The search for Shambala
On this year's edition of my annual road trip with my museum-hopping friends, we decided to do a reprise of last year's Silang adventure.
Ate Bing suggested that we try an Italian restaurant called Trattoria Mario Mio for lunch. It's a farm-to-table concept headed by Chef Paolo Nesi... the vegetable garden was literally around the restaurant! And the food... it was so delicious! I could come back here again and again without getting tired of the cuisine.
After that scrumptious lunch, we headed off to a place we didn't get to visit last year (it was closed): Ilog ni Maria Honey Bee Farm. I was fully expecting to see honey bee hives scattered all over and flowers blooming everywhere but reality kicked in really fast.
I didn't see honeybees or a farm (as I imagined it), for that matter. Perhaps the bees and the farm were hidden far from the heavy foot traffic of humans visiting the location. Instead, we were welcomed into a shop where people can buy honey-based soaps, shampoo, mosquito repellent, and vinegar. I was quite surprised that there was no honey for eating here. Perhaps the farm produces enough only for the processed good and not for consumption as food.
We didn't see bees but we were warned about animals crossing the road. I wondered why nobody asked why the chicken had to cross the road here. The geese were certainly happy in the backyard.
And then there were goats eating grass along the roadside.
Ilog Maria was certainly a peaceful location... which was about to be disturbed by our laughter as we went next door to the Casetta del Divino Zelo. It's a restaurant run by nuns of the Rogationist Order and it supports women with unintended pregnancies; the support they are given allow them to live productively and to keep their babies. Man brought stories about nuns' sense of humour and their commitment to care for women who live dangerously.
After we've warmed our tummies with food and laughter, it was time to proceed to Shambala, touted as a living museum of art, culture, and heritage. According to its website, it contains houses built by Cordilleran artisans. It was certainly interesting.
We drove off in search of Shambala.
Man was our navigator. I was driving behind Ate Bing (our group's guide for this adventure). The roads in Silang were narrow and were designed for small vehicles driving at a reasonable pace... not for speeds beyond 50 kph. I had a bit of a struggle to keep up with Ate Bing because she was driving way too fast for my comfort. Until she stopped and made a U-turn. Apparently, we passed the turn going to Shambala. We corrected our course and made a few more missed turns. We reached a resort called Casa Miguel too. The people there kindly allowed us to use the resort's driveway to make our U-turns; otherwise, we'd be driving backwards. It's a prospect I wasn't looking forward too.
Finally, we found the most unassuming corner... a one-lane dirt road lined with trees and grass. There was no road sign that we were getting any nearer to Shambala. But we were on the right track (literally a track). At the end of the road, we faced a gate with no labels. In exasperation, Manuel declared that we were aborting our mission (it was past 5pm already) and it was time to eat dinner.
It didn't matter that we had an epic fail in our search for tranquility and art. What mattered was that we enjoyed this day trip and that we had good food and great laughs.
I am definitely going to miss next year's Syanang Syalen adventure. I hope that they continue doing it and bring people to replace me in this small fellowship of ours.
The good-byes have begun.
Ate Bing suggested that we try an Italian restaurant called Trattoria Mario Mio for lunch. It's a farm-to-table concept headed by Chef Paolo Nesi... the vegetable garden was literally around the restaurant! And the food... it was so delicious! I could come back here again and again without getting tired of the cuisine.
After that scrumptious lunch, we headed off to a place we didn't get to visit last year (it was closed): Ilog ni Maria Honey Bee Farm. I was fully expecting to see honey bee hives scattered all over and flowers blooming everywhere but reality kicked in really fast.
I didn't see honeybees or a farm (as I imagined it), for that matter. Perhaps the bees and the farm were hidden far from the heavy foot traffic of humans visiting the location. Instead, we were welcomed into a shop where people can buy honey-based soaps, shampoo, mosquito repellent, and vinegar. I was quite surprised that there was no honey for eating here. Perhaps the farm produces enough only for the processed good and not for consumption as food.
We didn't see bees but we were warned about animals crossing the road. I wondered why nobody asked why the chicken had to cross the road here. The geese were certainly happy in the backyard.
And then there were goats eating grass along the roadside.
Ilog Maria was certainly a peaceful location... which was about to be disturbed by our laughter as we went next door to the Casetta del Divino Zelo. It's a restaurant run by nuns of the Rogationist Order and it supports women with unintended pregnancies; the support they are given allow them to live productively and to keep their babies. Man brought stories about nuns' sense of humour and their commitment to care for women who live dangerously.
After we've warmed our tummies with food and laughter, it was time to proceed to Shambala, touted as a living museum of art, culture, and heritage. According to its website, it contains houses built by Cordilleran artisans. It was certainly interesting.
We drove off in search of Shambala.
Man was our navigator. I was driving behind Ate Bing (our group's guide for this adventure). The roads in Silang were narrow and were designed for small vehicles driving at a reasonable pace... not for speeds beyond 50 kph. I had a bit of a struggle to keep up with Ate Bing because she was driving way too fast for my comfort. Until she stopped and made a U-turn. Apparently, we passed the turn going to Shambala. We corrected our course and made a few more missed turns. We reached a resort called Casa Miguel too. The people there kindly allowed us to use the resort's driveway to make our U-turns; otherwise, we'd be driving backwards. It's a prospect I wasn't looking forward too.
Finally, we found the most unassuming corner... a one-lane dirt road lined with trees and grass. There was no road sign that we were getting any nearer to Shambala. But we were on the right track (literally a track). At the end of the road, we faced a gate with no labels. In exasperation, Manuel declared that we were aborting our mission (it was past 5pm already) and it was time to eat dinner.
It didn't matter that we had an epic fail in our search for tranquility and art. What mattered was that we enjoyed this day trip and that we had good food and great laughs.
I am definitely going to miss next year's Syanang Syalen adventure. I hope that they continue doing it and bring people to replace me in this small fellowship of ours.
The good-byes have begun.
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