I remember..

I stumbled upon this picture when I was cleaning up the old files in my laptop. I must say that the beach is every tourist's bestfriend. This picture makes me look forward to my Bacolod trip with Mitch and Sarah this end of August. Oh and by the way, that's Mitch there on the sand -- I'm guessing she's either taking a dump, making a sand castle or taking pictures! Kidding! Peace Mitch :)

Bolinao 2012

I am lucky to have friends who likes to go places. We have been together on plane rides, bus trips or even just 2-hour out of town trips on a whim! After Caramoan trip, we wanted to go on another adventure. I really can't remember how we ended up in Bolinao, I have a vague memory of Mitch showing us a groupon for Puerto Del Sol, and after much bloghopping and researching I fell in love with their pool. And that was it - the pool made me want to visit the place. We settled for May 3 to 4, just because those were the days most of us were available.

We left Manila around 12midnight of May 2 via Five Star Bus in Pasay. The bus ride took 5hours which was equal to 2 movies and a couple of songs before we reached Bolinao. The bus is nothing special, it was a typical provincial bus, so if you are planning on going, better be ready for some cramps here and there once you board off the bus. There were 2 stopovers, one was on Tarlac and the next one was Alaminos.

At the bus station, there are trykes there available to bring you to your resort. Since there were 9 of us, we occupied 3 trykes - P150.00 for each tricycle. It took almost half to hour to get from the bus station to Puerto del Sol, the road was kinda rough on some parts so if you plan on going you better be ready for bumpy ride.

A little before sunrise we were at the resort already, but a typical resort's check-in time is 2pm. Good thing the resort allowed us to use their facilities prior to check-in. We were able to use their pool and freshen up by taking a shower before our land tour. The original plan was to avail of their land tour package while we wait for our check-in time, but our plans changed when we were informed that the tour which was P350.00 per head would only be for 2 hours! This was contrary to the 4-hour tour that their Manila office promised us. tsk tsk tsk.

Puerto Del Sol pool

The Jacuzzi

Since we are on a budget a 2-hour trip worth P350.00 is totally out of the question. Good thing Anna knew her way around and suggested that we rent a tricycle for the tour. Renting a tryke there costs P250.00 for the first two hours and an add-on of P50.00 for every exceeding hour. We were able to rent three tricycles for all 9 of us. It was a steal compared to what the resort was offering.

Okay our first stop was the Bolinao Lighthouse, I have been to a couple of lighthouses before but this one brings me to different time, it's rustic features and abandoned feel reminded me of what it used to be. The place definitely made me use my imagination. There is a part there where you can view the sea, the waves, the sky and trees all at the same time. It was beautiful - I would go back there for a pre-nup shoot. 

The lighthouse 

The girls

Our boys

When I began going through blogs about Bolinao, Patar beach was one the places that stuck to my mind. The bloggers commented on how fine the sand was and how beautiful the beach is. Well, they are correct. Patar Beach was an unexpected surprise, the waves were rough but beautiful, the water is clear, the view was fantastic. I like that the people maintained the rustic appeal of the place by putting bahay kubos and wooden cottages along the beach. Surprisingly, even if there were a lot of people it wasn't dirty. Patar Beach could give Puerto Galera a run for it's money. It is a far cry from Boracay but  it is worth visiting.

Patar Beach

Last stop would be Wonderful cave. I wold say that cave was able to justify it's name. It really is wonderful! It was scorching hot and going down into a pool of fresh water inside a cave is the best thing to do. I know that Anna was bragging about how much we would enjoy the cave but I didn't expect that this would be the highlight of our trip.. well for me :) 

Wonderful Cave

At around 3pm and P168.00 poorer because of the trip, we were back at Puerto del Sol. We checked in our dorm-type room to freshen up and then we went out again to enjoy the beach. We stayed at their cottages along the shore line, played some cards, slept a little, ate halohalo, woke up, kayak'd, played frisbee, played volleyball and enjoyed their pool. 

The pool was the thing that made me want to stay at Puerto del Sol, but it was disappointingly hot. If I wanted a hot pool then I would have gone to Pansol. But the pool did look pretty when the lights were on at night.

