sarreh naman

Sarreh naman, antagal kong di nasundan ang Palawan series ko that it overlapped na with my Bohol trip.  Hohoho.  So naturally, I can't start my Bohol series without ending the Palawan series yet.  Promise I will finish the latter this month!

In the mean time, a teaser muna of Bohol.  Here let me share with you some crazy Bohol stuff.

akalain mong nahanapan nila ng meaning yun?! :)

how they wish. haha!

anybody interested? :p

Stay tuned. :)

Scratching off one of my 2012 goals,

Puerto Princesa Trip - City Tour

warning: photo-heavy post

After checking in and resting in for a while, we headed out to have our Puerto Princesa City Tour.

As I mentioned on my intro, the package we got only included one tour - that is the Honda Bay Island Hopping.  Not Underground River Tour.  Not City tour.

But since we'll be doing the Island Hopping on the 2nd day, I figured we should have an activity on the first.  Para sulit ang stay.  I considered visiting the Underground River, because as they say, you cannot go to Puerto Princesa without going to the Underground River, blahblah.  But unfortunately, the time will not permit us.  Whole day dapat iyon, as in madaling araw ang start because it's far away from the city (2 hour drive).  So we opted to take the City Tour instead, less jam packed pa ang aming stay.  Babalik na lang kami ulit para sa Underground River naman (promise ni V yan, haha)

Anyhooooo… we I decided that we DIY our city tour, less expensive kasi  #gustongjowakoyan.  The hotel's city tour package rates at 600 php per person, 1200 php for the both of us, ong mohol do bo?  So what we did was we rented a tricycle instead (with Manong driver as our tour guide) and agreed to pay 700 pesos only.  But, sa ka-isdaan ko, 800 ang naibayad namen.  Pakker.  Good thing, kuya is very friendly and supportive sa aming pagtotour.  He always volunteers to take pictures of us, haha.  I guess bawi na rin #tryingtomakejusticeoutofkaisdaan

Here are the places we visited that day :)

Plaza Cuartel (Garden / Underground Tunnels)

Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral

Crocodile Farm

Kaloka yung ibang maliliit na crocs dito, tumatalon sa tub gustong kumawala!!!

Tingnan niyo yan! Tingnan niyo yan!

rawr.

When I saw this poster, hindi ako naattract :( Naawa ako.  I'm not a vegetarian, I eat meat.  Pero wala lang, the picture of the crocodile selling itself saying "I come in sausage, tocino, tapa, etc" parang nakakaawa lang.  Haha. #emotera

The view from Mitra's Ranch.

Sorry I'm not posting pictures of us (with faces).  Huhu, ayaw ni jowabels.  I really don't understand why >.<  Pagbigyan na lang.  (nasa fb page ko naman lahat itu, haha)

Anyways, moving on…

Baker's Hill

Baker's Hill is the home of baked goodies in Puerto Princesa.  Yes, they are good!  We bought their famous hopia  (which comes in ube and mongo flavor which also comes in pork oil and vegetable oil) and some other delicacies as pasalubong.  The mini-park inside is so cute.  Filled with Filipino made sculptures of Disney cartoon characters and since it was December, Santa was there too.

All the birds here are not real, they are hand-made! Nice! :)

The dinosaurs are hand-made, too *malamang*

A friend told me that we HAVE to try Baker's Hill's halo-halo.  Good thing we were there meryenda time, tomguts na talaga kami kaya sakto itey.  At first glance, the Razon's halo-halo and theirs look alike.  Haha.  The taste is almost the same too, except that MAS MASARAP ITOOOO.  Haha!  V even joked about going back there on our 3rd day (kung may time pa), he loved it too.  When we come back for the Underground River, we will definitely eat here again.  One large halo-halo costs 95 pesos (if i remember it right), sooper sulit.

After that, we headed to the Butterfly Garden.  The butterflies were almost scarce that you might as well call this place the "garden", hehe.  Anyways.  We spotted some (thankfully):

Di gumagalaw.  Feeling ko fake to, anlaki niya sa totoong buhay eh. Haha

Other pictures were blurred na because they're flying everywhere.

We also visited Binuatan Creations.

The people here are pros!  Super fast the hands, it's as if they don't have to think of what arm or leg to move next , it was like pure instinct.  Kalerkey.

Naki-experience ako, but no can do.  Lugi negosyo sakin.  Hahaha!

They have a store here, too, where they sell these carefully handwoven materials as wallets, trays, notebook covers, bags, etc.  Nice!

We intended to head straight to Baywalk, but we were already dead tired.  So we went back to the hotel first to get some rest and went to Baywalk at dinner time.

