If you’ve got nothing to do on April 30 and May 1, 2011 – you might want to check out this celebration for Environmental Awareness and Earth Conciousness happening at the Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo. Organized by Duyang Luntian EarthFest 2011 is two days, of singing, chanting, meditating and celebrating Mother Earth.

The Antipolo EarthFest 2011 will surely be two days of enriching experience as like-minded peolpe and groups congregate to share with others their time and energies, passions, and advocacies, skills, wisdom and knowledge on one of the most pressing issues today – environmental protection.

Scheduled during the two-day event are yoga and meditation workshops with Clayton Horton, and Bhairavi Nikiltantra, sound healing sessions and heart wisdom, and Sacred Circle workshops with Djotay Soluta and Tara Khandro, dancing with the whole family with Zemfira Khayrullina, earth talks, and other activities for kids. There’s even going to be a green marketspace and food fair.

For more details about this environmental gig, check out the Antipolo EarthFest 2011 official website and check out their official Facebook fan page.

I’ve never so many things inspired by Santa Claus. Casa Santa practically has everything that you’d look for with the dear old Santa in/on it. Several Santa figures such as this one with Santa on a stair…

Santa Claus on a parachute

Santa Claus on a rocking chair reading “How the Grinch Stole Christmas?”

A Thai Santa Claus

A Scottish Santa Clause

and of course our very own Santa Claus in Barong Tagalog

A Hippie Shakin’ Santa

and Hip Hop Santa Claus

More Santa stuff in the gallery below.

Entrance fee to Casa Santa is P130/pax. To get to Casa Santa, simply turn left from the main Antipolo junction, then go straight ahead. You’d see signages pointing you to Casa Santa/Jardin de Miramar.

Just came back from a nice and quiet overnight stay at Punta de Fabian, a nice private resort located in Baras, Rizal.  I’ll just let the pictures speak for how great this private resort is.

Punta de Fabian is a nice place to relax, unwind and just simply commune with nature. I’m pretty sure, you’d get your well deserved city escape.

Here’s the complete address of Punta De Fabian as well as their contact number:

Punta de Fabian Resort
Manila East Road, Barangay Evangelista,
Baras, Rizal, Philippines
Tel. +63 (2) 401-4771

Aside from being a great place where you can find the best dining experiences, Antipolo is also the home of many great spas. We’ve featured Callospa Resort Spa before, and now here’s another great find – MyParadiseSpa.

Located in the heart of Antipolo, MyParadise Spa offers affordable and yet great massage therapies that’s all you need after a day’s hard work. MyParadiseSpa offers various complete massage packages that are not too heavy on your budget.

Some of their great packages include:

Swedish Massage Therapy

Light Pressure Stress Relief Massage*

A very relaxing, lighter pressure massage that will leave you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Our expert massage therapists use long smooth strokes, kneading, and circular movements on superficial layers of muscle using massage lotion or oil. Swedish Massage Therapy relieves muscle tension and pain, increases flexibility and mobility, and helps clear lactic acid and other wastes, which reduces pain and stiffness in muscles and joints.

Signature Philippine Hilot Massage

Medium Deep Tissue Massage*

Our Signature Philippine Hilot Massage involves a medium deep tissue massage where our expert massage therapists use rapid mixed with slower moving finger and hand pressure over various pressure points throughout the back and legs. It is a full body massage which also relaxes tension in the head and neck. Philippine Hilot massage stimulates the body, aids digestion, neural communication, improves blood circulation, relaxes muscles and prevents stiffness and spasms. Hilot massage also speeds up skin exfoliation and promotes cell regeneration.

Plus check out this other packages.

Here’s how to get to MyParadiseSpa:

My Downstairs Salon & Spa is located in The Claveria Plaza in Bangaray Dalig, on Provincial Road at the Junction of Provincial Road, Santo Nino Street, and Circumferential Road, across from Max’s Restaurant, Goodyear Tires, Flying V Gas Station, and Lico’s Park, between RMC Hardware and The Fitness Zone, behind the Asia United Bank, and next to The Salon Downstairs.

And check out their website too.

Here’s another great find in Antipolo. A nice and homey restaurant located in the heart of  Antipolo. A nice restaurant simply called LAYA. It’s in the area where you can find Vieux Chalet and Callospa. Both of which were already featured here in OPP.

Anyway, to start 2010 with a bang, here goes our first food trip – a nice personal dining experience in LAYA, Antipolo. When we went there LAYA was still offering their Lucky 2010 5-course menu. This menu includes:

Spiced Tuna Tartare on Crispy Wontons for appetizers – for raw tuna lovers!

Soup was Thai Tomato Basil Soup with Shrimp Dumplings & Cilantro Foam – This one is very good!

For salad, Deconstructed Asian Caesar Salad with Ginger Garlic Aioli – love the different approach to presenting and eating Ceasar Salad. Wifey loved the dressing!

Four the Main Course, My wife had Hoisin Baked Norwegian Salmon with Soba Noodles, Shiitake Mushrooms and Sesame Scallion Salad and she enjoyed it very much.

