My Top 5 Must-Try Eats (1st Qtr 2023)

This year, I have decided to share my Top 5 Must-Try Eats. Just 5 things that I have tried lately and became my own personal favorites. These are the food that I think are so good, I want to recommend them for other people to enjoy.

No. 1 Chicharon Bulaklak Rice Toppings by Smokey Plates (Naga City)- This one is my Top 1 as I have enjoyed it so much the first time that I tried it. It seems to be one of the best-sellers. Even my co-workers who eat there always order this one. Also, their liempo and spare ribs are so good.

No. 2 Sisig by Starmark Cafe (Naga City)- This is locally famous for being the signature dish of Starmark Cafe. And rightly so, it is the crunchiest and most delicious sisig that I have had the pleasure to enjoy.

No. 3 Chef’s Salad by Manna Korea (Naga City) – Everytime we would dine at Manna Korea, we’d always order this salad. Because, why not? You can bet, it’s always fresh and always served generously. So good!

No. 4 Cassava Puto from Lagonoy – This one was bought from a “manang” who happened to pass by the milk tea shop where we hanged out at Lagonoy, Cam Sur. It was bigger than the rice puto being sold in Naga and it had more sweetened coconut filling (bukayo).

No. 5 Nachos from Shawarmalicious (Naga City)- This is the perfect snack while hanging out at E-Mall in Naga City. It is very affordable but does not scrimp on ground beef, onions, green tomatoes and cucumber slices.

This has been fun and I hope you can also try these when you visit Bicol. I’m glad I get to share my favorites with you. Till the next blog post!

El Miro De Shei Integrated Farm (Camalig, Albay)

Hello dear readers! Am I blogging again? Yes, I think this is the start of my comeback as a (self-proclaimed) blogger. During my most previous nth hiatus, my adventures may have been few and far in between, and mind you, most of them were about food. However, there have been a couple of times when I actually managed to crawl outside of my little box and did a little bit of exploring. One of them was when I went to El Miro De Shei Integrated Farm together with some friends.

So, this farm is very nice and aesthetic. Lots of nooks and crannies where you can take the most amazing pictures and may even have Mayon Vulcano as the backdrop. You can find the most varied collection of hibiscus flowers (that I love, btw) and all sorts of different ornamental and flowering plants. You can also find roses, orchids, the most colorful celosia flowers and many more.

I recommend this farm for those of you who are needing a place to get away from it all. All the stress, deadlines and the drama of our lives. Yes please, this place is so relaxing with the fresh air and all. You can forget your problems for a while and bask in all that goodness that nature has to offer. And even more important, is that you get to take lots of pictures to show all of your social media friends that you’re chilling and living your best life. Just kidding. You all know what I mean.

So, that’s it. My first recommendation for the year. Till next time, love and light!

Grateful

So, WordPress just informed me that I reached a milestone in the number of views for my blog. You know, it feels great considering that I had a blog hiatus due to restrictions caused by the pandemic. All sorts of bizarre things happened in the world. And then, my own personal heartbreak, my Mama’s passing…

So, I’m just really grateful for this. Thank you all for your support. Much love, and stay safe always!

Albay Park and Wildlife

I remember going to Albay Park and Wildlife a couple of times when I was in college and I always had a great time with friends.  This time, I went with my family on a side trip after attending two important occasions – a birthday and a funeral.

For those of you who might be interested in visiting this park during summer, I think it’s best to go in the morning or late afternoon as the weather can be SCORCHING HOT in the middle of the day. Anyway, it’s a nice place to have a picnic and hang out with families and friends. It’s also fun to see the children’s excited and fascinated faces as they watch the animals in person.

By the way, one of the major attractions of the park is the man-made lake where visitors can rent colorful boats and take as much photos as they like.

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The park also has a playground for the kids. This is where my little girl spent most of her time. She enjoyed the slides and ran around while the big T-Rex looked on.

