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Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe, Taipei

I apologize that it took me 2 months to continue with my "throwback" 2012 Taipei trip. I actually got the chance to visit this country again last September, but before I share all the tourist-y stuff we did, here's another famous themed restaurant in Taipei - the Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe!

None of us (me and my cousins) are Hello Kitty fans, but we just had to visit the girliest and "pinkest" cafe we've ever seen! And of course, there's Hello Kitty everywhere! We came in before lunch, but the place was packed, so we were asked to come back after more than an hour! 

We went back for late lunch feeling really famished, so we tried not to convert the prices and ordered what we want. They also required a minimum spending of 300+NTD per person. We got to try their Hello Kitty appetizers down to their Hello Kitty desserts!

Just like our Modern Toilet Restaurant experience.. food was good, but nothing really special in taste considering the cost. But, it was still worth the visit because of the nice ambiance (I can live in their bathroom!) and girly touch they put in every meal. :)

They also have an open-kitchen where you can see how they prepare their Hello Kitty desserts. 

Everywhere we go, everyone is just so nice in Taipei! Super friendly Hello Kitty staff! :)

Again, we are not Hello Kitty fans, but we took so much photos in this cute place! :)

  Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe

No. 90, Section 1, Da'an Rd, Daan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 

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Modern Toilet Restaurant, Taipei

When we booked our Taipei trip, I didn’t really know much about the country except for the Modern Toilet Restaurant, which I learned from a travel show feature. Hehe. But hey, this was years before I managed a travel company! ;) 

This toilet-themed resto was number 1 in our itinerary! True to its name, this popular food chain is themed after TOILETS (and poop)! Without the smell. :)

I felt a funny feeling in my tummy upon seeing nothing but real toilets, some bathtubs, poop-shaped hanging lights and decorations around me. It was a mixed feeling of wanting to barf and finding them cute. It also felt weird sitting on a toilet while finding something to eat from the menu, which was was also filled with words and pictures of toilet and poop! 

When I had to go to the loo, I got a bit confused for a second on where to sit, ‘coz I didn’t expect that they can also turn a toilet into a sink! Even though it had a faucet, part of me was wondering if I was washing my hands in the right place. Hehehe. Wish I took a photo! 

UPDATE SEPT. 2014: Had the chance to visit this place again! Hello, toilet sink! 

Let me break this with cute wall decor before posting about their food. :) 

Check out my toilet dish and soup poop bowl! 

Their food is actually good, but nothing special. It’s like paying extra to eat on mini toilets and have poop (and more toilets) in sight while dining. But don’t worry, they serve normal-looking dishes too. :)

.. except for the urinal-shaped glass w/ yummy milk tea..

..and poop-shaped sundae. :)

Can’t believe how much I’ve used the words TOILET and POOP in one post! The food and service may not be too impressive, but it was a unique and fun dining experience in Taipei! :)

Modern Toilet Restaurant Ximending Store, No.7, Lane 50, Sining S. Rd., Wanhua District, Taipei City, Telephone: [phone]

http://www.moderntoilet.com.tw/en/

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Hello, Taipei!

A couple of years ago, my cousins and I wanted to take advantage of CebuPac’s Seat Sale and go on a budget trip, that we impulsively booked round-trip tickets to Taipei since it was the cheapest fare we can find! We didn’t expect much from this trip (Taiwan wasn't that popular to tourists that time), but it ended up to being one of our best trips ever! :) 

We stayed in a nice and cozy inn called A Simple Place, located in Ximending. We arrived at an ungodly hour on a Sunday, so we weren’t able to change money in the airport. We slept for a couple of hours and left the inn early to have our money changed.. only to find out that this can only be done in banks and there were zero non-bank money changers in the city. And it was a Sunday. We went back to the inn feeling down and helpless. When the owner, Naomi learned about this, without thinking twice, she offered to lend us cash w/o interest whatsoever! She and her husband made us feel at home, helped us with our itinerary and even gave us a box of yummy pineapple cake bars before we left! 

