BBQ @ shek O

we took time out one night to go for BBQ in shek O. from the office, it's around 30ish minutes travel as we have to go to shau kei wan first then board the bus from there. too bad for me; i had to go to chai wan mtr and realized that there's no bus to shek o in that area. it was a hot summer night so we prepared to be mausukan from the grilling food.

BBQ in honor of our guests.. mara and mheann (ooppss, not in this picture yet.)

meat, meat all meat bbq selection. ohh, didnt know there was cuttlefish ball (i got there late na kase)

migs just couldn't stand the heat... obviously! hehehehe

us, enjoying BBQ.. for a change.. (from the usual steamed, pan/fried, soupy chinese lunch)

playtime with migs... if his folks were not there, i would've made him sakal hehehe

migs likes to take pictures with his gurls... he even called us to pose around him. hahaha

maraaaa, we'll see you again. soon! and mheann, hang in there! hehehe

how to go to shek O beach:

1. take the mtr and alight at shau kei wan station.
2. proceed to exit A2, if i'm not mistaken.
3. take the mini bus to shek 0.

this will cost you 9hkd.

up and about: MTR lift

shot in tuen mun station of the MTR (red line, i think)

our journey to sai kung

for the july 1 holiday, we opted to go to sai kung to get away from the usual crowded places in the island. however, a lot of people were there, especially it's a day off. i guess we just have to settle for some scenery, apart from the usual buildings, crowded streets in the city.

to get there, we met in tiu keng leng station of the tseung kwan o line of the mtr. it's 2 stations away from quarry bay crossing the victoria harbor. we boarded bus 792M traveling around 40 minutes to sai kung public pier. it was sooo hot arriving at the place. fortunately, the breeze kept us cool while having picnic lunch in the playground nearby. while the kids run around to play, the adults ate, rest, made chika to the max. hahaha it was a hearty meal, with adobo in tow and the famous almond chews from ate caryl. yummy!

after the kids finished playing, (uhm, will they ever? haha) we rode the boat to kiu tsui beach. it was 20hkd round trip for a 20-minute ride. not knowing what is in store there, we just went. though we didnt really plan on going for a swim, seeing that the beach area is occupied with dogs (and their owners), it was a good decision for us. hehehe as in, the dogs were swimming there... and i wouldnt like to be there with them. hehe just let them be.. and enjoy. we looked for a cool spot to bum around.. and eat of course. it feels nice to trifle away time without caring for anything else but the cool breeze touching your face, the leaves of the trees shading you from the sun's heat, the sight of the calm waves and the beach bodies. (haha) we left the beach around 5.30ish and cozied up in one of the restos and had a late afternoon tea.

this is life.

lost in tuen mun, hongkong

i thought that with the efficient transportation in hongkong, going from one place to another would be a breeze.  i just didnt realize that besides the MTR's familiar routes, there are others... like LRT.  as in pinas, it stands for light rail transit which travels short distances in New Territories.  i dont frequent this area but i wouldnt mind exploring this part of hk.  i was confident... as long as we are on the MTR line, everything should be fine.  

however, one rainy saturday, my fwend and i braved the 2hr travel by train from HK island to tuen mun, which is practically the "other" side of the line.  from our place in the east, we traversed the upper western part of hk.  

1pm-ish --> already on board the MTR from quarry bay, changed trains in admiralty and rode until tsuen wan station (last stop on the tsuen wan line)

2pm-ish --> arrived at tsuen wan, looked for bus 61M heading towards tuen mun.  we kept looking around the area looking for the bus stop thinking it was somewhere really nearby coz the  bus terminal is there... 59M, 60M, 62M... hmm.. where's 61M???  asked some locals lined up in the bus stop, but to no avail.  tried to ask the 'friendly' cleaner.. but he cant speak english.  sigh.  we opted to ride 60M thinking it might lead us to 61M (right!)  one stop after, we alighted.  we're on the main road now... and no bus stops in sight.  we asked some locals BUT we're uneasy about their directions.  we thought of taking a cab, waited... until we saw a bus -- 61M!  we walked and walked and found the stop.  finally.  it was a relief.  i was already a bit wet in the rain, even though i have an umbrella...turns out water seeps thru my umbrella's tela. LOLZ.  fine, it's just for sunny weather.

