a.k.a Pilillia Windmills, Rizal

Nakasalubong namin 'yung malalaking truck na nagdadala nito dati sa Sierra Madre nung ginagawa pa lang 'to. Nakita ko rin sa plane nung palipad kami papuntang Bacolod then nakita ko rin sila from Tagaytay. Ayun, sabi ko gusto ko makita nang malapitan. hehe.

Now you don't have to travel all the way to Bangui to see windmills because there is a closer wind farm in Rizal with only around 2-3 hours travel time from Manila.

If you've been to Regina Rica, Daranak Falls, Batlag Falls or anywhere in Upper Tanay, Rizal, it will be easier for you to navigate. There's only one drop off point for jeepneys so I'm sure that you're already familiar with the place. If not, it is still very easy to find.

How to go to Pililla Wind Farm:

Commute:

From Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall, ride a jeep to Cogeo Gate 2. (Around P 15.00/person)
From Cogeo, ride a jeep to Sampaloc in Tanay, Rizal. (Around P 65.00/person)

There's also a terminal at Starmall, Shaw going to Tanay Public Market although that is something I wouldn't take because the route would still pass to several municipalities such as Teresa and Baras. Passing through Marifanta/Marilaque road is my thing. hehehe.

At the jeepney drop off point, tricycles that can take you to the Windfarm abound. I am just not sure about the rated but they were also offering ride to Daraitan. Huhubells. Somedayyyyy. I really love Sierra Madre Mountain Range. <3

*Hanapin lang ang Sampaloc Inn tapos may waiting shed na malapit, merong daan na hindi kalakihan sa may tindahan na nalimot ko kung anong pangalan. Alam naman nila, ask lang lagi. Kaliwa pag pasok nung kalsada, pag may fork road naman, kakanan tas diretso lang kahit mukhang napakasukal at wala ng pupuntahan 'yung daan, haha. Hugot pa baaaa. jk. Rough road pa rin karamihan ng dadaanan.

We passed by the wind farm on our way back to Manila after hearing mass at Regina RICA. Pinilit ko pumunta kaya halos 20 minutes lang kaming andito. Kakaloka. Next time pipilitin ko naman na mas malapit. hehe. :)))

Ayan na sila.

Although not as big as the ones in Bangui, Ilocos pwedeng pwede na. Iba naman 'to kasi nasa bundok.

Pwede lumapit sa ibang windmills, haha, sa susunod talaga lalapit na kami.

Everytime I see these windmills, humahaba talaga leeg ko para mas makita ng maayos. haha. K. Mga trip ko sa buhay eh.

Ang dami.

I saw the Bangui Windmills in 2013 nung isang line palang sila. The last time I heard about Bangui, meron na rin daw naka-scatter na windmills. Scatter talaga. hahaha! Pero unlike Ilocos na para ang hirap pag sunset ka pupunta, I think one of the best times to go here is during sunset.

Kasi from there, overlooking din ang Laguna Bay.

For other infos about these windmills, di ko na ilalagay muna. Sa susunod na lang pag makabalik ako.

Bye, Windmills.
Until next time.

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HOLY WEEK 2014 SUGGESTED DESTINATIONS FOR PILGRIMS:

VISITA IGLESIA IN TAGAYTAY - BATANGAS LINK: HERE.
KAMAY NI HESUS CHURCH IN LUCBAN, QUEZON LINK: HERE.
REGINA ROSARII/ REGINA RICA LINK: HERE.

From Quezon City, Tanay, Rizal is a 1-2 1/2 hours drive if you're passing through Cogeo.

We revisited Regina Rica two times last month so here's an update.

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Found out that the meaning of RICA is Regina Institute of Contemplation in Asia. The rest of Regina Rica complex is still under construction but they're going to develop retreat houses probably like the ones in Caleruega, Batangas link: here. They held the Groundbreaking Ceremony last March.

Scroll down more for our third visit.

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Regina Rosarii

They say that this statue is miraculous so make sure to climb the S-Trail to get to this hill.

View from Mama Mary's hill
Behind me is the Sierra Madre Mountain Range

The chapel on a regular Sunday Mass
Nabawasan na 'yan so imagine how packed this place will get this Holy Week.
I'm sure a lot of pilgrims will head to this church.

Color coded candles.

Shoot that candle.

A candle cost P 20.00

I love driving through the Sierra Madre Mountain Range. AS IN. Baka ako nagd-drive. hahaha.

Third Visit

MORE KWENTO

You can be dropped directly at the chapel's entrance but we usually park near the orientation area and just walk to the chapel. This might get pretty tiring especially since most are uphill.

79 feet tall statue

1. Make sure to arrive at least 15 minutes before the mass begins so you can attend the CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER.

2. First timers shall be welcomed through a song, "Welcome to Rica, Welcome to Rica, Welcome to Rica. We are glad you're here."

