• Beach Bum Pagudpod, it will wash away your stress.
• See the windmills for yourself and be amazed! The Marcoses really did a great job at this one. 
• Go for a more-than-a-roller-coaster ride in Paoay Sand dunes and test your sense of adventure! If you're brave enough, try sand surfing too!
• Visit the Marcos Museum, you might be able to find that little piece of history that you are looking for. PS: I love Marcos' penmanship.
• Be mesmerized by Paoay Church's grandeur. This is my favorite church in the Philippines. I remember going here when I was a kid, and not taking my eyes off for minutes because it really looks good.
• Eat Vigan Empanada and Okoy! You won't regret it!
• Bagnet and Longanisa is also a must try....or must buy in great sums. 
• Go up  to the lighthouse to see Ilocos in a distance. And feel the Spanish vibes once you're inside the building. *chills*
•  Patapat Bridge is a must visit. Especially if you are vain like me. This one has one of the best Photo Opt. 
• Old Quirino bridge from a far is like some place not in the Philippines. 
• Tabaco in Vigan is cheap!
• Chichacorn is the best pasalubong ever. I like Garlic flavored Chichacorn!

En route Manila, we also visited La union and surf for a day. San Juan beaches are really a good surfing spot, they also have great surf instructors!

• Surf even if it is your first time, they have surf instructors around.
• Surfing for an hour would cost 200 pesos, and an hour of surf instructor also cost 200.
• Bring waterproof camera for great shots.
• hit the gym before going here, I got insecure of their flat  tummies. huhu.
• Sebay serves good food! I totally rooted their grilled squid and fresh Buko Juice.   

So that's how we ended up our roadtrip. We headed back to Manila after a fun day of  surfing. The whole North Luzon roadtrip including the Pasalubong that I bought costed me around 7000 pesos.  

Mga etiketa: adventure, beach, guide, Ilocos, La Union, Pagudpod, Philippines, Surfing, travel, travel guide, Vigan

As our flights to Butuan have been cancelled due to bad weather and the fact that Surigao is flooded at that time, we have decided to just go  on a roadtrip to the Northern part of the Philippines. Our first destination was Baguio, the city of Pine trees, strawberries and  veggies.

We departed Manila at around 12 midnight and arrived in Baguio by 5 in the morning. he rumors were true, it is indeed cold in Baguio. The temperature at night hit 7 degrees Celsius. Imagine the horror! To think that the clothes that I had with me were beach clothes, not winter clothes! Anyway, we strolled around Baguio for 2 days. Going to all the familiar places like Mines View, Good Shepherd, Camp John Hay, Lourdes Grotto, Wright Park, The Mansion, etc. Here are some photos of the places we have been to.










We basically strolled around Baguio to buy pasalubong and eat.

• 50's Diner serves big food but not tasty so I recommend you find a better resto to eat. I heard Oh my gulay and Cafe by the ruins really rock their foods!

• Paintball in Camp John Hay is a must! They have great terrain.

• Another must-try is the Mango in the streets of Baguio. 

• It is refreshing to visit Lourdes Grotto early in the morning  since there are few people and the place is not that loud, you'll feel the solemnity of your walk.

• Strawberry Taho is also best in the morning.

• Buy the dirty ice cream in Burnham Park, they taste like premium strawberry Ice creams.

• For pasalubong, it is cheaper  to buy jams and snowballs in Good Shepherd with the assurance of good-tasting food. Plus, you get to help send kids to school with every iitem you purchase.

• I highly advise for you to look at the ukay ukay stalls in Baguio. You'll find great stuff at the cheapest price! Especially boots and jackets. <3

Mga etiketa: adventure, Baguio, guide, Philippines, travel, travel guide

We were really stressed out and tired last friday  due to our work schedule. Jhong and I were on a graveyard shift while Nico double shifted from morning of Friday until Saturday morning.
It was one hell of a tiring week for the three of us so by dawn, we decided to breakaway  from work and go somewhere far. It was already 1AM of Saturday when we finally settled to Anawangin.
I stopped working at around 6AM, slept for an hour and then went to Cubao to meet up with my two travel buddies. It was around 8AM when I arrived and they were already there. We started buying goods at Savemore for our baon.
At  9:30, our bus went off to  San Antonio, Zambales. When we got off the bus, there were already tricycles offering a ride to Pundaquit, the barangay where the port to Anawangin is located. Before we hopped in, we bought meat and hotdogs and all the other stuff that we’ll be needing for our camping trip.
The boat ride was more or less 30 minutes, and mind you, even at the boat, you’ll  get to enjoy Zambales already. That ride was very scenic.

