Thursday, July 26, 2007

Cool times

Spent a few days with the girlfriends (and the gayfriend) in Tagaytay City, located a few hours south of Metro Manila. Tagaytay is famous for its lovely volcano and lake, though we didn't go anywhere near them. We just enjoyed the sight from afar.

What we did was laze around in the gayfriend's house

tagaytay house

which had a nice view of a pineapple grove in front.

pineapple grove tagaytay

Went to market because certain people really needed to have fiber in their diets THAT DAY. Fruit is so cheap in Tagaytay.






We also made a quick trip to the mall because certain people just had to get their hands on the last installment in the Harry Potter series (which I thought was a good read, by the way, despite the mucho cheesy epilogue).

Here's Marnie enjoying her book.



And here's Irene enjoying hers.



And here's Rudy in dreamland. Our host, cook, and resident comedian -- who has no qualms at all about grossing us out with his farts. I think he takes perverse pleasure in it, actually.



Tagaytay during the day can be a bit warm but at night it's markedly different. Once the sun sets, the temperature drops, the winds start to blow, goosebumps appear, nipples harden, jackets come out. Conversation and laughter flow unabated with the beer and chips. One by one the company goes to bed until only two are left standing. By that time midnight is already a distant memory though dawn is still out of reach. We look beyond the gates and see a most amazing sight, something we don't see in Manila nowadays: the fog coming on little cat feet, though it doesn't seem to sit on silent haunches looking over harbor and city. The pale streetlights become an ethereal glow, transforming the streets into a cozy cocoon in spite of the chill. It's visual cotton candy, but without the sticky sweetness. Everything is silent save for the murmuring of the wind through the trees and the occasional ribbit ribbit of creatures that give me the heebie-jeebies. Communing with nature, it surely is a magical, timeless moment.

Until a certain someone, whom we'd kill if we didn't love him to bits already, lets out a rip-roaring fart, breaking the stillness of the night. Sigh.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

I do love those magic moments - and then the view gets in the way.

Lizza said...

How come? You catch a glimpse of your toenails? :-D

houseband00 said...

Nice imagery, Liz! =)

Tagaytay has a very special place in my heart.

Kahit mag-ututan kayong lahat. =)

Photo Cache said...

so that's where you were hiding. i have been to tagaytay once. i vowed to return; never found the time nor the opportunity to do so. it is a lovely place. i went to the store and read the last few pages of harry potter. i love the ending. i know i cheated; will read the entire book when time permits.

Kiyotoe said...

"nipples harden"?

I'm sorry, I read the whole thing I swear, that just grabbed my attention. ;)

your weekend getaways always sound so fun and relaxing.

I'm jealous.

Nicely said...

hi, there! nice to hear you had fun during ur break! i just hope i also have the time. great moments really are felt with family and friends. kainggit.

Ian said...

I thought the epilogue sucked too - like it was REALLY an after-thought.

And you should get some interesting blog searches now that you've mentioned hard nipples.
(* )( *)

Sorry, where was I?

Oh yeah. Glad to see you're back!

Ian

Travis Cody said...

I love your description about day, night, and sunrise.

Anonymous said...

My trip to Tagaytay was special and memorable. I totally loved it there!

;)

Terra Shield said...

The pineapple grove looks beautiful...

H said...

"the fog coming in on little cat feet"

such the most delicious line ever!

And where's lovely herself? no pics?

Rudy is clearly a very thoughtful friend. dispelling farts like cracks of japanese pottery that makes perfect moments so much more perfect.

Lizza said...

HB: Haha! Buti na lang sariwa pa rin ang hangin doon kahit na may ututan. :-D

Photo: Let me know when you're coming home to visit. We'll eat bulalo. :-)

You read the last few pages first? You heretic! :-)

Kiyotoe: Well, the cold (among other things) does that. :-D Glad you read everything.

Nice: Take a few days off! A change of environment can be so rejuvenating.

Ian: (*)(*) ??? Hahahaha! That's cool.

Trav: Thank you very much. :-)

Kyels: Glad to hear that. Hope you return!

Terra: Yes, it was. A nice change from the concrete jungle. :-)

Lizza said...

H: That line is from a very short poem by Carl Sandburg, titled "Fog." :-D

Yep, Rudy's so thoughtful, farts and all.

Nicely said...

oh my gulay! you don't know this cutie? hmmnn... he's alfred vargas, sikat sa GMA Channel 7. (pero Im purely ABS-CBN Kapamilya). Di ko sya maxado like, na-starstruck lang ako. Hehehe!

Oo naman, I like Bob Ong's books. Sana nga may magregalo sakin ng mga books nya. Nakikihiram lang kasi ako sa mga friends. Galing nya magsulat! Tulad mo. Hehehe! Thanks for your comment.

Lizza said...

Nice: Hindi ko siya kilala kasi bihira talaga ako manood ng TV. At kung manood man ako, mostly cable channels. Pero ang cute niya, lalo na yung wetpaks niya. Haha! Salamat sa pagdalaw ulit. :-)

Mimi Lenox said...

Nice photos and looks like such a relaxing time. Makes me want to go on a girly trip with my friends.
Glad you got some rest, Lizza, and glad you are back!

Anonymous said...

ah... dragonfruit... fruit of the gods.....

glad you mentioned fibre too :-)

Maryanne Moll said...

So that's where you went. Glad to see you had fun.

I soooo need a vacation.

Schmoop said...

Wow. Sounds great. Glad you had a good time and glad you're back as well. Cheers!!

Vinny "Bond" Marini said...

Beautiful photos....glorius words...wow I was right here with you...I could see the hardened nipples, see the streetlight being overtaken by the fog...hear the fart being ripped across the winds....

little things said...

Hey, what are the round pink fruits?

Lizza said...

Mimi: Thank you very much! Don't throw me in the Bloggingham dungeon...I'll get to your meme soon. :-)

Nursemyra: Looks like we were thinking about the same thing, but in different ways!

Maryanne: Go take one ASAP!

Matt-man: Had a pleasant time indeed. Cheers!

Bond: Haha! So glad you pictured everything successfully. A bit too successfully, it seems. :-)

Marlayna: The pink things are dragonfruit.

Anonymous said...

Ahh...nakasinghot naman pala ng sariwang hangin...eh di naagiw-agiwan naman ang utak mo!!!

I so know what you mean about conversation & laughter flowing fuelled by alco...priceless ika nga nung mastercard advert.

Glad you had a nice break ining!

Lizza said...

NM: Iniwan ko ang utak ko sa Maynila, haha! I'm glad you had a nice break too.

Migs Bassig said...

Welcome back. But that's not fair. You left us all in this sun-infested city while you spent the days in Tagaytay.

Beautiful photos, too. Thanks for sharing.

CS said...

Yea, I'm with Kiyotoe about what grabbed my attention.

I love outdoor produce markets. What are those big pink things?

Tammie Jean said...

Sounds like you had a great time, and I love your descriptions of the sights and sounds and the photos you included :)

Lizza said...

Migs: You get to go to such wonderful places and meet interesting people. Kakainggit!

CS: Those are dragonfruit. They're a bit sweet, but not yuckily so. :-)

Tammie: Thanks! It was a pleasant mini-vacation, farts notwithstanding.