Planning a getaway that’s not too far, requires not too much fuel?

Look no farther. Silang, Cavite is one hour from Quezon City. What’s more, traffic along the way is light, even on a weekend, at least that last weekend of March.

More virtues: The air may not be as cool as Tagaytay’s (which very often can be a trick of the mind), but trust me when I say that the sun that wakes you up at 7 past in the morning in Silang is of the gentle variety, not the kind that’s about to turn hot.

And should nature bore you, there’s an Ayala Mall with a Japan Home Center, where I bought a flowery mug, made in China, with a price tag of ₱68. And if you’ve seen enough of our Metro Manila malls, the traditional kind at least, Silang can boast of its very own Acienda, which I prefer to describe as an open-air mall that’s only three floors tall.

At first sight, the mall appears to be only two floors high but then it has an out-of-sight basement.

Who goes out of town to visit a mall? No kidding, when I announced to our party that I needed to buy shampoo and a few other things at the mall, there was a chorus of delighted joiners. As it happens, besides a few restaurants and shops, this out-of-town mall hosts a bazaar on a grassy area where clothes and accessories are sold, along with curios, food and take-away snacks.

The best part about Silang was that we didn’t need a hotel to park our weary bodies while looking forward to a few nights of maybe dreamless sleep. (If there’s a hotel in Silang, I didn’t see it or hear about it). Actually, the best part of the trip was that we were house guests of Penny and Mike, who are family. Which meant the kids could make noises in the swimming pool while their elders made another sort of noise and noises with their mahjong tiles.

Everyone, young and old, enjoyed Silang so much that no mention was made of when it might be prudent or convenient to make the four-hour trip to Baguio, now the land of our dreams.