Category Archives: Travel Philippines

Pag-adto sa Pagsanjan (album)

by

1

(meaning of title: Going to Pagsanjan) 

On January 20, 2008 (Sunday) with Keen and Iris (a new friend), we gamely went to Pagsanjan, Laguna. Despite the light downpour which plagued us on the way, and some unplanned hitches, we persevered in our adventure.

It is Sinulog in Cebu on this day. Still, I didn’t mind too much since they also were celebrating our beloved Sto. Niño in Laguna. Lots of anecdotes but I will let the pictures tell the story.

At the end of the day, I went back home squishing in my wet sandals and pants but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I only wish I had my two-piece (as if meron, ehem) and rubber ducky so I could also have plonked myself under the falls!

We went home earlier than our planned schedule due to the rain which sort of hampered our walking around the place and a good thing too since it took a longer time going back to Manila.
Being half-wet like a cat which fell halfway into a canal, I still managed to do some shopping before finally succumbing to sleep upon arrival and dreaming about the falls.

Thanks to Keen for pushing for this trip, introducing me to Iris and making an otherwise rainy, dreary Sunday which I would have spent under the blankets, as an exciting day.

Thanks also to Tourism Officer Mark Vicuño and his brother Meynard for their hospitality and helping us easily experience the wonderful boat ride.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
How to get there:
Public transport: (1) JAM TRANSIT
Green Star or South Star
Air-conditioned buses
Departure: from 5:00 A.M. onwards
Fare: PHP 100-120

Instructions: Get off the Bus terminal at Barrio Binan, Pagsanjan after Pagsawitan, Sta.Cruz.
Take a Jeepney to Pagsanjan….additional fare 7.50 Pesos.

Public transport: (2) FX TAMARAW
From Alabang/Muntinlupa, Rizal to Pagsanjan, Laguna
Fare: PHP 70-100

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

(taken from the brochure and other sites)

The PAGSANJAN FALLS 
The town of Pagsanjan in Laguna is noted for the famous Pagsanjan Falls. The trip to Pagsanjan Falls is an experience of lifetime – another of nature’s treats. This is an exhilarating two-hour boat ride from Pagsanjan River to the Falls and back. The multi-colored native canoe is expertly maneuvered against strong currents through 14 rapids by two seasoned boatmen. Moreover, one can imagine being lost in the wilderness when the boatmen paddle and lift their canoe at least five times going up through the gorges and in between the long 400-foot high cliffs of the clear river. Upon reaching the main falls, one can take a climatic ride on board a crudely- made bamboo raft to “devils cave” right behind the heavily cascading water of the Falls.

The return trip is where one experiences the thrill of ” shooting the rapids”, a headlong joyride with a smooth and swift guide with the current downriver, splashing through cool and foamy waters.

PUERTA REAL (Town Gate) 
This structure is the most strategic and historical landmark of Pagsanjan. This 124 year old town gate was constructed in 1878-1880. It was inaugurated in 1884 by Don Pedro A. Paterno, and was restored in 1975 by then Mayor Gregorio F. Zaide, an internationally known historian.

This stone gate recalls the legendary miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the town’s beloved Patroness. In December 8, 1877, terroristic bandits led by Tankad came to loot and plunder the town, it is said that here they were stopped by a luminous apparition of a beautiful lady holding aloft a shining sword. To express their gratitude, the Pagsanjeños erected the ornate stone gate on the very line drawn by her sword.

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE PARISH
The new church now stands in graceful beauty – a worthy shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Every Pagsanjeño has every reason in the world to rejoice and render homage to Our Lady of Guadalupe. By her grace and guidance, Pagsanjan will be great again.

