gay in tagaytay

we were supposed to go beaching. but because we are women, we changed our minds, ditched puerto gallera and headed to gay tagaytay instead. driving on a quiet, traffic-free saturday, with the sun still undecided if she would honour us with her majestic presence, we did not regret our sudden change of heart. the two hour drive was a breeze, with katy perry humming "peacock" (i want to see your peacock) and her other novelty songs keeping us jovial all the way.

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it's been a long, long time (more than a decade, at least) since i last spent the night in tagaytay. the last one, i think, was the seminar sponsored by san miguel corporation for manila-based reporters who were members of the economic journalists association of the philippines. i will forever remember those beer fueled, fun filled nights when reporters got together discussing not the day's biggest economic and business news, but the gossips, quirks of the people we cover, comic antics and other anecdotes during our daily coverage.
i was a novice reporter (less than a year in the beat) when i first attended those annual seminars. that's where i honed my craft and expanded my network. chos.

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years after, tagaytay has changed a lot, except for the cool breeze especially at night, the breathtaking view of taal and the greens that envelope the area lyk an expensive michael cinco gown.
oh how i luv the mountainous terrains. (tama vah?!)
instead of just the usual small bed and breakfast inns, tagaytay now offers a lot of places for sleeping in, dining, having fun and what have yous.
no wonder, most of my friends have built their weekend homes in the city.

we opted for the three-year old summit ridge. lured by the promise of a five star accommodation. only to be disappointed by the lack of a butler, the slow internet, the absence of the luxurious terry bathrobes and expensive toiletries (i was hoping i would find an hermes <hahaha> shampoo, conditioner, liquid soap, lotion).
but we did not let these "small" things stymie our short break and bonding as well.

mitz and i were determined to have fun and forget about our urban woes and other blues.
we had fun. indeed.

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the hotel is conveniently located just across the famous josephine restaurant, where we had our lunch while waiting for our two pm check in. we arrived around twelve.
famished, we had a feast of grilled tuna, pasta, green mango salad, pork sinigang, among others. we were a ravenous pair, we didn't bother to take the usual pictures of our food. (by the way, others find it tacky, that is, taking photos of your food. i don't. care koh!)

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for dessert, we had the restaurant's dirty ice cream. why do they call it dirty ic by the way?

the cute ice cream scooper (or gwapong batang sorbetero, to paraprhase celeste legaspi's famous song. remember?) is efficient and never loses his cool despite the number of thirsty customers hungry for his services. hahaha. unfortunately, he is shy. when i asked his name, he just gave me a timid smile that says -back off, beckie lou blanco. i quivered. chos.

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at night, we headed to the dreamy, romantic bag of beans for dinner and to taste their famous brewed coffee and cheese cake. i was not disappointed. it was heaven : the ambiance (we stayed at the garden lit by christmas lights and lanterns with a children's choir serenading us with christmas songs), the food and the charming staff.

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then off to dream land. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!

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the next day, a boyish and handsome waiter named francis served us breakfast. the only luxury we enjoyed at the overpriced hotel room. double chos!
unlyk gwapong sorberto boy, francis was more chatty, less intimidated by aggressive women lyk us. he even agreed for a photo op. hahaha.

as my bff erik luved to say - the nose have it! definitely.

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before we had breakfast, mitz wanted to take a swim, but it was too cold. so she comforted herself by just dipping her toes in (or is it on) the chilly water and day dreamed. i let her.

frankly, the pool is not as inviting for a luxury hotel. triple chos. it was small, shallow (at most four feet deep), and looked lyk it hasn't been cleaned for a few weeks.

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then we packed up our things as the rain threatened to ruin our otherwise perfect weekend. but before we reached manille, we dropped by former first lady amelita ramos' dining place down the road. it was a luvly, luvly place. the dining area is surrounded by lush greenery - flowers in bloom, trees, green green grass. i luv! if i were rich, i would buy the place and retire there. purple chos!
the food was great as well, especially the sinigang na bangus (boneless).

in my previous lyf as a malacanang reporter, the press corps used to have dinners at the presidential residence inside the malacanang compound. the former first lady was a gracious host, even helping serve us food and sharing her adventures in the palace. she was motherly, without losing her elegance.

aside from the refreshing garden that evokes serenity, i luv the wooden furniture.

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we did not have a tan after the brief, wondrous and sunny weekend. but we gained tons of joyful memories. thank you again for your generosity mitz - letting me sleep in your flat, acting as my tour guide and driver and giving me a free ride in your car.
i hope in our next life, we are still the best of friends. or sisters.
thank you for the gift of friendship!