Mine was Red Curry Glazed Pork Loin Roast with Roasted Onions & Pumpkin Basmati Rice. I’m not really into curry dishes so this was ok for me.

And now for the best part – Dessert! Bananas in Thai Coconut Pancake with Mantecado Ice Cream & Latik Sauce. I would have to admit, this made my day. I wonder what brand of Latik Sauce they are using but it is certainly one of the best Latik I’ve ever tasted. Love the combination of the Mantecado Ice Cream and Latik also.

All that for P650.00/per person. The menu comes with Laya’s signature Pandan Ice Tea (refillable) and fresh organic tea or organic barako coffee.

Overall it was a fabulous treat. Food was great, the ambiance superb!  Service was very good as well. So, if I were you, put LAYA in your Summer itineraries. You will not regret it.

If you’re planning to go there, be sure to make an advance reservation. Weekends are usually booked as early as Wednesday. For reservations:

email – layapersonaldining@gmail.com or call (0917)8464322 .

How to get to LAYA in Antipolo:

TAKING ORTIGAS

• From EDSA,  take  ORTIGAS  heading towards Cainta.
• Along the way, you’ll pass Robinson’s Cainta and Ever Gotesco, both on your right.
• At the very end of ORTIGAS , follow the road when it veers to the right, heading towardsTaytay.
• Then take the first immediate U-turn slot infront of CHOW KING.
• Drive pass CHOW KING then take the 2nd right turn.
• This winding and ascending road will take you up to Antipolo.
• When you reach a rotonda, stay on the right fork then you’ll pass
• The CAPITOLYO,  a white building,  and  YNARES  CENTER both on your left.
• About 100 meters after passing The Capitolyo and  Ynares Center, turn right when you see a  GRAND HOMES  sign on your right.
• (If you reach or pass UNCIANO HOSPITAL, turn back because you went too far)
• After taking a right at GRAND  HEIGHTS  ROAD, just follow the road and drive pass the guardhouse.
• After the guardhouse, turn right on SIERRA  MADRE.
• You will see Pinto Art Gallery on your right.
• Go straight until you see the last house on your left before the dead end.

TAKING MARCOS HIGHWAY

• Take Marcos Highway and pass Robinson’s  Metro East and Sta.  Lucia  Mall,  both on your right
• When you reach the first major intersection, you’ll see a Mc Donald’s on the left corner.
• Turn right on that intersection to SUMULONG  HIGHWAY.
• Along Sumulong,  you’ll pass PADIS POINTE on your right and shortly after that, ASSUMPTION on your left.
• About 5 minutes after passing Assumption, turn right on the first and only major intersection you see.
• Then take the first left (heading straight will take you to HinulugangTaktak)
• Go straight and turn right when you reach a rotonda (a USA88 Gas station will be on your left)
• Then turn left when you reach another rotonda.
• You’ll see The Capitolyo and Ynares Center both on your left.
• About 100 meters after passing The Capitolyo and Ynares Center, turn right when you see a GRAND HOMES sign on your left.
• (If you reach or pass UNCIANO HOSPITAL, turn back because you went too far)
• After taking a right turn at GRAND  HEIGHTS  ROAD, just follow the road and drive pass the guard house.
• After the guard house, turn right on SIERRA  MADRE.
• You will see PINTO  ART  GALLERY on your right.
• Go straight until you see the last house on your left before the dead end.

I first visited Crescent Moon Cafe ten years ago during a planning session of our alumni association. I wouldn’t forget the Cafe’s signature appetizer which is a mixture of various Filipino spices such as grated peanut with sweet sauce, diced onions, ginger, fried shrimplets, Filipino green sili, diced Kamias, shredded coconut, all wrapped in alagao leaves (edible leaves of a plant which has a pungy after taste). That appetizer still taste the same when I visited Crescent Moon recently.

Crescent Moon cafe is owned and managed by Lanelle Abueva-Fernando, daughter of national artists Napoleon Abueva. The place is still the same as ten years ago. The soothing landscape surrounding the cafe still holds the same tranquility and serenity of the place.

Full set lunch meal at Crescent Moon cost P400/head (approx $10) consisting of Pumpkin Soup with coconut meat (Yummy!), Chicken curry (that I swear doesn’t contain any MSG or salt but is tasty nonetheless), Asian noodles (with a bit of sweet taste), Native vegetables, fried fish (tuna and tambakol) and for dessert, Crescent Moons special suman (rice cake) with sweet mango.

It was indeed a great lunch. Simple and yet unforgetably delicious! Crescent Moon is another good reason to take a day visit to Antipolo. Its the perfect place to dine after a soothing and relaxing massage treatment at the nearby Callospa Resort.

How to Get to Crescent Moon

If you are coming from Sumulong Highway, go straight past the Ynares Rotunda. You’ll pass by Unciano Hospital, and Shopwise Antiplo. A few meters away you’ll see Flying V gasoline station which is on the left side of a three forked intersection. Take the right most road a watch out for a Shell station, then the Milagrosa Subdivision. A few meters from the subdivision, you’ll see the Crescent Moon signboard. Take that road, and enter the Crescent Moon compound on the left side of the road.