Merry Christmas Palawan!

Puerto Princesa's baywalk is very much similar to Manila's.  Except that there, food chains / carinderias are allowed.  Hmpf.  I miss the lively Manila Bay.  #sanaibalikna

We had our dinner on one of the food stands there *street style, yeah* and headed home after a verrrryyyyy long yet fun-filled day.  Sooper sulit this city tour. ^_^

Watch out for the next entry for this series : Puerto Princesa Trip - The Food

Puerto Princesa Trip - A&A Plaza Hotel

Before anything else, I would just like to say that although the flights (back and forth) were delayed, I'm glad we were booked to AirPhil Express (although the voucher said Zest Air).  Our first flight was really smooth, contradicting to the comparisons I've heard between AirPhil and CebuPac.  Well, I haven't tried CebuPac yet, but my experience in AirPhil was good enough for me.  Basta hindi ako na-trauma, okay na ko dun.  Bow.

The voucher also said that we will be staying in Kookaburra Lodge.  But by some sort of luck, the e-travel docket said that we were reserved to stay in A&A Plaza Hotel.  Luck, because I've honestly never heard of Kookaburra Lodge before.  On the other hand, I have a friend who's been to A&A Plaza Hotel and I heard no negative feedback about the place from her.  So mas bet ko na ito.

Upon landing, I was worried about what sign board I'm going to look for.  Will I look for the hotel's welcome signboard?  Or should I look for Ensemble?  Haha!  Good thing, I immediately saw A&A's.  I actually didn't expect them to be our sundo, I was just going to ask if they are -- or if not, maybe they knew how the freak we're going to get there.  Haha!  But honestly, I was not expecting any special treatments since what we availed was for a promotional price only.  But to my delight, aba, my name was on the list! Haha! *ako na ang di mapaghangad*  We were directed by the driver to a van on which we waited for other A&A customers.  Three couples kameng sinundo pala.  Ang cute, lahat pala kami nag-avail nung deal.  Haha! *oo, nakita kong may hawak silang printed travel docket*

Sharing time : Our flight was scheduled early morning, so I had worries if they will allow early check in.  If not, will they let us leave our things while we roam around the city, will our things be safe?  If yes, will they charge us additional fees?  Thanks sweetness, the travel agent whom I was exchanging e-mails with texted me the night before our flight.  It impressed me because he also sent reminders ekek and told that I could text him before or during the tour if I have questions.  So I asked him about the early check in trouble I am having.  Aba'y kamukat-mukat mo, hindi na nagreply?!  Very sweet.  Grr.

Buti na lang, libre ang early check in (as long as your room is already available).  Swerte namen ni V because out of the three couples na sinundo, yung room lang namin ang available na agad.  Waiting pa sila.  Hehe.

Presenting… A&A Plaza Hotel.

Reception

Lobby

Our room:

To sum up my experience in this hotel : The location is perfect.  A few minute drive from almost everything - airport, restaurants, kapitolyo, palengke, etc.  Customer Service is great.  The staff are always smiling and the receptionists are accomodating.  They also have a scheduled room service every morning where they will offer to clean your room and replace the sheets and towels if you would want to.  The room is neat, but we can hear the neighboring room's sounds with clarity, haha.  Maybe the walls are too thin and not sound proof, I hope they can improve on that.  WiFi signal is perfect even inside the room, which I liked.  The food served during breakfast is okay, nothing special.  Good thing is that it's served buffet style, at andami nilang choices ha.. bawi na sila dun.

I'll rate this hotel 4 out of 5.  Minus one lang kasi naturn off ako sa naririnig nameng sounds from the other room.  Hehehe. :)

Next up:

Puerto Princesa Trip - City Tour ^_^

Puerto Princesa Trip - Introduction

Last December 2011, le boyf and I went to Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.  That was our first airplane ride and I'm so kilig we did it together, haha!  It has always been my dream to go there and thank Heavens, our trip went on smoothly despite the bad weather last month.  Imagine, I planned the trip to be on December so we could let pass the "tag-ulan" season, and there the rain was, it just wasn't over ruining the country, wala na syang pinipiling buwan ngayon. :( 

Days before our scheduled departure, rain was pouring hard over Manila (irregularly) that it made me pray hard na sana tumigil sya pag aalis na kami.  Which it did.  :)  But there was some ambon the morning of December 8, just after we boarded the plane. 

Buti ambon lang.

Nung nasa taas na, okay na :)

Pero nung pagbaba, maambon ulit :(

The trip was arranged by Ensemble E-Travel Agency after we purchased the package on Metrodeal for 9900 php only (airfare and transfers, 3D/2N accomodation w/ breakfast, island hopping included.)  Swak na no?  Super mura!  Plus, the communication with the agency, although not constant, was in all fairness straight to the point. 