We set up our tents the moment we arrived. And here’s my “OMG I OWN A TENT. THIS IS MY FIRST TENT. I SET UP A TENT. - MOMENT”


Then we enjoyed the sunset by the beach. I love how we just chilled by the beach, doing nothing but having fun.




And the obligatory jump shot.

Then we cooked our dinner. Lol wait, I cooked our dinner.

And just chilled there until midnight. By the beach. With our bonfire. Some booze. Music.and ourselves.

It was 2 in the morning when we stopped swimming and decided to sleep. By 6AM, we went out of our tents and started hiking.

This is my first hiking experience and I never thought that climbing a mountain would be so hard. I ended up being so tired and amazed at the peak.

Here’s the panoramic view of the peak. Really breathtaking.

We waited for the sunrise but unfortunately,it was too cloudy. We decided to descend after almost an hour of chilling there. Then I cooked our breakfast.


After that, we decided to sleep for another hour and then swim till our boat man arrives. By1:30PM, we were back at the port where we bathe and headed off to Subic.
And just chilled some more in Subic till Dinner.


At 11M, we were in Cubao already and then went separate ways to rest. Now that was an awesome weekend.

How to get here:
In Cubao, ride a bus going  to Iba Zambales. Buy a ticket only to San Antonio, Zambales which is 3-4 hours away from Manila depending on the traffic. Victory Liner bus price is 296 Php. There are already tricycles waiting in San Antonio Public Market which can take you to Pundaquit, the barangay where the port to Anawangin is located. They ask 30 pesos per person. In Pundaquit, you can rent a boat going to Anawangin, 1000php back and forth. As for us, since we were only three pax and this trip was really an impulsive one, we asked the boatman if they could give us a package that would cost 700Php per person. That includes the boat, charcoal, bonfire, entrance fess, kitchen ware, tent, water, etc. Almost everything that we needed on the island. :)

Mga etiketa: anawangin, anawangin cove, beach, island, island hopping, travel, travel guide, zambales

Located in the Northern part of Bicol is a paradise that is slowly being known in the country. If you're a beach bum, or you just want to have a peace of mind, Calaguas is the place to be. It has been said that Calaguas out ranked the fine sands of Boracay, and the clear waters of Coron.

Calaguas is a 2-3 hour boat ride (depending on the  wind) from Vinzons Port in Camarines Norte. The travel time would surely be worth it once you have a glimpse of the sparkling water and fine sand which stretch the whole island.
What  I like about this place is that it is still not commercialized, so I really found my happy place in here. Unlike Boracay, this island is a virgin! I could go on for days just bumming around the beach to think about things and just go away the city living. Here you could soul search, chill, or have fun with your friends.

So here are my travel buddies, enjoying the photo opt on our boat.


If you want to breakaway from stress and get away from the busy city living,this island is the best option. Here you could be one with nature, or bond with your friends in the most hilarious way possible. Lucky us, we have the whole island for ourselves.







This place is officially my favorite beach as of the moment. :) And hey Calaguas, we left but we're definitely going back!


How to get here:
From Manila, ride a bus in Pasay/Cubao going to Daet, Camarines Norte. Fare is approximately 500-800 pesos for air conditioned buses depending on the bus line.
Then ride a jeepney going to Vinsonz  (10-15php) and rent a tricycle to take you to Vinsonz Port (30Php would be enough).
Rent a boat which will take you to the island. For our trip, we rented a boat which is good for 6-8 pax for 3000Php. Contact Persons: Kuya Danny - 09294323187 Kuya Richard - 09468634444 

You can opt to use public boat going to the island, but make sure to be at the port on time since from what I've heard, there is only a specific time of the day where they transport people from the port to there.


Travel Tips:

1) Bring your own tent / make sure that you have a contact  on where you could rent a tent. It would really be troublesome to look for a tent on the island. Make sure that before boarding the boat, you already have one. Locals offer their tent for around 200-400 pesos, depending on your haggling skills.

2) Please do bring mosquito repellant lotion. This is a camping trip so it's a must!

3) Make sure that you have enough food. Again, this isn't a commercialized island. We roamed around the island and found only 2 stores, the price is really expensive and I bet  you don't want to stay on the island eating canned goods.

4) Bring lots of water.

5) Make sure you have a lamp / flashlight. There is no electricity on the island yet. A flashlight would come handy at night.

6) The boatmen are friendly, they could cook for you, bring ice, charcoal, firewood and even build you a bonfire. What we did was we tagged them along on our inuman nights, and we really had fun hearing their stories!

7) If you're having this trip, please completely forget about city living!

8) Have fun! :)

Mga etiketa: adventure, beach, bicol, calaguas, camarines norte, guide, island, paradise, travel

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