Food trip, good vibes w/ good friends

It was a night of exploring, bonding & food trip, when me and my bez gal Quel Aguilar had a dinner at Kape Pilato Bistro cafe suited at San Marcelino st. Malate Manila. It is one of the budding restaurant that offers International menu but at a very affordable price.

We had large Sisig pasta that's actually already good for 3-4 persons, it is said to be one of their best buy + we also had their Herb chicken sandwich w/ fries on the side that's also good for sharing. They have varieties of delicious drinks and I tried their Mango Basil Iced tea, I may say its good. And well what's the best way to end your meal but to try their sumptuous desserts and we had banana crepe w/ sweet vanilla ice cream, yum yum. We had a very good one, full not only our tummy but also our eyes as dinning in this place is as if you're in Makati or Alabang, the ambiance is nice. In addition if acoustic is one of your thing well they also have acoustic band every Friday to serenade you. Sadly they were not just able to play my request.

Nevertheless I give this restaurant a two thumbs up!

Mango Basil Iced tea, P70

Herb Chicken Sandwich, P140

Sisig Pasta, sml P170; lrg P270

Banana Crepe, P95

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After a wonderful night w/ my bez, my food trip didn't stop there as it continuous comes Saturday morning. It was one fine morning when me, mader Irna and Chris shared a day together and had breakfast at Salcedo Village Market.

We endulged our selves to varieties of foods we bought, as in it was a food trip. We had pasta, siomai, Ilocos empanada, some desserts and large fruit cold drinks to complete the meal. 

However more than of great food is good time, good conversation w/ great company w/ bez and these two.

 

Spinach Pasta

Siomai w/ hot chili

Mader Irna, Chris, me

Tea break at Serenitea Greenbelt

Wishing though that on the next time we go out it will be more than friendly date.

itsmejackie c",)

Anniversary climb

March 2010 when it all started out, when a friend and former co-worker Mel informally invited a climb thru facebook and since I was on vacation leave during that time, already bored and has long been wanting to climb the invite came just right in time... perfect timing. 

It was my first climb ever, so excited, so happy but at the same time a little bit scared as I'm worried I might not be able to make it to the top as my legs might give up in the middle of the trail, but this climb melt all my worries and questions, I even ask for more. Fortunately I was with professionals who already knows the ins and out of mountain climbing. My first climb was at Mt. Manabu in Batangas, the trek was started out with a prayer and off we go. It was fun climb, literally fun climb as while at the trek there was no any boring nor had any dull moments coz the people i'm with are conversant they have lot of stories/experiences to tell and share for the first timer like me. Since the mountain was only a under minor category it only took us like 3 hours to reached the peak well it could have been lesser if we didn't lost track, never the less it was still fun coz I had experienced already traverse on my first climb. Reaching the peak of the mountain is the best reward you will ever get after long grueling and tiring uphill climb you will have a great 360 degree view of nature, something you wouldn't experience if you will just always at the cement as sometimes its also nice to let your feet step on the luscious, greenery grass.

Aside from great view from the peak, this activity is my stress reliever as well aside from visiting great places here in the Philippines, more than that meeting new people and becoming your friends is a great bonus.  Mountain climbing is an experience that will really make you closer to the mother earth, will teach you responsibilities to comply on not only to your self but for the others as well. 

After my climb I had my 2nd, 3rd, 4th climb and so on still looking forward for more, now on my 3rd year anniversary thou it was a month late, I had my anniversary climb at Mt. Sembrano at Pililla, Rizal. As I celebrate my 3rd year climb I bought a new pair of hiking shoes, it was a great feeling to reward your self, that was actually my first hiking climb w/ a real hiking shoes as the previous shoes I'm using are just my regular snickers or sandals still i made it to the top. Then right now I'm planning to buy a 2 header tent as the tent I have is only good for 1 person so in that way I can have someone to share it with. Well I never thought that I will love this activity because after my first climb my whole body ache and can barely moved, thou it still does hurt every after climb but the feeling of  happiness reaching the peak, being somewhere that most wouldn't try to, aaahhhh, that what keeps me going. 

Enjoying the labyrinth of the trail, enjoying the rain while in the trail, mud on your shoes, fresh buko on your way sold only for P10, discovering or seeing animals or insects and flowers that can only find in the wild are just some worth to remember. Then who could forget those crazy drunk nights... who said that you can't have fun when you're up there? Hehe well we did. And when its time to sleep you will have a free natural, fresh, 24hours cold wind that will put you under the sheet so have to make sure you have a blanket to cover you or else you'll be frozen. 

