Hubz and I are off to another adventure. We’re climbing Mt. Pulag this weekend. Yehey…super excited to see the bed of clouds. :-)
Will share photos when I get back online. So happy weekend everyone!
Posted in Byahe
Last December 28. My husband, my niece Kat and I, went to Baguio City to unwind, bond and syempre to enjoy the cold weather. We left Manila around 4.30am and arrived Baguio at around 11.30am. I got a deluxe room at Bloomfields hotel which I booked last October pa.
Our Room Number
Our bed.
Actually the room was small. For P2610 (with breakfast) per night I think it’s bit overpriced. Yung 2610 is for 2 person lang. Since we brought my niece it’s an additional 350. If we pick additional person with mattress it cost 550. Eh when I saw how small the room is, yung 350 na lang. Buti na lang, we bring along our handy camping gears (mat, blanket and extra pillow.) So solve na yung niece ko dun.
The only good about this hotel is that, it’s very near to SM Baguio and walking distance to Session Road. 10 min walk to Burnham Park, Market and other business establishments in the city and since the hotel is situated in a busy street, you can hear the vehicular noise during the day and even in the evening. There was also an on going construction so it added the noise in the morning.
A stone’s throw away to SM Baguio
After placing our things in the hotel, went to SM (san pa…) for a quick lunch and we headed to Mines View. We asked the taxi driver to bring us there, when we were close, it was so traffic na so we decided to walk na lang. Yun nga lang hindi namin kabisado pag pagpunta kaya we follow our instinct and we realized that we are in Good Shepherd Convent instead…
It was our first time here, We didn’t know na magkalapit lang pla and Good Shepherds and Mines View.
The Good Shepherd nuns make and sell different kinds of pasalubong items which are very popular among tourists / visitors in Baguio.
long queue of cutomers eager to have those yummy treats. 
So I got, 4 jars of ube jams. 1 peanut brittle, 1 no sugar added strawberry jam, 2 chocolate chip cookies, it all cost, 1200 plus, the prices of Good Shepherd’s products are a little bit pricey. Well, I just consider this written on the cap of the strawberry jam we bought. It’s for charity
Ube jam is a must try. It’s smooth creamy, not cloying…in short masarap. The rest of the products we bought, well nothing special, mahal lang talaga….hahahaha.
Good Shepherd also has a store for bread and coffee just across the cashier.
Since, we just had lunch, we just had, civet coffee
It’s my first to taste this kind of coffee…at first I was hesitant kasi di ba, I know how it became civet coffee. Pero syempre I gave it a try, I am so glad, I did…kasi the taste was so wonderful. Would love to have another cup sana kaso haba ng ng pila sa bakeshop. 
After that, we headed to Mines View Park. Although there’s nothing really much to see in Mines View, the place is still one of the top destinations in Baguio. Nothing new to offer, with so many vendors peddling souvenir items, while some offer souvenir photo wearing Igorot costumes for a fee, or ride a horse or pose with a large dog, for a fee too.
Syempre I asked my niece na sumakay sa pink horse
Ang cute di ba?
Around 5pm we headed back to our hotel. My husband slept for a while napagod kasi sa long drive….my niece slept din, napagod ata kahit puro sleeping lang sa car from Manila to Baguio and inatupag, hehehe. While me, I was busy playing angry birds with my new toy
Thanks hubz for this fab Christmas gift. 143
Up next more Baguio pics, most are food.
Have a great week everyone!
One of the main reason why I picked Puerto Prinsesa as our Anniversary getaway was because of the famous Subterranean River National Park or Puerto Prinsesa Underground River. It is one of the most important biodiversity conservation areas of the Philippines. The famous Underground River is located in the St. Paul mountain range at the North part of the city and is about an hour away from the city proper.
For our day 2 in Puerto Princesa, our itinerary was Sabang Beach and Underground River.
Kuya Egay our tour guide fetch us at the hotel around 8.00am and travel around 2 hours going to Sabang port. Kuya Egay checked our scheduled boat ride from a list found with the pier management. We were informed that our turn to ride the banca will be at 3pm.
So Kuya Egay brought us to Sabang Beach.
we walked Sabang Beach while enjoying the sand and sea water on our feet.
Sabang beach has nice fine sand and clear water. I enjoyed my 3 hours here.
At around 12 noon, I got tired of swimming and got hungry. We then had lunch at Taraw Resort. The lunch buffet is included in the package that I picked at the hotel.
At 2pm, we were asked by Kuya Egay to get ready for to get back at the port for our boat ride to Underground River.
We rode the boat and were immediately given lifejackets. They are very strict in the use of lifejackets while onboard the boat.
