NORTH-Bound : Vigan, Pagudpud, Tuguegarao – 12/22-26/2013

It's this time of the year again when our family travel to celebrate Christmas. After 6 years, we're back to long drives up north. 

I will just be storytelling what happened since this blog is also my online diary. If you reached this site, please feel free to read!

This was the route of our LONG Drive in the North of the Philippines

Day 1 : Long Drive to Vigan, Ilocos Sur
Our meeting time in San Mateo Rizal was 4:30 am. We pulled over to grab some lunch at The Bay Grill and Cafe. Here's a view of our sumptuous meal!

Then we arrived in Vigan around 4/5pm (around 12 hour drive) checked in at the Cordillera Inn at Calle Crisologo and took some rest. We ate at the famous Café Leona for dinner.

 Then we also ate their signature Vigan Empanada at the Vigan Empanadaan

After dinner, we strolled along their historic streets for some photoshoots J

A little selfie in this historic place :)

Day 2 : Vigan and drive to Saud Beach, Pagudpud Ilocos Norte

For breakfast, I ate their famous Vigan Longanisa. It may look like an ordinary Longsilog but the taste is very different. :)

After breakfast and some shopping-strolling, we packed our bags to drive northwards to Laoag. We ate lunch at Northview Hotel, Ilocos Norte (we used to check in here when we were younger)

We arrived in the afternoon at Saud Beach, Pagudpud and since the weather is too cold, we were’nt able to swim in their white sand beach. But the beautiful sunset, the sands on our feet, and cold air was enough to enjoy ourselves in this scenic view.

Day 3 : Tour at Ilocos Norte
This day was a full sched for us. We visited the following tourist sites included on our list :

1. Paoay Sand Dunes Adventure - Check!

2. Cape Bojeador Lighthouse - Check!

3. Kapurpurawan – Rock Formations - Check!

4. Bangui Windmills - Check!

5.  Patapat Viaduct - Check!

Too bad it was raining at some points of the day that we weren't able to maximize the views and photos.

That night on Christmas Eve, we didn't eat in a fancy restaurant for a grand noche buena but stayed together in our beach resort to eat the food served by the locals. One of the best food for that evening was the inihaw na pusit! Yummy! :)

Day 4 : Drive to Tuguegarao, Cagayan

The next day, we packed our bags again for Cagayan! We checked in at The Holiday Plaza Hotel, a fancy/ boutique hotel.

Then after lunch, we went on a 183-step hike to reach the Callao Caves. FYI, this cave was where John Lloyd and Bea shoot for the Mistress. :)  

Then we went boating down the foot of the caves for the bird watching (well, they're bats who flock together around 5-5:30pm daily)

Then we dropped by the plaza and went to church.

For dinner, we ate at a hotel very close to our hearts- Hotel Lorita. On their placemat, it read :

We had an amazing accommodation at Holiday. Was able to sleep very very well.

Day 5 : Long Drive back to Manila
At around 9am, we were all packed for departure back to Manila.

We stopped over and ate lunch at a classy café.

Then for 12 hours, we drove and headed back home.

We've been up north a couple of times during our childhood but there's a lot of new attractions now. It was still a new adventure for us. :) Sorry if there's lot's of food pictures. We really love to eat. After all, eating local cuisines in itself is an adventure alone!

From my family (and extended families), Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Warmest greetings,

Shaine

My Thank You's for 2013 -12/31/2013

It's the end of the year again. So ill be listing my top 13 highlights for the year. 13 lang since 2013 naman ngayon. :)

To start off my list :
#13. Community & social works :)
Some of the best things to do is to reach out to our neighbors in need
Tahanan ng Pagmamahal (Orphanage for girls) - 1/11/2013
School Supplies Sharing for Dumagats in Calawis, Antipolo - 6/3/2013
Outreach with Victory Ortigas - 8/4/2013
Gawad Kalinga Build - 8/26/2013
GK Relief Operations at DAR -11/16 & 23/2013

#12. Videoke Nights 
Hey Girls Reunion at my place - 3/17/2013
Red Box with office friends/ Pantals - 7/30/2013

#11. Night Outs & Dinner Dates with Family and Friends 
This was the ultimate dining year. Ate at a lot of different restaurants with friends, officemates, and family. Some of the memorable ones are :
It takes a Man and a Woman with Lyssa and Daddy - 4/12/2013
My Birthday at Cafe Juanita - 9/8/2013
Shopping Date with Czari - 12/3/2013

Then my top 10 are mostly my travel trips (except one).

