NAGA Overnight

It's January. Everyone's resting from all the parties last holiday season. Hmmmm...nothing to do. Bored. Where to go? Browsing Smile magazine...Viola! Let's go to Naga!

We were not prepared for this trip. Our schedule was hanging due to last minute changes with the training schedule. We just packed our backpacks with our travel essentials and waited for the final schedule. Before shift ends, we found ourselves boarding the next available flight to Manila. Naga, here we come! :D

Naga is 20 minutes away from the airport. You can board a bus for Php20 or jeepney for Php10 only. Bus terminal is located just beside SM City. We had lunch at the terminal trying a variety of Bicolano dishes. 

The one on the right (Bicol Express) is a winner! I'm not really a fan of spicy dishes but, this one captured the approval of my tastebuds with the right amount of sweetness and spicyness. The one on the left (Pinangat) was way too spicy for me.

After lunch, we walked to look for a place to stay for the night. Just across the terminal, we found CBD Plaza Hotel. We booked a room for two. It was clean, airconditioned, with flat screen TV, toiletries, and breakfast for two. All that for Php1,200 only. Very affordable knowing it is located at the central business district. Only there was no free WiFi. You need to pay an extra if you need to connect.

                                 

Our room...

Rest for a while. Freshen up. Recharge. We plan to visit Peñafrancia and Porta Mariae later in the afternoon.

We started exploring Naga around 2pm. Since it was too hot to wander outside, we ended up watching movie at SM City Naga..haha! While waiting for the screening time, we again had a taste of Naga. We found this local restaurant serving Sili ice cream, and other flavors not commonly found in the market.

Pili ice cream. This is so creamy and yummy. Just the way I want it! I can't have enough of this. ;p

Sili ice cream. This flavor on the other hand is not for me. I did not enjoy it and found myself coughing after every bite due to its strong flavor. Maybe because I am not really a fan of spicy food.

Here's the complete list of their ice cream flavors: 

After movie and ice cream, we boarded a tricycle going to Peñafrancia Basilica Minore. We paid Php10 each for the ride. Lighted some candles and said our prayers. Near the Basilica is a museum but it was closed when we were there. There's a "mini market" across the church and had a chat with the locals as we were loking for Porta Mariae. I was amazed seeing Pinangat was being sold in the street. I thought it's only available at restaurants and eateries. :D

  inside Peñafrancia Basilica Minore

                                               

 facade of Peñafrancia Basilica Minore

                                              

We learned from the locals that Porta Mariae can be found in the premises of Naga Cathedral. From Peñafrancia, we just had a leisure walk going to Naga Cathedral. I think we just had a 5-minute walk.

 inside Naga Cathedral

                               

 facade of Naga Cathedral

                                                         

And finally, the Porta Mariae. It's like Arc de Triomphe of France. It's so beautiful you would think you're in a foreign country. :D

 with lights...

without lights...

                                                          

That's all our time can afford to visit. Next time I visit Naga, I would like to go to CWC (CamSur Watersports Complex) and the Caramoan Islands. :D

 because Naga is one hot destination! :D

                                                 

2 - 1 - 4

I am really not into celebrating valentine's day because of the three C's - commercialized, crowded and corny! But since it is Dookie's birthday, wala akong choice. We always had a hard time looking for a restaurant that is not teeming with lovers, group of friends, families, etc. Lahat puno, walang bakante. It has always been a challenge for us - to find a deserted place where we could celebrate his special day na hindi kami magmumukhang corny, cheesy and mushy. A place far from the crowded malls, loud bars, and cheesy dating venues.

Last year, we had it in Cebu. We found this one of a kind book cafe/gallery called Kukuk's Nest. It's an old two-storey house turned into a cafe/gallery/inn. We just had a couple of drinks since we already had our not-so-good-buffet-dinner in a nearby hotel. I enjoyed the place. It's out of the ordinary. I love the books, but was not happy with the dusty shelves (i'm sorry but it triggered my rhinitis)...achoo!

This year I had to go to Cagayan de Oro to celebrate it. Since both of us love movies, we decided to watch RoboCop and avoided the jampacked Piolo-Toni romantic-comedy film. Ayoko ngang makipagsiksikan. I always wanted to watch Star Cinema's valentine offering but, long lines at the ticket booth is enough for me to back out. 

