Tagaytay Public Parks

After leaving St. Scholastica's Center of Spirituality, we went to Palace in the Sky and Picnic Grove at my insistence. I had heard of these places where some would go for a day out with their families, and wanted to see them. The only places in Tagaytay I've seen so far are religious retreat houses, Tagaytay Highlands and Antonio's Restaurant.

Peoples' Palace in the Sky was intended to be a residence for the Marcoses during the latter half of the 1980s but it wasn't finished by the time the Marcoses were kicked out of Malacanang. It has been converted to a park by latter administrations. It still isn't finished and you'd tire of the place in a few minutes, unless you're a kid - then you'd have fun in the playground. From what I'd call the top deck, one gets a bird's eye view of Tagaytay for almost 360 degrees.

The ticket booth at the entrance to the "Palace":


This is the palace as seen from the entrance. Which means you have a long climb up if you don't pay for the jeepney ride:


If the Palace was already high up a hill, you'd find that going to the shrine to Our Lady Mother of Fair Love means more steps going up:


Shrine to Our Lady Mother of Fair Love:


View of the Palace from the shrine:


The palace has picnic areas, stalls selling souvenirs, a playground, and a room with pictures of all the presidents of the Philippines. Past the playground is an arch leading to stairs going down the side of the hill:


The stairs lead to a small deck where you can also view Tagaytay. If you are afraid of heights, you may not want to look over the railing as you might feel that you are suspended over the air.


Going back up:


Tagaytay Picnic Grove is series of picnic tables on a hill.



There is an area where kids could go horseback riding if their parents are willing to pay for it.

Being on a hillside, it offers a view of the Tagaytay hills, and Taal Volcano.


A Dream Comes True
When we were going back to Manila we sort of got lost ... we didn't know where the passenger buses or jeepneys bound for Manila were. By the time we started asking around where we are, we were told we were in Pala Pala. Remember the dream I was talking about earlier? I assumed I had dreamed about being told I was in Palawan because I only heard two syllables: Pa-la. I did not know then there was a place called Pala Pala.

Sam and I finally ended up in Alabang Town Center where we wathced the movie Wedding Date.

St. Scholastica's Center of Spirituality

Sam paid for a retreat in her tuition but didn't attend... now the nuns want her to avail of it even if she goes on her own. She invited me to go with her. She scheduled it for April 13 - 15 at St. Scholastica Tagaytay. As April 13 came nearer, I was excited enough to have a dream that Sam and I were lost again, and when we asked where we were, I think the person in the dream said Palawan.

April 13, Wednesday
We planned to meet Wednesday morning near her place which is on the way to Zapote where we will take a jeep to Cavite, and a bus to Tagaytay. I left the house and was on the jeepney heading for the meeting place when I realized I forgot my wallet. Luckily I still had my coin purse so I was able to pay for the jeepney ride. Sam had to wait as I solved my little dilemma ... looking for an ATM.

St. Scholastica's Center of Spirituality, Tagaytay
When we got to St. Scho Tagaytay around lunch time, I immediately started "touring" the place. When the store was opened, I started buying some St. Benedict medals to have blessed and bring home. The nuns noticed this and "gently" but firmly reprimanded Sam. Take note that they reprimanded Sam and not me ... maybe because Sam was the student, and they felt they had "jurisdiction" over her. They said such activities are to be reserved on the last day. Sam assured them she'll be taking the retreat seriously the following day.

This statue of St. Benedict is in the middle garden.


The Main Building has many paintings depicting the life of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica. This is one of them:


This statue of St. Scholastica is located near the chapel, in a semi-secluded place:


The refectory (where everybody takes their meals):


This door leads to our quarters:


Seen at the back of this picture is a "bahay kubo". To the left of this kubo are the nuns' dormitories which are off limits to guests:


A path leading to the nuns' quarters:


Now, although St. Scho Tagaytay has a convent and chapel, it has no resident priest so the nuns have to attend mass in a church outside of the convent. That would mean that if you bought medals there, you still have to have them blessed somewhere. It just so happens that a group of parish priests from Pampanga were there for a week long seminar. I was able to have the medals I bought blessed that night without leaving the place.

