travel
summer days
Again, I found another gem hiding in my hard disks. It’s not really a great photo, by any means, but this seems to be another best seller in my Stock Photo sites.
Taken in Boracay (in front of Friday’s), circa 2005.
weekend diversion
This was a pretty busy weekend, but I made sure to take a few photos, while bouncing from place to place. Here are a few select photos from the past three days.
[salmon on pears]
[caramel almond brownie]
[lotus pads]
[massage huts]
[lil alejandro aka pepe]
[anshel busy fishing]
[q contemplating]
[lola nina watching over ate pilar]
Dumaguete hits
Over the supposed stormy weekend, we headed over to Dumaguete for a much needed vacation. Short, it may have been, but re-energizing, nevertheless. Here are some photos from the weekend.
Pilar moments in Bay
Yesterday, we headed over to Bay for a day of relaxation. But when Pilar is around, you have no slow moments — tring to keep up with her and get her attention is a full time activity.
Hongkong Lomo
For some reason (and for the second time in a row), I have had one roll of unexposed film sent back to me. I have no idea if I’m doing something wrong, if I’m leaving the film in the camera too long (hence the opening of the camera by accident), or if I’m just plain unlucky.
[double exposed kan]
[moto mascot in HK]
[sampling the street food, HK style]
[chatting up a customer]Hongkong holiday
Hongkong was a blast. Very tiring and extremely humid, but fun, nonetheless.
It’s a bit funny, now that I look back on it, that I almost didn’t make it. My passport wasn’t due to be released until the 23rd (our departure was on the 18th)… but I managed to find a way, thankfully. I would have missed out on the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Hongkong.
Our first day was really about exploring the are and getting our act together — i.e. planning what to do, finding a place to stay, getting the best exchange rate, etc. So after burning the free phone lines to book a hotel, accidentally getting a cheap fare into the city and stumbling across a good eatery, things seemed to be falling into place.
On day two, I had to go see my dad’s banker to sign some papers. I separated from the rest to find one of the Citi banking centers in Mong Kok, while the rest took the MTR over to Hongkong Disneyland. Naturally, after performing my familial duties, I rushed over to the theme park.
As it rained that day, the adult attractions like Space Mountain were closed. Since we were with the kids, it didn’t really matter anyway. One cool thing of note (and something I didn’t notice in the LA Disneyland) was the Filipino section of the It’s a Small World attraction.
On day three, we went to see Buddha… in the Ngong Ping 360 (cable car) and walking tour.
Day four, we said goodbye to Hongkong and all it’s attractions. Hopefully, we’l be able to make it back.
birthday weekend
This weekend, I celebrated my 30th birthday. It also coincided with a visit to Punta Fuego in the residence of my fiancées relatives as well as good old Fanny Lane in Tagaytay. Naturally, there was a lot of food… and I ended up stuffing my face, especially with sweets and other junk food.
Here are a few photos…
Now to hit the gym.
island cove
Despite the heavy traffic on a Monday morn, Lan and I headed over to Island Cove to do a small feature on the resort. Neither of us had been to the 36 hectare attraction, so we had no idea what to expect. Little did we know, we were in for quite a surprise.
To be honest, I figured Island Cove to be a typical small resort with a pool and a few hotel rooms. Of course, nothing could have been further from the truth… and here’s some proof:
[click image for a larger view]
[click image for a larger view]
[click image for a larger view]
[click image for a larger view]Within the 36 hectare resort, Island Cove offers various amenities and activities for the whole family. At the Oceania Water Park, there’s a huge pool with a giant slide for the water lovers, as well as kiddie pool cum play area complete with water fountains and “jungle gym”. For the sporty types, there’s a gym, a bowling alley, a tennis court, as well as a basketball court. For the cerebral individuals, you can check out the life sized chess set for a quick game. The entire family can enjoy some animal fun in the Butterfly Gardens, the Reptile Zoo, feed the crocs in the Crocodile farm or check out some of the simians in the Monkey Island. There are also various wildlife in the Animal island such as Bengal Tigers, Ostrich, Cassowary and much more. And for those of you that want to get up close and personal with the fauna, you can also check out petting zoo.
