Manuroyta!

            Swimming pools, Collete's buko pie, hot/cold spring, water falls, are some of the things that will come up to mind when someone mention the place: Laguna !             Transient houses are scattered everywhere in Pansol, Laguna.  These houses caters the need of big group of tourist to stay overnight and enjoy the cold/hot spring, which makes the place famous.  One of the famous village that compose merely of transient houses and "for-rent" swimming pools is Mira Monte, where almost all of corporate groups/teams in Metro Manila stays for team building and team bonding (especially those from Call Center Industry).                If you have tried hibernating in the City of Pines aka. Baguio City, where you stay in a transient house, same concept are used.  Kitchen utensils (e.g burner, refrigerator, frying pan,s...

            A friend from Nueva Ecija invited us one time to visit his hometown and taste their famous delicacies e.g. espasol, puto and alike.  We get to experienced again one of the Filipinos famous tradition, that is to celebrate every town's fiesta.  Fiestas in the Philippines are held as thanks-giving for a good and bountiful harvest, a celebration for the patron of the town (Sto. Nino, etc.) and to commemorate the town's beginning.             Going back to Nueva Ecija is another unforgettable experience for me and for my friends.  I never knew the town has one of the highest but may not be the longest swimming pool slide if not of my friend's cousin who invited us for a swim.  Almon Water Park Resort in Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija is my first swimming pool and water park resort experience in the town.  The resort is located in Soledad, Sta....

            Been wandering Zambales for quite a while and been keeping pictures of beaches, rice fields, mango orchards and old houses but not a nice, cozy, convenient accommodation.  When it comes to Zambales, other than SBMA, Subic and Olongapo, all I can think of when it comes to accommodation are either nipa hut/cottages or a tent.  Little did I know that even their farthest towns, Sta. Cruz and Candelaria offers world class resorts.              Arriving in Iba, Zambales from Cubao via Victory Liner (371Php/pax) is not enough to get to Dawal Beach Resort and Restaurant .  One must take another bus ride from Iba terminal to Candelaria, Zambales (90Php/pax).  Drop off point is in Brgy. Uacon, Candelaria where you will need to ride a tricycle (10Php/pax) to get to your destination.  The resort is around 200 steps away from the main road, you may also take a walk. ...

             How many times I've mentioned before that I love Zambales to a  fault?  Oh, several times, right?  Well, you will always go back to the one you love no matter how many new 'place' you met along the way (even if those 'places' are prettier than your lover, right? He-he!).  So, here I am - coming back to Zambales and visiting one of Zambales pride: Potipot Island.              Looking for a little distraction from the hectic schedule and stressful office life, I found my way here.  I search for a new place that will somehow makes me at ease.  Found out that my long list of travels in Zambales is not enough to get to know the place.  I haven't been to Potipot Island and its not as if its an infamous Island.  A simple click of my cursor generated a lots of website and results from Google.  Poor me, I don't really knew Zambales t...

            It was almost midnight when we arrived at Big Rock Farm Resort in Coral na Bato, San Rafael, Bulacan.  Planned to stay overnight, we rented a bigger cottage right next to the biggest swimming pool, that will accommodate nine (9) of us and our, well, not-so-many swimming stuff.              It was a Saturday night, almost all of the cottages - may it be the biggest or the smallest are fully-booked and occupied. You can choose to stay in a Nipa Hut cottage or executive cottages or you may also rent an open table available for small group of visitors and day tour packages. The moment we are settled and rested (from the long travel - I'll tell you later what happened on our way to the resort), we excitedly changed to our swimsuit and board shorts and proceeded to the swimming pool.  Oblivious of the cold water - we swum and dove.  The res...

            If there's an adjective or phrase to describe Filipinos other than being hospitable and the love for eating like there's no tomorrow, it's the passion for music.  Filipinos love to sing, and because I am a proud Filipino, I am not an exception.  A celebration to Filipinos is not a celebration without the food and of course - the music.  Name the occasion - music is always in the air (even during wake/burial - yes, there is music!).              I still remember my grandma would say that grandpa would sing to her (for Filipinos, we call it "Harana") in acapella during their courtship and even after the wedding.  My older cousins do sing too and they normally accompanied it with either a guitar or 'barabad' - a set of drum made by either bamboo or 'yantok' (rattan).  As time goes by, Filipinos love for music is still alive and getting  livelier as time passed.  People...

