A Philippine experience for Balikbayans and Foreigners by the Waterfalls at Villa Escudero
For those who have balikbayan relatives and foreigner friends who wants a complete Philippine experience and are visiting the country on vacation, visiting Villa Escudero is a must. My cousin just went home from Sweden together with her foreigner boyfriend and we want to give him a traditional Filipino experience. Incidentally, Villa Escudero was recommended to me by another friend who also had balikbayan visitors.
We used one of our cousin’s car to get to Villa Escudero in San Pablo. The drive was just 2 hours away. We took the South Super Highway and exited at the Lucena, Legaspi, Batangas exit. Then we turned left at the Sto. Tomas junction and went straight until we passed Alaminos and San Pablo. We turned left a few minutes after passing by Quezon arch. After a few minutes we finally arrived at the Villa Escudero resort.
First stop was the memorial museum which was filled with Philippine memorabilias showing the religious side of Filipinos with its altars. It also featured Oriental ceramics, furnitures costumes and weaponry.
Next is the short carabao ride, the carabao toured us around the relaxing view which is really a calming treat to the soul!
We were ready to eat lunch afterwards. Pro tip of course is to wear comfy tsinelas or sandals because you would be submerging your feet into the cooling waters of the waterfalls as you enjoy the meal. We gathered around the bamboo tables to eat our meal which were festively presented on banana leaves. We dug in hungrily to freshly cooked dishes including Inihaw na Liempo, Inihaw na Manok, Kare Kare, Ensalada, and Beef Caldereta. Grilled food are all-time favorites so we had fun digging in!
To cap off the Philippine experience for our balikbayan and foreigner visitors, we watched the cultural show where we acquainted my cousin’s boyfriend with traditional customs in the Philippines such as courting, cockfighting and fiestas portrayed through ethnic dances that will make you nostalgic about performances in school you had when you were young. Tha majestic dances include, Itik-Itik, Carinos, Tinikling and Pandango sa Ilaw.
Overall, we had a good time just taking in the refreshing scenery and learning about Philippine culture. Both us locals and the foreigner friend agreed that it was indeed a great day!
For those who are thinking of where to tour their balikbayan and foreigner visitors in the coming days, you are in luck because Supreme Deals Philippines is currently offering cheap travel deals at discounted rates. One of their deals include the Villa Escudero deal that comes in 2 deals on their site: one with no transportation, and the other one with transportation from Manila to the resort. Check it out here now!