Pool at night

Puerto del Sol is one of the highend resort along the Bolinao coastline so it was expected that their food would be pricey. It was on the range of P200.00-400.00 per meal. We wanted to experience their food even for just one meal so we decided to have our dinner there. 

Miguel ordered Chicken Teriyaki which reminded me of Teriyaki Boy's version of the dish but only a bit sweeter. It was yummy, but I think I tasted better. You have to give it them that their servings are really huge. I ordered Chicken Ala Kiev and Eggplant mousakka, the chicken was big and tasty, I liked the herbs they rolled the chicken in - it was served with mashed potato and fresh garden salad in asian dressing. The Eggplant moussaka was an interesting dish, it was like a lasagna but instead of pasta noodle, eggplant was used. I liked it. I would definitely order it again. Yes, I am an eggplant lover LOL

After dinner, we went up to our room and took a bath. Our room reminded me of college days, it consists of 7 bunkbeds and the bathroom is shared with the other rooms. It has a television set - which you can't watch from the lower bunk, and a ref. It was a room made for people like us on a budget. 

where we slept

One thing about vacations is that I don't get to sleep for a long time because we are following a strict itinerary, but this trip was different - I took a bath after dinner and slept til 8am in the morning. I did not even notice when Miguel slipped in beside me. LOL

It was funny how the boys bonded over watching basketball while the girls took a bath, I like the fact that they have something in common.. makes it easier for us to plan more trips again.

So at 11am we checked out and got our complimentary shell necklaces from the front desk(buti nlng naalala ni She! hehe) and off we are to another 30minute tryke ride to someplace to eat near the bus station. We settled for pizza and pasta and then off to manila we went. 

I am looking forward to spending another vacation with this group! It was hassle-free and budget-friendly. Sagada na soon, guys? Let's go ethnic! haha

P.S pictures grabbed from Mitch and Ian :) Thanks!

Flying Gecko - Baguio City

When you are learning to cook, its important to familiarize yourself with various dishes, that is why on our Baguio trip we tried different places to eat. I already blogged about Forest House, here is the second installment. I introduce to you - the Flying Gecko.

Flying Gecko can be found along Session Road, you really would'nt notice the place if you're not walking since the place was really not that big. Because I did my research before going to Baguio, I know excatly where to find the place. We went to Fyling Gecko for our last lunchout in Baguio City.

Like the other places in Baguio, Flying Gecko was not airconditioned, hey who needs airconditioning in Baguio, right? We got there around 10:30am, so we decided to have our breakfast/lunch there.  We went through the menu and I decided to try their New Zealand Fish Fillet and Chicco sampled their Beef Bourguinion.

The Beef Bourguinion was a surprise! When you bite the beef it seems like there is an explosion of flavors in your mouth, it was a dish like no other. This dish is originally a french cuisine, but the version from Flying Gecko incorporated a Filipino feel to the dish. It was worth every cent we paid for it. A big plus was the serving size, it is actually good for sharing.

The fish used for the fish fillet is mahi. It was topped with almonds and the fish has a lemon taste to it. Like the Beef dish, the fish fillet serving was huge! I would definitely recommend this.

I hope you get to visit Flying Gecko :)

Forest House - Baguio City

I was browsing through my Baguio pictures and realized that what makes Chicco and me click is the fact that we have a lot of things in common and we also have our differences which does not make us lose our individuality :)

One thing we have in common is our love to cook and eat. So when we went to Baguio last week, we tried some foodie places that were given good reviews.

First stop? Forest House, which was located about 15minutes (by cab) from where we were staying. After dropping our stuff at the hotel, we went straight to Forest House.

The place reminded me of a storybook house, it has a cottage vibe which makes it cozy and homey. The place was supposed to open at around 10:30am but we came a bit too early.. still, the staff was courteous enough to invite us in and accomodate us. We were given the option to dine at the overlooking part or inside where it is less chilly, we opted for the inside table because I wanted to take pictures of the interior.

When we were given the menu, I was actually impressed with the variety of dishes they serve. From the menu alone, I was convinced that that this was not an ordinary dining experience.

We chose Seafood Gambas for our appetizer and I have to say that its the best Seafood Gambas that I have tasted, it was a bit spicy which made me eat it in small servings. It was the perfect appetizer.

