Coming soon!

I can’t believe it’s been months since i last write a blog post here. After my Sagada trip, I’ve been to other places. Coron, La Union, Quezon Province, back to Tagaytay, Romblon. Now I don’t even know where to start my post.

Anyway, now I hope to find myself blogging one more time. Forgive my absence then.

Food Trip in Sagada

Good food is not a fast food! That’s one of the mantra I learned when I was in Sagada. Foods there are really delicious… food is a bit pricey, but if you’re looking for a lutong bahay they got it all in Sagada! So if you don’t mind waiting for half an hour for your food (which you really shouldn’t mind cause everything is worth the wait) then just sit down and relax and wait for your home cooked food!

And here’s my top 3 list of the places on where to eat in Sagada!

1. Sagada Lemon Pie House

On top of my list is the famous Lemon Pie House. Their adobo and chicken curry are to die for! Literally! Though the place is famous for Lemon Pie and Lemon Tea (which btw you shouldn’t miss as well), you can try what’s on their menu. And you will not be disappointed. TIP: The viand is actually good for two persons, so if you eat little (or in diet), you can share your order with a friend. But I do suggest to eat all the servings because believe me, you’ll need all the carbs for your spelunking and trekking.

Budget: P100 – P300

2. Bana Cafe

Starbucks has nothing to say compared to the freshly brewed coffee of the mountains. And since the weather is so cold, having a cup of coffee at Bana Cafe is a good stop. Oh not just Bana Cafe, you may ask for coffees on other restaurants but Bana has the best coffee. Try Bana Mocha at P80 and you’ll taste mocha coffee to perfection.

3. Log Cabin

I heard they have Saturday night buffets, but I think that’s applicable only during their peak season. But what convince me most to eat at Log Cabin is because I found it so calm and serene to dine at this place (judging from the outside) and now I know it was true. It is so peaceful inside. Most people there are enjoying their food and their companion and if you are just observing them, it truly is relaxing, seeing people smile and seeing them enjoy their food. Not rushing, unlike people here in Manila when you see them dining at some restaurants it seems like they’re always in a rush.  Budget: P150-P300

So there you go! My top 3 places one should try eating at Sagada. I heard Yogurt House is a must try place especially their Hiker’s Delight, unfortunately we slept at our first night where we should have had dinner there. So I don’t want to give out bias comments on the place :D

Sagada Trip | A tour around Town

Sagada is a small town that you can easily walk around it and enjoy the scenery. The downside is just that it was raining that day though but we are glad we have our own van then. Enough enough…

After you’re done with the adventures, take a time to tour Sagada and you’ll definitely enjoy what the town really has to offer.

Visit St. Mary’s church, Cemetery and Calvary Hill, Echo Valley, see the Hanging Coffins up close, visit Ganduyan Museum and how about food tripping around town (they have delicious foods it tastes like home!)Be amazed by Sagada’s weaving place. They create such fine weaving they use to create bags and other wall ornaments. So you really must visit the place!It was Saturday when we visited St. Mary’s church but we went to hear a mass the next day. And I was truly amazed how peaceful this place is. It is small and cozy and everyone and every people  has this charming smile at their faces.The Cemetery. This is actually a modern cemetery for Ifugaos and they have beliefs, a story that everyone must truly hear, so better pack your bags soon to hear that story ☺Echo Valley and Hanging Coffins are just a stones throw away from the cemetery. So sad that the trail is so slippery and we can’t go down there anymore but I’m still glad I was able to see the place.

More post to come. xx

Sagada Trip | A Trek to Pongas Falls

Due to the rainy season (still) here in Philippines, once it rains and you’re planning on trekking, be warned, road will not be an easy trek. And expect strong current on the rivers (same goes if you’re swimming on falls). Our itinerary says that we’re supposed to go to Bomod-ok falls (aka The Big Falls) but it rained and the water current is not advisable to swim at the falls or you might not enjoy the streaming water.

So we just opt to trek to Pongas falls instead. It’s just a 45 minutes trek and you’ll be rewarded with beautiful with clear water falls: And the gang goes for another adventure again! :DOne thing I must tell, 45 minute trek is no joke and because it’s a tiring trek, the water at the falls that time is sooo cold be careful you might caught hypothermia. So you can dip at the water for few minutes only.

And btw, I dare you to swim at the cold freezing water of Pongas falls… with your swimsuit on! ***Oh yeah! I dare you to dip with your swimwear on for a full experience!And even though this falls is smaller compared to Bomod-ok falls, who cares?! It’s the adventure and the destination that counts! And you’ll enjoy it the same way I did when I was there. And can’t you see how clear the water is?

