Pilgrimage on a weekend.

Sunday. What a beautiful day to explore. We decide to go to Antipolo because my dad was going back abroad the week after and since the patron for Antipolo was Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. It's been a while since I've been there and many has changed, establishments have grown and the main pasalubong center has a new signage, plus there's a Starbucks just outside the church. What has not changed are the number of people going to get their vehicles blessed, people selling suman and cashews, and a crowded church.

Once you reach the town of Antipolo, a lot of people are waiting for you to guide you where to go with a catch that you will buy pasalubong from their store, which is not bad. If you don't go to the chruch often, it is confusing since most streets around the church are one way.

National Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage

Kasoy at Suman

Once we parked the car, we headed for breakfast to eat sotanghon and lechon (a healthy breakfast instead). After hearing, we went up to touch the veil of Our Lady. As part of our Rizal trip, we headed to Regina Rica in Tanay.

From Antipolo church, Regina RICA is about an hour and a half drive. You will pass by the route to Daranak Falls, Camp Capinpin and JE Camp. It's an easy route and you won't get lost, but of course I get to use a map.

Regina RICA is open everyday escept for Tuesdays. They hold mass every Sunday at 11:00 AM and 3:30 PM. The land is 13.2 hectars in area and has two chapels and a 71 feet high statue of Our Mother oft he Rosary. It was the perfect timing that we went during the month of the rosary. Inside the statue, called Sulod (an Ilonggo term for inside amd also an acronym that means Sanctuary of Universal Love and Devotion) is a place of prayer. A cruxific and the Blessed Eucharist is displayed. They call the crucifix as the Cross of Absence and Presence because there is no image of Christ on the Cross but etched is the body and blood of Christ. It is prohibited to take pictures inside to preserve its Holiness.

As the sisters will reiterate, the area is a place of Pilgrimage and is not meant to be a playground or picnic place.

Regina Rosarii Institute for Contemplation in Asia

Inside the chapel

The Rough Road to El Nido

August. Next time, I really should take the weather in consideration when I book when airlines posts their sale. A few days prior to our Palawan trip, there had been lots of rain in the metro and I was starting to feel dreary of trying to plan the trip while the rain keeps falling.

Finally the day came for our trip and a tropical depression was approaching Manila. My officemate asked me if I was excited, and was starting to feel down. Considering that major activities in El Nido requires riding a boat, I was really praying for calm waters.

Arriving late night in Puerto Princesa, we slept to prepare for an early trip to El Nido the next day. Going to San Jose terminal, there are two major van services that are known to locals. Euleen Joy and Lexus. Euleen Joy's earliest trip is 5:00am with roughly 2 hours interval on their schedule and the latest trip is 6:00PM. Lexus' schedule in about the same but off by about 30 minutes to allow travellers a choice on time. There are also vans at the airport if ever you have an early flight and decide to go direct. Rates at San Jose is around Php500 while the vans at the airport costs Php600.

Travel time is 5 hours by van. You can also take RORO buses that costs around Php400, cheaper but longer travel time of about 8 hours.

The road going to El Nido was long with 80% concrete and the rest rough. You will pass by several towns in Palawan like Roxas and Taytay and the van will stop twice. Transit time may have been shorter if the road has already been completed.

We left the terminal at 7:00 AM, but had to stop by several areas around Puerto first and started our journey 8:00 AM arriving at El Nido at 1:00 PM. We had already reserved rooms ahead of time but there are several inns that you can choose from some are located along the beach front of the town while others are at Corong Corong which is a few minutes walk to the beach front. I would suggest going for one near the beach front especially if you are planning to do some island hopping to give you enough time to have breakfast.

Arriving in the middle of the day, we opted to just rest for the day. We checked in at the alternative and dropped by the church. We were hoping to avail a combination of tour A and C given we only had 3 days in El Nido so we talked to the guide to schedule the trip. Unfortunately, the following day, the rain was falling hard and the waves were higher, thus the coast guard has decided to hold any trips.