3. In Regina Rica, they have what they call MOM or Mary's One Million. It's a signature campaign wherein you'll list your family members and the nuns will include them in their prayers. Until the fourth generation of your family shall be healed trough the "Prayer To Heal My Family Tree." Each family naman has our own problems and I was never sure if such thing exist until I heard the prayer at Regina Rica. There are times that we feel that we're still "paying" for the sins of some of our family members, diba? For these things that are out of our control, sa Kanya na lang natin iwan.

That's why we must be good because we don't know how our actions will affect our family's next generations.

Touch our hearts with peace even in the midst of chaos and crises experienced by our families.

4. After the mass is a healing prayer, you'll be asked to turn around and face the hill of Mama Mary and afterwards you'll be asked to form lines for the Anointing of the Holy Oil. Regina Rica's oil is the best smelling oil ever. The scent stays until the end of the day.

There is also Anointing of the Holy Oil after the mass at St. Pio Pietrelcina in Libis (near Eastwood Citibank Footbridge and a gasoline station) link: here.

5. Near the entrance of the church you'll find empty bottles that you are to fill with coins and offer them when you return. This is called "Bote Bote Para Kay Maria" I'm now filling my own bottle.

Sunflowers are in full bloom already.

Inside the nipa huts area are these labradors for sale. I waaaaaant.

There is also a hanging bridge which was close that day so I don't know what's on the other side.

Don't tease the monkey!

And that place's treasures.
Haaay, sarap matulog dito.

In this area are tables and nipa huts which you may rent in case you want to eat there. They have a restaurant but it's a vegetarian restaurant.

Lady on Top of the Hill

The first picture of Regina Rica that I saw has this sunflower lined S-Trail so I was kind of disappointed the first time we went there because there weren't any. Really glad that Mama Mary called us for the third time and I was able to see this.

Regina Rica

Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal

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We had a glamping site in our mind since last December when we were planning our first (definitely not the last) get-away for 2017 but all they were offering for the weekend was an overnight, literally overnight that we had to leave at 6 AM the next morning. We were like, "Ugh, whatever. Let's find somewhere nice and relaxing."

We searched online for the resorts in Rizal. We were left with three options but Bakasyunan Resort's Website got us. Aside from the "almost" infinity pool overlooking Laguna Bay, Laguna, Rizal and Talim Island, it was the view of the windmills that lured us in. Not to mention that the cottage prices are affordable so it was within budget.

To get here, we rode a jeepney to Tanay and tricycle to Bakasyunan.

Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall - Junction - Tanay - Tricycle

Shopwise, Antipolo - Tanay - Tricycle (We passed through this on our way home, it's a bit shorter compared to what we took on our way to the resort)

Starmall Shaw, FX to Tanay then Tricycle (option for South people and those who don't like to ride a jeepney)

I knew of a different route that passes through Cogeo, I forgot which was it exactly but it was a jeepney ride from a market in Rizal to Sampaloc, Tanay.

I prefer the Cogeo route (especially for private vehicles) but if you're coming from Teresa, Baras etc., this is a bit past the entrance of Daranak and Batlag Falls.

Our tricycle driver stopped at the gate 'cause he thought that tricycles weren't allowed to enter the resort. Koya, magtanong kasi. Uphill, oh. Kahingal. HAHAHA.

We had a reservation before going but we weren't able to print the proof of fund transfer. It's a good thing though that they print for free.

Hello there, Pililia Windmills!

Pililia Windmills post link: here.

They had two areas with pool. This one's the infinity with the view of the windmills.

Our room for our overnight stay.

Sulit for its price!

The room was clean. Towels, tissue roll and soap were provided.

When we climbed Mt. Daraitan, we weren't able to go swim at Tinipak River so this is something I'm considering going back to. Ito lang. Di na 'yung Daraitan. HAHAHA!

At my back are bigger cottages than what we rented for the night, those are perfect for bigger groups or families.

While there are a lot of activities at the resort, we weren't able to do any because of budget constraints. Haha. Since we had to pay for each. :)) We just walked around and feel the mountain breeze.

The sunset color was superb even if we weren't able to see the sun, the variation of colors were more than enough beauty... and the girl at the picture was even more beautiful. ANORAW. UWI NA?! hahaha

We really wanted to save but the corkage fee scared us that only things we were able to bring were bottles of water, chips and bread. hahaha. We were hoping that Bakasyunan Resort's food will make not only our tummies happy, but our wallet as well.

And yes, it did.

Each order was for 2-3 persons and the taste was okay too. Keri lang, wag na magbaon kung di naman kayo group.

After we had our dinner, a lot of people were already by the pool area so it was out turn to go out to the team building part of the resort just so we wouldn't have to stay with the crowd... uhm, anti-social people? :))

Syempre, hanggang tingin lang kami. :))

This was where we stayed after dinner. HAHAHA!!!!!

Team building kung saan walang tao. Anong activity? Zumba via Youtube instructor. Makaiwas lang talaga sa tao. HAHAHAHA.

