Visayas Traverse: Itinerary

Above is the original itinerary map that we will follow. This post will be about the places that we will visit and the activities that we intend to do there.

Iloilo City: Food Trip

Since Iloilo City is the birthplace of a lot of Filipino comfort food, this day is solely going to be about food.

We will begin our day with a "battle of La Paz Batchoy" for breakfast at the La Paz Public Market where we will be hopping from one Batchoy stall to another. Target Batchoy stalls are Ted's Old Timer, Deco's Original, and Netong's. Afterwards, we will head to Jaro district to munch on biscocho while looking at century-old ancestral houses. Come lunch time, we will head to Molo district to hunt for Chicken Molo Soup, or maybe another batchoy. For merienda, we will head downtown along Calle Real in search of Roberto's Queen Siopao before heading to Fort San Pedro for a sunset watch and a quick break from eating. Lastly, we will go to Oton district, near the sea, for some much-craved Talaba (Oysters) in preparation for the night.

Guimaras Island: Mountain Bike Tour

Guimaras is a mere 15-minute boat ride from Iloilo. Because it is so near, locals don't see it as a separate island but as a normal commute destination. There are a lot who reside in Guimaras and go to Iloilo everyday for school or work. I think that's similar to commuting to Makati everyday, except easier and less a hassle.

Although Guimaras is most famous for its world-class mangoes and virgin beaches, I also read that it is a mountain biker's haven for its scenic roads, hilly slopes, and lush routes . And since October isn't exactly Mango season and I know there are better beaches in Cebu or Bohol, and because I am a non-biker and a scaredy-cat, I decided that we have a biking tour instead of the usual tricycle tour and/or boat tour. The last statement may not make sense but I like challenging myself, as well as believing that I can actually conquer these challenges. I'm sure this one's going to be emotionally exciting and physically demanding. Stocking up on comfort food in Iloilo actually has a purpose.

Sipalay Beach: Sunset Beach

Sipalay is a small seaside town at the south-western tip of Negros Island. There really isn't much going on in this town and very few people know about it. However, those who do and who bother to cross rice paddies and a raging river are said to be rewarded with glorious and spectacular sunsets every dusk.

The sunset from Sugar Beach is that first-prize reward. I'm not a fan of sunsets and I can't see how it's romantic (yet) but I intend to explore that idea during this trip. Moreover, I am on a quest for the perfect, off-the-beaten-path, sunset beach and from what I heard, Sugar Beach should be a potential candidate.

Dumaguete City: Discover Scuba Diving

Dumaguete, where the famed Siliman University resides, is a University town teeming with laid-back college students, cheap student meals, and wide-ranging hang-out spots. Aside from this, it is also a good jump-off point for more adventurous trips either up in the mountain or down in the sea.

That being said, we didn't really have plans of trying out scuba diving here until I saw the diving rates from our hostel. It was P3,800 for 3 dives including all equipment and transportation and although this is way above our daily budget, I couldn't find any better package. Plus, it would include a dive at one of the most beautiful reefs in the Philippines. I rationalized that we could off-set the expense to other days instead of missing the opportunity.

Siquijor Island: Jumps and Fireflies

Siquijor is the infamous Philippine capital of witchcraft and mysticism. Every time I hear about it, there is always a Philippine mythical creature/monster attached such as an aswang or a kapre that I sometimes think the place is mythical itself. Although there is some truth to this -- there really is a gathering of witch doctors and healers deep in the province -- the strong proliferation of such stories also made the island a secret paradise for skeptics and nature lovers.

For starters, the island is encircled by virgin white sand beaches (a becoming standard for Philippine islands). Further inward are lush forests and waterfalls deep enough to jump in. And at night, it lights up with fireflies that would have been chased away by tourists and commercialization.

Bais City: Dolphin Watch

Bais City, located a little bit north of Dumaguete City, has been starting to gain popularity as a destination for dolphin and whale watching. It lies along Tanon Strait which is the natural migration path of whales and dolphins.

Because chartering a boat for just the two of us is both expensive and unexciting, we will make the detour to Bais City hoping we could hitch a ride with a bigger tour group for a dolphin and whale watching tour. If unlucky, we'll just have to try and spot one from the wharf or be content with mangroves and birds.

Moalboal Beach: Beach Party

According to Lonely Planet, when people say "Moalboal", they are actually referring to Panagsama Beach at the edge of Moalboal Municipality. Although its beach has been long gone and blown away by a typhoon, it remains a popular diving jump-off and beach destination, maybe because one can drink before/after a dip.