A boat ride to the Underground river is consist of 10-11 person per boat including the boatman slash tour guide. Life vest and hard hats are required to wear for safety measures.
It was raining that time by the way…
The entrance to the Underground River.
a paddle boat will take the tourists inside for a 40 minute round trip up to the designated stretch and back to the cave mouth.
Nothing is heard inside the cave but light splashes of water, the low murmurs of each tourist and the voice of the boatman who also serves as the guide. he would point to us different rock formations like the holy images, some vegetables and animal shapes. and he would constantly remind us not to raise our heads and open our mouths lest droppings from numerous bats on the ceiling would find it’s way to it.
We have seen only the first 1.5 km of the cave even though it is navigable up to 8.2 km. Why only 1.5km ride? Anything more than that would require to secure permit. The boatman said, researchers and experts usually navigate the whole stretch of the river.
Puerto Princesa’s Underground River is on the shortlist of 28 places competing to become the new 7 wonders of the natural world. After finishing the 1.5km tour I believed that it has a great chance in grabbing a slot.
Let’s help PPS Underground River to grab a slot this year. If you haven’t voted yet, here is the link.
We left Manila at 8.15 am with cebpac, we arrived Puerto Princesa Airport at 9.30am
The hotel I booked picked us up from PPS airport. It was a 20-30 minutes travel to the our Hotel.
After we had lunch our tour guide Jake fetch us for our city tour.
Our first stop was at the Crocodile Farm. It’s a breeding house of crocodiles and mini zoo at Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center about 30 minutes away from the city center. Aside from live crocodiles, we also saw the remains of one of the largest crocodile caught in the wild which attacked fishermen in the area.
After that, we visited Mitra’s Ranch, This ranch is owned by the late Philippine Senator Ramon Mitra. The ranch is situated on top of the mountain, overviewing the sea.
Stick Insect
That stick looking thing on top is the Stick Insect. It’s my first time to see such kaya masyado akong na amaze.
Then our tour guide brought us to Baywalk where this can be found…
Ang Prinsesa ng Baybay (Princess of Ports)
A fiber glass sculpture by Ronel F. Roces located at the Baywalk. “Ang Prinsesa ng Baybay ”Simbolo ng Ating Kultura at Buhay”
Then theres this colorful fish statues also located in Baywalk park.
After that we headed to The Grim Past of Plaza Cuartel.
Plaza Cuartel, located just a few meters away from Immaculate Conception Cathedral, has a dark past. During the World War II, 143 American soldiers were burned inside the tunnel (see above photo) by Japanese soldiers. Eleven soldiers were able to escape from Plaza Cuartel. In 1997, Plaza Cuartel was transformed into a leisure park after it was occupied by the National Police.
Our last stop was at a tiangge souvenir shop in the city proper. The shop sells Palawan t-shirts, keychains, pearls, cashew nuts, bags, and many more. I bought, few souvenirs for my family and friend back home.
Palawan City tour is a tiring activity but worth it. So if you are going to Puerto Princesa don’t forget to include this in your itinerary.
Up next, our Undergound River and Sabang Beach Tour.
Pahiyas Festival is a colorful feast in honor of San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers, as a thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest for the entire year. This festival showcases a street of houses which are adorned with fruits, vegetables, agricultural products, handicrafts and kiping.
Kiping is a thin sheet of brittle wafer made of rice that comes in different colors. The kiping comes in a leaf-shaped form and different decors are created using it.
Flower made of Kiping
Kiping are not only use for decors, it’s also edible . They can be grilled or fried. Fried kipings are added with sugar and sold for 10 pesos per serving. If your wondering what it taste like, for me it’s tasted like rice crispies.
Pahiyas is also a great opportunity to buy the famous Lucban Longganisa but because there where lots of people buying it, we weren’t able to bring home longanisang lucban
We were able to taste the authentic pancit habhab, cooked by my officemate’s mom. (salamat po). Pancit habhab is Lucban’s popular pancit miki guisado that is usually eaten on a piece of banana leaf. However, ours was on a plate.
There was a sagala in the afternoon. The people was so thick that I wasn’t able to get a good photos, sorry.
but was able to get photos of these celebrities, hehehe
It was my first time in Pahiyas Festival. I am so overwhelmed at the beauty and festivity. All houses are open to every tourists for photo opps or to partake of the fiesta foods served on the table.
Would love to go back next year.
I’ve got the vacation itch. I’m anticipating an upcoming vacation but feel the need to book another on the calendar, just so I have something to look forward to once I’ve returned.
