April.29.07
Posted in Tagaytay at 11:30 pm by sirky
Just like the knife cuts on both sides, Taal Lake can be enjoyed from two sides. The shore side is the most popular one. Every weekend droves of city-dwellers enjoy the lake Taal vistas. The most frequented places are the Tagaytay restaurants and coffeeshops that offer the amazing view of the lake and the islands. The lake side is less visited but nevertheless offers breathtaking views of the shoreline. Mount Makulot, Mount Makiling, Tagaytay Ridge and Volcano Island are best viewed from the lake. The views from the lake are amazing because the sunlight and water create a natural kaleidoscopic effect. Most first-time lake visitors are amazed by the sheer size of the lake. The lake appears to be a “small” lake from the ridge. But from the Talisay shore, the lake shows its true size (3rd largest lake in the Philippines). The vast lake area allows the monsoon winds to pick up speed. The steady winds and huge water surface create the perfect combination for sailing. Every weekend several sailing enthousiasts group together at the Taal Lake Yacht Club so they can enjoy their favorite activity: sailing on Taal Lake. Most sailors use the 16ft catamaran hobiecats. The more adventurous sailors sail their home-build boats. When Ben invited us to go sailing on his beautiful Korvus ketch we gladly accepted the invitation. The small ketch easily accomodates four adults so we decided to arrange sail intro. We had four novice sailors signup up for the sail intro. Ben would be arriving late at the yacht club so he gave us permission to prepare the Korvus and take it for a spin. John, Maria (John’s daughter), Michael, Martin and me left the yacht club around 3pm.
The strong winds and big sail area prevented us from rolling out the genoa. The main sail can not be reefed so the boat was cruising along. The first leg went smoothly but when I manoeuvered the boat to prepare for the jibe the rudder tiller broke. The tiller controls the rudder so there was no way the boat could be steered. I immediately started assembling an emergency steering gear. With a rope I tied the tiller to the rudder stock. This simple temporary construction allowed us to sail back. It was not easy steering with my belly on the deck and face looking at the stern but everybody helped out. We made it safely back to the yacht club where Ben was waiting. I informed Ben of the sad news that I broken the tiller of his ketch. Ben immediately took his tools out and repaired the tiller. At 4:30 pm Ben, Michael, Martin and me went sailing again on the lake. We stayed out till 6.30 pm. The sun had already set but the moon was almost in its full phase so we had enough light to guide us back to the yacht club.
Sailing on Taal lake is highly recommended. The yacht-club offers all-inclusive sail excursions. If you don’t know how to sail you can avail of the experienced instructors that will sail the boat for you. We also like to thank Ben for letting us sail his boat.
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April.27.07
Posted in Tagaytay, Wine & Dine at 8:47 am by sirky
Update (July 2007): the Wine and Cheese Evenings have been discontinued
The Taal Vista Hotel presents the Tagaytay Wine and Cheese Evening on every last friday of the month. The Taal Vista’s Foyer-Cafe offers the ideal setting for this once a month dine and wine event. The international wines and cheeses fit right in with the cafe’s high ceiling, assorted furniture, floor to ceiling windows and decorative objects.
In addition, the hotel’s food and beverage staff goes to great lengths to cater to your needs. Inviting food displays, attentive service and a full range of food provide a very pleasant dining experience. The entrance fee is only 495php per person. The fee covers all the food and wines. If you enjoy a good wine with a tasty cheese, Taal Vista’s offering is definitely a bargain deal. Every month a different wine importer showcases his wines. Normally the wine importer presents a minimum of three white and three red wines.
There are about ten kinds of cheese. Dutch Edammer, Danish Blue, Swiss Cheddar, New Zealand goat-cheese and many other cheeses are available for tasting.
To make it a complete meal the buffet offers several kinds of bread (French Baguette, Pasteries, Rye Bread), several vegetables and several meats (Italian ham, salami). As icing on the cake, there are also desert items. At the end of the evening there is a raffle-draw. You can win a bottle of wine and an romantic one-night stay at the Taal Vista Hotel. Let there be no doubts: if I’m in Tagaytay the last friday of the month I go to the Wine and Cheese evening.
Notes:
-Check out Anton’s Taal Vista Hotel review for more information about the Taal Vista Hotel.
-Come early so you can enjoy the magnificent view from the Foyer-Cafe. Once the sun sets the view is no more.
