Last vacation before I go off to Canadian oblivion.
We ate lunch at Tootsie’s, where the food was just lovely and had that home-made feeling.
We then we stayed at Sonya’s Garden – where we had dinner and breakfast the next day. Scrumptious, yummy, to-die-for food! We were sooo full! Lovely and picturesque place as well. (And expensive too! Haha.) We also had a full-body massage at their Spa that night which was very lovely. Great weekend. 
I treated my family to an overnight out-of-town vacation to Canyon Cove in Nasugbu Batangas early this month. I only found out about the place through Girl Talk and internet research, upon which I found out it used to be called White Cove and is still undergoing renovations, though the main hotel is already open to the public.
I reserved through phone two weeks prior. They’re a little disorganized with the process though – I could hear the girl asking someone else as to what to do. The first time I called they said verbal reservation is enough, but once I followed up to confirm a week later, they said I need to either give out my credit card number or deposit 50% cash to their bank account.
We got the cheapest rooms, around Php 4500 each I think. Those were studio rooms on the ground level. Other types of rooms at different levels could go up to around Php 7000. They only allowed three adults per room and they supposedly forbid bringing in of food from the outside – which we easily found a way to remedy. ;P
The place was easy enough to find, a few minutes past the Nasugbu town proper and easily accessible. The resort was pretty crowded at that time, which was a Saturday afternoon. There were lots of daytrippers – some were slightly rowdy and bordering on jolog so it was a little bit of a turn-off. But after 5pm, once they all left, everything was calm and peaceful.
They had a huge pool, with differing depths. The water was lukewarm so it was good. The coconut trees at the center also made things interesting.
The beach had white sand though it was not fine. Still the view was spectacular.
There’s a small playground for the kids.
There’s also a game room near the lobby where you could rent the Air Hockey or the billiards table for a certain rate for an hour.
That night, we had dinner at their only restaurant. They had a buffet of 450 per head, or choices of ala carte grilled stuff. Food wasn’t spectacular though, it was just okay. Not worth the high price.
Still, we had a great and relaxing time in Canyon Cove. Hopefully, the renovations finish soon, so the place would be in full operation.
Thank God. After repeatedly and stupidly missing the last two local runs, we finally got to see Avenue Q last night. Finally. We bought our tickets a month in advance and selected presumably strategic seats (which still ended up imperfect), as we did learn our lesson the previous time we watched at RCBC.
“What is my life going to be? Four years of college and plenty of knowledge, Have earned me this useless degree. I can’t pay the bills yet, ’cause I have no skills yet; The world is a big scary place, But somehow I can’t shake the feeling I might make A diff’rence to the human race…”
Avenue Q was written by Jeff Marx, Bobby Lopez and Jeff Whitty. It was the winner of a bunch of Tony Awards back in 2004 including Best Musical.
The local production was directed by Bobby Garcia and Chari Arespacochaga. Cast composed of Carla Guevarra as Kate Monster/Lucy T. Slut, Felix Rivera as Princeton/Rod, Aiza Seguerra as Gary Coleman, Frenchie Dy as Christmas Eve, Rick Everley as Brian, Teenee Chan as Mrs. T and others and Joel Trinidad as Nicky/Trekkie Monster and others.
I expected to love it and I did. While I already had a third of the songs memorized for months, it was certainly different to ultimately watch the play. It was everything I expected it to be – funny, entertaining, tongue-in-cheek, and inspiring. The songs and the dialogue were easy to recall – and while some American humor may not have registered well with some of the Filipino audience, I still loved it.
The actors were incredible, especially Carla Guevarra and Felix Rivera (who was so adorable as Princeton and so geeky-funny as Rod) who had to juggle a couple of puppet roles and various voices. The whole thing was masterfully executed, down to the facial expressions. I have to say though that Aiza Seguerra’s portrayal of Gary Coleman was just so-so and she definitely failed at the accent and intonation. Still, the cast was great. I loooved the “Bad Idea Bears” to bits! They were just too cute. “We’ll leave the rope just in case.”
I have nothing else to say, but go and catch Avenue Q if you can. They labeled it as the “final run” now, so it’s probably the last time it would be shown here. Tickets are available at Ticketworld. It was definitely one hell of a good play.
“Dont stress relax let life roll off your back except for death and paying taxes everything in life is only for now.”
(Photo from OAP – Anton Diaz)
Had the chance to stay at Grande Island Resort in Subic last June 1 to June 3, 2008. I was pretty much asleep during the whole drive to Subic. We took a ferry to the island, which took roughly 20 minutes. We got to the pier and headed towards the administration office. (I forgot to take pictures!)
