Summer Lovin'

I opened Summer '11 with a trip for the books!



I was in El Nido, Palawan last February 9-13. One of the best travel I've had, cheap too! I'm still gushing whenever I see the picture above, truly postcard worthy. Haaayyy...

Next travel this year will be the fulfillment of my lifelong dream of infinity pool- a good one at that. Let me share this picture as a tease...

(image from Google)

And did I mentioned we'll be riding a yacht for island hopping too?

Ca'nt wait!

My Travel Diary: Boracay 2009

November 6-8 2009

I almost died. Me and my cousin Kath and two other friends met an accident on the way to the airport en route to Manila. I have bruises on the left side of my body up to now. We were this close to death. I just thank God were all alive.

But we had fun on those three days that we conquered my HAPPY PLACE...that's all that matters for now.

PS.
Dulce, don't ever try this again come July '10!

My Travel Diary: CEBU Bday Trip with my Nanay

July 9-12, 2009

Raves:

1. A dream come true. I've always wanted to give my Nanay a much needed and well deserved break. I asked her where she wanted to go on her birthday and she said she wants to see Cebu so I booked to Cebu for 4 pax at Php 450/seat round trip fare. My Ate wasn't able to join because of her kids' exams and Tatay got scared of flying Cebu Pac so it was just me and my mother for 4 days and 3 nights. Bonding at it's fullest! :)
   

2.
Day tour at Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa or what they call "A Day In Paradise"! This is the highlight of our vacation. At Php 2,000/head we were able to use the pools, beach and buffet lunch at Tide's for a day (they also offers free use towels). Nanay enjoyed the beach, feeding the fishes and the food and fruits- oh we loved them all. :)




3.
Apple Tree Suite's impeccable service at a very affordable price. Located just at the center of Cebu's commercial district, we're able to hop from one food stop to another just a few steps away. At Php998/night (twin sharing) I'm so pleased with their service.





4.
CnT Lechon. Mouth watering even without the sauce. I read in a forum that it's a must try to visit CnT Lechon (they occupied the whole building!) near SM Cebu so right after checking in we went straight to where we tasted the best lechon we've ever feasted on. Very affordable pa.




5.
Ayala Terraces. I've never been to Serendra, I just passed there once so for me I can say that Terraces is the biggest and the most bongga mall here in the country. Feeling namin nasa Singapore kami. ;)






6.
Cebu Pacific. I'd like announce that for the first since 2007 I arrived earlier than the scheduled time of arrival, and mind you it's 35mins early! Historical for me! Now what's up with that smoke?







7. Female Network's GTalk forum. This has been very helpful for me in almost everything! From fashion trends to beauty to travels to legal matters they have everything. A very informative site perfect for killing hours at the same time. :p Through this forum I was able to plan our itinerary from tips on where to stay, go and must-eats that fits our budget.

Rants? NONE. This is my Top 2 best vacay ever, Bora '08 being the No.1. :)


Having said that I'll leave you with this...the power of TANNING LOTION! LOL.

PS: And now I'll start saving my @$$ to death for Bora '09. :D

My Travel Diary: Bohol - Cebu Trip

March 5-9 2009


With PRIMOVER and UPEI Family





BOHOL:
CEBU


Total damage: Php 500.00 (we had an allowance for food / pasalubong shopping, i bought a lot of dried mangoes and danggit.:) Eyelavet!

My Travel Diary: CDO-Camiguin-Bukidnon Report

February 7-10 2009

Raves:

1. My first time in Mindanao, I have finally met LuzViMin. :)

2. Finally- White Water Rafting. At Php 1,200/head (3 hrs Advance level rafting and buffet lunch) plus additional Php 1,500 for photo and video coverage (which you will share with the group) I must say it's SUPER SULIT! Aside from the fact that rafting is the main reason I've been wanting to go to CDO for years, this is truly THE ultimate experience they can offer. Please see our video to give you a glimpse of our adventure. :)

(I was seated at the front, left side..and was shouting either "Oh My God!" or "Ayan na!" the whole time!)

