After Major Hollywood features, such as Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July and Brokedown Palace in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, Manila will once again star in a Movie
After seeing him as the Hawk eye on the Blockbuster film the Avengers, Jeremy Renner is set to out an bang the big screen with his latest action- suspense movie THE BOURNE LEGACY.
BOURNE AGAIN?
The Bourne films are a series of action/thriller spy films based on the character Jason Bourne, a former CIA assassin suffering from extreme memory loss. Matt Damon, who played as Jason Bourne in the main Bourne trilogy, will not be reprising his role for this movie. The actor made it clear that he would not do the fourth film without director Paul Greengrass, who directed both Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum.
On the fourth installment, a new character is bourne; Aaron Cross played by Jeremy Renner. The New Bourne movie will tell a story that deals with the consequences of the actions of Matt Damon's character Jason Bourne. The original Bourne trilogy gets rebooted as a new assassin (Renner) is recruited and trained for the shady purposes of the Treadstone Project.
FILMING, IT'S MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES!
Manila's rich cultural heritage and it's history as a shooting location won over the Production team. Several locations was also considered in making the movie -- Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) in Vietnam and Jakarta in Indonesia bid for the said project; but Manila captured Director Tony Gilroy's vision for the movie.
The team sought the help of the President of the Philippine Film Studios; Lope V. Juban, Jr. --- who has a long history of assisting foreign film outfits while shooting in the Philippines.
According to Juban, “The Philippines has played almost any country—Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Panama... It is only now that we are filming Manila as Manila, which is great for us.”
Aside from shooting in Manila, El Nido in Palawan showcased its beauty in the Film.
In an Article posted on the Manila Bulletin's website, Gilroy explained: “We started in South Korea, shot in and around New York and then moved to the mountains of North Calgary in Canada. We also went to Manila, in the Philippines, and the South China Sea. We even shot a sequence in Abu Dhabi,”
“I’ve never been able to write without going to the real places where the story took place, so that need to work on location was already there as a screenwriter,” he says of his work method.
... ACTION!
The “Legacy” filming began in the San Andres neighborhood, which the production team describes as a.. “ramshackle houses and dark alleyways typical of the city’s lower- and middle-class areas.” And, of course, based on news reports and endless announcements proudly made by whoever was authorized to reveal such information for the day, most of us also knew where the other filming locations as well: the Ninoy Aquino International Airport; the historic Intramuros district, known for its Spanish colonial architecture; the Manila Yacht Club; the Marikina covered market; the Metropoint MRT train station in Pasay City; and El Nido in Palawan.
But it’s not like we’ve made it too easy for the production team to work here. With parts of the chase scenes being filmed at the Navotas Fish Port—apparently known as the fishing capital of the Philippines, according to the same movie release—every morning during the shoot, the crew had to scrub, clean and dry the market.
The production design team of Kevin Thompson also reportedly removed hanging tarps, added skylights and supporting posts, and scrubbed the floor to lessen the overpowering fish smell. While this must have been quite a relief for the foreign cast and crew, the clean up did serve a practical purpose: making the location safe for the complex stunt work to be performed there.
Stunt-wise, Jeremy Renner (who plays Operation Outcome agent Aaron Cross/Kenneth Gibson) and Rachel Weisz (Marta Shearling) had played at being cornered by local authorities in the scenes filmed in San Andres, where the two make a daring escape by sliding three stories down a narrow opening between two buildings. Apparently because of “very specific requirements,” the set—a narrow three-story structure lovingly nicknamed by the filmmakers as “the chasm”—had to be built by Thompson’s team as well.
Producer Patrick Crowley also relates, “When we looked at the locations [in Manila during the pre-prod], he [Unit Director Dan Bradley] was with us, and then he said, ‘I’m going to stay behind for a week. We waited for Dan to just sit and meditate and come up with great ideas. He’s come up with some things that have never been done before.”
Bradley’s mind whipped up a motorcycle chase that would take place on Manila’s crowded streets; much of it would be filmed with Renner in the rider’s seat. “When you’re doing something in which there’s somebody on a motorcycle and they’re not wearing a helmet, you have to have the principal actor do that,” says Crowley. “So we had Jeremy very much involved, and Rachel as well.” This is partly what terrified Weisz with the stunts they filmed here.
Bradley’s team also retrofitted several jeepneys that figured prominently in a key chase sequence with Renner and Weisz, filmed on Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard, the main route to the presidential palace. According to the figures released, approximately 90 cars and more than 300 extras were used for the sequence, which shot on a mile and a half stretch of Magsaysay Blvd. through three major intersections over several weekends.