 

Each of us have our own cup of tea, some in music, gadgets, wild sports etcetera as for me its mountain climbing and traveling something that will let me see the beauty of nature, the beauty of the Philippines and the rest of the world. Probably as long as there are mountains to climb, to visit, to conquer, to explore I will continue on... maybe on my next climb you can join us or see you at the peak. c",)

itsmejackie c",)

@Cebu-Bohol, We've been there

                     What a great way to start my travel adventure, after much anticipation, planning and flight scheduling at last our Cebu-Bohol trip was completed. The said trip was last April 11-15, 2012, it was a 5 days/4night trip. 

Flight to Cebu, Bro 1st timer to ride

Mactan-Cebu Airport

first breakfast in Cebu

I bet you know where this is

We were taken to Cebu via Zest air and landed in MACTAN-CEBU AIRPORT at about 5:15am of Apr. 11. Since I am not a person who usually book/reserve hotels or Inns to stay, after I reserved our ticket for our ferry trip going to Tagbilaran from Cebu.. Thankfully my siblings and my mom are game enough to go with my craziness, hehehe. So we had the adventure looking for a place to stay and luckily we met aling Pacita along the way, we just asked her where we could find an apartell or any lodge but more than just pointing us there she even went with us until we find one. Aling Pacita thank you very much for your smile and helping us. Right then and there we didn't waste any time we just rested for a while and we are already on our feet roaming Cebu for the whole 2 days. 

B... Cebu

Roaming around Cebu

Cebu have numbers of Old Churches

Cebu is a place to go to reminisce on your history as this province is full of that specially Spanish era. But, sadly I/we didn't find Cebu that pleasing as we expected coz its just like Manila its dirty, too much people and jeeps, so much clutter, homeless seen every where or its just because we have stayed in a wrong place? We stayed in Cebu for 2 days and 2 nights, then Wednesday morning as early as 4am we get up as we need to prepare for our trip going to Tagbilaran, Bohol and the ferry leaves at 6:30am, anticipating that our way going to the port will take us an hour so we left our lodge at about quarter to 5o'clock then before we know it we are already at the port in about 15mins so we are actually 2hours early... WHATDAF**K we should have just slept more.

 

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here starts of Bohol tour

Anyway, rising early gives us the opportunity to catch the sun rise in the port of Cebu...  we were in Tagbilaran port by 8:30am, same thing happened in Tagbilaran as we still checked for Inns to stay but this time its more easy coz I already have list to check and we ended up staying in NISA TRAVELERS INN its along Carlos P. Garcia avenue just right in the heart of Tagbilaran city. It is indeed a cheap place but its not cheap in service, as you'll get great service for a a fair enough price. You will get a welcomer water, airconditioned clean room w/ towels, they also have free breakfast, wi-fi and if you don't have laptop or mobile device wi-fi ready they have free use of computer.

 

Breakfast at Nisa Travelers Inn

 

 

Bohol Tours... Hinagdanan Cave

 

 Visited Python Park

 

Our tour in Bohol is much more relaxing and better as we took a tour package in a friendly price and we had a great driver/tour guide/joker. Along the way mang Nonoy had a lot of stories to share historically and neighborly stories. But more than being a driver as his means of living, he is friendly, compassionate and helpful. I highly recommend mang Nonoy if you are going to Bohol you may contact him @ this number 09203684838 and he will happily tour you in the beautiful places of Bohol and you may ask him to bring you to Panglao Island to end up your tour and take a swim in its bluesh/green sea. There are lot to see in Bohol, a lot to enjoy not only of your eyes but of your whole being as a person being thankful that we are blessed with such rich nature, specially if you are a Filipino.  

                                                      

 

Finally I've captured the incredible Tarsier with my cam 

   

                                                                                  Tasty Chocolate hills

 

                                      Had Lunch  at floating restaurant, In Loboc River

Oldest Churches in Bohol, Baclayon Church

Unfortunately there was something bad happened as I lost my wallet when we visit the Chocolate hills, the money is supposedly to be used to pay Mang Nonoy, good thing I didn't put in there my ATM well I was left with no choice but just to withdraw. And for that person who got my wallet and didn't have the heart to give it back to me or surrender it to the authorities, remember there's always what you called KARMA. Nevertheless this mishap didn't impeded me to enjoy  my vacation. I am just thankful that this misfortune happened to my wallet rather than to us, thank you Lord.

Mang Nonoy's service...

More than words our Cebu-Bohol tour with my family is indescribable, overwhelming, fun, learning. Well this is just a start for this year and hopefully I will be financially capable to keep up with my next tours. 

Hop in and join me in my next adventure.




itsmejackie c",)