Tagaytay Trip with Aspacio Family and Erwin

It was a Tuesday morning; I still haven't recovered from my wakeboarding escapade and my muscle ache is awfully bad but here I am again on my way to the South!!!! hahaha

Even if I am tired, I know I needed to do this - ESCAPE from the hustle and bustle in the city! I am not used to chaos and such hurly-burly anymore. I needed peace and quiet in which Tagaytay can offer.(it's the nearest place I can think of! hehehe)

TAAL VOLCANO

I went up there with a family very close to my heart - Jeff, Jen and Jed and my "son" Erwin (hahaha Well, he deserved this treat because he has been working so hard for ACTS and the church)

Jeff, Jen, Me and Jed
Erwin and moi!
Aspacio Family

We didn't go any place extravagant. We just really want to spend time together. Our first stop was at Picnic grove.

Sightseeing and having picnics are the most popular activities to do when in Tagaytay. Many go to the Tagaytay Picnic Grove with their family and friends to get together and have a picnic, and enjoy the picturesque and marvelous view of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano.

The Tagaytay Picnic Grove is also a popular destination among lovers because of the scenic view of the Taal Volcano and the coastal towns of Batangas and of course the fresh mountain breeze. Aside from sightseeing and picnics, the Tagaytay Picnic Grove also offers very affordable horse back riding activities both for kids and adults. But we didn't go horse-bike riding. Instead we had Erwin and Jeff tried the zipline! Quiet new and interesting!

At Tagaytay Ridge Zipline & Cable Car you will experience an exhilarating ride up to 60km/hr as you soar up to 300 feet off the ground on a scenic zipline courses 250 meters long. Their professionally trained guides ensure safety and comfort, a ride full of thrills, awesome beauty, and fond memories. The rides are almost for everyone! Their staff will assist and provide outfit with a customized seat harness and equipment. If you're looking for an adventure, go and add some zip to your trip by visiting Taal Lake's nature from new heights - TAGAYTAY RIDGE ZIPLINE!
For the longest time, Jen has been wanting to see Sonya's garden. And so, to satisfy her curiosity, off we went to this secret paradise.

nice venue for a wedding ha! hmmm...

Time and again I am in awe and extremely delighted about this place. A flower garden planted in “organized chaos” yet soothingly pleasing to the eye, as if choreographed with artistic perfection. And then there is the simple yet incredibly filling country cuisine with fresh and organically grown ingredients from the garden, served in fine tableware that complements the idyllic setting.

mother and son moment!
si Erwin din nag-mo-moment! hahaha

Thanks to Sonya! I may not personally know her but her private paradise is practically what burned-out city-dwellers are seeking for. May your wonderful haven of romance continues to bloom like flowers of an eternal spring.

It's lunch time! We went to La trobada, one memorable restaurant for our barkada and while eating, we were serenaded by these 3 musicians. Lovely!

asim!

yum, yum!

"panalangin ko sa habang buhay!"

father and son moment!

After lunch our journey continued.......

We went to Nature Discovery Camp hoping to have Jed swim and play at their very nice playground but the rates went up. We thought it was a waste of money since we won't stay there for long so we decided to go to RESIDENCE INN instead.

RESIDENCE INN is famous for its mini-zoo and is overlooking Taal Lake. Located 56 kilometers south of Manila, this idyllic ridge city in the southern part of Cavite is blessed with crisp and cool mountain air all year round.

Jed had fun playing with these colorful balls! weeeehh!!!

They also have a restaurant, Serpentarium, Birds Aviary, Honey Bee Farm, Bonsai Garden, Game Room, Activity Area, Playground, Souvenir Shops and Food Kiosk. During Sundays and Holidays , they have special entertainments such as Magic Show, Pantomime and steel walkers that will will excite every visitor.

a, e, si Erwin po ba yun animal? hahaha

uy, friends tayo!

Finally, we got so tired. We had an early dinner in one famous Bulalohan and then we went home.

the famous bulalo

our all time favorite "tawilis"

This trip to Tagaytay maybe short and sweet but surely an added memoirs of good times!