– Jan 21, ’08 8:59 PM

1 Day at Global City/Fort Bonifacio (Album)

by

1

July 15, 2007 – Three hours of sleep didn’t stop me from carrying out my mission for today – which was to check out property developers in Global City in my zeal to look for a unit to lease or use OPM to acquire.We were supposed to be a group of three i.e. Dingdong, Dante and I, but since we didn’t push through on Saturday (various health-related reasons), only two made it on Sunday to trek through Icon, Infinity and Serendra showrooms plus a little stroll through The Fort, Bonifacio High Street, Serendra One and Market-Market.My, my..how fast the pace has been when it comes to development in this little piece of land in Taguig. The first time I was in Global City was in 2005 and the only place of importance then for me was Market-Market…it was just a wide open space all around.

Nowadays, you have mushrooming condominium units for residential and office purposes, and stores and malls sprouting up seemingly overnight….*sigh*…now I have only one little problem left…

I will add pictures from Dante’s stash later since I only took a few snaps to get the feel of the place and I was too busy ogling all the other stores and design of the buildings.

– Jul 16, ’07 1:07 AM

Puerto Galera: First Visit

by

2

Start: Apr 21, ’07 11:00a
End: Apr 23, ’07

along with ex-officemates, squashed ourselves in vehicles and passed thru different adventures e.g. jelly-fish stinging, fish-biting, jeepney-hopping etc.
rounded off the adventure by crashing Hugzone’s extension in Tagaytay…hehehe

pictures to follow in the album section..as usual in batches

– Apr 23, ’07 10:39 PM

Review (Restaurant): Spirale Ristorante

by

7

Category:
Restaurants
Cuisine:
Italian
Location:
Davao City, Philippines

You can confidently bet your last piece of penne pasta when it comes to my visiting Italian restaurants which come highly recommended!Italian and Japanese are two international cuisines I try my darndest to savor when I visit another place.

On 24th September 2011, after the extremely adventurous trip and butt-whomping rides through every imaginable vehicle to Camp Sabros and experiencing its soaring ziplines, my companions and I finally came back to Davao City.

I had promised Rina, my closest (and therefore favorite cousin) that she and I would have dinner together, have a talka-thon and that I’d hand over for her sweet tooth Manila baked sweets which were probably not good for her system…hahaha!

Chiara, (who was not able to be with us in Camp Sabros) was in Spirale Ristorante already with her family.  She had earlier recommended this eating place upon picking us up at the airport at an ungodly hour – with Cafe Firenzo beside it but of course they were still closed at that time. It just whet my appetite.We made a snap decision to go to Damosa Gateway (I keep blundering and calling it Damaso, probably from the fat friar in Jose Rizal’s novels) to see how good their Italian offerings were.

Rina and I arrived just in time to greet and meet Chiara and her hubby before they left and thank them for the fun we had at their Camp Sabros. Then it was time to get into the serious business of ordering and inhaling the delicious aroma of food which came our way, even if we were seated outside.

I was tasked to do the choosing and it was difficult because I loved all the descriptions in their menu selections.

I finally settled on Pizza Prosciutto (no surprise there) and Vongole al Chorizo for the pasta side. (I was sure my stomach pets wouldn’t mind the carbo load late that night

Rina and Cat eat together

 

As for the flavor – I give them two thumbs up!

While it had only been recently that I had indulged in similar pizza (though oval-shaped) at Cibo in Manila, I think the arugula and prosciutto formula that Spirale slathers on their thin, crunchy-liciously crispy pizza were points ahead in being “home-made”-tasting.

The pasta was a tongue-pleaser too.

The baby clams were tender (they ought to be) and the stewed tomatoes coupled with the white wine sauce was just rightly thrown in together.

I usually avoid seafood-related pasta because my all-time favorite is the simple but divine arrabbiata, but this ristorante’s version of the vongole was enough to make me more open-minded.

With just these two dishes, my cousin and I were stuffed to the gills, though I did manage to set aside a slice or two for Che (who was already at the Ponce Suites, photos of which are posted somewhere on this site).

I wish I had more time to stay, eat and talk with my cousin because it is certainly one ristorante I would like to do a little more menu-exploration.

