The FAS outing this year was actually just someplace near (unlike last year’s at Anawangin in Zambales and 2009 in Coron, Palawan). This time, they opted to have it at Calatagan, Batangas and with sleepover/daytour at Tagaytay City the next day but it was still something that everyone looked forward to (even my kids though we’ve been here in countless family get-togethers already!) Well, after all what kid would hesitate to go on a trip that includes a beach and a zipline adventure?!?!
So on D Day, they readily awakened even if it was still 3AM, we had to be early since Ging shall be arriving at 3:30 and we need to be at Ate Ne’s by 4AM. Good thing we were able to stick to our schedule and we arrived at the office at 4:45 am and were ready for take-off at 5AM. We will be leaving early than the rest of them because we have to look for the house we would be sleeping in at Tagaytay and do some marketing before proceeding to Calatagan. They had a problem with the original house they booked (@ Rodeo Hills) as the caretakers backed out at the last minute. Well they found a replacement thru the internet but we need to check it out first before proceeding to Calatagan.
I slept throughout the trip and was surprised when I awakened at 6:30 that we were already in Tagaytay. Quite surprised, too, to see that the house they rented was so pretty – a seven-room affair that looked like it came straight out of a European countryside – complete with flowers in a pocket garden out front and a Siberian husky which the kids absolutely adored!!!
After seeing the house, we then went to Calatagan although our travel time was lengthened a bit with some necessary stops (for fruits, some fish, buko, water and ice) until we finally reached the Caisip Resort at a little before 9AM – and truly it was a sight to behold! The water was very calm with the waves breaking at a very far distance from the shore (like in Bolinao) but the difference was that Bolinao’s beach was filled with corals and some sea plants while Calatagan’s had no corals but just something like sea grass – there is only a small patch of sand in front (like two meters maybe) where the kids waded and there’s another strip of sand, stretching out like a highway that reaches (I think) up to the breakwater but no matter how far you go, the water still reaches up to the waist. I guess Calatagan’s beach is not really one for swimmers but more for waders like the kids. What’s good is that the tables (which were placed underneath an umbrella of old hanging trees) is just near the shore so we can easily see the kids swimming from our place at the tables.
At first, I was unable to help out in unloading the things from the vehicles since I still felt queasy from the ride and due to the fever I had since last night. But after I vomited and took some meds, I felt OK enough to help out in preparing the food for our lunch although it was Ging and Ate Ne who cleaned the fish and took the lead in cooking. I just helped in cutting up the ginger, onions and tomatoes for the sinigang fish for our lunch later. I also helped fix up the table so it would be presentable when the others arrived. The others started trickling in at around 10 AM and expectedly Lony got lost because he went ahead of the convoy even if he didn’t know the way! He was bringing the ulam pa naman (adobo chicken and pork) so by the time they arrived at almost 11AM, everyone was quite raring to eat an early lunch since most were not satiated with the breakfast they gave out in the vehicles (consisting of sandwiches, boiled eggs, bananas and chocolate drink)In fact, some were not even able to eat because it was quite difficult to do so while in a moving vehicle and just opted to sleep.
We had a hearty lunch of grilled bangus/tilapia, green mango/ sibuyas/ kamatis/ bagoong ensalada, boiled talong/okra/beans and the adobo chicken/pork that Leonor cooked and of course, there were lotsa fruits – bananas, pineapples, mangoes (both Indian and ripe) and after eating, we had fresh buko juice. After the sumptuous spread, the kids went back to swimming and I drank my meds again and fell asleep on the sand under a tree with just my malong as blanket and shades. After about an hour, I awoke and saw the kids still swimming nearby, the oldies in a kubo they rented for them to sleep and sit about, the girls and the other wives were chatting under a tree watching over the kids, the boys were drinking San Mig lite under another tree while some others were inside a tent playing cards because it was windy. The others chose to do as I did and sleep under the trees but using hammocks. After some chit-chat with the ladies, I decided to return to my resting place and sleep once again coz there was nothing much to do anyway.
