Manila tour..appreciating what this city has to offer (1st Round)

We dream of going to foreign places far from home. We want to experience what those lands have to offer. No problem with that. But have you explored your own country first? With all its diverse cultures and influences and the offerings all around the islands everywhere. If not, that's a shame, you're missing a lot. Try it out first, it's a lot of fun and full of discoveries. That's why I love going around the city. :)

So here's the lowdown for this day..Marie and I planned to make a Manila trip and it was one of the itineraries that we thought about. But on this day, our original plan was to see the Andulucia Galleon at the port area but however, because of bad timing and a huge number of people still in line waiting to be entered into the premises, we weren't able to see it because they closed already for the day. They did not anticipate the volume of people who wanted to come and see the replica of the ship that used to sail different countries for trading, etc during the time of 'kopong-kopong'. Too bad.

We did not want to be affected by this so instead I suggested how about if we do a semi-Manila tour. We just go to whatever we can cover in like 2 hours before the sun sets. And we did just that. Let me share our pics.

Marie and I inside the trike coming from the port area going to Manila Cathedral

beautiful Manila Cathedral

La Pieta inside the cathedral

 Monument for the Filipino victims of World War 2

San Agustin Church (unfortunately was closed for the day already)

i like the uniforms, you guys at the back :)

feeling like I was at Vigan

Baluarte de San Andres (loved the tambay time here..so relaxing..so near yet so far the crazy cries of Manila)

one of the very few pics of us together coz it's either I take her pic or vice versa..that was the drill. Behind us is the Manila Bulletin office which is located in a very old building too

so wanted to go inside but we have to catch the sunset

my last picture with Rizal's monument was like 20 years ago..glad to have a newer one taken 

i guess when nights falls, these grounds would be filled with lots of people especially couples :D

love the pic..just in time when the traffic lights went red

on-board our ride going to Baywalk..the Calesa

our ride..Rocky the horsey..thanks! P100 for both of us

I love sunset pics! 

lights on already!

fountain at the rajah sulayman plaza

rajah sulayman statue..if your aching muscles are screaming for relief but you're on a tight budget, you can get cheap massages here

dinner time! whew! tired but happy

ready to take our orders, manong?

our choices

the finished product..which were delicious!yum!

happy and contented girls

So despite the disappointment at the initial part of this day, we still did great. We came home super tired from all the walking but very happy and contented with our semi-Manila trip. And we appreciated what this city had to offer that a lot of us just takes for granted. We will continue the full trip very very soon. :)

my papa's gourmet instant pansit canton

My dad gets assigned to a lot of places domestically because of his job, and because of that he has learned to tend to his own well-being coz he has no choice. Some of those may not be really favorable but there are some that we appreciate after he has shared it to us.

Let me share what one of those things are.. he cooks Lucky Me Instant Pansit Canton in a very special way. Gourmet, I think, given the ingredients and time and effort spent on making this dish. Here are the pics:

The ingredients:
3 Lucky Me Pansit Canton 
2 jumbo hotdogs
2 hard boiled eggs
lots of chinese pechay


Here's the other version..

The ingredients: 
3 Lucky Me Pansit Canton
@ hard boiled eggs
lots of carrots 
lots of sayote
1 onion
Squid balls

That's it! Those are the masterpieces. Made extra special by my dad's effort in cooking it. :)

FOODIE THOUGHTS: Stackers @ Eastwood City

It was my first time to dine here and since we are on a limited budget but was expecting a filling dinner, we ate here because my friend, Maricar, told me that I would for sure feel full so we went in and opened the menu.

We both ordered 1-pc Chicken and Fries for P98 only. I expected something just small in serving because this place is a bit higher than your usual fast food joint but when our order came in, I was in for a nice surprise. My chicken part was just a wing but a BIG wing that is! And the fries are generous in serving. We dug in right away and to my delight, the chicken was very flavorful and crispy. The fries not oily and mayo was served free of charge. Other joints would charge you an extra. And the waiters were very attentive and nice. I love this place! :)

I will definitely come back next time to try their burgers. That's for sure.

RESTO FACTS:
Eastwood City Walk 1, Eastwood City, 
Libis Quezon City
02-391-0500

FOODIE THOUGHTS: Globe Lumpia House @ Quaipo

I have heard about this fresh lumpia for several years now but it was just Sept 5 that I was able to experience this creation. 

It was a very hot afternoon. My friend and I were walking from Isetann going to the direction of the Quiapo Church and we happen to pass by. My friend thought it was the right time to drop by the lumpia place, since it's both our first time, so we did. 

First impression was that this was your typical carinderia place. But anyway, this was Quaipo, so that was ok. It was hot inside but luckily we got a place that has an electric fan passing by us so we were pleased. We placed our orders, which was 2 lumpia and get free iced tea (in a very small plastic cup), and in a few minutes after preparing the lumpia, it was placed in front of us already. 

I was happy with what I was eating. The sauce is not that sweet and I like the very garlicky taste and it has an ingredient that I don't taste a lot in other fresh lumpias around the metro. I knew that everything was fresh because you can see it made when you stand up to go see the kiosk. And the attendant was wearing plastic gloves so that's a thumbs-up for cleanliness from me. 

