Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

Summer started quite late in our family. For one, I got hospitalized mid-April and was required to stay in bed for a month. All those time my DD was with me, helping me around the house and giving me all the things I need (I’m so proud of my 5-year old!) We really have bonded during that time and she never minded the fact that she could do a lot of things during summer vacation. Being with mommy was enough for her. (I love you, baby!)

Our summer just started May 28, 2011 when we left for Leyte. It was just a 10-day vacay but it was very memorable. Why? It’s because we jumped from one island to another! We spent 6 days in Leyte, 2 days in Cebu and a day in Guiain and Marabut, Samar! Sand, sea and seafoods galore! We travelled by land, by plane and crossed the waters in between Ormoc City, Leyte and Cebu City by SuperCat! My DD will surely not forget this vacation.

Our travel to Sulangan, Guiuan, E. Samar was probably the most memorable because DD got to travel with her playmates AKA uncles and aunts (Tsina, Shaina and Jecoi). It was a long drive from our place, 5 hours to be exact (traffic free!). We’ve had to pray for guidance considering the recent road accidents everywhere like the Texas Semi Accidents and thankfully God has protected us.

You think that our summer ended there? No. Yesterday we went fishing again (we couldn’t get enough of water LOL) in Kainan sa Balsa, Bacoor, Cavite, our last hurrah for Summer 2011.

Today, my DD will go back to school but for sure she’s armed with lots of wonderful memories that she could share with her classmates and friends.

Until next summer!

Here I am, lost again in packing.

This has been a constant dilemma as I am not a good ‘mother packer’ LOL I always tend to pack more and heavy, not less and light.

On Saturday we’re leaving for a 10-day vacation in Leyte and Cebu and I don’t have the slightest idea on how to pack everything in a single luggage. I’m travelling with my husband, dear daughter, brother and uncle but of course I cannot spread out all our things on their luggages as they too have things to bring like SLRs, laptops, etc. My brother is even bringing his precious pool cues haha

So my question now is “How do you pack light?” any suggestion will be highly appreciated

Cavite is a place that I wouldn’t get tired of roaming. I’ve been to every corner of this province but I couldn’t get enough. Too bad we don’t have a car I can imagine the convenience if we have a car of our own, we could just dump everything in the car, attach the thule bike racks on the back and off we will go to Tagaytay!

Yesterday we went to Digman in Bacoor to eat halo halo again and had dinner in Kainan sa Balsa. I’ll post photos as soon as it’s ready

How about you? Have you visited Cavite yet? there’s so much to do here!

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease is a very common disease affecting infants and children. It is caused by Coxsackie A virus and Enterovirus 71 and is moderately contagious. It is spread through direct contact with the mucus, saliva, or feces of an infected person. source

A few days ago, this disease had its share on the headlines when the controversial Presidential sister Kris Aquino declared that her son from former domestic partner Phillip Salvador, Joshua,15 has the virus and eventually, Baby James AKA Bimby,3 got affected as well. Kris got the attention of the media (as usual – she won’t be the Queen of all Media for nothing, duh.) and once again the world panicked and went crazy over this ‘rare disease’.

According to Wikipedia, HFMD is not to be confused with foot-and-mouth disease(also called hoof-and-mouth disease), which is a disease affecting sheep, cattle, and swine, and which is unrelated to HFMD (but also caused by a member of the Picornaviridae family).

Here are the common symptoms of HFMD:

Symptoms of HFMD include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Vomiting
• Fatigue
• Malaise
• Referred ear pain
• Sore throat
• Painful oral lesions
• Non-itchy body rash, followed by sores with blisters on palms of hands and soles of feet
• Oral ulcer
• Sores or blisters may be present on the buttocks of small children and infants
• Irritability in infants and toddlers
• Loss of appetite.
• Diarrhea

Since Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease is spread through direct contact with the person infected, it is important that we clean our hands every time.  Let’s remind our kids to wash their hands often and bring a hand sanitizer whenever they’re out, especially in school. Better yet, remind them to avoid infected people.

