Albay Wildlife Park

Hello everyone!

Last month, we went to Legazpi City because I had to attend the 18th birthday party of my good friend’s daughter while Mama Pat had to attend a deceased relative’s wake in Malilipot, Albay. And so, the day after the party and the wake, we were able to have a little detour to Albay Wildlife Park and later in Cagsawa Ruins before going home to Naga City.

Albay Wildlife Park has been there since I was in college (which was some years ago, I’m telling you). Despite that, I can only count with the fingers of my one hand how many times I’ve been there.  For those who haven’t been to the park, do yourselves a favor and go in the morning as the weather is SCORCHING HOT in the afternoon. Despite that, I bet the kids will surely enjoy.

They have this man-made lake where you can rent a boat.

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They also have a playground for the kids.

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After Julienne explored the playground, we went to see the aviary. They have beautiful birds on display.

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The thing about this aviary is that you kinda feel sorry for the birds in captivity. They have no room to “spread their wings and fly.” That is expected of course since they are not in their natural habitat. A lot of them were really lacking energy too.

We also went to see the reptiles. The cages of the lizards and the snakes were not very clean. They also have no drinking water when we saw them. I had a feeling like they were being kept there and nobody cares if they died. It was just a feeling I got when I saw their living condition. I could be wrong but it was feeling I had as a visitor of the park. So, shout out to the local government of Albay, please see to it that the animals are well taken cared of.

We also saw the lion and the tiger, which was the highlight of the trip. The lion was walking around inside his cage whereas the tiger was hiding so no pictures.

Another highlight was the encounter with the funny monkey duo.

Over-all, I think it is a nice place to take your children and tourists. Although you’d probably see more animals in Manila Zoo but this is a good place to walk around, hang out and spend time with your family.

Alinchlo Tourist Inn

Last month, I traveled solo to Sorsogon to see my family but 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. Not exactly my idea of fun.

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 to have dinner. I just had to mention that when I was about to cross the road to board the Loop 2 Legazpi-Daraga jeepney to meet Ca, I very nearly got hit by a speeding bicycle. That was scary sh*t.

After about two hours outside, I was able to go back to the inn in one piece. Now, going out was a breeze since you know when you are in Legazpi because of the landmarks (malls, buildings, etc.) but coming back 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, I felt like the ride was taking way longer than before and 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 (which happened to be a stone’s throw from where we were that time so I asked at the nick of time).  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, 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. If you travel with your own car, this is good value for money because you wouldn’t have to commute. 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 finding my writing/blogging mojo back just now. I hope you all are doing well!

BTW, this post is about this hotel called Victor Hotel where we stayed during our short trip to Jose Panganiban – a town in Camarines Norte province. This would be my second time in Jose Panganiban. The first time we went there was last year during All Souls’ Day, and this time, to pay respect to the remains of Yoy’s aunt, our beloved Tita Iyah.

We weren’t able to see much of the town because of the very reasons why we had to go there anyway. Add to this the fact that travel time took more than 3 hours because of the ongoing road constructions resulting to heavy traffic and some of the roads are still really bad, particularly in the Cam Sur areas.

Here are some snapshots I was able to take when we tried (and failed) to go to the breakwater (sigh!). The breakwater seems to be the favorite spot to hang out for the people in town. We failed because the streets leading there that Yoy remembered from his childhood were either closed or blocked that time.  

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. 

The room we shared (there were 5 adults and 1 kid) was spacious enough with two beds (1 double bed and 1 queen bed) and was very basic. The room was clean enough but the bathroom was not very well kept. It was old and smelled of mold or some strong bathroom odor. One more thing, if you need to charge your cellphones, you might find it very challenging since the only electric socket in the room was very nicely hidden under the dressing table. Also, wifi worked great in mobile phones but I was never able to connect using my laptop so I still had to go to a computer shop to send my report. Good thing the shop charged only Php12.00 per hour and the owner was friendly. Actually, I have yet to find an unfriendly soul in J. Panganiban since all the people I encountered were friendly and helpful.

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 not very nice to look at. Trust me. The thing that is better about this hotel compared with the other one (Apolonia Hotel) was that they have running water 24/7.

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 maybe explore its beautiful islands and beaches too. I’m looking forward to really getting to know the place. Right now, the impression that I have is in the kind and smiling faces of its people. Oh, and the cars and tricycles are overspeeding so when you’re there, better watch out.

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 there was like a cloud hanging over my head as I contemplated this dilemma. 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 any, for as long as you don’t bother them, maybe.

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. Summer heat may be aggravating but with it comes the excitement of adventures to come and dreaming about trips that we may or may not actually take but enjoyed planning for anyway haha.

