Taktak Falls in Santa Monica, Siargao

After our awesome trip to Magpupungko Beach, Tidal Flats and Lagoon, we then headed to Taktak Falls in Santa Monica, between San Benito and Burgos. The sky was starting to get dark. Just as we were praying for the continuation of the good weather, huge raindrops started to fall and before we knew it, the entire heaven poured down upon us hitting us like daggers. 

The Island Life at Cagbalete

This is a continuation of my previous Cagbalete Island blog posts. Please refer to the links below for prior details about this trip:

Cagbalete

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Like I’ve mentioned before, we arrived at Cagbalete island in the afternoon. After enjoying our lunch, all that was left for us to do was to start enjoying the beach. That’s what we came here for after all.  

Aahhhh… c’est la vie avec mon amour!

Us girls immediately got busy taking tons of photos… camwhoring galore!  

Enjoying the Rest of Cagbalete Island

This is a continuation of my previous Cagbalete Island blog posts. Please refer to the links below for prior details about this trip:

Cagbalete

  ~~~oOo~~~

Peter and the girls were drinking until dawn the previous night. Naturally, I was the only one who woke up at dusk  to catch this beautiful sunrise. At times like this, I wish time would just stop so I can be at that very moment for as long as it takes. The sky was so majestic, the moon’s crescent was still smiling down on me and the horizon was displaying colorful hues of the waking sun.  It was so pretty.

Trip to IKEA Home Furnishing

This is the last part of my  Singapore travelogue last Oct. 23-25, 2009. For prior details on this trip, please click the links below:

Singapore Arrival

Food Tripping at Tiong Bahru

Little India

Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards

    Bonding with the Boys @ Clarke Quay

Visiting Royal Selangor at Singapore

Up, Up and Away @ Singapore Flyer

Singapore City Tour (Maxwell, URA, Chinatown)

Mint Museum of Toys

Visiting Makansutra, Esplanade and Merlion
Trip to Ikea Home Furnishing

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Kate suggested that we go to IKEA Home Furnishing together with Jane to check out some stuff. I always hear this store being mentioned by friends and acquaintances and their reviews were always good. I figured, I love furniture and house stuff. I may not be able to buy them but it always makes me feel good to see beautiful things for the house. They inspire me to make my home more cozy and comfortable too. ^_^ 

 

Since it was our last day in Singapore and we have nothing better to do, I went with the girls. I woke up late (again!) coz I was just so tired from all the back-to-back tours. Anyway, it was good that I saw them by the bus station near the Link Hotel. It was just a short ride going to the MRT station and there was no traffic at all.

Their MRT station was clean and big. It definitely felt foreign to me. They also have these MRT card vendo machines where you can insert money, press the button of your desired location then it will eject an MRT card for you and change (if any).

Obviously, it was my first time to ride their MRT. There were a lot of people but not as packed as our own MRTs and LRTs here. The speed was a lot faster than what I am used to and the capsules were a lot bigger than ours.

How to Go to Cagbalete Island

The other day, I gave you a sneak peek into this wonderful paradise we’ve visited over the weekend — Cagbalete Island in Mauban, Quezon. On this post, I am going to share with you how we were able to go there on a tight budget but with memories and experiences full of sunkissed glorious moments. It all began about a month or two ago when my girlfriends and I planned for an island getaway. Koryn was the one who recommended the place since she has already been there with her family over the summer. She was telling us how nice, serene and “virgin” the place was. It’s not intended for vain travelers as we would need to just simply commune with nature and let go of all the luxuries we’re used to in all the other beach resorts we’ve visited before (like nice toilets and shower rooms). We all said “game!’ and the planning began. There were supposed to be around 7 of us. But as the intended date of departure from the city (Nov. 14-15, 2009) was nearing, attendance boiled down to four (Peter, Koryn, Danes and moi). Since we originally budgeted P2000 per person, we presumed that our budget would go up to P2500 or even P3000 per head. Well, we couldn’t back out anymore. We’ve waited for this moment and we were raring to go! We coordinated via email and the final budget and  itinerary was as follows (emailed by Koryn, intended for five people):

Hi guys! Eto na!  Eto na! 