            Its a spur-of-the-moment escapade.  After work (we work in graveyard shift), the "Vermont Girls" decided to unwind and have fun.  Bored of going to the malls and hitting every karaoke bars in the city, we decided to go on a road trip and ended in Manila Zoo in Manila.              Manila Zoo was opened to public last July of 1959.  From then on - hundreds of thousands of visitors frequent the zoo.   Manila Zoo , also known as Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden , is the first  and oldest garden and zoo of its kind in Asia.

            A park in the city?  I love that!  Manila is known for something else but not having a park within a park within the city.  Did I write it right? He-he!  A tour to Manila gets more interesting  when you visit not just the historical and old sites but the new and equally famous landmarks.  Yes, I am referring to the newly added to Manila's tourist destination - Manila Ocean Park .               Manila Ocean Park is not really "new", new because it was built and opened to public last February of 2008 (If I remember it right).  Unlike its surrounding destinations: Manila Zoo; Rizal Park (Luneta Park); Intramuros - this site was constructed within 20th century nevertheless it offers a lot of interesting things to its visitors and a nobility to a place surrounded by Manila's ancient history.  It's located at the back of Quirino Grandstand in Luneta.

            People may think Quezon City is just a bustling city of skyscrapers, noisy Jeep and buses, malls and other symbols of city life except a park, wildlife or anything related to nature.  I love nature and in the process of  looking for a best place to enjoy this "loving", I found La Mesa Eco Park . You don't need to drive too far, La Mesa Eco Park is located within the city of Quezon in Metro Manila - specifically in East Fairview Subdivision.  This breath of life offers different activities that friends and family can enjoy without spending all that much in your wallet.               Huts and cottages are available for rent, some are free, but you may also bring your own tent or picnic blanket for your own comfort.  The area is around five(5) hectares of picnic, grill, garden and exercises stations.  I've been to the place several...

              A self-confessed history vultures would go to museum and municipal/city library to satisfy their artistic needs.  A traveler would drive long and pack her bag to get away  and satisfy her needs.  Well, if you are a combination of both, no need to stay seated for a long time at the back of your steering wheel and waste your fuel to get this ecstasy - Intramuros is enough to get the same high .            Known to Manilenos as "The Walled City" , this unbelievably awesome place stands historically beautiful despite of the evident modernization  and high-technology showing in every corner of the site.  The place is located in Metro Manila.  Its surrounded by different and equally historical tourist destinations such as: Rizal Park (Luneta); Manila Hotel ; Manila Ocean Park ; Manila Zoo ; Manila  Botanical and Zoological Garden ; Carfel ...

           It started when three of my friends, Susie, Mitch and Mel ( I am sorry, I just love to include your names here. Hehe!) - mentioned that its been a long time since they last visited Our Lady of Manaoag Church in Manaoag, Pangasinan.  We abruptly packed our bags and off we go to Victory Liner, Cubao to get a bus ticket to Pangasinan (330Php/pax).  The ride took 6hours.  Its a good thing most of us are wearing our jackets (Victory Liner to Pangasinan buses are air conditioned) and brought a travel pillow to doze of to sleep while on travel.            Right next to the terminal are rows of restaurants and cafeterias where you can choose to eat. We left Manila around 11PM and arrived in Pangasinan at 7AM.  We had breakfast at Pinkish Resto that offers Filipino cuisine and got the taste of their specialty (and Dagupan's pride) - grilled Bangus!   After b...