“Manila’s a tough city to work in: There are traffic jams, and it’s hard to move around,” remarks Crowley. “But the people are so gracious and excited about films. They know more about the ‘Bourne’ movies than I know about the ‘Bourne’ movies.” And surely everyone here is excited to see this one.
“The Bourne Legacy” opens locally on August 8. Produced by Universal Pictures, and distributed by United International Pictures through Solar Entertainment.
Just like how I discovered Torch Browser, a month ago, I was simply looking for an alternative to my slow but feature-rich opera browser. After testing different browser platforms, I've noticed that Chromium Based Browser are the fastest and most reliable. Searching the net, I bumped into this browser with a catchy slogan 'not a browser, but a WOWser'. Well, I've been using this browser for almost 2 years now so that means that I've been "WOWed" by this "WOWser"
What is ROCKMELT?
Rockmelt is a free social media web browser that integrates a technique for surfing the web that focuses on Google Search and social media, in particular Facebook and Twitter.
FEATURES?
Several features stood out from the rest. what i like about this browser are the EDGES! it has 2 interchangeable edges -- the APP edge and the FRIEND edge which can be hidden by clicking 1 button.
THE FRIENDS EDGE
Even if you are busy surfing the web and not logged into facebook, the friends edge will let you send and receive facebook chat messages. you can collapse it so that it will only show your friend's thumbnail photo or expand it to show their names. You will also be alerted by a sound when someone has sent you a message.
THE APPS EDGE
The Application Edge or App edge is more like a feed ticker. there are a lot of available sites added on the rockmelt app center where you can automatically add a website. alternatively, the app center has a feature that will allow you to just copy and past the web site's URL/ address and Rockmelt will look if a feed is available. You can also add as many twitter accounts as you want with the App edge. it will also allow you to compose, send and receive tweets without going to the website.
Another feature on the App edge is the Social Reading and Social Watching option which will change how you browse the web. By letting you connect with friends around reading news and watching videos, Social Reading and Social Watching make the web more interactive and enjoyable, and also helps you find relevant content quickly.
FACEBOOK NOTIFICATION
Just like on the website, Rockmelt has 3 additional buttons up the top. The friend Request, Messages and Notification icons are present and won't go anywhere --- unless you close the browser of course!
It will alert you with how many friend requests are pending, how many messages are unread and the number of notifications left untouched.
SUPER DOOOPER OMNIBOX
The Omnibox for chrome based browsers are often used to directly search web contents (like a search engine box) and to type the URL and access a specific website. With Rockmelt, not only will you be able to do that but search you Facebook friends as well.
SHARING!
Share websites and ideas easily. with just a click of a button, you'll be able to share what you're reading and discovering in to your facebook and twitter accounts at the same time.
WHATSUPP?!
You can also update your facebook and twitter status all at the same time. just like the sharing option on the browser, status updates are just a click away!
THEMES
Dress up your browser just how you like it. All available themes for Google chrome are compatible with Rockmelt so you can personalize the look of your WOWser
EXTENSIONS
Most Extensions for Google chrome are working. But Rockment is currently working to make other extensions compatible with the Rockmelt
AVAILABILITY
Rockmelt is available for Windows based PC, MAC OS X and iOS devices.
Overall, Rockmelt gives us the best social web browsing experience that no other browser can.
Noticed something different on your favorite social networking site?
After restarting my PC a couple of minutes ago, I noticed something different after logging into facebook --- a notification for another app? nahhh...
After the successful lauch in different counties around the world (US, UK, Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa) last month, Facebook App Center finally made it to the Philippines.
What Is App Center?
Basically, It's Similar to Apple’s, Google’s and Amazon’s app stores. It's a marketplace where you can download cool applications for your Android and iOS devices.The App Center allow users to browse apps by category, such as Games or Sports, and filter to show apps that are available via the web, mobile or both. Apps are recommended based on collective ratings, personal recommendations, what’s trending and popularity among your friends. Conveniently, if users select an app while browsing in the App Center, they can opt to be reminded to install the app the next time they turn on one of their mobile devices.
What's different?
You can go to Facebook.com/appcenter, and choose apps you want to download on your Android or iOS device. Those apps then show up as notifications in your Facebook mobile app. Click the notification and it will take you to the regular app store on your phone so you can download the app in question. But you still need to go back to the Facebook app to authorize the app you just downloaded.
According to mashable.com, When you access an app on your phone that you synced with the Facebook app, and one of your Facebook friends visits the App Center, it will show your friend which apps you use.
