Lucban Quezon's famous Longaniza and Pancit

Longsilog at Buddy's Restaurant in Lucban

Lucban Longanisa and Pancit Habhab are the famous local food in Lucban, Quezon, that’s why when we visited Lucban in February we did not pass the chance to taste these foods where they originally has been renowned. 

After we paid a visit to the town’s church, St. Labrador Parish we started our quest for where to eat the best and authentic Lucban Longanisa and Pancit Habhab in town.  We had no idea where it could be and we bet that the best person to ask are the locals, which we did.  The first person we asked was a passerby outside the church, the second was a stall vendor and the third was a lady store owner.  They all gave us a similar answer - Buddy’s Restaurant located along the Lucban Highway.

One of the best Halo Halo is in Pagsanjan, Laguna

Aling Taleng's Halo Halo

There’s no doubt that the majority of Filipinos favorite summer cooler is Halo-Halo.  What makes it looks enticing to eat are its colorful combination of different ingredients, such as sweetened fruits and vegetables like red beans, saba banana, sweet potato, jack fruit,  kaong (sugar palm fruit), yam.  With jellies, jams, thinly shaved ice and condensed milk, that even the world renowned chef Anthony Bourdain calls it “oddly beautiful” when he had a first glimpse of it. 

Halo-Halo is easy to prepare that’s why during summer in the Philippines you would often see on every street corner a Halo-Halo seller.  When I was younger, I don’t recall having it in two options, the regular and the special.  And most often Halo-Halo is only available in the neighborhood store or just anybody in the neighborhood who would just set up their own Halo-Halo store in front of their house,  just a table, a manual ice shaver, stock of glasses and spoons and those ingredients contained in a glass jar and that’s it! But because of Halo-Halo’s popularity most Filipino restaurants have it in their menus.   

Summer Outing at a resort in Morong, Bataan

Last Saturday I was able to bring with me my family on our company outing in a beach resort in Morong, Bataan.  Although it was not our first time to go to Morong, Bataan, we’re still excited because we will be exploring a different resort.  Any place we haven’t explored yet always excites us.

I was the one who was tasked in our company to facilitate the outing wherein the time frame was short to be able to scout different resorts.  Booking a resort for a company outing during March is already difficult as most are already fully booked for the whole summer.  With the limited time that I had, I did not think of other location, but Morong Bataan because of its distance, not so crowded beaches, affordability, and availability of the resort to accommodate a big group.

I searched on the internet, first on Google, then on travel sites like Agoda, and Hotel Travel, and then on Facebook. I called up several beach resorts, which have nice reviews, but some were either too expensive or fully booked on our target date, which was either 18th or 25^th of April (Saturday).  The only one I searched on Facebook was the one which seems to fit what we are looking for, and so I booked one room for us and a big pavilion for a one day tour for the whole company at the Juness Beach Resort. 

One day wander in Lucban Quezon

"Kamay ni Hesus"  

After in hiatus for several months on the road I finally had this opportunity again to hit the road last February 21.  It was officially our first road travel this year after I had my C-section operation last December so I have to confine myself at home most of the time to recuperate.  But of course I was not 100% at home because confinement will kill me to death.. ha ha! It would already be a pleasure for me if I go walking the streets around the neighborhood to grasp fresh air, but once in a while I’m still longing for nature, clear skies, and travelling the road.

Green fields view along Rizal hi-way

We planned a day tour out of town which could be easily reached by car where we have not explored yet.  There are many to choose from actually, either North or South.  But we have decided to go to Lucban, Quezon to visit “Kamay ni Hesus Shrine” while the weather is still cold, because in summer it would be too hot and humid as you have to ascend the long stretch of steps to get to the top.  Kamay ni Hesus is a pilgrimage site and mostly visited during Holy Week. 

Baliuag Bulacan procession on Holy Week

Betrayal of Jesus 

     Every Holy week, in the observance of Catholic religious activities in the Philippines, some churches are holding a Lenten procession which starts at 7:00 in the evening of Good Friday from the Church and ends at the Church.   The procession has carriages with statues of Jesus Christ and other biblical icons which depicts the story of Jesus’ crucifixion.  The number of carriages varies in every Church because it depends on its community on how many families or organization has their own and who has enlisted to join the procession. 