3. CAMIGUIN. Did you know that Camiguin is an island with 7 volcanoes? Volcanic eruptions many many years ago has made this island a very interesting place to visit. Two days isn't enough to go to all the beatiful places, springs, falls and beaches the island offers.

4. VjANDEP PASTEL. Yummy soft buns with sweet yema filling is the best pasalubong (and I think the only pasalubong) you could give your family and friends back home. At Php 120/box (12 pcs) this has made turistas coming back for more. It's nice to see where this coveted (here in the office) pastel started. I bought 5 boxes for my family and officemates.

Rants:

1. Because of my gigil to visit CDO, I booked myself three times (wasted two tix). We were supposed to go Sept last year but something came up that we all backed out (we're 8). The other one is so not worth mentioning.


2. Bukidnon's Del Monte Plantation is a total waste of time (our time) as we didn't saw pineapples ready for harvest-turns out kaka-harvest lang daw. We drove around the plantation for an hour for nothing. (Atleast I can say that I've been to Bukidnon!)
3. Mode of trasportation in this city is either Jeepney, Multicab or Taxi. Sobrang convenient sana to use the taxi but thet don't use their meter. Tawaran-Negotiation ang ganap. Good thing we rented taxi once lang in going to the airport en route to Manila.
4. I never got the chance to try zip lining and the canopy walk, I was excited pa naman on this. This was supposed to be part of Day1 of our itinerary but because of Cebu Pac's always delayed flights we got late. It was already dark when we finished rafting so we decided to do it the other day. BUT my flight is to Manila is earlier than the rest of the group, they were able to do it on our last day in CDO. Ako lang ang hindi naka-try! :(

27th!

My 27th birthday in Boracay is the best I had so far (i told the same thing last year) but no, this is really the best. It's a much needed break from work and I missed the beach so bad. Can't wait for Bohol this summer.

Now on to my picture blog pls.. :)

What I LOVED about this trip and the little stories in between:

This is my first Asian Spirit flight, I almost backed out. The plane was small and looks old and the ride was bumpy because of the bad weather. Good thing the weather's nice en route to Manila (I slept the whole time).

Well "Hello" sunshine in lumot-free Bora, aylavet! We should really visit the island during off peak months (June-October).

I finally got a tan. ;p

(I didn't enjoyed the beach when I was here the first time 2 yrs ago).

The highlight: Parasailing!!!! Incredible experience @ Php1,200/head.

"The Scam": See the guy behind the tricycle driver? Siya si Mang Jovert (i call him Mang Jah-Vert with emphasis on the H and V), our tour guide for Puka Beach-Mt.Luho-ATV tour. He approached me while having coffee the first morning offering activities, I told him I'm only interested in going to Puka Beach and Mt. Luho while riding the ATV.

He told me it's possible and offered P800/head for the tour, I was able to haggle for P500. I also mentioned that I don't plan driving an ATV and asked if I can ride with my cousin and he said OK. Good deal, I thought..we'll be able to hit three birds with one stone. We we're approached by other tour guides offering the same with additional perks such as free snorkling gears for us 4, another guide even offered to help us cook our luch just in case we decided to have lunch in Puka. But we chose Kuya Jahvert over the others, after all he was the one who offered such package and out of respect na rin since he seemed nice. We agreed to meet him the following morning at 9Am for the half day tour, we're all excited.

But then something came up...

Going to the ATV rental we will first take a tricycle which accdg to him would cost P100, he approached a driver and told us the chartered tricycle costs P200 since they'll be waiting for us the whole tour. Medyo tumaas na boses ko, told Mang Jovert we agreed for P100 so we should look for a tricycle who's willing to drive us for the said amount. He told us that the fare daw has changed na and he's not aware of it. I was able to haggle for P125 (see how good I am with that?) then we're off..

