Sounds really deep, huh? These are the words of a wise tortoise, named Master Oogway in the animated movie Kung Fu Panda (kids seem to have this tendency of watching the flavor-of-the-month cartoon over and over again, wait till you have your own).

15th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

That line doesn’t squarely apply to what we’re about to discuss, but it somehow is related. Besides, it’s more impressive to start an article with a nice quote.

Anyway, what I’m trying to drive at is this – we sometimes discover things that we won’t have discovered if we didn’t get lost. Doesn’t make any sense? Let’s put it another way. I’m sure we all experienced a time when we keep on looking for something, but we can’t find it. We spend the whole day looking for it, but we still can’t find what we’re looking for (I guess this is common, even U2 titled a song from this). Then the moment we stop looking for it, we find it.

Have that kind of experience? Good. It’s a bit like that, except that in this case, it’s about something that you weren’t looking for in the first place. Still doesn’t make any sense? Let me just describe it.

Clark Cemetery in Clarkfield, Pampanga

It was a sunny morning, a leisurely drive into the labyrinth of roads within Clarkfield (Pampanga) after a hearty breakfast at the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). We were looking for the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA), a task which should be easy considering that we’ve been here a couple of times. That includes visits to Montevista/Mimosa, Clearwater Country Club and, of course, the fun experience at the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. Incidentally, the 15th International Hot Air Balloon Festival, scheduled from 11-14 February 2010, is fast approaching. You should go there.

That time was the first we’re actually going inside DMIA. We made it a point to leave early from Metro Manila, even if the DMIA is just an hour’s drive away, to make allowance for the possibility that we’ll get lost. And got lost, we did, which is not really a bad thing because, one, we had plenty of time to kill, and, two, we stumbled on something interesting.

Death March Marker in Clark, Pampanga

But let’s backtrack a bit. As noted in a previous article, it’s easy to know that Mt. Samat is near — you’ll see the Dambana ng Kagitingan even from a distance and you’ll see the Death March markers along the way.

When Bataan fell on April 9, 1942, it was just a matter of time that the last Filipino-American stronghold in Corregidor would fall. The Philippines would commemorate April 9 as an annual holiday – Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor, also known as the Bataan and Corregidor Day. On May 6, 1942, after months of heavy bombing, the little island of Corregidor surrendered.

Around 75,000 American and Filipino soldiers surrendered. Only around 54,000 reached the destination after what is now infamously known as the Death March.

Many more died in the prison camps. The more than 100-kilometer walk was characterized by inhumane physical abuse and murder (click here for more story).

Today, the path of suffering is marked by white markers, designating the kilometer number. The intersection that leads to Mt. Samat is Kilometer 19 (different in usage from the regular Kilometer 0).

Unknown Dead at Clark Cemetery

Kilometer 100 is in Clark, marking the entrance of the Clark Cemetery. This cemetery is the final resting place of around 7,559 individuals (World War II casualties were relocated in Fort McKinley, which lies between Makati City and Taguig City) — those who died from the Philippine-American War, Spanish-American War, their civilian family members, some remains of non-WWII Japanese civilians, Philippine Scouts, Chinese/Vietnamese refugees.

More than 1,600 individuals are still unidentified, their graves simply marked as “Unknown”. It’s no surprise that many of us wouldn’t know this place exists, except by accident. (Or, ahem, when you’re subscribed to this blog.)

Rowboats docked at Clearwater Country Club

These days, clean natural bodies of water are rare. The bodies of water that our children could frolic and have fun are usually man-made, including artificial lakes and swimming pools. Villa Escudero (San Pablo City) has its manmade lake and swimming pools. Plantation Bay (Mactan) has its huge swimming pool which resembles a beach.