So, my first summer adventure was just within the city, we went to Panicuason Hot Spring Resort and Adventure Park. Everyone in Naga probably has seen this place before, it’s the main go-to destination. Even I have been here before.

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. The temperature in the kiddie pool was just right (not too hot and not too cold like the other pools) 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 that many steps. The best thing about it though was the view (and the exercise!).

A lot more walking than we signed up for…………

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 like normal people.

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 be kind of bland and ordinary. So, if you visit Panicuason Hot Spring Resort, make sure you’re up for a hike to the top of the hill where their infinity pool is.

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

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

 

 

Wooden Board (Naga City)

Hello there! How are you guys? Hope you’re all feeling well and happy today. As for me, I’m doing just fine. I mean, life kicks me in the butt time and again but that’s life, right? But really, I have been dead tired these past few days from travelling to and fro Sorsogon City to care for my sick mother. One can’t even imagine how hard it is to care for an aging parent, especially when they’re sick, unless they’ve done it themselves. So, I will be forever grateful to my brother Bong, and have so much respect for his commitment to stay by Mama’s side full time in this difficult time.

As I was saying, I was so tired and have not slept properly for three days. My mind was full of thoughts of my mother being sick and all the negative emotions from the horrible fight I had with my father. Well, he’s notorious for his drinking problem so that’s pretty much self-explanatory. Still being in this state yesterday, I was only grateful when Caressa invited me to go out and try this resto called Wooden Board in Sta Cruz, Naga City.

Photo credit: Caressa

Caressa discovered Wooden Board though a Facebook post and she contacted the owner to inquire about the location and stuff. We met at a 7/11 branch infront of University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) and took a pedicab going to the resto. No worries, the pedicab drivers know the place. It is located in a residential area, a sort of crowded place, but it’s hard to miss because of the large signage.

The entrance, which was enclosed with a bamboo fence and vines, led to a small garden. We proceeded inside and instantly noticed the cool reggae theme of the restaurant’s setting with music playing in the background.

We were expecting a crowd but surprisingly, we were the only ones there. This was a bit odd considering it was a Saturday night.

The staff who appeared to be the owners themselves (or I could be wrong) were friendly and attentive. I just had a couple of issues that they might need to work on like #1. They need to do something about the mosquitoes, #2. The first table we sat in had been used as sort of an ashtray so we moved to another table and #3. They need air conditioning (to finally take care of that mosquito problem for good) because if they won’t shoo the mosquitoes away, they’d be shooing potential customers away.

The food though was good and reasonably priced.

We ordered these burgers called Hashtag Andrea (with lettuce, 100% beef patty, mayo mustard, hash brown and melted cheddar cheese) and Smokey Dale (with lettuce, 100% beef patty, bacon, mayo mustard, hash brown, melted cheddar cheese and caramelized onion). These were yummy burgers, beats the s@*% out of a McDonald’s or Jollibee buns any day.

Hashtag Andrea (Php 95.00)

Smokey Dale (Php 95.00)

We also had Fries Overload, which I enjoyed a lot. I think I’d be happy eating on my own with just this and one of their burgers. What made it even more appetizing aside from the cheddar cheese were the herbs sprinkled on top. I love that little detail.

For Julienne (who tagged along), we ordered Mac and Cheese but she didn’t really like it as much as she liked the fries and burgers. The pasta was filling but all the cheese made us crave for beer. San Mig Apple, yasss please.

Over-all, I really enjoyed it and hopefully, they’ll address the issues soon and turn this place into an ultimate go-to for all the passionate eaters and foodies out there.

Thanks for dropping by! =)

 

Quickstop Cafe (Magsaysay Ave., Naga City)

Hi everyone!

About two weeks ago, we had a lunch gathering with friends who also happen to be co-workers. Jael initiated the meet-up while Caressa and I decided on where we should eat, which was at Quickstop Cafe, located on the second floor of Quickstop Convenience Store along Magsaysay Avenue, Balatas, Naga City.

It was Caressa’s second visit and she took the photos as I forgot to bring my camera that time.

The cafe looked like a regular cafe with ample seats and nice cool ambience where young people can hang out and probably bring a date.

 

As with the food, we anticipated that preparation would take some time so since C and I got there ahead of everyone, we texted them to ask what they wanted to eat and ordered for them. This way, they didn’t have to wait too long for the food to be served.

These are some of the food we sampled:

The Buffalo Wings were so good and for the price of a little over a hundred pesos only, there were 6 pieces and it came with garlic mayo dip.

Buffalo Wings

The next was Chicken Teriyaki bowl. Unfortunately, I did not get to try this one but since J had no issues with it, it must be good.

