Tanay, Rizal: Pilgrimage site, tasty food and windmills.

February 15, 2025: an unplanned, spur of the moment road trip to Tanay. This municipality in the province of Rizal is an upland area within the Sierra Madre mountain range while its lowland portion is nestled in the shores of Laguna de Bay.

According to Waze from our place in Mandaluyong to Regina Rica in Tanay, it is 46 kms. We left home at 08:20 AM passing through White Plains, Bonnie Serrano Avenue then to Marcos Highway all the way to winding, sometimes steep but well paved roads through mountainous ranges.

We reached our first destination the Regina RICA  (Rosarii Institute for Contemplaion in Asia) two hours later, occasionally losing signal on Waze but found the correct entrance.  This 13.5 hectare religious institution run by Dominican Sisters of Regina Rosarii and a non profit organization is a pilgrimage site located in the hills of the Sierra Madre mountains.

A solemn place of meditation and serenity with a 71 foot tall statue of the Virgin Mary with a stone laded pathway as the focal point. Inside, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for prayerful reflection in quiet solitude. There is also a chapel where there are daily masses, a wishing well, a columbary, a meditation area, the 14 stations of the Cross is scattered through the terrain and a  gorgeous view of the surrounding mountains.

The 11 AM mass had already started but was able to hear the homily.

After a teary, earnest, contemplative prayer at the Blessed Sacrament asking the Blessed Virgin Mary for fortitude and guidance to handle life's challenges, it was time to find a place to have lunch. A slight drizzle had started but after about 8 minutes drive downhill, we found Tanay Highlands Cafe, an alfresco dining place with an overlooking view of the mountains and Laguna Lake.

Lumpiang sisig, lechon macau rice and tanigue steak rice with
sago't gulaman

By the time we were done with lunch, it started to rain but it was time to head to the Pililla Windmills Farm also in Tanay. Passing through the same winding roads emitting rustic small town vibes, we got higher into the mountain range and caught sight of the giant wind turbines after almost an hour and 20 minutes drive. 

A small rough road leads to a private establishment named Santi's Farmhouse which charges 250 pesos parking fee per car entering its premises. Inside there is a coffee shop, Cafe Grey with an open viewing deck where you can feast your eyes on the panoramic view of the hills and mountains, Laguna de Bay and of course see the massive windmills up close. 

There are 27 wind turbines aligned on top of the hills, each of them towering at 125 meters tall. Too bad it was raining heavily so we couldn't enjoy it as much as we wanted to. But nowadays, I am all about celebrating small victories and was simply grateful to see them.