We stopped by an ATV rental which our guide told us has the newest ATV's. He talked to the person in charge in their dialect asking for the rate I guess. BUT the guy told our guide we should rent separately and that back riding is no longer allowed. This time mataas na talaga boses ko. Tinalakan ko talaga ng bonggang-bongga tour guide namin! Walang nasunod sa mga napagkasunduan namin before we went ahead of the tour. I was very dissappointed, walang kibo mga kasama ko. I was telling Te (in gay lingo para di obvious) na feeling ko plan nya talaga na gawin yun and that he thought we might agree pag nandun na kami. I ordered Mang Jahvert to take us to another ATV rental and that he should find a way para makahanap ng ATV na gaya ng usapan namin. We stopped by another place but then ganun din, di daw pwede. We cancelled the ATV/Mt.Luho tour and just asked the driver to take us to Puka Beach nlang. None of us talk to Mang Jahvert during the ride. I was furious.
When we stopped by Puka Beach, I saw this .

I sensed something's amiss. I asked our guide to take me to the area where there's a joined pieces of wood good for phot op, he seemed clueless! He asked me where I saw those wood, told him it's not important and that he just take me there. He said he haven't seen such thing, WTF!

I was referring to this . It's nowhere in sight. :( I felt he got us on the wrong island, but my cousin M told me that's wher she went last year. Sabi ng guide tinangay daw ni Milenyo yung kahoy na yun (he has an idea!). Ang ending, walk out nlang kami, umuwing luhaan. Hehehe. (Atleast may babalikan pako sa Bora, say next year? ;) )

"The Paraiso Grill Encounter": Where we had our last dinner, the food is pricey and they cook bad (we ordered a Lobster @ Php990 (that's just one piece) only to be over-grilled, ha!). Our total bill was Php 2,400 (we're just 4 lang ha). My cousin M noticed that they add additional 12% VAT on our bill so here goes a pretty familiar scene:

M: (talking to the waitress) "Miss, bakit di nakasama ang VAT sa menu price nyo? Bawal sa DTI yan ah. Nasaan ang supervisor mo?"

Supervisor: (after some explanations made this remark) "Di po kasi namin alam ang batas na yan ng DTI."

M: "Ignorance of the law excuses no one!"

Me: (talking to Butets) "In other words?"

B: "Ignorantia legis non excusat!"

M: "Talk to my lawyer."

B: (inom bigla ng San Mig Light)

Supervisor: "Sige ma'am, bawas nyo nlang po sa babayaran nyo yung VAT. Pasensya na po."


Bwahahaha! I'm definitely coming back for more. :o)

Vacation Mode turned On

Tomorrow I'm off to La-la Land...

No more birthday blues, i hope. This is the start of me enjoying my birthday parteee!!!!!!! ;)



PS: Happy Birthday to me.

We are not alone :)

"Wala nang atrasan 'to!!!!"

Meanwhile, please watch and listen to Yael Naim's New Soul..another feel-good-fave. ;)

I.Can't.Wait.

To see these enchanting islands called Siquijor....

..and Camiguin

To finally experience white water rafting in CDO...

To bask the Boracay sunset once again and this time to celebrate my birthday there. (excuse my hair in this photo ;p)

..to swim and lounge by this Infinity pool in Batangas (once a dream).

Oh, I just can't wait!

My Travel Diary: BKK Report

Bangkok, Thailand
April 17-20, 2008

What you should know about BKK and from my trip there in tab: :o)

• This is my first out of the country trip c/o my generous company. Also my first PAL flight. I hardly felt any bumps (upon take-off or landing). Was able to watch PS I Love You (Hilary Swank) on board which I am planning to watch months ago. ;)


• BKK is hot, hotter than Manila weather actually. I recommend wearing shorts and comfy shirt/sleeveless plus flip-flops when strolling.


• BKK is for bargain-hunter shoppingeras. There are lots of cheap items (they have everything you could think of) and even the branded items are cheaper here compared in Manila (even the items in 7Eleven!).


