Balay Indang (Red Ginger Farm and Garden) – A Weekend Paradise

I could be the worst critic at times because I usually become the easiest person to please. But hopefully, I am perfectly right in telling that Balay Indang is your perfect place to unwind from your stressful life in the Metro.

The two-day vacation was a birthday treat for me last May 2012. I did not find it hard to get a reservation because there are a lot of blog sites talking about this quiet and secluded place in Indang, Cavite. Although the place did not have an official site during the time I was collecting information about it, unlike Sonya’s Garden in Tagaytay, the owners relied on people who have visited the place to spread their experiences. But just a few weeks ago, I came across http://cavite.info/mywebsite/balay-indang.html which pretty much their new way to promote the place.

How To Get There

The easiest way to get there is to go to Tagaytay City and follow the Mendez - Tagaytay road until you reach: 88 Mahabang Kahoy, Indang, Cavite. If you are going to use Google Map, the mark is about one kilometer over from the actual location of Balay Indang from Tagaytay City. The GPS kept telling us, “You have reached your destination…” but not really. Because of this, we had several back and forth’s before we finally reached the place! Tsk tsk tsk.

The entrance is behind a huge wooden gate marked number 88 on the left side of the wall and there is a huge chance for you to miss their signage because of its visibility and it blends along the road. Just pay more attention on the left side of the road. If you will come from north via Trece-Indang road, you should be able to see it on the right.

      

Activities

When we decided to go there, our intentions were to rest on their serene rooms, commune with nature and enjoy their sumptuous food – and we did!

Jogging or Biking around the perimeter. The place is surrounded by a meter-wide pathway within its 2-heactare land which enables guests to bike, walk or jog around. Just don’t forget to put on some mosquito repellant lotion on your skin if you want to be safe from insect bites. Also, watch out for bees and ants all over the place.

There is also an area where you can walk barefoot on the stonebed and it will massage your feet while walking on it. On the other end, there are sets of stone blocks in different heights which you have to balance yourselves while hopping on them. These are interesting activities and you should try it!

Swimming. The pool is open until 11:00PM daily. The deepest end is 7 feet while the shallow end is safe for the kids to swim. In case you happen to be with other guests in big groups or company outings, you might not enjoy swimming at some point because I think it is not enough to accommodate big groups all at once. But during lean season, you will find this place very relaxing, together with their cozy cabanas and the warm water in the pool.

Billiards, Darts and a number of Board Games. If you like indoor type of activities, you will enjoy this part of Balay Indang. This part is located at the house beside the main building.

Picture Taking. Who doesn’t love taking pictures? We are all about preserving memories especially those happy ones. The garden is the best part to take lovely pictures. There are lots of wild colorful flowers, lovely cabanas and beautiful landscapes – perfect backdrop for your next profile picture! LOL! You will also be able to catch the lovely sunrise and sunset.

Don’t forget the interesting pieces inside the main guesthouse. There are a lot of vintage items, paintings, sculptures and figurines which complete the rustic and classic theme of Balay Indang.

Basketball, Tennis and Badminton. On the left of the main entrance, there is an area for bus parking and courts for outdoor games like basketball, badminton and tennis. Most company outings do their team building activities in this area.

The Food

The food is served 5 times within the day – breakfast, morning snack, lunch, midday snack and dinner – which you can request for another round unlimitedly until you pass out. Hehehe! So make sure to reserve some space for the next one. The food is good, comfy food and mostly home-cooked. It was like your Grandma cooking for you on a perfect weekend. :-)

Most fruits and vegetables are grown on their gardens so you can feel the freshness! If you are conscious about the food or you have known allergies, do not hesitate to inform the manager about your needs. They will surely attend to it.

Rates

Balay Indang changes all-inclusive rate of P2,500.00 per person per night for a minimum of 4 people. If you are going to dine only, buffet dinner will cost you P600.00 per head. For an overnight stay with buffet breakfast only, they will charge you for P1,200.00 per head.

I would recommend that you call the owner, Ms. Marge, before visiting. This will give ample time to haggle. ;-)

Marge Tan
Balay Indang
88 Mahabang kahoy Cerca, Indang, Cavite
(+6346) 775-6886
(+63917)866-5825
info@balayindang.com

Joy
(+63917) 837-4261

Do People Often Spell Your Name Wrong?

Do you usually have to spell out your name again when asked because they always get it wrong? … You are not alone! I do! LOL I’m not too sensitive about it nor frustrated but I belong to those who already accepted the fact that I have to live with it ^_^v

I had a reservation one time,
and here's my name on the table

Do baristas mispelled customers name in purpose?
hmmm, maybe just for fun!