Then there’s Clearwater Country Club (Clarkfield, Pampanga), with a manmade lake for kayaking and fishing. There are swimming pools, of course, and I must say that the pools are child-friendly, with wide shallow areas for kids to enjoy. Every place has its pros and cons. Clearwater is suited for spending time out with toddlers, or functions like weddings or company outings. During the time we were there, at least 5 companies were having their outing, and 2 wedding receptions were in place. The fact that all were done at the same time means that Clearwater has enough space to cater to these activities.

Lagoon at Clearwater Country Club

If you want a romantic getaway, other places like Villa Escudero is, in my opinion, better than Clearwater. The good thing about Clearwater, however, is that it’s just under 5 minutes from Mimosa, which means you have easy access to Mimosa’s 36- hole golf course and the Casino Filipino (as well as the other establishments in Clark). Unlike in Montevista (also in Mimosa), however, Clearwater doesn’t allow food and beverages to be brought in. Also, unlike Montevista, cars are not allowed inside Clearwater (you have to park outside and walk all the way to your room), but since I saw cars inside, I’d like to believe those are owned by management.

(For directions on how to get there, refer to the directions for Montevista. Go straight past Montevista, then straight through the flashing traffic light. You’ll see Clearwater to your right after around 300 meters. If you’re lost, call 045-599-5623, 0145-599-5624, 02-584-4053 or 0917-520-4403. You could also read more at its website — yatsleisure.com).

Porch of cabins, facing the lagoon

Admission fee for visitors is P1,200 and P600 for adults and under 12, respectively. Rates are different for members and non-members. For instance, swimming is free for members, but 150 for non-members. Boating and kayaking (150/hour for members, 495/hour for guests). Fishing (100 for the rod, plus per kilo fee for the kind of fish caught). There are various rooms, but I suggest the Lakeside Lodge (P6,270) because, well, it’s beside the lake. It’s a cluster of 6 rooms, each with 2 twin-sized beds, plus 2 rooms with 4 bunk beds. There’s a closet cabinet, luggage rack, writing table and chair, cable TV, refrigerator, individual aircon, phone and a nice, clean bathroom. Aside from the Lakeside Lodge, there are Outdoor Living Tents (P2,200 for guests), Luxury Tents (P3,762) and Family Inn (P5,016). These are the rates listed in the brochure and some may have already increased. For instance, when I took my son to go fishing, we paid P110 for the rod (instead of the published P100) plus P25 for the bait (which is not mentioned in the published rates).

Smaller swimming pool at Clearwater Country Club

The place is silent and peaceful, well, at least until our companions found the karaoke microphone and my son found the swimming pool. I was just surprised to learn that with the area, there were no roving guards. We had to go out at around 2 a.m. to get the milk from our car (a good 10-minute walk to the parking area because, remember, private cars are not allowed inside the premises) and no soul was in sight. No one, including any security personnel.

Since this is nature, you should be prepared for the usual natural features, which city dwellers often refer to as “inconvenience”. There were plenty of mosquitoes — both in the early morning and, of course, in the evening, so bring anti-mosquito lotion specially if you have kids. With our meals out in the open field, ants provided extra bites to that of the mosquitoes (you could, on the other hand, choose to eat at the restaurant). These “inconveniences” provide an authentic probinsya atmosphere to the place, in addition to the sound of insects at night. Clearwater is not exactly one of those venues that you’ll fall in love at first sight, unlike Villa Escudero. Still, each one has his/her own preference, so it really depends what you want in a place.

Halo-halo is a mixture of various ingredients, which could be as varied as langka (jackfruit), macapuno (young coconut), minatamis na saging (sweetened banana), various beans, sago (tapioca), gulaman (gelatin), pinipig (rice crispies), jalaya or ube (purple yam), leche flan, ice cream, milk and, of course, crushed ice. It’s amazing how you could simply throw all these ingredients in a container, add milk and ice, and voila! You have a food that gives you not only energy (or diabetes, whichever comes first), but also a sure-fire way of beating the heat of Philippine summer (or any ordinary humid tropical day).

