Tampuhan Café and Bed and Breakfast

“Hindi habang buhay kaya kong magpretend na hindi ako nasasaktan. Ano ako Yakult? Everyday OK.”

- Unknown

Ang pagtatampo ay isang expression of love. May iba’t-ibang uri ng tampo –may  mababaw, may malalim, at may simpleng pag-iinarte lamang. Pero bakit nga ba nagtatampo ang isang tao? Isang bagay lang ang madalas sanhi nyan– nasaktan mo siya. Dahil mahalaga ka para sa kanya,  minsan kahit anong gawin o hindi mo gawin, malaking bagay para sa kanya. 

May scientific finding ang pagtatampo, dahil nasa sinapupunan pa lamang ang isang tao binibigay na ng kanyang ina ang mga bagay na kailangan niya kahit hindi niya tahasang hinihingi. At balang araw, pag nagmahal na siya, gusto rin niya na mahalin siya the way he or she deserves to be loved, without articulating it.

Maraming bagay para suyuin ang isang nagtatampo. Karamihan sa nababasa ko ay simpleng paglalambing. Sabi naman ni Rey Valera “at kahit na may pagkukulang ka, isang halik mo lang, limot ko na.” Pero pinaka-importante pa rin sana na pag-usapan ang ugat ng tampuhan.

Taal volcano crepe

Pesto tinapa

Pepperoni pizza

Mocha latte

A local artist’s rendition of Juan Luna's “Tampuhan”

Saan? Maganda siguro sa Tuscany para sureball na pansinin ka talaga pero kung masyado namang malayo yun pwede na siguro sa isang coffee shop sa Batangas na tinayo para sa mga mag-sing irog na nagkatampuhan. Yung gaya ng sa masterpiece ni Juan Luna. Pakiramdam ko hindi napagbigyan ng lalaki yung kagustuhan ng babae or vice-versa kaya sila humantong sa tampuhan, pero sa isip-isip ng nagtatampo, “hindi ko naman hihilingin sa iyo ang isang bagay, kung alam kong hindi mo ito kayang ibigay”.      

Tampuhan Café and Bed and Breakfast

Calle Marcela Agoncillo, Poblacion 6

Taal, Batangas

Tel. No.: 0917-8903566

Marikit-na, Maniwaya

“It is so hard to leave - until you leave.  And then it is the easiest goddamned thing in the world.”

- John Green

I didn’t know what to expect coming to Maniwaya. I didn’t make any resort reservations. I just needed to get away and rode the earliest bus that will take me to Bondoc Peninsula. I just wanted to know if what I need is just love and the beach just like that quote I found later on at Marikit-na. But perhaps, after all my musing and long walk by the beach, all I need is simply the awareness of how blessed my life is, and that love isn’t always a verb.

How to get to Markit-na, tips, and trivia:

1. From Buendia, take Lucena-bound bus (4 am) and get off at Grand Central Terminal.

2. From Lucena, take Catanuan-bound van (7 am). Tell the driver to drop you off at General Luna pier or market. General Luna is the town before Catanuan.

3. From General Luna, take the passenger boat going to Maniwaya (10 am). Boat fare is just P150 and travel takes an hour. The same boat leaves Maniwaya and returns to General Luna at 7 am the next day.

4. From Maniwaya pier, ride a habal-habal going to Marikit-na. Fare is just P20.

5. Marikit-na is a portmanteau of the two words “Marikina” (where the owner hails) and “marikit” (beautiful). As the name suggests, the resort is truly homey, rustic and marikit. It used to be just a vacation house for the owner’s family and friends until recently converted into a resort.

6. Electricity in the island runs from 3 pm – 11 pm. But since the resort has its own solar panel, expect additional hours of electricity any time of the day.

7. Kuya Ron (resort manager), Ren and all the staff are very hands-on and helpful to the guests. They can arrange boat transfers and island hopping (Palad Sand Bar and Ungab Rock Formations) and cook for you for just P200 per meal.

8. Maniwaya can also be reached from mainland Marinduque. But it takes additional hours and more transfer, if taking this route from Manila.  

9. Contact information of Marikit-na for reservation – 0927-8789782.

Majayjay Bed and Breakfast

“She was an oasis for my parched and lonely soul.”

- Minyong Ordoñez

It is a short but expressive quote by an advertising icon perfectly apt for Majayjay Bed and Breakfast (MBB), a charming and homey place in the old and quaint town of Majayjay in Laguna. But it was actually meant for his beautiful wife, the former TV star Encar Benedicto.  Together, they built the bed and breakfast place (originally meant to be their retirement home) with an inspiration they got from staying in a Victorian bed-and-breakfast wooden house in Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts during one of their holiday vacations. 

I was actually hoping to meet the amiable couple who owns the MBB but I was surprised and a little saddened to find out that Minyong already passed away. A year ago to be exact. He might have penned Jollibee’s “Langhap-Sarap” slogan but I think his greatest legacy would always be this bed and breakfast place.

Located at the foot of Mt. Banahaw, beside a babbling brook, MBB is a five-hectare sanctuary for those who want to recharge and simply get away from the city stress and traffic. It has a rustic charm with bountiful views of the lush greenery and mountains, and expanse of clear blue sky.

The three-bedroom main house is decorated with traditionally designed Filipino furniture, made with native materials such as bamboo and rattan. In the living room, family mementos and memorabilia are proudly displayed.

Contrary to its name, the bahay na bato-inspired Lumang Bahay looks sparkling new and has a  Baguio-feel to it. Small wooden horses are prominently displayed in the silong and the living room. They must have been the favorite of Minyong.  

The Bahay Kubo, overlooking a ravine, is the coolest among the accommodations. The modern bamboo cottage has a pabitin, which reminds me of my childhood whenever I visited my grandparents in the barrio especially during fiesta.

The garden and backyard of MBB is gifted with an extraordinary view of nature surrounded by countless trees, bamboo groves, terraced rice fields and some tamed animals. It also has a rattan hammock under the shade and a bamboo-roofed Indonesian papag, making it a perfect place to snooze or cry over All the Bright Places.

MBB serves buffet breakfast with pandesal and white cheese, fried garlic rice, egg omelet, longanisa, daing na bangus, fresh fruits and juice. But of all the delectable dishes, I must say that there’s nothing compared to their pork adobo atsuete na sobrang sarap.

After having a good night rest and a sumptuous meal, the next best thing to do is explore the other natural and cultural jewels of Majayjay from its century-old church to rainforest, rivers and waterfalls.

Time flies way too fast. How I wish it knows how to slow down. I want to enjoy more the provincial hospitality of the people behind MBB, the cool mountain breeze, the soothing sound of chirping birds, the yummy adobo, the moments I had in this place that maybe I could never experience again. But somehow, it gives me comfort that in the end, it’s not really what people take that matters, but it’s what they leave.

Majayjay Bed and Breakfast

Brgy. San Miguel, 18-B Gozo Subd.

Majayjay, Laguna

Tel. No.: 0918-9181416