Escap e t o t h e co u n t r y Cover Story
spend the time, getting pampered and enjoying the cool breeze wafting through the hut. You can see Mt. Malarayat from the huts. To cool off or just get some gentle exercise, take a dip in the three-tiered “organic” pool beside the Terraza, so-called because the water is untreated by chlorine. At 7am on the day we tried out the pool, the water was still tepid, not completely cooled down by the night. There are other things you can do on the farm: feed the more docile female ostriches (seven kilos of kangkong or swamp cabbage consumed per bird per day), sample their eggs (P750 for an unfertilized egg scrambles enough for eight people), hop on a calesa for a clop around the hacienda or ride the horses that freely roam the grounds. These can be arranged upon request. Trained farm workers are there to assist anytime. But in a place like Hacienda San Benito, do isn’t the operative word. It’s don’t. Don’t bother with shoes at the Terraza; don’t wear your wristwatch; don’t check your cell phone messages; don’t Tweet; don’t think about the unread emails when you regain your Internet connection; don’t rush; don’t plan; don’t worry. And don’t smoke because it’s forbidden. Our metabolism slowed; so did time. Far from being bored, we viewed the stay as a true retreat. Crickets at night, roosters crowing in the morning, the neigh of a nearby horse and a welcome disconnection from lives perpetually wired and 24/7.
From left, ostrich feeding; the organic pool, guaranteed 100% free from chemicals.
essentials
Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Various all
Hacienda San Benito offers lots from 206sqm-1,024sqm at P5,210 per square meter. For inquiries, tours and payment terms, contact Milrose Realty Development Corporation, 7th flr., Tower 2 Insular Life, Filinvest Corporate Center, Alabang. Tel. +632/ 776 4262 local 112. For day-long and overnight stays, bring a swimsuit, towels, books and magazines to read, a notebook and a pen, playing cards, a board game or your knitting. To get there from Manila, take the South Luzon Expressway heading south; take the BatangasLucena-Legaspi exit to Santo Tomas Batangas. Take Star Tollway and take Tambo exit then follow directions to Lipa City. From Lipa, signages are aplenty that will guide you to getting to Hacienda San Benito. To book a car or a van, call +632/ 853 5331.
natural honey by-products; pure honey gathered from the apiary right within the farm's premises; honey straight from a honey comb; and freshly harvested organic tomatoes and lettuce for a crisp, refreshing salad
San Benito Wellness' jars of honey and ostrich feeding photos by Jocas A. See
june-july 2010 I SEAIR InFlight 57