Honda Bay Island Hopping

Coming back from Palawan is now making me nostalgic about our family vacation last year. Allow me to make a very belated post about that trip as I found this narration (written in February 9, 2009) in my multiply account which is still tagged as a draft.

I'm another year older and to celebrate, our whole family hied off to Palawan. Thanks to Cebu Pacific Airline's promo fares, we were able to book our flights last October for only P6,000 for all five of us. More internet surfing made us decide to book our accommodations at Niko's Cabanas - tagged as the #1 resort on Tripadvisor.com. Making and confirming our reservations were all done thru e-mail. Our reservation was done with about a month to spare for our much-awaited 3 days and 2 nights vacation.

our room at Niko's Cabanas

Upon landing at the Puerto Princesa airport yesterday, we immediately noticed the overcast skies. Nonetheless, we were determined to go island-hopping in Honda Bay. After checking in at the resort, we ordered brunch and ate at around 11.

bulalo and sizzling spare ribs

The girls took a very quick nap and we were on our way to Honda Bay Wharf by 12:30 p.m. We rented a boat for P1,500 and the boatmen were eager to point out Luli (for "lulubog-lilitaw") Island:

and Pandan Island:

With the cloudy skies, our boat ride was like a roller coaster ride as the waves were huge. The girls were scared and excited at the same time. We first docked in Starfish Island and the girls were very awed to touch the live starfish.

Our next stop was Snake Island.

Even with the strong waves, the girls had a grand time feeding the colorful fishes with bread. After snacking and resting briefly, we hopped on the boat once more and headed back to Luli Island. By the time we reached the island, the girls were asleep on the boat, no doubt lulled by the waves. We then decided to call it quits for the island hopping and returned to the wharf. After a quick tricycle ride , we were back in Niko's.

Our planned dinner for my birthday night in Kalui's was postponed as we were informed that the restaurant isn't open on Sundays. We surfed the internet for other recommended dining places. By the time we made our revised plans, we were invited by the resort staff to join the their party. It turned out that the resort owner was celebrating his birthday and it was also the resort's 2nd anniversary. What perfect timing for us!

Next Post: Our Dinner at KaLui's Restaurant

Badjao Seafront Restaurant

On our second day in Puerto Princesa, we were able to wrap up our work by 2pm and decided to take a late lunch before our 5:30 pm flight back to Manila. The front desk staff of our hotel suggested that we try out one of their city's popular restaurants. They made arrangements for a van to pick us up at the hotel and bring us to Badjao Seafront Restaurant,

where we enjoyed a 145-degree view of this while dining.

We ordered sisig

Php 140

and spicy shrimp.

Php 175 per 300 grams order

Food prices were very reasonable. With those 2 dishes pictured above, we also had a couple of canned sodas and three cups of rice and we paid less than Php 600, which is already inclusive of tip and service charge.

I'm glad we were able to squeeze in this dining experience. There was nothing extra unique about the food but the ambiance of the place was worth it. Simply put, I soaked up the sight of mangroves plus sun, sea and sky before heading back to the jungle called Manila. ;)

Business Trip to Palawan

I'm off once again on another business trip. Destination this time: Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

This is where we are staying

Wish I was in this guy's shoes though ...

Sigh.

Owl City Concert in Trinoma: Prologue & Epilogue

One morning, a couple of weeks ago, my 6 year old daughter came up to me and asked me if she could watch a concert. I was shocked! Do 6 year old kids even know what a concert is?!? Is this how advanced kids these days are?!?

As calmly as I could, I asked her who she wanted to watch. "Owl City," she replied. I asked her when and where it will be held. "Sunday in Trinoma," she answered. I don't even know how she found out about the concert. I didn't bother to ask anymore.

I told DH what the youngest daughter requested for. DH was nonchalant.

Or so I thought.

Apparently, he surfed the internet and looked up the event organizer. And then he made some calls. And voila! DH got us 5 complimentary tickets to the concert.

Fast track to today. My daughter was all ready to go by 5pm. We told her the concert wouldn't be 'til 8pm. And I don't know how to say this, she even curled her hair for the show. ( Well of course her older sister did the curling with an iron, but it was the 6 year old kid's idea.) She was all smiles and was giddy with excitement.

Unfortunately, I couldn't upload a video of her enjoying the concert (either my file is too heavy or my internet connection is bad). When "Fireflies" was played, she also sang with the crowd.

To sum it all up, she had a blast!

Photoblog: Owl City Concert in Trinoma

(Poster courtesy of myAyalaMalls.com)

the concert venue: Mindanao Open Parking

the concert stage

Adam Young

my happy brood

Classic Filipino Food from Congo Grill

Our girls are not adventurous eaters so last Sunday, we stuck with classic Filipino favorites and dined at Congo Grill in SM Mall Of Asia.

Congo Grill's version of the classic Kapampangan dish, sizzling pork sisig

Nilagang Bulalo, P 265

Inihaw na Liempo, P 140

Our sole veggie dish (which I insisted on ordering),

Tinomok, P 160

Oooops, my brood was hungry. By the time I took pictures, they already dug in, haha :)

Egg Rolls from Lord Stow's Bakery

Stumbled into Lord Stow's Bakery in SM Mall of Asia last Sunday. I'm so glad they have franchised here in the Philippines.

So much rave has been written about Lord Stow's Portugese-inspired egg tarts which originated in Macau. Personally though, the egg rolls are my favorite. It is quite similar to our very own barquillos (thin rolled cookies which originated from Spain).

A jar of egg rolls cost P 140.

I found out that there are several Lord Stow's Bakery branches all over Metro Manila. I'm glad that there are several branches near our place in Quezon City. I, for sure, will be back for more.

Laiya Beach in San Juan, Batangas

Our company had a much-needed bonding and R&R last Friday in Laiya in San Juan, Batangas. Due to budget constraints, we chose to stay overnight in Casa Remo Apartelle. For only P 6,200, our group of 5 gals and 6 guys had 2 rooms, each with 2 double beds and extra mattresses. Cooking facilities were available too. On the minus side, the resort is not beach front, we had to walk about 100 meters to get to the beach.

Our trip's highlight is the boat ride for snorkeling.

I had a grand time lying on the boat, gently rocked by the waves and soothed by the blue blue sea.

I've always liked Laiya for its white sand and quick access from Manila. My family has been going to this stretch of beach since about 10 years ago, when it was still undeveloped. We even rented a fisherman's hut and went back to basics at that time. We witnessed Kabayan Resort when it was just starting. We've stayed at the Laiya Resthouse Beach Resort at one time. We've also stayed at the Sabangan Beach Resort and Virgin Beach Resort. We haven't had the luck to get booked in La Luz as it is always packed.

Ten years ago, we had to take the road via Quezon. And then we tried the road via Lipa, Batangas. Those 4 hour trips were cut down to about 2 hours when the Star Toll Expressway opened. The road from the San Juan City Hall leading to the resorts were still rough, unpaved and dusty back then. Now, the road is cemented all the way.

Laiya is still the nearest white sand beach and its accessibility to Manila is quite an advantage.

We've kept coming back and I don't think we'll ever stop.