A trip to the highlands of Tagaytay is one of the most relaxing ways to spend your pre-Christmas week and I recommend staying at Chateau Royale Sports and Country Club. It was located in the heart of Batangas and would only take you a 2-hour drive from Manila.
A glimpse of the country club.
They have these really cozy hotel rooms and...there is WIFI connection!
Rock climbing zone.
Janine: "I wonder how high I could reach?"
Lovely views everywhere you look. If you need to get away from your stressful life in the city and need to find peace, this is the perfect place to be.
Swimming Pool
I definitely enjoyed my stay here. Comfy-ness all over. :)
For more information, visit their website: Chateau Royale
Life is a very complex thing, and in order for you to live the life you imagined, you have to follow simple rules in order to make things happen. These are some of the rules and principles that I try my best to follow:
1. Be grateful with what you have, BUT never stop dreaming big.
1. LOVE is one of the greatest driving force to success. And so is hate. So learn how to use these 2 to make you achieve your goals.
2. When something went wrong, don't complain. Pray to God and solve it quietly.
3. Pride is one of your worst enemy. The only way to deal with it is to fight it with the line "The world doesn’t care about your self-esteem."
4. Money can make you happy. Money is power. With power, you can make ANYTHING happen.
5. Always think first before you react. Learn how to control your thoughts.
6. Keep away from negative people. Or if you can't, try to influence them with optimism. CHALLENGE YOURSELF!
7. Keep learning! Never let a day pass without knowing any new stuff.
8. Explore. The world is so big there is soooo much to discover.
9. What you learn in school is not nearly half of what you should learn in life.
10. Break rules every once in a while.
11. With SELF-DISCIPLINE, you will definitely go a long way.
12. Be neat and organized, so that you can think in order as well.
13. Be assertive!
14. Stop looking at obstacles. Focus on your goals.
15. Every artist was first an amateur.
16. Practice, practice, practice.
17. Motivate yourself everyday.
These are only a few of my favorites.
LET'S LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST!
"It is not the length of life, but the depth of life" -Ralph Waldo Emerson
I was so grateful to discover that there is a mountaineering org in my school- the Achian Society. Not only will it provide regular adventure trips that I could go to but also I could meet people who share the same interests as me.
My first trip with the org was supposed to be a trip to Majayjay Falls in Laguna but plans changed due to the weather so Kuya Japs (our leader) decided that we trek the Mt. Talamitam in Batangas. I was like "How am I supposed to trek with slippery shoes and 2 huge shoulder bags???" I had no choice but to trek in that condition, together with my other unprepared folks.
The trip was 2 hours away from Manila to Batangas.
We reached our destination. I was so curious about what was gonna happen to the climb, how dangerous (or not) the mountain is, and how's it gonna end up.
This is the base camp, where we get ready for our trek and meet our tour guide. We paid 20 pesos each for the entrance. :)
Baby Maan on her first mountain to conquer!
At the first part of the trek, we reached a hanging bridge. It's a bit scary because it seemed like the bamboos were fragile and would break any moment but as it ended up, it didn't.
Conquering my fear of heights. WOOT!
Talamitam is a mountain that had a more glorious past. It was named after the talamitam trees that used to grow on its slopes – a reminder of the time when Talamitam had lush vegetation and untarnished ecosystems. Right now, kaingin and irresponsible garbage disposal have obliterated this serenity. As if to testify to the mountain's woes, the statue of the Virgin Mary - which has been described as "the guardian of Nasugbu" - has been literally decapitated. Although the statue has since been restored, it was not a welcome sight at the summit. (source: Pinoy Mountaineer)
We've passed through different animals. There were horses, carabaos and cows.
Half-way through the mountain.
I was having a hard time climbing because as I said earlier, I was carrying 2 shoulder bags and my feet hurt! My shoes are slippery that it broke while we trek back from the mountain.
WHAT A MAGNIFICENT SIGHT!
Here's a glimpse of the serene beauty of the mountain. The wind is really speaking to my soul. I swear. :')
Konti na lang!!
It was dark when we finally reached the summit. We were so exhausted but the feeling is incredible. It was my first time to camp at the top of the mountain.
With my "tent-mates". It was really windy and our tent almost broke off in the middle of our sleep. We were so cold but it's definitely worth it.
Weee! How cute are these tents! :) Ahhh. I could still hear the wind up 'till now.
I am at the summit of Mt. Talamitam so that mountain at my background is a neighbor mountain. GOSH. This is really fulfilling. This experience will certainly feed your soul.
LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. It felt like I was with the Gods, very close to the heavens. Pure bliss.
At around 8 am, we trekked back and it was easier than going up. We stopped at the river and bathed there. FUN! :D
It was a very unforgettable experience.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Mt. Talamitan is a minor climb and can easily be reached by bus from manila, just board a bus bound to nasugbu batangas (ex. CROW bus in Edsa, Pasay city). Fare is at about 130 pesos (2007).
Mt. talamitan is officially located at Brangay Kayrilao, Nasugbo Batangas. But the jump off point is located sitio bayabasan, barangay Aga, Nasugbu Batangas. Tell the conductor you will alight at barangay Aga, sampalok intersection (kanto) (they call the intersection sampalok because of the sampalok tree that used to stand there but was cut down my typhoon Milenyo last 2006). (source: Waypoints)
