celebraTINg exisTENce

The weather was clear for day 2.

The fog was nowhere in sight.

We needed to go down the mountain to visit one Barangay but it was impossible to reach it by car since there was a landslide that occurred and damaged the bridge. You may look for Jay Taruc's Motorcycle Diaries TV program to know more about the landslide, he has an episode where they gave out relief goods to the affected residents.

I climb mountains, yes.
I love trekking, yes.

But I wasn't prepared for this at all. Descent was exhausting and punishing because this isn't a mountain that is frequented by mountaineers and tourists so the trek is, well, kind of hell with all the thorns, mud and steep descents.

HAHAHAHAHAHA. I don't remember how many times I slipped and how many scratches I got from our 3 hours long descent.

The only time I hated my Sandugo sandals. Gave it away after this trip. HAHAHAHA!

I forgot his name but he made my descent a lot easier.

"Malapit na ba?"
"Oo, malapit na."

"WAAAAAH WAG MO KO PINAGLOLOKO!!!!"

But he saved me though when I didn't know where to step at when a huge earthworm greeted (mej kasing taba siya ng ballpen) us there. He also helped me stand everytime I slipped. Grabe talaga!!!!!! As in best ever.

We reached the area alive! HUHUHUHU ALIVE!!!!! But not unscathed. :)))

I don't know what this place is called. Okay, I knew it but I forgot it now. HAHAHA.

We were able to talk to the barangay chairman and tourism activities are already in the works for this area to divert the livelihood of the residents from illegal logging, kaingin based livelihood to a sustainable tourism based one. Much better. A lot better.

Someday, I hope I'll have a chance to work with an agency or organization that would promote sustainable and responsible tourism here in the Philippines or in other countries. I hate it when I see irresponsible residents and tourists. HAHAHA. Kala mo kung sinong responsable...

Cleaned up my leggings and scratches before eating.
Sarap maligo!!

Boodle Fight for lunch.

Thank You for the gift of then budding friendship. <3

0 Comments

Here are pictures from Real and Infanta's New Little Baguio area.

This place became really special to me not only because those three days we spent there were all filled with laughter, tears (HAHA!), and talks about making sense of our lives. But because, it was raw - it was nature at its finest; a place free from commercialization with nature taking care of us since day one.

Little Baguio isn't a famous tourist spot but it is a well-known place for motorcycle riders.

For day one, it was a foggy and cold day. The real Baguio lost me in this, iba talaga pag nature. I've always loved fogs and clouds, in this matter, Little Baguio gave us a lot.

The banner picture that I have in this blog was taken there.

It was gloomy yet so beautiful. Haha. And we had the whole place for ourselves! There aren't a lot of residents in the area so they knew all of us in just three days.

It was last December when we went there and the weather for day 1 and 3 were perfect for my preference.

According to a resident, fog clears up at noon. And she was right, it really did.

Sunlight finally!

But this only lasted for around a three hours.

Then we bought buko and Kuya told us to go up this viewing area because buko would taste a lot better when drank from where I took this picture. HAHA. Yes for a P 20.00 buko enjoyed in a priceless view.

This was our view...

That hiway is called MaRiFanta Hiway. It goes straight from Marikina to Infanta, Quezon. There are no public transportation so this place can only be reached by private vehicles.

No wonder only motorcycle riders frequent this place.

Viewing Deck inspired by Baguio's Mines View Park.

Only a lot better because you'll be seeing mountains, forests, and clouds not houses. :))

Then we decided to go up the mountain to see a better panoramic view of the area. It was so windy here we couldn't take decent photos of us.

Sobrang ganda.

I've always loved the feeling of being one with the clouds.

It was like Mt. Pulag camp site all over again without the pagod.

This is Jariel's Peak (search them on Facebook), one of the few restaurants in the area, they serve exotic food there.

0 Comments

I ate my first Hainanese Chicken meal in Singapore. Back there, the meal wasn't one for the books but it definitely made me want to try other restaurants serving Hainanese Chicken.

Anyway, most of the restaurants I've gone to didn't even make it to my Instagram account but Wangfu made it twice. My first time in their Il Terazzo branch and this one in UPTC. So ang espesyal kapag na-Instagram at na-blog ganon. HAHAHA.

Meal comes with soup and tofu with pork floss. I think this set meal is also with unlimited rice, I am just not sure.

The chicken was cooked right - it was tender and juicy. I wish I could say that this tastes close to the one I had in Singapore but no I can't because this is much better. Also, the three dipping choices are so good though only spring onion with ginger soy sauce are for me. Yup, Wangfu's one for the boo...blog. :))

This is the first time trying Salted Egg Fried Chicken.

