Adventures at Boracay

Day 2
Nov 9, 2012
Boracay

We spent our 2nd day at Boracay with a few adventures. First stop was Parasailing, one thing I wanted to do for so long but did not since I knew it to be quite expensive (2,000 PHP) for a 10-minute ride. I was surprised to find out it was actually cheaper - only 700 PHP per person. While the view of Boracay from top was really good - I finally realized just how long the beach really was - the ride was unfortunately a bit uncomfortable. I felt that the vest was too tight - I felt like throwing up during the whole time (and an hour after) I was up there.

For lunch, we went to the nearby wet market to buy some seafood then asked  one of the many restaurants to cook them for us. Too bad nobody wanted to buy the expensive lobsters so we settled for the shrimps which were cooked to perfection.

After lunch, a few of us tried the zorb ride. I was disappointed at first to see that the drop would not be that steep and that the pathway was too short. Nevertheless, the ride was actually enjoyable even if it ended quickly.

Later that night, we ate dinner at Hawaiian Bar-B-Que, one of the best restaurants in Boracay, though I am biased as I love everything with pineapple or ripe mango. I ordered sun-ripened mango chicken BBQ and mango crumble for dessert.  As an added bonus, there was a fire dance performance nearby which was really impressive, and judging by the number of people who requested their pictures taken with them, the show was a success.

sun-ripened mango chicken BBQ

mango crumble

fire dancers

After dinner, we tried the night life at Boracay. We went to Epic Bar for a few drinks and a game of truth and consequence because no one seemed to like to hit the dance floor.

8 hours to Boracay

Day 1
Nov 8, 2012
Boracay

After 7 years, I finally was able to go back to Boracay. My friend and former teammate Lara (and her boyfriend Wes) went back to the Philippines after almost 2 years in the US and a few of us - Marianne, Susanne, Migs, Milton, Jay, Reg, and myself - decided to join her vacation in Boracay.

Our Zest Air flight was supposed to leave at 12:10 PM but we were only able to board the aircraft at 3:45 PM. And to make the matter worse that it already was, it took another hour before the  plane took off. It was already 8 PM when we checked-in at La Carmela de Boracay resort hotel at station 2.

La Carmela de Boracay

standard room at La Carmela de Boracay

It took us the whole day to get to Boracay but we were not about to call it a night. After dinner at Andok's, we decided to head to station 1 for a taste of the renowned Jonah's shakes so we can tick it off our list of the top 10 things to do in Boracay. If we knew how far Jonah's in station 1 was from our hotel, we probably would have thought twice - I have never imagined the stretch of Boracay was that long. But the shakes were good (a bit too sweet actually) so I guess it was worth the 30-minute walk.

the gang at Andok's

Jonah's

the sweetest mango shake @ Jonah's

Coron Island Ultimate Tour

Day 2
Oct 20, 2012
Coron

We booked the Coron Island Ultimate Tour from the Calamianes Expeditions Ecotours, an organization that supports communities and environments thru sustainable tourism. It was nice to be able to support its cause just by booking one of its many tours.

With 6 other tourists in the boat (total of 12 in the boat), the tour first brought us to CYC island where everyone enjoyed the crystal clear water of the beach.

CYC Island

We then headed to Twin Peaks Reef and Coral Garden to snorkel. The underwater scenery was amazing with all the colorful fish and beautiful corals. 

It was around noon time when we reached Isla Bulungan. It was here where we ate our lunch which was included in the tour package. We were served grilled pork chops, grilled fish, seaweeds, and bananas.

 

Isla Bulungan

View from Isla Bulungan

We then went to see Kayangan Lake, which was judged to be the cleanest lake in the country. It was on the quick trek going to the lake where we got to see the most photographed view in Coron.

On the way to the lake...

a quick stop for the most photographed view in Coron

Kayangan Lake

Our last stop was at the part-warm and part-cold water of hidden lagoon.

It was just past 4 PM when the tour completed. We decided to head back to the hotel to freshen up, but only after eating halo-halo at Tita Esh eatery.  For dinner, we went to Kawayanan Grill for some seafood.

It was a very brief vacation, 1.5 day to be exact, and it felt like we only had a preview of Coron. I will definitely be back here to take the Sangat WWII Shipwreck tour (sounds exciting!) as well as Mangrove kayaking and nature trekking package.

Estimated expenses:
3496 PHP - round trip air fare
1800 PHP - accommodation(1800 PHP per room good for 2)
  300 PHP - airport transfer
  250 PHP - day tour
  150 PHP - Maniquit Hot Spring
  650 PHP - Island tour
1000 PHP - Food
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7646 PHP

Around Coron town

Day 1

Oct 19, 2012
Coron

Finally, after so many years of hearing people raved about Coron, I, with some of my long-time friends - Andy, Ching, Jezzer, Lee, and Melissa -  got to see and experience this little town at the north of Palawan.

We arrived at Busuanga at past 1 PM and headed directly to Islands View Inn where we would stay for 2 nights. Our hotel room had all the standard amenities but it was the nice hotel staff that  made the place highly recommendable.

After a quick lunch, we started the city tour. We were able to book the tour for only 250 PHP per head, cheaper than the other tour packages we have seen ( though it did not include yet the 150 PHP entrace fee to the hot spring, it was still cheaper). Our first stop was at the baywalk,which was surprisingly quiet and empty except for a few health-conscious kids doing sit-ups. There was a zipline at the bay area, but as I was with the least adventurous group of friends, we opted for the dirty ice cream.

Then, after a quick stopover at a souvenir shop, we climbed the 729 steps to Tapyas Hill Viewdeck for the best view of the sunset.

We then went to Maniquit Hot Spring which was about 30 minutes away from the town proper. Here, surrounded by mangrove trees and floating bamboo cottages, we relaxed for about an hour in the 40 degree (more or less) hot water which apparently came from a volcano located underground (!?!). This was exactly what we needed after the workout at Mt. Tapyas.

For dinner, we ate at Lolo Nonoy's food station where the food was good and really cheap. We ordered 5 pinoy dishes plus drinks and dessert and we only paid 1200 PHP for all 6 of us.

Rain Shower at Potipot Island

Day 1

May 12, 2012
Potipot Island, Zambales

For my last 2012 summer trip, I and a few of my officemates went to Potipot Island at Zambales. The place was a perfect weekend getaway - it was only 5+ hours away from Manila (we took the 12 am trip coming from Monumento station). It has crystal blue water, off-white powdery sand and lots of trees to provide shade. What's even better was that the island is pretty big that even if there were a lot of people, the place never felt crowded. Only if it did not rain hard in the middle of the afternoon, it would have been a perfect vacation. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the few sunny hours playing frisbee, learning soccer, and (endlessly) grilling the (fattest) chopped pork and hotdogs we brought for lunch (note to self: just bring bacon next time).

Grace, Kesh, Yong, Joey, and Jovie enjoying the sand, sea, and sun

Estimated expenses:

900 PHP - round trip bus fare (Caloocan to San Antonio)
800 PHP - overnight accommodation at Dawal resort (2400 PHP per room)

100 PHP - Entrance fee

 70 PHP - round trip boat fare (400 PHP for 6 people)

500 PHP - Food/Water/Grocery

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2,370 PHP