My first visit was sometime in the middle 70s when the valley was probably truly hidden because I did not really see much of it. The second was in the late 70s when the place still served ice cold beer.
We reached the place after about a three-hour trip from our house in Novaliches. The whole trip was made because of a niece who came for a brief vacation after a ten-year absence since she moved to L.A.
The road to Hidden Valley was surprisingly well paved and the place itself was well manicured. I could no longer reconcile the old images I had about the place with its present looks.
As we moved towards the natural pools, I noted the presence of many Korean tourists. In fact as we settled to one of the cottages, I again noted that practically all the other cottages were occupied by Koreans.
I also noticed that all the sinages had Korean language translations, indicating perhaps that Korean tourists probably frequent the place.
This is of course not so surprising. When we went for the rapids in Pagsanjan sometime ago, the story was the same. Boracay had the same picture. In fact when we climbed Taal Volcano to view its crater a year ago, the whole place was teeming with Korean tourists.
It's like an invasion - of Korean tourists which is probably good for the economy. This means that they have the means to come to the country and enjoy its beautiful spots, spending a little money in the process.
The Koreans are coming not only as tourists. I often pass through Don Antonio Village along Commonwealth Avenue and I notice that the whole place seems to have turned into a Korean Village. I don't really know why. Perhaps it's not the only place in Metro Manila with many Korean sinages.
The world is really getting smaller, literally and figuratively.
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