At night, we found this Persian restaurant just near their place. This is what we were just looking for. Not too expensive, not too crowded, and not mushy at all (except for the heart-shaped red balloon that was given for free to all the diners that day). So we just had our dinner, munching on kababs and sipping yoghurt smoothie. It was just a simple celebration. What's more important is that we were together for his special day --> ayaw pala ng corny at mushy ha! hahaha!

Kababs & Ribs Persian Kitchen's interior and exterior

upper left: Beef Biryani; lower left: Koobideh Kabab;
right: frozen iced tea


Happy Valentines Day everyone and Happy birthday DOOKIE!!!  <3  :-*

7 years and counting...cheers!

It is always important to have fun at work. Being with my current employer for 7 years and counting is really an achievement for me. I am quite "choosy" with work. I am not a corporate-office-girl-trapped-in-the-4-corners-of-an-office-facing-only-a-radiation-emitting-device type of an employee. I always look for some action and challenges that would test not only my abilities but my personality as well.

I feel so blessed to have this job who does not only give me challenges but takes me to different places i've never been before. This experience alone is incomparable. The pay is not that grandiose but would suffice my lifestyle and made my budgeting skills even better. And once in a while, I can still treat myself to a scrumptious but a little bit pricey dinner. 

For our 7th year celebration, me, Ninio and Aran decided to go Korean. We were joined by Ice (former colleague) and went to try Manna Korean Restaurant at SM Lanang Sky Garden. 

Left: Gensing Sangyeopsal (pork); Right: Gensing So Galbi (marinated beef)

I had fun grilling the pork and beef short ribs. It was my first time to use the table top grill...haha! 

left: unlimited side dishes; right: toppoki

While I was enjoying the food, my friend was quite disappointed with the Toppoki. He was expecting it to be topped with cheese like the one he tried in another Korean resto.

left: Eom Rice; right: Jjampong

I love the Eom rice. It's a fried rice wrapped in an egg like omelet and topped with ketchup.
Jjampong is perfect for people who are not really a fun of spicy food just like me. The spiciness is tolerable.

I always look forward to gatherings like this. Good food, pure fun with great friends! 'Til our next food adventure... 😄

KHMERrific experience...a take on their food.

"I am not a glutton - I am an explorer of food." -Erma Bombeck

All my trips are not complete without food. So here are some of the flavors i feasted during my visit in Siem Reap.

Best for Breakfast: A nearby resto owned by a Vietnamese family can be found just a few steps away from our hotel (Popular Guesthouse). Their iced coffee is just perfect for Siem Reap's hot climate. Pair it with omelet and banh mi (baguette) and it sure gives you enough energy to go temple-hopping the whole day.

my breakfast combo

Best for Lunch and Dinner: Food is everywhere in Siem Reap and I can say that Pub Street is the most favorite place to dine and hang-out among tourists and travelers. Here, you can choose from fine dining, mid-range, to budget-friendly restos. Adjusting my taste buds to Cambodian food is not a big challenge for me since most of the food served are "same same" with Pinoy dishes.

Left: Pork fried rice;
Upper right: Lo Lak (fried beef w/gravy, veggies, fried egg and french fries);
 Lower right: grilled pork

Best for Snacks and Refreshments: I highly suggest lots of liquid intake when you are touring in a tropical place to avoid dehydration which could lead to a more serious injury which is not easy especially if you are a tourist. There is this one cafe in Siem Reap that offers a really cozy place for diners and serves good food. I am talking about The Blue Pumpkin. I personally love their Chai Massala (Indian milky tea). It was served hot, but me being a "cold-blooded mammal", asked for a glass of ice and poured the warm tea into it. I think there was some kind of a weird look on the face of the girl who handed me the glass of ice. :D

best tasting Lemon Juice in my travel history; Angkor Beer; Watermelon Shake

Right: Chai Massala;
Left: Lemon-mint shake; Pistachio macaron; Walnut & cinnamon muffin

Upper Left: Pepperoni Pizza; Lower Left: Linguine in red sauce
Right: Strawberry & Coconut ice cream 

What i love about Cambodian food is that it did a very good job on my digestion. Well i'm sure it helped that almost all dishes are served with vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber). So next time you travel around Asia, don't forget to include Siem Reap in your list. =)

KHMERrific experience...a take on their culture and temples

Siem Reap, Cambodia is home to Angkor Wat and to hundreds, thousands, i actually lost count on how many temples there are. Temple hopping would be the main event when you go tour Siem Reap. When i was there with my friends, we limit ourselves to only three temples since i don't want history overload during our visit. On our list was of course Angkor Wat, The Bayon, and Ta Prohm.