With the medals blessed, and that bit reprimand from the nuns, I announced I'd leave Sam alone to her "retreat" for the 14th and 15th. Sam mentioned about not having a bible and in a spur of the moment decision I gave her the bible I brought with me. It was an act of generosity, but I think there was also a bit of "yabang" in that act. However, when I was writing the dedication on the bible, I was already very sincere about giving Sam the bible as I have a spare bible that PJ had given me.

April 14, Thursday

Took a few photos with Sam in the morning, before she started with the retreat stuff.

Photos that got the nuns shaking their heads:



Sam spent the rest of the day at the chapel, the cave, the prayer room and the gazebo, bringing the bible and a small notebook with her.

The prayer room above our quarters:


The Chapel of the Sacred Heart:


The altar inside the Chapel:


The main door as seen from inside the chapel:


The main door of the chapel as seen from the outside:


There is a small, raised garden beside the chapel:


Beneath the chapel is the Sacro Speco, a replica of the cave in Subiaco, Italy where St. Benedict stayed in solitude for three years.


Stairs leading to one of the doors to the Sacro Speco:


A walkway connects a retreat house to the chapel:


This same walkway crosses a path leading to the Gazebos:


The Gazebos:


I did my version of a retreat and did some meditating while sitting in the pocket gardens around the place. Initially, I spent the morning writing notes to the recipients of the medals I bought on postcards ... reminiscent of the reflection exercises in high school. When I had finished that, I just sat in the gardens, thought of nothing, and enjoyed my surroundings. I still took the occassional picture. A "flying" lizard did catch my attention when it jumped from a tree behind me to the tree in front of me. It was the first time I saw that kind of lizard for real (I only know them from books or TV).

Below and Behind the chapel is another garden with a fountain at the middle.


The back of the chapel, which is also the back of the altar:


Still part of the garden behind the chapel:


Sam would look for me when she wanted to eat, and that would be the only time we'd be together - eating in the refectory. She mentioned about praying and hoping to hear God's answer but not finding it. I asked her if she spent the whole time talking. Then I suggested instead of continuously speaking to God, she try staying quiet for a few minutes - then maybe she'd hear an answer.

With my bible now given to Sam, good thing I brought a book with me to read. With no one to talk to and nothing else to do, I managed to finish "Rule of Four".

April 15, Friday
Sam told me that she thinks she heard God show her the answer she was looking for. She didn't tell me what it was and I didn't pry.

Priests on retreat
I mentioned about the priests earlier. Sam and I would discover how priests are when they're being themselves. They are as noisy as a group of guys could be - there were priests who loved cracking jokes, and during mass, some would just do a crazy dance impromptu to match a praise song. When someone made the mistake of extending a note when the rest have stopped singing, everyone was trying to stay serious while it's obvious they would rather be bursting at the seams and rolling on the floor with laughter.

I have been to an all-boys school because my family would attend events at my brother's school, so I recognized these priests as older versions of the boys I saw. Sam, who hasn't been in an all boys school, was shocked to find that priests could be that noisy.

The priests in turn were curious about us. They'd see us during meal times and at mass. Most were probably wondering what we were doing there, as there were only 2 of us. We were mistaken for participants in a search-in (ladies trying to find out if they would want to join the convent), novices, or even members of the staff. A couple of priests did approach to ask us what we were there for to straighten things out. They were surprised we were there on a retreat with no priest to supervise us. They did not think it is a proper retreat and when told about the "tuition reason", one even dared to joke that the nuns were doing a business on retreats.

Apparently, St. Benedict's spot is a good place to air the pillows:


Friday morning, staff from SSC Manila arrived for their retreat. A number greeted Sam, they know her either as student or officemate as she'd worked at SSC before entering the College of Music. A couple even remembered ME ... as I was a student volunteer at the Registrar's office. Sam and I left before lunch.