  

3pm -->  arrived at our destination.  at last.   sooo late for our 2:30pm schedule.  

i dont like to enumerate our route back.  it makes me tired even more. hahaha this was the adventure we're looking for.  at least, we learned new things, discovered new places.  this area is not the typical hk that we know -- crowded, busy, old.  it's peaceful, quiet, has well-kept buildings.  just too bad, we have low tech phones that inhibited us from using GPS.  hahaha  next time, will just try to be more "prepared" and perhaps, not on a very rainy afternoon. 

off to dubai-4

in dubai......

1 - weather is hot. humid.  and i learned that when it's cold. it's really cold. ergo, weather is extreme.

2 - having your own car is helpful to go around the city.  public transport is only bus or by taxi.  their buses are not so frequent and not that efficient.  they don't have subways or train stations.  it will only be available later this year.

3 - there are no poor locals.  no local holds a blue-collar job.  everytime i see a woman dressed in abaya, i would think, "this girl is rich".  and when i would see a woman covered in abaya from head to foot, face included, i would say to myself "this married woman is rich" hehehe they said that only their husbands can see their faces.

4 - a lot of construction is going on.   i dont know if many were suspended due to the crisis.

5 - even husband and wife are discouraged to be 'affectionate' in public.  no holding hands even.

6 - pakistani men likes boys... nyahahaha

an indoor life-size aquarium inside DUBAI MALL, the biggest (but unfinished) in dubai

sand everywhere.. scenery before our DUNE BASHING...

we had to fill up before THE ride...

articulated bus as means of transport

palm trees?  inside dxb international airport

off to dubai-3

the next days, we joined a tour - DHOW cruise and DESERT safari.  it was Good Friday, and to attend to our duties, we heard mass in the lone Catholic Church in the vicinity - St Mary's Catholic Church.  it was hot and humid and most of all, crowded.  good thing there was this adjacent basketball court to cater to the throngs of people.

the DHOW and ABRA (water taxi) both traverse the dubai creek.  the former is a sailing vessel used by earlier settlers as means of trade (for dates and fish) while the ABRA is a means of transportation to avoid traffic congestion in the major bridges of the city. now, the DHOW is used for tourism to let visitors enjoy the view from the creek. the cruise, which lasts for 2 hours includes dinner with a view.  but, im not sure i enjoyed the food though. hehehe

DESERT safari includes hotel pickup, dune bashing, henna tattooing, abaya photo op, belly dancing show and dinner.  food was better here.  i love the arabic bread and the BBQ chicken. realized i dont have the taste for lamb, mutton BBQ.

our campsite area

i was soooo relieved to finally get to our destination because the DUNE BASHING is taking its toll on me.  after the first half of being tossed left and right, up and down my seat in the car, i felt a bit nauseous already.  the 3 of us rode at the back and even with my seatbelt on, i couldnt stop myself from bumping with others.  it was more than a roller coaster ride, more than i could take! hahaha at least for a theme park ride, it only lasted for a few minutes but this one... takes you on what seems like FOREVER!  i grew quiet as time went, coz im not feeling good anymore.  thank goodness, before i even reached my limit, we reached the campsite.  boy, was i so thankful.  however, i was too drained to even ride the camel (kaya pichur nalang) and try the sheesha.  

during the latter part of dinner, of course there was belly dancing... and more dancing.  i prayed we didnt have to endure that same dune bashing experience coz it was already night time and drivers wouldn't dare under such situation... but no! they still opted for one last hurrah... good thing, it lasted only a minute plus the paved road is actually nearby.  whew!