In that sense, it’s more like a recommendation center than a store. For newbie smartphone owners, this might be useful for finding popular apps. There are numerous app review sites, but this would be a place where users can see which apps their friends are using. You can see what apps are popular with Facebook users in general.
So, for the 900 million facebook user around the globe, the app center is set to become the new, central place to find great apps. Question is, will it follow the success of the Apple/ iTunes Store and Google Play?
Heavy rains and strong winds trigger class suspension today (August 1, 2012, Wednesday)
http://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph
According to PAGASA's (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration) latest Bulletin, At 6:00 a.m.. today, the center of Typhoon "GENER" was located based on satellite and surface data at 265 km Northeast of Basco, Batanes (22.6°N, 123.6°E). Maximum sustained winds of 120 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 150 kph. It is forecast to move North at 7 kph. Meanwhile, a low pressure area (LPA) was estimated at 270 km Northwest of Laoag City (20.4°N, 118.5°E).
Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay is planning on making the CBD as the first city in the Philippines to have access to wireless fidelity.
“We are planning to pursue citywide wi-fi connectivity, and City Hall is a good place to start. Then we will select two pilot barangays first before gradually covering the entire city,” Binay said.
"Wireless Hotspots" have been insalled on selected floors of the City Hall, making it the first LGU (Local Government Unit) in the Country to make its City Hall a "Wifi zone".
In partnership with PLDT, the City is planning on transforming Makati as the nation's first "wifi city". Binay gratefully acknowledged PLDT for its support to the project through the free use of its PLDT WiFi Zone powered by a premium broadband connection using a dedicated line.
“We thank our private sector partner, PLDT, for helping us take this first step towards becoming the country’s first WiFi City, which will significantly speed up the delivery of services and benefits to our constituents and stakeholders,” he said.
Officially launched yesterday (July 12, 2012), and in time for the Mayor's 35th Birthday Celebration, The installation marked as a kick-off for the project.
The mayor said internet connectivity will ease communication and collaboration between the city government and the barangays, the private sector, and other concerned sectors. Students of both public and private schools will also gain immense benefits when they have free access to internet, he said.
In previous years, I was trying to look for a fast, secured and a one-stop-shop browser that would fit my needs. Right now I'm using Rockmelt, A social Browser with basic browser features. After months of testing, Chromium based browser are the fastest, lightest browser I've used.
I was browsing the net when i saw this cool logo with the label, download now! When I've clicked it, i was redirected to their page asking me to download a browser. So far, I'm contented with what I'm using-- but what the heck, I'll download it anyway. While waiting for the download to complete, I've checked out their video introduction and saw a potential for this kind of browser. It has cool features like an automatic sharing button for facebook, a torrent downloader built-in to the browser , and a cool video downloader!
WHAT IS TORCH?
Torch is a free and unique software that offers you powerful browsing together with built-in media downloading and sharing features.
Torch Browser is based on the Chromium technology platform, giving it fast browsing capabilities. With Torch, you can share sites you like, download torrents, accelerate downloads and grab videos - all directly from the browser. Everything you need is a just click away with Torch, so you don't have to use or download additional programs and tools.
UNIQUE FEATURES...
Built-in Torrent Downloader
Many of us have separate programs for torrent downloads (limewire, vuze, utorrent, etc.). but with torch, you don't need to leave your browser and open an additional program to download stuff.
Video Grabber
Torch lets you easily save web videos from virtually any site you go to. Torch's video grabber is integrated into the browser and supports a broad range of file types, so once you find a web video you want to save, you can easily grab and save it without having to use external programs, converters or extensions. I use Internet download manager and other online sites (Keepvid , File2HD etc.) to download flv or embedded videos. The problem with those tools are their limitations. Online video grabbing sites supports major video sharing webpage (Youtube, Myspace, Dailymotion) but not regular websites with videos. I've tested TORCH and was able to capture the video and download it when no other sites or tool can.
Easy Sharing
Share sites, videos, songs and search results with your friends on Facebook.
Just like Rockmelt, Torch browser includes a built-in button to easily share on social networks the websites you like and the articles you find interesting.
Download Accelerator
Speed up the download rate of your media files with a powerful download accelerator that is integrated into Torch browser. Torch browser's accelerator downloads your files in optimal speed and works directly from your browser so you don't have to download external software
Overall, Torch Browser is worth a try. The feature-rich browser offers speed, efficiency and functionality that no other browser can offer. In a competitive world of web browsers, Torch Browser proves that it's not your ordinary browser!