Just be advised that of course this is Quaipo, so better hang on tight to your belongings because maybe while you've forgotten yourself momentarily savoring the goodness of the lumpia, someone else might also 'savor' the moment and take advantage and take your things. Hehe! 

All in all, this food trip was a winner. P40 for 2 lumpia with small iced tea included. It was so good that's why I also took home some for my mom and brother to experience but sadly, did not reach my mom because on the first detour, which was my brother, he ate all of it. ;p

RESTO FACTS:
Globe Lumpia House
740 G. Puyat Street (formerly Raon)
Telephone: 733-2918

FOODIE THOUGHTS: Secret Recipe @ Edsa Shang

My friend Mayen have mentioned before that she and her family were planning to eat at Secret Recipe and so I got intrigued. While walking through Megamall with another friend, Melvin, we chanced upon this joint and we checked out basically just the ambience of the place. We just saw some cakes displayed. That's it. Good thing also that they gave us coupons that later on, I found out were only good at Megamall.

But anyway, I got to eat finally at this place, but at Edsa Shang Mall. I liked the location, not that bustling so my friend and I sat outside.

When I looked at their very nice menu, the prices were a little steep so I thought that maybe the servings would be good for 2 so just to be sure, we asked the waiter but he said, it's only good for 1. Uh-oh! But well, we were already there so might as well give it a go.

We ordered the Black Pepper Chicken (P245), Pad Thai (P280) and the piece de resistance, the dessert, Choco Banana cake (P95). 

My verdict: The chicken was just average, for its price, I was expecting something more extraordinary in taste. But I was a little bit disappointed. The Pad Thai was good though. The ingredients were separated so you can concoct the dish to your liking. And the presentation was very nice. I liked it! And for the dessert, I find the price fair and it's not very sweet so you can definitely indulge a little bit. And the bananas on it are still perfect in texture so I was happy with the choice too. :) 

I would definitely come back especially I still keep on hearing a lot of good words about this place. Maybe I just haven't found what my taste buds would really love in this place. :) 

RESTO FACTS:

5/F, Shangri-La Mall, EDSA cor. Shaw Blvd.

Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila

Philippines

(02) 637-0367

The Anawangin & Capones Islands Experience

Last June, my high school friends (together with their love halves) and I finally had the out-of-town getaway that was long overdue already. Not all were able to come (aww..sad..) but for everyone who was able to, we had the time of our lives.

It was just an overnight trip so we made sure that we got the most out of it. The first batch (Michelle, Rommel, Eugene, Candy, Paolo, Edgie and Jb) arrived there early while the second batch (me, cyrene, raymond, emae and mary ann and her hubby rommel together with their cute baby girl) arrived nightfall already. I could not see the ocean nor do I want to go near it coz I was afraid. Haha!

We were famished though we had a stopover at NLEX but good thing, when we arrived, the cooking was on the way already. Everything tasted great.

After dinner, we just chillaxed. Enjoyed a couple of bottles of alcohol and some grilled hotdog. The night was young and so are we. : )

I felt sleepy already. And so does Emae so we went in to our room to have a headstart on our beauty rest (haha!). Our whole group was just in 1 room so it was fun and at the same time, gave me a feeling of security. :)

A lot has happened while I was asleep. I was hearing some sort of a commotion but I just ignored it and continued my sleeping. There were some snoring, the others said so, but I was dead to the world. There was also a lovers' tiff (ahem! sino kaya yun?). It was just in the morning that I knew of the events that occurred during the night like the big water jug was accidentally hit thus flooding our room a little bit. And when I woke up, I approached my camera battery that I left charging and it was nowhere to be found. It has gotten wet by the incident but it was still intact and working so no biggie.

It was raining hard that early morning but thank goodness it stopped. After our breakfast, we went ahead and started our trip going to Anawangin and Capones islands.

Just going to the place where our boat was 'parked' took a lot of effort. The sand was 'squishy' and it wasn't firm so we were trodding on soft ground. So we just took pics along the way to maximize the moment.

After a long walk, we finally reached the boat and the trip has officially started! :)

And our first destination is finally within view.. ANAWANGIN!

Upon arrival, we took off right away to look for a good spot to leave our things and it was heaven sent that Michelle's brother was there, to her surprise, so we were able to leave our stuff in their tent. And started clicking away for souvenir shots. :)

And of course, the swimming. Most important activity. But in my case, more like wading in the water or just riding the waves. They were quite 'forceful' that day, maybe because it just rained. But well, it was fun even if most of us got wiped out a lot of times (or was it just me?). :)

This was a very physical day. I've gotten a few scratches on my knees but the pain was worth it. So after the strenuous activity, we just sat back and relaxed and nibbled on the foodies that we brought. A simple fare of chichirya and sandwiches and Coke.

So after we've felt the surroundings of Anawangin, off we went to Capones Island to experience what this second island has to offer.

Everything was a rush here at Capones but I liked this island better than Anawangin. After experiencing the water and took lots of pictures, we went back to Pundaquit because it was late afternoon already. Whew! Whatta rush! Whatta day! But perfect nonetheless. :)

Back in Pundaquit, we took a bath, fixed our things then said goodbye to nature on this side of the Philippines. It was a fun event! Time to go back home. Thank God for blessings like these..being with old and new friends and relishing what this country of ours has to offer. :)