off to dubai-2

dubai international airport reminds me of singapore.  i guess, it's because of the print of the carpet(?), the size of the arrival area, and the enclosed seating area in the boarding gate.  noticeable too, is the palm tree(?) indoor.  it was 5am when we arrived so we lingered a little in the airport, got a cab and checked in at 7am in at the hotel apartment in bur dubai. 

we ate breakfast, rested then headed out to meet rose.  we also met with gcel and jobert.  super thanks to them we have transportation to go around.  if not, we would've taken the cab from one place to another.  i learned that you CANNOT just walk, even if it SEEMS near, in the map.  dubai is nOt a walkable city, in that sense.  of course, the tour wouldn't be complete without the classic backdrop... BURJ AL ARAB, the 7-star hotel.  

went to SOUK MADINAT, a sosy tiangge nearby. but we still had to take the car.  saw some souvenir items.  i was warned not to buy coz cheaper stuff can be bought elsewhere.  and true enough, we found affordable items in KARAMA, ala divi in pinas.  we had dinner in MALL OF THE EMIRATES.  visited the SKI DUBAI for some photo op.  haha and while walking around, window shopping, rose, jobert and gcel were surprised to see a familiar face - sheik MAKTOUM.  (i hope i got the name right.)  he's the highest ruler in dubai and the 2nd highest in the UAE.  

after dinner, we headed to JUMEIRAH Beach residences (where gcel's office is) for coffee.  shempre, starbucks. hehehe from here, we can get a glimpse of ATLANTIS, another star hotel in dubai located in PALM JUMEIRAH, this is the reclaimed area built to be a luxurious residential area because you can have your very own.... beachfront! right!

after some catching up, jobert and gcel dropped us at our hotel.  kahiya, coz it was already late and momi gcel and her baby are still up. hehe but anyways... thanks soo much!

off to dubai-1

our midnight flight to dxb gave me enough time to work in the morning, go home, get my stuff and head to the airport to meet my bro, who flew in from manila. we checked in online to at least guarantee that we'd be sitting beside each other. checking in cathay was a breeze. immigration, customs are not a problem. i prepared my documents just in case i would be held for questioning. bro was stalled in NAIA for some time (good thing he was in the airport early). there was this visa checker making sure all necessary papers are available. she asked why bro only have the photocopy of the visa... and why he was issued that type of visa. she even showed sample visa papers from previous passengers.  bro called my sis in dubai to clear up the misunderstanding.  eventually, the visa checker conceded, "sige sir, kayo na po bahala sa immigration dyan sa papers nyo".  uhm, of course, who else would take care of it?!  so off he went to immigration... not even one question!  

transit in HK

fast forward to meeting in hk international airport... bro was still fuming about his encounter at the NAIA.  hahaha i got a bit naririndi over his repeated rants and so we just opted to eat and googled the directions to our hotel.  finally, boarding time!  

the flight lasted for about 9 hours, arriving dubai at 5am.  i wasnt bored coz there are a lot of things to keep you busy just with the cabin entertainment.  i just found it hard to fully rest by just sitting.  but that didnt stop me from being excited to explore.  we hailed an airport taxi to go to the hotel.  the drive was a sight to see with wide, clean roads and architectural structures, which i later learned are malls. hahaha  now, that's interesting.  so much to explore, so little time.

getting ready for dxb

i've been trying to go home early the past 2 days to prepare for my holy week sojourn.  i seem to always find ways to buy things especially when im going for a trip.  why can't i just buy them way before and not cram the shopping in a few days?!?!  hmm.. i guess that's the fun part of it.  knowing i can buy with just a wave of the plastic, rationalizing that i NEED that item, more than WANTING it. hahaha in a span of 2 days, i managed to buy a luggage bag, sturdy and classic-looking enough.  i bought this gray, echolac bag with lock.  it's on sale in JUSCO but still a little expensive than the pierre cardin, elle bags on display.  i opted for this coz it looks classy (hindi pala classic hahaha) and strong for me to carry around or should i say, whenever i happen to lazily transport it on a plight of stairs thus, bumping it's wheels, scratching its body on the ground.  i also bought some pistachios, which my sis loves so much.  bought some HK pasalubong to my fwends in the hopes that they'll like it.  hehehe gotta travel light!