We stayed at the hotel, though they also have Chalets at the beachfront. The hotel almost seemed abandoned and needed maintenance. The rooms were clean, but it just had an eerie feeling to it – with the empty front desk and the messy and stinky rooftop.
The place has a pool and of course, access to the beach. The pool definitely needed maintenance as there were “lumot” and seemingly excessive Chlorine content. The beach was clean albeit a bit rocky.
They resort offered a bunch of water sport activities – like fishing, parasailing, diving, etc. They also had all-terrain-vehicles (ATV) available for rental. Some of us went to dive, while some of us tried the ATVs. It was fun. We also went hiking around the island and checked out the old cannons.
The resort didn’t allow for food to be brought in to the resort and there was also corkage fee – so we really had to rely on their restaurant to feed us. Unfortunately, the food (or the cook) restaurant wasn’t really that great. It was supposedly a Chinese restaurant but they didn’t have any sort of dimsum. The food tasted okay, but it eventually gets tiring and “nakakasawa” after you’ve eaten three or four meals there. All the viands started tasting the same after the second meal. 
They had this interested survival presentation/demonstration by the JEST though every night. It was very educational – learning how to make everything from bamboo.
The resort was okay, but it definitely needs a LOT of revamping and renovation. It seemed as if it was “beautiful” and “grand” before it was neglected. Still, the staff were very nice and we had a lot of fun, so that’s all there was to it.
I kept myself awake during the drive home and I’m glad I did. The SCTEX was indeed wonderful – with the empty highway and the scenic views. The trip was faster as well. I hope they don’t commercialize and bastardize the highway with billboards though. (Yeah right.)
During our bus ride to Pagudpud, we contacted our tour guide Kuya Joseph whose number we found posted in one of the websites we visited when we were researching. He offered to help us find the place where we were supposed to stay in Blue Lagoon. He was there waiting for us with his tricycle as soon as we hopped off the bus at Centro in Pagudpud. It turned out that Blue Lagoon was quite far from the town proper (as opposed to Saud Beach) that it took us almost 30 minutes to get there. We found Blue Lagoon so breath-taking as soon as we caught sight of it from the road. We paid Kuya Joseph 200 bucks (usually, it’s 250 for the trip, but we decided to just settle things the next day) for the ride.
We stayed at Agua Seda, a relatively new semi-homestay place ran by a retired teacher Tita Letty. The place was just so-so, the room included a bed, a bedside table, an airconditioning unit and a bathroom. One of the windows was even fake (it was a capiz window on the outside, but a curtain covering a flat wall inside!) which really irked us. It didn’t seem like it was worth its 2500 bucks per night rate, but the amazing view of the sea and the friendliness of Tita Letty and Maricon (her assistant) made up for the price.
We ended up staying at Blue Lagoon instead of Saud Beach (the more popular beach) because most of the resorts we contacted at Saud were already fully booked. We originally wanted to stay at Kapuluan, but all the standard rooms were taken and we didn’t want to spend so much for their deluxe room.
After a much-needed bath, we decided to explore the beach. A part of the beach had residential settlements, there were also two other resorts (Hannah’s Resort which seemed pretty big and Punta Azul which was still in construction.) The sand was white, though not as fine nor as powdery as Boracay’s. The more secluded part of the beach was full of rocks and shells, which made it interesting. We didn’t reach the very end because we were quite tired already. We went back to our room, left our cameras there and headed for the beach for a swim before the dark. The water was very clear and clean, it felt so good to wade around and relax.
We had dinner at Agua Seda – we brought canned corned beef and tuna which was cooked for us, along with diningdeng na malunggay and rice. The food was yummy enough. We retired early because we had such a tiring first day in Ilocos.
Saturday (Day 2)
We missed the sunrise as we woke up almost 7:00am. We went around the beach and took pictures, before heading back for breakfast. Kuya Joseph arrived at exactly 8:00am (our arranged meeting time) but we ran late, so we ended up leaving around 8:30am instead. We paid Tita Letty a total of 2750 for our stay and for the food, with 100 peso discount.
Our tour of Pagudpud then started. Kuya Joseph had a kind face and was rather soft spoken, it was easy enough to like him. He brought us to the following places:
Bantay-Abot Cave – Naturally-made cave on the sea, which sort of looks like a doughnut. It was fascinating to see, but I was actually more frightened of slipping or getting wet because the short trek to the cave was very rocky and the waves were crashing hard against the cave.
Timmarang Rock – This was just a huge boulder of rock on the ocean. We didn’t go near it, just took a photo of it on the background.
Patapat Bridge/Viaduct – A bridge provided a stunning view of the South China Sea. The viaduct links Ilocos and Cagayan, which according to Kuya Joseph was started during the presidency of Marcos.
