I make it a point to return 'Home' every December and/or July.
I always do but have been unable to do so for the past three years due to the dreadful pandemic. To be honest, I wish I could always travel on both occasions, but of course it has to depend on how much money I have saved and plans. This year, I promised myself to cut off from buying unnecessary things and to cook more at home instead of devouring outside to save up for travel. It has been quite successful, but just can't with food. Just yesterday that damn braised lamb shank looks so heavenly and I can't just say No to it.
How would I? Man, it was a deli, and no regrets! LMAO

_{Braised Lamb Shank at its finest}

I hoped to go to Bohol at least this year, To ride that terrifying but exciting PLUNGE I saw at TikTok. Teheeee

_{image not mine and screnshotted from Tiktok}

So, back to what I actually wanted to share with you, was my trip to the cities of Batangas and Tagaytay, both took place about a month ago.

Kulet, who used to work here years ago and a very dear friend of mine and I met. She asked about my plans, so I excitedly told her about my paragliding preparations. She then planned on following us, but upon learning the date, she had to stay put because she had already made plans for that day. She then asked if I wanted to go on a road trip after Christmas. I thought long and hard about it since, of course, I wanted to spend more time with my family.I then told her I'd get back to her since I needed to check with my mom and son whether they were up for it first, and they were definitely more excited than I was. LOL.

Being born and reared in the northern part of Luzon, the furthest I've been in Southern Luzon was Imus, Cavite, and that was a looooong time back. So yeah, this is my first time seeing both cities. I was excited!

We were picked up by Kulet around 8 a.m. She predicted that there would be less traffic or none at all since most people in the city had returned to the province to celebrate Christmas. She was right.

I'm not a breakfast person, so I'm alright not having any, but Mom and my son were grumbling on the way since they were hungry and wanted one. Kulet, too, was not a fan of breakfast, but because half of us required one, we had no choice but to stop at NLEX (North Luzon Expressway). I and Kulet headed to Starbucks for coffee, while my mom and son went to Pancake House and got the food in the photo. I believe my son got my ravenous appetite, except that it is in the morning. LOL.

We passed through an area where cars were parked on the side of the road on our way. We were intrigued, so we soon followed. We walked in since there was a gate that was partially open. We later discovered it was the Taal Volcano viewing area. We were wondering why they weren't going in because photos are better shot inside. We then went ahead and took our shots. It was so windy that if I didn't take a stance, I'd be carried away by the wind.

Then a lady approached us and asked whether we were ready to check into their condominiums. We answered NO, we were just looking around, and she emphasised that entrance is just for people interested in their condominiums. I looked at Kulet, and we decided to just leave. We had photos, after all. Sorry, but No. We honestly had no idea, Eeeeek!

So we kept travelling till we arrived in Crosswinds, the Philippines' Switzerland. With its rolling terrain, chalet-style houses, and pine trees, it made sense. There's a lot of it, pine trees I mean. As we entered, we all had the impression that we were in another country. The lovely pine trees reminded us of Baguio as well.

My son then asked what NAPA stands for, which made Kulet reply with NAPA gastos. Napa subo? LOL

The Napa Cafe is a Californian-style cafe with a spectacular location. We didn't get any coffee, but we did stop for photos and to enjoy the breathtaking view.

As we walked through the insides of NAPA my son started to feel a headache and his tummy was sore. I gave him Tylenol and he then requested to go back and rest in the car which was okay. He was probably just tired.

Mom, Kulet and I continued walking for a few more minutes until suddenly Kulet overheard a lady about other restaurants further down. Since we are done taking photos at NAPA we then decided to go back in the car as it was not near and we needed to drive to get there.

When we get into our car my son was dozing and when I checked on him, he was having a fever. Oh dear, I thought. I got worried and luckily I always have Tylenol with me. He needed the toilet few times as well. 🥲

We then went on to find the said restaurants as we needed to eat before heading to Batangas. As we took the wrong turns, we had to stop and seek directions a few times. We soon spotted it, and wow, the location where the three restaurants faced each other was breathtaking. It truly felt like we were in Europe.

We opted to eat at Joe's Tavern after visiting each of them. The atmosphere was stunning, and the cuisine was decent. We ate pasta with chicken. I wanted to have a beer but decided against it because I am not entitled to sleep as I sit in front with Kulet. She needed the distractions while driving. Even with the coffee she had, she might fall asleep and we still had a 3-4 hour travel ahead of us. If I sleep on her, she'll kill me. LOL

Phew,

That was long.

1073 words. wow

I think this is my longest HIVE blog ever. 😂
Even though I wanted to share the Batangas trip as well, I should stop now.
I guess that will have to be done the next time.

Ok, BYE!

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE!

♥️
chichi18