Boracay in February: Strangely familiar

My 4th Boracay trip was a mixture of strangely familiar deeds. Nonetheless, action-packed.

Jony's - Station 1

 

Spic-and-Span:
We were craving for Jonah’s fruit shakes but were too lazy to find its new location. Thus, the desperate decision to try Jony’s fruit shakes. The fruit shakes weren’t bad but not as tasty as that of Jonah’s. While this restaurant boasts of its fruit shakes and mexican meals, surprisingly, it’s just way too average for my taste buds.

*Jonah’s now has 2 locations. One at the beach front near Obama at Station 1 and the other one is by the road near Kalibo Cable.

L-R: mango banana, watermelon & mango shakes. The watermelon shake was indeed refreshing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

nachos were a bit oily

beef shreds in a burrito was original

the chicken shreds in the quesadilla was way too chunky for me

the bami pancit was oily and too orange-y

Intrigued by the flaming crepe, we tried out Ti-Braz. I’m not into bananas so I failed to see the flaming crepe. Instead, I ordered Mango Amour and it turned out be the usual crepe. To my dismay, it was over-priced which cost me P215.00

Ti-Braz Boracay - Station 2

Ti-Braz Mango Amour crepe

Among our new pursuits, the Hydro or Aqua Zorb experience was really memorable — really had fun! It was indeed another way to get wet in Boracay! Here’s a sneak peek….

these brave kids were the first ones to try it

struggling to get out of the zorb ball

Yet another new discovery was the cocktail drinks to-go of Loco Frio. I’ve gone loco with this spiked frozen drink which led me to 2 refills in 1 day… an excuse to have a glimpse of Mark Nelson who co-owns it. Too bad… I didn’t see him.

*Near Obama Station 1

the first in the Philippines according to the bar tender... looking forward to see our group picture in its Facebook page... hehe!

mudslide spiked with Kahlua + Bailey's is a must-try

I always book my hotel accommodation near Station 1 to avoid the crowd and loud sounds of Station 2 & 3. The stroll to Station 3 was a surprise to me. It isn’t as crowded as I thought it would be… way much peaceful than Station 2. I also saw a couple of high-end resorts such as Boracay Sands Hotel and the widely-known La Carmela de Boracay of Boy So [as Boy Abunda usually plugs].

Boracay Tourist Center

My last dinner at the island was Bite Club‘s giant chicken burger. Quite pricey for its taste at P135. Good thing, I didn’t pay for it.

Bite Club Grilled Chicken Burgerella; D' Mall

Manana Mexican Cuisine - Station 1; near Starbucks

The Conventional:

With our hotel [Mito's Place] right beside Manana, we won’t miss a quick bite at this Mexican diner. We feasted on the usual Mexican staples such as tacos and quesadillas…leaving us blushed with its assortment of hot chili and fully satisfied [also really full of gas ] with its ample serving of onions and beans!

I never liked riding tricycles but Boracay’s 10-seater tricycles are so much fun!

my friend in her not-so-fancy coach ride

Our discovery of Hawaiian Bar-B-Que‘s hefty and tasty pork ribs last year made it to this year’s food agenda. Just the same, we had it served at Beach Bum Bar while having cuba libre [buy 1 take 1] and enjoying the fire dance show.

Beach Bum Bar + Hawaiian Bar-B-Que - Station 1

Hawaiian Bar-B-Que's Pork Ribs is way much better and worth it than Gasthof's

Hawaiian Bar-B-Que's Pineapple Chicken Fried Rice is a meal itself! Yum!

Hawaiian Bar-B-Que's Mango Chicken

Hawaiian Bar-B-Que's Chori Burger

Speaking of fire dance, I’d say Boracay’s Phoenix Fire Dancers is one of the best in the island. One of its dancers really made me laugh when he/she suddenly blurted “Sir, Ma’am… pengeng pera!” [asking for tips]. Just the same, will try to post the videos soon…

asking for tips with a big smile

if I'm not mistaken he's Freddie... nice Sparta abs

After dinner, we had another round of drinks. And again, we went back to try Bamboo Lounge‘s mangojito. Such a quiet place to enjoy your drink and laze by the beach.

this mangojito will give you a real kick!

My Boracay trip would be incomplete without having a quick snack of chori burger and spicy hotdog charcoal grilled to perfection.

