Ligaya sa Lakbay Timeline: 2014 Year-End Review

February 16: Ligaya sa Lakbay joins Blogger as My Beloved Philippines (after leaving Tumblr)
February 24: San Agustin Church (Intramuros, Manila)
March 21: Makati Park and Gardens (Barangay Cembo, Makati)
April 13: San Agustin Church Part II (Intramuros, Manila)
April 14: Manila Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica (Intramuros, Manila)
April 29: BenCab Museum (Baguio City, Benguet)
May 9: Diplomat Hotel (Baguio City, Benguet)
May 17: The Grotto (Baguio City, Benguet), Mines View Park (Baguio City, Benguet)
June 13: Blog name is changed from "My Beloved Philippines" to "Ligaya sa Lakbay"
July 4: Convent of the Good Shepherd (Baguio City, Benguet), The Botanical Gardens (Baguio City, Benguet)
July 12: Laperal White House (Baguio City, Benguet), The Divine Mercy Convent (Baguio City, Benguet)
September 22: Cathedral of Our Lady of Atonement (Baguio City, Benguet)
October 25: Bell Church (Baguio City, Benguet)
December 15: Camp John Hay (Baguio City, Benguet)
December 24: Happy Holidays!
December 30: Mystical Cave (Antipolo, Rizal)
December 31: Year-End Review (THIS POST)

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!! 
-ABonymous-

Inday Nelly Deles's Mystical Cave @ Antipolo City, Rizal

There was this woman from Leyte named Inday Nelly Deles who constantly dreams of this cave. She then looked far and wide for it around the country, finding it in Antipolo City. Since the opening was too small, she decided to use dynamite to widen the opening.

With the discovery of this cave came the discovery of many beautiful crystals and minerals inside seemingly shaped like biblical characters, giving its name "Mystical Cave."

Stairs leading to the entrance

Footsteps leading down the cave

There were many interesting rock figures inside, such as...

...a heart-shaped rock (to the left)

...a stone that casts a shadow resembling the Last Supper

...a rock formation that makes a chiming sound (similar to a bell's) when hit LIGHTLY

The caretakers were also collecting groundwater. According to them, the water is clean enough to be potable (drinkable). Sure enough, the water had no taste, and is really cold and refreshing. It's the first time I tasted groundwater...wow!

We got there by taking a tricycle from the Cathedral to the cave. What I know is that we can rent a tricycle to bring us anywhere we want in Antipolo City...for a heartbreaking sum of money, of course.

Happy New Year!
-ABonymous-

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
In the Philippines, beautiful blinking and colorful Christmas lights line the streets. People go merrymaking and fuss about giving gifts to one another. Malls get stuffed and churches become overcrowded with patrons attending Simbang Gabi (Night mass) or Misa de Gallo  (Mass of the Rooster - morning past 4 am). But most of all, we Filipinos value about spending our Christmas with the people we love the most, especially our families and maybe some close relatives.

The (2012) picture is taken in the Ayala Triangle, where the Lights and Sound Show is currently going on by this time of posting. Hurry and catch it before it ends on December 31!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

-ABonymous-

Camp John Hay @ Baguio City, Mountain Province

PS Note: It has already been a LONG TIME ever since I have posted :P Here is why:
1. Me and my group mates went to Japan to participate in the 2014 Asian International Children's Film Festival to present the Philippines (our film was chosen and it was a privilege!)
2. My pointing finger of my right hand got rotten on the upper part and I had it operated on. Right now I am still taking medications. (It was painful as hell...but of course not as painful as giving birth to a donkey...maybe).
3. SCHOOLWORKS and ASSIGNMENTS....took me AT LEAST A WEEK to finish them all...

Well now you know my rise and eventual fall...2 times....ahahaha

I actually visited these places in the summer, but they are great destinations to go to on Christmas break! :D





Camp John Hay was used as a rest place for the United States Armed Forces in the Philippines and was run by the US Air Force before its time of closure. It was first created when Former President Theodore Roosevelt signed a decree reserving a portion of Benguet for military reservation by the US Army.

Although it is no longer a military base,there is still the American Residence in the camp which serves as the summer residence of the United States Ambassador of the Philippines, and therefore the public is not allowed to enter its premises.

In Camp John Hay, we visited 3 places: Bell House, the Bell House Gardens, and the Cemetery of Negativism.

1. Bell House

This was the official rest house of General John Franklin Bell. This house is very well-preserved, and is a beautiful piece of American architecture during the American occupation in the Philippines.

 View from the patio

painting on one of the walls

2. Bell House Gardens

I made a lot of turns and walking in small stone paths surrounded by tall pine trees...what's nice is I found a small gazebo in the middle of the forest. :D

 The Gazebo in the woods

The seal of the camp is inscribed on the floor of the gazebo

 Ampitheatre

 Ampitheatre

 View from the stairs leading to the Bell House

3. Cemetery of Negativism

The Cemetery of Negativism, also known as the Lost Cemetery, is created so that the soldiers in the American Period could "bury" their negative thoughts, and emotions, especially those thought about after fighting in the many wars that happened in the Philippines. Therefore, there are NO buried bodies and cadavers in this cemetery. It's just a bunch of tombstones with names like "Who Dunnit?" and "Kno Dam Wai".

After this trip we took a taxi (it was hard finding one in the camp so beware) and stepped off at Burnham Park. We were in a hurry for the bus so we were not able to go roam around the park. Maybe next time when I visit Baguio again...

Bell Church @ Baguio City, Mountain Province

I wake up. (My parents woke me up. XD) I sit up still feeling sleepy, until I realized something. Its my last day in Baguio! D: Noooooooo....I'll just return next year...no problem with that...right?

Well, before boarding the provincial bus back to Mani-....ehm Pasay, we decided to make the best of the few remaining hours in Baguio. We've decided to visit the farthest place first (well, from our motel este rented room) so that we will visit the other nearest places on the way back to the house.

With that note, we decided to visit Bell Church, a Taoist Temple situated near the border of Baguio and La Trinidad. 

One would look in awe at the beautiful garden, the towering arches, and the breathtaking views of the h̶o̶u̶s̶e̶s̶ hills that surround the compound.

According to the Baguio City website (City of Pines), Chinese (tourists and locals) flock to the site on the Spring Festival, or as we know it as Chinese New Year. The Spring Festival Celebration lasts 15 days. on the 6th to tenth day families flock to the temple(s) to pray for good fortune and health. On the last day, there will be a Lantern Festival where children carry lanterns around.

There was this stairway to the higher parts of the compound (up the hill) so we decided to climb it. The higher we climb, the better the view of the hills. (But the houses can be eyesores to the greenery...).

However, there was this set of stairs that was restricted to outsiders because it is private property.