Because Panagsama Beach isn't exactly beach-bumming material (but it's sister White Beach is), we would go for the beach party scene and take a slight break from being an stingy and actually pay for something we don't need.

Carcar City: Lechon Lunch

The first time we went to Cebu, we were unprepared and ended up with two cold lechon meals, one at a random carinderia and one at an SM Foodcourt. Although these were still far better than a Manila one, it wasn't the lechon experience Adventurebuddy was expecting. It wasn't the Cebu Lechon Legend he heard about and it felt disatsifying.

So this time, I made preparations and did my research. I especially fixed our IT so that we could have lechon lunch at Carcar, where lechon was supposedly invented(?) and where they use a special lechon sauce that would put Mang Tomas to shame.

Malapascua Island: Island Walking Tour

Malapascua Island, located at the northern tip of Cebu Island, is a 4-hour bus ride from the capital. It is usually compared to its neighbor Bantayan Island for its diving spots and pristine beaches.

According to Lonely Planet, the island is small enough to be toured on foot in 3 hours. So aside from beach bumming, we plan to do just that. Public transportation is also not big so a walking tour instead of a tricycle tour might be more worth it.

Kalanggaman Island: Beach Camping

I once read about Kalanggaman Island in PinoyBoyJournals. He described what a struggle it was to get to the island and how all that was totally worth the serenity and solidarity. His pictures and tale simply amazed me and I bookmarked his page even though I had no idea what part of the Philippines he was talking about.

Planning our Visayas Itinerary, I kept reading about a nearby Kalanggaman Island that could be a side trip from Malapascua. I repeatedly ignored this information thinking that a side trip is out of our budget until I realized that THAT was the Kalanggaman Island I was amazed about. Unfortunately, when I revisited his blog, it was temporarily down, no one else retold the story of Kalanggaman Island like he did.

Anyway, Kalanggaman Island is just an island in between the islands of Cebu and Leyte. It has no accommodations nor electricity to offer but instead promises a powdery white-sand beach, two sandbars, perfect sunset and sunrise views, and most of all, an escape to life. We will return to basics and set-up camp beneath the palm trees while watching the waves and the sun go by.

Tacloban City: San Juanico Bridge

Before this trip, the only thing I knew about Leyte was the San Juanico Bridge. I didn't even know that Tacloban was its capital. And although I now know a little bit more, I decided to leave this one trip to adventure. I researched just about the bridge and will figure out the rest when we get there. Besides, we might have a local tour us around.

Bohol: Touristy Chocolate Hills and Panglao Island

I've been to Bohol before and although I'm absolutely game to do another adventure with the island's transportation, we figured it would be better to spend our last few days for an actual vacation. I didn't do much planning here either because our destinations are quite customary. We can easily rub elbows with other visitors at the Chocolate Hills and at Panglao Island.

Woooh! I can't wait to update my Lakbayan Map below after this trip.
4 days to go as of this writing!

Visayas Traverse: Overview

screenshot from Google Maps

Mission: Travel from West Visayas to East Visayas in a span of 2 weeks with a P1,000/day budget.

Date of Travel: 13-26 October 2013
Limitations: Backpacking style of travel (no private tours, no fancy hotels, only public transportation, only hand-carried luggage)

This October, Adventurebuddy and I are going on our most epic trip yet - a 2-week Visayas Traverse!. This trip marks a lot of firsts for both of us.

For starters, this is our first long-term travel (i.e. more than one weekend). It was originally just a weekend Iloilo trip but because I unexpectedly got out of regular employment, we decided to max out his semestral break and do a traverse to several destinations. Leyte and Samar wasn't on our original list but going all the way there seemed to be more convenient.

Second, this is the first time we are going to set a travel budget. Because the plan is to be out for at least 14 consecutive days, I figured we also needed to plan for the total cost of the trip. I set the budget at P1,000 per day per person which meant we had to be comfortable with the most basic accommodations to give way to food, transportation and activities. Surprisingly, I found rooms worth P400 for two persons with a double bed and fan. Whether these are decent enough, we have yet to find out.

Lastly, most of the places we're going to and the activities we're planning to do are definite firsts. Some examples would be Scuba Diving, looking out for dolphins, and knowing about Leyte and Samar. Basically every day of the trip is a first.

Here are the highlights of our trip for a better idea. I'm sure I'm going to conquer a lot of fears on this trip.

