Skyranch, Picnic Grove, Koorah-Koorah Restaurant and Other Matters

Theresa and I planned to visit Tagaytay third week of this month but we've decided to move it to a different date because Amos was scheduled to visit Baguio and he recommended that we visit Tagaytay September 26th instead. All things considered, I've thought it was a pretty good suggestion so I didn't argue with him that we should stick to what Theresa and I previously planned. Simply put, the plan was changed in matter of, ummm, twenty seconds. Lol! I told Theresa about the change in our plan after work and I was pretty happy that she didn't oppose it or whatsoever. Then, five days before our scheduled trip I invited Nhormie and her housemates to join us and I'm glad that they joined us.

At Skyranch. In this photo: Amos, Theresa, Yours Truly, Nhormie and Cliff. Photo taken after our Super Viking ride.

Come September 26th, instead of the "regular escapade" that I normally have which normally includes yours truly, Amos and Theresa or yours Truly, Amos and Wynn, there were five of us: Yours Truly, Amos, Theresa, Nhormie and her husband Cliff. 

The Search for Coastal Mall Bus Terminal

The first time I set foot at Coastal Mall was first week of July 2015 when Theresa, Amos and I went to Bacoor, Cavite to process some BIR stuff. It's good that I can still recall how to go there. From Makati where we currently stay, we took a cab and we reached Coastal Mall early seven in the morning. We boarded BSC air-conditioned bus and we departed around 7:30 am. As of this writing, the fare from Coastal Mall to Tagaytay is Php79.00. Travel time is approximately two hours under normal traffic condition.

Groupie at Coastal Mall bus station. In this photo: Cliff, Nhormie, Tere, Amos and Yours Truly.

I took chance of the wait time and I took this photo. Good thing there were only few passengers when we arrived at the terminal.

When in Tagaytay

We arrived in Tagaytay City early nine in the morning. Because we planned to visit Skyranch, the bus driver dropped us at [please see image below]. From there, we followed the "to Skyranch" sign, walked for approximately twenty minutes and decided to drop by Classic Savory at Summit Ridge. After eating, we walked again going to Skyranch. From Summit Ridge, it tooks us approximately ten minutes to reach our second to final destination.

It's pabebe day for us at Classic Savory at Summit Ridge, Tagaytay.

The Skyranch and Picnic Grove
As planned, we first checked Skyranch and we tried Sky Eye and Super Vikings. My Sky Eye ride was pretty cool - never mind my Super Vikings ride. Haha! Fact is, I've promised that I'll never try vikings ride again. Haha! We spent a few more minutes at Skyranch, mostly taking photos, and we decided to go to Picnic Grove afterwards. We hired the tricycle driver who offered us a ride and we paid him Php300 one-way fare.

As of this writing, the entrance fee at Skyranch from Monday to Friday is Php50.00 and Php80.00 on Saturdays and Sundays.

Pabebe part two at Picnic Grove overlooking Taal Lake. Hahaha!

The Koorah-Koorah Restaurant in Tagaytay
After spending at least an hour at the Picnic Grove, we've decided to eat nearby. We found Koorah-Koorah restaurant near Picnic Grove. Koorah-koorah is a Japanese term for [ooppsss....I forgot] . We tried their best-selling Bulalo for Php650.00 which I think was "unjustifiable" because  We were serenaded while we were eating which I thought a "freebie" from the restaurant. I convinced myself that I was correct until I heard one of the performers say "from the bottom of your heart." I intentionally did not give anything because I was totally dissatisfied by what I eat. We paid Php120.00 each but did not get something that would "satisfy"the amount that we paid for. Anyway, to keep things short, I would definitely not recommend Koorah-koorah Restaurant to anyone.

At the second floor of Koorah-koorah restaurant.

The Disappointment

I think I expected too much on what Tagaytay City can offer us. Prior to our trip, I imagined that it's going be extraordinary trip - with all the beautiful sceneries and cool weather. Well, I was wrong. Fact is, Baguio is far more beautiful than Tagaytay City.Of course, I'm not degrading Tagaytay's tourism industry. I'm just trying to point out that Baguio is a lot better than Tagaytay. 

We left Tagaytay City past four in the afternoon and we arrived home in Makati past seven in the evening.

The Expenses
Here's an overview of our expenses:

• Cab Fare - Makati to Costal Mall - Php150.00 (Php30.00/head)
• Bus Fare - Coastal Mall to Tagaytay - Php79.00/head
• Brunch at Classic Savory - Php215.00/head (approximate amount only)
• Skyranch Entrance Fee - Php80.00/head
• Sky Eye Ride - Php150.00/head
• Super Vikings Ride - Php100.00/head
• Entrance at Picnic Grove - Php50.00/head
• Late lunch at Koorah-koorah restaurant - Php120.00/head
• Tricycle Rental to Picnic Grove - Php300.00 (Php60.00/head)
• Tricycle Fare from Picnic Grove to Oliveros - Php50.00 (Php10.00/head)
• Bus Fare - Tagaytay to Baclaran - Php77.00/head
• MRT Fare - Taft to Guadalupe - Php16.00/head

Total expenses per head: Php987.00 exclusive of souvenir items that we bought for ourselves. Not bad, isn't it.  it's absolutely cheap to travel to Tagaytay as long as you know how to budget.