If you get hungry, you have your choice of some Pinoy food at the Fishing Village (where you can also go fishing while waiting for your fare), some international rations over at Sangley Point or continental food over at the Hotel Café.
Of course, for those of you that choose to unwind, there is also a spa within the resort that offers various services and treatments for your pampering needs.
And, if you find yourself still raring to go in the evenings, Island Cove offers a few attractions and entertainment facilities for your evening activities such as the Island Sing videoke so you can belt out few tunes and the F Deck Bar for a quick nightcap or an all night drinking binge (with a live band for entertainment).
We only had a few hours to tour the area, but the spots that we visited were already more than enough to overload our visual palates and memory capacity. So until our next visit, this will have to do.
If you want to find out their rates, their special promo packages or simply get more info, check out the Island Cove website.
And don’t forget to keep checking Yehey! for Karla’s in depth article on the resort.
Special thanks to our hosts Lea Remulla-Mate and Cong. Gilbert Remulla for showing us around and answering all our queries.
the tides boracay
One week after our trip to Boracay for our coverage of The Tides, here are a few articles and specials that we churned up for the hotel.
- 1. A
- courtesy of yours truly
- 2. A
- by
- 3. A
recant of a Boracay first timer
- by Karla Henson
- 4. A
- of The Tides — both food and hotel
If you are an establishment that wishes to be featured, similar to what we did, simply contact me via email or email our department and we’ll get back to you.
boracay bagyo
Last week, a few Yehey! employees and myself took a business trip to Boracay to cover The Tides. Yes, it was for work. But everyone that hops over to the paradise island of pleasure knows that there is always time to squeeze in a few hours of fun — grab a Jonas shake, munch on a few longga burgers, bask in the sun, and check out the sights of Boracay.
But as luck would have it, the sun refused to shine and the clouds were aplenty. And of course, with the clouds, came the rain. Three days of it. What is commonly believed to be one of the hottest spots in our fair country turned out to be a drenched and soggy island of unlucky travelers.
[cooped in our room, avoiding the rain]I try to find consolation by reminding myself that it was, in fact, a business trip. But even that got spoiled by the rain, as I wasn’t able to take many photos of our residence, due to the constant precipitation. Still, we made do with what we were given.
Being that we had a Boracay first timer with us on our trip, we decided to show her around the island and get her acquainted with some of the “usual suspects”. We had our shakes at Jonas, we had our longga burgers along the shore and we would have had a few Jam Jars by the beach, if Cocamangas was still standing… We also took her around D’Mall and various spots within the island, as weather permitted.
Of course, we also did what we came to do — interview some people from The Tides, sample some of their food, and of course, try out their comfy quarters (which we spent a lot of time confined in, because of the rain). But that is a a different story… which should be coming out within the next few days in the pages of Yehey.
All in all, it still was a pleasant trip. After all, anytime you can get away from the office is still a special treat. And I was able to take a few snaps during our stay, albeit limited.
Special thanks to the wonderful staff at The Tides for graciously accepting us as their guests, especially General Manager Pete Gonzales, Admin Manager Norman Tamayo and Food and Beverage Manager Natasha Ricafort.
batanes… not the movie
Batanes has always been one of my “must see” destinations. But after two years or so of dreaming and planning, I never found the time to book a flight to the northernmost island of the Philippines. So when Brownie aka Julia invited me to her hometown to attend her wedding, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. Not only was I going to witness the marriage of one of my oldest (not by age) friends, but also get to discover one of the most beautiful and picturesque islands in the Philippines.
So on Labor Day, I set out for Batanes. Armed with my aging DSLR, my Lomo and my Holga, as well as a few rolls of film, I excitedly left Manila for a new adventure.
The flight didn’t take long. It was approximately an hour and fifteen minutes from the domestic airport to the Batanes landing strip. And thanks to Brownie’s perfect planning, our hotel (Shanedel’s) had provided a shuttle for our group to our residence for the next few days. So after settling in and taking a short nap, Kan and I headed out to discover the Basco, the capital of Batanes, as well as the largest and most populated town of the islands. The town seemed devoid of people, when we were navigating the streets… but we later discovered there was a feast in another town, thus the shortage of people loitering the streets.