Like last weekend, I was with my family for a day swimming in a resort in Bulacan and now all I can think of is…where should I go next? Hmmm….
In two Next weeks, Husband and I will go to Quezon to experience Pahiyas. It’s been a long time that I wanted to witness this wonderful festival. Googling and reviewing the previous Pahiyas festival photos makes me more excited for our visit. Syempre photo opps ito. Then, I do have a big adventure in Hongkong just a few months away in mid-August with girlfriends and a Singapore trip before the year ends with the husband. Medyo matagal pang mga trip na ito so got more time to save money.
For the meantime, cannot wait for our upcoming Palawan trip. Yehey lapit na!
How about you, where do you plan to go for a vacation?
Posted in Byahe
Stirrer-cum-straw, comes in really handy, specially when your getting a take-away coffee (or hot choco).
Thanks to Jollibee, having coffee while hitting the road was easy. Starbucks & CBTL, hope you bring it back!
Hello everyone. How was your long weekend? Mine was a fab. Husband, I and the in-laws went to the beach last Thursday. It wasn’t really a planned trip and we didn’t get any reservation. The result was, we did had a hard time looking for a resort to stay and road trip ang nangyari (bandang south) but before the day ends, we did found a beach in Sariaya Quezon, thanks to hubz cousin.
The beach in Sariaya has a fine black sand might not be as beautiful compared to other white sand beaches in the Philippines but Ate N said the black sand of Sariaya Beach has a healing properties. Hmmm.
We slept in this bahay-kubo and rented it the whole Friday.
The next morning, ninong E, got us freshly picked buko. yumyum.
We went swimming for 3 hours. Kaya heto, ang itim ko na!
Then for lunch, we had grilled tilapia and sinigang na tuna, both fish were fresh catched. Kaya it was so good. Sorry no pics. It disappeared quickly once it was placed on the table.
Then after lunch, we enjoyed the videoke. While others did was….
play….kuya J cannot resist to use his PSP
The twins showing off their antics charm
and goof around.
Then just before the sunset, I laid down on the papag, read a book while enjoying the sound of the chirping birds and the fresh breeze from the beach. Ahhh this is life.
Just one thing, I just hope the people who enjoys the beach at this place, will avoid leaving thier trash as it destroys the beauty of the place.
Posted in Byahe
With friends and all first timer, enjoying the awesome view and the relaxing feel of the wind
One way of going to the pristine and secluded beach of Anawangin Cove is to traverse Mt. Pundaquit. Mt. Pundaquit is located in San Antonio, Zambales. Its elevation is about 464+ meters (1522+ feet) above mean sea level. The trail passes by scrublands and grasslands, affording views of the nearby mountains. Medium-sized bamboo and ornamental-looking plants leads the paths, at times transforming the trail into a garden-like environment. At first flat and then moderately steep, the midpoint of the trail is the summit of Mt. Pundaquit. And then the descent goes to the Anawangin side of the mountain.
We left Manila around 7am. Yes it was so late. We were at Brgy. Pundaquit around 12.00 noon. Imagine how hot it was. We had lunch and then off to trek Mt. Pundaquit.
As I was saying, It was really hot that my cheeks where so red. I almost give up because I cannot stand the heat anymore. I then realized my body wasn’t ready for this but I cannot go back . The husband was there to give me support that I need. Thanks hubz, 143.
Hubz smiling the heat away
After few hours of complaining about the heat, tired body, we reach the summit of Mt. Pundaquit. I could not believe what by very own eyes sees. It was so lovely. (Will share photos before the weekend, promise)
When it was time for us to go down, we all thought going down was a breeze. But it wasn’t! The rocks were just too much. Hay…parusa talaga. I was really careful of going. A wrong move might cause, a real trouble.
We finally reached Anawangin around 7pm. There were lots of campers and everyone was enjoying the night. Night talaga kasi madilim. No electricty. So if you will be going to Anawangin make sure to bring emergency lights or flash lights. We pitched our tents, enjoyed our dinner. By the way, there is a small kubo turned into a sari-sari store that offers to cook rice for you if you want. Mura lang 50pesos per kilo of rice. We had packed adobo pala. Dinner was sumptuous. I took a cold bath from the deep well. Malamig talaga as in. Chat with friends then off to our tents to sleep. Sarap ng tulog ko nun.
Good Morning
I woke up 5am, and was at awe to see the lovely blue water of the beach.
Anawangin Cove, is a wonder of nature. The sand is a mixture of lahar blown in from the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, and fine-ground corals. The beach is lined pine trees.
I thought these trees only grow in cool climates so it’s a bit of surprise to find them here.