Ximending is known as Taiwan’s mecca for the youth. It is the most popular shopping and entertainment area in Taipei. Our inn was just a few blocks away from the famous Ximending Night Market, so we were lucky to be able to eat, shop and hangout anytime we want. Most shops are open until midnight, so we usually drop by the night market after a day of doing touristy stuff. They say that Ximending is like Japan’s Harajuku and Shibuya combined. 

So many cute stuff and novelty items in the shops!

We enjoyed walking around the streets of Taipei. Felt so safe and the cool weather made our long walks bearable. So many street food that looked so clean and yummy so always had something to munch while going around. 

We also had Milk Tea everyday! I think I had one per meal! Compared to Manila, theses drinks are cheaper in Taipei! I miss their authentic Milk Tea! 

We fell in love not only with the food (and cute stuff), but most specially.. the locals! Despite the language barrier, each and every person we approached was very friendly! They also have good sense of humor! One thing I noticed during our train rides, locals don’t push or let out that angry tone or face when they want to walk ahead of us (we tend to walk in a slow pace after a long day). They’re very polite!

This guy is from the food stall w/ never-ending lines in Shihlin Market. Of course, we had to see what the commotion was about. People were going gaga over HOT STAR FRIED CHICKEN! It's basically a large deep-fried breaded chicken topped with seasoning powder. 

So we joined the bandwagon and the looooong line! This giant chicken was actually good! 

I’ll be sharing places to go and food to eat (like the famous Modern Toilet Restaurant) in my next posts! 

You may also contact MY TRAVELPOD for Taiwan Packages. :)

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Embracing the Korean Culture

Thanks to Nami Island, Mt. Seorak, Everland, and all the other places we visited, people we met and food we ate during our 5-day Korea trip, I am officially in love with the “Land of the Morning Calm”. :) 

I’ve been blessed to travel to different countries and usually have DIY itineraries, but having an arranged tour and a very passionate tour guide made this trip a memorable one. Aside from the convenience of having everything arranged for us (accommodation in different places, full-board meals, land transfers, etc.),  this trip wasn’t just about having photos taken at tourists spots, but most importantly, learning about the rich culture of Korea. 

We witnessed the Royal Guard Changing in the Gyeongbokgung Palace, a great way to experience a traditional Korean ceremony. 

Our tour guide told us about the Dodamsambong Peaks- 3 rocks rising out from the Namhang River. They believe that these rocks represent the typical love triangle of ancient Korea. Middle: Husband, Left: Mistress, Right: Wife. According to the legend, the peaks show an angry wife (who can’t bear a son) turning away from her husband who has taken a concubine just to secure a male heir. 

One of the highlights of our tour was our visit to Yeoju Village where we got to wear the Hanbok, Korea’s traditional costume and…

 .. experience Kimchi-Making (more of wrapping). It was the most delicious Kimchi I’ve tried!

Just like a typical Korean, Kimchi was part of our every meal! Our tour guide made sure we got to try Korean’s favorite meals! Chicken “Babecue” , Grilled Pork, Grilled Fish and Beef Bulgogi!

We also experienced a very traditional meal where we sat on cushions on the floor and enjoyed a round of Soju, the most popular alcoholic drink in Korea. :) 

And oh, during our ferry cruise in Chungju Lake, there was a group of Senior Koreans on board with us. They started singing and dancing (there was a videoke in the ferry), and asked some guys from our group to dance with them. According to our tour guide, Korean women prefer to have holidays away from their husbands to avoid stress. They just won’t stop dancing! I think they were a bit tipsy too! Sweet of them to give our group popcorn. :)

Can’t wait to go back to Korea! I plan to see more of Seoul in my next visit (and find all the cute stuff they sell on eBay) and hopefully get to see Jeju Island as well! Maybe another travel group would be fun! Who wants to join? ;) 

www.mytravelpodph.com 

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Korea Tour Part 3: Tulip Festival in Everland

Everland Resort is known as "Korea's Disneyland", a theme park which consists of zones with different concepts and attractions. We were fortunate to visit just in time for the annual Tulip Festival! 