Stuck at the main land, we started looking for other things to do within the island. We decided to go to Nacpan beach, which is one of the so called twin beach. Residents of El Nido are not familiar with the name twin beach as it was coined by the tourists visiting the area so if you have plans of going to the area, inquire about Nacpan beach. The name twin beach came around due to to beach coves next to each other namely Nacpan and Calitang.

Riding on a tricycle going to the beach, it took about an hour to reach the location. It is also the road going to Nagkalit-kalit falls which required trekking 30 minutes which, due the the weather, was difficult to do. Upon arriving near the beach, the road was so muddy the tricycle can no longer go in so we had to walk.

But the walk was worth it. Even though it had been raining, you will still enjoy the beach. How the waves would hit the shore, and most of all, we had the beach to ourselves. Aside from the trike ride we paid for, the beach was free for you to enjoy. There are some cottages that you can rent but you wouldn't really need it.

You can also climb a small hill thats at the end of the shore that separates the two beaches and from there you can see the two beaches side by side divided by a small shoreline.

Lime Stones and Lakes

Last week, I was able to finally able to go to Coron with my mom's friends. It was a spontaneous trip for me bacause I was originally not included in the trip, but since I really wanted to go, I was able to get my way and book a ticket. Airphil has only two flights to Busuanga and we chose the later flight, which was adjusted to 2:20 from it's original schedule of 1:50 and was delayed a few minutes.We finally boarded the Bombardier and was headed for Busuanga.

I did our last minute booking at the hotel 2 days before our flight and also scheduled a pick up from the airport to Ralph's Pension house in Coron. Once we arrived at the pension house, we were grated by the owner Jun, who was hands on with welcoming guests. Our accommodation was in the center of the town, near the market place and just at the foot of Mt. Tapyas, plus near the port for island hopping.

After Jun's orientation, we headed for dinner at went to Maquinit Hot Springs. The hot spring they claim is the only salt water hot spring in the Philippines as per the locals. From the main town, it costs P 300.00 per tricycle with a capacity of 7 persons, but due to the rough road, it is advisable for 4 people to ride a tricycle.

The hot spring is really hot and is best to be visited during night. They accept people up to 8:00 PM but is open until 10:00 PM. Most people visit the hot spring after climbing the tiring yet refreshing Mt. Tapyas which consists of 700 plus steps. But since we arrived late, we decided to climb the mountain on another day.

After an hour or so of soaking in the hot spring, we decided to call it a day. The following day, we went island hoping and visited some of the main attractions of Coron including the Kayangan Lake which is considered the cleanest lake in the Philippines. The lake is like a big swimming pool that is very deep but the water is very clear and you can actually see the reflection of the suns rays underneath.

There are several tour packages available in Coron for island hopping. You can opt to rent a boat, buy food for lunch, and pay for entrances or buy the complete package at $ 650-750 that is already inclusive of lunch and entrance fees. The island hopping usually starts from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM where you get to visit Kayangan Lake, Banol Beach, Barracuda Lake, and the Twin Lagoon among others.

Coron is rich in lakes and rock formations, and there are also several dive sites with several ship wrecks. There are sites that you can see easily see the sunken ships with having to go very deep. The nearest is 5 meters deep. But if you are a licensed diver, you can check out one of the many dive sites in the area.

Since the island hoping is an all day event, do not forget to put on sun screen because you will surely get a sunburn.

Our last activity before we went home on our third day was to finally climb Mt. Tapyas to get an overlooking view of the whole town of Coron. We started climbing the mountain 6:00 AM to be able to get a view of the sunrise. After an hour climb and 30 minutes of rest on top to marvel at the view, we came down and arrived at the bottom of the mountain at 8:00 AM.

Palawan is known to be abundant in cashew nuts, but unlike Puerto Princessa, Coron does not have that many cashiews available and most of the cashews harvested in the area is taken to Antipolo for cracking. Please note also that it is prohibited to take home shells from the island and bags are manually checked at the airport due also to the lack of x-ray machines.

If you plan to stay in Coron, 3-4 days should be sufficient. Prepare a budget of P 3,500.00 that already includes accommodation, food at tours.

