Cafe in the Sky: The Breathtaking View

Last June 13, 2015, we traveled the road traveled by many before us. All we want is to go to Sitio La Presa and visit the location of the famous TV series, Forevermore. To take pictures of the Calay’s house…the bench…of Bonita the pig, Justin Bibe the duck, the chickens…and the plantation where the strawberries were planted and where the “kambal na strawberry” was found. 

In looking for a place near the area to stay for the night…we found so much more. We found a place to relax…to just let the time pass us by…a place aptly called “Cafe in the Sky”.

A gem of A place that almost touch the sky

Where clouds seemed like an arm length away

Foggy Afternoon.

This is what welcomed us in the parking area of the Cafe…the fog slowly creeping up. But it did not diminish the beauty of the place. Instead, it gave a hint of mystery…of what awaits us the next day.

Looking closely on the fist picture…I was surprised…as in truly surprised...to discover a rainbow beyond the fog and the clouds. I did not know that there's a rainbow when I took the picture.

All the four pictures are taken using my iPhone4S.

Look closely and look for the rainbow...

It's cloud and fog...where one ends and the other begins???

Night View of Baguio City from the Balcony of the Cafe.

There were no stars on the night sky but down below were the twinkling lights of Baguio City. The pictures did not do justice to what our eyes saw. Next time we visit, we will do better to capture the night scene…better than these.

The Dawn.

Wikipedia define dawn as the time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the presence of weak sunlight, while the sun itself is still below the horizon.

I set the alarm at 4:30am…and forced myself to get out of bed when all I really wanted was to snuggle. Because I knew that early morning…before the sun rises...the view would be spectacular…and it was.

The long and winding road...

It's not Mickey Mouse...its the Radar...on the peak of Mount Kabuyao

Baguio City bathe in the golden rays of the dawn

The Cafe in the Sky...Jonjie, the Photographer...and Alphie, the old but new Travel Buddy

The Sunrise in All its Splendor.

Magnificent…breathtaking…awesome. The start of a new day. It’s God making His presence known to mankind…spreading the warmth of His eternal love for us.

I love this picture

   

The Photographer
Taken by an iPhone4S


Some of my favorite photos taken by “The Photographer”

The Golden Grass

The Well

Baguio City...up close.

The Lonely Tree

Footnotes:

• After dinner, last call is 7:30pm and before they served breakfast at around 8:30am...we practically have the entire place to ourselves. Alphie is the only car in the parking space.
• Cafe in the Sky is a restaurant and bed and breakfast...the only one in the area.

Please wait for my next posts:

• About Cafe in the Sky...a bit of history and the available accommodation

You may also read

• Road Trip to Manaoag and La Presa of Forevermore
• Sitio La Presa of Forevermore

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Road Trip to Manaoag and La Presa of Forevermore

June 12, a celebration of Philippine Independence Day, falls on a Friday which means a 2-day vacation from work…enough reason to go on a road trip. But there’s more! Mommy Lydia, my mother-in-law, was with us plus we have an “old but new travel buddy”. And so we packed our bags…

We hit the road at 7:36 am towards SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway) and TPLEX (Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway). This time, for the first part of the trip, we have a definite destination and a clear purpose.
We reached Our Lady of Manaoag Church before 10:00am and follow the lines of vehicles going to Gate 6 for blessing. We did not wait long for our “old but new travel buddy” to be blessed. During Saturdays and Sundays, blessing of vehicles and religious items is being done continuously by the assigned Priest. But in ordinary days, it is being done after the mass. After the blessing, we went inside the church in front of the Shrine of the Miraculous Lady of Manaoag to say our prayers. I had been in front of Our Lady four times…and each time…my heart swells…I am at peace. Before we leave the altar…I felt drops of water from behind and when I turn around…a blessing of holy water from the priest who just celebrated the Holy Mass.I bought some religious items from the Church Store…Crucifix, image of Our Lady of Manaoag and Santo Nino…and along with my rosary and prayer books…brought it at the back of the church (near the image of Our Lady of Manaoag with candle offerings) for blessing.

Holy water is also available near the area. Just bring a container, empty water bottles, or buy a plastic bottle from the Church Store…look for the faucet labeled Holy Water (I was not able to take a picture)…and then, fill your containers.Since it is already lunch time, we decided to find a place to eat near the area. Hardin sa Paraiso Grill and Restaurant is just a few kilometers from the church, but when we’re near the area, a large number of cars are parked along the road and we saw “Sorry, We Are Closed” sign near the entrance.

Next is Matutina’s Seafood Restaurant in Urdaneta. Though, we were disappointed the first time we ate there last December 2013 with Nanay Nor, but we are already hungry…and the nearest. We opted to try their “Buffet Lunch”.
Buffet Lunch at P399 per person consists of: Unli Rice, Pork Shanghai, Pancit Canton, Pinakbet, Fish Escabeche, Pork Kare-Kare, Chopsuey, Bangus Kilawen, Grilled Tilapia, Burong Hipon with Steamed Okra / Eggplant, Beef Kaldereta, Buttered Chicken, Pork Steak, Fish Fillet, Lechon Kawali, Crab Meat Soup, Vegetable Salad, California Maki, Maja Blanca, Palitaw, Pakwan, Unli Iced Tea Then it’s time to finalize our next destination. Initially, we planned to go to Lingayen, Pangasinan but there will be no activity for Mommy Lydia and we also worry about our accommodation…resorts may be full. Then we thought of going to Baguio…but it will be crowded also.

Then, I suddenly thought of La Presa…the location of the hit “teleserye”, Forevermore. And so, just as always…I surf the net for the available accommodation near the area…but, there were few. I was able to contact one place and luckily, there is an available room. Destination…confirmed. Accommodation for the night…confirmed. Waze…set.

Jonjie opted to use Marcos Highway, our first time, instead of Kennon Road.
 
Sitio La Presa cannot be found on any map because it is actually Sitio Pungayan located at the top of Mt. Kabuyao, Tuba, Benguet. When we turned right at the end of Marcos Highway going to Santo Tomas Road…we were welcomed with a thick fog…almost zero visibility.

Only when we are near the top…the fog became thinner.
But the difficult climb is all worth it. Because the view at the top is This is just the beginning of our exciting road trip…

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