May part two pics. :D

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A famous quotation from Henry Miller says, "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."

I have done this before with a different set of friends and to be honest, I don't even remember how many times I've been to Intramuros but it's always worth coming back to so why not? Anyway, we had a challenge when we went there so this walking tour in the Old Manila was also known as the P 500.00 challenge. We wanted to tour Intramuros and Rizal Park spending less than P 500.00 each.

From the LRT Station, we just walked to the southern gate of Intramuros.
This gate is near Puerta Real and PLM.

Should you want to spend the whole day touring around Manila, go there on a Sunday because museum admissions are free on Sundays. National Museum (NAG and MFP) link: here.

Or should you opt for a WOKing tour before the walking tour, you might want to go to Chinatown first before heading to Intramuros. Binondo Food Wok link: here.

Anyway, since we're on a tight budget... :))

Here's the Plaza del Gobernador.

It used to be the home of the governor-general during the Spanish Colonization era but this 8-storey building now houses offices such as Intramuros Administration.

Here is the Manila Cathedral.

The last time I was here was during our Visita Iglesia 2014.

Across the Manila Cathedral is the Plaza de Roma.

The monument is made in honor of a the Spanish king Carlos IV as a tribute for the introduction of the smallpox vaccine.

Thanks to Intramuros Administration that the street from the gate to Fort Santiago is now pedestrian-friendly. There are several pedicab drivers who would offer to tour you around the historical landmarks inside the Intramuros but the fun is in the walking... or ako lang natutuwa pag naglalakad? haha. Support their livelihood and hire one if you don't want to walk a lot. :)

It was written in one of the tarpaulins of IA that "Intramuros was Manila," there's so much history and heritage in that place so it's a good thing that they're reclaiming the historic streets to encourage more people to do a walking tour in the area as well.

Infairness sa announcement na 'to, gusto ko 'yung, "... not about the shortest route or time traveled. IT'S ABOUT GETTING THERE." Parang metaphor lang ng buhay, noh?

There are a lot of tombs inside the San Agustin Church and we spent several minutes looking for the tomb of the Spanish Conquistador/Founder of Manila, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. We were shy to ask around so we just looked for it on our own but to no avail. But I learned that it's located in the room beside the altar so the next time I'll go there, I'll definitely pay his tomb a closer visit. (Tama ba 'tong pinagsasabi ko? HAHAHAHA)

There are currently 8 places in the Philippines that are included in the World Heritage List of UNESCO and I'm proud to say that I've been into 3 of them. Wow, laking achievement naman!!! HAHAHAHA. Gusto mo rin? Punta ka na San Agustin Church. I mentioned this because I'll be needing a back link when I get to visit the rest some time in the future (Di ko alam kung paano, gusto ko lang. Haha!). So for the three of them that I've been into: San Agustin Church. Intramuros; Paoay Church, Ilocos Norte and Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

They preserved the cobblestone streets in this area.

On our way back to Fort Santiago from San Agustin Church, a street name caught my attention because it's one of the things that I need in this life. HAHAHAHA. Konting konti na lang maglalagay na ko ng Donate Button dito baka lang kasi may generous na tao, ganyan. :))

Yes pls. Marami. #intramuros #manila

A photo posted by Tin Gallemaso (@xtintina) on Mar 29, 2015 at 10:57pm PDT

Yan. Mga ganyan lang talaga kasiyahan ko. Tuwang-tuwa na ko nung nakita ko 'yung Anda St. Hahaha. K. Fine.

Going here has an entrance fee but I think paying is worth it since you may spend the whole day in this area.

We're so paranoid that we almost ran for our lives the moment we walked near this area. One of my friends saw the statues inside and he was like, "ANO YUNG NASA LOOB?!" Parang kami, without even looking, "HALA ANO NGA 'YUN?" Konting takbo palayo sabay nung naisip namin na nakakahiya kasi medyo maraming tao, "AH WALA. WALA PALA. WALA NA LANG PALA" Pero wala, statue lang. Kinabahan lang kami. hahahaha! Lam mo na. Pranela.

Pasig River

Just like the Fort San Pedro in Cebu which is facing the sea, Fort Santiago is strategically built near mouth of the Pasig River.

The facade of Fort Santiago.

After our Intramuros Walking Tour, we went back to Rizal Park and waited for the start of the free dancing fountain show.

It doesn't have to be extravagant to enjoy the goodness of life. Char. 😂😂😂 #rizalpark #fountain #manila #arte #damingsinabi

A video posted by Tin Gallemaso (@xtintina) on Mar 30, 2015 at 3:34am PDT

And our walk to the past ended here in Rizal Park link: here.

As for the expenses, we have managed to survive spending less than P 350.00 each. Yes, sightseeing doesn't always have to be far and expensive. There are a lot of near and affordable places for us to go to and it is never a bad idea to relive the past by visiting heritage sites like this. :)

So ano na? Magbabasa ka na lang ba? Gora na sa Intramuros! :))

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