Tulips were scattered all over the park!

And when we got to the Garden Zone, we were like in Tulip Heaven!

Most of the people in our group were senior citizens (but definitely young at heart), so we didn't get to explore the rides/ attractions part of the park that much. But we did enjoy our cable car ride, which also spared us from long walks. :)

We visited Everland on a weekend, and as expected, it was packed with locals and tourists. If we didn't have an arranged tour and a very resourceful tour guide, we'd all be exhausted from all the lines - Everland shuttle to/from parking lot, park entrance, restaurant, cable car, etc!

Everland is known for it's exciting festivals where people gather to witness performances and parades.

We also got the chance to get close to bears, lions and tigers and oh, a lion-tiger in the Zootopia!

Even though we only experienced Everland for a while, we all enjoyed the scenic views, beautiful Tulips and of course, the Cherry Blossoms!

Everland is located in a suburb away from the city, so having an arranged transportation (and a tour guide who shared so many interesting things about Korea and her life) made our trip really fun and hassle-free! Our tour also included meal vouchers that can be used in most restaurants around the park.

(http://www.everland.com/)

Korea Tour Part 1: Nami Island

Korea Tour Part 2: Snow at Springtime in Mt. Seorak

Feel free to contact MY TRAVELPOD for private or seat-in-coach Everland Tours! :)

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Korea Tour Part 2: Snow at Springtime in Mt. Seorak!

I shared how blessed we felt to have experienced the early bloom of Cherry Blossoms during MY TRAVELPOD's first Korea Group Tour a couple of months ago. Let me share with you another sweet surprise during our trip - SNOW during SPRINGTIME! Imagine, Cherry Blossoms + Snow! It's not everyday that you get to experience this! Even our tour guide was amazed with the weather during our Mt. Seorak Tour.

Seoraksan or Mt. Seorak is the 3rd highest mountain in South Korea. It is known to be one of the most famous National Parks in Korea because of its rock formations, lush forests, trees, greenery, rare plants and beautiful flowers. 

To get a bird's eye view of the mountain, it's best to ride the Seorak Cable Car. This is very popular to tourists and visitors, that people usually stay in line for 2-3 hours specially during weekends and holidays. Good thing our tour guide took care of everything. Lining up and getting on and off the cable car wasn't so bad despite the large number of people during our visit. :) 

Awesome view everywhere! 

After the cable car ride, we walked around to see some of the temples.

I didn't expect that my first snow experience will be during this trip! Most of us packed the usual warm clothing based on the weather forecast. My mom and brother had to buy bonnets and gloves in the site. :)

At least we had someone in the group who was snow-ready. :)

We saw a cute Korean couple having their prenup shoot in the mountain. :)

I am not too adventurous with food, but my brother claims that the Korean Rice Cake in the cafe is really good!

Hope you enjoyed my Mt. Seorak photoblog! Stay tuned for part 3 of our Korea tour! Feel free to contact MY TRAVELPOD for fun Korea Tour Packages! :) 

Link: Korea Tour Part 1 - Nami Island 

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Korea Tour Part 1: Cherry Blossoms + Nami Island

On MY TRAVELPOD's 4th month of operations (April 2014), our travel agency was able to bring a group of 18 to South Korea. B and I were blessed to join the trip and personally take care of the group. God wanted to make our 1st big tour group a blast, that the Cherry Blossoms bloomed earlier than expected, just in time for our trip! 

Our first stop was Nami Island, one of the most visited places in Korea. It took us a a little over an hour's travel from our hotel in Gangnam, Seoul. Nami Island is famous for its beautiful tree lanes and the shooting place of the Koreanovela "Winter Sonata". 

It was nice strolling around and enjoying the beauty of nature and cool weather. I also got to try a super good hot drink - Tiramisu Cappuccino from one of the small coffee shops. :)

Visitors can rent bikes (or join the electric car tour) to go around the island. 