For the penny-pinching worker though, this might be one restaurant, which although you might like to eat at everyday – may not be that conducive to your wallet’s continued health. In comparison to Manila, where popular restaurants are more expensive, Davao still is relatively cheaper in terms of eating places which do give a broad variety of very fresh seafood – though I am not completely sure about the international cuisine side.

I can’t label Spirale as a very expensive place, it is also not what I would call as very affordable.

My recommendation is that you try it at least once…and then you can save up your money to eat more frequently here as time goes by *grin*

 

Spirale Ristorante

Damosa Complex, Angliongto Road, Lanang, Davao City

Phone +63 82 234-6298 

 

 

– Nov 18, ’11 1:35 AM

“Darkness Breaks” at Mt. Pulag, Philippines

by

1

My toes are still tingling a little bit painfully…but its an experience of a lifetime!

As cliche as that may sound, the Mt. Pulag trek I underwent from May 21-22, 2011 is a memory I will revisit every time I see even just a hill (even if anthill pa yan or termite hill!)

This photo was shot around 5 am when I was on my way from Camp 2 to the summit of Mt. Pulag.

I had just stubbed my right big toe the hardest on a jutting rock on the trail (must be the aftereffect of not enough rest and doing this much exertion)…and was almost hopping about but had to be careful due to the ravine on my other side.

 

Camera: DMC-LX5
Unedited photo except for the text.

 

– May 25, ’11 7:59 AM

Travel Toinks (Davao): Plenty of Load

by

0

Davao City, Philippines, 24th September 2011 – The well-used dusty bus seemed ready to roll off in a few seconds into the wild unknown….but this time it was off to Digos City.

Che belatedly recalled she had to load her mobile as it was very important for us to have communication with the people we were to contact in our road trip.

Her boyfriend Loo might also be wondering what happened to her on the adventure.

She hopped off the bus to one of the many stalls below where there were loading services for prepaid SIM cards.

The bus was ready to depart….I was anxiously craning my neck to and fro like a bewildered giraffe, she came back to the bus and sat back down into her seat. Thank goodness!

We calmly settled ourselves for an hour’s ride to Digos, where we jumped from the parked bus and rode a tricycle from the new terminal to the old bus terminal.  I was more familiar with in my previous trips from Gen. Santos to Davao itself.

In the old bus terminal, we found a van which was waiting to be filled up for passengers to Kapatagan, a somewhat remote area where the Camp Sabros was located – perfect for zipline newbies and experienced zippies.

After draping ourselves as comfortably as possible among the creaky seats of the van,  we wanted to double check on the internet about our route and check how well we were doing.

Lucky that we had our cellphones and she had her load!

+++++++

Che (flicking open her phone and scrolling rapidly): Oh I got plenty of load…I think its even Php 400!

Cat (happy): Whoa!….that is a lot!

Che (nodding):  Yeah, ‘coz I also texted my officemate and asked her to load my phone. 

Cat (excited): Great! We can surf longer or even the whole day!

 

*silence for long moments while Che busily pushes buttons on her mobile phone*

Cat ( di na makatiis or in other words, excited na): ok …so..what does it say?

Che: Uhmm…hehe…I can’t surf….na low-batt ang cellphone.

 

*blips out?*

Well at least…ehem..plenty of load…hehehe…

 

– Sep 30, ’11 8:34 PM

Bolinao, Pangasinan, Philippines

by

0

Bolinao, Pangasinan

Start: Apr 13, ’07 11:45p
End: Apr 15, ’07

100 islands..or so they say.

My co-workers here love to go out and see places….so they’ve asked me to come along with them to this place. We are supposed to meet up before 12 midnight on Friday and ride on to this place in the cool of the early morning hours, go around the beaches, caves or what have you and then finish off on Sunday morning with a tour of 100 Islands…before it becomes 99 islands na lang..hahaha

– Apr 13, ’07 12:09 AM