Boracay: I Just Can't Get Enough of You!

Touchdown November 16 8:00pm
With Arvin De Torres

I wanted to start this entry with "Anyong Haseo!" You my friends will find out later.
This is my fourth time in Boracay and yet everything still seems new to me. The island, as small as it is, keeps finding ways to innovate and make it more and more exciting.
From Manila, there are two ways to get to Boracay by plane. You either choose the Kalibo route and take a 1.5 hour bus to Caticlan, or go straight to Caticlan (which is the more convenient way). From Caticlan, you then need to walk to Cagban port, then a ferry ride to the island, then a tricycle ride to the famous white beach.

We chose the Caticlan route, however, as we were about to land, there were heavy rains and thunderstorms there so the pilot decided to divert the flight to Kalibo. After enduring the transfers for about two hours, we safely made it to our hotel - Villa Romero in Station 3.
Which leads me to the three stations in Boracay White Beach very creatively named Station 1, Station 2, and Station 3.

Station 1 is home to the amazing grotto and some high-end hotels. Lots of foreigners thrive here. Station 2 is the party area and where you will find fancy restaurants. Station 3 is more of the relaxed and laid back area. What's common among these three? Koreans! They're everywhere! I often wonder how they found out about Boracay or if our government invests a lot in marketing that targets Koreans. Anyhow, I am very thankful to our Asian brothers and sisters for keeping the tourism here alive. And how did they get that porcelain white skin?

You really can't blame me if I keep coming back here in Boracay. The beach is just wow. Sugary-fine and white sand. Bright blue sea that's calm in the morning and with splashy big waves in the afternoon. God made this for all types of beach-lovers.

There are also lots of things to do here. Massage parlors and stations are everywhere. Walk a few meters and you would have been offered island hopping several times already. There are also shops that offer scuba diving lessons. The helmet diving is quite intruiging but I haven't tried that one yet. There are also motorcycles and ATV for rent. Parasailing. Helicopter ride. You get the picture. These are the reasons why I consider Boracay as the ultimate vacation experience. Will there be a fifth time for me? Definitely! There is nothing like exploring wonders in your own country as a show of nationalism.

And oh, the sunset? Gorgeous!

The Empire State

Touchdown September 30 6:55pm
Alone

It was only at the start of September when I decided to go to New York City. I was planning on visiting my sister and mom in Canada after my business trip in Texas but to my surprise, the Canadian embassy did not approve my Visa. Demmit.
And it got me thinking: One, my boss already approved my time off for one week. Two, I have saved enough already for a well-deserved vacation. Three, I am already in the US. So why not go to somewhere else instead? And the next thing I know, I was checking out Delta's flight schedules to NY, hotels, tour packages, vacation tips, etc. It got me all excited. I mean, who won't be, it's freakin' New York City! Home of Friends, Sex and the City, CSI: NY, my newfound favorite TV show Castle and 2 Broke Girls, and of course, the Yankees! Yeah, I spend that much time in front of the TV.

There are two main airports in New York - La Guardia (where most domestic flights arrive/depart) and JFK (where the internationals are). I landed in La Guardia (from Houston to Minneapolis). I love that airport, very modern and full of oh so busy people. My good friend Ces Dimalibot and husband Cary were kind enough to pick me up and took me to their humble home so I could crash for the night. Before going home, we headed to two famous stores - Wal*Mart and Best Buy to buy some pasalubong stuff.
The next day was spent, again, shopping. We went to Tanger Outlets in Riverhead, a nice one-hour drive from Queens. This is what I like to call a sosyal ukay. As the name suggests, there are outlets setup in a big lot that range from sportswear, jewelry, perfume, goods, jeans, etc. One whole day is not enough to visit all of the stores, yeah, that many. I only went in to those I am most familiar with. First stop - Nike. Hey I am an Adidas fan but the price of the shoes were just so low I couldn't help but buy two pairs of shoes and a jacket.  You know how much I spent for all those? Less than $100! That's around 4500 pesos all in all! Good buys! Then I went to other stores and checked out a few items: GAP, Bose, Samsung, Guess, T-Mobile, all that Jazz. And I bought a pair of Jeans at Levis. Yes, these are my first (original) Levis jeans. Nice!

