must get out

I'm baaaaaaaack! Hello blogosphere, its been awhile.

The past week has been crazy. It was so crazy that I need to go away. I was so physically drained that one night I was crying. I think I was losing my mind. I needed someone to talk to but the person that I wanna talk to was nowhere to be found and was so busy with his own thing. That's when I said to myself, Screw this! I'm going somewhere, I need to leave ASAP . Immediately after, I texted my evil twin Bogart and told her that I'm going to Toronto and I'll stay on their place. I basically, self-invited myself to their house (lol). I traded and gave away some of my shifts then booked a flight to Toronto and flew a day after. It was all spur of the moment. I'm so thankful that Bogart is in Toronto and her family was gracious enough to let me stay in their house. And thanks to Annkat too for being patient with me especially that night that I was about to go insane.

Fast forward to today: I just came from back my trip. I was glad I made that decision. I had to a great time there. Its nice to get away from the all the craziness; to step back a bit, to break away from work routine and give myself a chance to breathe and relax. Still not quite ready to get back to work yet but that's life. Oh well, there's always next time.  I'm looking forward to my next get away.

 

be free!

Parliament House (Toronto)

The Vintage Code( Kensington Market, Toronto)

view across Square One Mall (Mississauga)

Credit Lighthouse

 

 

As the old adage goes, All work and no play makes a dull boy/girl. So peeps, give yourself a break. Find something that will help you relax. Traveling does it for me; and I must say blogging is therapeutic for me too.  Don't take life seriously, no one get out alive anyway.

 

 

Cheers and have good weekend everyone! 

Gailie's Dayoff Series: Boracay

Aside from swimming, there are a lot of things one can do in Boracay. Some of the things, I tried when I went there.

1. Food trip

Rumor has it that these are the best in town. Let's try and taste it.

Best Shake: Jonah's - I had Mango Rum. It tastes good but there was too much rum on it that it overpowers the taste of mango. My sister tried strawberry and it taste good.

Best Pizza: Aria - Its an Italian restaurant, its a bit pricey but this dish pizza is a winner.

Loco Frio - frozen cocktails. i love the bubble gum flavor with a shot of vodka. I had 2 rounds of those. I can't get enough.

2. Catch the fire dancers perform

I was in awe when I saw them. They were really good. When we had a chance to have a picture taken with the fire dancers, I can feel the heat coming from the rotating fire ball. 

                               

3. Seek Adventure

Adventure you say?! Well, Boracay has lots of it.

a. parasailing - it may seem daunting at first, but once you' re up... whoa! it has a calming effect. Everything is so serene up there. It gives you a 360degrees view of the whole island. 

b. zorbing - i thought i may get dizzy after trying this but no it happened so fast you won't have time to get dizzy. wahaha! imagine yourself inside a washing machine, spinning round and round but this time on a hill. we were tossed in every direction.

c. sea walking - the idea of walking of scared me at first. you just have to listen to the instructors direction about breathing and 'equalizing' you'll be fine!

d. fly fish - cling for your life, wahaha! just kidding.

                                            

4. Sand Sculpture  - Boracay is known for its famous fine white sand. What better thing to do than build castles and try your hand at sand sculpture. 

5. Explore

There are a lot of activities going on especially at night. Party people go bar hopping, drinking and dancing all night. Not my type of scene, while others dance the night away, I'd rather have my quiet walks by the beach and admire the sky. If its not your cup of tea either, there are coffee shops abound and diners where local bands play. You have many choices or maybe do it all if you have the time.

This was my second time to visit this piece of paradise called Boracay and I never get tired. There's something about this place that makes me want to go back for more. Now, I understand why my cousin goes back every year to this place (told you, being a wanderlust runs in our veins). Be sure to try out some of these activities. Enjoy the sun, sea and sand. See you in Boracay.

 

Gailie's Day off Series: Capones, Zambales

At first I thought we'd go swimming right away. Kuya boatman brought us to an island with big white rocks, I said to myself I can't swim here. But then I remember Ate Maria said that, Capones has a lighthouse. Probably, we will go to the lighthouse first. And that's what we did.

