Verdant Sonya's Garden

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,

Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,

Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,

With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:

There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,

Lull’d in these flowers with dances and delight;

And there the snake throws her enamell’d skin,

Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in...

~ W. Shakespeare from "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

The most enchanting garden one will ever lay their eyes upon in the Philippines is Sonya's Garden located in Tagaytay, which is roughly a 2-hour drive heading south from Manila. I had heard about this place that will transport you to a Shakespearean soliloquy in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in years past but have only been graced with time and good company to visit it 3 days ago. It's a very well kept secret garden, truly verdant with blooming flowers and shrubbery all year round. The garden is also fecund with vegetables, herbs and fruit-bearing trees which are served at their organic restaurant and just the thought of that is quite exultant. Kudos to the owner, all gardeners, caretakers and horticulturists because the wonder they have achieved here is worthy to dwell in the annals of the history of Philippine gardens.

 

 

The cabanas decorated with lace, flower-patterned sheets and embroidery of sorts found all around the garden property are romantic and I will say, this whole reservation is capable of surpassing the botanical gardens I've been to in some cities outside the Philippines.  

Planting and landscaping began in 1998 at Sonya's Garden and as one may expect, all shrubberies, trees and flowering plants have taken root making the organic flow and growth of all manner of flora a marvelous sight to imbibe.

Herewith is a photo of their house salad served at their conservatory restaurant area:

Varieties of Morning Glorys, Hibisuses, Impatiences, Hydrangeas, Butterfly Peas, Geranium flower varieties, Mums and many, many others hang or lay about everywhere. 

Aside from the luscious garden itself, the property houses a bakery with their artisanal boulangerie items; an apothecary where lotions, spices, oils, candles are sold, a gift shop, the restaurant I mentioned earlier and a bed and breakfast.

Visit the place if you are able, it will be an experience.

Bisbee: Scores of History in One Mountain

Center w/ desert flora

Lately, I've had the inclination towards mysterious places, be it spots I chanced upon the inter webs, books or locations I may have visited from before. I do remember going to this Arizona town named Bisbee and to this day I am still perplexed by it’s state. The town stood as if suspended in time, somewhat ghostly, yet one could see the town’s vista in the US92 thoroughfare.

The Lavander Pit

Bisbee, was set up as a prime mining town of copper, gold and silver around 1880 thanks to the nearby Lavander Pit. The quarry was very rich in minerals and has yielded much of the turquoise deposits (known as the Bisbee Blue) in the southwest along with other semiprecious stones like Azurite, Aragonite and Cuprite.

Notice anyone?

As I moseyed through the town I found quite an eclectic, new age-y feel to it. History did also reveal that Bisbee was quite the hippy, counter-culture hub in the 60s and it’s esoteric art all around proves it. 

I spy w/ my little eye: Frida, Elvis and an obscure Hula girl...

Art fence for the communal garden, I think...

Even though Bisbee is the current seat of the Cochise County of Arizona, it had that bucolic feel to it, yea, even a torpidity in the afternoon air. Perhaps when the quarry became depleted, so went it’s energy.  Is the bygone feel Bisbee’s charm today where it sits? That’s for the sojourner to say, isn't it?

Lodge

Would make a nice coffee shop, Ey?

A touch of torpedo...