• Tiangges are everywhere. Most of your stay in BKK will be consumed from shopping (and bargaining) so it's better that you have lots of dollars (to be converted to Baht once you're there) and don't pack too much clothes on your luggage- excess baggage is costly just in case you scored a lot of new items.


• They LOVE super spicy food. They put chillis on almost everything they eat including green mangoes (sugar and chilli sawsawan, weird) salads and chocs to name a few.


• Aside from temple/golden buddah tours and the crocodile/elephant show, I didn't get to see other places of interest when were there. I missed the Floating Market! :(


• They must've put sugar into their soil. ALL fruits from BKK are super sweet, Ayelavet! Their green mangoes and Makopa are a must-try. I ate loads of watermelon, melon and pineapple too.
  

Best buy for me are:

1. A branded shades that I got for 780baht (normally it's 2,000-2,500 pesos here.


2. Suimsuits for 280baht each (that's like 350 pesos if converted!)
   
3. Mistine White Spa deo spray for only 50baht! This deo is always out-of stock at any Watson's store i went to in Makati. It's regular price is 300 pesos, and its just 62.50 pesos in BKK! What a bargain! (I should've taken their pics, don't you think?)

------

Thais exemplary respect for their King and it's goverment is admirable. Pictures of their King are seen almost anywhere. They celebrate his birthday with one week holiday. When the King's sister (the lady in the pic) passed away more than 3 months ago, they all wore black for 3 straight months.
Gov't offices put white and black ribbon all over their fence like the one in picture.

(a gov't office in BKK)

Surprisingly, Thailand has improved a lot for the past years compared with Pinas. Their King is doing a pretty good job than our president i must say. They have cool colored taxis too (purple,blue,red, orange, green/yellow and pink).

These colors represent a taxi company. Pink - for gays according to our guide and Green/Yellow for private (owned).

*More pictures here.

My Travel Diary: Gora Palawan

Puerto Princessa
Nov. 9-11, 2007

I am well aware that most of my friends and family knows this trip. Bakit nga hindi, this has been planned 6 months before our actual flight!
I won't be giving out all the details or kwentos cos this would take forever for me to narrate them all so I would just enumerate the things that made me fall in love in Palawan and the unforgettable things that happened to us there (with inserts of pictures to add more story). :o)


1.) P1/seat sale of Cebu Pacific. Because of this we got a roundtrip ticket to Puerto Princessa for only Php2,000 (tax included). Wohoo!






2.) Bonding time with cousins plus Te. This was my first trip with them where we traveled by plane and the farthest so far. (All of us are first timers in Palawan). It's really different when you travel with your family, you enjoy every moment talaga.




3.) Snorkling at Honda Bay Islands. This was the best I had so far. Snorkling in Bora is nothing compared to this experience. We spent the whole day hopping form one island to another just snorkling and enjoying the corals and the thousand species of fishes in it. I had a close encounter with clown fishes, thousands of Talakitok and Dalagang Bukid all over me and I was chased by a territorial fish which scared me and Te to death!

4.) Urban Legend (?) at the Underground River. While inside the cave we would hear this "splashing" sound near us but we don't feel any splash of water which is really creepy. We asked the guide and told us that it was just his paddle testing the water, and we didn't believe in him. All of us felt that there's something in the water that was making the sound. We even asked our tour guide if there's a crocodile in the water and she denied it. We still don't believe that it was just the paddle so we asked the hotel staff that night. She said that there is actually snakes, big snakes (mala-anaconda daw) in the water. These snakes are always sleeping and that they only appear before the guides and never on the tourists. Nagtumbling ako bigla upon hearing this because I put my hand in the water while inside the cave testing how cold the water was. What if biglang kinagat nlang ako ni anaconda?!






5.) Kinabuch's Crab in Garlic Sauce. I looove it! This is the best I've tasted so far I think I ate the whole serving. :)
(There are also videos of our kalokohan in Palawan which you could check by clicking this.)