From time to time I like to write about how winging it can work out for the best. Sometimes you can wind up irritated, but more often than not, I tend to find that not following a plan when exploring can lead to some pretty cool surprises.
I had one of those times with my family earlier this year when we decided to take a road trip to San Pablo Laguna in the Philippines. We didn’t book a hotel in advance and scrambled to find one in the late afternoon. My aunt decided to book us a room at a place called Tahanan ni Aling Meding. It was a tricky place to find, hidden behind streets that were so narrow that I was afraid our car was going to get scratched.
When we arrived, there ended up being some sort of issue that came up because we booked through a third party site. It turned out the room we booked was unavailable. But then all of a sudden a room big enough for all of us was available. That’s not fun stuff to deal with after a long day :/ But we did get a nice and spacious room with a bathroom.
Anyhow, once that was all squared away, we had dinner at a little restaurant in front of the building. While we ate, we were serenaded by two friends who appeared to be college students. They accepted requests, so my aunt asked if they could sing an Ed Sheeran song, which they accommodated.
It was dark by the time we got to the hotel, so I couldn’t see much of the surrounding area. But I was in for a welcome surprise in the morning. The view from Tahanan ni Aling Meding is amazing! <3
The hotel is situated right next to Sampaloc Lake and as soon as I saw the view, I flew down the stairs to experience the outdoors there.
I soaked up the sun and the view of the mountains and the lake. I observed other people walking around and fishermen situated on a bamboo raft somewhere in the middle of the lake. I even appreciated the uncomfortable stickiness I experienced because of the humidity.
Despite our little booking hiccup at Tahanan ni Aling Meding, I enjoyed our stay there. Yes, it was largely because we were right next to a beautiful lake. But we also had some delicious breakfast and, on an unrelated note, were provided shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste in sachets. That was a highlight for me since you get those in bottles and tubes in the U.S. Haha.
For more information about Tahanan ni Aling Meding, click here.