outbound this holy week

finally!  we got our travel visas already.  this travel plan was in the works for a month now, and at last, things are actually happening.  we're a little apprehensive in getting our visas denied coz we passed incomplete requirements and the guy from the hotel sponsoring is not so optimist.  no thanks to him.  he said if we can't get ALL the requirements by that day, we might as well postpone our trip.  i just think he wants to rush us for our own good.  so now... i gotta prepare for the 5-day trip.  plus buy some stuff, etc... just need to remember to spend within my limit.  i CANNOT go beyond, as the airfare and hotel alone is enough to max out my credit.  hahaha i just like to think that this is my way of helping the economy - by spending!  something good will come out of it.. even not for me hahaha 

pichurs

i've been trying to locate my pics.. but got too lazy to locate my digicam cable to download the pics.. im still short of peripherals for maxxie. was able to scour for a few though...

halloween 2008 in lan kwai fong.. of course, we took photo ops with those in costume. kahit sino lang makita namen interesting, pose lang. haha there was this one guy, ala phantom of the opera. he was was about to wear his mask but we all shouted "no mask, no mask!" lolz. too bad, i can't find his picture. eto na lang with the mad hatter. 

jack's birthday, unico hijo of ate ai and kuya j.  supposedly children's party... so here they are.. the kids at play.. 

hmm.. what to do in macau tower..

might as well, just sit down and let the others do it... hahaha 

inside "the venetian"

macau at night

ruins of st. paul

... and the colorful night lights

101... and counting..

well, sana... hehe 

i've been on hiatus for toooo long.. well, i realized this is my 101st post! yay for me hahaha

gotta get back on my feet now.. just wanna give updates .. and see how i've been the past months.  hmm.. i wondered what happened with my life? or me nangyari nga ba? 

October 2008

i forgot what transpired or if anything interesting happened last october.  nothing really, i guess. forgettable, ba.. ohhh, waitttt, i went to singapore! how can i miss that??!?!!? baka magtampo un mga host ko. shout out to anshe, jeff and mon for accommodating me. :)  i went there on short notice lang.. i've been wanting to visit singapore.. see how things are there.  so finally, i just did. i emailed anshe less than a week.. and i told her to make some 'plans' .. and sooo, i arrived at the airport, met with mon.   waited for anshe and jeff at the ferry terminal to bintan, indonesia.  stayed overnight at bintan lagoon and resorts where we did kayaking and go kart.  it was sooo fun! the next day, anshe and mon took ML to accompany me to sentosa.  went to palawan beach .. but i missed the siloso beach.. we also rode the luge twice! no thanks to mon who coerced us kase me promo ata. buti na lang we only had to ride the ala ski lift once. hahaha it helps to ride at night if you're afraid of heights.  i went to bugis street which is like mongkok in hongkong.  saw the esplanade, singapore flyer, and of course the classic merlion.  ate the famous chicken rice in lau pa sat and roamed around clark quay.  all in all, i felt so at home in singapore.  i can go around on my own, not that anshe need to worry.  i would love to visit them again.  they have no choice. haha  super duper thanks to you guys :)

November 2008

i was bent on watching "cinderella" with lea salonga at the helm.  i bought my ticket at the last minute hoping someone can watch it with me.  but then again, not even this circumstance can stop me. i went by myself. yeah yeah, pathetic na!  but i had a good time. wala lang akong mapagsabihan na katabi how proud i am, seeing a fellow pinoy being applauded, recognized, appreciated by foreigners.  lea's proud moment, is mine too (nakisawsaw ba?!) 