Project365 - Photo of the Week #18

Week#18 Theme: "TREE"
Here's our Tamarind Tree with the warming colors of the sunset... happy weekend

DIY: The Healthy Nuts

A delicious, quick and very easy snack that is ideal for the whole family is this post all about. The individual type of nuts below will make up our healthy mixed nuts:

The Ingredients

And CASHEWS of course :-)

And PISTACHIO NUTS too!

But of course, RAISINS will be the
fruit basefor your mixed nuts.

Add some SUNFLOWER SEEDS!

Just pour everything in a container 
and mix, mix, mix!!! Whoallla! Yummy snack! 

Deep Fried Shrimp

Here's a very simple meal that you could try for you and your family. 


Ingredients:


Shrimps
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Cornstarch
Oil (enough to deep fry you shrimps)


What to Do:


Wash the shrimps, Remove the hairs. Dry the shrimps with paper towels. Put inside a plastic bag, pour some cornstarch, salt and pepper and shake until the shrimps are coated with cornstarch. Heat the oil in a pan and deep fry.


Enjoy!!! Ulam namin to kanina ^_^

White Screwed Again!

It does bother me that, for the second time, one of White’s tires got screwed again. This time is the front right tire. Just few months ago, some same type of screw hit the rear right tire! Gggrrrrrr! Why meeeeee????

I am telling this story because some of you might smack the same fate in the future… But I hope NOT *fingers crossed*!!! I was going to work last Wednesday when I heard something very very unusual with my car. I knew there was something wrong because I always bring my car to the office every day, so I know at the very least what’s normal.

Around 500 meters from our house, I heard this recurring sound (TUG TUG, TUG TUG) and got me more freaked out when I was reaching 35-40kph… the sound was even more louder and faster. I immediately went back home to avoid any more damage to my car! Ano ba yan! O_o Fortunately, my boss was very considerate enough to allow me to work at home after learning what happened.

When I reached home, I opened the hood and stepped on the gas pedal while in neutral mode to see how the engine was – okay naman, nothing unusual with the sound even if I reach 2500rpm – I was relieved! I checked out some articles/blogs from Google and got some ideas that it might be something about the ball joint or the tires.

Just in time, I had an appointment the next day at Honda Cavite for the warranty service of my backlight. As soon as I checked in my car, I asked my servicer to check up on that sound right after the backlight service.

After few hours of waiting, test drives and checking, it turned out there was a screw at the front right wheel which was already hitting the mags because the tire was already deflated BIG TIME. Tumatama na daw sa mags kaya may rhythmic sound.

I paid P490.00 for the checkup and diagnosis, which it could be waived if only I knew my tire was screwed in the first place. Also, I paid an additional of P100.00 for the vulcanizing service in Imus.

One thing bothers me is that the same screw hit my rear right wheel..same screw on the first time!!! Onoboyon!!!!

Have a safe trip, girls!

Project365 - Photo of the Week #17

Week#17 Theme: "GROWTH"
Here's a photo I took over the weekend in Villa Escudero Resort and Plantation of an old tree that have grown from an inch to a building-tall living thing, watching over more than seven hundred enjoying guests.

Villa Escudero Plantation and Resort

If you visit Villa Escudero, prepare to taste the country life for your whole stay—in Filipino style.

It was supposed to be a mini reunion with my closest friends from high school but it ended up with a mini road trip with Jog and Mike. This is totally different from the rest of my trips because this is the first time I drove from Cavite straight to Quezon (walang Marc, walang Joseph)!

How to Get There

The easiest way to get there is via SLEX. Since Bacoor was our starting point, the nearest SLEX entry point is via Alabang.

Actually, we have miscalculated our travel because we came too early at the resort. Not bad because I did not have to worry about my driving. Our initial call time was 5:00AM but since Jog and I woke up late, ggrrrrrr, we ended up reaching Mike’s house at 6:00AM. Hahaha! From Bacoor, we took the Molino Road going to Daang Hari. From there, we arrive at the gate of SLEX in Alabang. Toll fee is P95.00 until Sto. Tomas exit. And because we were chatting all the time, we missed the (50A) Sto Tomas exit, so we had to head straight at Star Toll. However, it made our travel shorter than I have planned.  From Star toll exit, we paid an additional of P25.00 and then we looked for the Pan Philippine Hiway until we reached Quezon “Welcome” arch and turned left right away. Hindi nyo mamimiss yung “Villa Escudero” signage sa kaliwa ;-)

As early at 7:50AM, andun na kami!

