Hacienda Mapua Overnight
J. Carlos Ramirez
(Sun. March 23, 03)

We just came back from Hernan and Gina Mapua's farm and was it a great trip!! The guys who didn't get to make it sure missed a lot!

We all left the Petron SLEX station at around 11 a.m.(Joey A., Zaffy, Chito, Collins, Santi, and myself) to head off to LZM. Alfie decided to follow to LZM because he had to turn back to get his Miata (he was supposed to use his bike) due to the traffic build up caused by an overturned truck on SLEX. It was a good drive to LZM with Joey A. in his Porsche, Zaffy and Santi in their respective Pajero's and Chito in his Grand Vitara. On our way to LZM Alfie catches up with the group and we all head off to LZM. This was my first time to try the LZM Bangus and it was good!! But this was just a foretaste of the food to come... After lunch Joey A. headed back to Manila while the rest of us proceeded to Hacienda Mapua. It was a nice easy drive to Nasubu with excellent roads most of the way. And just like the instructions of Gina mentioned, we turned left at Km 82 (with a big MIATA THIS WAY sign stuck on a signpost :)

Collins and Gina then began to prepare the feast (and I mean FEAST!!) the moment we arrived, while the rest of us batugans just relaxed and enjoyed the cool wind and the nice shade of the trees surrounding the farm, and of course the cold brewskis! At 4 p.m. the first of the excellent cuisine was served. It was kinilaw na hipon, and believe me, this was the best tasting kinilaw I have ever tasted!! Coupled with the beers, pure heaven!! From that time on the food just kept on coming, so it was a merienda sena to sawa of sorts. Next came the rellenong bangus, the liempo, the tilapia and the super super super sarap Hito!! Man! This was excellent!! Collins Grill sure beats any of the commercial establishments!! Beer was running lowwhen lo and behold, a knight in a shining Explorer Sport Trac arrives! It's Chem with cold brewski's overflowing!! And in usual fashion, the brews and the food were being devoured by the group like there was no tomorrow!! Eventually though nabusog na lahat and the eating slowed down, but the drinking and kwentuhancontinued. We were all really having great fun and camaraderie! Of course the evening wouldn't be complete and Joey B., who was "sick" had to text Chem and had to ensure that the group made sure to rib me in his absence!! SANAMAGAN!! May sakit na nga, alaskador pa rin!! Come to think of it, kaya pala relaxing sa farm ni Hernan kasi wala si Joey B. ;) Sana magkasakit ka ulit sa susunod na gimik ng Miata Club!! Hehehe!! At around 11 p.m. we all decide to call it a night. Some slept in the house while the others slept in the tents. Chem headed home with a promise to return in the morning in his bike. Of course after everyone was asleep, the quiet night in Batangas was shattered with a chorus of snoring sounds from all fronts!! Talk about surround sound man!! Buti na lang malamig kaya madaling makatulog ulit!

The guys woke up at around 6:30 a.m. and coffee was served. In true foodie fashion, breakfast was a continuation of the excellent food the night before. Sinangag, tapa, smoked bangus and the delicious scrambled eggs that Gina prepared were munched down by the Piranha Club of the Philippines. Oooooppss!! I meant the Miata Club!! For those of you who think scrambled eggs can't be a gourmet food, I guess you haven't tasted them the way Gina makes 'em!! SARAP!!! Chem and son arrive at around 8 a.m. on their bikes and the kwentuhan continued till around 9 when the guys decided to pack up and give Hernan and Gina the peace and quiet that they bought this Hacienda for :)

So our thanks go to Hernan and Gina for being such gracious hosts!! You have a really nice place there!! And to Collins for the delicious food!! We guys can't thank you enough!! Our hats off to you guys for making this event a really great one!! Also, thanks to Joey B. for being absent!! This made this event even better ;)


Should there be a next Hacienda Mapua event, the rest of you guys should go, it's really worth it!!
 

(Day 2)

Tuesday, 24 June 2003

Just got back from Hernan's farm in Batangas . . .

I arrived there at a little past 5pm yesterday evening, it was drizzling a bit, Hernan and Gina welcomed me into their pretty little farm house. JR was lounging in the living room, Zaffy was all around the place being his jolly self while Collins was at the back of the house busy at the grill assisted by no less than the Alfmeister. Alfie at the grill? "Aabot pa kaya yung pagkain sa mesa?", I thought to myself.

After the hello's and the greetings I notice that the help were sticking these slithery, tentacle like things on sticks, I learn from Collins that they're not tentacles but little snakes that he has imported live from Iloilo where they're a "to die for" delicacy and he can't wait for us to try them (yechhhhh!).

Hernan, shows me around but unfortunately there's no view this rainy late afternoon as it's obstructed by the clouds. We sit down while tossing back some beers and conversing while waiting for the guys to finish at the grill. I'm told that Collins had been in mourning since Saturday, they tell me that his RAV4 was mistakenly filled with diesel fuel at his local gas station. Later he asks me for some legal assistance should it be required at a later date, however, he immediately raises the caveat that he prefers that I classify his case amongst my pro bono work. What the heck . . . we'll see, damn I hope that station fixes his RAV!