For the main course, I opted to eat St. Peter's fish in Honey mayo, don't be fooled byt the fancy name, St. Peter's fish is actually our local tilapia. I was curious on what magic they would do on the tilapia, When the dish arrived, it was plated perfectly, and the honey mayo sauce was heaven to the mouth, it removed the fishy taste of Tilapia while maintaning the natural taste of the fish. You can also tell that the fish was really fresh because it was tender and it literally melts in the mouth.

 

Chicco chose the Pork in Lemon grass Marinade. Just like the first dish, it was plated very well. Just remembering the smell of the meat and the spices it was marinated in makes my mouth water up to now. The meat was so tender and was juicy all throughout! It was seasoned perfectly!

Finally after a very satisfying main course, we chose Peach-Cherry cheesecake for dessert. Aside from the main restaurant -Forest house also has a pastry shop which makes cakes for dessert in the main restaurant. It was not the best cheesecake, but the combination of cherries and peaches made my taste buds happy :)

 Did I mention that all the dishes came with buttered veggies straight from their very own garden? Sulit tlaga!

Forest House gave us the fine dining experience in Baguio City, the food was superb and the staff was really accomodating and courteous and they are in formal uniform which added to the high class vibe. I would trully recommend eating there. I promise you won't regret it.

Oh - you should try their Benguet Blend Coffee. They have the best coffee in Baguio, believe me - it came straight from Chicco the coffee critic himself! I would blog about the other Baguio foodie paces that we tried, so stay tuned to my next entries. :)

Memory for keeps: Coron 2009

The trip to Coron was one of the things I needed to do for myself - I wanted time to think and unwind, all the drama in my life is finally taking its toll on me.

It was one of those bahala-na-trips that makes it kinda adventurous. I wanted to go as far away as possible from all the pressure I feel whenever I am in the office.

I booked cebu pacific tickets to Busuanga and back to Manila, I set it for September 25 to 27 -bahala na kung tumuloy or hindi! I really did not plan anything - parang things just started to fall into place. (^^,)

Soon my trip became controversial because of some unfortunate events that happened - yes, I blame it on miscommunication. I really had to get away from all the chismis, the hurtful words and the pressure to do the so-called right thing.

So come September 24 - I packed my bags and lay awake all night anticipating the trip. 5am I started doing my morning rituals while eating breakfast - I was'nt comfortable to fly with a bad weather but thanks to texts of encouragement from Archie, I finally mustered the courage to leave the house and go to NAIA for my 9:45 flight.

Its raining! - waaah and my 9:45 trip was cancelled! what to do? Is this a sign that I should not continue with this trip? Stubborn me, I lined up at the Cebu pacific desk and rebooked my flight for later that afternoon. Boo-yah! a slot was available for the 1:45 trip! This was sooo meant to be!

I made friends while I was waiting for my flight - there were a lot of people going to Busuanga, some for vacation and others just for business purposes. A lot of people were frustrated of the weather but still all of us were looking forward to finally be in Busuanga.

1:45pm - All the passengers for flight 5J531 were finally in the plane, ready for take off. Our plane was a small one, it was a propeller-type plane that I estimated to be 80-seater. I expected the flight to be uncomfortable, considering the weather and that it is a samll aircraft. After 40 minutes in the sky we finally saw land. Wow! The pictures found in the internet did not do justice to the place. It was beautiful! beathtaking! Even my camera did not do justice to the islands of Palawan. The place was perfect despite the rain.

Busuanga airport is relatively small as compared to other domestic airports - upon exiting the arrival area you will find lots of van drivers with sign boards willing to take anybody to Coron town proper for 150 pesos. Good thing my van fare was covered by the tour package I availed. Then I met Tawini the driver who took us to town - he is one animated character. You can contact him through 09208130967, if ever you come visit Coron and need his assistance.

One thing I like about Coron is that since it is a small town, everybody knows everyone and nobody can ever get lost! People are so friendly and hospitable.

The first day we just ate our hearts out, since it was raining I decided against climbing Mt. Tapyas which I heard was 700+ steps up! We decided to dine at a place called Kawayanan grill where we ate Nilasing na hipon, seafood kebab with seaweed ensalada and kangkong enselada. It was'nt the best meal of my stay there but it was really cheap, for a price of 400 for the complete meal - I think it is worth recommending.