We opted to go around by foot, and despite the long walk, we didn't feel tired because we were too engrossed in appreciating the beauty of the place! Every spot of the island was picture-worthy! 

Our Korea Tour Package was ALL IN already - including all meals for the trip! Our tour guide wanted us to experience Korea's local cuisine. For our first meal, we had Korea's all-time favorite - Chicken "Babecue". It was so good! 

I can't recall the name of the place, but in case you find yourself in Nami Island looking for good food, here's the entrance to the restaurant. :)

Pictures don't do justice in showing the beauty of Nami Island! We'd be happy to arrange a trip for you! Contact MY TRAVELPOD for details. :)

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Workation at Marina Bay Sands

Mid last year, my boss asked me to take her place in a meeting and event in Singapore 2 days before the scheduled flight. I wanted to say no to an impromptu (short) presentation, but had to say yes for the sake of my job and instant travel. :) I’m glad I didn’t back out because I realized that it isn't so bad to travel alone, and I had a great time at Marina Bay Sands! 

I think I was booked in the most basic room, but it was so big for me! I’m not really used to staying in a hotel room alone, but I enjoyed my ME time! 

Now here comes the best part… The famous MBS Infinity Pool!

I wasn’t really planning on swimming in the much coveted Marina Bay Sands Infinity Pool just because I was alone. Good thing I met my new found Pinay friends who work in the hotel. It would have been my biggest regret during the trip if I didn’t get to experience it! 

During my free time, I got to meet up with my good friend Pao, who went shopping with me until the closing of malls in Orchard! Also had the chance to meet Mr. Will Stein, the owner of Philip Stein (watches) during a trade show. :)

Glad I pushed through with this trip! Went back to SG a couple of months after with my (ex) officemates for a more "touristy" trip. Will post about it soon! :)

[ninawanders]

El Nido Flashback (Part 2)

The following day after our El Nido Island Hopping Tour, we were excited to set foot on one of El Nido's best virgin beaches, the Nacpan Beach. We had to pass through a long and bumpy road to reach this secluded hideaway.

But before Nacpan, our driver suggested we pass by the Nagkali-Kalit Waterfalls. It was quite a long hike.. which we weren't really prepared for. 

My friends and I were in a bask-in-the-sun beach mode (and attire), so this hike was really a challenge for us! We had to cross at least 5 rivers!

After an hour, we finally reached the waterfalls and just stayed for a while. At that point, we just couldn't wait to go back and skip the trek!

Fast forward to.. NACPAN BEACH! It's just, WOW. Pristine beach and beautiful sand! It's like an undeveloped Boracay! 

We stayed there for hours, and since it is a non-commercialized area, we had to bring our own snacks. We all had a great time swimming, sunbathing and just appreciating the horizon. And  oh, a good afternoon nap!  The only not so good part about this place are the sand flies. Went home with so many bites, but I don't mind, it was worth it. :) 

Contact MY TRAVELPOD for El Nido Packages. :)

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El Nido Flashback (Part 1)

I remember getting all excited for my El Nido trip while writing about my Puerto Princesa experience a couple of years ago. I attempted to create a post about El Nido, but my internet connection just had to fail upon posting my entry! Hit the back button, but not a trace of my looong post filled with stories and photos. I couldn't recall all the details of my trip now, so let me just share bits and pieces of it. :)

My friends and I got to El Nido after a 6-hour van ride from Puerto Princesa. We stayed in a beachfront accommodation and had a nice swim on our first day. We felt like tourists in a foreign country since most of the guests were Europeans and Americans. We had fun going around El Nido town. So many places to eat, drink and just chill out. 

We experienced the real beauty of El Nido during our island hopping tour. Each island had its own charm, and our tour guide allowed us to explore each of them.

We had to pass through holes and swim our way to (get to) some of the islands. Some parts were quite "challenging", but it was fun and worth it!