Agua Grande – Just some picnic area near the rocky shore, we just took a look and left without entering the place.
Paraiso ni Anton – It was really nothing spectacular just a mini-waterfalls where the water is supposedly drinkable. Jid drank some and he’s still functioning well, so I guess it’s true.
Kabigan Falls – The 1.5km-trek to the waterfalls was really tiring though most of the views were picturesque. Our guide was Mang Reynaldo who walked rather fast for his age. The waterfall was pretty cool and very cold – almost freezing cold.
Papa Nards – A small canteen where we had lunch. It a popular tourist dining place. We had chicken barbecue (I think) and sinigang na maya-maya. Pretty hearty lunch and quite affordable too, with the meal totaling to only 170 pesos. They had on their wall posted the supposed history of why the place is named Pagudpud.
Saud White Beach – The more popular beach in Pagudpud. It was reminiscent of Boracay, with the white sand, the number of resorts and hotels lined up along the shore and also, the number of tourists. We walked all the way from Polaris to Terra Rika and back before taking a dip. We showered at Polaris for 10 bucks each. My very last shirt got wet, so I had to wear the Vigan shirt I purchased earlier. (Oh what a fashion disaster. Haha.)
Bangui Windmills – It took us 30 minutes or so to reach the place where the famous windmills are found, as they were already located in Bangui and not Pagudpud. I have to say this was the highlight of the trip for me. Even though I look gross in the pictures. It was long been a dream of mine to see the windmills and I was just totally in awe and giddy the very minute we got there. They were so huge and so amazing!
Cape Borjeador Lighthouse – Another 30 minutes was spent going to the town of Burgos to check out the famous lighthouse. It was old and run-down, but still an interesting piece of architecture. Good thing we caught the caretaker and asked him to open the door to the lighthouse. The view up there was great.
The Pagudpud tour rate was 600, but additional standard 600 pesos was requisite for the Bangui and Burgos tours. We initially planned to haggle for a total of 1000, but again, we felt so generous that we decided to give him a total of 1500 bucks. (Yes, we are now so freakin’ poor.) But hey, Kuya Joseph was really very accommodating, his contact number is listed below, if you’re going to need a tourguide in Pagudpud.
We took another minibus to Laoag where I got so paranoid because it seemed as if the lady next to me was “kinukutuhan yung anak niya.” I tried my best to position my hair away from them. We hurriedly bought pasalubong (banig and longganisa) in the Laoag public market before boarding the Florida deluxe bus to Manila. The bus was interesting to me because it was colored pink (inside and out) and has its own CR. The downside was that there were so many stopovers and the driver was rather slow. We left Laoag at 6:30pm Saturday and arrived in Metro Manila at around 4:30am Sunday.
It was a stressful yet also a wonderful trip. I do admit I wasn’t in my best behavior at times because stress and discomfort usually makes me bitchy, for that I really apologize, Jid. Still, I had lots of fun and the long bus hours were worth it. It was definitely bitin.
Agua Seda: 0920-243-1832 or 0920-425-2709
Kuya Joseph: 0921-761-5459
After a month of on-and-off planning based solely on internet research, our much-anticipated Ilocos trip finally happened. A detailed-recap of our vacation follows:
Thursday (Day 0)
Right after work, we met up at Gateway Mall in Cubao. We had dinner first before taking a cab to the Partas Bus Station in Cubao. I’ve never ridden a public bus for long hours of travel before so it was my first time to witness the crowd, the lines and the craziness that goes on in a bus station.
We lined up to buy tickets for Vigan for the 11:00pm departure, but as we were nearing the front of the line, it was announced that there were still seats available on the 10:00pm bus that was just ready to leave. We then decided to board that bus instead, which left Cubao around 10:20pm. Fare was Php. 565 each.
I decided not to drink a lot beforehand so I wouldn’t feel the urge to pee all-through-out the ride. The bus had a short stop-over around 2:00am and so everyone had the chance to stretch their legs, pee or buy food. We slept most of the time, as we tried to feel as comfortable as we could on a moving bus. It’s funny how the songs being played in the bus as we left for Manila were old Air Supply songs, but when we woke up, we couldn’t understand the songs anymore. They must’ve been Ilocano pop songs.
Friday (Day1)
We woke up just as the sun was about to rise and we arrived at Vigan around 5:30am, so it was pretty much a seven-hour bus ride. It was actually a bit eerie as the bus went through town, since the streets were still empty. We took a tricycle to Plaza Salcedo (the driver asked for 30 bucks, we gave him 20) and decided to just walk around the place and take pictures. I was feeling quite icky that time as I didn’t really have a good night’s sleep and I definitely needed a bath.