Here’s our budget breakdown for the trip: 

ITEM	AMOUNT	AMOUNT / HEAD
Gas	4,000	800
Ferry (to island)		40
Rented boat (from island to town)	1,500	300
Hut (with no bathroom)	1,500	300
Set meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, 2 snacks	0	700
Drinks, alcohol, etc.	500	100
		2240

How to Get to Cagbalete Island

The other day, I gave you a sneak peek into this wonderful paradise we’ve visited over the weekend — Cagbalete Island in Mauban, Quezon. On this post, I am going to share with you how we were able to go there on a tight budget but with memories and experiences full of sunkissed glorious moments. It all began about a month or two ago when my girlfriends and I planned for an island getaway. Koryn was the one who recommended the place since she has already been there with her family over the summer. She was telling us how nice, serene and “virgin” the place was. It’s not intended for vain travelers as we would need to just simply commune with nature and let go of all the luxuries we’re used to in all the other beach resorts we’ve visited before (like nice toilets and shower rooms). We all said “game!’ and the planning began. There were supposed to be around 7 of us. But as the intended date of departure from the city (Nov. 14-15, 2009) was nearing, attendance boiled down to four (Peter, Koryn, Danes and moi). Since we originally budgeted P2000 per person, we presumed that our budget would go up to P2500 or even P3000 per head. Well, we couldn’t back out anymore. We’ve waited for this moment and we were raring to go! We coordinated via email and the final budget and  itinerary was as follows (emailed by Koryn, intended for five people):

Hi guys! Eto na!  Eto na! 

Here’s our budget breakdown for the trip: 

ITEM	AMOUNT	AMOUNT / HEAD
Gas	4,000	800
Ferry (to island)		40
Rented boat (from island to town)	1,500	300
Hut (with no bathroom)	1,500	300
Set meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, 2 snacks	0	700
Drinks, alcohol, etc.	500	100
		2240

Ayala Mall and The Arcade in Cebu

If you want to check out the rest of my vacation in Cebu, click the link below:

Sky Adventure and A's Bar in Cebu

Edge Coaster and Skywalk @ Cebu Crown Regency Hotel

Ayala Mall and The Arcade in Cebu

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Naturally, I woke up in the afternoon the next day. Since Chris had to be in school for her exams, Aba and I just went to Ayala Mall and checked out Terraces. The last time I was in Cebu  in July 2008, this part of Ayala Mall was still nonexistent. It took less than a year for the new wing to be built. And it was huge! It’s like Trinoma and Greenbelt rolled  into one. The architectural structure was so beautiful it was like I never left Manila at all. I felt so at home. Hehehe.

We checked out Mooon Cafe. It’s a restaurant that originated in Cebu. In fact, I don’t think we have a Mooon cafe branch in Manila. They offer Mexican inspired dishes so we ordered quesadillas, coke zero for Aba and Revitalizing Smoothie for me (made of mango, pomelo and some other fruits). The taste of the quesadillas was okay and the ambience was cool. On our way home later that evening, we  passed by the original branch which was a house turned into a restaurant somewhere in the city.  It looked so awesome, like one of those cool restos in Bali, Indonesia.

Kayaking in Nasugbu and Tagaytay Food Trip

Sept. 20, 2009… a week before typhoon Ondoy devastated Luzon. It was a quiet, sunny and wonderful day. Peter and I thought it was a good day to go out of town and spend some quality time together. Since we only had two days to spare (Monday was considered a holiday), we decided to go somewhere near and fun. So we thought of heading to Tagaytay and Nasugbu.

 Upon reaching Tagaytay proper, we noticed that the sky was getting dark, cold and foggy. Our first reaction was a big “OH NO!!!”. It also began to drizzle so we decided to stop somewhere for lunch to think about whether we’re pushing thru with our plan to kayak in Nasugbu or not.

 We found this nice looking restaurant, BALI SEAFOD PALUTO. It was cozy with native and wooden designs. And they offer delicious Pinoy dishes too.

Kuta Beach and Nusa Dua Hotel Hopping

 For those who would like to read my Indonesia travelogue from the start, click these:

Indonesia

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Sunbathing Galore

My third day in Bali was the only time I enjoyed swimming at Harris’ pool while waiting for Jowi to finish breakfast.  It was also the only time I got to take advantage of  their public beach which was just right across our resort. Lora prepared such a tight schedule full of activities for us and hopefully, next time, when I visit this place again, with Peter in tow, we can fully relax at this beach and even take surfing lessons. ^_^