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Afterwards, we went to see the aviary. They have beautiful birds on display like the very cute owls and colorful peacocks and other birds that I don’t even know the names of so I’m just gonna show you the pictures.

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If I may say my two-cents, I do feel kind of sorry for the birds in captivity. They have no room to “spread their wings and fly.” I think lot of them were really lacking energy too.

When we went to see the reptiles, the cages of the lizards and the snakes can be cleaner. Some of them also have no drinking water. But that’s just me, maybe the staff has a reason for it. Hey, I don’t know the first thing about taking care of wild animals. I could be wrong, but it was just a feeling I had as a visitor of the park.

And finally, the highlight of our visit was definitely seeing the lion and the tiger. The lion was walking around in its cage, being its usual huge and imposing self. I actually had to fight my urge to taunt it, yes, like a crazy person. Lol. The tiger, on the  other hand, liked its privacy and was hiding in the back the whole time.

Another highlight was the encounter with the funny monkey duo who were busy grooming each other. I had them on video, which was way funnier.

Over-all, I think Albay Park and Wildlife is a nice place to hang out and see the wild animals. It is also very near Lignon Hill. So next time, I think we’ll be checking that place out as well. Until next time my dear readers! =)

Alinchlo Tourist Inn

Last month, I traveled solo to Sorsogon to see my parents. Before going there, I had to spend a night in Daraga, Albay because I already made a booking for Alinchlo Tourist Inn. I was supposed to stay there with Yoy and Julienne but they couldn’t make it so I had to go by myself. It has been raining too so I was like, yeah, bad weather, solo travel. I was feeling a little depressed.

First of all, how to get there. I googled the location of this inn, and since I was travelling from Naga City via UV Express, I got off at San Ramon Nonato Church in Brgy. Tagas, Daraga along the Diversion Road on the way to the airport and van terminal. This also works for those coming from Manila by bus. From the church, you can just turn left and walk for about two minutes but I took a tricycle going to the inn (paid P20.00) because of my bags.

The staff who greeted me was welcoming and friendly. They have a small store at the reception where you can buy instant cup noodles, toothpaste, shampoo, biscuits and candies, other stuff too. I bought one cup noodles (batchoy flavor) and the room boy got hot water and utensils for me.

The room. Kudos to the inn for its cleanliness. The room was newly painted, had simple but new furniture and good working aircon. The smell was nice and clean. I instantly felt comfortable.

The view from my window.

The bathroom was clean with new toilet and fixtures. There’s hot water in the shower too.

Since I was by myself, I met up with Caressa (who I work with in Naga), who also happened to be in Daraga that time. We met at Ayala Mall in Legazpi to buy supplies and have dinner. I just had to mention that when I was about to cross the road to board the Loop 2 Legazpi-Daraga jeepney, I very nearly got hit by a speeding bicycle. That was some scary sh*t.

After about two hours outside with Ca, I was able to go back to the inn in one piece. Now, going out was a breeze since you easily know when you are in Legazpi centro because of the landmarks (malls, buildings, etc.) but going back to the inn was a little tricky. First of all, you have to take the Loop 1 Daraga-Legazpi jeepney in front of LCC Mall (remember that from the inn I took the Loop 2 jeepney). Then, as I felt like the ride was taking way too long, the sights were becoming more unfamiliar. So, when I was feeling like I might miss my stop, which was the San Ramon Nonato Church, I asked the driver to drop me off at the church. Luckily, I asked in the nick of time because my stop was about 2 meters ahead.

Finally, I can rest my feet and enjoy cable TV and the strong wifi before sleeping.

The next day. That’s looking out my window and the weather was still gloomy. After putting in some work on my laptop (day job), I checked out and went on my way to Sorsogon City.

I recommend this tourist inn for solo and group travelers, and for families too. This place is good value for money, especially if you travel with your own car since you don’t have to get confused with commuting. Their rooms start at Php 800.00 if you book at the reception. I got mine at Php 896.00 via travelbook.ph.

