Antipolo Day!

K'Anne and I agreed to visit the cathedral of Nuestra Señora dela Paz Y Buen Viaje (Our Lady Of Peace and Good Voyage) in Antipolo last Monday. And prior to that day I, along with my FTI friends went to hear mass at the Quiapo church. When I told my brother about my going to Quaipo and Antipolo he even teased me that he wants her sister back. He thought that I was possessed or something, 'coz you know... I pray but I'm not really the type who does Visita Iglesia every once in a while. I jokingly answered him with a 'Ano ka ba, I'm even going to Baclaran and Manaoag next week.' And his jaw almost dropped, he just had the shock of his life!

Anyway, K'Anne and I met up at Mc Donalds in Starmall, we haven't been there before that really. It's just that the FX/van terminal to Antipolo is just at the front parking of the mall. We left Manila at past 11. We arrived in Antipolo at past 12 too, then we went straight to the church. Before we reached the church it was already drizzling, luckily each of us brought our own umbrella so it wasn't a hasle at all. When we were about to leave the cathedral, the rain stopped. So we headed out to the pasalubong center, we were welcomed by a lady who's in her thirties, I guess. And she ushered us to her stall, and offered us free taste of her suman and cashew nuts. I ate the suman, but I didn't buy it... Hehehe... K'Anne and I also tasted the cashew nuts, flavored and unflavored and she decided to buy the adobong kasuy, of course she didn't buy it right away. We haggled! Even just for ten pesos, hehehe. It's a good feeling when you're able to haggle. We even managed to ask for dagdag!

After buying the adobong kasuy, we went to look for a restaurant that is just unique in Antipolo. Unfortunately, we didn't get to find one. We asked almost every tricycle driver but all they suggested were fastfood chains, not unique eh? We also asked a tricycle driver to get us to Barrio Fiesta but he told us that it's way too far and we need to pay over a hundred bucks. So we just left the manong that we asked, and continued walking... searching for a good resto. We thought of going to Padi's point, so we went near the gas station to wait for a jeep that will take us to Sumulong highway, we waited for about 15 minutes but still no trace of jeep. So we walked further, and asked a police officer that we saw along the way, but still he can't suggest any resto aside form the fastfood chains. There was also a guy who offered to get us to a kainan and bulaluhan, but we refused. We didn't like the idea. Another tricycle driver offered to take us to Circumferential Road, 'coz he said that there might be restos there that we would somehow like. We gave in. We rode on his tryke, it was just about 5 minutes then he stopped to Alejandro's Grill and Restaurant, he asked us if we wanted to check it. We did, and just decided to have our lunch there. The driver charged us Php35! Not overpricing! (Sarcastic)

We went inside the resto, their guests were only a group of three persons. But since, were near hopeless, we just stayed. There were huts outside the resto, we took the hut that is in the far corner, away from the road but near the shade of the mango trees. I had sisig and K'Anne had sizzling squid and cream of mushroom soup for both of us. It was only I who ordered for rice 'coz K'Anne's on a diet. We were chatting endlessly while having our lunch, we had our pitures taken. We had a great time. We talked about what were going to do next, since we were both not familiar with the place we had no idea. But a memory of hinulugang taktak glided on my mind so I suggested that we go there, and see for ourselves.

After paying for our bill, we waited for a tryke outside the resto. When there was one, we asked the driver to take us to the sakayan to the waterfalls coz we thought that it was also far, but he suggested that he take us there. We asked for the price and he said that it would only cost us Php28, so off we go! When we got there, the trail down to the falls was muddy and slippery due to the rain. There were also a bunch of people there, having 'discussions', i suppose and some of them are just tourists like us, 'coz you know.. they were also taking pictures like us. The national park neither looks good nor bad, its state is somewhere in between. But from the looks of it, I can tell that the place used to be really great. (yeah right, how would it become a national park if it wasn't?) You can also see the trace of the recent super typhoon Milenyo, most of the branches of the trees were broken, there was a landslide, and the basin of the waterfalls is full of broken branches, leaves and some garbage. Its so sorry to see how the once great place had ended that way. Some people are just ungrateful to nature... it is also so sad to know that some people are also the cause of the destruction of nature. But its also great to know that they are planning to restore the national park, but I still think that prevention is better than cure... It only had me wished that they took great care of the place, it wouldn't have come to this state. But even with the destruction... we still managed to take great pitures! hehehehe thanks to our 'photographer' selves. Hehehehe.

After almost an hour, we left the place and went back to the city proper, we got off at McDo, used the toilet, buy us drinks (we were exhausted of the uphill climb from the falls to the exit.). Then went to the terminal... We arrived at Crossing at half past four. I walked K'Anne to the bus stop, then I headed to megamall to pay for my credit card bills and do some grocery shopping. haaayy, I'm not yet married but I get to do the housewives' stuff. I also brought mine and my brother's clothes to the laundromat. coz he asked me too. What a way to end a great day.... :)

Our Antipolo pictures here...