Easter Sunday at Kamay Ni Hesus

It took me a week to post this, sorry! Anyway, have you heard of Kamay ni Hesus in Lucban, Quezon? It's famous for healing priest Fr. Joey Faller. I have been here a few times before, but every time always seems like the first. It somehow always leaves me with a feeling of serenity and blessedness. 

We decided to celebrate Easter Mass this year at Kamay ni Hesus. I heard from the news that approximately 1.5 million people visited the site for this year's Holy Week. Wow, that's a lot! The other times I've been here were ordinary days, so I was a bit surprised to see so many people here on this Easter Sunday. Actually, this time only, we had to park outside the gate and walk a few meters to the Chapel.  And because it was a really hot day, we stopped by this store to buy a couple of hats.

My pretty hat

We arrived before 3 in the afternoon. The Mass was scheduled at 4pm.  So, while waiting for the Mass to start, little C and I went to Mother Mary's hill to pray and see the many beautiful statues of Mama Mary.

There were also statues of some saints.  One of which is this one of St. Padre Pio, one of our favorite saints.

Then we went a few steps up the hill towards the Risen Christ statue, but we stopped only until the first landing, the Last Supper.  There were still hundreds of steps up to reach the Risen Christ, and I feared that we will not withstand the scorching heat of the sun.  I promise to come back and really take those 300 steps to reach the Risen Christ next time!

The Last Supper

View of the Chapel from the hill

The Risen Christ

Holy Week in Quezon

It is a family tradition to spend the Holy Week at our hometown in Quezon. Last year, I wrote about our Visita Iglesia.  Unfortunately, we were too tired from our early morning travel to Quezon that we spent most of the afternoon and early evening of Maundy Thursday sleeping! Thus, sadly we weren't able to do Visita Iglesia this year.

Anyway, we were still able to join the procession on Good Friday. My little C walked most of the way! :-) I don't know how long the route was, but the hoards of people reminded me of our New Year's Eve in Hong Kong.

We had dinner at Buddy's, famous for its Chami and Miki-Bihon pancit varieties. :-)

Saturday was spent with relatives at our annual family reunion.  The different families came in color-coded shirts: blue, blue-green, pink, green, and orange (not shown in picture).  

The kids especially enjoyed the fun games!

Then we celebrated Easter Sunday with a sumptuous lunch at Palaisdaan.  When in Quezon, it is a must to try this restaurant located in the town of Tayabas.  You get to experience eating delicious Filipino dishes on floating cabanas ("kubo"), with a feeling of being in the farm as you are surrounded with plantations, fishes, and carabaos.

Pritong Hito, Ginataang Tilapia, Bulalo, Inihaw na Spareribs, Ginataang Suso

Fresh buko juice perfect for the hot day!

Pilipit for dessert! yum!

In the afternoon, we had Easter Mass at Kamay ni Hesus in Lucban, Quezon.  It's a famous destination for pilgrims especially during the Lenten Season.  In fact, according to news, this year's visitors to Kamay ni Hesus Shrine reached 1.5 million people!  I have been here a few times, but each time always feels like the first.  I will tell you more about our Kamay ni Hesus visit in my next posts. For now, I leave you with this photo I took at the Shrine.  Happy Easter! :-)

 

The Sambo Kojin Experience: Grill All You Can. Eat All You Can.

Last Saturday, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend celebrated their birthdays with a dinner treat at Sambo Kojin in Eastwood. It was my first time at Sambo Kojin, and it certainly wouldn't be my last! 

Everything was just oh-so-delicious!!! If only my tummy could fit all that Sambo Kojin has to offer, I would have tasted each and everyone of them! 

So here's how my first-ever Sambo Kojin experience went. :)

The first thing I noticed was these jars of different sauces placed on every table. My favorite was their very own Sambo Kojin Sauce.

Then I went ahead and checked out the buffet, making a mental note of the dishes I would want to try that night.

My sweet tooth got the better of me, and the dessert spread was the first one I checked out. ;-)

Cakes in pretty colors!

The Chocolate Fondue was a hit for the kids and the kids-at-heart like me! =P

Ice-cream!!!

There was a section of cooked dishes, the names of which I couldn't quite remember. :-S

Here are the breaded dishes: Tempura, Tonkatsu, Karaage, etc.

And then there's a wide array of Maki-Sushi!!!

Hmm.... what to choose??!

Wasabi Overload!!!

There's bacon, pork, and beef strips, and some dishes on sticks.

                            

Veggies wrapped in bacon!  My favorite! :-)

Pork strips and on sticks

Marinated beef strips.... the best!!!

I forgot to take a picture of the Korean spread, but my first plate consisted of Korean vegetable salad and spicy dilis. :)

Special request: Sukiyaki! Soooo delicious!!! <3 <3 <3

These are just some of the sushi rolls I tried. I think I ate 6-8 rolls, if I remember correctly. :D

My favorite plate! Couldn't get enough of the bacon rolls and the marinated US beef!!! I had several servings of both! hehehe ;)

My favorites: Bacon-wrapped asparagus and marinated US beef

Grilling my bacon rolls and pork BBQ.  Thank God for smokeless grills! ;-)

Can't get enough of you!!! :-P~

Hubby's nth plate. If only I'm not allergic to shrimps, I would have eaten more!

Dessert #1: Fruit + Cake = Fruitcake?! ;-)

Dessert #2: I just love plain vanilla ice cream!!!

Dessert #3 and #4: Chocolate overload!!! I just had to have a second serving!

Oh, what a meal that was! I'll surely be coming back for more!!! :-)