Carla Abellana (left) and Tom Rodriguez in Amsterdam
Tinseltown’s biggest and most talented stars know the value of hard work and dedication to craft. So, when given a chance, they either play as hard as they work, or satisfy their wanderlust by taking trips to some of the world’s most exciting tourist destinations.
For Tom Rodriguez, a visit to the Rembrandt Museum in the Netherlands has always been on his bucket list. So when he found time to finally visit the place, it was an experience like no other.
“But, I want to go back to Amsterdam and see the museum one more time,” he said. “This time, I’d like to spend the whole day there, armed with my sketch book or tablet, just to take in everything—study the sketches, paintings and lithographs.
“That would be a joy, ’yung wala kang itinerary and you’re not with a group that you need to be mindful about. Naiinggit ako when I go there and see people working with their easels and watercolor. I want to do just that.
“I went there with Carla (Abellana, his girlfriend). I’m glad she allows me to indulge in these things. I like going to museums, tapos s’ya ang taga-reference ko because she knows that I lose myself when I start staring at a painting or sculpture. Parang mine-memorize ko s’ya. When I begin looking at the details, that’s when I ask her to take the pictures for me, kasi kung ako lang, I’m not much into picture-taking.
“Here in the Philippines, the Boracay trip I spent with Carla and her family last year was such a fun and memorable experience. We went there before I went to Thailand to drum up interest for the start of ‘My Husband’s Lover’s’ telecast there.”
For her part, Jennylyn Mercado, who shares top billing with Tom in GMA 7’s coming medical series “The Cure,” says she isn’t hard to please: “Just take me to a beach, and I’ll be OK—as long as it’s one where I can swim, dive and enjoy the relaxing beauty of the sun, sand and sea combined.
Jennylyn Mercado (right) and Dennis Trillo
“If you mean taking trips abroad, my recent trip to Lapland, Finland’s northernmost region, was particularly special—because that’s where I saw the northern lights. I was glad to see them because people there were telling me that you don’t see those lights every day.
“But, on my first night there, they magically appeared! It was thrilling and unforgettable because it felt like I was in another world. Why do they look green, then change their color to purple … ? And they were moving! They were scary but lovely to look at.
“I’ve also been to the Maldives, because I’m really fond of beaches. I’d also love to go to Jamaica, where the beaches are said to be beautiful. But I don’t know if I’d enjoy taking a 37-hour trip just to get there!”
Trillo (left) and Mercado