After purchasing the voucher, I sent an e-mail (July) to them asking how the process of booking and reservation will go.  They replied asking our top four dates, the names of the passengers, contact numbers and addresses.  After giving the needed info to them, they replied back telling me that they'll get back to me two months before the preferred schedule(s).  So I waited.  On September, they sent a mail giving another set of dates for me to choose from, okay lang naman because the dates they gave are close to our preferred scheds and those were the dates when there are airline promos (fair enough).  So we chose to go on December 8, a Thursday so we could go back Saturday.  After having the dates confirmed, they immediately sent our travel itinerary.  However, the setup was still not clear to me because they only sent the itineraries. What about the accomodation and tours?  Are we going to be the one to reserve that?  Or is it automatically understood that we're already reserved?  I asked them this and after so many follow ups and around 3 weeks before the flight, they sent our E-Travel Docket via e-mail.  It serves as our official travel document which we will present whenever we make business transaction with our airlines and hotel/tour partner.

So relieved na ko.  Whew.

This is really is it, I thought :p  I printed two copies of the travel docket, the e-itinerary from AirPhil Express' link which they also gave, and the e-mail exchange of me and the agent (you know, just in case, haha).  Then we were just waiting for the day to come. ^_^

For the first time in my blogging histroy, I will share with you guys our Puerto Princesa experience.  Hihi.  So please watch out for my next posts ^_^

Puerto Princesa Trip - A&A Plaza Hotel

Puerto Princesa Trip - City Tour

Puerto Princesa Trip - The Food

Puerto Princesa Trip - Honda Bay Island Hopping

Puerto Princesa Trip - Summary of Expenses

a blogger again,

Maude

In roughly 10 hours from now, my dear friend Maude will be leaving the Philippines to continue her career in Singapore. :(  Although I know that we will be seeing each other again soon (hopefully in June) and although SG, as they say, is "malapit lang naman", knowing that we are not going to be in the same country anymore makes us really sad.  It doesn't even lessen the sadness knowing that we're still gonna be within the same time zone.  Technology might help, but it is not enough replacement for my friend.  We will miss you truly, babes. :(

Yesterday was our "last" dinner date with Em.  Nothing extraordinary because it was a work day, we just watched a movie after dinner and then we split ways.  But during dinner, we were enumerating the changes that might happen once Maude goes out of the country.  Sino na mag aayos ng UBE?  Magkikita-kita pa ba tayo? *because you see, she's almost always the "initiator" of girl's nights out* Wala nang pag-ssleep-over-an. :( And so on and so forth.  Funny, because although we all are aware of the drastic changes that will (or might) happen once she's gone (well, not really gone, ha? haha), we still wouldn't really know the difference until we're really there.  Why are you doing this to us, babes?  Haha :p

But I admire her.. Of course, I have always had.  I know this is really hard for her, especially knowing how emotional she is when thinking about the people she'll leave behind. But because this is also for the best, she set the drama queen in her aside and grabbed the opportunity that might not knock again if she lets go.  You made the right move, babes.  With that, balato sa kikitain mo.. ha? :p

Since our motto is "Once an ISDA, always an ISDA", of course babes, nandito lang kami palagi.  We are one e-mail away, one facebook comment/status/message away, one tweet away, one BBM away (kung jojoin ka sa club, haha) orrrr one Viber away if you decide to go Apple, haha!  We were successful in keeping in touch always with April, kahit nung dati ay Friendster pa lang ang uso.  What more pa today na andami nang means, may mobile internet pa! ;)  You'll always be in our thoughts.  Like Ep was always in ours, alam mo yan.

I know you'll miss your jowa the most, maybe more than us, haha! But that's understandable.  Keep your faith in each other always.  You have beaten the joint-account-jinx, you sure as hell will kick the long-distance-relationship-jinx's ass.  Haha!  Imaginin mo na lang textmates lang kayo ulit, hahaha.  Dinner na pow. ;)

And Haley?  Huhuhu, mamimiss din namin sya. :(  Of course, we'll have less opportunities seeing her, too.  So if you'll miss her, isipin mo na lang, di ka nag-iisa.  We feel your pain. :(

Umiiyak ka na ba?  Ikr?  Hahaha!

Anyways.. Since I have no parting gift for you, eto na lang.  My love letter.  Hihi.  I love you babes.  You always take care.  Keep in touch and see you in June. ;)

Lovingly yours,

2012

please be good to me :)

I remember when I was still a student, the "new year" for me starts in June; and it has been my tradition to list down my wishes every beginning of the school year. My wishes, then, are almost always the same -- new shoes, new bag, new clothes, more money, etcetera etcetera.  In short, material things only.  Haha, I was that shallow.