After eating at a fine diner, we went back home at Queens to rest for a bit before I check in at the apartment I rented. While resting, I posted in Facebook that I am in New York City. And lo and behold, I have three friends in New York City I did not know about. And the thing is, I haven't seen them in more than a decade. And to my surprise and delight, they wanted to meet up! Yey, tour guides!
After I dropped my luggage in my apartment in 111th and Clayton Powell, I hailed for a cab that took me to our meeting place - Times Square. As expected, traffic in New York City is bad, but not as bad as in Manila. The cab dropped me off in some corner, driver said he can't go on to Times Square due to traffic. So I got off the cab, walked a few yards just like he told me to. And what happened next, I can only describe as the most mesmerizing thing I have ever experienced. There it is, in all its brightness. Times Square! Woooh!
I think I just stared at it for a good 30 seconds before I realized that people have been bumping at me left and right because I am blocking their ways.

That's when I told myself. I am definitely coming back next year!
By the way, you noticed how I stated my apartment's address as 111th and Clayton Powell? Well, that's how they do it in New York City. Everything belongs to a specific grid. In my apartment's case, it's in the corner of 111th St and Clayton Powell Blvd. So if you're address is in a building on the block that is being bordered by 42nd St and Broadway Ave, the New York way of saying it is: 42nd and Broadway. How cool is that?! That address, fyi, is Times Square.

After Times Square, the next spot I am definitely most looking forward to is the Statue of Liberty. And that my friends, I part of the tour that I have booked for October 3.
I found the tour online, it'supposed to be the best tour of New York (aren't they all are?) according to some travel website. And the itinerary spoke for itself. It's got everything and more that New York City has to offer.

I woke up early all excited. I proceeded to the address that my ticket said I need to go to. I was there 7:30am and the tour doesn't leave until 8:30am. Since I haven't had breakfast yet, I decided to try McDonald's in (again) Times Square. This is not your regular McDonald's. It's one of the biggest in the world. By 8:15am, I was ready. I was greeted cheerfully by the driver and the tour guide, a woman and a man, respectively. You would have thought otherwise, right?
We were briefed about the rules and off we go to the first stop - Times Square (again!). As the bus was cruising through the busy streets of New York City, the tour guide narrated the historical significance of the streets and the buildings which made the tour more fascinating and educational. Yes, fascinating and educational, only in New York City. We made stops at Wall Street, Rockefeller Center (home of 30Rock!), some cathedrals, Broadway, Empire State, Central Park, Macy's, Flat Iron Building (named such because it looks like a flat iron). Such wonderful, wonderful places. Hey, two relevant scenes I saw: the Wall Street protesters and the Apple store in 7th!

At around lunchtime, the tour bus took as to the Marina to grab a quick lunch and board the water taxi that will take us around Manhattan Island, passing by the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, and of course, the Statue of Liberty.

The Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges I have seen several times already on movies and TV shows. And as soon as the water taxi made a turn and brought the statue of Liberty to our views, it's a different story. I have seen it in pictures, but still, there's nothing like actually seeing it, standing in all its tallness before your eyes. Majestic.
I eagerly awaited for the water taxi to move closer and closer to Ellis island and the excitement in me grew stronger and stronger. What a view! Picture picture!

The tour concluded with a trip to the 9/11 Memorial site. We did not go to the actual site but saw it from accross the street. We paused to remember the lives of those we lost during the tragic episode in US history.

Another highlight of my stay in New York was actually getting in to the subway. Their subway system is very complex. Imagine, four or five layers of train tracks under the city. For a first timer, I felt hesitant to board the train, I might get lost! Good thing there are maps everywhere and they are quite easy to understand. And if you will try the subway, make sure you pause for a bit and observe people walk in and out of the train. Very diverse! I actually heard Tagalog couple of times.

That was my last day in New York. Before heading to the airport, I visited (again) Times Square and experienced its vibe one last time. Gee, that place is addictive.

To sum up, I will not contest anyone who says New York City is one of the best cities in the world. Because it indeed is. Lots to see and hear, great culture, amazing shops, extremely nice people (contrary to what some of you may have heard), full of character. I will definitely come back next year.

The Queen City of the South

Touchdown October 20 6:55pm
With Alex Africa and Rovin Sanchez

This was my second time in Cebu. I did not come prepared the first time. For one, I was not supposed to be in Cebu. I was going to CDO (Cagayan de Oro, not the canned good) but due to some heavy rains and thunderstorms in the area, the plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Cebu. Adventurer that I was, I hopped off the plane after CebuPacific guaranteed a return trip ticket for me.
I like the weather in Cebu, warm and nice. And the airport is an easy place to maneuver around in, totally unexpected since this is an international airport. My very good friend QB (Querubin, not Quarterback) picked me and my friends up at the airport and headed straight to Matias Barbecue Place, a popular barbecue joint with, get this, unlimited rice! Yey! I know it's still early to tell but I already had the feeling this will be one of the highlights of the trip. Food was just awesome. I was able to put in my stomach, not two, not three, but four servings of rice! With that, I think it's normal that you can't move a lot after eating. This place is not for those on diet. For a full review of the joint, you can visit my friend Alex's review about it here.
For those wondering about how the they serve the rice, here's a glimpse. Tempting!