We also had to do do some climbing in one of the islands..

.. to reach the top, with this breathtaking view! 

So many beautiful islands in El Nido!

With our friendly bangkero who confirmed Brangelina's Palawan vacation! :)

I love it when we're the only ones in the island!

And of course, my favorite part, lunch by the beach cooked and prepared by our bangkero!

Irene's food shots! 

That's it for our El Nido Island Hopping! Will post about our Nagkalit-Kalit Waterfalls and Nacpan Beach tour in my next entry! :)

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Dumaguete Weekend Getaway

Hello almost neglected Tumblog! A couple of months ago, I promised to post about an amazing experience with my travel buddy, Len. We got the chance to be "weekend warriors" for GMA News TV's reality travel show Weekend Getaway! Everything went so fast, that we just found ourselves packing for a trip to an unknown destination and getting all giddy about an all-expense-paid vacation to be shown on national television!  

We were excited to meet the show's host, Drew Arellano, but unfortunately, he was in Europe that time. But we were fortunate to meet Pinoy Survivors Betong and Maey who made our experience super fun and memorable! They welcomed us in the airport, and after days of guessing where we're going, they finally handed us our tickets to..

Dumaguete! The sequence of activities were kinda different in the episode aired on TV. ;) The first thing we did was travel mission # 1, where we had to play Sapnay Tukag, something like a volleyball game, but with a smaller and harder ball, and crazy challenging rules. We had to win this game otherwise, we will be sent back to Manila! Luckily, we won! :)

We then headed to this restaurant called Gabby's Bistro where they served us overflowing food and drinks! Super good food, nice ambiance and cool decors! A must-try in Dumaguete! 

After treating our tummies, they brought us to Tierra Alta for our 2nd travel mission. We knew that it was a zip line place, so we were confident that we will be able to do the challenge. Little did we know that we had to ride the zip line in an inverted position! Scary at first, but really fun! 

Mission accomplished!

Almost broke-my-back moment! 

We were so happy to have accomplished the first 2 travel missions and continue with our Dumaguete adventure! On our first night, we went to Hayahay (Dumaguete's "gimik" place), and once again, we were served with so much good food!

We then had some fun and played Cocktail Pong. Weekend Warriors vs. Pinoy Survivors! After shooting for the show, we continued playing a couple more rounds. Boys vs. Girls! Ended the night with a couple of rounds of free Tequila! 

Day 2: Woke up really early and headed to Our Lady's Garden in the town of Sibulan. Such a beautiful place with a breathtaking view! 

We had to shoot the 3rd and last travel mission that involved running, finding puzzle pieces and solving the puzzle. Doesn't sound so good for players who stayed up late with a super early call time, and the worst part- hangover. But we motivated ourselves for the 30k worth of prizes and of course, making sure we accomplish the 3 travel missions. Aaaand.. we did it! We won! :)

Now, here are some beautiful spots and activities we did in Dumaguete..

Toured the historic and beautiful Siliman University. Imagined spending my college years in this kind of environment sans the Taft pollution. 

Monkey from the Siliman Zoo. :)

Golf 101 at Angtay Golf & Country Club

Belfry Tower

Reenacted Jose Rizal's "chicks" moment at the Rizal Boulevard. :)

My super wa-poise moment! Rapelling at Antulang Resort 

Antulang's Infinity Pool

At the famous Sans Rival Cafe. Super yummy sansrival and silvanas!!! 

This was such an unforgettable experience for us! We were still Dumaguete-high when we got back to Manila..