Euresian Paradise Resort

Last week, we went to this resort that I discovered online – Euresian Paradise Resort in Pasacao, Camarines Sur.

As there is a serious lack of beaches near Naga City, we decided to go to Pasacao again. However, I wanted a clean place to go to since the first time I have seen Balogo Beach I did not find it very clean.

So, I checked Euresian Paradise Resort online and instantly became interested. We arrived around 10:00 in the morning and the sun was thankfully bright enough to enjoy a dip in their swimming pool.

The view of the horizon was great from their viewing deck.

Although the resort barely has its share of the beach to enjoy (the area is composed of mangroves and marine plants), they have developed a swimming area with concrete divisions separating it from the mangroves.One important thing to consider if you want to enjoy this swimming area is to get there early in the morning because by 12:00 noon, the tide will be low and the water becomes too shallow. 

For lunch, we grilled some marinated pork, chicken and some hotdogs.  We paid P50.00 for the use of their grill and the charcoal was also included in the fee.

Entrance Fee: P150.00 (adults), P100.00 (kids).

Cottage is priced from P500.00 to P1,000.00.

Thanks for dropping by! See you again next time. Bye!

 

Victor Hotel (Jose Panganiban)

Hello guys! I missed you and I missed blogging but I’ve been really busy these past weeks. And I’m only getting my blogging mojo back just now. I hope you all are doing well!

BTW, this post is about our stay at Victor Hotel where we spent a night during our short trip to Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte. This would be my second time in Jose Panganiban. The first time we went there was last year during All Souls’ Day. This time, we paid respect to the remains of Yoy’s aunt, the ever glamorous and nice Tita Iyah.

We weren’t able to see much of the town because we were pressed for time. Travel time from Naga took more than 3 hours because of the ongoing road constructions and heavy traffic. Some of the roads are still really bad, particularly in the Cam Sur areas.

Before I talk about the hotel, here are some snapshots I was able to take when we tried (and failed) to go to the breakwater (sigh!). Apparently, the breakwater is the favorite hang out in town. We failed to see it because every street we tried to pass were blocked. Yoy thought he remembered the place of his childhood but we never made it to the breakwater lol.

So, there is actually a new tourist inn… I guess we’ll check it out next time.

This (below) is Victor Hotel where we stayed for the night. There are only two hotels in Jose Panganiban, the other one is APOLONIA HOTEL, which was also featured in my blog last year.

Our room was spacious enough to accommodate 5 adults and 1 kid. It had two beds (1 double bed and 1 queen bed) and very basic actually. It was relatively clean but the bathroom was old and smelled of like a strong ammonia odor. One more thing, if you need to charge your phone, your name better be Sherlock since you will need the skillset to find the only electric socket in the room (very much hidden under the dressing table, so pushed back you’ll need to look really hard to find it) .

THE ROOM (Sorry for the mess though………..)

THE HALLWAY

THE STAIRWELL GOING TO THE SECOND FLOOR

I’m not showing you the bathroom because it’s my least favorite part. What’s better about this hotel though compared with Apolonia Hotel was that they have running water 24/7 while Apolonia only had trickles every now and then.

Julienne takes a pic next to her Lola Iyah who remains beautiful in our memories…

I hope someday we’ll get to explore the quiet little town of Jose Panganiban and its beautiful beaches. Right now, the impression that I have is it’s a quaint place with kind and smiling people.

Thank you for taking the time to read! =)

Bee Farm (Camalig, Albay)

Welcome to the Bee Farm in Camalig, Albay! This place is great for sight seeing and relaxing because of all the beautiful flowers all in bloom. Just look at the pictures below.

This is the sight that will greet you upon entering the farm. BTW, there is no entrance fee so you can look around all you want and take pictures for free.

Love this red tractor, it gives the place a sorta Farmville feels =)

I’m not very happy about the fact that I left my trusted Sony camera at the hotel and left with no other choice but to take photos with my 0+ cellphone instead. Now, this phone of mine doesn’t have a very good camera so I’ve been a little stressed. Anyway, blogging must go on and this is the best I can do for now.