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April.26.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:34 am by sirky
Speechless and tears in the eyes. Two days after reading Noemi’s Grief Blog I still feel the chills running down my spine. Imagine losing your only son because of a drowing incident. While on vacation you are enjoying the presence of your family members and the next minute your six year old son is found motionless in the pool. As a mother you will endure an indescribable grief. A suffering that lasts not for a year, not for several years but until your last breath. Try to imagine an everlasting personal suffering.
Noemi had already experienced three deaths in her immediate family at the time of her son’s death. Noemi lost her mother while studying in college. Later she lost her brothers Ruben and Oscar. In addition, her father had suffered a series of debilitating strokes which kept him permanently bedridden.
Here we have:
-a mother that has lost the love of her life, her mother and two brothers.
-a father that has lost his wife, two sons and a grandchild.
What can Noemi do? Her father has had more than his share of sad events and now she needs to tell him that his six year old grandson has died…
"Noemi couldn’t bear to tell you the tragic news because you were already so sick. We were afraid you’d join him in death if you‘d ever find out, knowing how you doted on all your grandchildren. We couldn’t risk telling you because we were not ready to see you go yet." – Jose Lardizabal’s Legacy
And so became the death of her son a Loss Never To Tell.
A sad and heartbreaking story but Noemi has used her experience in a positve way. She shares her feelings and experiences with others through her blog, her writings and the Philippine chapter of the Compassionate Friends.
Having experienced the stillbirth of our son Kristian, I can relate to Noemi’s feelings.
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Losing one your siblings creates powerful emotions. It requires enormous amounts of personal strength to put these emotions in the right perspective. The energy required for this process takes a big toll on the human body. As a result of this energy-drain many people feel lost, unhappy and useless. Professional guidance, unconditional love and group support can help you overcome this stage. The solution to personal suffering has been documented:
"When you consider what really makes you unhappy, you find that it's not so much what you have or don't have, it's what you expect to have. To eliminate your suffering, you have to recognize that your expectations do not determine what actually happens. Reality somehow always turns out to be different from what we expect.
The funny thing is that if you try to directly control your thoughts, you won't succeed – It's one thing to understand that we cause our own suffering and quite another to know what to do about it. That is, you can't just tell yourself to stop expecting something, and you can't just tell yourself to stop worrying..." – Read More
If you have suffered a terrible loss do remember that you do not need to walk alone.
Get to know more about Noemi read her interview in the Manila Bulletin
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April.23.07
Posted in Tagaytay at 12:36 pm by sirky
Joe Hagedorn of the Taal Lake Yacht Club organised another great event: The Family Boatbuilding Weekend.
I was there for only a few hours and only noticed contended people. Families were busy building their own sloops and kanoes. They used simple woodworking tools to assemble complete boats. Saws, hammers, grinders, nails, wood, marine epoxy and creativity were the ingredients.
While the families were creating their homemade yachts, others were enjoying their homemade yachts:
The GK Louise, a cruiser catamaran with stainless steel gear
The pirate yacht owned by Renato
The Korvus designed, created and sailed by fellow Belgian, Benjamin
It’s amazing how many people do not know about the well-maintained yachtclub at one of the Philippines best sailing locations. Since it’s only a 15 minute drive from Tagaytay City it is a highly recommended rest and recreation place. Their website has the detailed driving directions and affordable sailing rates. Taal Lake Yacht Club is highly recommended.
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April.21.07
Posted in Tagaytay, Wine & Dine at 1:09 pm by sirky
If you happen to be in Tagaytay and you enjoy HongKong Chinese style food then Hap Chan is the place to be. Hap Chan Tea House is located at the Grandview Commercial Complex right beside the Tagaytay rotunda. It’s right across Shakey’s pizza and diagonally across the 7-11 convenience store. Hap Chan has great Chinese food at affordable prices. They serve complimentary hot Chinese tea. The furnishings are simple but the menu has everything you may wish for:
Generously stuffed dimsums
Hot Congee
Home-made Noodles
Chef’s Choice recipes
Wok prepared Vegetables
Simmered Roastings
Chinese Pulutan
Hong Kong Deserts
My wife and son certainly enjoyed their meal.
If you can not make it to Tagaytay >> check out the other Hap Chan branches
Inside information: Beginning of May they will have their rooftop restaurant ready. Enjoy their great food, the tagaytay refreshing air and the breathtaking view, all from the same location…
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