INA POON BATO SHRINE.....

We headed to our next location to see a unique church. The problem was, the sun began to set that we even had to stop momentarily to take a sunset shot.....


The Sun Sets.....




Thanks to my friend Bless' driving skills (and amazing memory recall), the group was able to find the shrine of Ina Poon Bato. Legend has it that before the Spaniards came over Philippine shores, Aeta natives had discovered a wooden image carved on a large rock and called it Apo Apang (little queen). It is also believed that Ina Poon Bato performed miracles.


The Cross.....




A Station Of The Cross.....




Picture Up Close.....




Ina Poon Bato.....




His Cross.....




From The Outside.....




The Altar.....




The Exit.....

ST. MARY MAGDALENE CHURCH IN KAWIT, CAVITE

The Church.....






The Plaque.....





Retablo.....





Bell Tower.....





The Believer.....





The Altar.....







Agony in the Garden.....






A Historical Record.....




After we had our lunch, we proceeded to look for other places to photograph. The town church and the Aguinaldo Shrine were recommended to us. It wasn't difficult at all to search for it as both were near the restaurant.

The St. Mary Magdalene Church is one of the oldest churches ever built. It was first made of wood in 1638. The church is a silent witness to our history as it is where a baby named Emilio Aguinaldo was baptized. In fact, the ledger for baptisms that has the name of the general can be seen displayed in a corner inside the church.

Today, the church has been remodeled to withstand the ravages of time. Though I am for the preservation of a church's original design structure, I guess it can't be helped if modern elements were incorporated during the renovations.

A gracious lady who had been cleaning the altar allowed us to take photos of the church. We stayed and took pictures until it was five in the afternoon. There wasn't any time left for us to go to the Aguinaldo Shrine. The light was fading fast so we decided to go home and just visit the shrine for another day.

So, how did we find our way home? Simple, we followed these big buses that ply the Cavite-Lawton route and we were back on track.

GETTING LOST BUT ENJOYING THE RIDE.....

Cottages Galore.....





The Water Camp.....






A Panoramic View of the Restaurant.....





The Connecting Bridge





Flowers by the Pool.....






The Aviary.....






The Parking Area.....






The Walkway.....






The View That Caught Our Eyes.....






Right after we decided to head back to Manila from Amadeo in Cavite, we unfortunately got lost on our way home. Bless was sure that the road we traveled going back was the right one but it was pretty obvious after sometime that we were on unfamiliar territory as we headed home. At first, I recognized some of the landmarks that we passed by earlier in the morning but it became a haze of streets in the long stretch.

We ended up being in Kawit, Cavite. Feeling hungry and desperate to satisfy our hunger, we searched the area for a decent place to eat, even a fast food joint will do! We were lucky as we didn't cruise for long as it turned out that we were near the main branch of Josephine's Restaurant! It was our luck that it was a Sunday and noticed their lunch and dinner eat all you can promo at two hundred and twenty five bucks per person. I recall Josephine's as one of those restaurants that my family frequents whenever we wanted to eat seafood. Nowadays, they have a more "lutong bahay" appeal like Barrio Fiesta. The dishes tasted great, too bad though but I think the restaurant has a policy of not topping up the dishes once it is about to be consumed. I so loved their kare-kareng gulay but was miffed when the staff didn't bother to replenish the serving dish. Unlucky for the next customers who shall come over to eat if they find out that their food options are limited. As what we say in Tagalog, tira-tira!

I ended up having a chat with the restaurant's owner, Ms. Irma who is a granddaughter of Josephine's the original owner of the restaurant. She claimed that during the time her lola was still young and active, she decided to put up a restaurant. Never in her wildest dreams that her single restaurant shall become a chain of restaurants! As Josephine's health became frail, her kids began handling the business. Now, the owners of the remaining Josephine's restaurants are the third generation. She said that the restaurant is their lola's legacy to them.

This restaurant is rather huge. Connected to the main resto is a resort that is kid friendly with its swimming pool and offers room accommodations for guests to stay overnight and also different sized cabanas for those who wish to stay for a few hours. Their parking area is rather spacious and it even has an aviary at the corner. Guests who dined in at the restaurant can enter the resort for free but those who do not have to pay an admission fee. To those who are based in Cavite, this can be a wedding venue for those who intend to get married. Of course, they do cater to other events as well.

I asked Ms. Irma then about places worth photographing in Kawit, she pointed as to the town church and the Aguinaldo Shrine which was near each other. We thanked her for the tip as we continued getting lost in Kawit, Cavite but enjoying the ride.