We then enjoyed the beach of Anawangin before going to Capones Island.
Caponnes Island is a 15-20mins pump boat ride. Maganda rin sa Capones but didn’t explore the Island that much because my body was already starting to feel the pain from our trek. At 5pm, the bangkero fetch us at Capones Island to bring us back to Brgy Pundaquit.
Uwian na. We arrived Manila at 10pm.
My body is still aching up to now but the experience of finishing Mt. Pundaquit is incomparable. Ang saya!!!!
PS. Will share more photos of this trip, before the week ends!
We missed our 8am connecting flight to Melbourne, damn….but glad we arrived safe and sound. We are now in Melbourne wooh!!!
We just throw our luggage in our apartments and went to Docklands. Will update photos later.
For now, have a splendid monday everyone.
Posted in Byahe
The waters of Manila Bay was calm that fine Saturday morning. As as we arrived, we were greeted by Corregidor with the Bataan Peninsula on its north and Cavite on its south.
Corregidor is nearer to the province of Bataan but the island is under the municipal jurisdiction of the province of Cavite.
Corregidor, which in Spanish meant “to correct”. It was believed that the island was the “checkpoint” for all ships entering Manila Bay, given its strategic location at the mouth of the bay. It was also where people being punished were sent to serve for community service. Because of this background, the Americans fondly called it “the Rock”.
Reaching the island, there were 7 available tranvia or trams to choose from. We chose the tram no. 3 with Armando as Tour Guide and Jerry as our driver.
Let me share some photos I got from Corregidor. Click the photos to enlarge.
Battery Way. It is said to be the most intact of Corregidor’s artillery batteries. The Construction for this battery began in 1904. It was completed in 1914.
Mile Long Barracks. where the army officers and enlisted officers stayed. It is less than a mile but this three story building is the world’s longest barracks in the world during its time so it became known as the Mile Long Barracks. It also served as headquarters of Gen. Mac Arthur.
Battery Hearn. The Americans started setting up Battery Hearn in 1918 and completed work on it in 1921.
It was one of the last major additions to Corregidor’s defense system which was intended to defend the island against enemy naval threat from the South China Sea.
The Lighthouse. Located at Topside on the highest point on the island of Corregidor, Towering proudly 628 feet above sea level Located on the island’s topside, it is the oldest structure standing in Corregidor The original lighthouse was built by the Spaniards in 1836. From the lighthouse one an see the spectacular view of the Manila Bay, South China Sea .
The lighthouse lies directly 6,972 miles west-southwest of San Francisco, 3,044 miles north-northeast of Sydney, Australia, and 692 miles south of Hong Kong.
Pacific War Memorial. Built in 1968 by the US Government, it was dedicated to the Filipino and American forces that fought in the Pacific during the Second World War.
Filipino Heroes Memorial. This was marked by murals that depict some of the country’s historic battles including the People Power Revolution of 1986. Inside is a small museum where you can take photos.
Japanese Garden of Peace – this garden features a 10-foot high stone Buddha with a reflecting pool, and a shinto Shrine. It is also used as a praying area for Japanese war veterans and the families and relatives of Japanese soldiers who served or were killed in Corregidor during World War II.
The malinta tunnel. One of the main tourist attration in corregidor. During the day tour you can witnessed a sound and light show which they offer for P150php. The show will take you through the different faces of the battle of Corregidor and a bit of the life of the island. The tunnel served as the headquarter of MacArthur during the battle of Corregidor until he had to leave the island.
The Malinta Light and Sound show was scripted by the late late Filipino fil director Lamberto Avellana.
The Corregidor tour was a history trip for me. Mang Armando was very informative and he shared the story of the war as if it happened yesterday. Every place we have visited has a story to tell. There were different kinds of cannons, eerie ruins, a good musuem and a lot of parks. As if a war never happened on it.
I totally love the place and I would recommend it to those who loves to travel around the Philippines.
Posted in Byahe
More than the beach, Bohol had a lot to offer in terms of adventure and history. To add zest to our trip, we had a city tour with Arnel on our 2nd day in Bohol.
We woke up at 7.30am to get oursleves ready. He will pick us up at around 9am. So after getting dressed we headed to Oops resto for breakfast.
After our light breakfast, We went back to our place and Arnel was just on time waiting for us.
Below are the photos of our day trip in slideshow. Hope you enjoy watching it.
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Up next our last day in Bohol, where went dolphin watching and snorkeling at Balicasag Island and experienced the lovely Virgin Island.
See yah!
To celebrate our 7th Year wedding anniversary, hubz and I decided to spend it in Panglao, Bohol.