The next day was our tour day. First on the list, the Taoist Temple. Just a 20-minute drive from the city, the temple proudly stands on a mountain side and looking from afar, you really can't help but admire how beautiful and majestic the structure is, but closer, you will be blown away by how intricate the designs in the building are, and how much effort was put into play to get this temple to what it is now. As expected, it was quiet in the area, not the spooky quiet type, but more of reflection-quiet type. It was obviously a perfect way to start the tour of Cebu.

After the temple, the theme shifts to music - off to the guitar factory. Well, it's not really a factory, more of a street lined with a bunch stores that sell guitars. I used to play the guitar so I thought I might try one. Boom burum boom base... Yeah, I think I still got it. I think what's fascinating about these guitars is how the owner of the store narrated a lot of trivia about how the guitars were made, and even gave us a sampling of him playing, not the guitar but its smaller brother the ukulele. Loved it! I was this close to buying a ukulele, I just can't figure out how I can conveniently carry one back to Batangas. Maybe next time.

From music, we go to the history bit of the tour. From the guitar factory, we proceeded to Fort San Pedro. Hhhmmm... to be honest, I had no idea what the fort was for. I just knew it served as a military camp like the other forts found in the Philippines. But it was a nice place for all you history buffs, there were dungeons, canyons, thick walls, lookout window, all those war-related stuff. Ahahah. And oh, there's a portrait of Brother Ferdz (Magellan).

Then off to our final stop of the tour for the day - the famous Magellan's cross, in all it's majesty. It's always nice to see things that remind you of your beliefs. I am Catholic, and a lot of times I tend to forget that. So I made it a point to enter the church to pray. I believe I have seen the main altar in some Pinoy movies, which is an indication of how picturesque it is. Add to it the fact on how devoted Cebuanos are with the Sto. Niño, and you've got a perfect combination of religion and culture.
We then ate dinner at this little pizza place call Da Vinci's, famous for its white sauce pizza. A full review of the place you can check out in Alex's blog (link above) as well. Then I dropped by TeleTech Cebu and worked for a few hours. The facility was very similar to other TeleTech sites in terms of atmosphere and color. But since this site is relatively newer compared to the rest, it was very clean and welcoming. I think in general, Cebuanos are generally hospitable.
Day 2's theme centered more on thrill. What we have looked forward to in this trip is finally happening, the SkyWalk Adventure in Crown Regency Cebu! I am sure a lot of you have seen pictures of that already. It was even featured in Sports Unlimited some months back. And what an adventure it indeed was.
For just 888 pesos, we got a package that includes buffet lunch, SkyWalk, 4D movie, and free use of the pool. After eating at the buffet (for and hour and a half) on the 18th floor of the building, we immediately proceeded at the 38th floor to experience the SkyWalk. The line wasn't that long fortunately. There were just a group of Koreans (or were they Japanese) before us so we did not have to wait that long. One of the Koreans who took the walk was afraid of heights and we practically saw him shaking and crying and almost vomiting. It was a funny sight, sorry. The guide gave us our orange jump suits and strapped us up with the gears and belts before being connected to the harness. And then we walked the edge of the building. At first it was really frightening, we're on the 38th floor for heaven's sake! But you get used to it instantly, after all, you know you're safe because of the harness. It was a real adventure for thrill seekers. Having to see the magnificent island of Cebu province from atop one of the tallest buildings there. We could have done it during the night to see the lights around the city, but I still prefer doing it during daylight, gives you a better view of the province and the waters that surround it. And we got to the the Plank!

Overall, the trip to Cebu was really nice. The people were very hospitable, although at times you have to establish with them that you don't speak their language. Very rich in history and culture. Lots of amazing spots to visit. Awesome awesome food. Thank you Cebu!

To Start With

Welcome to my blog site!
As the name suggests, I will be writing mostly about the places I have been to, giving you an idea of what's it's like to visit or live in the area, reviewing the hotels and restaurants, posting interesting pictures of people and places, in short, making you experience the place.
Enjoy!