I Heart Cebu

What is there not to like about Cebu?

There are beautiful sandy white beaches everywhere.

Camotes Island

It has plenty of great shops.

There’s great food in every corner.

There are interesting sights to see.

Basilica Minore del Santo Niño

Taoist Temple

Overlooking the city @ TOPS

Mountain View Park

So there’s simply no reason not to be smitten with this dainty old city It has been my adopted home for the past three years and I have no intention of leaving. Well, at least, not just yet!

Cebu Pac Has Joined The Gagawagon

This is way too cool to do a pre-flight safety demonstration. I can’t wait to see those FAs strut their stuff while briefing passengers on in-flight safety They will surely make every plane travel entertaining.

A Very UnLikely Stowaway

About a month ago, I went home, hop on a plane, and got seated next to this guy

a butterfly on a plane

The chance of having a butterfly on a plane is zero to none. So I just had to snap as a souvenir

winged passenger

Of course, he was never settled but I was sure he loved hanging out with me

FoodTasteTest: Bag of Beans, Tagaytay

Breakfast couldn’t have been more delish at Bag of Beans That I can assure!

One cold Saturday morning, we traveled all the way from Laguna to Tagaytay just to try out the famous Bag  of Beans. It was our first time to go there. And we’re only left with good memories of our dining experience. The long travel was well worth it Not mention the hefty bill

dining in style

Bag of Beans is a coffee shop slash bakery slash restaurant. They are well-known for their fresh bread and coffee. Ever heard of the Kapeng Barako and Kape Alamid? They have them there. Though in my case, I only ordered their drink-all-you-can coffee. Shame I only had 2 rounds of their aromatic coffee.  I should’ve downed 4 or 5 cups. Hmmm, next time then!

So, here’s what we had for breakfast:

Omelette (Php 275.00)

This was what my big brother had. Big omelette and bacon? I’d say it definitely suited my brother’s big appetite

Oh, the omelette dish actually came with these huge pandesals. Don’t you just love the smell of freshly baked pandesal in the morning?! So yummo!

Beef Tapa (Php 210.00)

My sister ordered this traditional Filipino breakfast. I actually had to fork some of those tapa as I couldn’t resist how mouthwatering it looked.

Seafood Pasta (Php 325.00)

Tadaaaa This was my order. Pasta for breakfast? Why not! This dish was to die for Honestly, when it comes to pasta, I’m kinda partial to cream or white sauce

Cheese Cake (Php 135.00)

And who would forget dessert I swear this was one of the best cheese cake I’ve ever tasted. This is definitely a must-taste food @ Bag of Beans.

food lurve

Hungry, yet?

visit BB’s website: http://bagofbeanstagaytay.com/

extras:

busy much, bro?

just love the drapes

lovely patio

inside BB's bakery

Flying Gecko: Not for The Faint-Hearted

It’s one of the most exhilarating rides ever! 8)

Now, imagine flying in an airplane minus the safety gears. Crazy? Definitely! It’s crazy but absolutely fun

assembling of the plane

But our Monday adventure had started way before we flew the Flying Gecko or Ultra Light Aircraft

Riding the motorcyle at dawn to Bukidnon wasn’t the best idea. We had to don thick jackets to ward off the cold. It took us about 2 hours to reach the  place as my brother was way to careful in his driving.

It was already daylight when we reached Camp 3 in Diklum, Bukidnon. We thought we finally made it but not quite. First, we actually got lost. We took the wrong turn and had to retrace our track back to the highway. Then, as we were only a few meters from the landing site, we got stuck in the mud.

coated with mud

It was already too late when we realized it would be impossible to maneuver the motorcycle along the dirty road

muddy road

Good thing Mr. Carl Frias, owner slash pilot of the Flying Gecko, came to our rescue.

is that a smile of frustration or excitement

Each ride is only good for 15 minutes per person. Before we took the flight, Mr. Frias gave us a short briefing on what to expect. Apparently, there were only 2 choices: flying over the west or east (facing Mt. Kitanglad). In the west, there’s the breathtaking view of Mangima, Bukidnon’s winding road, farms, lots of hills, and a huge waterfall. On the opposite side, you can view the entire Camp Phillips, Damilag, Agusan River, and the power plant.

I chose the Mangima as I’m already familiar with what you could see in the east as my family used to live in Camp Phillips. My brother chose the east or was coerced to fly to the other side He originally wanted to fly over Mangima but I had to convinced him to take the opposite side. Turned out we made the right decision. By fusing the photos we individually took, we had a good view of both

road going to the heart of Bukidnon

bird's eye view of the waterfall

beautiful light effect

random shots

outstanding landscape

landing strip @ Camp 3 pineapple field

aerial view of Camp Phillips' soccer field and school buildings

Del Monte's cattle farm

clearer view of the pineapple field

Del Monte's Golf Course

'd daredevils

Having enough yet?

the bro and the pilot

Give Mr. Carl Frias of Ultra Light Aircraft or Flying Gecko a ring @09165937034

Holiday Highlights

*Friday*

chopped my locks

before and after (w/ my fave stylist)

dinner with my wonderful friends

L-R: Joy, Jellicle (as she had insisted), Jake, and moi

TravelExpress: Tagaytay Part 2 (My Second Visit to The Windy City)

Where we went next?