In an odd way, Bisbee took my interest because it’s like several decades were deposited in one mountain here, the old west Americana, standing true to its motto, “an American Original.” 

~~~

Time Stood Still at Gadsden

Quite a while back I stumbled into a hotel that time forgot in Douglas, Arizona. The town itself was very sleepy in that desert sense with tumbleweeds meeting you as you enter the town, (cue in a duel of quick draw between two cowboys). But I digress, turns out, this hotel named Gadsden which was built in 1907 has stood witness to quite a few historical events and historical people.

During my visit, the hotel was run by laid back staff which is understandable as Douglas itself does not have a lot of tourists anymore. Back in the 1900's, Gadsden was built for cattle ranchers to lodge in  whilst in Douglas when they were away from home. In 1929, it suffered a catastrophic fire but was restored. The style of architecture of the hotel is Renaissance Revival and I deem it as part of the Gilded Age as it was built during that era in America. Check out the rich-colored marble columns and grand staircase.

Lobby

  view from the 2nd floor

It is apparent that when Gadsden was built, no expense was spared for its quality materials, above is an authentic Tiffany stained glass situated on top of the staircase that depicts the Sonora Desert complete with a Saguaro cactus and other desert-scapes.

Just below the Tiffany-stained glass window is this preserved regal lioness in her full size and stateliness.  (Wanted to touch her just to see if she would bite).

Rooms...

It is often the case with hotels and Inns that with age comes the ghost stories. Legends have been spread all over that Gadsden has it's paranormal inhabitants and during Halloween season, this is a popular destination to test those theories. Hmm.

couldn't resist...

more Tiffany glass on the ceiling

Press:
Per research it is noted that Gadsden was used in a Paul Newman, Nastassja Kinski and a Tom Selleck movie. It was also visited by FL Eleanor Roosevelt and Arizona impressionist painter Effie Anderson Smith who resided and completed several paintings in this hotel in the 1940s. Lastly, Gadsden was featured in Travel Channel's Hotel Impossible in 2013 wherein more renovations were conducted.

Windows at The Blu

Wanted to share this picture I took at the Radisson Blu in Edinburgh, I was very impressed with this hotel, from the hospitality to the the conveniences it offered. For a reasonable price ($250 US per night), breakfast samples of blood sausages, Haggis-es and Lorne sausages with other hearty British fares, comfy beds and sincerely friendly staff - I well liked many things about this hotel.

I Wanna Edinburgh

The sad thing about this is that I don't live there. The good thing? I carried pictures with me from the place.

Just the stats Ma'am: Population: 471,650 (best guess); founded: prior to the 7th century; average life expectancy - male: 76.5; female: 81.4; tourists per year: 3.38 million and in my eyes, the no.1 tourist destination - of note...

And yes, and average of the people do speak like the bloke from the movie: "300."

Edinburgh...

I wanted to highlight the busy sections and the bustle of the city because it reveals that the old and the new co-exists with good balance here; that's what makes a great place to live and visit.

Ducks in S. Africa

Gentleman 1: 'Do you like ducks?'

Gentleman 2: 'No.'

Gentleman 1: 'Why?'

Gentleman 2: 'Because they use a lot of fowl language!"

This frequently shared joke was what came to my mind when I saw this picture. But the rest of the photographs which came with this piece was not a joke at all.

This group of fowl ones are inhabitants of a breathtaking hotel-resort in S. Africa named Babylonstoren, a pleasantly earthy destination with its own vegetable farm, herb garden, livestock and so forth for the guests to enjoy as well as exceptional accommodations - pictured below.

I would be remiss if I did not share such a beautiful real estate. The hotel's landscape which consists of mountain and organic farm is the making of an item in one's Wish List. If one did spend a vacation here, it would really be a vacation...

The area is the stuff of dreams, I think...

- all photographs are owned by Babylonstoren.

Take a Bath!

 When the Romans invaded Britain they lodged in Bath, a little town in the Somerset County of England where hot springs were discovered and made into stuff of legend.

It was during the reign of Claudius when the Romans set up these baths which was believed to have medicinal qualities and personages who later benefited from this enchanting place ranged from royalty like Queen Anne to literary giants like Dickens, Jane Austen and the female Shelley.

Ehmm... I would be remiss if I didn't mention Pop Stars like Tears for Fears, Naked Eyes and Peter Gabriel either hail from or live here, (just to make it more apt for today *wink).

 I loved seeing the whole town and being in the premises which has been in existence in epoch proportions and has played host to people I only read about.

Ain't God good?