Enjoy what our mother nature can give to you! ♥

Related articles

• Sagada Trip | 1st Stop: Rice Terraces (angmuntinglakwatsera.wordpress.com)
• the nature of sagada (canetefretchie.wordpress.com)
• My Trip to Sagada – Mountain Province (matthewphilippines.wordpress.com)

Sagada | Lumiang & Sumaging Cave Connection

Most of the travel tours that you might see online only offers Lumiang caving or Sumaging caving. Here’s the TIP… NEVER hesitate to pay additional bucks to experience spelunking in Lumiang and Sumaging cave. It is worth every penny!

Spelunking on these caves takes 3-4 hours (we did it for 3 hours and 45 minutes! We’re proud!) And it wasn’t easy I must say! But you wouldn’t feel that you’ve been in that cave for hours already because you will truly enjoy out there. You will be amazed especially about those rock formations, not to mention those kinky stories of the pregnant queen, king & queen’s curtain and all. I’m not going to be a spoiler here because one should really experience first hand being inside the cave to appreciate the stories. Our entry point is Lumiang cave. Behind us are the traditional coffins. Can you count how many are there? :D Our tour guides that time are really good story tellers. They told us why Igorots prefer to bury their deads that way. So better keep your ears open when they tell you the story behind the coffins :D Prepare yourself to go through extreme caving! You’ll be entering small passage ways, be holding dirty rocks, get wet and all. Rocks are slippery so you can walk bare foot or make sure to have good shoes/sandals for caving.  And if you’re up to it, dare yourself to swim at this cold cave water. We were told that it was 10 Degrees celcius cold. Don’t swim too long though or you’ll get hypothermia. But you’ll surely enjoy those cold waters and since the tour guides have lamps, you can have your hands warmed up by the lamp. And these are our price at the end of the road. The Queen and Kings curtain. Yeah, you gotta hear the stories from folks to know why is it called such! But isn’t it magnificent? Ang ganda ng rock formations you would want to return to the place over and over again.

Related articles

• Sagada Trip | 1st Stop: Rice Terraces (innocentdaydreamer.wordpress.com)
• Sagada Trip | 1st Stop: Rice Terraces (angmuntinglakwatsera.wordpress.com)
• Skull & coffins in Sagada – Sagada, Philippines (travelpod.com)
• [SAGADA] Day 2: The Road To Sagada – My First Solo Backpacking Trip (theweekendbackpacker.wordpress.com)

Sagada Trip | 1st Stop: Rice Terraces

My trip to Sagada is nothing but an unplanned trip. Well not really. Originally, we wanted to reserve a slot in travelfactor.org but unfortunately, they cancelled their Sagada tour. I was cramming then because it is already Tuesday and we were supposed to leave by my day off and my planned leave, so that would be atleast 2 days from Tuesday. Talk about procrastination huh!?

Well, the reason behind this trip is that I’m really feeling suffocated and stressed already (because of work what else). So what would be a better way to refresh your system is a vacation… nature tripping to be exact!

I’ve always wanted to go to Sagada since last year, but because of that 14 hours drive from Manila, not having enough leave credits, all plans were held off but I am soo glad I pushed this plan through this time. Some people might want to plan a DIY trip to Sagada… riding a bus, choosing their own inn and making their own itinerary, believe me I wanted to have the time by my self as well. Considering though that I have my college best friend with me, so I opt to search for group tours so that we will have some company as well. Good thing I saw this travel and tours in facebook. We will be leaving by Thursday night and be back in Manila by Sunday night. Yeah, it was a day earlier that planned, but well, we don’t mind, and Cecille have a lots of free time as of the moment, so no worries.

Meet my college bestfriend, who has been with me through out college life, from applying in various college organizations, my cheat mate in Accounting 101, my auditor in our organization (sabay kupit! haha), my heartache confidante… Ce!

We arrived at Benguet around 6 AM and it was freezing cold already. Welcome to Mt. Province :D We ate at this bed and breakfast inn and stayed their for an hour, had our legs stretched, bathroom break and all. We were informed that from their we will be travelling for another 3-4 hours to Sagada. Yeah, though ride! One of the good things though of getting a tour package than having a DIY trips is that you are able to have stops to enjoy the scenery! Isn’t the Banaue Rice Terraces of the Philippines breathtaking. Be careful of getting down there though because you might end up like me… one foot stuck in the clay mud of those rice fields. Hahaha.

Watch out for my next post of the real Sagada adventure!

