Since I was a child, whenever we drive up to the north of Luzon in the Philippines, Mt. Arayat, never fails to capture my attention. Until now, I have snippets of memories of me looking out the window of my grandma’s van while we drove on towards the province of Bataan (or perhaps to Pangasinan) one summer decades ago. I remember those summer getaways with my relatives, where drives would always take hours. Maybe it was my mom or my grandma who pointed the mountain to me while it was still afar and explained that Mt. Arayat would be the indicator that we were already in Pampanga. I remember gazing at it for quite some time, and was amazed at how bigger it got as we drove closer to it. The first thought I had about it was that it must be a sad mountain being all alone in the middle of the fields, compared to the Sierra Madre mountain range back in my hometown.
Fast-forward thirty plus years later, I booked us a staycation in Magalang, Pampanga. This location was hadpicked because based on photos and reviews, it gives a good view of Mt. Arayat.
We stayed at Abe’s Farm, a rustic resort with lush gardens, a museum, and Filipino-styled villas. Abe’s Restaurant served delicious Filipino dishes, and one of our favorites was the pako (fiddlefern) salad, which is something we only get to eat when we go out of town as this vegetable is not typically sold at supermarkets in the city.
Our room was clean, cozy, and had a forest view. There was no TV in our room, and internet signal was weak in the resort. We took it as a sign to embrace being unplugged and spend the day appreciating the nature around us. That was a treat to do, as any I’m easily contented when I hear chirps of birds. And in Abe’s Farm, that was aplenty. While D roamed around to shoot different angles of Mt. Arayat, I stayed in our room and finished reading a book.
Looking at our weekend calendar this year, I realize that most of our upcoming staycations are similar to the one we had in Abe’s Farm. Local tourism has definitely picked up, and I can’t wait to explore the unbeaten path.
Making Each Day Count 
Leave a comment