If you are bringing car to get there, here is the driving instructions I took from www.travelsmart.net   

• Take the South Luzon Express Way (SLEX)
• Exit at 50 A (Lucena exit) (sa kakakwentuhan namin, na miss din namin yung Exit 50A!!!! Nyahahaha!)
• Turn left at Sto. Tomas junction (Nakabalik naman kami dito hehehehe!)
• Head straight South. By pass the towns of Alaminos and San Pablo
• Slow down upon seeing the Quezon Province Boundary Arch. The Villa Escudero entrance is immediately to the left.
• Follow the instructions of the gate officer when turning into the Resort.

Parking

When we arrived at the resort, there were already around 15 cars and vans there. I didn’t have a choice but to park under the trees and maalikabok sa parking, sobra. Parking entrance is at the right side of the welcome hall.

Also at the parking area is a mini Pasalubong store where you could buy puto bumbong, pulburon, and other yummy sweets from Laguna.

Welcome Area

There were gulaman drinks, served by the ushers wearing baro’t saya, waiting for us at the hall. Gutom na gutom kaming tatlo! Hahaha. Buti na lang Mike brought pandesal! Wooohoo! We missed Jollibee and Mcdo along the way… ambilis ko kasi mag drive at kwentuhan kami nang kwentuhan!

The welcome area is where you pay your entrance fee as walk in customers OR where you get your tickets if you have RESERVED for overnight stay. By the way, credit cards are accepted and the Day Tour fee during our visit was P1,500.00 per head. This includes buffet lunch, cultural show, boating, carabao/horse ride, visit at the museum and access to pool.  The complete rates information can be found on their website at the end of this post.

This is also where we first met some of the statues depicting Filipino cultures. These statues are EVERYWHERE! Hahaha! I sometimes thought they were real people in the gardens!

Carabao Cart Ride

As soon as you get your tickets and confirmed your accommodation information at the Welcome Hall, you will start to experience the Philippine country life right away. We opted to visit the Museum in the afternoon before we leave the resort just to keep away from the crowd who were already there… so we headed straight to the Carabao Cart area. We were warmly welcomed and taken around by a carabao-drawn cart until we reached the resort proper – with someone at the back singing kundiman songs and playing guitar.

The Resort Proper

There were several areas that are still under renovation and the drop off point at the resort proper is one of them. Just follow the path way and you will reach the River area.

Boating at the River

It was around 10:00AM and the sun was just about starting to give its magnificent heat. The bamboo raft or balsa only has two seating area on it so I volunteered to just took the pictures of the two of them and look an eye of our things.

Another thing… I HATE bodies of water in color green. O_0 Hahaha! Parang may crocodile na lalabas. That’s also the reason why I am not a fan of swimming at the falls. So I watched them paddle across the calm river until they were almost too small from my view. Pagbalik nung dalawa, mga nakasimangot… may ugly smell daw yung vest na suot nila. But I think other than that, mukhang enjoyable naman ang boating ^_^

Café Inigo

You don’t have to worry about getting hungry inside the resort because they have a restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, miryenda and dinner meals at the resort. The resto is overlooking the river which makes your dining very dramatic! Hmmm.

Pool Area

They have two medium-sized swimming pools – one for the kids and the other for adults. The adult pool has a slide but we did not try. This time, Jog watched over our things while Mike and I take a dip into the pool. This was also the time Mike and I had a chat with the latest about our lives, reminiscing old memories and even sharing our future plans.  Wala kaming picture kasi tong si Jog!

Buffet Lunch at The Falls

Since we were very very hungry, the buffet lunch was the MOST anticipated event in this trip. Hahaha!!! Hindi ako pwedeng magutom!!! By the way, buffet lunch starts at 11:00AM. But if you were not able to reserve your visit, based on their policy, you will only be allowed to go to the buffet lunch area at 1:00PM. Uunahin kasi nila yung mga nakareserve and you don’t want to get hungry, trust me!

The food is just OKAY. They have grilled eggplants, singkamas, sliced tomatoes, green mangoes, rice, pansit, chicken tinola, beef caldereta, grilled pork, grilled tilapia, chicken inasal and ginataang gulay. I would say they all tasted flat. Honestly, na miss ko ang mas masarap na luto ni Ate Dollyn. So if you want to make the most of this buffet lunch… get FULL and appreciate the cold water coming from the man-made falls that rushes to your feet while eating and chatting with your long lost friends…PRICELESS!

