Christmas, Already? Philippines Travelogue
Despite daily temperatures hitting 90 degrees, once September 1st hits the calendar the Philippines goes into full Christmas mode. It’s early, but hey, there are no other holidays to celebrate on their calendar for the rest of the year. Regardless, it’s odd to flip over to full on capitalism and see giant red bows, santa and his elves and candy canes this early in the year. Can’t they make up a holiday to celebrate mangoes or something like that?
The trip started out horribly enough, with our departing flight canceled at the last minute. Luckily we received notice before heading out to the airport. By the time we finally landed in Tokyo we had lost 2 days on our trip and we barely had a chance to check in at the hotel before it was time to check out and fly out to Manila. It was some rush-rush type stuff before a 5 hour flight which was followed by a 4 hour drive out to Subic to go meet the family and enjoy a 5 hour dinner. By this point, I just wanted to hit the bed and sleep for 12 hours. But no, we were back on the road to Manila in the morning. No lie, I was happy to get back to the capitol and check in at the Peninsula for some rest and relaxation. When’s cocktail hour? The top shelf negroni’s were hard hitting and being served quicker than the ice could melt. Now, to find the pool for some late night laps under moonlight. Then sleep. Sweet sleep.
By the time we hit the breakfast the next morning, somehow 5 days had elapsed…where does the time go? 6:30 am breakfast bells. When you travel with the Golden Girls, 6:30 am breakfast it is. They’ve been up for almost 2 hours at this point, while I’m trying to wipe the sand out of my eyes. The Golden Girls. My lady’s dad had passed away earlier this year after celebrating his 90th birthday. Bless his soul. After playing caretaker for the last 15 years, we thought her mom deserved a vacation. She brought along 3 of her friends for some madcap hijinks. I’m surprised nobody called security on these wild ladies! Anyway, after filling our stomachs full of fruit, bacon, croissants and coffee we were back on the road for a day trip to Tagaytay to go visit Lake Taal, which houses a volcano in it’s midst.
Lake Taal. I’ve been regaled with stories of it’s grandeur by anyone who knew we were going out there. Of course with our luck, the skies were full of clouds and fog. There would be no picture perfect postcard views of the volcano. That is the beauty of nature, you never know what you’re going to get. We enjoyed some unique, moody views that most won’t experience. Seeing the lake shrouded in fog with the cone of the volcano popping out like it was Mt Everest rising from the clouds was epic. All the scene needed was for Gojira to pop up out of the clouds. The scenery was amazing, especially since we viewed it from the upper balcony of Balay Dako after a tasty and refined lunch featuring some of the choicest Filipino foods followed by some of the best halo halo I’ve ever tried! I highly recommend a visit to Balay Dako if you are in the Tagaytay region. The food was exceptional. Not the typical greasiness of Filipino foods, but a clean, healthy version. The food was amazing, but who could know that their highlights would be the ancillary roadside stops at the Mahogany Market, where the girls picked up these large bags of what seemed like a years worth supply of dilis (dried tiny fishes), the Buko Pie shop, the Ilog Maria honeybee farm and a Koi pond feeding session. My lady likes the food, they like the attractions. Sky Ranch was a cool pit stop, but the Golden Girls definitely were not interested in riding any of the sketchy carnival rides. Lol.
We finished the never ending day off by sitting in metro Manila traffic, but we still returned in time for cocktail hour, a nap and more moonlight laps in the pool. Life is good.
The next few days were pretty chill, as we stayed in the Manila area to check out the sights. We embarked on a foul scented Calessa (horse drawn carriage) ride around the old city, a hasty visit to the Casinos of BGC, some shopping and scenic boat rides at the Venetian and a trip to the American War Memorial grounds to witness the lowering of the flags at the end of the day. This was my second visit to the war memorial, and it is a powerful place full of emotions. The site is reminiscent of Arlington Cemetery in Virginia, but this greenspace is located in the middle of the madness of metro Manila and it holds a dearth of knowledge and history lessons on the American and Philippine efforts in WW2. If you find yourself in Manila, you should visit this site even if you’re not a history buff.
More cocktail hour and laps in the pool.
and more food!
Wow, this dinner takes the prize, and what a way to end our visit to the Philippines. My lady has been trying to score a reservation to Toyo Eatery in Makati for the last 18 months and it was only made harder after they were featured on Episode 7 of Season 8 of “Somebody Feed Phil” on Netflix. (oh, did i mention we crashed the debut party for Kontrabinda Academy at the Peninsula? Filipino Haute Couture for sure.) Her persistence paid off, and for our last night in town she had secured us a table at Toyo Eatery and we were all glad she did. 8 courses featuring 21 plates of highly elevated Filipino classics. This was a culinary experience unto itself. I am a big fan of 3 hour dinners. I’m a big fan of good eating!
After an address mix-up (even the easy things are hard to find) and some overzealous security guards, we found Toyo Eatery which was tucked into the Karrivin alley. Since we were 8 deep, we scored the upstairs VIP dining room and had Sheila as our gracious Hostess / Food guide for the evenings meal. Sheila was awesome, and even more personable in person than she was on the show. She had a great report with mom. This trip and dinner was all about mom and Sheila really keyed in on her to make sure the experience was memorable. The decor is understated and comfortable, which allows the food being served to be the center of attention. One by one, the dishes came out and each one built on the legacy of the last dish(es). The chef was amazing with his true to the roots versions of Filipino cuisine. Everything is sourced locally, with nothing being imported from outside of the country. It’s really hard to pick the best dish, as the shrimp were delicious and the crab was even more delicious. A Filipino version of chawanmushi, raw fish, crispy fish, more fish! Silog and chicken and don’t forget your vegetables. Saluyot, Sitaw and Labanos. The highlight of the night was when Sheila led the table in a rendition of Bahay Kubo, a Filipino folk song about a humble bamboo hut and all the vegetables that are grown on the land there. It’s a song that all the kids learn in the Philippines but we sang along while they mashed up said vegetables in front of us for a tasty dish! Ay sari sari! Sing for your dinner! We kept devouring plates and by the time desert was served we had full bellies, (forget the 80% full rule here, its’ more like 160% full) but we managed to knock out the final 3 dishes of tasty sweet goodness. The chocolate and cassava were quite tasty, but the Leche Flan was my favorite. The night became even more magical, as on the way out the chef came out to personally introduce himself and invited us into the kitchen and chopped it up with mom for a bit. My lady left the restaurant in tears. Well done. Perfect execution all around. And not a sniff of pretention throughout the night. Damn, I’m getting tears right now remembering all these moments. Salamat po!
What a way to end the trip. A memorable week made even more memorable by the crew at Toyo Eatery. We parted ways with the Golden Girls the next morning. They headed back to their humble ways of San Narciso to reminisce about Halo Halo and Bahay Kubo and for us, it’s Next Stop, Tokyo !