The flowers are amazing clouds of pinks, purples and whites all around us.

There are fruit bearing trees too, like these avocado and calamansi trees.

Thank you Caressa for taking my photo =)

These bees are about as small as flies (langaw) and they won’t bother you if you just let them be.

That’s about it, our short stop at the Bee Farm in Camalig, Albay. Hope you liked it and hope you’ll go see it for yourselves. Till our next trip, bye! ❤

Panicuason Hot Spring & Adventure Park

Hello everyone!

Summer is here again. There’s no escaping the heat. They said we are experiencing the El Nino phenomenon right now, and there was also the water shortage in Metro Manila which was all over the news a few weeks ago. Yes, it’s summer time, indeed.

So, my first summer adventure was just within the city, we went to Panicuason Hot Spring Resort and Adventure Park. Everyone in Naga has probably been here before, it’s the favorite place for outings.

The resort is located at the foot of Mount Isarog and if you are the nature lover type, you will most certainly like it.

We had fun in their hot and cold spring pools but the temperature in the kiddie pool was just perfect for me. So I lingered there even though it was pretty crowded.

The most fun part though was our adventure uphill to see the infinity pool. We did not expect that there would be so many steps to climb. The best thing about it though was the view (and the exercise!).

A lot more walking than we expected…

Across the fields, we went…

Only to find that the infinity pool was being cleaned and we will not be able to swim. Darn it!

The view was still nice though, so we took more pictures.

In the canteen, they also sell organic produce and products. Unfortunately, we forgot to buy some to take home.

This trip was a nice way to kick off our summer. I must admit that if it weren’t for that uphill hike, our outing would have been a so so experience. So, if you visit Panicuason Hot Spring Resort, make sure you’re up for a hill climb.

Entrance Fee: Adult – Php200.00, Kids – Php160.00

Entrance Fee to the Infinity pool: Php50.00 (additional)

Naga City Ecology Park

I’ve Google searched this park a few times before and I’ve read some Trip Advisor reviewers say that Naga City Ecology Park (located in Barangay San Felipe) was mediocre, “so-so,” not well-maintained and not even worth the Php20.00 entrance fee. However, I beg to disagree because our trip was worth it.

I admit those unsatisfied reviews and the lack of pictures on the internet were the reasons why it took me so long before visiting the park. We went there this morning though and I am glad to learn that we have a beautiful place like this in Naga City.

As I noticed that there are not a lot of features and blog posts on Naga City Ecopark online, I am now going to share what awaits you, what you can expect when you visit and the things to see and do. Let’s go!

Take a relaxing walk while enjoying Mother Nature.

Discover the different kinds of trees, plants and flowers…

Even some fruits like this unripe chico and these curious berries (which are not edible BTW).

Explore the maze.

People seem to think that the maze is the main attraction of the ecopark but for me, this place has more to offer than just the maze. It was a dry spell when we visited this morning so it was not very green as I would have liked it to be. Looking at my photos, you cannot even tell that it’s a maze.

Visit the Topiary Garden

The Topiary Garden was where I felt that the short trip was worth it. It was well-kept, clean and as you can see, well-manicured trees!

Flowers are everywhere in the Topiary Garden.

Let your kids enjoy in the Graceland Ecopark Playground.

Visit Ellen White Garden (where all the flowers are white)

Find Inner Peace in Hardin ni Ina

Visit Jose Rizal Mini Eco Park

You have to kinda lower your expectations though and maybe you should save this one for last because it was not well-maintained and not much to see.

Over-all, Naga City Eco Park is a great place to visit in my opinion because there is no other place like this in Naga City. It is a great place to commune with nature and enjoy its beauty.

A VERY VERY IMPORTANT reminder though, please clean up after yourselves. Let’s not throw away trash anywhere around the park.

Till next post! Bye!