I live without air conditioners so I can easily adapt to climate changes, but what happened to me in Baguio was really unbelievable, at least for me.

After our karaoke night, Jen and I decided to call it a night. I removed my PJs, went under my blanket and comforter hoping to get a good night’s sleep, but guess what? I was awoke every hour drenched in sweat! I looked at Jen and Gael who were both sleeping soundly thinking how in the world can they sleep with that heat?

One reason may be were the blankets. I got a plain one but decided to use the comforter afterwards – my bad because the comforter felt like heated electric blanket

Another reason is probably my body temperature. Menopause, perhaps? Not yet hahahaha Mainitin lang talaga ako, no pun intended.

Two Sundays ago, my brother and her girlfriend brought my daughter to Mall of Asia. They decided to bring her to Kids Universe and try the new play place called Cosmic Kidz.

Yheng and Yoe posing in front of the train…hello power wheels!

Cosmic Kidz is a huge playground where kids are allowed to play by the hour. The rates are quite stiff compared to the ones we’ve been to but I guess it’s because they have more, and I mean BETTER amenities than the ones we saw in the South.

The place has 5 levels of huge playground place where kids play according to their age level. As for my daughter, she contented herself playing with the ball pit. Both her Tito Meem and Tita Yheng were exhausted after playing haha!

The next time you guys visit Mall of Asia, make sure to drop by at Cosmic Kidz

Cosmic Kidz Rates:

30-Minute Play – P180
One Hour Play – P250
Unlimited Play – P480
Extension (every 30 Minutes) – P180
Adult Pass (1 adult per kid) = P120
Socks – P30

Cosmic Kidz @ Kids Universe
Mall of Asia
Pasay City

A trip to Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad Benguet is a must when you visit the City of Pines. One can buy freshly-picked strawberries, various kinds of vegetables and even experience strawberry picking if it’s strawberry season. On my case I bought strawberry preserves, P100 worth of vegetables for chopsuey (my huge shopping bag was half-full!),a few shirts and the usual peanut brittle, lengua and chocolate chips.

But you know what made the trip memorable? Strawberry Ice Cream and Strawberry Taho

Strawberry Ice Cream P10/cone Pampawi ng Init

Strawberry Taho P20 “Katuparan ng Pangarap”

The place has a commercial center which offers various pasalubongs though I think the goods are still cheaper in Baguio City Market. Their edge? They have stalls that accepts major credit cards! Cool! But not every seller there are up-to-date because the seller where I got the strawberry preserves is in need of a reliable POS and receipt printer as she was having a hard time computing

My tip?  Buy strawberries and veggies from this farm but your other goods from Baguio City Market.

Among the things I can not forget about our stay at Mines View Park Hotel is their food. It exceeded my expectations because I am no fan of hotel food.

Labo? No.

For me hotel food is bland, expensive dishes that doesn’t satisfy my tummy. The food we’ve tried in Baguio reminds of good ol’ home cooked meals that will leave you craving for more. But of all the food they offered us, there were three unforgettable ones:  Bibingcrepe, BibingCrisp and Strawberry Sinigang.

BibingCrepe

Mines View Park Hotel’s cafe, Halfmoon Asian Cafe offers “bibingcrepe” – a fluffy bibingka rolled out into a crepe with a slight flavor of caramel. Guests can pair with a steaming cup of coffee, voila! Perfect light breakfast on a chilly Baguio morning.

BibingCrisp

BibingCrisp is the crispy version of Bibingcrepe. It’s thinner, crispier! Top it with ice cream to have the perfect dessert!

Strawberry Sinigang

Tired of the usual sinigang? Mines View Park Hotel offers sinigang with a twist – enjoy this ultimate comfort food with fresh strawberries!

Freshly-picked strawberries are used to provide the sweet-tangy flavor to the broth and the customer can choose from pork, beef, shrimps or fish to complete the dish.

Bibingcrepe, BibingCrisp and Strawberry Sinigang are all exclusive culinary offerings of Mines View Park Hotel and are available at the hotel’s Halfmoon Asian Cafe and Zenz Restaurant.

