Laguna is situated southeast of Manila and it took us approximately 1.5 hours of driving time to get to Laguna (without much traffic). Thereafter, we took another 45 minutes drive to arrive in Hidden Valley Springs Resort. As its name described, this resort is really well hidden in the mountains. It is a secluded spot wedged between 2 mystical mountains, Mount Makiling. The resort is itself, a 300 feet deep volcanic crater believed to have been formed by volcanic upheaval thousands of years ago. The mountain resort sunk 1,000 feet below sea level. The hidden waterfalls, natural spring and pools are formed by water constantly flowing from the mountaintop, said to be rainfall accumulated through the years.
This was my first experience swimming in a pool filled with warm and comforting natural spring water, nestled in the middle of a rainforest. We had to take a little "trekking" trip to get there and love the sounds and smell of nature. When we finally arrived at the pools, I was eager to get inside. The waterfalls were a little too gigantic for me and they intimidated me a little. Perhaps I wasn't too used to swimming in such an environment. However, the second day was definitely better. I am acclimatized by then and I started dunking my head in the pool. It was spring water afterall, safe for drinking. If a picture can paint a thousand words, a video definitely does an even better job:
I spent the rest of my day running around the nicely-landscaped garden, visiting the monkeys and chilling out in our nice and cosy room. Do check out some snapshots uploaded on Facebook.
On the night of our first day, I witnessed my very first partial lunar eclipse. Earlier in the evening, I thought I saw a full moon but later in the night, the full moon took the shape of a crescent. I was excited that I kept pointing to the sky and said "moon, moon"!. Mommy then explained to me that an eclipse occurs when the moon travels into the path that passes behind the earth. When the shadow of the earth covers the moon, a lunar eclipse occur. Interesting isn't it. Mommy commented that she first witnessed a lunar eclipse when she was 14 years old.
Our short little retreat very quickly, came to an end. It was definitely an eye-opener for me; fun and interesting.
Our short little retreat very quickly, came to an end. It was definitely an eye-opener for me; fun and interesting.
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