The main reason why I ordered this is because I was curious as to what it tastes like. What can I say? It tastes good especially since you can really taste the flavor of the salted egg as the breading and it's quite crunchy but this is something that I probably need to get used to before appreciating it fully. You know those food that you're used to eat with a constant partner (Salted Egg with Tomatoes) that pairing it with other food isn't something you immediately like. Or ako lang 'to. Haha.

Pork Chop with Chinese Style Mayo

This one's good to but there's an umay factor. Should've have stuck with Sweet and Sour Pork.

I don't remember why I have no picture of our Shark's Fin Dumpling but it is something you should try. As in, okay na nga ko dun saka Hainanese Chicken Rice eh. :))

CLICK THE LINKS BELOW FOR OTHER BLOGGED UPTC FINDS:

Wingman (UPTC)

Mama Lou's (UPTC)

Boon Tong Kee (UPTC) - Sana may improvement. The first time eating here was super okay, the second time was uh never mind.
Recovery Food (UPTC)
Cafe Shibuya (UPTC)
Merkado Supermarket (UPTC)
Family Mart (UPTC)
Churreria La Lola (pero Powerplant Branch)
St. Marc's Cafe (pero Megamall Branch)
Kyo Chon Korean Style Fried Chicken (pero Megamall branch, posting UPTC branch soon)
S&R New York Style Fried Chicken (pero Cubao branch)
Ginza Bairin (pero Glorietta branch)
J.Co Donuts and Coffee (pero Megamall Branch)
Sbarro (pero Mall of Asia Branch)

Coldstone Creamery (pero Serendra at SM North branches)
Starbuck's Coffee (pero Congressional Branch)

Post ko soon:
Ramen Nagi
Kyo Chon Korean Style Chicken (bilang nagkita kami ulit ng ex ko haha)
Triple O's
Sizzling Pepper Lunch

'Yung totoo, ang dami ko na palang nakainan or mga nakainan kong nag branch out from South dun. Next please. May suggestions ka pa ba? May natira pa akong Gift Certificates from Merkado eh kaya babalik pa. HAHA! Thanks! Kbye. :))

0 Comments

KitcheNails currently has two branches - one in Alabang Town Center and one in Trinoma. We went here last January during the opening day of Trinoma Branch.

I don't recall seeing a nail salon/spa anywhere in Trinoma so I think it's safe to say that they finally have one and in a very unique concept pa.

Here's for us North babies!

KitcheNails, as the name suggests, is a kitchen-themed nail salon.

I love how they went all-in for the concept. When you say KitcheNails it's not just a new nail spa in Trinoma but a nail spa that can offer you new experiences. Aside from being in lined with the theme, everything's so cute and girly.

Here's the cupboard of the order counter where the Chef will mix the ingredients... oooops, more of this later. :)

I am impressed with how well-thought of the interiors and designs there. It was like as if you entered a bakeshop, really.

Here's a picture of the receiving area where they'd ask you what your orders are.

So as I was saying earlier, there's a chef who mixed the ingredients that are to be used for your order.
They're very detailed when it comes to what you're getting because they want to serve you in the best possible way. Everything's dependent on your preference but don't get intimidated with the choices because they explain everything too.

The "order process" is a plus points as well because the customers are given the chance to say beforehand all the things that they want to be done. By the way, the "ingredients" they use are all organic.

What I had that night was Chef's Special in Spiced Plum Panacotta. Huhu. It smelled so goooooood!

Here's the area where the cooking takes place. place...

How cute are these???

When I saw these, I was like, "Omg ang cute!"

"Baking time."
Isn't it cool how they stick with the theme all throughout your stay there? KitcheNails surely has a unique concept that even if you're a frequent goer of nail spas, you'll still find a lot of interesting things and hear interesting terms there.

After soaking hands in a baking pan and applying the mask, arms are then covered with cling wrap.

A big thanks to my Nail Server Ate Melda for treating me like a princess. Di niya ko nasugatan saka ang bait. Hi Ate! :D

After our handspa and manicure, I got freshly-baked hands. Haha!

It was so fragrant I couldn't stop smelling my hands afterwards.

Kind of struggled with how I'm taking the photo of my nails. hehe.

Follow them on their social media accounts (@Kitchenails) and don't forget to use the hashtag #Kitchenails on your visit! They are located on level three, near Mindanao Avenue Parking Area and Trinoma's Customer Lounge.

Thank you, KitcheNails for having us!

Thank you, Aldous for organizing this event! :)

0 Comments

0 Comments

Translate

CLICK THE LINKS BELOW FOR OTHER BLOGGED UPTC FINDS:

Search This Blog

Featured Post

All The Places I've Visited in Japan (three trips so far)

Popular Posts This Week

Blog Archive

Labels

Follow Us

Report Abuse

instagram