We have to climb and trek again while Kuya Boatman waits for us.

Finally, stairs!

Half way through...

At last we reached the lighthouse. 

Took some shots and tried to go up to the top of the lighthouse but the stairs are shaky. Its covered with rust and its doesn't look sturdy. After 30 minutes of taking pictures we went down and proceeded to the part of the island where we can swim.

White sand beach greeted us as we docked. The water was inviting us to take a dip and we did! The water was cold and clear, so clear that you can even see fishes swimming too.  

Mina and Annkat swam for a while but Unna and I swam till we were tired and hungry. 

By 11am we left the beautiful island of Capones and that concludes our stay in Zambales. We really had a great time. Till next time! 

i heart Ilocos DAY 4: Viva Vigan!

Viva Vigan

Here's a rundown of what we've done on our 4th day in Ilocos.

Vigan Longganisa

Got a chance to taste Vigan’s famous longganisa during breakfast. It has a powerful taste of garlic in it compared to the normal sweet tasting longganisa in Manila. 

Kalesa tour

We availed of the Kalesa Tour which brought us to different Vigan sites.

St. Augustine Church and Bell Tower

Crisologo and Syquia Museum

The Crisologo is one of Ilocos Norte’s famous political family. The museum showcased the assassination of the elder Crisologo.

Syquia museum shows the late President Elpidio Quirino’s home and life. Some interesting piece I saw was the replica of  Juan Luna’s Spolarium, old expresso bottles, antique furnitures and a very old fashion ref which functions without electricity.

Baluarte

Chavit Singson’s private zoo where his pets are kept. It is open to public for free. There were different kinds of birds, zebras, camel, monkeys, snakes, tigers and more , and a butterfly farm. We were also able to watch animal show.

Hidden Garden

A private owned garden cafe where we can buy plants; or can just chill with nature; of maybe you can do both.

Power Lunch

After the Kalesa Tour, we went back to the hotel to pack our things and do some last minute pasalubong shopping. Our plan was to leave Vigan at 6pm, so before leaving we need to fill our hungry stomachs. Ate at Café Leona, we wanted to dine outside on the streets to experience the al-fresco dining like eating along Paris’ side streets but it was too hot to stay outside. We just ate inside and imagine we were somewhere else since everyone inside are foreigners. We tried sisig bagnet; can't have enough of bagnet. hehe!

Goodbye!
@630pm, we bade Vigan goodbye and endured the 8-hour bus ride going home.

I think Vigan is good for an overnight tour, though colonial houses are must see. it's just 3-6 blocks of cobble-stoned streets and Spanish styled houses which you can explore in a day. Vigan maybe your staring point to see Ilocos region, or maybe your last stop, just like what we did. Either way, you'll definitely enjoy Ilocos region. See yah!

5000PHP or less

several people asked me how much my Ilocos tour cost. I'll give you the breakdown of my expenses...

day1     manila-pagudpud bus via RCJ        500
            brunch (saud beach resort)           150
            dinner (terra rika)                        150
            entrance fees/tips/ misc expenses  100     
Total for day1= 900

day2    brunch (saud beach resort)              150
           dinner (emohour restaurant)           150
           polaris resort (2400/2 nyts/ 3pax)   800   
 Total for day2=1100

day3   lunch                                              150
          dinner (max's restaurant)                150
          guide/van transpo (5500/5pax)      1100
          laoag-vigan bus                               120     
Total for day3=1520

day4 grandpa's inn (2100/1nyt/3pax)        700
         lunch (cafe leona)                            150
         kalesa tour (600/3pax)                    200
         bus to MNL                                     370     
Total for day4= 1420

GRAND TOTAL = 4940PHP
*this does not include pasalubong expenses

this would be even cheaper if you bring your own food for breakfast like cup noodles, biscuits and breads, and if you have a larger group to share the expenses with.

Ilocos smitten us; hope you can visit it too!

tired but enjoyed Ilocos!