Sagada Expedition

Sagada is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. If you’re nature loving person, you truly will appreciate what this place can offer.

I will be posting my trip to Sagada soon.

Ciao!

Wakeboarding in Nuvali

Camarines Sur is usually the most famous spot here in PH if you want to go wakeboarding. But there’s another place that’s just 1.5 hours drive away from Manila. And that’s in Nuvali!

Beginners {like us} are truly welcome to come! They have this beginner’s lake. Only Kuya Nep has an experience in wakeboarding {well, knee boarding} and he tried it in CamSur. So best of luck to us.Meet the wakeboarders: Sweet, Nikki, ate Mitch, ate Cris and Kuya Nep!These boards are part of the refundable deposit you’ll pay when you sign-up in Nuvali. {I’ll be posting the rates at the end of the blog} And what they said is true, it is an achievement when you’re able to stand on board! All smiles! We’re really getting good at it huh!And meet Ynnah from San Francisco CA. She’s really good considering she’s been practicing for an hour only.As much as I wanted to add more pictures, but seems like my cam’s memory card got corrupted. Huhuhu! But anyway, it was fun all in all. Although my body sores now especially my arms, who cares! I’d love to go back and experience more of it!

Republ1c Wakepark Nuvali Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/rwakepark
Mobile #: +63908-885-4221

And here’s the rate. We just went last July 10, and they have this “Tandem Promo” where 2 persons can ride for the cost of 4hours and that’s P595 for two. Cool right! This is just every Wednesday for the whole July. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to post this blog immediately.

And since we are so addicted to wakeboarding, we return there last Wednesday July 31 with my cousins from Japan and boy! We can really stand on the board already! *clap clap*

Scuba Diving at Puerto Galera

At the hotel that we stayed in, there are a lots of Koreans, and foreigners in general, who are fond of scuba diving. Sabang Beach is the part of Puerto Galera where divers go to experience diving at Mindoro. They all accept beginners and pros. But anyway, these Koreans saw us getting ready for our crash course in scuba diving, and one of them told us that we should enjoy it. The exact words he said was “It is like you’re on a different world so better enjoy it!” Not to mention they were already pros, diving in like 40 meters deep already and they just stayed here in PH for a week to dive at Mindoro. They’ve been to Palawan, Cebu, Bohol, Maldives etc. They’re already addicted to it. They even showed us some photos of their underwater shots. I’ll be posting some at the end of this post.

Crash course before diving. We were thought of some underwater techniques, like how to breath(no not really!), what will you do if you lose your breather, the hand signs and all. And then the real thing begins. It was quite scary at first (or was it just me who got scared?) I dunno! I’m more scared of the pressure on my ear, I’ve experienced helmet diving already, and getting rid of the pressure on your ear is the scariest thing that can happen.The dream team! Hahaha. I guess we all are a little bit nervous here. This is me saying I’m ok! Double ok :) Saying hi to Apol! :)

Only 4 of us made it till the end. Dodge got a problem and he can’t release the pressure on his ear and was immediately brought up. While Ate Tin, same thing happened but she was just still mid way when she can’t get rid of ear pressure and so she hand signal the guide that there’s a problem.

And so it was really a different world under the sea. Though it was so hard to swim with flippers/fins on your feet. Hahaha. But nonetheless, we enjoyed ourselves. And can you see our happy faces already? :) But can you also see someone vomiting and the sides. hahaha. That’s why I told you to take bonamine if you have some motion sickness ;)

I’ll probably be trying scuba diving again! Soon!

And as promised, here are some of Mr. Kisang Lee’s shots of their dives in different places here in PH. You’ll fell in love with what the life under the sea gives you. More of his shots here.

Puerto Galera: Escaping Reality

Working non-stop for how many months now is getting me crazy. I need an escape, and good thing that my boyfriend’s brother & family invited me to a short weekend getaway to Puerto Galera. I don’t care if I have to work extra days just to escape this busy life of mine.  Vacation is exactly what I needed.

Puerto Galera is part of province of Mindoro. And it is also one of the top summer destination here in Philippines because it is just 4 hours away from Manila. Bus to Batangas is like 3 hours drive, and from Batangas port, just ride pumpboat to Sabang Beach for 1 hour. PS: Don’t forget to take bonamine if you’re not used to riding boats (or if you have motion sickness)

Meet my soon to be family. From left to right: Doc. J & Dodge (my boyfriend’s brothers), Ate Tin, Moi, Tito Den & Apol.

Arrived at our hotel around 5PM already so we just relaxed our selves and prepared for the next day’s adventure… scuba diving!

Watch out for my next post :)