Sidetrip: Subic Roadtrip

My cousins and I went to a fun Subic roadtrip last September.
Left Bulacan around 3 in the morning to witness the sunrise, unfortunately, it was raining when we reached Zambales. Had breakfast(I cooked!) facing the bay and tried out the Canopy Ride at Subic Treetop Adventure. I learned that I can't do the free fall jump because of my scoliosis, and worse, as per the staff, I may not be allowed to skydive and bungee jump in the future(but I'm seeking second opinion!).
We continued the journey to Olongapo where we stayed at the beach, had a sumptuous feast of grilled pork, chicken, squid and some shrimps for lunch. Lazed on the shore in the breezy afternoon, before we had to go.
Traveled back to Bulacan, but had a quick stop at NLEX to enjoy some Razon's Halo-halo.
Celebrating a great day for us, albeit unfortunate scenarios encountered.
Until the next getaway, gang!

A Backpacker's Trip to Ilocandia

I spent my Holy Week this year crossing out one of my 2012 must-visit destinations, Ilocos.

Making good use of the 5 day long weekend, my sister, aunt and cousin joined me in this 3 days & 4 nights adventure up north. With Google material in handy, I organized an itinerary for us that would cover the best of sightseeing in Ilocandia.

Day 1 - Pagudpud (Ilocos Norte)

From Manila, we traveled 12 hours(7pm-7am) to the seaside area of Pagudpud. We checked in at Madrid Beach Resort (located in Saud beach) had breakfast in Emohruo Restaurant and off we go to a Tricycle Tour. In the morning, we visited the Southern parts of Pagudpud - Boreajador lighthouse, Kapulupuran Rock Formation and the spectacular Bangui Windmills. In the afternoon, we headed to the northern part and were in awe at the sight of Patapat Viaduct. Next stops were the white sand Maira-Ira beach & Blue Lagoon(where we also had our late lunch), Bantay Abot Cave, and we hiked to Kabigan Falls. Back at the resort, my aunt and I swam for a bit until sunset, had grilled stuff and halo-halo for dinner, and henna tattoos before bed time.

Day 2 - Laoag (Ilocos Norte)

After some beach lovin' and breakfast, we left Pagudpud and traveled for 2 hours via bus to the capital, Laoag City. We checked in at Isabel Suites around noon, freshen up a bit and had lunch at the nearby Jollibee. Then off we went to an afternoon tricycle tour of our Laoag must-sees - Malacanang of the North, the stunning Paoay Church, Marcos Mausoleum and the Paoay Sand Dunes. Around 5pm, we were dropped off in front of the Sunken Bell Tower of Laoag. We walked around and took pictures at the Laoag Cathedral, Plaza and Capitol. While my sister and cousin rested at the hotel, my aunt and I watched the Good Friday procession. In the evening, our group met up, walked and found the popular and jampacked Cafe Saramsam, where we had Ilocano dishers for dinner. We tried the Saramsam Pasta and Pinakbet Pizza. Walking back to the hotel, we dropped by the capitol to take more pictures, stopped by Ilocos Stop(ala Mini Stop), got ourselves some ice cream, then it was time to rest.

Day 3 - Vigan (Ilocos Sur)

On out third and last day, we left Laoag shortly after breakfast and rode a bus that would take us to Vigan. After a couple of hours and tricycle rides later, we were at the cobble-stone steps of Calle Crisologo and Heritage Village, the top destination in Vigan. With our heavy backpacks, we walked around the place, visited the Cathedral and Burgos Plaza and had lunch at McDonald's. Afterwardsm we went on another tricycle tour that took us to the Bell Tower of Vigan, Jar making area, Hidden Garden and Baluarte zoo. We dropped by the local market to grab some Chichacorn, and were back by 4pm at Calle Crisologo and had yummy Vigan empanada and okoy at Insiang's. Then, we headed off for some souvenir shopping and met up with my other cousins who were also in Vigan at the time. We had some delicious barbecue at Plaza Burgos before our group bid goodbye. Early evening, we were at Partas Terminal where we bought more pasalubong(Bibingka and pudding) c/o Marcia's Delicacies, before we rode the 6:45pm bus that would take us back to Manila. After 8 hours of travel, we were dropped off at an NLEX gas station and we are back in Bulacan by 4am.

Traveling to Ilocos is exhausting but I'm glad I did it, at least once in my life. There are so much places to see, food to try and activities to explore in Ilocandia. I'm proud to cross-out this destination off my bucket list, and more so because I paid for this trip myself. Yessss!

DIY Binondo FoodTrip

Except for the usual Siomai and Chowking fare(and my all-time favorite Hanpao Noodle Feast, which restaurant closed down), I am not fond of Chinese cuisine. Whenever my family dine out, I am very vocal of my dislike of Chinese restaurants. Sure, I eat the stuff but not the happy and excited feeling when having pasta, ice cream, pizza. You know?

It's quite ironic to write Binondo as one of my go-to places in my planner. Maybe it's my mechanism telling me "Ayen, give Chinese food a try."

I've been there when I was younger and have passed the area so many times before, but I read enough blog entries and raves to look forward to going back there for a "food adventure".

Yesterday, I persistently convince my boyfriend to go there with me for merienda.

We went, and without plans, ended up at random eateries to fill up our stomachs.

Highlights:

1. Quick Stop - siomai is so-so, black gulaman is sweet and yummy and the Fried Lumpia is the best tasting lumpia I had. Rarely do I see Ado eat vegetables, well, he enjoyed the lumpia.

2. Dong Bei - I read somewhere that they serve the best dumplings in Binondo. Not fond of dumplings, but they sure are delicious. The pork and chives variants are good, Ado liked them. But again, not for me to repeat. By the way, I liked the canned tea they served, which tasted like gulaman.

3. Random grocery store - Bought Korean ice cream sandwich. I'm obsessed with ice cream, divine.

4. Eng Bee Tin and Holland Store - We dropped by these places to check out hopia, tikoy (fish shaped ones are cute but I never eat tikoy), delicacies and other edible stuff. I saw Ian Dy of Old Manila Walks at Holland Hopia Store with his tour group. I initially thought of joining his tour but Ado disagreed saying we have limited budget. True but I still want to join someday.

5. Singabore Fish balls - Tried the curry fish balls which lost my appetite. Ado had lobster and squid balls which were good, according to him.

Our Binondo food trip was nice, but honestly, these foods are not for me. It was a memorable experience though and I learned the importance of research the next time I go for a food adventure.