Healthy. Irresistible. Delicious. Three words that best describes HID Burgers in Cainta. (Oppsss! that is where they derive their name)
After a hard day's work, i usually look for a place to unwind and chillax! yeahhh!!! I saw HID Burgers from their billboards across imelda ave. in cainta. curious on what they offer, my friends and i went their to get a fix.
They have several tables and chairs on an open-type/ outdoor sitting casual resto. We immediately rush toward the cashier to order from their huge menu board. looking at their prices may seem a little pricey than the regular Jolibee Yum Burger but it's actually cheaper that those of Stackers, Brothers Burger,Johnny Rockets etc. You have to wait for at least 10 minutes before your food to be served because they prepare it real time.
WHAT THEY OFFER?
a wide variety of grilled gourmet burgers, chicken tenders, potato wedges, chon wings (korean style fried chicken) and Hungarian sausage
my fourth time eating on this joint when I've noticed something on the wall.
"All burgers are freshly made from 100% Chicken. No extenders."
It was a shocker because i thought i was eating 100% pure beef the whole time. Oh well, that's the beauty of it--- HEALTHEY!.
Since they've opened, prices had become a bit higher. i remember when we started going there last year, the cheapest burger cost Php 105 and the more expensive sicilian and cheese bomb costs Php 125
just ride beside HID is Boozers, a liquor store. from the name itself, they sell alcoholic drinks plus some bottled water, soft drinks and cigars.
WITWIT? (where in the world is this?)
Location: Phoenix Gas Station, Imelda Avenue Cainta, Rizal
Hours: Mon - Sun: 11:00am - 2:00am
Email: hidburgers@gmail.com
Phone: 217 8086
I'M LOST!
From CUBAO
Ride a Jeep bound to Cainta, Taytay, Angono/ Binangonan Hi-way and ask the driver to Drop you off at Vista Verde Gate 2 or Phoenix Gasoline station.
If you're riding the Best LRT in Town! (Line 2), just get off Santolan station (well, you have no other choice since this is the last station), Ride the FX to Vista Verde and just walk from Vista Verde gate 1 to Phoenix Gas station
From ORTIGAS
Just ride any Bus going to Cainta or Taytay (Green Liner/ RRCG) and ask the Man in white ("the konduktor") to drop you off at the Junction in Cainta. then ride a jeep to Sta. Lucia Mall. Phoenix Gas Station is on your left and just say "PARA!" if you spot it!
By the way, if you're living the the cainta area, they also have delivery services
According to a study done by Moses Murandu, sprinkling granulated sugar can kill bacteria that inhibits healing and causes pain. In the six-month study on 21 patients, Murandu used the sugar on bedsores, leg ulcers, and amputations when wounds didn’t respond to conventional treatments.
This treatment was originally used in traditional African medicine. it works when sugar is sprinkled on a wound, it draws out the water that allows bacteria growth in the wound. It's not painful, but actually reduces pain greatly. It’s also much cheaper than medicines and does the same thing. Mr. Murandu was give a grant to continue using sugar as a remedy on 100 more patients. He is very excited to bring relief to so many patients who have been suffering from chronic pain.
The King of Comedy, Dolphy Died Tuesday night (July 10, 2012) at 8:45 pm due to Multiple Organ Failure, secondary to complications brought about by severe Pneumonia, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and Acute Renal Failure.
MANILA, Philippines (4th UPDATE) – Dolphy, dubbed the country’s “King of Comedy,”whose body of work on stage, movies and television mirrors the history of Philippine entertainment, died on Tuesday night. He was 83.
With his lean physique and humble demeanor, Dolphy’s memorable characters, notably as the down-on-his-luck family man John Puruntong in the long-running sitcom “John and Marsha,” effectively captured the travails of the common Filipino who is able to find humor even in the direst situations.
Dolphy died after a five-year battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to his long-time partner, actress and singer Zsa Zsa Padilla.
"We would like to inform the public that Mr. Rodolfo 'Dolphy' Quizon, passed away today, at 8:34 p.m. due to multiple organ failure, secondary to complications brought about by severe pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and acute renal failure," the Makati Medical Center said in a statement.
"We join the entire Filipino Community in praying for the soul of Mr. Quizon and his dearly beloved family and friends. To the Quizon Family, we extend our deepest condolences," the hospital said.
What makes a good trip a truly memorable one? Is it the the people you're with? is it the food? or is it the place itself?