December 2008

bought maxxie.  finally, my new macbook! after intense research, comparison between available notebooks in the market.. i decided to switch to a MAC.  what gives?  primarily coz i've been reading not-so-good reviews about vista.  plus, i wanted to try the look and feel of owning a macbook - coz of the OS X, and the prestige that goes along with carrying an apple studded laptop. hahaha i just purchased the lower end unibody 13" macbook 2.0ghz.  

January 2009

went to macau to explore.  havent been here before even if it just takes 1 hr ferry ride.  i wasnt really keen on going coz my fwends say it's just "ok".  not so many places to go to.  still, i wanted to make the most out of it.  went to macau tower first to try to do the skywalk where you will traverse the outside of the tower X storeys high on a harness. but damn! i cant!  i got scared. hahaha plus it's expensive!  i can't even look down the glass floors of the indoor observatory! we just roamed around the deck.. and lo and behold!  2 people had the guts to do bungee jumping! hurrah for them!  went to the venetian macau where we ate late lunch and played few rounds in the slot machine.  dropped by the fisherman's wharf, rode the bus to senado square to see the ruins of st paul.  walked to the area of the casino hotels to take pictures.  they're sooo colorful at night with grand lisboa, hotel lisboa, wynn hotel, MGM as backdrop.  we went inside those hotels just to take a peak, and played slots again.  that's the only thing we can afford.  or if we get thirsty, free drinks in the casino. hahaha lastly, we chanced upon the dancing fountain show of the wynn hotel.  just amazing.  now, i wondered why they say they didnt enjoy macau?

February 2009

was in manila for a couple of days to pay my last respects to my dear mamuy.  wasn't really expecting her death this soon coz she's always been a survivor.  i know she's becoming weak coz of age.  doctors could not find anything wrong with her in the numerous times she went for a checkup.  i guess she just didnt want to become a burden coz she just stayed in the hospital for a few days... and never left.  sabi nga ng uncle ko... "sulit na".. but it still hurts.  i will not be able to tease her about selective hearing anymore.. na pag pera ang pinag uusapan, naririnig nya.. otherwise.. it falls on deaf ears.  hehehe wala ng magbibigay saken ng pocket money everytime i would go back to hk.  wala na ang paborito kong lola. (ako raw kase paboritong apo. hehehe)  hers is a life well-lived.  moreso because a lot of people love her.. and always will.  i will miss you mamuy.  *hugsss*

pics on my next post.. hopefully soon.. 

mini paris in wanchai

after strolling along hennessy road in wanchai, we decided to settle in Mini Paris, a quaint restaurant situated in the busy street ala quezon ave in pinas. i didn't know what to expect. i can eat anything at that time especially, i have acquired a taste for chinese food, i think. scanning through the menu, they actually serve... viet food. how did i know? well, i just compared it with pho hoa (i looove this place) and i just know.. hahaha here's my lame attempt to describe what we ordered: veggies with sauce that tastes like a faint bagoong, noodles with fried spring rolls and cold shrimp rolls. the last two are served with a sweet and sour sauce but with a way thinner consistency. (HA?!?!?! there you go, can you taste the food with my description?) all in all, they're good! another proud discovery.. and oh, before i forget they have english menu. yey!


masabi lang... i served this on my last birthday.. simple lang: shrimp linguine, steamed chicken (thanks maria for the recipe.. well cooked kse sya and delish, unlike the steamed chix , chinese way.. me blood pa), buttered veggies, breaded pork chop, cake (not in pic) and of course, ice cream.. i thought Dreyer's ang sponsor ko that night kse i have 4 of them. haha (un lang nag pa sosy, actually haha) it would have been ben and jerry's only, they're not available then.