That night we went to Maquinit Hot Springs via tricycle from Darayonan Lodge, at first I hesitated to dip into the steaming water - might be a bit to hot for me but since all the people seemed to enjoy the water I tried it ---- ooooohhhh refreshing, the heat relaxes the body.. According to the people there, the spring becomes part of the sea during high tide. Nice place to go back to.

By 11pm I was sleeping - was sooo tired! And I'm soo looking forward to out island hopping adventure the next day...

It was raining the second day - I was a bit hesitant to go on with the the island hopping good thing I got reassurance from the the people we were with. After breakfast we went to the port and found the boat we will use for our Island Adventure, by 9am we were out to sea with a few waves tossing our boat back and forth. Our first stop was at Siete Pecados, it was a snorkeling site near the Coron Islands - I was'nt expecting much since it was raining and all but lo and behold - the seabed was embedded with an intricate web of corals and the fishes were amazingly close to us while dipping in the water! It was a spectacular site! Words can't do justice to the underwater treasure there is in Coron.

Next stop would be Kayangan Lake - this is an enclosed body of water in between the mountains of Coron Island, we went there by boat but since it is a lake not connected to the sea - we had to go through a 15 minute hike up and down the mountain to appreciate the beauty of Kayangan, we had a Tagbanua guide with us, he allowed us to ride his balsa and tour the lake, it was so serene, the body of water was undisturbed by the rain, we were the only people there, Nica stayed with our bags while we toured the lake.. When you are at the middle of the lake, try to shout, it will echo along the muntains of Coron.

Next stop was supposed to be Banol Beach, but the waves were too rough along the beach and there's no way for us to manouver the boat to get to Banol, so we settled for a different beach but along the same coastline, once we docked on the beach (forgive me for forgetting the name :p), we decided to take our lunch there, we had crabs with pork binagoongan and ensaladang gulay sa suka. The food was provided by Darayonan, aaaaaaaah sarap! :) One thing I noticed about the beaches in Coron is that it is not commercialized and Tagbanua people take care of the surroundings. There were no shops or stores anywehere we went it was pure nature beybeh!

We rested for a while along the beach , took some shots and enjoyed the slight drizzle. The sand was beautiful and the water was clear..

Off we went to Skeleton Wreck to do some snorkeling - Coron is known for its diving spots where Japanese battle ships sunk during world war 2. The fishes were more visbile in this snorkeling site, there was also the ship which turned into a coral garden. It was an amazing spectacle, but I was a bit uncomfortable snorkeling here beacause it is a lot deeper than Siete Pecados. Chicco enjoyed it more he swam around with no life vest! Such a swimmer. :) He swimmed while me and Nica and Ryan were left on the boat. kid at heart hehe

Since I am such a kill joy, i begged off going to our final destination - Twin Lagoon because the waves were suddenly getting bigger. I was scared that the boat might tip over. As we were heading back home, I regretted my decision since a lot of tourists were still out in the sea, I might have a bit over reacted but since we were off course already there's no way for us to go back to twin lagoon :(

As we neared the port, the clouds started to part and Mr. Sun showed himself.. tsk tsk duwag kasi ako hehe

Upon arriving we were too tired to do anything else but eat.. then off to dreamland we went.

The next day, I was so anxious to go back to home since I heard from the news that Metro Manila was submerged in water - but that's a different story. Since there was a storm affecting the Manila area, and no flights back were available, we had no choice but to stay in Coron for another night. We took the oppurtunity to explore the town proper, we tried their version of street food and when we were finally exhausted to the bones we retired to our room in Sea Dive. We chose Sea Dive since it was one of the cheapest places there but when I tried to sleep in our room the roof suddenly flapped and soon there was intense rainfall. I was scared since Sea Dive is a structure on top of the water, so we decided to transfer to Darayonan again - good thing a room is available.

The next day Kuya Tawini arrived in his usual jolly manner and we were off to the airport hoping to finally fly bak to Manila that day. PAL Express was the first to land, then came Cbu Pacific and then Zestair and finally around 12pm our Cebu Pacific flight was ready for boarding... aaaaah saya!

Coron is one of the best places to visit - its for those individuals who want to experience a piece of paradise in the Philippines. One of the unexplored wonders of our Country, See you this summer Coron! babalik kmi :)