Getting Lost While Hiking in Amadeo

Amadeo, bragged as the "coffee capital" of the country, is a fourth class municipality of Cavite, which means it's a perfect place to wander in and get lost big time while hiking near Tagaytay. I mean, with plenty of wild countryside and pastoral areas still intact, it's ideal for hiking and sightseeing and, well, getting lost a bit to escape stupid city life.

Watch the video below.

Anyway, it's not entirely thickly forested because small subdivisions are gradually popping up and dotting the place--and probably Amadeo is in danger of losing its reputation someday of being the coffee capital. I hope not. I hope the coffee plantations remain preserved and productive and thriving.

It's safe to be lost here because human GPS is available anywhere. You just ask any human you see around about where you are or what direction to take to reach a certain place and you'd get an accurate direction, often more accurate than electronic GPS devices which can sometimes end you up in a creek, swamp or dumpsite.

So we rode a van to Amadeo at 6 in the morning (missed my herbal coffee) and took C5 Road instead of the shorter Skyway because none of us were familiar with the new route---although we've tried it several times before with a driver who was familiar with it. After napping a few moments and some slow traffic we found ourselves on SLEX where we stopped by a bay gas station for snacks and coffee. 

We also needed to get some money via the ATM and make several trips to the comfort rooms and laugh at ourselves because of that. Restroom trips are exciting for local hikers. Hikers sometimes find something hilarious in the most ordinary things, like coffee and heeding nature's call after. It's part of hiking survival, keeping relaxed and positive, and laughing. Believe me, stress can tire you more quickly than hiking itself. So learn to laugh outdoors.

Finally, we reached Crisanto Delos Reyes Avenue and the area around Mahogany Market and started looking for Amadeo. Once we saw Save More we knew we were in Amadeo. From the marker that welcomes you to the "coffee capital," we drove up a bit and started hiking to look for the particular area we were to checkout near FarmVille. Yup, you heard it right. FarmVille. It's not the game. It's an actual place.

From noisy city scenes and modern civilization to rustic quietude and stillness deep in the forest. Sometimes the transition can be arresting, inspiring meditation. But we were lost for a while. Everywhere we looked it looked the same. Same trees, same shrubs, same smell. You can easily get lost in the woods. One bushy farm lot we passed by looked like the one we were looking for, but later a lady came out of the small house wondering, looking at us like we came from another planet. Obviously, it wasn't the place we were looking for. She didn't expect us.

So we hiked on. Finally we saw the spot marked X on the map. Treasure!!! We climbed the uphill "entry" of the would-be subdivision and soon were standing in the middle of the "jungle" property we wanted to checkout. Plenty of banana and other full-grown trees everywhere; it was a shame that most of them would be cut down to give way to the subdivision. 

We surveyed the place and roamed around to check things out further, seeing where the road lots and residential lots would be. There were markers where the road would soon appear and traces of it were already in place, a pathway already cleared. But the place was still largely forested, and I could imagine how exciting it would be to campout here. But soon they're going to level the whole place. I hope they retain the natural sloping contour so we can build a small spilt-level house when the roads and lots are ready.

It's pre-selling time when properties are still at a bargain and this was why we drove out here pronto, making a 3-hour drive from Quezon City early in the morning. We wanted to take advantage of the cheap price. For just Php 600K plus, you get a 120 sqm lot in a walled and guarded subdivision just a few seconds away from the national road and Tagaytay proper. When roads are in place, there will be a nice price markup and that spells profits for you.

By the way, above is the minor road going to the national road a few meters away. Just 5 minutes more and you're in Tagaytay city proper, especially at the LZM Restaurant where we enjoy one of the best fried Daing na Bangus dishes in the country, and of course, large bowls of hot and delicious "Bulalo." And the property is also just 3 to 5 minutes away from Mahogany Market. 

We hiked some more to checkout more properties still lush with wild vegetation and trees and did a bit of a tour around FarmVille Phase 1 (which is already sold out) before we set out to Alfonso in our van for a swell lunch. The trekking and waiting (some documents were prepared and signed) made us all starve. We had vegetable salads, T-bone steaks, Blue Marlin steaks and the restaurant's special bibingka.

Then after lunch we drove around Tagaytay and bought some fruits. No more hiking after a big lunch. We just have to burn the extra calories tomorrow. For now, it's a joy ride around Tagaytay in our van. Though we've been to Tagaytay lots of times before, it feels like a new trip when we're here. Watch the video below.