Capones Island

May 2010

On our 2nd day in Anawangin, our boatman picked us up at 9am and we went to Capones. The island is known for its lighthouse and its stunning view of the sea and the horizon.

Instead of sand, the shore is lined with beautiful, probably metamorphic rocks

Our patient boatman

If a picture paints a thousand words

This is my favorite photo ever!!!!! :) I'm so glad to have this kind of photo. Thanks to my friend who took this shot. Really, most of the time, stolen shots are the best. I call this a "life photo". It speaks about youthfulness, happiness, friendship, dreams, goals etc. It's the kind of photo that makes you appreciate life even more.

The climb was a little exhausting but so worth it. You're sure to get thirsty so bring a bottle of water.  Arm yourself with sunnies and umbrella or hat to protect your skin from the scorching heat.

And finally, we reached the top! We stayed for around 30 minutes just taking in the beautiful sight that surrounds us.    

the GORGEOUS view :D

Meet "emo" and "senti". lol. :p We're just adapting to our environment. hehe

Submarine?!

Hugs and Happiness,

Seduced by Anawangin

May 2010

How something beautiful can be the result of something destructive is truly a wonder. When Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991, it gave off substances that later became pine trees and its lahar brought forth the greyish-white color of the sand in an island cove in Zambales called Anawangin.

Anawangin is enchanting. The first time I laid my eyes on it, I immediately made plans to go there.  I invited 3 of my friends who, like me, were captivated by its beauty.

How to get there: Take a Victory bus that goes to Zambales(Iba). Tell the conductor you're heading to San Antonio. One-way fare is approximately Php250. Get off in front of the San Antonio municipal hall, take a tricycle and ask to be taken to Brgy Pundaquit. Once there, rent a boat that will finally take you to Anawangin. There are other islands that you can also visit: Capones, Camara and Nagsasa.

We hired a boatman from Mang Mike (09283405136), he charged us Php1400 for Anawangin and Capones (the ff. day). I also wanted to go to Nagsasa that same day but it was more than an hour away and the waves were crazy, it was almost 4pm that time. Tip: Sail before 3pm because the waves can get rough late afternoon. We were so wet and morbid things were already running through my mind. I was looking at the deep blue water and thought about drowning. Haha.

There are no hotels or any kind of accommodation, you need to camp out. Camping fee is Php100/pax.  While here, you can also say goodbye for a while to the rest of the world. You will be detached from it coz there is no phone signal on this island. No electricity as well. Back to basics. :) The idea thrilled me.

If you don't have tents and you're really not into camping, instead of buying, you can just rent from your boatman. You can also rent whatever you might be needing- super kalan, ice box, flashlights. You can also request for them to cook foods for you. Remember to bring enough foods. There are makeshift stores in the island but their prices are expensive, expectedly so. We bought 1 kilo of rice from one of the stores for Php100. haha. We didn't bring rice, we just had loaf bread. We were lazy. Haha.

The sand may not be very white and powdery like most of our popular beaches but the beauty of the whole cove compensates for that. The enchanting surroundings and the seclusion make Anawangin the perfect escapism haven.

There were not a lot of campers when we were here. It was a Friday. There were just around 5 tents in the island. I liked it that way. But the next day, when we were about to leave, a lot of people had been arriving and setting camp. Good thing we went there on a weekday. :)

The tall pine trees add mystery to the island.

I am so feeling it! LOL.

I thought of bringing a hammock but we were not able to buy one. It would have been a lovelier stay. :) Ironically, on our 2nd day, when we were almost about to leave, we saw a man selling hammocks. Whaaaaaa! Why only now?!

Our quest to find the fountain of youth. LOL! :D We were just looking for the waterfalls. We didn't find it. Haha. The ice cream vendor I spoke to the following day said the falls would be dry at that time. It was May, btw.

aww look, there's a forest fire. dunno if it was an accident or some people were doing Kaingin. I felt kindda sad, the mountain won't look so lush anymore after this. Nevertheless, the fire served as a good photo background. LOL.

Waking up early morning, opening your tent and the first thing you see is the splendid, almost deserted island, blue skies after the sun had just risen..
the calm.. the quiet..
It's an incredible feeling. Sigh happily and say "I LOVE MY LIFE"

Morning Glory
(What's the Story, Morning Glory. lol)

I love this shot. It's one of those photos that can tell a good, riveting story.
That guy in the photo is Edward, my friend's boyfriend.

Another plus point for Anawangin is its lagoon. Hauntingly beautiful, it's like a scenery straight out from a postcard. 

I love bridges, even makeshift bridges. :p

It's almost like camping in a lake in Colorado or Europe, eh?

Picture perfect. ;) A perfect place to get away from the busy world, commune with nature and do some soul-searching. :)

When we left, each one of us had the same thing in mind: "Someday, I'll be back here"
One night on this enchanting island is not enough, we hoped we could have stayed longer.

Anawangin may not have the finest white sand and clearest water, thus not being the most beautiful beach. But for those who have high appreciation for nature, Anawangin has the most beautiful beach scenery in the Philippines.

Hugs and Happiness,

Random Dinner at Fish & Co.

  Restaurants under the Bistro Group are always a no-fail option for casual dining. My most favorite among them is Friday's, just because I lurve big juicy burgers and like their interior the most (aside from the food, a restaurant's interior and overall ambience is what makes me want to eat there). ^.^ Whichever is your most favorite, it's just a matter of taste. They're all good, I love Fish & Co and Italianni's too. The last time I ate at Fish & Co was two years ago and it's just recently that I was able to come back.

