Taal
On the last Saturday of May, Batch63 headed for Taal for the first leg of their batch excursion. Joey Estagle; Boy Carlos; Tony Estonina; Chito de Vera; Bambi Goco; Vince Misa; Francis Horn; Oni and Bili Mayo rode the rented van. Jackie and Marilou Arellano was joined in their vehicle by Mike and Lucy Sun; and Manolo Relova.
The group got to visit several ancestral houses in Taal (the Agoncillo, Villavicencio and Ilagan houses). Most of the houses are vintage 1850s that still displayed most of the best interior appointments of those days. (fine wood carvings and panels, Machuca cement floor tiles, graceful grills of ventanillas, tin ceilings with embossed design, hand-painted leather wall covering, old photos, etc.).
The Ilagan house has also been turned into a camera and photo museum to the delight of camera buff Joey Estagle. The claim is that all the cameras – ancient or otherwise - are in working order. An interesting photo displayed on the walls of the gallery is an actual scene of the execution of Jose Rizal. (From an original photo found by a Filipino historian in a French curio shop decades ago).
The Taal Basilica (now mostly restored) and its predecessor, the 16th century Caysasay Church, were evidence of the great history of the town. The respite during the tour was the buffet lunch at the Don Juan resto that feature genuine Batangas cuisine. Probably due to a missed breakfast on account of the early trip, the hungry batch cleaned up the buffet in good time.
Leave it to Manolo Relova to provide the impromptu entertainment. During the visit to the Taal Basilica, there was an ongoing wedding to be. The bride was standing alone in the aisle when Manolo cheekily approached her to praise her beauty. In the process he whispered if he could have her cellphone number. This must have made the bride cry for she was seen wiping her eyes! During lunch, Manolo also tried to get Boy Carlos to marry the young waitress serving the group. Of course everyone had their raunchy quip about the prospect. The scene was so raucous that it led one of the wives to say that every time Batch63 gets together, they become like little boys!
Leave it to Manolo Relova to provide the impromptu entertainment. During the visit to the Taal Basilica, there was an ongoing wedding to be. The bride was standing alone in the aisle when Manolo cheekily approached her to praise her beauty. In the process he whispered if he could have her cellphone number. This must have made the bride cry for she was seen wiping her eyes! During lunch, Manolo also tried to get Boy Carlos to marry the young waitress serving the group. Of course everyone had their raunchy quip about the prospect. The scene was so raucous that it led one of the wives to say that every time Batch63 gets together, they become like little boys!
Tagaytay
After the Taal tour, the batch headed for nearby Tagaytay to visit Gabby’s hideaway in that notable breezy City. Some of the guys who did not participate in the Taal tour had actually gone straight to Gabby’s house. These guys were Ramon Arnaiz, Mari Duarte, Lito Domantay, Gary Salcedo and Jimmy Estrella. The main batch of excursionists arrived in Tagaytay from Taal at around 4PM.
As one drives into this large Valdez compound, the first building visible on one side is the huge garage that houses Gabby’s more than a dozen car collection. The garage is really also a motor shop (for tinkering with the vintage cars). The car lift inside is proof of this. Stepping into the entrance hall, the literally open walls of the house reveal a landscaped panorama of the main yard which is most of the land area of the 5,000 sqm. compound. Gabby is a botany enthusiast of late and which work he took to task when he created the verdant yard. For a new yard, the large trees there were quite impressive to see.
In tandem with the spacious garden, the main house is an entertainment space par excellence. Was it Boy who said that it could give the Folk Arts Center a run for the money? Whatever, the shameless Batch63 guys made it their own. Jimmy and Lito D brought out their groovy professional guitars and led the music fest for anyone who thinks they could sing. The others enjoyed the pica-pica and flowing drinks while relaxing in the many seating places in the place. Gabby and Pam Valdez were such gracious hosts that the unabashed Batch63 guys were already “imposing” on Gabby what batch party they could hold there next time.
Suma total
The places visited that Saturday provided a really great experience for the Batch. The trip was made even more memorable by the company that was there. The heritage of Taal was quite informative for many. It also provided a window on how other towns can develop their tourism (and economy) if they put their minds to it. Interesting outlooks (and wit) were obtained from the new guys who we don’t see enough off in past events (Chito, Manolo, Mike, Tony). The generosity of Gabby and Pam for sharing their home with the group speaks well of the brotherhood that is Batch63. In behalf of the batch, thanks again Gabby for inviting us to your vacation house.
This outing turned out so enjoyable despite the tiring pace of the trip and summer heat. I dare to say that it rivals the other fun excursion of the Batch in Baguio some years ago. If only because of this, the GJ committee is planning on more activities in the coming months where more Batch63 guys are expected to participate.
Below is the slide show of the photos during the excursion. About half of the pictures shown there are from the camera of Joey Estagle. Animo!
See slide show for more photos.
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