Review: Sumilon Bluewater Island Resort, Cebu

Sumilon Bluewater Island Resort is located in Sumilon Island, Cebu. It is an island resort that could be reached from their port at Oslob, Cebu. The day tour is about Php 2000 inclusive of boat transfer, use of kayaks, snorkling gears, the pool and jacuzzi, a lunch buffet and a snack. If you plan to stay overnight, it would take about Php 7500 for two people and Php 1500 additional per head.

The Island is 3 hours south of Cebu City, you just need to follow the main road. On your way to the island, you could see many site and drop by many places such as the Shrine of the Miraculous Lady of Simala, were thousands of devotees visit everyday to ask for their wishes. You could also stop by the Municiplaity or Carcar that specializes on chicharon (deep fried pig skin). Once you reach Oslob, take Bluewater's boat to Sumilon Island.

The people are welcoming and accomodating, although I did not enjoy the food that much since some of them were hard to chew, but still was tasty. Lunch included about 4 viands, rice, noodles, fresh fruits and dessert. The buffet is set in the beachfront, just between the beach and the lagoon.

The island has basically two beachfronts that you could swim in, however, the white sandbar, which has the finer sand, is only accessible during low tides and the water is deeper compared to the eatern beach which is very rocky.

The inifinity pool is nice located just near the pavillion overlooking the ocean, the water falls in the bottom where jacuzzis are located. But during the time we visited, the motor was down so the jacuzzis were not running.

There are many other activies in the island that you could do, such as kayaking or canoeing, snorkling, trecking and many more. You could go to the lighthouse, visit caves and grottos when trekking.

Accomodation/Room: 8/10
Food Choices: 7/10
Food Taste: 7/10
Customer Service: 10/10
Overall: 8/10

(Sumilon Island from afar)

(Infinity Pool)

(Infinity Pool)

(Lagoon for Canoeing and Kayaking)

(Lagoon for Canoeing and Kayaking)

(Eastern Dock)

(Shifting White Sandbar)

(Eastern Beach)

(Sumilon Island Map)

MANILA SALES OFFICE				CEBU SALES OFFICE
	MS. MARGIE MUNSAYAC  Director of Sales				For Reservations call us at: Maribago Bluewater Resort
Address:				Address:
	Room 1120 Cityland/Herrara Towers 98 Herera Corner Valero Streets Salcedo Village, Makati City				Maribago, Buyong Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines
Telephone:				Telephone:
	(63-32) 817-5751				(63-32) 492-0100 (63-32) 232-5411 (63-32) 232-5412 to 14
Fax:				Fax:
	(63-2) 845-0680				(63-32) 492-0128 (63-32) 492-0129 (63-32) 231-0437
Email:				Email:
	margie@bluewater.com.ph				sumilon@bluewater.com.ph
Resort Address:
	Sumilon Bluewater Island Resort Sumilon Island, Oslob Cebu 6025  Philippines Telefax No. (63) (32) 481-0801 Email Address: sumilonreservations@bluewater.com.ph URL: www.bluewater.com.ph

Rizal Park, Manila

It is the month of June, the month of Philippine Independence. One of the heroes of the Philippines that paved the way for the country's independence is Dr. Jose Rizal. Dr. Rizal died on the 30th of December, 1896 in Bagumbayan which is now called Rizal Park in memory of the Revolutionary hero.

A monument of Rizal stands in the park that could be easily seen when passing by Roxas Boulevard. The monument, which is guarded 24/7, is considered one of the famous landmarks of the country and most tourists stop by and take souvenir pictures in front of the monument.

(Rizal Monument)

The Park has several mini parks that includes a Chinese and Japanese Garden and a park that showcases the martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal.

(The Execution of Dr. Jose Rizal)

You could also find kilometer zero in the park that measures the road distances in Luzon and the whole country.

(Kilometer Zero)

Review: Malapascua Island Exotic Dive Resort

Malapascua Island Exotic Dive Resort is located in Malapascua Island, Cebu. It is one of the many reosrt s you could choose from when you are going to the island. The resort itself is secluded from the main resorts in the island, giving you a more private time. The resort is proud to be the first and complete dive facility in the area having its own accomodation and restaurant.

