Going Solo in Tagaytay

The public commute from Dasmarinas, where I work, to Sta Rosa, where I live, is long and not very convenient. It will take me 2-3 changes rides. My family driver has been absent for days. My husband is on an out-of-town speaking engagement and my children are both in the city for college studies. I was left to my own devices on this Monday. After work, I had no choice but to take the aircon bus from Dasmarinas to Tagaytay, and then supposedly, hop on to another FX van from Tagaytay to Sta. Rosa to get home after my clinics.

I already had a thought yesterday to spend the night in Tagaytay to make my commute more convenient. I brought a change of clothes to work, just in case I decided to do so. On the bus going home this Monday afternoon, I was torn whether I should just go home or take a solo overnight vacation in Tagaytay. On the spur of the moment, I decided to alight halfway in Tagaytay, and check in at Windy Ridge Hotel just right around the Rotonda. Convenient for me to get to work tomorrow since Dasmarinas aircon buses pass this way a lot. And the added bonus of enjoying a new place, the better to give me some thinking and writing time.

Sitting at the balcony after a painless check-in, I enjoyed the foggy landscape of the Taal Lake and volcano right across me.The small reception area cum coffee shop is quiet and without customers. Down below is a small country road with the sounds of a busy metal grass cutter and a yakking street dog. Behind me, ah… the constant roar of motor from tricycles and cars. From the ominous grey skies, a hint of rumble of thunder, every now and then. These are hardly the meditative sounds for relaxation and rejuvenation that I expected. I hope things quiet down soon. It’s 5:00 pm on a Monday. Students and employees are on the rush to get home to a warm family dinner.

A few tall slim pine trees jut out from the deep green slopes of Tagaytay. Newly painted, well-maintained weekend homes are scattered along the landscape. From my vantage point it is mostly trees, trees and more trees. And a thin fog. It’s comfortable but not cold. I hope the view is better tomorrow.

What does one do when alone? It is supposed to be a busy week for me. Doing all I must and need to do before I leave for Rome for a series of meetings and a medical conference. I was tentative in proceeding with this solo vacation. I could’ve just stayed home and done the same things I am doing here –writing, eating dinner, sleeping. But then, I will be doing the same things again, in the same place, and that is dreadful. This is a change that I need.

Staying here is a luxury, I know, because I could have the same amenities at home and not have to pay a cent. The amenities are not, in any way, luxurious,though. They are just basic. This room is cheap by Tagaytay standards. At P2,800 per night, I shouldn’t be asking for too many things.

However, the thrill I got from checking-in alone in Tagaytay is like what I experience when I write, or when one falls in love with somebody in secret. The exhilaration is so intimate and personal, you don’t like any one to know, even the ones you love. I don’t know why there is such a perverse delight in keeping a secret, especially one that involves yourself ? It's like eating a big slice of chocolate cake when no one is home. Or finishing a bag of chips inside your bedroom when no one is there.

I wish I were more daring though. I could have taken a tricycle down the road and explored the eating places by myself. But rain forebade and I did not have an umbrella.

Solitude. At times we need it, just to keep sane and regain perspective. And there does not have to be an agenda. When alone, you can eat what you want or not eat at all. Sleep or not sleep or sleep when you want to. When alone it’s so nice to reorganize your life. Fix the bagful of clutter. Re-schedule things in the appointment book. Free the mind full of cares.Yes, my life is chaotic. Preparing for multiple medical conferences and advocacy events in three weeks time can be crazy. Last week, I felt like I was stirring ten boiling cauldrons all at the same time.

In the lobby are many books. And a nook for breakfast. That is the only meal that they serve here. Even if the brochures say food is not allowed inside the rooms, the receptionist allowed me to get my drinks and dinner from the fast foods nearby. ( grilled chicken from Mang Inasal from across the road in the Tagaytay Rotonda, what else?)

The bedroom is fairly sized but it reeked of some cheap floral air freshener when the air con was turned on. The bed sheets were not very white and looked like seconds from a hospital or a hotel that has gone bankrupt. I was always checking if there were mosquitoes or ants underneath because the sheets felt itchy. The usual amenities of complimentary mineral water, soap, shampoo and towels were there. I was surprised there was even a hair dryer. At midnight I woke up to go to the bathroom and found two centipedes inching their way across my floor.

After a good night’s sleep with my cable TV on all the night, I was served breakfast in the porch overlooking Taal Lake the following morning. It seems I was the only customer around. The staff was kind and unobtrusive.Breakfast was Kapeng barako, slices of watermelon and bananas, toast, butter, hotdogs and fried egg. Fair enough.

I spent the morning pounding away on my laptop in the balcony, enjoying the expansive view and the cool Tagaytay breeze. I took pictures of the view from the balcony and of the rows of plant vendors across the road - colorful under the cheery sun, with an array of brightly colored impatiens, bromeliads and petunias. If only the roar of the motorcycles would disappear…..It was lunch time when I finished typing some modules and articles. Time to do some clinic work again in Dasmarinas. I hailed an air con bus across the road. That was easy and painless.