We took pictures of the different buildings, like the Vigan Cathedral and the Bell Tower, and also the McDonald’s. Most of the establishments were still closed, so we just walked around till we reached Calle Crisologo, the famous cobblestone street. The place was amazing, though a bit foul-smelling and the cobblestones were a disappointment. I don’t really know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t as plain and as gray as the ones in the street. Still, the rundown, battered and almost rotting houses were amazing. It would’ve been super cool to live there right now.
After walking the stretch of Calle Crisologo, we made our way back to the Plaza and we decided to eat breakfast at McDonald’s as it was one of the few restaurants open and we wanted to try their “Hamdesal.” ;P
Right after breakfast we went to this municipal building to inquire about tourist spots and get a map. We were advised to rent a Calesa to bring us around the tourist spots. Our driver was Mang Danny and he toured us around to the following places:
St. Augustine’s Cathedral and Bell Tower – which were really nice, too bad the Bell Tower was filled with graffiti and was not maintained very well.
One of the Pagburnayan Places – where clay pots and jars were made and one of the people demonstrated how this was done.
Crisologo Museum – just some museum about the late Congressman Crisologo. The antique typewriters and weaver were fascinating.
Villa Angela – a heritage house and also, now a hotel. The caretaker was very accommodating and funny, he told us about the films shot there and that Tom Cruise and Piolo Pascual went there as well. ;P
Because of time constraint, we decided to skip the visits to some tourist spots like the Baluarte, Burgos Museum and the Syquia Mansion.
The rate for the Calesa was supposedly Php.150 per hour but we went around for almost an hour and forty minutes. Mang Danny charged us Php225, but we were feeling generous so we gave him Php250 instead. We asked him to drop us off at Café Leona where we had a yummy lunch of grilled chicken and longganisa.
Right after lunch, we bid Vigan goodbye and hopped on another Partas bus to Laoag, where we planned to take another bus to Pagudpud (as there were no buses which go directly from Vigan to Pagudpud.) The bus was crowded and had poor ventilation so it was sweltering hot. We were getting stinkier and stinkier by the hour.
We arrived at Laoag around 1:30pm. We thought we could catch a Florida bus to Pagudpud but it turns out the buses would be leaving around 4:30pm, so the tricycle driver just drove us to the station for Pagudpud-bound mini-buses with no air-conditioning. And so, we road one of those buses.
It was during that bus trip I realized how incredibly friendly the Ilocanos are. Everyone acted as if they knew each other, everyone greeted one another. They were also quite nice to us, being tourists to the place. The uncomfortable bus ride didn’t even bother me that much because it was such an eye-opener.
The very first time we went to Cubao X (formerly Marikina Shoe Expo) was back in April 2006. It was a random spur-of-the-moment activity which lead us to discovering such a trove of good old vintage art. At first we thought the place was pretty much deserted, but one we walked around we realized there were so many interesting shops and establishments in the area.
A lot has changed since then, the Vintage Pop Shop, I think is already gone. It’s still a major art and indie place though teeming with creativity as there are galleries, independent movie theater, clothing stores, and lomography shops. There’s also the Italian restaurant Bellini’s – which shall be covered in a separate post. 
We first checked out Kopi Roti along the Katipunan Avenue Extension last May 2006. The place was very quaint and had a vintage feel to it.
The building itself was actually quite small with ample parking space and outdoor tables (with umbrellas.) They had some renovation though and the interiors are bigger now.
We loved our first orders then – Iced Coffee for me, Hot White Barley for him and a serving of sumptuous “Kaya” toasts.
We’ve returned to the place a number of times after that as the place was great for hanging-out. The Kopi Bun and the Iced Milk Tea are personal favorites.
I went on a 3-day trip with my aunt to Puerto Princesa, Palawan last May 5-7, 2006. We stayed at The Legend Palawan. The hotel was simple and cozy, but it also had a regal feel to it. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. The food at their restaurant had variety, though the taste was nothing special – it wasn’t bad, it was just forgettable, I guess. They also had a swimming pool but it was under maintenance when we got there so we did not get the chance for a dip.
We ate lunch at Ka Lui in town. It was a quaint little place, with lush greenery and bamboo architecture. The food was pretty good – we ordered mostly seafood and fruits. A very hearty and healthy meal indeed.
The hotel offered island hopping tour which we availed of. We went on a half-day Honda Bay Island Tour (Snake Island.) I loved the white sands and the pristine waters of the island. The place wasn’t quite developed yet, so it still felt new and untouched.
It was a good and relaxing trip. Over all it was also FREE. Because my aunt paid for everything!
Good day. I’m Margaux and this is my travel and photo blog. I shall be posting entries on past travels and will be updating every time I go somewhere or try something new.
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