WakeBoarding

I am not into sports but I am a big fan of those in the World of Sports! And in spite of not being athletic, I am not the type who would refuse to try new adventures, so when my friend Fiona asked me to go wakeboarding, I said yes! :-)

Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water behind a boat or Cable System . It was developed through a combination of water skiing, snowboarding and surfing techniques. The rider is towed behind xi boat or a cable park; typically at speeds of 18-24 miles per hour (29-38 km/h), depending on water conditions, rider's weight, board size and most importantly, the rider's personal preference.

LAGO DE ORO, Batangas

Riding
Using edging techniques, the rider can move outside of the wake or cut rapidly in toward the wake. Jumps are performed by hitting the wake and launching into the air. This can also be done by hitting a kicker (a jump). There is also the slider (a rail bar) in which a rider approaches and rides along keeping his balance. Once a rider improves in the sport, he or she can progress to tricks high in the air. As the rope tightens the rider gains speed toward the wake. When the rider goes airborne, the tightened rope launches him and while in the air, at which point the rider may attempt to do tricks.

Fiona and moi!
Go, go, go, Fiona!

preparing to do my first try!

kneeboarding for a beginner like me!

Wakeboarding maneuvers
As with many freestyle sports such as snowboarding and surfing, there is almost a separate language of terms to describe various tricks. The more height, the more "pop". So therefore the rider's edge is very important to the height of the jump. Heading towards the wake chest facing the boat is known as a heelside edge; approaching from the other direction with chest facing away from the boat is known as toeside edge. A typical beginner to intermediate rider will tend to have an easier time hitting the wake heelside because it tends to come more naturally to them, while more advanced riders can hit the wake both heelside as well as toeside.

wakeboarding stunt!

Surface Tricks

Surface tricks are tricks that are performed when the rider is not airborne.

Examples are:

Backside Butterslide- Rider turns the board backside 90 degrees and grinds the wake.

Backside Butterslide 180- Rider turns the board backside 90 degrees and grinds the wake. Rider then grabs the handle with opposite hand and does another 90 degree turn in the same direction.

Backside Start- Rider gets up in a backside position where the backside is facing the boat.

Body Slide- Rider lies back onto the water.

Butterslide- Rider turns the board frontside 90 degrees and grinds the wake.

Butterslide 180- Same as regular butterslide but with an additional 90 degree rotation in the same direction.

Perez- Rider carves outside of the wake and slides into a surface 360.

Potato Peeler- Body Slide with fin release.

Powerslide- Board is turned backside 90 degrees in the flats. Fins are broken loose. If done correctly, it creates a huge spray.

Surf Carve- Rider cuts back and forth in the wake in a surf-carving fashion. Surface 180- A 180 degree turn on the surface of the water.

Surface 360- A 360 degree turn on the surface of the water.

Ollie- A bunny-hop out of the water.

It's alright Ton, try again! :-)

Zar, Tina, Carlo, Fiona and moi

Tina and I had fun!

Thumbs Up!

this is me with the wakeboarding addicts! hehehe

After wakeboarding we stayed for awhile to see the sunset. Gosh! breathtaking to watch as always!

And picture-taking will always be a part of us ofcourse...............

pretty Fiona and Zarah

mother hen with Zar, ang gaganda naman! hehehe

sisterchicks!

mother hen with Fiona

Uy, si Carlo! sino'ng bestfriend mo duon? hahaha

guess who??? nice!

dinner in Tagaytay (Leslie's reataurant)

Now who will ever thought that there's wakeboarding here in Singapore too!

Check this out: http://www.ski360degree.com/ Very nice place!

And gosh, I am so excited to see this!

The Asian Wakeboard Association is please to announce the Asian Wake Park Tour 2009. This inaugural tour will include several stops in Asia with the following schedule:

Bangkok Thailand (Thai Wake Park) - 6 June 2009 *DATE CHANGED*

Singapore (SKI360) - 13 & 14 June 2009Camsur Philippines (CWC) - TBC

For more info click on the link below:

http://www.wakeboard.com.sg/

Man, this was really an experience I will never forget, who knows when I get back to Manila, I can already wakeboard really well and do my stunts! hahaha (how I wish!)

For those of you who wants to see the video of our first try, click on the link below:

http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=89f69f3f40b99abfecd52a&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url