Let's do this in my [Aldrin's] POV...
Yeah, starting the year right. I actually
planned for a staycation somewhere, somewhere I can be alone just to relax and
force myself not to think about work.The thing is, I told Khim about it. You
know the rest. The staycation turned into a Sky Ranch Trip with Yab.
Note: We call each other “Yab.” Derived
from the the Bisaya root phrase “akong
uyab,” which means my lover. So
cheesy, right? Meh.
Back to my starting sentence: Yeah,
starting the year right. It was January 1, 2016. I actually woke up at around
6am since Khim decided that we should meet in the DLTB Bus terminal in Buendia
at around 8am. Took some meds to relieve the New Year’s Eve hangover then left
the house at around 6:45am. I am not a traveler and not really a fan of
commuting so I took a cab, asking the driver to take me to the DLTB terminal.
Time check: 7:30am. I am now doubting that
this is the bus terminal. Why is there no one around? It was raining hard so I
stayed under the shed of a nearby eatery which was closed during that time.
Good thing there were several kittens around to play with. I called Khim, which
by that time was only leaving their house, to tell her that the terminal might
actually be closed. And then soon, I realized, I was on the parking lot. The
actual terminal is very near the LRT, beside JAC Liner. Folks, don’t make the
same mistake that I did.
At around 8:10am, we actually met at the
right terminal. The queue for the bus going to Nasugbu was so long, there were
already several turns. It was around 8:30am when we decided to go to a
different terminal to try our luck since it seems like it would take forever
before we even board the bus.
I’m not sure how long we waited for the bus
in Coastal Terminal but we left at exactly 9:00am and arrived at the Olivarez
Plaza in Tagaytay at exactly 10:30am. Yep, awesome timing is awesome. The bus
fare was only Php60.00. No air-conditioning unit needed since the weather that
day was pretty rough.
From this point, I lose track of time. Here
it goes.
From Olivarez plaza, we took a jeepney
going to the ever-famous [as I was told by Khim] Bulalo Point. On the way, the
ride passed by SMDC Residences [were I booked a place] and Sky Ranch. We
arrived at Bulalo Point pretty early for lunch, giving us a chance to pick a
somewhat decent seat where she can enjoy the view and for me to enjoy my
calamares and bulalo. The meals there were quite nice. The quality and quantity
of food is not bad for the price and the service that they cater. Too bad I
found a piece of foil floating in our bulalo, the kind of foil used as a
wrapper for broth cubes. Busted.
We left Bulalo Point and went to the unit
we booked in SMDC. Side story: our original plan is to go nomadic or simply
sleep on the streets of Tagaytay since we both don’t have any idea of a nearby
hotel or have a credit card to book a place using Airbnb. Good thing I
discovered PayMaya while drinking coffee while I was waiting for her to leave
her office in Makati. Yep, I make sundo to her every Saturday night. Back to
the main story, we set up our stuff in the unit. She made some strawberry panna
cotta while I figure out how to use the TV and watch some animated movie.
The unit is only around 500 meters away
from Sky Ranch so we decided to just walk and take some photos along the way.
It was drizzling and pretty cold. I love how she held my hand.
I think it was around 7pm when we arrived
in Sky Ranch. The entrance fee is only Php100.00 per head and the queue was not
long, which is nice. Rides costs from Php50.00 to Php100.00. We decided first
what to ride and buy all the tickets we need so we don’t need to go back and
forth to the ticket booth. In the end, we decided to ride the bumper car
[Scrapped. We rode the Sky Cruiser, the ride for couples where you pedal your
way on an elliptical track, around 12ft above ground], the carousel, the Viking
stuff [aka the swinging ship], and the famous Sky Eye [the giant ferries
wheel].
We were supposed to ride the carousel first
but I was so shy to fall in line with a lot of little kids in it. The carousel
is actually designed for kids, which explains the little seats. I insisted that
we try bumper car first but then we realized that it was also for kids. The
track consists of a single elliptical track, maybe the size of a half-court.
Now I’m wondering why the guy on the ticket booth suggested it. The idea was
scrapped. We rode the Sky Cruiser instead.