Revisiting Nueva Vizcaya my mother's hometown

A blast from the past – Salinas Salt Spring

                After so many years I came back.  I could no longer recall what year when I last visited this humble province where my mother roots are from.  My last recount of this place was when I was still in college, back then when social media and blogging was obscure. The last exploration we had with my parents and siblings was when we climbed the Salinas Salt Spring in Bambang, which was the famous tourist spot of Nueva Vizcaya when it was still alive, it died after the 1990 earthquake.  So regretful  that I have never seen it’s clear salt spring that pours out on top of the white hill.  It was the salt spring that made the hill white.  My mother, who grew up in that province could testify how beautiful this was once before, she said that even from afar the luminous white tip of the hill can be seen, which made it stand out from the rest of its neighboring mountains. 

I am the girl sitting beside a small girl.  This photo was taken sometime in 1990's.

Started 2014 with a visit to a historic site in Manila

Fort Santiago

     I started New year 2014 by visiting one of the historic sites of Manila which is Intramuros.  Together with my family on January 1, 2014 we explored the old Spanish streets and buildings that are mostly closed for the holiday.  We sought for the two oldest churches in San Augustine and Manila Cathedral in the assumptions that they may be open for Catholic patrons to pray and tourists who want to witness the grandiose structure inside but we were sorry that they too were closed, but we couldn’t hide away from admiring the massive structure that are stoned art and heavily carved on its walls and pillars.   So we moved on forward to the nearest tourist destination inside Intramuros which is Fort Santiago.

Camping experience at a resort in Olongapo

  

    For a change we tried camping out with the kids last summer at Ocean View Resort in Olongapo.  This was not the first time for me and my hubby to try this kind of outing experience and in fact this has been our 4^th time but this time together with our three kids.  Although Ocean View Resort has different accommodations like enclosed cottages and hotel rooms for their guests they are allowing campers to settle on the beach, they only collect payment for the entrance fee which is PHP 120.00 for adult and PHP 90.00 for kids beyond 12 years old, and also campers has an option to rent an open cottage which I recommend for your source of electricity.  They have different cottage sizes for small and large group starting from PHP 1,200.00.

Beach resort in Sariaya, Quezon

     Sometimes there are travels which are unplanned which will push through when time and resources connives with what the majority want.  Just like this one long weekend when we went to a beach resort in Sariaya, Quezon, it was an unplanned trip to the beach with the family, it just emanated when one of my daughter simply would like to go for a swim in our clubhouse but her sister want to go out of town on a weekend and suddenly I want to go to the beach.   Finally we ended our conversation in going to a beach resort within a short proximity from Metro Manila.  Our choices were Batangas, Olongapo and Quezon, but the latter won the vote because we haven’t been to any beaches in Quezon.   

Restaurant hopping in Tagaytay our last day itinerary

Time to leave Canyon Woods

    Our check-out time at Canyon Woods should be 12:00 noon but they allowed us to extend until 1:00 p.m. so we maximized our stay in our room, just in time we finished packing our things the bell boy arrived on time and carried our things on the trolley and brought it out and helped us to put it on our car.   We left the hotel happy and at the same time satisfied with the friendly approach and good service of the crews from the receptionist, maintenance and bellboy.  They deserve a commendation for their good customer service.

Dining at Canyon Woods Pavilion with stunning view

  

   I have shown on my other post the room and pool of the hotel in Canyon Woods, and this time I am going to bring you to their Pavilion where we had our brunch.  It is detached from the hotel where it has its own building which can be reached by walking and you have an option if you would want to bring your own vehicle or arrange a vehicle at the reception to bring you there, one of their vehicles are golf carts parked outside the lobby of the hotel.