When I awoke, it was already 3PM and the kids have decided to venture someplace far where the water was much higher and the waves much stronger. I went there to take some pictures and call them in for some snacks of mangoes and bagoong well, my son ate rice (I should have known!) After that both adults and kids took part in some games that Yeng and Helen prepared. I just took pictures since I was afraid to suffer a relapse of my fever once again if I get too tired. It was fun though watching the oldies do the hoops, drink water thru straws that had holes and the kids pop balloons and search for eggs (like an Easter egg hunt!)
After all the festivities, we all had early dinner at 6PM and after that we packed our things back to the vehicles so that we were ready to leave by 7PM. We reached Tagaytay at past 8PM because Ging seemed to have forgotten the way to their resort! And since it was quite cold already by that time, we decided not to let the kids swim anymore. The FAS people were then given their room assignments – Helen and Ed’s family in one big room, Willy’s brood of six in a small room, Jojo and family in a big room, Zand and Cris in another room, while Ymas and his boys, Rodel, Sam and Lem slept in the open air mezzanine above the billiards table.
Meanwhile, we returned to the vehicles to proceed to the other house and got our room assignments – Ms A and her friend and apo in Room 1 at the ground floor, Ate Wendy and her sis-in-law at one small 2nd floor room, Raymund and family in Room 3 also at the second floor, Jess and his brood of five in Room 4, Yeng and Mom with Nora and her kid in Room 5 still at the second floor while Yeng’s brother slept in the sala outside their bedroom, at the attic Ms. Purie and her pamangkin stayed in a small bedroom, while Ate Ne and her kids and my family stayed in the bigger open room, Lony and Ante slept in the sala between the two rooms of the attic. After a bit of washing up and watching some TV, the hubby and I slept in the airbed with my daughter.
The next day I awoke early at 5:30 but not yet to get up coz I felt that my back was aching from being in the same position for too long and so I transferred to Ate Ne’s bed and only became fully awake at around 7AM. When I went down to have some coffee, I saw Jess cooking the hotdogs then he also reheated the leftover inihaw from yesterday; Ate Ne meanwhile was cooking the beef tapa while Ms. A was cutting up kamatis and onions for the red eggs salad. We let the others eat ahead of us anyway the hubby and the kids were still asleep . I decided to take a bath first but by the time the kids awoke and we were ready to eat, there was no more rice! The others from the resort were taking so long to arrive and they had some rice leftover! So Lony had to go out to buy some rice for us and more water to drink and Joy for washing up later.
We ate just in time before the others arrived since masyado magulo pag madami e! So when they came, I went up to start packing our things to leave and ensure that my kids took their baths too. After a while, I brought our things to the van and by this time I heard them making a ruckus in the kitchen coz it seems Ate Ne gave the go-signal for everyone to bring their own ‘bit-bit’ and so by the time I went inside the house, I wasn’t able to get any inihaw anymore,just some hipon and hotdogs (which I packed earlier for the kids to eat)
It was almost 9AM when we finally left for Tagaytay Picnic Grove where some of the kids went horseback riding, some rode the zipline, the ones ‘not-so-brave’ rode the cable car (including myself), while the others just walked the eco-trail around the picnic grove. My kids went horseback riding and rode the zipline, they also bought some souvenirs (like bonnets, cloth purses, and monogrammed bracelets that my daughter had initialed with her name plus her two cousins) When everyone finished doing their thing and we were able to gather (well, almost) everyone, it was time to leave for Mang Inasal. Too bad that we didn’t have a group picture overlooking Taal. We had a short detour to buy ube, lengua, pastilles, buko pie and other stuff at the Maryridge convent. I would have wanted to still see the church at Calaruega but maybe next time!
We arrived at Mang Inasal around 12 pm – and as expected it was fully packed for lunch. We had to wait a bit before they could serve the 59 orders of PM2 that we made. We looked like hungry refugees while waiting, but there were no flared tempers, everyone gamely waited for the food to arrive. Finally, after 2 hours of waiting and eating, we left Mang Inasal. I would surely bet our group gave their promo of ‘unlimited rice’ a serious run for their money – they wouldn’t have imagined how much rice we all could take in when they thought up that gimmick. But at least all of us were satiated enough to want to go home and rest. We got back home by 4 pm – all safe and with a huge smile in our faces.