The halo-halo of Razon’s is highly recommended. Before Razon’s opened its branches in Makati City (Jupiter Street, at the end near EDSA) and Quezon City (Timog Avenue, at the end near Quezon Avenue, and another one at Banawe Street, near the Orthopoedic Hospital), we had to drive from Makati City all the way to San Fernando, Pampanga just to enjoy the renowned Razon’s halo-halo. Of course, since we’re hungry when we get there, we always order other items in the menu like dinuguan, pansit, ensaymada (left photo, below, labeled as enzaymada) and puto (right photo, below). We loved (it used to be “me”, then I converted so many souls to love Razon’s that it’s now a “we”) it so much we didn’t mind the long drive, even during the time when the NLEX was still being renovated.

I heard Razon’s has branches in the Mall of Asia, TriNoMa, Market! Market!, Robinson’s Galleria and Greenhills. I also noticed there’s a branch of Razon’s in Tagaytay City, at the Robinson’s supermarket in front of Josephine’s.

The remarkable thing about Razon’s halo-halo is this — it’s made up of just a small fraction of the ingredients listed above. Macapuno at the bottom, then minatamis na saging, then the finely-crushed ice permeated with milk, and topped with leche flan. Just a few ingredients, yet the halo-halo tastes heavenly.

Before I discovered Razon’s halo-halo years back, my favorite halo-halo was Chowking. When I was living alone in the condominium, I ordered so much of Chowking halo-halo that I could rightly claim to be a part of that fastfood company’s growth. I’d eat Chowking halo-halo in every place I’d go, even in Baguio, something that my friends find weird (Baguio is cold. Halo-halo is cold. Are you out of your mind?). I still like Chowking halo-halo, of course, but I now consider it as the No. 2 of my new No. 1 of halo-halo, Razon’s (kudos to the management of Chowking for deciding to make the crushed ice a little bit finer, but it should be made finer, something that’s pretty close to that of Razon’s). Of course, there’s a 2007 survey result which says that Chowking is the preferred brand, but what I said is the opinion of my tastebuds.

You should try halo-halo. It’s distinctly Filipino just like eating balut (boiled duck’s embryo), except that unlike balut, halo-halo will no way land in Fear Factor. Ok, enough of the talk. Go. Eat. Halo-halo.

Reasonably priced at under 5,000 per villa a day, with three bedroooms at the second floor and plenty of space at the ground floor (there are also bungalow type residences), the Montevista Villas is a good getaway for the entire family. If you’re on a budget mode, you could bring enough beverage and food to last for the vacation (they discourage cooking inside the villas, which has a refrigerator but no cooking equipment, but you could always bring a rice cooker of some portable cooking/heating device). If you prefer the full-serviced hotel setting, Holiday Inn is just a stone’s throw away.

We (and by “we,” I mean a group of 14) were at Montevista only for a day, so we really had no time, and I was not really interested, to go around. I was planning to try the spa, but decided to sleep and rest. Maybe next time I’ll check out the golf course or try my luck at the Casino Filipino.

There should be no problem going to Montevista, as the North Luzon Expressway is travel-friendly. Take the Angeles exit, which is near the end of the expressway, turn right after you pass the Angeless toll both, then just go straight (or ask around just to be sure). If this article brings up more questions than answers, you could contact Montevista Villas through these numbers: (045) 599-7000, 845-2495 and 299-5800. And if only this article is sponsored, I could also tell you who to look for when you call. Just kidding. =) Enjoy your vacation.

It’s best to arrive at the venue early. I suggest you park at SM City Pampanga before lunch. Have lunch there, watch a movie or whatever since if you arrive later than that, traffic will start to get bad since over 100,000 people watch the event annually. Also park near the exit since you’ll have a hard time getting out when the event is over. For more information, contact the City Tourism Office at (045) 961-5684.

Courtesy of Ivan Henares (http://ivanhenares.multiply.com/).