            One of my friends posted a Facebook status that goes something like this: " I wish I was a little kid again when all I wanted is to play. Oh, and smile. Oh, and  laugh and eat ice cream!".  Needless to say, it got me thinking, and said to my self, "Why not?".  Just like what the cliché would say, age is just a number.  It doesn't define who you are nor limit what you can or must do.  Who cares if I eat ice cream even if its raining?  If I shout-my-lungs-out while the Blizzard swing back and forth several times and so fast I could not count?  If my grins so wide while driving a bumper car?  If I fall in line to Star Flyer ride even if I am the hundred and one person in the line?  If I get wet while riding the Wild River?  I bet, no one.  And I am betting my one-month salary they'll try the same thing once they get the chance. Hahaha!         ...

            My love story with San Felipe started one unforgettable summer.  Mel and I are planning to spend our summer time Para-sailing in Subic Bay when out-of-the-blue, I asked her to try surfing instead.  Hesitation is written all over her pretty face but picture my surprise when she immediately jump on her bed, turn on her laptop and her fingers start dancing on her keyboard to Google the best rash-guard, Zambales maps and tips on how to ride the surfing board. Hahaha! (Excited much, huh?! He-he!)             The six (6) hours travel time from Victory Liner , Cubao in Manila to Olongapo City are spent mostly by reading books and sleeping.  Instead of dropping off Olongapo - to Subic, as what we first planned, we took another bus ride to San Felipe , Zambales.              After Olongapo, you will pass by Castillejos , San Antonio , ...

           A self-confessed seafood glutton that I am, I'd rather miss my spa than a visit to Dampa-Kainan . Hahaha!  Imagining Dampa is like having those lobsters, crabs, shrimps and fishes of different types floating on my head like a halo. Hahaha!            Thinking of this place makes someone complain about driving too far or being at the back of the steering-wheel in the middle of traffic in EDSA.  One may think its too far that even for the sake of a delicious "ginataang-hipon' or 'adobong-pusit' or for a grilled tuna-belly, they'd rather stay home.  Well, here's a very good news to homebodies, there's now a number of Dampa-kainan that you can visit.              

            Every time someone mention La Union, beach and waves comes to my mind.  I normally chase waves in Zambales but La Union is not a bad choice, in fact, its equally adventurous and beautiful.  This quiet place is located in Ilocos Region and its name literally means ' the union of towns from different provinces'.  Its surrounded by different equally famous and beautiful places: Benguet  , Ilocos Sur and Pangasinan .              I am ready to experience surfing in La Union's (L.U.) wave but I am so glad one of my office mate invited us (me and my office friends) to try surfing in LU and stay overnight in their vacation house.  What is better than to get a free vacation with your friends in a secluded and awesome beach, right?             We hired an urban van that accommodate eighteen (18) of us and off we travel to this land of rice, tob...

            It was not my intention to visit this place when I boarded a ferry from Km.11 Sasa, Davao City to Babak, Samal Island. Not until my cousin-in-law informed me that my ever-dearest crush TV host/sportsman Marc Nelson visited the place and that a representative from Guinness Book of World Records checked out the place recently.  That and a beautiful beach grabbed my attention, then, off I took a 'habal-habal' (single motorcycle) ride to Monfort-Bat Cave in Babak, Island Garden City of Samal.              The fare will cost you only 11Php/pax from Sasa, Davao City to Babak, Samal Island.  From the pier, several tricycles are waiting for your beak and call.  Fare ranges from 25Php-P50Php depending on your destinations. The cave is within the area so it only took us 30minutes to reach the place and 50Php less was stashed from my cash.  The entrance ...

             Known as the Summer Capital of the Philippines, Baguio City lives by its name.  Having a cool weather all year round - this place is the best spot to get away from the sizzling hot weather of Manila. Its only Six (6) hours drive from Manila.  Those who have cars can either choose to take Kennon road that start from La Union.  This is the old and favorite road Baguio locals and old people from Manila used to take.   Marcos highway is also available, you can enter this road via Agoo or Rosario, La Union.  This is the favorite route  of buses and big cars because of its wider lanes. Another route is in Naguilan road (also known as Quirino highway).  The entry point is in Bauang, La Union and this is famous for visitors from Northern Luzon area.  And Baguio-Nueva Viscaya road that connects Benguet, Nueva Viscaya, Sagada, Ifugao and other provinces nearby. The "City ...