Our prize for accomplishing all travel missions: P30,000 worth of items from T3ck Outdoor Shop!!! :) 

WATCH FULL EPISODE:

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The Last Frontier - Puerto Princesa

In the next couple of days, I will be setting foot in El Nido, Palawan! Which reminds me how my friends and I dreamt about visiting the said paradise almost a year ago when we were in Puerto Princesa. It was such a fun and memorable trip not just because of the beautiful place, but most importantly, the experiences and craziness we shared during our vacation. :) 

First stop: Mitra's Ranch was a breath of fresh air. Literally. It was so big, clean, and full of greens! It has a very beautiful view of the famous Honda Bay. It was also the perfect place to do jump shots and windy hair photo ops! ;)

We then headed to Baker's Hill for as usual, more photo ops. We took our sweet time and posed with life size statues like the Looney Tunes characters, pirates, horses, and Marilyn Monroe. :) We also went around to check out their aviary, crocodiles, plants, etc. Tourist mode! 

Our tour also included Iwahig Prison & Penal Farm with over a thousand prisoners roaming around and working in the fields. This colonoy had no major walls or barriers to lock them up! We were able to meet some of of the inmates, who were all so disciplined and nice. And not to mention, very talented and creative with their handmade crafts which they sell to visitors to support their financial needs. :)

Meet my croc friend, Chabelita from The Crocodile Farm! :) Major fear factor! But Chabelita was so nice that we even took solo shots with her. She was just quite heavy and slimy! 

They say that when visiting Puerto Princesa, eating their "delicacy", Tamilok (aka wood worms) and Crocodile dishes is a must! These 2 are the specialities of Kinabuch Bar & Grill.

I think it'll be the first and last Tamilok meal for me. :) The crocodile sisig wasn't that bad.. but still, it's crocodile! It was liking eating poor Chabelita! 

The next day, we had our Honda Bay Tour. My favorite stop was Snake Island! Perfect place to swim, sleep, and eat! 

The whole trip was an ultimate Buhay Baboy experience! Our tour guide prepared so much food for us!

We didn't have to move our feet during snorkelling coz our boatman just pulled us around and brought us wherever we wanted to go. :)

We are all food lovers in the group, so we didn't mind riding the tricycle for more than 20 mins to try the Viet Ville Restaurant. It was worth it! :)

We then went to Itoy's Coffee House to surprise the birthday girl, Irene with cake! We couldn't find any candle, so we improvised with a stick of cigarette. ;)

We also made sure to dine at the super famous, Ka Lui Restaurant. As expected, the place was packed and had to wait before we could go inside. Dozens of people were coming in and out, like it's a major tourist destination. But it was worth the wait! Good food, good ambiance. It was so homey, we didn't mind taking off our shoes and walking barefoot. :)

During one of our stops (somewhere faaaar), we sneaked out and found this beautiful beach! We were the only ones there and we didn't even know where we were. We were so amazed and proud we found that spot! But after a while, we heard our tour guide looking for us, so we came running back to our tour group like little kids who did something silly. ;)

And of course, our trip wouldn't be complete without visiting Puerto Princesa's pride, the Underground River! We had so much fun during the tour because of our witty and "english spokening" (pun intended) Manong Tour Guide! He was so funny but very informative and smart! :) 

Thank you, Puerto Princesa! See you soon, El Nido! :) 

Some photos from Irene & Lea :)

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Congratulations to my 18-year old cousin, Lance Katigbak, who just won the People's Choice Award for his 1st short film "Fine Dining", in the recently held Manhattan International Film Fest in NY! Pls. share this video on your blogs, walls, etc! Such a heartwarming film! :) 

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Hamilo Coast Pico De Loro

One of the perks of living in the South is being able to go on impromptu beach trips! Batangas is just a couple of hours away from us, and we'd usually find ourselves in Nasubgu, since it's the nearest part of Batangas that houses nice resorts. 

I would frequent to the same old beaches in Batangas, but a few months ago, I discovered this haven in Hamilo Coast, Nasugbu - the Pico de Loro Cove. 

I instantly fell in love with the scenery and tranquility of the place. It's the perfect getaway for lazy beach bums who just want to enjoy leisure and nature. 

They have really nice swimming pools! 

I can lay here all day! 

They also have a library!

.. and lots of spots to lounge around! Perfect for barkada/family bonding!