Now that I'm older, (yes, at some point we have to admit that) I see the "new year" on a different and, might I say, a more beautiful angle.  Well, not in a sense that I see myself "changing" over the /non-existent/ new year's resolutions, but it somehow gives me new and refreshed meaning for life.  Especially this 2012.  

This year (and I am proud to say it) will be my first time to list down my grown up wish/goal list. I sure hope that this is not yet the end of the world, else it will be really too late for this.  Haha!  This time I am not focusing on my shallow side, I swear, and please help me wish me luck, I want to scratch all of these come 2013 ;)

In 2012, I will:

• TRAVEL. TRAVEL. TRAVEL.  

Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. so throw off the bowlines. sail away from safe harbor. catch the trade winds in your sails. explore. dream. discover.  -- Mark Twain

• I guess I have always loved travelling but I never gave it a serious look until I earned my own money.  Now that I have a constant cash flow (ganun talaga tawag? haha), I think I have the right na to dream about it.  Since I was a kid, I always thought that I'd travel the Philippines first before thinking of going out, because our country is so damn beautiful, I think everybody should do this too.  BUT!!! Thinking about it now, I realized that if I will really do that, aba! Eh anong petsa pa ko makakalabas ng ibang bansa?! Andaming isla ng Pilipinas! Wahaha!  Ssssoooo.. I minimized muna my dream to at least travel to one of the tourist spots in Visayas and Mindanao, and then I can maybe hop to anywhere else in Asia :)  I'd also love to go to Batanes, it is my ultimate dream.  Lord, let the money flow harder please? ;)
• Have a bookshelf.
• With lots of books, of course.  I want to read more this year, and dammit, why is "Hunger Games" always sold out? :(  I want to read it before the movie airs in March, please. :(
• Blog more.
• Yes, I will.  I'm so sorry for the 2-month-absentism, blame Tetris on Facebook  Blame my new found peer group at the office.  Blame my boyfriend.  Haha!  I actually thought of creating a new blog site, but changed my mind, because I'm getting numbers in Top Blogs!!! Haha! That's so sweet but so unfair because why is it blank when I'm active and now this, when I'm not?! What's up with you people? Hahaha.  But seriously, still I'm thankful for passers-by and for the followers (specifically my friends) who almost always "expects" me to have a new blog post.  I have TONS of backlogs, I know.  I will try my best to attend to them, haha!  But for sure, I will blog more this year.  Swear.
• I also will tweak this thing a little.  I know I said I will post my "rules" here but it's getting harder for me to stay consistent, haha.  So, this blog will be more personal now.  I will still post new "rules", but not as often (if it is) as before.  But hey, it's still me.  It is, after all, my way or the highway, haha! :p  Notice I changed the layout, too.  Wala lang.  Will change it again if I feel like it, hahaha.
• Continue scrapbooking.
• Oh diba, andami kong time? Haha!  I forgot what year it was when I started the supposed scrapbook of me and my jowa's story and adventures, 2009 pa ata iyon.  The materials and all the pages that was successfully completed are still well kept, but that was it.  Haha!  I hope to at least make it a "book" na.  Please, Lord. T_T
• Save more.
• Yes, I will!  I was successful on my target to save 20% of my income for the whole of 2011.  I will challenge myself to kick it up a notch and aim for 30%.  I hope none of my gadgets get lost/damaged this year.  Not buying a new one will really help. God. :(
• Be promoted to SSE.
• Kapal muks!  Hahahaha!  But like what I said to one of my team mates (during my pagmamayabang moments),  I deserved it last September, I will deserve it again :p  Hahahaha!
• Live in a new house.
• Hopefully, this year we will be able to live in the new unit Ate Lala bought.  Ayoko na dito sa Tenement.  Ako na lang natitira sa mga friends ko ditey, hahaha!
• Learn more dishes to cook!
• When we get to live in our new house, that will be equaling to a new and improved kitchen.  I hope that will be enough for me to be more interested in cooking, hahaha!
• *this is a wish for me and my boyfie*  We will have less (to zero) petty breakups.
• We love each other so much that even though we fight like there's no tomorrow, we're still together and, for Chrissakes. we're turning four this year, so I hope this is achievable.  Please?  Haha!

That's it muna.  I will add some more when I think of new goals.  I will post this list in my side bar so that I'll always be reminded, hahaha!

Help me God! 

Oh, and happy new year to all of you! :)

Talk to you soon,