Good morning Nawawalang

Paraiso!

This is the view from our window. To our extreme left is Nawawalang Paraiso Hotel Resort. It’s the more “expensive” phase of the whole resort hence its exclusiveness and silence. The neighboring phase is more public because it is open to excursionists and day swimmers.

At the background is Mt. Banahaw, hidden by the morning clouds.

This fence separates the staid Resort Hotel from the festive public resort. We were billeted at the public phase and it was noisy by day but its more interesting and charming ambience and cheaper rent were compensation enough.

These darkish “steps” is spring water coming from Mt. Banahaw! Flowing under our cottag, its soothing sound can actually lull you to deep slumber.

The dozens of picnic tables dotting the place stands

ready for the crowd expected at lunchtime. For this early morning shoot, however, the place is all

ours to explore and enjoy!

This view from the right side of our window is still part of the public resort.

The water that fills the pools of Nawawalang Paraiso comes straight from Mt. Banahaw! There’s its gushing spring below.

The kids are about to take their morning dip. Likha is mesmerized by the spring as she waits for Raia.

There’s our yellow cottage. Isn’t it pretty? It’s got two double-sized beds, a T&B, and a plastic table. An overnight stay for the 4 of us cost only P1,200.

Raia is all alone in the kiddie pool and slide. Mt. Banahaw is peeking through the trees.

Finally, Raia gets some company!

In the pool for grown-ups...

kids can swim safely in its shallow parts...

adults can horse around…

…or plunge into its deepest parts

Its pebble flooring gives the illusion that the pool is murky. On the contrary, it is filled with nothing but clear, clean, and

chilly mountain water.

The path from the swimming pools to the Snack Bar

The path crosses a Koi Pond

More picnic huts near the snack bar. As the name suggests, only munch items are sold in this phase of Nawawalang Paraiso.

About a kilometer from where we stayed and built in between the rice paddies of Tayabas, Quezon is this quaint restaurant, Kamayan Sa Palaisdaan.

Dinner is served in nipa huts that are built

right in the middle of a large fishpond!

This yummy meal of fern salad with red eggs, shrimp sinigang, inihaw na tilapia, and curried fish costs less than a P1000. And… we even had some leftovers to take back with us back to the resort.

Here and there are

some interesting

decors

I can't quite figure out the origin of this artpiece : Filipino or Chinese kaya? Alien yata!

This trip was a first of a kind for us. One weekend, we just packed up our bags and purposely got lost in Quezon Province.

Along the way we discovered not just a few unique places

but also some delightful facets of ourselves.