We won't be able to get in without our friend, who’s a member in Pico De Loro. You too can enjoy this resort by renting my friend's place at a very affordable rate! It's a spacious unit with a kitchenette, dining & living area, and a double deck bed. Contact me if interested! :) 

UPDATE (MAY 2015)

You may also contact MY TRAVELPOD for Pico De Loro condo unit rentals or Pico Sands Hotel bookings. :)

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Girl Bonding at Kota Kinabalu

I just got back from a trip to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia with my best friend, her mom and our crazy girl friend (hi lea)! :) Love that our all-girl vacation was all about bonding, relaxing, eating and a bit of pampering and shopping! 

Our first stop was Little Italy, tagged as the “best Italian Restaurant outside of Italy”! Everyone is raving about this place on TripAdvisor so we really searched for this resto! Their dishes and service didn’t fail us! It was worth the search and the bill. :)

There isn’t much to do at night in our area (or in KK in general), which was also nice as we got to stroll around the streets and just enjoyed each others company. We then found the perfect place to hangout. Old Town White Coffee is definitely a good place for good coffee. 

We also did some island-hopping via speedboat, which felt like a roller-coaster ride on water. The boatman drove so fast, as in really fast that we were screaming and holding on to our seats. Don’t worry it was a safe kind of fast that we still got to laugh and enjoy the ride. :) 

The beaches were nice but we didn’t get to swim that much because of the current and jellyfish. :P I think the beaches in the Philippines are way better, but KK beats us in terms of taking care and preserving their natural resources. 

After a long day, we treated ourselves to some tea and foot massage! :)

We also scored 3 pairs of Nine West shoes for RM 200! That's approximately P930+ each! They're all so pretty! I love love my new heels! Such a steal for the price! :)

Special thanks to my best friend for taking care of us. :)

[ninawanders]

Mt. Maculot Peak

2007   

2008

Still sad about losing most of my photos from the death of my external hard drive, but glad I found these 2 from our Mt. Maculot climb a couple of years ago! I’m not really into mountain climbing, so just in case I don’t get to do this again in the future, I’ve got proof that I got to climb a mountain.. twice! Sorry, it’s an accomplishment for a couch potato like me! ;)

Mt. Maculot is a mountain located in Cuenca, Batangas. It is a popular hiking destination, so expect a lot of people especially on weekends. I don’t mind the crowd coz they serve as an excuse for me to slow down. Hehehe. I also love the fact that everyone greets each other! 

I always look forward to “rest stops” as we ascend so I can rest my not-used-to-hiking-feet, and drink buko juice! As we get higher, the price of the buko juice also increases! 

I couldn’t believe I reached the peak, and wow, the breathtaking view of Taal Lake was priceless! Writing this makes me want to climb again! Or not. :)

I was able to rest at the top but my energy level was still low as we descended the mountain. I remember not caring about anything or anyone, that I just decided to slide my way down in some parts. This wasn’t really safe as I got a lot of scratches and never got to use my shorts again. 

This experience was a big challenge for me! Aside from not being physically prepared, I went home with scratches and bites on my legs! I learned from this and didn’t wear shorts the 2nd time around. :) I slept like a log, woke up with an aching body, and took a leave from work the next day. :)

Wish I could do this again when I’m more physically-fit! 

[ninawanders]

ACUATICO RESORT

My family stayed at Acuatico Resort a couple of years ago and was amazed by this chunk of San Juan, Batangas. Unlike nearby resorts, Acuatico is smaller, cozier, and not too crowded. This place is just.. serene. I just lounge by the pool and enjoy the beautiful facade and view of the infinity pool. And oh, the rooms, they're perfect! Love the Balinese style, LCD TV, super comfy and clean sheets!

Everything was perfect and relaxing until a group of (deleted) came. I have nothing against them but then they started shouting and jumping in the pool wearing denim skirts, polos, and suddenly there were high heels beside my flipflops. I didn't let this ruin my tranquil moment, so I just took a dip in the beach. :)

Just ranting sharing. :) Beautiful photos by dad. :)