I'm Back, Beeches!

I really miss doing this. I miss blogging about the daily grind, how uneventful my life is (it still is, by the way) but you know, life. And work. I guess it's actually a good thing that I don't have too much time to blog, haha. Although I wish I'd be quick in translating my thoughts into words.

First up, new restaurants I've tried ☺ Yes, my passion haha. Shet I'm so baboy. Anyway...

Tex-Mex

My first purchase from Tex-Mex- chicken quesadilla. I wasn't really expecting much but put two of my favorites together, cheese and cilantro, then I guess true love was bound to happen. I tried the beef one but they didn't put as much cilantro so I'm sticking to chicken next time I order. I was also able to try their chicken but when it comes to Mexican-style roast chicken, my heart belongs to Pollo Loco.

Paper Moon

Perdón the picture because as of late, it seems I do not have the patience to edit my pictures except when they were uploaded via Instagram. So AC and cousin and I tried Papermoon. I know I usually keep my expectations low but if people are lining up to buy something that costs that much for a slice, then it really must be good. I tell you, it's not. We tried the Original Mille Crepe at 225 per slice. 225! PER SLICE! Magma-mango Bravo na lang ako. But I guess I have to try their other flavors but based on their supposed bestseller, waley.

B&T Mexican Kitchen

Again, Mexican fudamchi. Delicious and reasonably-priced and portions are big enough to satisfy two, very hungry gluttons. I was expecting more cheese in the quesadilla though.

Casa Italia

Happiness is... two kinds of ice cream! If I remember correctly, I had After Eight (mint) and Swiss Mountain Chocolate. Because they say that ice cream is best eaten on a cone, I paid an additional P30 for the waffle cone. Good ice cream but man, I was not digging the cone :(

Seol hwa and Ho Bing

Gaaaahd. Bing su is my current addiction. Ang mahal lang but man oh man, I waaaant! The mango cheesecake bing su is love but sometimes their mango is a bit sour. Of course hindi maiiwasan na minsan may maasim na mango but I hope I'll always get the bowl with the sweet mangoes. I'm super in love with the mango flavored ones that I'm scared to try the other flavors for fear of being disappointed (and with that price per bowl, I want to be sure that I'll be able to satisfy the craving).

Halo-halo from Taal, Batangas

I hate halo-halo because I hate beans (blech!) but halo-halo, I looooove ♥ At first I was not too crazy about trying this halo-halo because of the aforementioned but since it was part of the itinerary and it was already paid for, what the heck. I was delighted and suprised ☺ I am actually craving for another one but alas, to get a glass would mean traveling all the way to Taal which is 2.5 to 3 hours away. And 500 pesos in gasoline and 700 in toll fees.

Which leads me to my Taal Escapade with friends ☺

What supposed to be a Pinatubo adventure turned into a Taal escapade and it was actually a nice experience. I totally had zero expectations for this trip plus organizing this trip had been very stressful for me (all that drama!) but thankfully, everything went well and what I was expecting to happen, didn't happen. It did but two days after and not on my watch so medyo okay lang haha.

After almost four hours on the road (na walang hingahan dahil hiniram ko lang ang bagong kotse nila V na wala pang plaka dahil hindi na daw kaya ng gulong ni Honda at ang magdri-drive ay ang pinsan kong self-confessed na nagzo-zone out while driving and it must have been a while since he has last driven), we were already in... Taal, Batangas (Philippines!!)

A little introduction upon arrival. We were toured around the host/guide's ancestral house

And lunch was served shortly ☺ LUNCH! I already forgot what we had because that was a more than a month ago and I really have bad memory and the only picture of the food that were served was this

Haha! Nahiya ako ng unti at gutom na talaga ako :P Lunch was delicious ☺ I don't remember what the dishes were called but my favorite was the pork one na parang adobo but I think that wasn't the adobo dish.

After lunch, we were off to the Villavicencio ancestral house.

Pamimintana was the favorite past time back in the days

What I love about old houses are the big windows. I love how people were so open and transparent before- I mean, you could literally see from your window what your neighbors were up to. Kung chismosa ka nga, marami kang masasagap. Haha! At feeling ko hindi pa masyado uso ang lamok dati.

We also went to the miraculous well of St Lucia

We also visited the home of Marcella Agoncillo, the maker of the Philippine flag.

and this picture was taken outside her house

It was under construction so we weren't able to go inside the house. It's okay. I am happy with how my pictures of the flag turned out. And oh I have a little trivia- Marcella Agoncillo had six daughters and none of them got married nor had children.

And speaking of old maids, I didn't know that many ladies remained single back then. Also, I didn't know that infertility was already a problem way, way back. Akala ko ngayon lang problema yan na people start families later in life. Apparently, people were already dealing with the problem even before.

Aaaaand... this is the Estacio house. This was where we had the best halo-halo I've ever had. Another trivia: this was where Ferdinand Marcos and Imelda Romualdez slept (in separate rooms, mind you), when the ex-dictator was still wooing the first lady.

Beautiful house. I wonder how do they maintain
wood flooring that shiny?

And last in our itinerary was the Taal Basilica

View of the sunset from the Taal Basilica

Taal Basilica under a full moon
now wouldn't this view be so much nicer without those pesky power lines?

It's almost 3 am and I'm super sleepy already and I'm afraid if I don't post this today, I might not be able to post if ever, eh I want to share my pictures. Sayang. I could've posted and blogged about it when it was still fresh in my memory. Eh wala na. Memory gap. Tulad ng order na for delivery na dapat bukas at hindi ko pa nagagawa. Sorry at sabaw na talaga ako.

In a nutshell, the Taal tour was a nice experience. I enjoyed it and I reckon other history (chismis) buffs would, too. Now we have discovered another activity for our balikbayans to do cos seriously, Tagaytay's so last season. Nyahahaha.