The Baguio Country Club

The last long weekend was special for us because of HB's 41st birthday. We braved the rains and the fog and traveled to the City of Pines with HB's brother and his family. They extended their privilege of staying at the EDC Staff House which was located atop a hill fronting the Baguio Country Club. As officers of the Energy Development Corp., my brother-in-law and his wife also had rights to use the club's facilities, which they generously extended to us as well.

We spent the afternoon of HB's natal day inside Baguio's oldest and exclusive Club. 

entrance to the Baguio Country Club

such a foggy day

the birthday boy

While HB and I both had previous chances to go and stay inside the BCC, it was our girls' first time to enter. Together with their cousin, they spent quite some time in the game room and tried out their skills in table tennis and darts. When they grew tired, we all promptly moved to the pastry shop which was located near the entrance of the hotel. The wide glass windows of the dining area gave us a great view of the pine trees amidst the fog. 

filling in our sweet tooth with cakes and keeping warm with hot chocolate in The Raisin Bread Shop

The Baguio Country Club's Pastry Shop is called The Raisin Bread Shop, so named after the Club's famous Raisin Bread. I have always been a fan of the BCC's Banana Bread and Raisin Bread. I have brought home these treats as pasalubong. But for HB's tea party, we tried out the pastry shop's other offerings.

French Apple Pie

a slice of Blueberry Cheesecake with a candle to blow for HB

Sadly, the cakes were not as good as their breads. I wonder if these are actually churned by the same staff who make the breads. The apple pie crumbled when sliced and served on a plate. It was actually a little on the bland side for me and did not totally satisfy my sweet tooth. The cheesecake filling was also a disappointment. While it was firm, it lacked thickness. 

Nonetheless, the kids were refueled with some sugar rush and went down again to the recreation room. This time around, they tried their hand at the Wii station.

jamming with the rock band, HB will always be a kid at heart

As I posted on HB's wall on Facebook, I wished him unlimited blessings along with the unlimited rains which continually pelted us during our entire stay in Baguio. It may have been a quiet celebration under gloomy weather, but the presence of family and a quick jaunt at the elite Baguio Country Club made it a (hopefully) great time for my beloved HB.

Cebu For A Day (and A Promise Fulfilled)

This was the only photo proof that I was in Cebu for a day. 

I took this shot as I settled on my seat on my flight back to Manila.

July 28 proved to be quite a busy day for me. I (as in literally alone, by mysellf) flew to Cebu to attend to a couple of meetings for work and I had to rush back to Manila that same afternoon to catch the second leg of the Azkal's game vs. Kuwait as part of my promise to my girls to join them.

I took Philippine Airline's first flight out to Cebu at 6:00 am. I left home at 4:20 am and got to the Centennial Terminal's check-in counter barely a few minutes before it closed. I heaved a huge sigh of relief when I made it on time as I had a previous experience when I was five minutes late and the check-in counter had closed up on me and the airline staff wouldn't budge on my pleas. Since then, I have learned my lesson and feel so tense whenever traffic builds up in the roads leading up to the airport. I am never at ease until I get my boarding pass. Trust me, it is never a good feeling to be always running late. Still, waking up so early is such a daunting task for me and I always find myself making it to the counter with just a few minutes to spare.

Back to July 28. The plane touched down in Mactan after an hour and 10 minutes of flying time. I took a cab to Cebu City and was quite early for my first meeting. So I grabbed some breakfast which later on proved to be my only rice meal for the day. By 9 am, my first meeting was underway and it lasted for a couple of hours.

After the meeting, as a breather, I went to Banilad Town Center in the hope of getting a pack of Zubuchon to take back home. Alas, I was greatly disappointed to find that the stall had moved to another site near Fuente Osmena. As my next meeting was to be held near Banilad, I decided to simply cross my fingers that their stall inside the Mactan International Airport was still there. 

