Waiting for an Open Window Part 1

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In 2013, my husband and I stopped having fertility treatments. Not only was it expensive, it was emotionally exhausting. After taking several rounds of Clomid, follicle monitoring sessions, taking an HSG, two IUIs, a year of acupuncture, tons of Chinese herbal tea, we decided that it was enough for us now. Whew!

We put our plans on hold to have a baby. I resigned from a stable employment to stay at home and start doing freelance work. Most of our income was put into doctors' fees, laboratory fees, medicines, and transportation costs. We're thankful that God gave us the resources to pursue treatments which we thought would help us conceive.

Where to Start...

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It's been more than half a year since I last visited my blog. I've been kept busy with freelance work, construction of our house, budgeting our budget while keeping sane, etc.

I have a lot of stories to tell, but not enough time to do it. So, I'll just take it one at a time, in no chronological order.

Meet my Hamsters!

I've never considered having a hamster for a pet. It just so happens, when Inay visited her sister, she saw a beautiful hamster cage with two hamsters inside. My aunt asked Inay if I would be interested to pet a hamster since her neighbor sells hamsters. A mom hamster just gave birth to 13 pups!

Inay told me all about the cute little hamsters and their cage with a wheel and a cute little house. I said, what the heck, let's have a pet hamster. We reserved 2 pairs of hamsters (I would give one pair to my godchild).

Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm

My friend since high school came to the country from Abu Dhabi for her 3-week vacation. We spent one weekend in Tagaytay and one of the places we visited was the Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm in Silang, Cavite. It was a few kilometers away from Tagaytay City.

There was a rough road going to the bee farm. Good thing my other friend brought her car. It was a one way road; we hoped we wouldn't come across another vehicle since it would be difficult to drive on reverse and find a spot to let the other vehicle pass. When we reached Ilog Maria, there were already several vehicles parked. 

A Visit to Pandin Lake

Oh summer! Every summer, our family goes out to have fun and bond. This year, we decided to go to Pandin Lake in San Pablo City, Laguna. Since our home is near Pandin Lake (1 jeepney ride only), it would be a shame if we wouldn't be able to see the lake's beauty. We were able to go out of town and sometimes, the tourist spots near us were the ones always left behind when it comes to trips and vacations.

Although reservations are not required, my sister still made reservations to assure us that we would have a raft when we get to Pandin Lake. The fee is P180/person, this includes a freshly picked young coconut. If you want to have them prepare lunch for you, the cost is an additional P180/person. From what I heard, the lunch consists of rice, fried tilapia, fern salad with red egg, and small shrimps called "palakpakin". We decided to bring our own food instead.

A small souvenir kiosk

Pandin Lake is about 7 kilometers from San Pablo City proper. The drive was about 7-10 minutes and there's a parking area for visitors of Pandin Lake. If commuting, ride a jeep with the sign "Ilog" in San Pablo City. The jeepney terminal is beside a 7-11 store, you won't miss it. Once we unloaded our bags and food from the car, we walked for 15 minutes going to the lake. It was nearing noon so the sun was high and hot and the rough terrain was dusty. But, reaching Pandin Lake was worth the trouble of walking under the sun.

We immediately took in the sights, inhaling the fresh air and marveling at the beauty of the lake. Coconut trees lined the lake shore and we saw several rafts with huts "parked" on the lake. Friendly women greeted us and escorted us to our raft. We ordered summer's official Pinoy dessert, Halo-halo, for P25 each plastic cup. As we settled on our raft and waited for our Halo-halo, we went to the comfort room to freshen up. Water conservation is strictly observed in Pandin Lake since the men and women only fetch the water for consumption.

Wives of fishermen living near Pandin Lake decided to make a living by renting rafts to tourists. Since the women were left at home when the men go to fish, they thought of earning extra income by making Pandin Lake a tourist spot. You'll see them all over the shore, selling snacks and souvenirs but not to the point of irritating tourists with their selling spiels. 

A series of ropes were installed across the lake. This is what the boatmen used to tour us around the lake. In our raft, a man and woman pulled the rope while a guy at the back of the raft paddled to move our raft. It was no small feat but they said they're used to it. 

Uphill climb to see Yambo Lake

Yambo Lake

When we reached the other end of Pandin Lake, we climbed a steep terrain to see Yambo Lake. Pandin and Yambo Lakes are twin lakes separated by a thin strip of land. We girls only looked at Yambo Lake since we were terrified of going down to reach it but my brothers bravely went and took pictures.

We went back to our raft and then we went to a man-made grotto. Here, our boatman picked a container filled with water which came from the roots of the trees above. Amazing! We said our prayers, lighted a candle and then went back to the raft to eat lunch.

Since there were not much tourists that day, we stayed in our raft to finish our lunch and to relax a bit.


Pandin Lake
San Pablo City, Laguna
For reservations, Aling Siony: 09299789565