Dinner in the hut at Mer-Ben's Tapsilogan Tagaytay

Mer-Ben Tapsilogan

     We decided to have dinner outside Canyon Woods after having the kids swim in the pool and also we still want to discover and try out other restaurants in Tagaytay.  Beef is abundant in Tagaytay because most cattle industries are in Batangas that supplied the freshest beef meat in most of the restaurants and markets in the nearby towns, and I guess all restaurants in Tagaytay has Bulalo and Tapa as staple in their menu.   We considered Mer-Ben because we got some positive feedback about their Tapsilog menu.  Tapsilog is a short term for Tap – Tapa, Si- Sinangag (fried rice) and Log – itlog (egg) and when it usually comes with other variants or combinations like Chicsilog (chicken,sinangag,itlog) Longsilog (Longanisa,sinangag,itlog) and Tocilog (Tocino,sinangag,itlog)and among many other fried food which can be combined with fried rice and either scrambled egg or sunny side-up.

RSM Lutong Bahay restaurant in Tagaytay

RSM Lutong Bahay facade

    Our family love to eat and in every place that we visit, we always look out for the best food they have to offer, and Tagaytay is best known to serve the best “Bulalo” so we included in our itinerary to have our lunch in Tagaytay before proceeding to Canyon Woods where we are going to stay for two days. 

Relaxation, pampering and sumptuous food at Wensha Spa Antipolo

Where else can you find an eat all you can grill barbecue after a relaxing massage and indulging in a Jacuzzi?       

         This is a different kind of spa I have experienced in Antipolo, not only they offer a complete body massage where you will be relaxed and pampered but also a sumptuous meal with all-you-can-eat package. The whole package would amount to PHP 780.00 which consists of use of shower, Jacuzzi, steam bath, sauna, either whole body massage or foot spa and as what I have mentioned an eat all you can buffet menu.

Animals in the zoo at Baluarte

Entrance to Baluarte

          For many times I have been to different zoos and have already seen different animals, and what else could be common to see in a zoo are wild animals like tigers, lion, snakes, crocodiles and friendly animals like birds, turtles and giraffe, but what I wanted to see here in Baluarte and I think the difference from other zoos I've been to are the different breeds of miniature horses that are caged in the center of the zoo.   

Burgos Ilocos Norte's Kapurpurawan rock formation

 

Kapurpurawan rock formation

     Another tourist attraction in Ilocos Norte is this extraordinary wonder of nature called Kapurpurawan rock formation. Its name “Kapurpurawan” was derived from an Ilocano word which means whiteness as depicted from its color. 

Pagudpud Casa Victoria Beach Resort

Welcome to Pagudpud!

     When we reached the Arc of Pagudpud our excitement heightened even more because we are already near the beach and this was the most expected part of our trip, especially the kids, they kept on talking about swimming and playing on the beach since the time we left Manila, that every time we go to our destination which was often located near a beach they kept on asking if we were already in Pagudpud.

Electrifying images of Windmills in Bangui Ilocos Norte

Bangui windmills

      I wasn't electrocuted here in these photos which caused my hair to raise like crazy, it was the strong winds that caused my hair to go unruly and fly in every direction which the wind leads them to.  I came near one of those 20 windmills in Bangui, which is 70 meters high that resembles a gigantic electric fan.  They are situated near a shoreline that's why getting near its foot is already a struggle because a mixture of sea splash and wind will hit your skin, that's why even though the sun is already at its peak, you can't feel the heat when you are beside the windmill.

A towering view of Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

         Our last destination in our first day Ilocos itinerary is this old lighthouse in Burgos which is one hour drive from where we came, at Malacanang Palace of the North located in Paoay.    

Grandiose Malacanang Palace of the North

The colossal house of the former President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos in Ilocos Norte

     This has been the second home of the First family of the Philippines during the reign of former Ferdinand Marcos, who was known as an Ilocano, born and raised in Ilocos Norte and reigned as president for twenty years from 1965 until such time that his government has toppled down in 1986 by the new administrator former President Corazon C. Aquino.  When the new government took place, some of the wealth of the Marcoses has been sequestered, which was deemed as an ill gotten wealth and was turned over to the government for administration, and one of which is this grandiose palace as called in Ilocano as "Malacanang ti Amianan", in English it means "Malacanang of the North".