Amazing Travels in the Philippines - Educational Trip bound for Cavite and Laguna

I acted as a pseudo-parent to two elementary girls who happened to be the eldest and sired two sisters. The first kid, Mikaela Faye is from my cousin's wife and Rayla Fatima, the eldest of my cousin's wife's sister.

If you love kids, you'll be exhausted with the enthusiasm of the two, having their first educational trip last February 2, 2012 at the early morn, which started at Don Galo Elementary School, Paranaque City, Manila.

The itinerary included:

1. President Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite - the residential house of the first president of the Philippine Republic, where the waving of the national flag and Proclamation of Independence happened way back June 12, 1898.
2. Taal Vista, Tagaytay, Cavite - most visited place in Cavite highlands, just overlooking the magnificent Taal volcano where the endemic fish called tawilis (native river sardines) abound in the lake.
3. Enchanted Kingdom, Santa Rosa, Laguna - "The Magic Stays With You", that's the slogan of this theme park making every kid a happy but exhausted individual after enjoying every ride available in the said place.

So, after bidding goodbye with their parents, with all the parental advices and all, the tourist guide ushered us to our assigned seats, with the help of the advisers.

Some high school students also embarked on this unforgettable trip.

By the way, some parents also paid and accompanied some elementary kids during the tour.

The province of the brave...this is often the moniker of the province of Cavite, since the launching of the Great Plebeian Andres Bonfacio's KKK (Kilusan ng Kataastaasang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan) who revolted against the Spanish tyranny after the oppression that bounded the Filipinos for 300 years.

It was the Magdalo group of Emilio Aguinaldo who led Cavitenos for the historic Declaration of Independence when he read it at his residence in Kawit, Cavite.

These days, the ancestral home of Aguinaldo became a national heritage site and people of Cavite are welcoming both foreign and local tourists who frequent the place the whole year round.

After leaving the Kawit Cavite Shrine (ancestral home of President Emilio Aguinaldo) past 8:00 AM, next place to be visited is the Taal Vista.

Maybe, you are thinking of the People's Park, former vacation place of President Ferdinand Marcos atop Mount Gonzales, also overlooking Taal Lake and Taal Volcano.

But no! Taal Vista is father away from that and in another direction. It's not fully developed yet as the open field invites kids to try horseback riding and biking, aside from gazing at the Taal Volcano.

Around 11:00 AM, we have an ample time buying our Pasalubong or gifts along the road (half-ripen pineapples, espasol-native delicacy, dried tawilis-sardines, and other souvenir items) aside from the nagging of the two kids to buy them ice cream.

We've eaten our lunch inside the bus until we reached Sta, Rosa, Laguna for the Enchanted Kingdom.

Buses stop here and there, ferrying students and tourists from other places. Each of our tickets provide us the rides we are about to enjoy, from the Rio Grande, the carousel for the kids and a lot, lot more.

We even ended up very wet as the afternoon succumbed to the happy shouts and cries of the children, with the parents and teachers following them.

We stayed until 7:00 PM and most of us felt exhausted and sleepy, even the bus driver offered kids with Disney movies.

It's a well-deserved tour for students, for teachers and for some parents as well.

And for me, too, a pseudo-parent.

(With personal writings and opinion from travel_man1971 aka Ireno Alcala)