Our boarding time was 8.05. We were a bit early so we decided to have coffee at chaikofi (NAIA terminal 3)
I’m impressed with their coffee. Masarap. Would want to try their gourmet sandwhiches sana but was still full, we had breakfast kasi at jollibee Philcoa before going to the airport.
In a few minutes, passengers bound to Bohol were called to board the plane. 8.55 am we left Manila
around 9.55am we are about to land Tagbilaran airport. Excite mode na ko dito
When I booked Lost Horizon (thanks Bley for the review) that was in February, I was in Sydney that time. The exchange of emails with Ms. Julie was so swift. She responded so quickly. So thumbs up for that. Para mas less hassle ang trip namin I booked a car at Lost Horizon to pick us up at the airport to the resort.
When we exited the airport, Arnel, the car driver was waving a piece of paper with hubz name.
Ayun oh…hubz inside the car…..hehehe!
It was a 30 min ride from the airport to the resort. Arnel was telling us info about Bohol. Para syang tour guide hehehe. He asked if we already booked a tour. His company where he works also do tour kasi. He offered us a day tour. We then said will text him later in the afternoon.
So ayun nga around 11.45am where at the resort na. I booked a modern standard room for Php2795. Peaked season pa rin kasi pero if you’ll book for june its much cheaper na.
The room we got, was really cozy. It with a split type aircon and fan, mini-bar, ref, satellite cable LCD TV, WI-FI, free internet use on desktop at the reception area, fresh towel, hot and cold shower,private bathroom and private balcony overlooking the pool
Here’s our bed
then the flat screen tv with cable.
Overlooking from the rom balcony is the pool. Nice di ba?
The restroom is spacious and clean with fresh towels, hot and cold water. They also have a mini bar inside the room kaso forgot to take photos. Excited kasi gumala at mag swim
Anyway, it was passed twelve so we decided to have lunch at their resto na lang. Gutom na kasi ako para mamili pa ng ibang place.
I ordered the chopsuey, rice and buko juice while hubz ordered the daing na bangus meal with hot chocolate.
The food was okay naman, simple tasting nevertheless, naenjoy ko naman ang lunch namin.
We went back to our room, rested for a while and we go swimming…as in swimming to sawa….
Eh kung ganito ba naman kaganda ang place, swim to sawa talaga gagawin ko
Up next our day tour at Bohol.
Have a great week everyone!
Posted in Both of Us, Byahe
Its March already and it’s my first month here. 8 more weeks and I’m heading home. Cant wait as in I really cant wait to get home, in fact I am starting to buy souvenirs and I am not done yet….
I already bought keychains, ref magnets and coaster and few packs of chocolates. Hay….shopping relieves me from being homesick wag nga lang ma over baggage, hahaha!
Oh what do you want by the way?
it was raining this afternoon and suddenly missed having coffee with my favorite coffee bud (the husband ofcourse). Its hard to be away from home specially when my birthday is coming in a week
Oh well, to somehow lessen the sadness, I grab a chicken burger, fries and choc sundae at Hungry Jack’s. The logo looks familiar right? Hungry Jack’s is a franchise of the international Burger King.
All these for 4.95 dollar. Mura noh? Wag lang mag convert to peso ha. hehehe
On my next entry, I’ll update you with my EB with Ibyang and her husband and Darling Harbour
Have a great week eveyone!
Posted in Byahe
Nah this is a street in Sydney where our apartment is located. I took this photo at our apartment on my first day here.Para lang bang makati? hehehe. This is around 6am in the morning pala. The place where we stay right now is fabulous. There is an available unlimited internet connection in our apartment but I have to pay 50AUD for a week subscription. It’s not reasonable for me since I will only be using it during the evening and weekend, So I bought a mobile broadband yesterday. The only thing is…. buying such isnt that easy like in our country where some usb broadbands are for free na nga eh. You have to provide ID or your passport to be able to get one and you have to register online or over the phone to activate your account. I registered last night and so glad when I arrived home its already activated. Yehey!!!!
Oh first things first, let me show you some photos inside our apartment.
This our living room. I love the sunshine entering this room
This is our dining area. Then next to it is the kitchen with complete facilities such as fridge, stove, oven, dish dryer, microwave, a coffee maker and kitchen utensils. Beside the dining is the laundry area complete with washing mashine and dryer.
This place has 2 bedrooms and each has its own shower by the way.
This is my bedroom. Its nice but still I miss my bed at home, as what they say there is no place like home
I guess thats it for now, I’ll update again later. Have a splendid weekend everyone!
Posted in Byahe
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Startin' A New Life Too
