HDR Photos From Recent Travels

High Dynamic Range Imaging is a technique used by photographers to produce images with a greater dynamic range of luminosity.  This is done by taking shots of a single scene using different exposures and then combining them using computer software.  Some "purists" shun this type of photography citing its cartoon-like appearance and it is not uncommon to hear comments such as - "it looks fake" or "is that a painting?".  But we have to admit, some HDR photos can be pretty breathtaking to look at.

Tagaytay Staycation

First stop?  Paseo de Sta. Rosa and breakfast at Kanin Club.

There weren't too many people at Paseo de Sta. Rosa on this particular Saturday morning (an opportune time for some photo op if you'd ask me).  Saw this cute dress shop and couldn't resist the colors.

Lots of outlet stores here including Beauty Scents, Nike, Adidas, Debenhams, Marks and Spencer, etc.

We stayed at Bergamo Suites located in Sta. Rosa Road.  This boutique hotel really has a lot of potential given its unique architectural design.  Unfortunately, there were some areas they definitely need to improve on, cleanliness being foremost.  When our maltese Gatsby crawled under our bed, he came out with balls of dust on his chest. Thumbs down for that. 

  

There are only about 4 parking spaces available inside the compound.  We arrived around 12:30 PM and asked if we could check-in early (check-in time is 2 PM).  At first, the well-meaning bellhop told us we would have to pay an additional P1,000 for that but after being referred to the manager, the price was "lowered" to P200.  After expressing my frustration, the poor manager could only mutter "hotel policy" as a response to my misdirected anger.

Our room was huge!  We had a mini living room and kitchen and the bedroom had its own door.  Located at the ground floor just beside the reception area, our room was called Sweet Basil.  Unfortunately, we noticed some inconveniences that were not too sweet.  Worst of the lot is the faulty toilet which required about 10 flushes to completely get rid of "evidence".  Haha.  Thumbs up for being pet-friendly though.

Mirrors everywhere.

The littlish kitchen has a cute table for two; perfect for those late night conversations over coffee and Tagaytay's famous buko pie.  By the way, Bergamo Suites is situated right beside Loumar's Cafe and Restaurant, where some people claim has the best tasting buko pie in this city.

That's a huge bed! 

Gatsby loves climbing those stairs.

My two loves.  ;-)

Notice the rusty grills?  I do hope the owners pay attention to these because they ruin what could be a very promising destination hotel in the Tagaytay area.

Sonya's Garden, that famous place for weddings and not so secret dates, is located in Barangay Buck Estate in Alfonso, Cavite. 

Looks a bit creepy don't you think?

They have various home decor items for sale, unique albeit a little expensive. 

Sorry but I just can't resist flower shots. 

Aside from home decor, medicinal stuff and their famous breads, they also sell various plants and herbs.

Love their spanish bread!  Not too crazy about the pan de coco. ;-( 

The Mind Museum

Make sure to visit their store as there are some neat things there.

The Museum is located at the corner of Rizal Drive and 28th street.