Chains inside Banilad Town Center
(this photo was taken November 2010)

I strolled around the little mall and hoped for some good buys. I went inside Chains, an assortment of bazaar like stalls selling just about anything, and headed straight to Isabela, a supplier of little girls' dresses for Rustan's back in Manila. Their prices were 50% cheaper. I grabbed a simple party dress for my littlest girl.

And then I was off for my next meeting which lasted for an hour. Next, I met up with one of our staff who was based in Cebu. Very quickly, I was given updates and then I was off again for the airport. I haven't eaten lunch  and decided to just get something to eat at the airport. Check in was a breeze and I was eager to catch my 5:35 pm Cebu Pacific flight back. I lounged at a restaurant to kill time. Then I went inside the waiting area and looked for the Zubuchon stall. 

Zubuchon stall inside waiting area
of Mactan International Airport

fresh and frozen lechon packs

(again, both photos were taken November 2010)

Luckily, it was there and I got Anthony Bourdain's raved lechon to take home.

I wasn't so lucky with my  flight back though. It was delayed for almost 30 minutes. The staff said something about a delayed turn-around time. I sulked in a corner and called my girls and told them of my fate. I could hear their excitement as they were already on their way to see the Azkal's game.

The plane landed in Manila at way past 7pm. I easily got into a cab outside NAIA 3, quite thankful there wasn't a line at all this time. As expected, traffic was bad. I got off in the vicinity of Century Park Hotel and brisk-walked all the way to the stadium. I could hear the watching crowd roar, the excitement was palpable, and I walked as fast as I could, unmindful of the dark and the fear of getting mugged. I literally short of ran all the way to Gate.

By the time I got inside the Rizal Stadium, "the goal that Schrock-ed the world" had happened. It was 10 minutes into the second half of the game. The Azkals may have lost the game to the better Kuwait team, but they surely won the hearts of many Filipinos, football fans or otherwise. Filipino pride shone through that night. 

I, on the other hand, prided myelf in having my "mission" in Cebu accomplished. But more importantly, I took pride as a mom who flew back on the same day to fulfill a promise and simply be with the family.

Island Hopping in Bohol

Back-blog

Date of Trip: April 1, 2011

On my last business trip to Bohol, I was luckily joined by HB. When I found some free time in between meetings, we debated whether to go to the usual tourist spots (Chocolate Hills, Loboc River, Bee Farm, etc.) or go island hopping. Hands down, the prospect of setting foot on a couple of islands won.

We rented a banca for PhP 1,300 which took us to two islands a few kilometers off Panglao. About 40 minutes after departing Alona Beach, we got to the first island on our itinerary, Balicasag Island.

shore line of Balicasag Island

corals on the shore amidst the blue sea

Laden with broken corals which were washed ashore, the island boasts of a marine sanctuary which was ideal for snorkeling. For this, tourists would need to shell out PhP 200 more because we were told that the sanctuary can only be accessed by non-motorized boats to preserve the marine life. Since we were pressed for time, we skipped the marine sanctuary and opted to head on to the next island.

The drama with my BlackBerry phone then took place but it didn't stop us from appreciating the magnificent views of Virgin Island.

As soon as the boat docked, we were met by a vendor selling fresh sea catch:

Locally called taklobo, these were boiled until the meat inside these shells were tender. The taste was surprisingly good. I gladly threw away my squeamishness aside and delighted on the new experience.

Next, my palate tried these sea urchins:

The manong (general Filipino term of respect for an older man) opened the urchins in half and poured the soft, yellow liquid contents onto the palm of my hand. He then instructed me to put some pepper-seasoned vinegar and stuff the concoction in my mouth. Once again, I enjoyed this treat and easily "ate" 3 urchins before I even got off the boat. 

As we walked on the shore, I saw these empty shells being dried out. The shells were sold to tourists as souvenirs. I picked a couple to add to my collection at home. 

At the far end of the island was this beautiful sand bar which was bordered on both sides by blue sea.

We were told that this sand bar would be more appreciated at certain times of the year (particularly on January) when the tides are low.