Orders are good for sharing

Seaman's Salad, Php 290

New York Fish and Chips, Php 415

It's not exactly chips, it's fries (LOL) and it's one of the best I've tried. I love that the fish had stuffed cheese.

Seafood Pasta with Crab Sauce, approximately Php430

Was ok, I've tasted better versions though

Pork BBQ Ribs, Php 1156

the pork ribs were tender, sweet and fall of the bone easily 

Haha. So this is my first attempt on food blogging. I think this a lousy post. LOL. I know I can improve eventually. :) anyway, I find it funny that I'm also writing about food. Usually, if you ask me how a food tastes, I would always answer "it's ok". Haha. I should train my taste buds to be more discerning. Hmm.. I generally have a a good taste with everything, it's just that when it comes to food my taste buds are very kind. LOL. :D

Hugs and Happiness,

Fun in the Kitchen: Pichi Pichi Surprise

I have this habit of experimenting with foods especially when my taste buds are craving for something a little bit special. Two days ago, at past 4am and still wide awake, I went downstairs to the kitchen to grab something to eat.

I was craving for something sweet. There were cookies in one cabinet but I wasn't in the mood for cookies. There were chocolates in the other but they have not been opened yet, I did not want to touch them. There was pichi pichi in the fridge. That was my last option. But I'm not a fan of rice or cassava cakes except for Moron, a native delicacy from Leyte that is ohmygad, eye-poppingly delicious.

Ok, so I'm not a fan of pichi pichi. Right! But I needed to satisfy my sweet cravings! Then in a flash, my experimental self thought, "Why not make something special out of this?". It didn't take me long enough to find what I just needed.

Pichi Pichi (or Peach Peachy), Walnuts and Smucker's Magic Shell in Chocolate flavor then it's creative-mind-meets-hungry-stomach history :)

Just a few drizzles of the Smucker's (no, I didn't expect it to shell because it won't. hehe. I just needed it for the chocolate flavor) and toppings of chopped walnuts, may I present....

charan.....  Pichi Pichi Surprise! not your ordinary pichi pichi anymore, eh? :)

I totally liked it and made another one come evening. :) Chocolate goes really well with walnuts, or just about any nuts. What surprised me was the chocolate and cheese combination. It's a match made in dessert heaven! :)

those shredding are cheese, they look like desiccated coconut because of the flash

Hugs and Happiness,

Singapore and the Lost Luggage

July 20-ish in the year 2009,

Few weeks before my flight to SG, I had already planned what to wear and what to bring during the trip. When we arrived at the Changi Airport, my mom, bro and aunt already got their luggage and I'm yet to see mine. Several minutes have passed and I have not spotted my bag. I thought of the unlikely, that it might have been placed in the other luggage conveyors. Unlikely but I thought to myself, it's not impossible. We searched the other conveyors to no avail. I was ready to admit to myself that my luggage, with all my clothes in there, is really missing.

Hey Missie, that's not your luggage. :D

I felt almost shattered. I went there to have fun and suddenly I'm left with no clothes. I was bringing a plain black luggage that looked like everyone else's so I was positive someone might have mistaken mine for theirs. I'm partly at fault because I forgot to put a name tag on it. I didn't expect that boo-boo would cause such an inconvenience.

Having given up searching the baggage carousels, I hoped to spot my bag among the throngs of people. If someone accidentally picked it up, I have to hurry and pray that whoever got it have not yet left the airport. I went past the exit and when I did not find my bag outside, I decided to re-enter and report my lost luggage to the airport officials.

But the lady guard won't let me in. I explained that I'm looking for my missing luggage and that she should let me in. She called two officials and they led me outside, past the railings already. We went in to a room on the side of the building, they asked for my passport and another government issued ID. After that, they escorted me back inside. We used another door which connects directly inside the airport.

Once inside, I noticed that there are only two luggage left on our flight carrier's designated baggage conveyor. One looked strikingly similar with mine. I was convinced that whoever owns that had taken home with him my bag. I told the airport officials we should get that luggage and search for any info about the owner so we can trace my bag. Of course, I was being irrational. I know that protocols won't allow them to do that. Anyway, to cut the long story short, I found my bag on a hidden corner. Someone took it from the conveyor by mistake and didn't bother to put it back. Sheez, some people! Haha. Well, I didn't feel any disgust at all, I was just happy I won't have to put through "unexpected outfits" for the rest of my trip.

Btw, when I booked flights for me and my mom, I texted my bro and asked him if he wanted to go with us, he would be celebrating his birthday at that time and he just passed the Nursing Board Exam. He said yes so the following day, I booked his flight and guess what????? The RT fare was slashed down to just half the price. How ridiculous! I swear I spent weeks thinking about the money I would have saved had I not been so excited to book. How would I have known that they would have a 50% off promo after the day I made my bookings? Hmpp! Dagdag shopping money sana. Haha.

This is also where the Fountain of Wealth is located.  What a very nice shot, eh? haha.  I was using here my very jurassic Sony Cybershot that was begging for retirement. LOL.

2nd day is Sentosa day. We just explored the island, we didn't go to any attractions.

the beautiful beach in Sentosa, so tempting!

One of the things that I really liked when I was in SG was the ice cream being sold on the streets, they are ice cream bars that you can eat sandwiched in two wafers or rolled in a colorful loaf. They looked so cute, I really had to try them. Haha.    

To be concluded......... (I'm still busy. hehe)

Hugs and Happiness,