Travel Highlights:

- Food trip @ Iloilo City

- Mountain Bike Tour @ Guimaras Island

- Beach Sunset @ Sipalay

- Discover Scuba Diving @ Dumaguete City

- Firefly Watch @ Siquijor

- Dolphin Watch @ Bais City

- Beach Party @ Moalboal

- Lechon Lunch @ Carcar

- Island Walk Tour @ Malapascua

- Beach Camp @ Calanggaman Island

- San Juanico Bridge @ Tacloban City

- Chocolate Hills @ Carmen

- Beach Bumming @ Panglao Island

This is going to be my first post about this 2-week trip. Aside from being really excited for the trip, I also want to immortalize my thoughts and my experience.

Raintree Teapresso Blends: Not just tea

Address: 141 Katipunan Ave., St. Ignatius Village, Quezon City

I would always pass by this place and I would always gaze at how nice the shop looks like. It was never crowded which made me more curious as to who their customers might be.

Side story*: (this is something personal that I just want to write here but if you're not interested, you can skip ahead to the actual review)

The first time I actually tried to visit the shop, it was unusually crowded. Customers filled the tables up to the outside tables. I was with my boyfriend and we have just parked the car when I suddenly demanded to back-away immediately. I spotted my ex-boyfriend with his group of friends at one of the outdoor tables two steps from our parking slot. We were still friends but I hated the idea of seeing him laughing his heart out with his group. Not that I have anything against him or his friends, I just don't like seeing them all together.

As we were backing out of the tight parking slot we were previously eager to slip into, I tried to duck my head and cover my face, afraid they would see me escaping their presence. Having them see us leave without even going into the shop would only make the situation more awkward. And thankfully they didn't because they were too pre-occupied chilling out.

Actual Review: (this is the part you want to read)

Before visiting the place, I was confused at what they really sell. I have no idea what a "Teapresso" was (Could it have been Tea + Espresso? But that's too much caffeine!) and I didn't think it looked like a Milk Tea place. It turned out that the place was a fusion of a coffee shop and a milk tea shop.

The core product of the shop are tea-based drinks which the shop claims are always freshly brewed. Jars of dried tea leaves alongside other tea paraphernalia are displayed on one side of the shop while a big exquisite espresso machine sits behind a counter in front. Different seating options are available according to one's mood and need. Serious workers can opt for the counter with numerous electric outlets while chilling friends can go for one of the red sofas. The shop is designed to resemble the cozy and laid-back ambiance of a coffee shop and is made more approachable with the friendliness and childishness of milk tea.

As for their product, I wasn't really in to their teapresso blends. I prefer my milk tea light and simple and theirs was more sophisticated and flavorful. I didn't know espresso machines can be used to extract tea since tea leaves are much less dense than ground coffee beans and might produce either a too bitter or a too bland shot. But that's just me and I really don't know anything about tea.

If you don't enjoy tea, then there's still more for you in this shop. What I come back here for are their French Macaroons. They're the best and they have the widest selection of flavors I've seen. I've tasted 5 out of the 18 here and although a few really stood out, all of them were really good. The macaroons were soft and chewy but still firm enough to not crumble with every bite. The varied colors are fun to look at too. I think the ESPRESSO one had real ground coffee in it which adds texture but not bitterness. For starters, you can never go wrong with NUTELLA. And STRAWBERRY is a good intro too.

And if you end up loving their French Macaroons enough to want it everyday, why not take home three more or a dozen, even. They have a confectionery dedicated to their macaroons right beside the main shop. Its for macaroon lovers who don't want to be disturbed by non-macaroon customers.

Aside from their lovable macaroons, they also have other pastries that are equally lovable. I've tried their Red Velvet Cheesecake and it definitely stands out from all other cheesecakes that I've had. For one, it has a different texture. I think it's softer and creamier than a regular cheesecake. It doesn't have the crunchy rigid crust that I usually love but it's okay 'cause I don't think that would work on this one anyway. The cream cheese frosting is also divine. It doesn't feel like cream either but its pronounced taste and perfect level of sourness perfectly matches the red velvet cheesecake below it. With this unusual combination of texture and flavor, you wouldn't actually remember you're eating a cheesecake, just some cake of awesomeness.

I just had one complain about this piece though, it wasn't cold enough! The display freezer doors were left open for some reason. The staff might have been putting something in it or I don't know. Either way, it decreased the level of awesome-cheesecake by one level.

All in all, I think Raintree is a nice place to hang out at whatever time of the day. On mornings, you can get your daily perk with the teapresso blends. At lunch, have some cake for dessert. Or a macaroon as a snack before finally calling it a day. Nearby residents usually come by to pick up their teapresso blends or to spend some quality time with a different vibe.

How to get there:
There are no public utility vehicles that pass by the place but I guess you can get off at the Katipunan-Santolan intersection and walk back to White Plains. Its just a 5-minute walk.