#10. Nagsasa Cove- 5/11-12/2013

9. Rizal Adventure with Den and Nheri - 12/29/2013

8. Taal Lake Trekking -4/13-14/2013

7. Enchanted Kingdom & Nuvali - 11/13/2013

6. Mama's 80th Birthday - 11/2/2013

5. HongKong Trip - 12/4-7/2013

4. Farm at San Mateo Highlands 4/6-7/2013

3. Norte Trip - 12/22-26/2013

2. Treetop Adventure Treat - 2/2-3/2013

1. MICECON Davao - 3/6-9/2013


Sinong nagsabi na malas ang 2013?! Sa dami ng nangyari, there's still MORE great things that happened.

Goodbye and thank you, 2013! and hello 2014! :)

Love, me. :)

We Conquered Taal Volcano!

4.13-14, 2013

We were supposed to go to a relative in Pangasinan but the plan was cancelled. Since we're on vacation mode already, mommy decided to plan a Taal Volcano Trekking instead.

We left home for Tagaytay last Saturday night. Good thing we have an Aunt who has a rest house in Tagaytay Country Homes 3, so we had a free accommodation! :)

The next morning, around 7am, we went straight to Taal Lake Yacht Club for our boat ride going to the Taal Crater. 

This is Taal Lake Yacht Club. One of the attractions here is the Hobie. There's a  competition for this held here too.
We've inquired that a Hobie rental is P3,800 unlimited use for one day. Too bad this was not part of our itinerary. But next time, I want to try sailing this Hobie cat! 

Our boat ride to Taal (You can book this boat ride to Taal Crater at the TLYC priced also at P3,800 per boat with a capacity of 4-5pax, with tour guide per boat and Lunch meal at TLYC included).

Arrival at the shores of the Taal Volcano. I advice you to put sunblock, bring shades and cap, and lots of water. 

Trekking up. To make the trip more adventurous, we chose not to ride horses! We trekked to the crater.

Pictures at the View Deck!

 

 We really enjoyed drinking Buko Juice. One fresh buko juice is P50.

Resting at the view deck

Since we want to make the trip really worth it, we decided to treck down the crater inside the volcano to have a feel of the lake.

On the crater. We were supposed to swim but the water was too hot since it's summer (almost boiling) so we decided not to have a dip. But the view was very beautiful. I can't believe we're standing inside the volcano!

Trekking up was difficult. I even had blurred visions and almost fainted due to the heat (so I cheated and rode the horse). FYI. Horse rate was at P500-750 whether you rented them full board or half way only.

Lunch at Taal Lake Yacht Club

 

We ate home-cooked Filipino food like Fried Tawilis, Sinigang na Bangus and Inihaw na Pusit! We ate a LOT!

Satisfied with the food and the trip!

Finally, we took a shower at our Auntie's house and rested. Around 7:30 pm, we left Tagaytay and went back home. It's better to leave Tagaytay a little later on a Sunday to avoid traffic.

It was a tiring, but fun and once in a lifetime experience. A great bonding moment with family and relatives. We conquered TAAL VOLCANO! 

Till my next stop!

Shainey

Camping weekend at San Mateo Highlands

4.6-7.13

As of this period, I believe my mom and dad have already reached a level of contentment in their lives. They're neither focused on their hardware career nor on raising children and sending them school. Right now, I can see that they are enjoying their hard-earned money for some relaxation and enjoyment. Based on my observation, we have been going out almost every weekend because they are becoming fond of it!

This weekend, we didn't travel very far for some nature trip. This weekend, we simply packed our sleeping bags, some food (no clothes needed) and went on top of the San Mateo Mountains to watch the sunrise and sunset. Little did I know, it would be a very spectacular experience!