nga pala.. to those who remembered... thank you =)
*hugs, hugs, hugs*

7 wonders, pinoy style

www.new7wonders.com
ive only been recently made actively aware of this survey. thanks to watching gmanews.tv videos about the tubattaha reef. i've briefly ignored this call for voting for the reef as one of the new 7 wonders. but now i'd like to do my share. we respect the 'original' wonders of the world.. but it's about time we also recognize our present beauties. hehehe

there are other pinas wonders like mayon volcano, underground cave ? in palawan. we only have 1 vote but can choose up to 7 wonders all over the world. hope you do yours too! voting is until dec 31, 2008.

buddha's birthday holiday

today is buddha's birthday... holiday here in hongkong. i would have liked to visit the giant buddha in lantau but i realized that it would be crowded there. i was thinking of a leisurely travel to the island - take the 1hr ferry from central pier. then hop on the bus for another hour of travel up the buddha's location. i can take the ngong ping route, boarding the cable car but im still too apprehensive after the one too many closure directives to this tourist site. i would have trodded along the wisdom path hoping to incur more to guide me in life. hahaha i would have eaten the vegetarian meal that comes along with the entrance of the monastery. i would have climbed the 264 steps. i would have enjoyed my pictures with the buddha - my miniscule frame against its dominating figure.

well, those are just would-bes as per my research. next time, there would be real stories of my trip.

off to big wave bay

big wave bay is one of the few beaches in hk which you can enjoy for free. most beaches here are for public use. though devoid of any n-star accommodations, the facilities are well-kept and maintained - shower area, changing rooms, toilets. BBQ area is clean. lifeguard service is on till 6pm.

i know 2 ways to go to big wave bay: 1) via mini bus or bus # 9 from shau kei wan terminal or 2) hike up the mountain near island resort in siu sai wan. since we were looking for some adventure, we opted for the latter. we were "warned" that it takes 45mins - 1hr to reach the beach. jayson, our guide (hehehe) took us up to the "view compass" site until we parted ways. he would've just told us where to start our trek but i was too cautious coz 2 of my fwends "lost" their way up. took them 2 hrs before they reached big wave beach. anyways, after jayson left us we were on our own in this very very long plight of stairs. seems never ending at some point. there were even counters on the steps. lost count of how many there were. thousands, i'm sure! all in all, it took us 1 a lil more than an hour to traverse the path - with our pace, stopovers for picture taking. haha

soon the beach is now in sight. we were so excited. our steps now were faster, eager to feel the sand and water soothe our aching feet. finally finishing our hike... we set foot on the sand - the fine sand is soft and rejuvenating. the weather is a bit overcast with temperature around 24degrees. the water is cool, the waves, not high but enough to do surfing for beginners. hehe the place is abundant of restaurants, and everything you may need for the beach. it's convenient. even the location itself. coz a few minutes from big wave you will get to the busy city life. hopefully, this wont be the last time i'll get to enjoy the beach this summer.

pichur pichurs!

cheung chau food trip

twas saturday. time for some RnR after a week-long work. we headed to cheung chau. from central pier 4, we boarded the fast ferry that brought us to this outlying island in 30 minutes, as opposed to a regular one for 45 minutes (at half the fare too).

strolling a few minutes in cheung chau will get you to the beach area. but we didnt really wade in coz the water is still cold nor did we hang out in the sand coz the sea breeze is still a bit chilly for us. instead we let jack (fwend's barely 2 year-old son) enjoy his time in the nearby playground. the island is a little more commercial than lamma (another outlying island) as it swarmed with merchandise from souvenirs to clothes (baleno) to food (mcdonalds, parknshop, watsons). alleyways are also packed with quaint in-house stores.

we eagerly looked forward to having dinner al fresco in one of the restaurants by the bay and sample their seafood. here's one we randomly picked.

we were still apprehensive ordering the lobster coz we're not sure if the price in the menu is per order or per gram. took the safer route of ordering crayfish with garlic.


we wanted to know their version of beef curry...

here's the rest of our gastronomic delights. choi sum in garlic sauce, crayfish, yang chow, beef curry. the lil "palanggana" you see there is tea, where we "clean" our dishes before eating and wash our hands after. yep, you're right. we drink the same type of tea too. shelled out less than 200hkd (they charged 5hkd for the tissue) for 4 people. not bad at all.

among the many restaurants that lined up the harbor of the island, i would say i will definitely come back here. "hong kee respaurant". affordable, good food.

