Mt. Gonzales - Tagaytay City, Cavite
14 April 2010
Decades back, the government planned to build a palace here to be the vacation house of the former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. However, construction had to be stopped because the former president was ousted. With the help of local government unit, the place is now a popular park in Tagaytay.
I only knew two places in Tagaytay (this and the picnic grove), and I felt not seeing this place would somehow defeat the purpose of me traveling here, so I persuaded my friend if we could just check out the place for a few minutes. My friend had to be in the office by noon time (if possible), so after eating our breakfast, we packed our things and head straight to the park. Tricycle drivers were willing to take us there for p100, but my friend (who is paying everything for this trip) thought it was quite expensive, so we asked if there are jeepneys that would take us to the park. Fortunately there are, and fare was around p17, if I remember it correctly.
I only knew two places in Tagaytay (this and the picnic grove), and I felt not seeing this place would somehow defeat the purpose of me traveling here, so I persuaded my friend if we could just check out the place for a few minutes. My friend had to be in the office by noon time (if possible), so after eating our breakfast, we packed our things and head straight to the park. Tricycle drivers were willing to take us there for p100, but my friend (who is paying everything for this trip) thought it was quite expensive, so we asked if there are jeepneys that would take us to the park. Fortunately there are, and fare was around p17, if I remember it correctly.
I forgot how much was the entrance fee, but it wasn't much. From the entrance, tourists have to hike uphill, and the park had jeepneys that can take the tourists up for p40. We figured hiking using our own feet and legs would be a good exercise, so we decided to decline the jeepney ride.
It was way too foggy that morning (Tagaytay, after all, is the second coolest place in the Philippines, next to Baguio City), so we weren't able to appreciate the trip, but I still was able to take some pictures:
The Chapel. As what's written on the plaque, this Shrine of Our Lady, Mother of Fair Love was formally inaugurated 14 February 2003. Being up on a mountain, not only was it a good place to say prayers, it was also a great location to see the city from above... if only the fog wasn't hindering the sights.
Picnic Cottages. It was still early that day, so there were quite a few tourists and the cottages weren't used yet. For sure come noon time the place will be flocked by tourists.
From there, my friend and I took the jeepney back to Olivares where we took the bus back to Manila. The jeepney passed by the public market, and I so wanted to check it, too, but yes, time wasn't my friend that day. As sad as I might be, I was of course thankful for having a nice Tagaytay trip. I learned many things about this trip, and hopefully I can go back to visit more places, try out different restaurants, and take more pictures. Tagaytay is only a few hours away, very easy to go to, so maybe this year, if I can, I will go back and explore more.
*** Jenn ***