It was 6 months ago when the backpackers planned their trip to puerto princesa, palawan. everyhting is set and had our flight booked , hotel reserved and our activities plotted. but a week before our trip, 5 backpackers backed out and i was the only one eager for our trip.
luckily, my officemate juyjuy invited me to join her in her coron, palawan trip. her friends backed out on their trip as well....
enough of the melodramatic intro...
a day before our palawan trip, i'm still having second thoughts of joining juyjuy...i have an early shift the day of our trip and i haven't asked my boss' permission. but everything seem to fall exactly on the right place, at the right time...i managed to tell my boss about my flight and he agreed to let me go...
5:00 am...
i was bombarded with a lot of text messages from juyjuy. she kept on reminding me that our flight is @ 7:10 am
onboard airphilippines express bound to coron, palawan
I started packing my stuff around 5.30... left our house in cainta at 6:10 am... rode a cab for a good 30 mins for Php 210 [around US$5-6]... i arrived at NAIA [Ninoy Aquino International Airport] around 6:40... i immediately texted juyjuy and started looking for her... around 6:50, we went to the check in counter of Airphil Express [PALexpress] and was shocked to realize that our flight was rescheduled... we have to wait until 9:30 am before we can board the plane...
I was anxious to know that we'll be riding a Dash 8-300 airplane with the propellers on both sides... we left manila at exactly 10:00 am and arrived at Bosuanga airport 40 minutes later. the view from the plane was absolutely breath-taking... we manage to see a couple of islands because of the clear weather...
coron's incredible landscape
one of coron's majestic island
Shuttle Ride: JOHNVIC:: 0921-2727862
First thing we've noticed after landing at Francisco Reyes Airport [Bosuanga, Coron, Palawan Airport], was the warm smiles and very accommodating people of the province. we've waited 15 mins for the shuttle to be filled with locals and tourists. thanks to the Local Government of Palawan, the 1 hour 30 mins. travel time was now lessened and you can reach Coron town proper for 30 to 45 mins. max. It'll cost you Php 150 [$ 3.50-$4.00]/ person. the side scenery was none the less amazing and you cant help but admire mother nature's beauty...
Since we arrived almost 3 hours late, we missed the tour that we're supposed to be joining and decided to think of another plan to spend the day... we're not wasting a whole day just because of a delayed flight..
We went to one of Coron's first and original floating hotel.... Krystal Lodge.
The Shuttle Driver aka kuya johnvic dropped us in an esquinita . It was scary at first, but after a few steps, we were greeted by mangroves and a long and narrow wooden bridge. I was trying to scare juyjuy by jumping up and down to shake the bridge when suddenly--i stopped... Not because the bridge has fallen down but because i was mesmerize with what i saw. For the first time in my life, i saw houses on stilts. It was like on TV. We were greeted by ate Mylene-- "The Care taker". Finding great deals was Juyjuys forte. she managed to get a room for the 2 of us for only Php 600.00 ($14-15) a night.
wooden bridge to krystal lodge
what's in store for a 600 peso room? Everything!
>unlimited wifi access (smartbro)
unlimited coffee refills
great view of the sea
clean, relaxing, comfortable and well-ventilated rooms
If you want to get away from the buzzing sound of the bars, i would definitely recommend this place. plus, a great view of the sunset and the stars at night will sure come a long way. Aling Cely "the owner yeah!" just arrived few days ago from N.Y and started telling us stories on how the Krystal Lodge started. (She gave us free chocolates by the way... "bribe?" --- nahhhh!) Established in 1994 with just a simple Hut, Aling Cely "the owner" and her Husband "the other owner :p " decided to stay in coron after an engineering project. Many Tourists , both foreign and local, enjoyed visiting their house on stilts and requested the Langit's if the could spend the night over and just pay for the rent. Seeing the potential, the family secured necessary permits from the local Government and the DENR, and decided to open an Inn.
The Boulevard
After unpacking our stuff, Juyjuy and i decided to eat Lunch. We left the lodge and went to the public market to look for an Eatery. You can get one full meal for less than Php. 50.00 ($1-1.50). After Lunch, we head on to the Boulevard to check out the blue waters of Coron.
We decided to Brave Coron's tallest spot! Hello! Mt. Tapyas. A clear view from Krystal Lodge, it's more of a Hill than a Mountain. Ate Mai told us that the best time to climb Mt. Tapyas was around 4 pm. Just a Quick 10-minute walk, we we're greeted by Locals on the foot of the mountain. a staggering 700-step climb awaits us. For the "Not-into-mountain-climbing" peeps like me, there are waiting shed every 100 steps so you can take a breather. It took us almost 2 hours to reach the view deck and just in time for the sunset. The view from the top was absolutely breath-taking.