What to do when you get a REGISTRY NOTICE from the Post Office (Philippines)

If you just received a registry notice such as the one below, then this post should help you know what to do.

Registry Notice from the Philippine Postal Corporation

As you already know, that little piece of paper is one hell of a vague object. You know it might refer to something important but it just doesn't give any clues as to what it is or what to do about it. Yes, it's got your name and your address and a "Claim at Window" but, where is that window? and why didn't they just deliver that thing to your address? They certainly know where you live! And the PhilPost website doesn't help either. It's "temporarily" down.

A few days ago, I received one just like that (though I should mention that this picture belongs to Cheftonio) and I was utterly confused. I tried to make sense of that little piece of paper but there's just nothing on it that I could understand. And so, I turned to Google, and after a few websites here is what I found out:

1. International packages are delivered to the Philippine Post Office and not to your address so these can be checked by the Philippine Customs.

Some items such as firearms and narcotics are prohibited entry to our country. In order to do this, Customs checks all incoming international deliveries. This is fine and rightly so but I've already received two shipments from Amazon.com that landed directly to my address. These were books and the package I personally picked up was a cosmetics kit so I don't know if they check by sender or by the look of the package. Are they allowed to actually open it?

2. They hold the package in the Post Office of the city indicated in the address, the main branch that is.

Because I indicated Quezon City, I had to get my package in the Philippine Central Post Office. And because Quezon City is such a large city, getting to their office posed another challenge.

As much as I wanted to just go to the branch 15 mins away from me, I didn't want to risk the hassle and disappointment. So I made sure which branch I should really go to. Thankfully, I got a number in one of the non-government websites and the lady who answered kindly referred me to the Central Post Office (for parcels). In case you need to call them, here is the number:

(02) 928-6443

Philippine Central Post Office

Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm

3. At the Post Office, they will take your Registry Notice so take a picture of it while you still can.

This is the reason I don't have a picture of my Registry Notice. The lady at the counter didn't give it back. Damn!

Anyway, if your address is in Quezon City, you should go to Window 37, the Parcel Section. This is at the left-most part of the Central Post Office in Quezon City. There, they will ask for your Registry Notice, a valid I.D. (a list can be found at the back of the Registry Notice) and a P50 Postal Fee. I don't know what the Postal Fee is for when I already spent time and money to pick up the parcel that they won't post to me.

It's a really simple process made difficult by the lack of information on that little piece of paper. If it was informative enough, I wouldn't be writing this post. I hope someone in authority realizes this.

Anyhow, I hope I helped you, reader, in some way.

Cheers!

What to do in Marikina

Date of Travel: 31 August 2013

I basically spend half of my weeks in Marikina and although I rarely go around, I have been to a lot of places that even real residents have never heard of. I've been wanting to make a food map about it but until then, I'll just write it all down here.

1. Interact with science for less at the Philippine Science Centrum.

This place is the "original Mind Museum", as I want to call it. It has similar exhibits as its BGC version but located in a smaller and simple space. As all museums, it is great for school field trips although adults could also definitely enjoy themselves here.

Location: E-com Bldg., Riverbanks Center

Admission Fee*:  Adult                               P120

                          Student

                                Private School           P120

                                Public School            P95

                          Children below 2y/o        FREE

                          Teacher with ID              FREE

                          Senior Citizen with ID     50% off on regular

Exhibit Hours: Mon - Sat 8am to 5pm

* Maximum of 1.5 hours per visit. Additional P60 for every hour thereafter. Reservation is required for group of 30 persons or more.

Check out their solar system mock-up

2. Visit the World's Largest Pair of Shoes*

Being the shoe capital of a country where anything is made super-sized just for heck of it, Marikina houses the world's largest pair of shoes, size 753 to be exact. I don't know how many feet could fit into that thing but it's amazing that the pair is still and intact and well-maintained (it was made in 2002).

Unfortunately, its record has recently been snatched by Hong Kong 

"There was an old woman who lived in a shoe"
This must be that shoe

Location: Riverbanks Mall
Admission Fee: Free
Exhibit Hours: Mall hours
* Unfortunately, as of 12 April 2013, the record was transferred to Hong Kong for making a 6.40m shoe, according to http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-1000/largest-shoe/.

3. Pass time at the Marikina Riverbanks

Although the Marikina River is known to overflow at least once every year, its banks is still one of the best places in Marikina to hang out and see some greens. On one side of the riverbanks  is a big amphitheater where people either sit on the grass or at the steps.

The amphitheater