The place is owned by a Dutch who married a local resident. They, according to the staff, are friendly and treat their staff members as family. The resort is more than 10 years old and mostly is visited by foreigners.

The rooms rates are reasonable, ranging from Php 1000 (electric fan) to Php 5000 (super deluxe). Click here for complete price list. The rooms are spacious although most of them are located behind the restaurant giving you minimal view of the ocean, but you could always stay on the hammocks that are placed on the shoreline of the place, shaded by the big coconut tress.

The food is great, not really outstanding but tastes good. There are lots of varieties you could choose from (from local delicacies around the country, to international cuisines). You could eat at the bar which is just infront on the ocean so you would be able to see a wonderful view while you eat.

The resort does have complete facilities for diving and if you are not yet certified, you could take their open water course that cost Php 17,000. There are many dive spots around the whole island and the resort takes you to the best dive spots, some spots are only available during certain times. But if you are not into diving, you could tour around the island via boat (for around Php 1350) and go snorkling (snorkling googles rented separately) where you could see sea urchins, starfishes and various types of fishes.

Customer service is outstanding. The staff are very accomodating and friendly. No complaints about their service, they are prompt and takes good care of you from beginning to end.

Accomodation/Room: 8/10
Food Choices: 10/10
Food Taste: 8/10
Customer Service: 10/10
Overall: 9/10

(Exotic Beachfront)

(The Bar/Restaurant)

(Rooms)

Malapascua Exotic Island Dive & Beach Resort
P.O. Box 1200
6000 Cebu City
Philippines

Website: http://www.malapascua.net/
Email: info@malapascua.net
Phone: (+63) 32-4370983
Fax: (+63) 32-4370984
Mobile: (+63) 917-3276689

Malapascua Island, Cebu

Malapascua Island is located on the northern part of Cebu. The island is famous for its dive spots where you could see various kinds of fishes and some sunken vehicles. Some of the fishes only come out on certain times of the day, so if you want to see them, you can wait. Each spot around the island has its own different types of sights to see. The waters are really high during high tides and really low during low tides, and you would be able to spot starfishes and sea urchins. It is more enjoyable to swim during the high tides because the water is deeper and there is not a lot of sea urchins that you can step on, although the water is a bit wavy.

(Malapascua beachfront)

If you're not into diving, or not certified to do so, one of the activities you could do in the island is to tour the island via motorcycles or locally called habal-habals. The residents of the island are honest, friendly and welcoming people. The habal-habals would go through the neighborhood and you get to see how the residents of the island live. One site to go to is the island's solar powered lighthouse that operates automatically, no one mans the place and is rarely guarded by people thus the path to the top is mostly covered by plants but still passable. Other sights include a place the locals call small beach, Pilar Pilapil's beach house, and Bantigue Cove.

(Malapascua Lighthouse)

(Other beachfronts in the island)

(Sunset at Malapascua)

Malapascua is approximately 4 hours from Cebu City, give or take.  From Cebu city, you could hire a van/car (Php 2500-3500) to take you to Maya port in Daang Bantayan, or you could also take the public bus from Cebu city that costs about Php 100. Once you get to Maya Port, you would need to take a boat ride to Malapascua, that would normally cost Php 50 each, or Php 1200 on a special trip. There are many resorts i the island that you could stay in. Below are links of some of the resorts you could choose from.

Malapascua Island Exotic Dive Resort

http://www.malapascua.net/

Blue Water Malapascua Beach Resort

http://www.malapascuabeachresort.com/

Hippocampus Beach Resort 

http://www.hippocampus-online.com/

Cocobana Beach Resort

http://www.cocobana.ch/

Bantigue Cove Malapascua Beach Resort & Dive Shop

http://www.bantiguecove.com/

Foodtrip - Isdaan (Gerona, Tarlac)

One of the restaurants that you would notice when heading north of Luzon is the Isdaan Floating Restaurant Park. It is just along the main road and easy to spot, located in Gerona, Tarlac.

Isdaan features a wide variety of food that you could choose from, be it from the normal lechon kawali to different types of food from different parts of the Philippines that you would not be able to taste easily from any place like their Tacsiyapo. It is my personal favorite because it is spicy and has a sour taste. I have been in the place twice, and I have enjoyed eating there. 