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is really huge and is considered the largest religious temple in the world. It is a must to climb its towers to get a better view of its surroundings. Just be sure to dress properly when you plan to go inside the towers because they implement strict rules on this. No shorts, sleeveless, and other skin-baring piece of clothing.

The Bayon

Next stop is The Bayon. The entrance is a jaw-dropping, majestically grand structure that's really one of a kind. But wait 'til you get inside the temple. I felt some odd feeling when we went inside with all these heads and faces surrounding you. It seems like they are always on the lookout for visitors who will try to destroy their temple. 

WARNING: All eyes are on you. One false move and you're a dead meat...hahaha!

Ta Prohm

A must-visit temple to all those Lara Croft wannabes. This is my personal favorite. I love how man-made art and nature intermingled with each other to form a remarkable structure like this one. Gigantic trees emanating from the top of the temple and plants creeping on the walls make this exceptional.

Watch out for the second part of my Siem Reap trip...it's gonna be all about food. =)

yun o...HITO!

It's Thursday and it's my dayoff. We went to visit Los Amigos and had some food tripping along the way. Highlight of the day: LUNCH. It was already past 12 noon and we were heading home when my eyes caught the rows of HITO diners along the road. I was hungry, we were not in a hurry, and food as always is very inviting. Next thing I know, i was beside the aquarium trying to catch these slimy catfish to be served on the lunch table.
     
 while waiting for the food @ Barlyn's Ihaw-ihaw

      vegetable salad w/ ginamos (P30)

        grilled chicken liver (P30/stick)

            grilled Hito (P220/kilo)

You have the option on how you like your Hito to be cooked. It can be deep fried, grilled, ginataan (cooked in coconut milk), etc. I'm always torn between grilled and deep fried, but my appetite was screaming for grilled that day. But both are perfect for Hito, highly recommended! 👍

We only paid P268 for 3 persons. With 5 orders of rice, a bottle of softdrink, 2 chicken liver, vegetable salad, and a 400gm Hito. Deliciously cheap! 😃

Happy tummy, happy wallet, happy dayoff! 

A Taste of Iloilo

Had the chance to visit Iloilo City again and the best way to enjoy the place is to go on a food trip. I really love their food and here's a list of my personal favorites.

1. JD Bakery Cafe - affordable. delicious. complete. I never leave Iloilo without visiting JD. This all-in-one bakeshop is the best place for those who are looking for a scrumptious and budget-friendly meals. Most of their meals costs less than P100 only. Cake slices ranges from P30-P50 and dessert squares are below P15. Pasalubongs are also available here which is really convenient for visitors who are on a tight schedule. Its really a one-stop shop!

My personal favorites: molo soup, fresh lumpia and assorted cakes

2. Tatoy's Manokan - best-tasting Native Lechon Manok. Tatoy's is located at the beach area which is quite far from Iloilo's business center. From Robinson's Place, you can take a Villa-bound jeepney for only P13/pax. You can find mostly seafood on their menu but they boast on their native lechon manok which really tastes good. Best to go there during lunch and dinner time.

Steamed Talaba -  P60

Tatoy's Native Lechon Manok - P320

3. Book Latte Cafe - library. lounge. cafe. Located along Quezon St., just a few steps away from Robinson's Place (National Bookstore exit). It can easily be spotted for its pink signage. Food was good but it's quite difficult for me to comment on it since we were there during breakfast and as you can see in the pictures, our meal were all ready-to-cook (particulary fry in this case *wink*). Too bad we didn't had the chance to try their pasta, sandwiches, smoothies, etc. One thing that I noticed is that the books are limited to members only. I was quite disappointed because I was looking forward to browse some of it. I could settle for a magazine or a newspaper at that time but there was none in sight. I hope they could allot a shelf of any reading materials for non-members and travelers since it would be somewhat impractical for the latter to be a member. And also to give justification to what they are claiming as "library,  lounge, cafe".

  

Breakfast Meal w/ Brewed Coffee or Juice - P145

Pancakes w/ Brewed Coffee or Juice - P95