I return to the table and the first course to arrive was the hito. I haven't had hito in quite awhile and these were glorious! We were cutting 'em in half and I was going for the half with the head. I notice that Alf and Collins purposely go for the half with the tail. After and much later when there was no more hito left I learn that the head of the hito has absolutely nothing in it to go for unlike most other fishes, experts these boys are! I will not make that mistake next time. The hito was definitely a hit, in fact we couldn't have enough of them, it may be that my initial assumption was correct that some of them wouldn't make it to the table ;)

Next up were pork chops and the kinilaw na hipon: likewise both dishes were outstanding! By this time I was getting real full, and next came the snakes which Collins is just so eager to serve - "try 'em joey!" I feel like I'm on the show Fear Factor. What the heck, go for it! Reluctantly, I bite into 'em and with my best diplomatic face and a forced smile I sheepishly utter - "yummy" (in my mind i was going BaLECCHHHHHHH!!! PTTUUUiiii!). Apparently I was not alone in this assessment because hardly anyone touches 'em and we're left with several barbecued snakes after the meal while we devoured every last part of the hito such that there was no evidence left that we even had any. We take a break from the food and settle back. . .

Much later the two Chito's F and S arrive from a golf tournament sponsored by Senator Loren Legarda and both are wearing give away jackets of the said Senator. I ask ChitoF "o ano naka halilk ka kay Loren?", with conviction, he shoots back "sya humalik sa 'kin!".

More food issues forth from the grille and stove and it's eating time again. "Eat again?!!" I thought to myself while coming to the realization that this is the food group that's holding this event. Several, other dishes are served, all of which I'm sure were absolutely wonderful but by then I was stuffed and couldn't eat another bite without bursting.  Again we settle back to conference mode but there are bugs galore and one giant flying bug develops a contemptuous dislike for ChitoF and repeatedly launches kamikaze fighter assault dives on him, as he attempts to shoo away the bug and protect himself and his beer. In its most lethal sortie the bug sprays Chito with what Gina later tells us is bug pee :) I'm sitting beside him and the bug doesn't bother me at all :) So I sit back and enjoy the show while attempting to look concerned : ) Hernan catches the bug with a glass and a piece of cardboard much later a little while before we retired for the evening.

As we retire for the evening, we're supposed to pile into the boys room which is large enough and adequately equipped with mattresses to accommodate all of us.  However, I make a headcount and assess this against the size of the room that I'd seen earlier. That's seven grown men in a room, four of whom are confessed snorers that register on the Richter scale. I think to myself, "if I'm going to sleep in that room with those guys - I'm not drunk enough to do it, so I might as well stay down here and toss back a few more beers until I'm too damn drunk to know where I am."  So I turn off the lights sit down with my beers on Hernan's collapsible loungers which are quite comfortable. Not one hour passes most of the boys descend from the stairs. I was correct, they can't sleep! I surmise that Collins is already fast asleep and is going at full boost. I spend the night on one lounger while Alf is on the other, the other boys sit with us until they can't keep their eyes open and head back up. ChitoF while sitting on a chair dozes off and lets loose a major snort and wakes himself up - "nag boost na ba ko?" we answer in the affirmative and he trundles sleepily back upstairs.

. . . I awake at about 530am, actually about 430am when ChitoS took off for another golf game. Zaffy awakes and so does Alf (I don't think he slept, he was just sitting with his eyes closed). At that point it was impossible for us to continue with sleep as the roosters (many of them!) were doing their best to wake us up. Alf and I consider finding Hernan's gun to kill and shut up the offending roosters, however it was nice to be awake breathing in the fresh, sweet mountain air, seeing the sun rise and watch the myriad colors of the sunrise reflect against the gorgeous view of freshly rain washed hills in the Mapua's backyard in what was developing to be a bright sunny morning compared with the rainy night we just had.

Gina starts to fix us breakfast and one by one the guys wake up. The breakfast consists of daing na bangus and scrambled eggs the cooking of which Alf and Zaffy studiously observed, and fried rice. I love Filipino breakfasts and this one was really good! When I tasted the scrambled eggs I realized why Alf and Zaff were so attentive with Gina's demonstration of its preparation and cooking.

After breakfast we settle down again to conference mode while enjoying the farm surroundings. Alf finally dozes off on the lounger and Zaff goads me to hit Alf with the water pistol we use for the dogs. I decline with due respect for someone I know who had not been able to sleep the entire night. Zaff chuckles and goes "si Caloy lang pala kaya mo 'eh!", I said "mejo mabigat bigat din yan Zaf eh, baka upuan ako nyan si Caloy 95lbs lang 'yun!"

And so while enjoying recounting my many victims in the past (Carlos, Joji, Allan); I suddenly recoil feeling a sharp pain on my toe and see that I've just been stung by a bee on my little pinky toe on my right foot! OUCH!!!! I swear I'm gonna get you for that Carlos!!! You must have been thinking bad thoughts about me at that time!!!!

Hernan finds and offers me some alcohol and tiger balm as I painfully extract the offending bee's stinger from my now throbbing pinky toe. Immediately, almost everyone offers advice on what they know of events of this nature. Alf, sitting on the lounger half asleep with his eyes closed predicts that the bee sting will cause my toe to swell up to 3 times its size and that my penis will dry up and fall off later in the day. Hernan, wants all the guys to gather around me and pee on my toe: he figures if it works for sea urchin stings, it should work for bee stings. Gina wants to lobotomize my right frontal lobe, and crack open my skull to suck out the poisons through my brain. Collins, suggested that to prevent the bee venom from spreading we should amputate my left leg from my thigh with a hack saw inclusive of my left testicle. Thanks for your concern my friends, but no thanks, I'll just endure the pain and suffering of this bee sting without your remedies. By then it was 10am, I have a last beer with ChitoF, after which we said our goodbyes and we headed back home.

I had a great time!!! Thanks guys! Gina and Hernan Mapua you have mine as well as the club's heartfelt appreciation for the generosity and hospitality you have repeatedly demonstrated to us by sharing your wonderful farm and attending to us while we're there. Collins, Zaffy and Alf for doing the marketing and the cooking, likewise thanks guys!

Hanggang sa susunod . . .

joeyb
 

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