapat daw ganun. Etong asawa ko ang hilig sa papaya. I thought papaya is only for the priests. I don’t think this fruit will contribute to a happy ending in marriage eh tapos gusto pa nya puro papaya ang itatanim namin.

I only have three gumamela trees.

If only our caretaker is fond of planting he could cut some stems and plant them, mabilis sana dadami itong gumamela.

I am fond of gumamela flowers because they remind me of my childhood in Binangonan. Every month of May, there’s what we call alay. As a young girl, I go around town picking flowers. Nung araw, only rich people have concrete fences, most houses only have bamboo or picket fence. Their gumamela trees are usually planted alongside the road that’s why it is very easy for a young girl to reach and pick the flowers. I would bring my small bamboo basket similar to what flower girls carry at weddings. Once it’s filled up with gumamela flowers, santan, sampaguita, etc, uuwi na ako, hihiwalayin ko yung mga petals. I will wear a white dress and walk to church for the summer alay to Virgin Mary. This is a yearly Catholic tradition, May flower offering for Mama Mary. In our town, it’s held on weekdays and in mid afternoon. Kids are called to the altar and we scatter the petals while we sing and walk to the altar. After the mass, we’re given twin popsies popsicle or lollipops. On the last day of alay, the host serves hot chicken macaroni sopas with thinly sliced hotdog and melted margarine, biscuits and pineapple juice. That was heaven for me. Kaya until now I still love sopas. My love for it goes beyond katakawan, it’s nostalgia.

Yellow orange santan

The wife of our caretaker has a friend who works at The Flower Farm. She gave her a few stems of rejects. Eto, tumubo rin and maganda na.