With that, we walked back to our boat for the return trip to the main island of Panglao. If only we were on vacation, we would have stayed longer, packed some food and relax by alternately dipping in the blue waters or lying in the fine sand.

As I looked back with the thought of planning a return trip, this sight of Virgin Island reminded me of how Boracay Island was way before the crowds and the party scene came to be. If the local government of Bohol learns from the success and troubles of Boracay, then Virgin Island will continue to live up to its name.

serenity at its best in Virgin Island

A Photoblog: Eat, Pray, Love ... in Boracay

Boracay in Habagat Season

EAT. Pray. LOVE.

This was pretty much what HB and I did in Boracay amidst the rain showers, howling winds and strong waves. Can't say it was a bummer as we did the best we could and truly, truly enjoyed ourselves.

Eat:

Jonah's - famous for its fruit shakes, also offered meals 

Surf and Turf Set Meal: 
Beef Steak and Garlic Shrimps
with salad, fresh fruit slices

Smoke Resto - near D' Mall Palengke - 
continue to serve good affordable meals.
A better alternative to Andok's and Mang Inasal. 

Lechon Kawali

Prawns in Garlic and Butter Sauce

Eskinita Barbecue - cheap and quick grilled food

Red Pirates Pub - located almost at the end of Station 3,
away from the bright lights and crowd of D' Mall 

My choice of drink - Absolute Vodka and Sprite

Breakfast Buffet at the Sands Hotel

Jammers - found at the entrance of D' Mall

Jammers' Classic Cheese Burger

Cake Selection from Cafe del Sol - also located at the entrance of D' Mall

Cafe del Sol's best seller - Mango Cheese Cake

Pray:

mementos of our trip - rosaries made of shells

Love:

sweet entanglement on the shore of Boracay Island

Discovering Dumaguete - Part 3 - Cityscapes

As soon as we finished breakfast, we headed out to tour the city on foot and via short tricycle rides. Armed with nothing but a list of must-sees, we bravely ventured out to explore the city of Dumaguete.

Our first stop was the Siliman University, which is famed as the oldest American University in the Philippines. Aside from being called the "City of Gentle People", Dumaguete is also touted as a University town, with the Siliman University as the most famous educational institution.

campus map by the entrance

the Katipunan Hall

the Siliman Cathedral

Siliman Museum

And then we found ourselves at the Rizal Boulevard, close to the port.

the port of Dumaguete

the Rizal Boulevard

This is the famed Rizal Boulevard, named after our country's national hero who walked this path on his way to Dapitan for his exile.

We continued to stroll down the boulevard and saw this landmark which marks the landing of the seven Sisters of the Congregation of  the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres. These sisters founded the first St. Paul University in the country in 1904.

And then we walked further down and turned right near the other end of the boulevard and found ourselves in the vicinity of the Dumaguete Cathedral.

St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral

HB and I took some time to go inside to marvel at the interior and say a few words of praise and thanks.

a historical fact about the cathedral

details above the altar

The belfry, also called the Campanerio de Dumaguete, was found a few meters off the church. It is considered to be the one of the city's  popular architectural landmark which was originally built in the 18th century and served as a watchtower to warn the people of Dumaguete against the attack of Muslim pirates. At present, an Our Lady of Lourdes  Grotto is found below the belfry and we lit some candles for love, peace and prosperity.

the Dumaguete Belfry

Belfry historical marker

After discovering these historical and religious sites, we ventured to the "commercial side" of the province and found out that this quaint city of Dumaguete is not unfamiliar with "malls". The oldest shopping center is the Lee Super Plaza which was located a couple of blocks from the Cathedral.

Dumaguete's local "mall"

While the newest addition to the city is a Robinson's Place.

Robinson's Place Dumaguete

In a nutshell, these were the highlights of our city tour. There was little and there was much to see. We have toured the city in half a day. And from what we saw, there is indeed much reason for the people to be gentle in this town.