Don't Lose Your Marbles

[June 13, 2013] After checking in at the hotel, we dropped off our bags and headed to Jollibee for a quick lunch before our city tour.  Our guide was Ate Malou and they picked us up at the hotel after a quick freshening up. Since it was raining that day, we were only able to drive by the City Baywalk where you can see local fishing boats, walk/stroll/jog along the bay, and enjoy street food prepared by the nearby residents at night amidst the colorful streetlights.  I bet it would've been lovely to stroll around the baywalk.  There's also an area where you can rent bicycles. Ate Malou said that the local government has provided housing across the Baywalk for the relocated residents and the eateries they set up at night provide additional income for their families.   gloomy weather  :( would've been a nice photo op area if not for the rain bicycles for rent We also passed by the Plaza Cuartel (barracks in Spanish) ...

I booked the Superior room at  Sunlight Guest Hotel via Agoda  at a discounted rate (Php 1770/night).  It's located near the public market (advantage if you want to bring back fresh seafood and fruits to Manila), a local fastfood chain (Jollibee), and within walking distance to the Boardwalk.  You can hail a tricycle passing by to take you anywhere within the city.  Since it's across a public market, there are a lot of people around so best to be vigilant when walking around the area.    There's also a mini supermarket and pharmacy located beside the hotel and 2 ATM machines near the entrances.  The 1st floor is only a receiving area/lobby and the 2nd and 3rd floors of the hotel's building contains local clothing shops, a courier, etc.   Head for the elevator and straight to the 4th floor for the hotel's main reception area to check in. There's also a LCD that shows a welcome sign with the guests' names on it.  It's a ...

[October 22, 2011] After the firefly watching at Iwahig River, we went to Ka Lui Restaurant for dinner.  We had already asked Ms. Tiara to make the reservations for us.  They request having reservations before going since they can be up to full capacity especially for dinner and walk-in customers are only entertained if they have vacancies. The restaurant is located along the stretch of Rizal Avenue too and the trike ride from Marianne Home Inn to the restaurant took less than 10 minutes.  It's setup like a traditional Filipino home with floors and walls made up of bamboo and native wood.  It's also surrounded by a landscaped garden with some interesting pieces. Before heading inside, all guests need to take off their shoes/sandals and leave them by the foyer. Since we were a group of 4, we ordered the Special of the Day Set (good for two people) at Php 415 per set which includes plain rice and mixed vegetables.  You can order other items on ...

After we got back from Honda Bay, we decided to do the Firefly watching tour (P600/person) at the Iwahig River .  It's not as popular as the Undeground River or Honda Bay Island tour but I would recommend this educational/ecotour, especially if you have school-aged kids with you.  It's a joint project of the ABS-CBN Foundation together with the Iwahig community who manages the place and the boatmen/guides are knowledgeable and are proactive in preserving this ecosystem.   Travel time was about 45 minutes through some very dark and creepy-looking roads and the only vehicle on that long stretch of road is yours.  We scared ourselves sh!tless by imagining about the appearance of white ladies and mysterious creatures (not a wise thing to do.) Tsk tsk. I've seen a few fireflies around our backyard when I was a kid and we used to catch them by trapping them inside our white shirts so you could see them shining their light underneath.  Fireflies are one of th...

Day 2 started out early.  A fter a quick breakfast at the inn, we bought a few snacks and bottled water to bring with us for the trip  and we were picked up for our Honda Bay island hopping with Ms. Jackie of Inland Tours.   Tips:   Wear your swim suit underneath your clothes because there's no decent changing area when you get there. Slather on the sunblock several times in the day and don't forget your sunglasses. Bring bread if you want to feed the fishes at Pambato Reef. You can rent snorkeling gear and underwater camera cases at the port for P150-200.  Not sure if they have DSLR cases though.  We paid P150 each for the snorkeling mask rental. The trip to Sta. Lourdes port took about 1 hour because we had to stop over and pick up our food for lunch.   Boat rental ranges from 1300 to 1500 for 6 people and then P220-250 for each additional person.  Life vests are given once you get into the boat. Registration is done at the port and th...