My ATV rumbled through the arid dirt track of the Tarlac Recreational Park. I sped past a dune buggy, my hands shaking wildly as the ATV bounced through a rough patch of the road. The sun was gloriously shining above, the wind whipping through my whole body, my camera dangling just below my neck. The only thing missing was an AC/DC song blasting through as soundtrack and everything would’ve been rock n’ roll perfect.

LAKAD PILIPINAS AT THE TARLAC RECREATIONAL PARK - PHOTO BY DANDI GALVEZ

The change from absolute calm to supreme mayhem couldn’t be more jarring.

Our group from Microtel Luisita’s Tara Quin Tarlac Tour has just visited the hilltop sanctuary of Monasterio de Tarlac before heading to the Tarlac Recreational Park. It is arguably the hub of sports activity this side of the province.

A thirty-foot statue of the Risen Christ towers over the rolling landscape of the Province of Tarlac. We were at the hillside retreat of Monasterio de Tarlac for Tara Quin Tarlac, a familiarization tour spearheaded by Microtel Luisita to open the floodgates of tourism in the region.

A MONK AT THE MONASTERIO DE TARLAC

A monk from the Servants of the Risen Christ Monastic Community approached us, welcoming us to the Mountain of Resurrection where the monastery is built on. We asked a few questions and he gamely answered, explaining the origins of their order and the monasterio itself.

►EXPLORE: TARLAC ITINERARY