* TOP 3 MUST HAVES...
WATER.... I MEAN PLENTY OF WATER! 100 GALLONS
TOWEL.... TO WIPE YOUR FACE SO THAT YOU WONT LOOK OILY ON ANY OF YOUR PHOTOS
CAMERA... FORGET THIS AND YOU WONT HAVE ANY EVIDENCE!
* WHERE TO START?
TRICYCLE... COST PhP 8.00 (c .25) FOR LAZY PEOPLE
WALK... WALK... WALK... AROUND 10 MINUTES FROM THE MAIN ROAD/ MARKET
We went to tagaytay a month ago... we spent the night at a vacant lot drinking... eating and enjoying the laughs. we left manila at around 10 pm and took us an hour to get there. the first thing you need to do if you're going to tagaytay or if you happen to pass through it, is you need to stop by 7-11 on the junction... btw, the cost of the gasoline from manila to tagaytay and back is Php. 600 [that how much gasoline we have on the tank and we were able to get back to manila-- i think that's enough]
We took the Roxas Boulevard - Baclaran -Coastal Road route... then we pass through the towns of Bacoor, Imus and Dasmarinas, Cavite via Aguinaldo Highway. you know you're heading the right way if you pass by SM Dasmarinas and Robinsons Palapala. At the end of Aguinaldo Highway is the Tagaytay Rotonda (roundabout) where a statue of Ninoy Aquino, a BPI with ATM, Days Inn, Max's Restaurant and 7-11 store as landmarks.
other ways of getting to tagaytay?
Option 1: via SLEX Sta. Rosa Exit, the most popular and easiest, is a straight drive all the way to Tagaytay Public Market (and right smack into Tagaytay Econo Inn) where you turn right going to Tagaytay city proper and Nasugbu/Balayan/Lemery Batangas or left going to People's Park in the Sky. Usual travel time from Makati CBD is 1.5 hours.
Option 2: SLEX Greenfields Exit, an alternate route to Tagaytay that pass by Pramana, Nuvali, Eton City and Paseo de Sta. Rosa, ideal to avoid traffic buildup on Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay National Road on Saturday mornings thus making it the fastest route to Tagaytay on weekends.
Option 3: SLEX Southwoods exit then Governor's Drive in Carmona going to Dasmarinas. Turn left on Maguyam Road just before the Shell Station to your left.
Option 4: Another route for the adventurous to Tagaytay is via Daang Hari that passes by Molino, Bacoor, Imus, Dasmarinas and Silang. It bypasses the traffic chokepoint of Bacoor rotonda but not SM Dasma and Robinsons.
Option 5: From Sto. Tomas, Batangas via StarToll in going to Lipa City, take Sambat exit and follow the national road to Talisay then go up Ligaya Drive, the zigzag road to Tagaytay (sometimes called Bitukang Manok, not for the faint of heart and newbie drivers)
you can also take the bus along EDSA for only Php. 150 ++ and get off at the tagaytay rotonda...
you can buy your supplies of booze and food at 7-11 before looking somewhere to spend the night..
if you have a car and on a tight budget, you can just park at the vacant lot near PAGCOR for no extra cost... the vacant lot is being used for biking and horse back riding and has a clear view of the taal volcano during daytime...you can also stay at Amora's Home near the picnic grove for as low as Php. 1200 or if you want to have a clear view of the lake and the volcano, starflower tourist lodge will be a good choice. room rates starts at Php. 1800
After spending the night drinking, eating and laughing, we went to the palace in the sky [it was supposed to be pres. ferdinand marcos' unfinished rest house] at the break of dawn... entance cost Php. 15 i believe... we saw a weird looking insect and named it after our friend maki [he wasn't able to join us because his mom was sick]
i remember going to the palace i n the sky when i was in grade school during fieldtrips alongside the coca-cola factory and rizal's house in laguna.
well, it doesn't look nor feel and definitely doesn't smell like a palace anymore... the local government [if they are the one who's running it] is not making a good job in maintaining the place... tsk..tsk..tsk...
we got this shirt from one of the shops in the palace in the sky for Php. 120... there are a lot of novelty items and pasalubong in those shops.
after taking some pictures, we went to the famous Mushroomburger in Aguinaldo Highway... we chomp on mushroom burger [cost: php. 45 - 100 ++] for breakfast and ate at mc donald's for brunch before going home...