The Sky Cruiser was fun, I think. It was
just drizzling but the strong wind put all sorts of cold and thrill to the
ride. Even the guy manning the ride was freezing. The rail was about 12ft high
above ground. The precipitation and my slippery phone without any strap made me
paranoid about taking any video or photo while on the ride. Khim has the
steering wheel, she even attempted to do some 360 spins which made me more
scared of the fact that my phone might slip. Yep, pretty thrilling for a guy
who loves his gadgets.There was a fireworks display at around7pm [Sorry, I
always lose track of time whenever I’m with Khim. You know, love stuff.]
We immediately rode the Sky Eye since the
queue was not that long and moving fast since one loop in it and you’re done.
It only took around 10minutes for the cycle to complete. I think the view from
the top would be really great if it wasn’t for the clouds [or smoke.] From the
top, you can see all the city lights and some fireworks display from nearby
towns I can say it was really romantic to be with someone in the ride. It was
dark and you can do all sorts of stuff for 10mins. We tried to take a video of
us making a heart with our hand while on the top of the wheel. I say it was a
failure since it was dark. But meh, my goofy girl enjoyed it, at least.
The next one was the Viking ship stuff. The
gigantic swing in my perspective The queue was so long that it took us almost
an hour to be in it, but the experience in the queue was fun. The nervousness
of those in the line, the screams and vomit of those riding which cause more
delay. A lot of drama and emotions are pouring. When it was our turn, I can’t
even take one of my hand off the handle bars and the other of my glasses.The
best part of the ride is the point where the ship is starting to swing on the other direction. It
is the point where you’re like falling and your butt is off the seat. Of course,
Yab is enjoying it a lot. Hands in the air, she’s laughing like a maniac seeing
others’ scared and almost-vomiting faces. She even made fun of the fact that
I’m not losing my grip off the bar. I was so relieved that I did not die or any
freak accident happened.
Last one we rode was the carousel, for
kids. Good thing there was also a couple who rode with us. We took a video
while we’re in it. I don’t know why but I think the video was so cute. Maybe
It’s just me, but there’s really something magical with the carousel, or I’m
just in love with the girl I am with. I wish I could ride a grand one with her.
Overall experience was fun, but it would be
better of the other thrilling rides were open. After all the rides, we wander a
bit to look for some souvenirs but then just took home some pizza and tacos for
dinner instead. The path home was so convenient for the hungry us since there
was a grocery nearby to buy some more food and drinks. The panna cotta she made
earlier has set. She added the strawberries to it, heated the pizza, while I
tidy myself up. So cute seeing her making desserts and heating stuff... And I’m
being cheesy again. Sorry.
At the end of the day, I think we managed
to enjoy in Sky Ranch, survive the cold weather, and watch Home Alone 1 – 3. A
simple achievement for me.
The next day, we’re planning to go to the
People’s Park or Picnic Grove but also scrapped the idea due to the bad reviews
found on most websites. Try googling it, you’d be discouraged too. We just
stayed in the unit and watched other movies I have in my flashdrive
[Staycation, at last!]
By afternoon we tried to look for any ride
going back to Olivarez Plaza but there was no luck. We walked for around 3kms with
our bags and looked for pasalubong.
The walk was really nothing for us since I’m really used to walking for
kilometers in the city and she’s used to trekking and running. Being the guy
that I am, I just bought a tall bottle of honey for my recipes while she bought
different desserts [sansrival and sweet biscuits] as a pasalubong for her grandma and my family. That was also the day
that she’d be meeting my family for the first time.
At the Olivarez Plaza, we rode a bus going
to Baclaran. It costs Php77.00 per human. She slept on the way while I
organized the photos in my device. We had a stopover at Baclaran church before
going to my house. I’m not a really a religious guy, but it was a great feeling
that she dragged me into it, I somewhat find peace in the church which is
really odd for me. We stayed for a while to pray and thank for a great and safe
trip we had.
Aaand I shouldn’t be blogging the rest…
Peace!
Overall, everything went smoothly except
the fact that we need to walk for kilometers to find a bus to ride back to
home. The accommodation in the unit we booked was awesome and I wrote the best feedback
that I can for the owner and caretaker.
