My latest awesome journeys..

I am writing this as an entry to Anton's 'What is your latest awesome journey to the Islands of the Philippines'

the best tour group ever!

Corregidor Island
I never expected to fall in love with Corregidor. Its actually one of those places that's not given its fair share of press. The place is unique and nostalgic! I love the fact that it's untouched and real. Things happened on this island - and the charm for me is the rich history. I love visiting places with rich histories - and this one, well - it's just a ferry boat away from Manila! Now, that's convenient!

Aside from the charm of Corregidor - the journey was made extra awesome because of the following reasons: a) I won the trip! b) It was hosted by the Carlos Celdran c) The tour group was the best! Everyone got along and had a great time!

finally!

Sagada
The trip up north was not easy, nor was it fast! It was 12 freaking hours! But the trip was worth it! Sagada is beautiful! I love the innocence of the place! It's nature at its best! Hiking up and down the rice terraces (en route to Bumod-Ok falls) was one of the best experiences in my life, I mean never in my wildest dream did I imagine ever doing that! The cold weather, the quietness, the serenity of the place, the very warm people (especially Tita Mary!), the beautiful rice terraces are those are that makes Sagada such a lovely place to visit!

Now, what made this trip super duper awesome? Well, this is where my Panget proposed! :)

Airport shot..

Bicol
For years, my good friend Carol has been trying to convince us to visit her - and last December, we did! I think one of the reasons is that the fare was made amazingly affordable! (Thank you Cebu Pacific!) I always asked Carol if she saw the Mayon Volcano on a regular basis - and honestly, I never remembered her answer! Upon disembarking - my friends and I were in awe. We couldn't believe what we saw! It was literally Mayon Volcano! And it seemed very near to us! So to answer my question - yes, she did see Mayon Volcano on a regular basis!

We also visited the Naga - more specifically the Camsur Wakeboarding Complex - it was wonderful and world class! Accommodations were cheap, the food was also cheap! It was affordability (if there is such a word!) at its best! There were a lot of foreigners too, which honestly shocked me! I mean why are they here right? According to the charming Gov. LRey Villafuerte, foreigners stay at least 3 months in the complex - because it's cheap and it's the best wake boarding complex in the world! Nice.

So, what made this trip awesome? 1) I attended my first Simbang Gabi (in years!) in Bicolano and at the Penafrancia Church 2) It was my first local trip with my DLSU buddies 3) I successfully circled the wakeboard water route without falling off or letting go (does this make sense?) 4) I met Gov. LRey Villafuerte! (I was kidding with my friends that I emailed the governor (which I really did) and he would be meeting me - it was by chance that we met! Hahaha!)

ANSON SUPERMARKET - Grocery delivery!!

Sharing is caring, so we can't keep it a secret any longer. THIS is where we get out groceries! Well, Anson Supermarket has been where we have been purchasing all of our kids' diapers! From Kailee to Connor to Shobe! Yes, yes, yes! A week into the lockdown, it just occurred to us that we can get our groceries from them - but then we thought, we didn't want to force them to do it - after all it's a different time now. But when we asked and they said yes, it was like we won the lottery. We sent out our list - a very VERY SPECIFIC list and voila after a day or two (we weren't in a rush) they told us to schedule a pick up. Please remember that I am sharing this with you guys because I believe so much in the saying 'sharing is caring'. Please be mindful of your language and respect those who will call or message you about your orders. Also note that some items might NOT be available - so manage your expectations. They're a ...

#CookingQuest: Winter Melon Soup ala Didi #EnhancedCommunity

One of the things that gets ooohs and aaaahs in a chinese restaurant is the #WinterMelonSoup. You may ask why? Well because with this soup, restaurants use the winter melon itself as a huge bowl to serve the soup! It's a sight to see as you'll be amazed how they were able to pull it off. You'll see the whole winter melon, and then suddenly they're take out the top part and when you peek in, the soup is inside together with meat bits and other veggies! My mom has tried it at home, and I remember her being nervous that the winter melon doesn't break apart, kunde sira ang presentation! So during this #EnhancedCommunityQuarantine, I chanced upon Theo's Farm that they have winter melon, so I ordered. When I saw it - I knew I wouldn't be able to pull off the carving and serving the winter melon. It actually made the preparation easier. I had to ask my mom, and she told me to steam the winter melon to soften it. Honestly, I don't t...

#CookingQuest: Chicken Stir Fry

When I was little, I used to see my mom, guama and aunt cook in the kitchen. I found it amazing, that they have this idea in their heads on what to cook for us. I remember my guama had small bits of plastic that when opened contained shirmp and cooked pork fat. I asked her what it was for, and she told me that it was to add 'flavor' to the dish whatever it was. I don't remember seeing her look at any cook book or a paper with recipe. She just whipped them all up! When I got older, I became interested in baking - baking because I was afraid of splattering oil. So I stuck to baking for a while. It was only when I got married that I had to dive in and cook. When my Panget and I were newly married, we didn't have a helper during the weekend, so I had to step up. There were times that we didn't have a helper at all (we borrowed my mom's helper to clean), so I had to do all the cooking. It was there that I learned to whip s...

the canDIshhh tales

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