After grabbing a bite to eat, we decided to head up to the lighthouse on the hill, to check out the view and “watch the sunset”. It was a good 20 minute hike from the plaza, but it was the best sunset I ever saw. But instead of narrating the rest of our day’s exploits, let me illustrate them via my gallery.
Day two offered a full set of activities. We all woke up at 5:30 to get ready for the Batan Island tour. We drove through…or I should say around the island, literally, stopping at several locations and points of interest. Along the way, we visited Lola Florestina Estrella, resident of the oldest standing (131 years and counting) Ivatan stone house; the Honesty Coffee Shop where visitors drop their money for purchases made in a makeshift piggy bank, as no one else is there to collect your money; the rocky shores of Valuga Beach, strewn with large volcanic rocks spewed from a volcano; and numerous other sites.
Day three was the wedding day. So instead of exploring the island a bit more, we decided to rest and get ready for the celebration ahead. At about 3:00, all dressed in our formal gear, we braved the afternoon sun and headed over to the picturesque chapel on the hill, built by the Abad family, to attend Julia and Andrew’s union.
The chapel was beautiful, the ceremony was laced with comedic bits but solemn, nonetheless, smiles were abundant, and the music provided by Noel Cabangon set the perfect mood for a wedding. Even the local residents couldn’t help but flock to the ceremony to witness the first grand occasion on the island… and biggest thing to happen since Dawn Zulueta and Richard Gomez filmed “Hihintayin Kita sa Langit”.
After the lovely ceremony, we all hoofed it to the Abad residence for cocktails, followed by the dinner and party at the Fundacion Pacita.
Day four — our last real day for any exploration. Naturally, we all wanted to make the most of our trip, so once again, we got up at the crack of dawn to make our way to Ivana and catch a boat to Sabtang Island. The ride was a bit unnerving, as the waves were huge and our engine was smoking all the way, but once we got our feet on land, we soon discovered that the queasiness was all worth it.
We first headed over to Savidug, to check out some Ivatan houses in the area and quickly made our way to Chavayan for more sightseeing. But along the way, we just had to stop for some photo ops along the gorgeous coastlines and striking scenery.
In Chavayan, I had the lucky opportunity to take a few snaps of the locals, including a very shy lola in her vakkul, the local headgear. And after a bit more investigation, we all headed to one of the local beaches for a short dip and some lobster lunch. The water was pretty cold, and unfortunately, it started to rain. But all in all, the experience was still all worth it.
Fearful of the rain (and its effect on the already ginormous waves), we all decided to head back to the port and back to Ivana. After another short nap, we headed over to the Abad residence (again) for our last night of fine food, wine and partying.
Once again, Noel Cabangon (as well as a few other guests) provided the musical stylings for the evening, with intermittent comedy adlib by Jimmy Javier and Sen. Noynoy Aquino.
As the evening wore on… and we stuffed our faces with food and drink, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad that when I woke the next day, I would be leaving such an island paradise. But with another swig from my beer bottle, I told myself to enjoy the moment and bask in the fact that I could always return to Batanes!
- Batanes has a population of about 15,000-16,000
- only the islands of Batan, Itbayan and Sabtang are inhabited by people
- Batanes is the northernmost and smallest province of the Philippines
- Batanes is composed of ten islands
- the islands are surrounded by the South China Sea and the Pacific ocean
- Batanes has a crime rate of 0%
- there is a delicious pizzeria on the island! Check out Casa Napoli along Abad st.
- bring cash! no establishments accept credit / debit card payments
- there is an ATM. but according to residents, it is usually offline
- be prepared to stay an extra few days, if you decide to visit during the rainy season
- flights to and from Batanes are limited
a few shout outs:
thanks, brownie for inviting me to YOUR beautiful island ^_^
thank you tito butch and tita dina for your gracious hospitality, and unending generosity
thank you to the basco lighthouse and special tree stump for the perfect location >_<
subic weekend
despite my previous post on the horror of staying at the subic international hotel, the weekend was still pretty fun. i was able to hit the beach, relax and spend some time with kan and her family.
and while hanging out at the beach, there was this pretty cool band, kawangis ng tribo churning out some funky tunes with their ethnic instruments.