Chicken Teriyaki

This was my order – Special Daing na Bangus. It was fried milkfish with achara (pickled papaya with tomatoes and onion), rice and garlic vinegar for dipping sauce. Although the fish was a little smaller than I expected, it was still filling enough for me. I’d have it again in case I get a craving for fish.

Special Daing na Bangus

Another dish that I really liked was the Chopsuey Rice because it was tasty, you can tell that the vegetables were fresh and cooked just right (not overcooked), plus this one already comes with rice (not in picture). Even the picky eating buntis (expecting mom), Arleyn, liked it.

Chopsuey Rice

We also ordered Beef Tenderloin Tips served on a sizzling plate. I found it was tasty enough but I tended to gravitate more towards their chicken dishes.

Beef Tenderloin Tips

Irene’s order was Chicken in Soy Garlic Sauce. She arrived before her order was served but was pleasantly surprised when her order came out and there were six pieces of chicken cutlets to share. This was also very good.

Chicken in Soy Garlic Sauce

As for dessert, C and I ate a Panacotta before the meals were even served and way before the others arrived since we were famished, but had to wait for the others simply because it was good manners, of course, lol.

 

Finally, we washed down all that food with a refreshing pitcher of cold Cucumber Lemonade (Php150.00).

Added bonus pics: Caressa was nice enough to lend me some of her pictures of the first time she was at Quickstop Cafe with a friend wherein they had Carbonara and Chocolate Mousse, among others. Posting it here for additional reference of the variety of food that they offer.

 

If you noticed, I did not put all the prices. It was because their prices were so reasonable that every dish we ordered were just a little over Php100.00 and their desserts in jars costed, more or less, Php50.00. Not too bad at all, right? And oh, we did not order drinks like coffee or tea that time so I have no pics of those yet, but I will try to update you as soon as I can. =)

So, I guess that’s it for now. If I was able to help you guys out in some way through my posts, in keeping you informed or whatever, I’m just glad I could do as much.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Apolonia Hotel (Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte)

Hello everyone!

From my last post, I was talking about our trip to Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte, which is Yoy’s hometown. As it turned out, there were only two hotels that popped up when I google searched hotels in J. Panganiban, they were Victor Hotel and Apolonia Hotel, the rest were room/house rentals via Airbnb.

Apolonia Hotel was were we ended up staying in for the night. My early verdict: not the best budget hotel I have ever been in but not the worst (yet) either.

Like every budget hotel, it is pretty basic. As it is located in an old building and the fact that I was already given the heads up prior to the trip that there were no nice accommodations to be had in J. Panganiban, I have kind of also adjusted my expectations to match reality. And avoid much disappointment in the process.

So this was the room. It had lots of cabinet space than we actually needed. I have never been in a hotel room and seen a lot of color pink than when I entered this room. Even with all that pink glory, it still had that unmistakable old place vibe. It was like the feeling of entering the studio apartment I used to rent in Legazpi City, and not like being in a hotel.

Then the bathroom was so dated that the fixtures have obviously seen better days. It was not the cleanest I have seen, but since my expectations have been adjusted, I did not find things very disappointing. Well, except for the fact that the water in the faucet was almost (really!) non-existent the next day. Apparently, the water situation was hard in the area and the hotel was no exception.

More pics of the old building…

Then, this was what it looked like outside of the room. It really reminded me of an apartment than a hotel.

It was an OK stay for the night for Php1,000.00 but the experience made me rethink the wisdom of trying out Airbnb next time around when I find myself again in this part of the Bicol Region.

Thank you all for reading! =)

Lucban’s KSarap Resto (Daet, Camarines Norte)

Hello everyone! It’s me again, updating you on what’s hot and what’s worth your time and money if you ever find yourselves in Bicol.

Last week, we took a trip to Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte and one of our stops was lunch at Lucban’s Ksarap Restaurant, located along Vinzon’s Avenue in Daet, Camarines Norte – just infront of SM Hypermarket.

Mama Pat suggested that we have lunch there as the said resto is best-known in the area in terms of serving good food. The ambiance was not bad either. They even have a machine that produces mist by the entrance to help cool the place from the sweltering heat somehow. They have a pasalubong shop, parking space inside the compound and a koi pond. 

Even though the place was packed when we got there, we were able to secure a spot inside and enjoy a few of their dishes like Sotanghon (Php220.00), Pork Sinigang (P130.00) and Lumpiang Shanghai.

We shared a slice of yummy Blueberry Cheesecake for dessert.

Blueberry Cheesecake (Php 130.00 per slice)

I must say, we enjoyed our stopover. I hope you will too! =)