They sell buko juice for P30.00 each. J

The Cultural Show

The cultural show was the best experience in Villa Escudero. Nakalimutan ko na hindi ako masyadong nag enjoy sa pagkain nung lunch. ^_^ The performers are oozing with dancing talents. Mabubusog talaga yung mata mo sa panunuod. There were a lot of colors dancing at the center stage and the costumes are amazing! Kumbaga hindi tinipid.

Surprisingly, all performers are the same people who ushered us earlier that day – the girls from the welcome area, maintenance guys, cart singers, museum ushers. Ang galing! Thumbs up! The cultural show was held at the wedding Hall while the original venue is under construction.  

The Museum

Last from our list was the museum. The Familia Escudero are true travelers and collectors! I was drooling about their travels and collections – they truly set the history from their large collections of artifacts not only from the Philippines but also from the whole world! Pictures are not allowed inside.

I had a great time reconnecting with my old friends. It would not be possible without our experience in Villa Escudero. However, there is a very small chance that Iwould go back to this place very soon. J

Formore information,please visit their site: http://www.villaescudero.com 

Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort

San Pablo City, Philippines

Manila Office

1059 Estrada Street, Malate 1004 Metro Manila

Telephone Nos.

(632) 521-0830

(632) 523-0392

(632) 523-2944

Fax Number:

(632) 521-869

E-mail: info@villaescudero.com

Provincial Mailing Address

P.O. Box 4 San Pablo City 400, Philippines 

Project365 - Photo of the Week #16

Week#16 Theme: "WORK"

Here’s a picture of my laptop in the midst of coding. I am a programmer. I program. I rock! 

Week#16 Theme: "WORK"

Driving Safety Tips

Road accidents that involve the people we love or even just the people that we know from our circles are such horror stories to hear. It’s traumatic, breaks your family’s hearts, damage you car and pocket and most especially there are victims of the accident O_o. Just recently, my officemate got involved in a mishap over the holidays (Biyernes Santo). Nothing serious happened to him and her companion but unfortunately, he had hit a 44- year old man riding a motorcycle – drunk and not possessing a valid license.

Here's one of our road trips in Laguna with my family ^_^

Yesterday, I was finally able to hear the real story from him and he looked calm and relieved that it is almost ending. He just had to go back to the province where it happened and get some documents for the insurance. I asked him if he is okay now, and he said he is J.

Nobody wants it. Even I had a very minor accident when I was starting to learn driving and it really almost explode my heart during that moment. My car engine went dead at the intersection so when I panicky tried to start the engine of my car, it went backwards a little bit and then the bus hit my trunk (maliit lang naman hehehe) I did not have my license at that time – the most irresponsible act in driving – so I had to take the damage on my car. After that incident, I gain extra cautiousness whenever my engine stops – I learned to be a LITTLE BIT calm. Hahaha! It’s because I still shout P@%^^*&*!!! whenever it did. Sssshhhh!

You know how i love love love being on the road through my road trips so I’m writing this to serve a reminder on drivers out there to take extra measures while driving, especially on me – BE A DEFENSIVE DRIVAAAH!

http://www.goodyear.com.ph/labs/safety.asp

http://www.saferoads.com/drivers/tips_drivertips.html

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/accidents-hazardous-conditions/10-safe-driving-tips.htm

Do you have a driving story to tell? How did you survive it? J

These Cats Melt My Heart

My work schedule since last week is killing me. I have been getting a maximum of 4 hours of sleep daily and I don’t know why. I usually call the night with more than 8 hours of good night sleep but this last two weeks has been crazy. I have been gaining SOME weights as well since I started working at night shifts. :/ Namaaaaan! Grrrrr.

The pink one makes me say "Aaaaaw". Hehehe. *deal with it*

This morning when I came home from work, I was welcomed (…or not ^_^..) by several stray cats in our area when I hit the left turn before our house. They were three of them, playing near the gutter… I couldn’t pass because I might hit them by my car…. naglalandian sila, early in the morning … parang ang saya saya nila! It really made me smile J

You know, from time to time, I receive links of lovely cat pictures from Marc, whether I am offline or online in GTalk, and which is something I definitely look forward to every now and then. You’d say Google has tons of cute ( “or to die for”) cat pictures and even myself can search them on my own but….these sweet simple things can make me smile this BIG --> :D 

I picked some of them and made a collage out of it… There are so many of them but I had a hard time searching them in my chat history…kaya yan na lang muna. Hehehe.