(was) in pinas for a hiatus

i headed for manila 3 weeks ago via flight 5J143. thanks to cebu pacific's low fares that i got to snatch a bargain deal. for 1000hkd, i was able to book a flight home. i took a longer leave since it's the end of the fiscal year for us and chinese new year was coming.

• 2D/1N - baguio ==> went to baguio country club thanks to lolo pilo who sponsored us in this exclusive getaway
  
• 2D/1N - batangas ==> grabbed the chance for an early summer outing as i know i wont be experiencing it here
  
• 1 D - laguna ==> hied off to the hotsprings in the midst of manila's heat
  
• 2D/1N - tagaytay ==> enjoyed the cool breeze, just a few hrs away from manila. went to picnic grove, cliffhouse, ate at manos greek taverna, bag of beans and tried tagaytay's night life.

in between i got to do some "stuff" - well, it's more like a routine sleep for a half day, 3 hrs bumming (basically, stay in bed and choose among TONS of channel in cable) and preparing to go out. im more of a nocturnal person so in the morning, i take my time sleeping. haha mostly, i visited my friends who are still in manila and bugged (or begged) them to squeeze a few hours of their time to meet me. hahaha all is worth it.


vian, my inaanak, barely 3 years old


my former colleagues, minus agh


tried this greek joint in tagaytay

more pichurs here!!!

in laguna: time for hot spring

as they say, laguna is the resort capital of the philipines. true enough, there are villages here that are mostly private pools for rent. those near monte vista (tama ba?) resort you can find lotsa private villas you can choose from. they have their own "barker" to boot who will aggressively approach you upon seeing you carry with you a battalion of eager shorts-and-slippers-clad individuals. for my family of course, we came prepared. a near relative of ours, knows the owner of a private pool, so we rented it out for the day. it's a 3-bedroom, 2-storey house with 4T&B, 2-car garage and a videoke! i would say it's spacious enough for 22 members of my family. hehe plus we get to sing to our heart's content, if the videoke machine would just play the right songs. haha

the 1.5hr drive from mamuy's place is still convenient because we were early. early enough to arrive there with the pool still being managed to be filled up. since we were only there for the day, we dont get to use the rooms so much. but i went up and inspected it for "future" references. big enough, not cramped for 20 people to comfortably sleep for the night.

the water was not that "hot" as we expect especially, it was a cold and windy day. what kept it warm though is the company of family you care about.

pichur pichurs here!!!

in batangas: shore hopping

together with the WHOLE family, we went to batangas for an overnight stay. originally, i asked mama to help book the kabayan resort coz it seems an affordable place to stay complete with the amenities im looking for - with swimming pool. haha but since 'twas chinese new year, it was already full. we opted to stay in sigayan bay. this resort is owned by one of mama's colleague (so discount, for sure). coincidentally, it's also in batangas.. and it's beach front is along the shoreline, a few meters away from kabayan resort!

sigayan bay is also in san juan batangas, along with many beach resorts batangas boasts of -- sabangan, la luz, laiya coco grove, etc. they are basically the same except for the amenities each resort provides and of course, the beach front you're faced with. hehe unfortunately, for sigayan, it's not swimmable, for me. haha i find the stones a sore.. for the feet and the moss an icky feeling. though i havent trodded the waters, many already said so. and so off we walked to kabayan beach resort front. thankfully, they share the same shoreline. too bad, we can't use their pool.

pichur pichurs here!!!