Seafood anyone? D’ Talipapa offers day’s catch of seafood where you can have it cooked by nearby paluto restaurants. Cooking charges starts from P75-150 per dish.

yellow-finned tuna

huge parrot fish

another alternative pasalubong, dried fish and squid

baked scallops

Galeria Kulay offers unique Boracay souvenirs from accessories, sarong, paintings and wood carvings

Not sure though whether Big Mouth is famous in Boracay but as I understand it is known for its halo-halo. I haven’t tried it but I ordered [again] its pancakes and tried out their ube [purple yam] shake. Yummy and affordable!

There are still a lot of food, places, activities yet to be experienced. Thus, I’ll be booking my 5th trip by next year. Suggestions anyone?

 

3rd visit to Bohol – day 3

My 3rd and 4th day in Panglao, Bohol is all about animals. From mammals to insects and of course, the island’s diverse marine life.

Can you guess each and every’s scientific name?

blue crab – Callinectes sapidus

sea slug – Oxynoe viridis

sea slug – Oxynoe viridis

sea urchin – Echinoidea

sea urchin – Echinoidea

bubbly quick sand

spider – Arachne

starfish – Protoreaster nodosus

starfish – Asteroidea

blue crab – Callinectes sapidus

spider – Arachne

sea urchin – Echinoidea

blenny – Blenidae

dog-faced pufferfish – Arothron nigropunctatus

blenny – Blenidae

starfish – Asteroidea

starfish – Asteroidea

starfish – Asteroidea

sea urchin – Echinoidea

sea slug – Oxynoe viridis

starfish – Asteroidea

To be continued…

 

Baguio in January: It Kissed My Blues Away [part 2]

After a hefty lunch at Jay-J’s Chicken Inasal, we headed off to Tam-Awan Village.

Tam-Awan Village, Baguio City

Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect from this village except for Igorot people and houses. Though I was warned that we’ll go hiking, that really got me excited — a way to burn those calories.

Cordillera Hut

Alang – Rice Granary Hut

Dukligan - Fertility Hut

But to my dismay, the hike was really foolish. It rained that morning, thus, my eyes were focused on the trail so I wouldn’t slip in the mud [with dog poop on the side]. I was worried about caterpillars and creepy crawlers. With all these, I didn’t get to appreciate the Igorot houses & the silly dreamcatcher at the top of the village.

There were around 10 of us with a two-year-old kid. Apparently, she appears to be the only one who enjoyed that dangerous hike. I wish I had her naivety.

And she blurted, "That was fun!"

As we descend the hill, we came upon a souvenir shop and a gallery of paintings and artwork. I didn’t get to take pictures since most of which are for sale… The only interesting thing piece that looks cool to me though was this fertility chair… c”,)

I had an even huge appetite after sitting on this fertility chair... but totally not impregnated by the gods.

Too graphic, huh? A not-so-comfortable comfort room. c",)

One of my favorite shots

Don't you dare touch the ....

This cat is cooperating with me... c",)

To be continued…

 

An Early “Trip or Treat” with the Dead

Myth of the Human Body

My friend & I started the day with a visit to the dead. It is indeed an exhibition of plastinized body parts in a gallery at Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. Ideal for students, to the naive and nerds like me, what’s interesting about the Myth of the Human Body are the assortment of human organs with lung cancer, enlarged heart, and among others. Make sure you have taken your meal early on before your visit. Entrance fee is at Php350 per head.

Next stop, Libingan ng mga Bayani. Since we were nearby, about 500 meters. from the Exhibition, we dropped by this creepy cemetery of unsung and famous heroes [including past government officials].

Libingan ng mga Bayani

This quiet place is disturbed by passing airplanes as it is just a few kilometers away from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport [NAIA]. The graves with passing thru aircrafts made my photo shoot seem more poetic and symbolic.

the cross over...

Afterwards, we dropped by the cemetery of the elite at the Heritage Park which is right across the road. It’s quite a boring place since there were only few graves. But it is an ideal place for families and friends to hang out, have picnic or even fly a kite with its expanse green field.

Heritage Park

And there goes my early “trip and treat” with the dead in celebration of Halloween & All Soul’s Day.

Heritage Park

Libingan ng mga Bayani

Myth of the Human Body

the cross over…

 

I’m sorry I broke your arm… err… claw

Dumaluan Beach Resort in Panglao, Bohol - Philippines

The idea of bringing home a wet swimsuit came in while having breakfast by the beach. I can’t resist it… I need to take a dip and savor the white sand beach of Panglao 5 hours before my flight back to Manila.

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