My love for cats started when I was little, as my previous post tells you. It grew more and more especially when I was able to witness, with my bare hands, my pregnant cat delivered her kittens while I WAS THERE BY HER SIDE! She was following me everywhere during her laboring. Aaaaw, she really wanted me to be there with her. aaah! What is cooler than that!!?? Aaahmazing! I was grade two then. Kaya siguro hindi ako nag medical school..:/ Wahahahaaa!!!

Ikaw, what makes you smile this BIG?? --> :D

Hehehe!

*All pictures are not mine nor Marc's*

Miryenda From My Loving ‘Ate’

Look what my Sister cooked for our miryenda!

I sure get the love from a mother and a sister—in one! J

Chicken Sopas is simple and easy to cook. I have the recipe below from http://panslasangpinoy.com just in case you need one after looking at the image

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter

1 medium sized onion, diced

Chicken Sopas!

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, diced

32 ounces chicken broth (about 4 cups)

2 cups elbow macaroni

3/4 cup celery stalk, chopped

3/4 cup carrots, diced

3/4 cup cabbage; shredded

3/4 cup fresh or evaporated milk

1 cup water

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Cooking Procedure

Heat a cooking pot and put-in the butter. Allow the butter to melt. Add onions and cook until the texture becomes soft. Put-in the boneless chicken breasts and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle some salt and ground black pepper and stir. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Pour-in water and milk and wait to re-boil. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the elbow macaroni and cook for 8 minutes while stirring once in a while. Put-in the carrots and celery and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook for 2 minutes more. Turn-off the heat and transfer to a serving plate. Serve hot. Share and enjoy!

Number of servings (yield): 6

And here's our panghimagas!

From our Mango Tree!

They Will Always Love You Back

I never imagined my life without having furry companions around..alam ko a lot of us does too! At an early stage, I was already surrounded by dogs and cats from which I practically think they are the ones who taught me about appreciating a bitter-sweet life. Minsan maiinis ka sa kanila ng bonggang bongga, minsan naman kahit pagod ka na, nilalambing mo pa din sila at minsan kailangan mo silang I let go kahit na ayaw mo pa(did this so many times)…They were among the few ones who always remind me how to L-O-V-E unconditionally. If my memory served me correctly, my first official feline friend was Sabrina, a domesticated cat who lived (secretly!) at the space below of our old house. We discovered her living inside a box and later we knew that she just had given birth to her few days old kitties. She was my first one. And also, among our extended family furry members, Putol was the only one we acquired with money involved. He was bought by my Father from a neighbor for my 29th birthday, and the rest just came to our family by chance or should I say, by fate.

My pets have the stories of their own lives like mine. Some of them came and gone during the most memorable parts of my life – not to mention that they are sometimes the reason why it becomes memorable anyway! At saka minsan…may impact talaga sila sa personality mo (or at least you change for them, for the better!)

So now, I would share with you my furry friends who are still sharing their exciting and precious existence with me:

Hi,I'm Chu-Chu.

What is your name?
Chu-Chu

How old are you?
1 year and 5 months

What color are your eyes?
Brown

What is your favorite food?

Bulalo

What is the worst thing you have ever done?
I eat slippers

What is favorite hobby?
I love hooking up with the lady dogs.

What is the coolest thing you have ever done?
I can escape from my neck lace.

Hi, my name is Cha-Cha!

What is your name?
Cha-Cha

How old are you?
11 months

What color are your eyes?
Green

What is your favorite food?
Chicken and Beef/ Tamarind fruit

What is the worst thing you have ever done?
I bitten off Kuya Nito’s hand because he tried to get my favorite tamarind fruit near me. That’s my territory… :’(He is Daddy Demz’ friend, his constant visitor every morning.

What is your favorite hobby?
To dig holes on the ground, bark and sleep inside my tub!

What is the coolest thing you have ever done?
I smile a lot.. see my pictures! 

Nyork, ngyork!

What is your name?
Simeon

How old are you?
1 year old

What color are your eyes?
Yellow Green

What is your favorite food?
Fish

What is the worst thing you have ever done?
I hunt and ate our neighbor’s chicks.

What is favorite hobby?
Sleep

What is the coolest thing you have ever done?
Be sweet ALL the time

I know that they are only lent to me for a little while. There is nothing permanent in this world, nothing but change.  All I have is pretty much my only chance each day to appreciate our give-and-take relationship… nothing more, nothing less. ^_^v