We went on this camping weekend with our close family friends/relatives (who by the way have hardware businesses too, and also have their pick-up vehicle). Our call time was 5:30 pm at our hardware in Kambal Road, San Mateo, Rizal.  We ran a little bit late from the call time because we all have to close our hardware stores. But it was just fine because the travel time was just 10 mins from the top of the mountain.

First, we stopped over the view deck to watch the sunset.

View from the deck! There were only some few seconds before the sun finally disappeared. But God was so kind to allow us to still have a glimpse of the sunset. :)

Edward was walking alone. Dramatic effect! haha :)

The road going up was scary - hindi lang zigzag road, literal na baku-bako yung daan na sumasayad yung makina sa ilalim ng kotse kapag hindi tama yung sinampahan ng gulong. All things on the car has to be secured because it will really fall off. Seriously, you need a 4-wheel drive to reach the top SAFE AND SOUND.

This was a sample view while were on our way up!

When we reached the top of the mountain, we were greeted by goats wandering in the grassland. But what really caught our attention was a one-of-a-kind modern hut standing firmly on top of the mountain. It was amazing! Carefully and creatively planned for the weather and other environmental effects that can happen.

It was a lighted hut, with comfortable chairs and table, with a welcome wine. It's like being in a hotel lounge . Very cozy and inviting!  

We brought rice, snacks, and grilled hotdogs, barbecues and fishes.

 We simply chilled, shared stories and watched the vast view of the city in front of us.

*We even saw a lot of fireworks (from MOA, Eastwood Libis, and even in Laguna). We were very lucky as well to witness a green falling star that disappeared in the sky after just a few seconds! It was one of nature's greatest miracles. :>

The bad news in the trip was we don't have a restroom, and not even water. Good thing we brought drinking water and cleaning water. We used "arinola" to pee.

To really make a feel that we are on a nature trip, we slept on camping tents! :)) There's no need for aircon/ fan because the temperature there was very cold!

The next morning, we went up early for the sunrise.

The sunrise pictures are the BEST.

Here's some of them

  

We had coffee and doughnuts for breakfast while watching the sunrise at around 5:40am.

Then we went trekking on 3 mountains/ hills nearby.

I can't believe that we reached the tower on top of the third mountain we trekked. That tower was actually a property of Meralco and  in our house it can only be viewed from afar. It was only just now that I come to see it so near. :)

We also experienced "provincial" life when we stayed in the kubo and sat in the duyan to rest.

After the trekking and regaining some energy, we packed up and we went to another mountain (where another friend lives) to see the view there.

On our way!

The slope was very steep! Again, this challenge needs to shift gear into 4x4!

This next attraction has more trees which gave us shade. We sat on "papag" chairs and beds made out of bamboo sticks, and just enjoyed the fresh air and the view under the large trees.

Meet our Kuya Kim with the farm animals around :)

The view wasn't visible compared to where we slept, but we really appreciated the trees here (especially now that the heat in the Philippines is terrible).

Then as we parted ways with our group by 11:30am, our family decided to have an ocular at Timberland Heights - the sort of 5th mountain/ hill we visted.

Timberland is like Tagaytay Higlands - it's an exclusive place for members so you better sign up for membership. Room rates are almost similar with hotels in Manila P6000/ night for 2 pax. We managed to enter for some ocular inspection only :P Timberland also allows bikers in, but on the condition that they have complete biking gears. It is a perfect place for Biking and for bikers. There are already cafes and restaurants designed for bikers there. One time, I want to go biking there too! :)



So in conclusion of my getaway, at a very minimal budget, we had this amazing weekend experience! It was just 10 mins away from our house so we didn't spend much on gas, there was no hotel cost because we slept on tents, food cost is on a  flexible budget too, depending on our needs! We didn't spend much, but we had a real breather weekend we will remember! At the short time, we felt at peace and one with nature. It is a highly recommended activity especially for families.


Since there is no water, we didn't take a bath in the mountain! :P So after all those experiences (which happened in less than 24 hours), we went home already for lunch and some real bath. :))


More adventures to come!

Shainey