JAPANESE GARDEN

Having bought what we came for at Ilog Maria, we then set off to the Japanese Garden.

It wasn’t the one I had in mind. As it turned out, the one I was referring to was actually located in Laguna. Thanks to my brother who never made mentioned about it. But what the heck! Since we were already there, we, nevertheless, checked the place out.

TravelExpress: Tagaytay Part 1 (My Second Visit to The Windy City)

Going around Tagaytay  by public transportation is definitely no easy feat. One, there’s the waiting part which will probably eat about 15 minutes or so of your time as jeepneys won’t leave the terminal until it’s jam-packed with passengers. Two, it takes longer as you have no hold of people hailing the jeepney. Plus, if you’re unlucky, you gonna have to deal with body odor. Ugh!

Two Saturdays ago, we were left with no option but to ride a jeepney as my brother was hesitant to drive his flatmate’s car as it often breaks down. From Sta. Rosa, Laguna, it took us more or less an hour to reach Tagaytay. Then from there, we worked our way to look for the places of interests which I’ve managed to scribble after a last minute search on the net.

BAG OF BEANS

Our first destination was the Bag of Beans where we had our mouthwatering breakfast or was it brunch

Bag of Beans is a coffee shop slash bakery slash restaurant. It’s reputed for being one of the best must-dine-in places while in Tagaytay. And I couldn’t agree more! But I wouldn’t be giving out details of what we had as that will be a post for another day (provided I’ll have time)

GettingThere:

From Tagaytay Terminal, take a tricycle going to Olivares (Php 7.00/passenger). Then, take the jeepney going to Nasugbu, Batangas (Php 17.00/passenger). Bag of Beans is at the right side a few meters from the crossing going to Mendez. Don’t worry every jeepney drivers know where it is. So you can just ask the driver to drop you off or refer to the map below.

Luxury @ Best

Last Friday, I was in Manila. Months back, my li’l sis enticed me to go there since she’d have a 3-day seminar and would be free came Friday afternoon. I played hard to get at first but had to give in since I felt a tad of guilt for not attending her wedding last month. However, my planned excursion didn’t go without a fuss. Two days before the said flight, I asked my friend, who works at CebuPacific, to verify my booking as I hadn’t received a confirmation email although I already got my confirmation number but the status stated “Default” instead of “Confirmed”. To cut the story short, she later informed me my booking was actually denied. Void. Nada. I panicked and nearly backed out. I should’ve listened to Kat’s advice to make an inquiry weeks before I”m set to go to Manila. So, yeah, because of my stupidity and procrastination, I had to shell out almost twice the amount of my original tickets. Grrr!

Now, back to my trip

I arrived early so there’s nothing much to do except lounge at the Crown Plaza Galleria in Ortigas where my sissy’s company housed them for the said seminar.

hotel lobby

The hotel is really posh. Staffs were very accommodating and never hesitated to offer their pearly somewhat white smiles. It’s kinda comforting. You couldn’t help but smile back

view from the 17th floor ***wheww***

TravelExpress: Manila (Lovin’ It, Hatin’ It)

My recent trip to Manila was bittersweet. The terrible traffic was a real pain, but shopping was definitely a pure joy even if I had to go home broke.

If my memory serves me right, it was way back in 2003 that I first visited Manila to take an exam for the government office I was connected with. At that time, there’s no Mall of Asia yet. So we contented ourselves with the surrounding, but rather diminutive, malls in Pasay area. Traffic wasn’t as bad as it is now. And in my opinion, taxi drivers were more honest and polite way back then as compared to the rude and picky drivers of today.

bumper to bumper

Seven years on, traffic condition has been and perhaps will always be a major migraine for travelers, to say the least. Taking public transportation can be a hellish experience. So the best way to go around the city is to drive your own car, ask a friend who has a car, rent one if you don’t have a car and a friend or get a taxi. The last two can be expensive but at least you’re pretty safe from the pollution, pushing, and putrid stench either from the guy next to you or the surrounding itself

On a more positive note, Manila can be an exciting place to visit. It wouldn’t be dubbed as the country’s capital for nothing, right?

It’s definitely a haven for women who love to shop. Shop for less that is! But if your take is on designer items, it’s sprouting with high-end shops as well. So it’s your call

haggling @ Greenhills tiangge