When one thinks of a quick escape from the busy and fast-paced life brought out by living in Manila, Tagaytay usually comes to mind first. Just around 1.5 hours away, this fave hang out place became much easier to reach now because of SLEX. Local and tourists alike flock Tagaytay because it offers outstanding views of Taal Lake and Volcano. Add to that is its cool climate due to its high altitude. No wonder this place became the nearest go-to destination during the summer season.

Before 2016 ended, I made sure to fulfill my mom's request to go to Kamay ni Hesus in Lucban, Quezon and buy some miracle healing oil for her. This shrine and healing center that we visited (this is my 2nd time to visit actually) is located on the slopes of Mt. Banahaw and is now a pilgrimage site famous for people who wish to attend the healing mass of Fr. Faller. Aside from attending the said mass, visitors could also do the approximately 300 steps climb to the top of the hill where a 50ft statue of the Ascending Christ awaits at the top. (They also call this the Via Dolorosa Grotto and is considered the 3rd tallest Christ statue in the world.) There is also the Garden of Eden which serves as a park and has life-sized images depicting scenes from the Bible.



Before going to Lucban, I made sure to inquire the schedule of masses held there every Sunday so we would know how to maximize our time. We drove to Lucban passing a zigzagging road (very much similar to the Iloilo-Antique route) which was kinda scary because of very steep curves and deadly cliffs just inches from where our car is passing. There's not much vehicles passing by this road either which made us all alert and wonder if we were passing the right road.


We intended to catch the 11am mass and good thing we arrived with some time to rest before is started (the 11am mass by the way is not a healing mass). Our main purpose actually was to buy some stuff and have it blessed. After learning that there's a 2pm schedule for the blessing, we decided to climb the grotto after attending the mass.

The Ascending Christ was undergoing renovation by the time we visited. Below is the unobstructed picture of the grotto taken during my first visit to Kamay Ni Hesus.

The climb was tiring but was rewarding once we've reached the top. Going uphill, you will be passing life-sized statues depicting the different Stations of the Cross where you could spend some time reflecting and contemplating. Upon reaching the top, a very nice view overlooking the province greeted us as well as the cool breeze of fresh air. We offered some prayers and rested our tired feet before descending the hill.





After the climb, we proceeded to the Garden of Eden to check out its grounds. The park has a life-sized Noah's Ark. As depicted on the Bible, also found scattered on the garden's grounds are pairs of animals which boarded the ark. Adam and Eve can also be found somewhere. There's also a playground for the kids and a small pond where koi fishes can he fed.


By 2pm we were already waiting for the priest to bless our purchased healing oil and other stuff. We also found out that cars can be blessed so we also had ours blessed. (Our car is not brand new but its fairly new 😄) Before saying his blessings, the priest first made sure that we attended the mass that day by personally asking us.

Heading back to Manila, we made sure not to pass the same road we used going there. It was already getting dark and there are no lights on that route so we made sure to use the national highway on our way back. There's traffic but at least it was safer. 👍🏼