Besides food, you could also check out some of the amenities of the place. There is the Tacsiyapo Wall where you could trow sand break some things on the wall, Tacsiyapo is a kapampangan curse word. Kids could also ride a goat drawn carriage or ride bikes. There is also a narrow bridge that you could cross and win a kilo of fish when you don't fall in the 6-feet deep water. There is also the Spitting Urinating Monkeys in Unggoy Ungguyan.

There are also many entertaining presentations like the music men roaming around, and sometimes, there are also musical plays that you could watch.

Contact Isdaan via there phone number 045-9312196.

(Pinaputukang Manok)

(Tacsiyapong Hipon, a sour-spicy taste, a little like pakbet, consists of some vegetables like tomatoes, beans and turnips plus a choice of your own meat that varies from beef to seafood)

(Lechong kawali with fried eggplant)

(Tacsiyapo Wall)

Bolinao, Pangasinan

Bolinao consists of 30 baranggays, the best beach is located in Patar. Patar is located in the further part of Bolinao and the travel time from Manila is about 5 to 6 hours. There are two routes that you could take, you could either take the Tarlac way wherein you pass by the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) or via Zambales. You could also take a bus from Manila to Bolinao via 5 Star Bus Line.

Patar has one of the nicest beaches in the place and at the end part of the Baranggay is the white sand beach which is the finer beach front in the area. The water is wavey and mostly is shallow especially during the low tides. Most of the resorts are lcoated in the threshold of the place. Some of the known hotels and resorts their are Puerto del Sol and Treasures of Bolinao, however there are less costly options you could choose, mostly the ones not posted in the internet.


There is a small rock formation in the middle of the ocean that you could go to (picture is seen below). Bolinao is also known for sea urchins and if you are careful, you would be able to see them in the beach.

Bolinao, Pangasinan - What to see!

There are many things to see in Bolinao aside from the beaches and caves. You could also stop by the Cape Bolinao Lighthouse. Built by the Americans in 1903 on a 300 feet (91 m) high promontory at the western part of Cape Bolinao, the lighthouse still sends signals to vessels passing by the area. Within the area of the lighthouse is a view deck wherein you would be able to see the blue ocean. The lighthouse is open for th epublic to visit but visitors are not allowed to enter inside the lighthouse. There is also an abandoned beside the foot of the lighthouse.

(Cape Bolinao Lighthouse)

You could also visit the falls in Bolinao, there are namely two falls, Tara Falls and Bolinao Falls. The two falls are near each other. Bolinao Falls are actually two falls, the people in the area calls them Bolinao Falls 1 and 2, the second being a more shallower water wherein kids could swim on. Bolinao Falls 2 is also better than Bolinao 1. The road to the area is rough and you would see mostly trees and mountains. Tara Falls is also a nice place to go to.

(Bolinao Falls 1)

The Saint James the Great Foitress Church in Bolinao is located in the main town of Bolinao, it celebrates it's 400th year on July 25, 2009.

(St. James Church)

One of the local delicacies in the place in Dinungoy which is rice cake cooked in bamboo mixed with coconut milk and salt. It tastes like suman, only is a bit sweeter and tastes good when eaten freshly cooked and still hot.

(Dinungoy)

Bolinao, Pangasinan - Caves in Bolinao

Bolinao, aside from the beautiful beach front, also has many caves. Patar actually has three caves that people could visit namely Enchanted Cave, Wonderful Cave and Cindy's Cave. Enchanted cave is the most famous among the three and the most commercialized. The cave has been modified. It is the deepest and the biggest of the three. Wonderful cave is newly discovered and has a more natural effect to it compared to the three caves. It is also the cleanest and the water is really nice although the steps down to the water is a bit steep. Last is Cindy's Cave, it is the shallowest of the three, there is a grotto placed in the area and a shower was also placed in the middle of the water and the water is not as clear as Wonderful Cave.

(Wonderful Cave)

(Way to Wonderful Cave, many trees are planted)

(Cindy's Cave)

(Entrance to Cindy's Cave)