Mines View Park Hotel
#1 Apostol St. North Outlook Drive
Baguio City
T: (074) 442-1559
F: (074) 424-1088
M: (+63) 922.888.6392
Manila #: (02) 372-3984 loc 133

Zenz Restaurant is open from 7:00am to 10:00pm.

Last September 23-24, 2010, we were given a chance to experience the old Baguio City – cold, silent and close to nature. For someone who doesn’t visit the place Baguio often, the opportunity was pure bliss!

We spent the entire two days at Mines View Park Hotel, a hotel situated a few meters away from Mines View Park.

Located along a quiet road at 1 Apostol St. Outlook Drive, Baguio City, we were able to enjoy the breathtaking view of Benguet’s mountain ranges and the cool Baguio breeze at the comforts of a modern hotel. What sets it apart from other hotels in the Pine City is its location. According to the hotel’s president Dick Balajadia, the hotel was designed so guests can enjoy the modern amenities and the warm service away from the hussle and bustle of the commercial centers in Baguio City.

Mines View Park Hotel has 29 rooms and most of them open to private balconies giving the guests a view of the majestic Cordillera mountains and pine forests.

Almost every place I’ve stayed in Baguio has a fireplace, and I think it’s the coziest part of Mines View Park Hotel. It gave me a warm, Chrismas-y feeling that any child would like to experience (sans the snow, of course!). My friends and I spent the evening roasting marshmallow in the hotel’s living room – in their comfy modern sofas.

Stressed out? Spa pampering suckers can enjoy a variety of massage offered by Asian Spa in the hotel’s SPA or at the comforts of their rooms. Another must try therapy is the traditional Cordillera massage, actually a tribal technique practiced by Igorot healers for centuries. The trained therapists will use the hotel’s very own line of apothecary salts, creams and spa oils.

All hotel rooms are WiFi connected so you can relax and be connected to the ‘outside’ world at the same time The rooms are also equipped with large-screen, LCD tv with cable.

Room Type: Single de Luxe

Capacity: 2

Published Rate: 2,800

Room Type: Double de Luxe

Capacity: 4

Published Rate: 4,500

Room Type: Family de Luxe

Capacity: 6

Published Rate: 5,500

Room Type: Attic Room

Capacity: 10

Published Rate: 7,000

Rates indicated above includes complimentary breakfast, WiFi internet access, use of the fitness gym.

Company owners can also conduct business conventions at the hotel’s Zen’s Function Hall. It can accommodate 100 – 150 guests. The function hall is equipped with a white screen and projector for audiovisual presentations, a sound and PA system and basic lighting equipment. Free flowing coffee can be provided upon request.

a view from the hotel’s veranda – simply beautiful! Guests can enjoy a leisurely breakfast or lunch surrounded by this picture-perfect scenery.

Mines View Park Hotel is just a stone’s throw away from Mines View Park. A stroll on a cold foggy morning is perfect as there are fewer people in the park.

Perfect pose in a perfect place

Guests can also avail of the hotel’s shuttle service which drops and picks up guests should they chose to explore the city. Aside from the classic Burnham park, the Mansion, etc must visit places now include Ukay-ukay centers, Good Shepherd (which is, by the way, a few meters away from the hotel!) and Strawberry farm!

Mines View Park Hotel is “Truly Amazing, Simply Unforgettable…”

Mines View Park Hotel
#1 Apostol St. North Outlook Drive
Baguio City
T: (074) 442-1559
F: (074) 424-1088
M: (+63) 922.888.6392
Manila #: (02) 372-3984 loc 133

I’ll be bringing my little girl to Baguio next week. Weird but this is actually her first time to visit the Summer Capital of the Philippines. Though for sure we’d be following an itinerary since this is a media event, I am hoping to bring her to a place where she would surely enjoy.

Do you have any suggestions? And yes, no ghosts please? hahaha

BTW, do hotels in Baguio still use the conventional fire place? I would love it if my daughter sees one. Hotels nowadays prefer to use electric fireplace, right?

Hope you’ll help me with this one. Thanks dearies!