relaxing days in Lipa

I've always wanted to go with my friends whenever they would take a weekend break in Batangas. I can't recall anymore why I couldn't make it then but when plans were made during the long weekend, I immediately agreed to join.

The family of my friend Bunny had a beautiful vacation house in Lipa, Batangas and surprisingly, traffic wasn't that horrid when we left Manila around 5:30 p.m. last Wednesday. The drive was short and we reached our destination just in time for dinner.

I love how their property is simply filled up with a lot of fruit trees. There was no internet connection which was perfectly fine with me.

The sounds of farm animals throughout the day brought me back to simpler times in my province Negros Occidental.

The open space and fresh air was a welcome change from the congestion of Makati.

Sapodillas or chicos were in abundance.

Her mom also maintained flowers and herbs.

I initially thought that these dried items were chillies. I have no idea what these are.

A nice bench for an afternoon picnic.

A cottage next to the main house.

A male peacock strolling the gardens. Unfortunately, the female died already. This beautiful bird was consistently making strange sounds which we thought was were mating calls. It turned out to be sounds of anguish since the beautiful creature was shedding its feathers.

A perfect spot for my morning coffee.

The San Sebastian Cathedral.

This was completed in the mid-1800s and the materials chosen were able to withstand any possible earthquakes.

It would have been nice to check out the details of the church but there was an ongoing Mass.

One of our lunches was held at Summit Point Golf and Country Club.

The place was void of a lot of members so the grounds were quite peaceful.

I love the grandness of the clubhouse design.

The restaurant was open throughout the holidays as long as there were members using the facilities.

The golf course.

Our plan was to play tennis but the courts weren't ready yet.

Time for lunch. Sinigang.

I wished this had more of the tamarind taste.

I forgot the name of this vegetable dish.

Crispy Pata.

I don't usually eat breakfast but since there was food at the table upon waking up in the morning, it was hard to resist. Fresh pan de sal, cheese, fried egg and chorizo are breakfast staples that I love.

The diet plans were left behind in Manila.

Bibingka.

Suman.

I added condensed milk to mine. It was fresh and delicious.

Sardines and cheese on pan de sal.

Kesong puti on pan de sal. I ended up taking home a whole bag of pan de sal.

My morning coffee was taken at the verandah.

It was truly a wonderful and relaxing weekend with friends as we relaxed, gossiped and simply enjoyed the serenity of Lipa. I hope we will be going back soon.