Hola, El Nido

Almost 10 years ago, I had my first plane ride. My first destination was Puerto Princessa. The place really amazed me. But I heard El Nido is also a must-see. So I told myself I have to go back.

Before a decade goes by, I'm fulfilling that dream to visit El Nido!

For a little more than Php 7,000, you can surely enjoy one of the finest islands the Philippines has to offer.

We booked our tours with Northern Hope Tours, which is the travel agency mentioned in most blogs. We got a package inclusive of PPS to El Nido van transfer and back, accommodation with free breakfast, Tour A and Tour C, all for only Php 5,450 per person. It fits our budget, and we had no problems whatsoever, but there were a lot of things that could be improved. For one,the shuttle that picked us up from the airport was on time, however, it is a public utility vehicle. So after we were picked up, we went to the terminal and had to wait for other walk-in passengers. It took around an hour before the van became full. So that's an hour less on your itinerary.

Fortunately, the road to El Nido is paved. Unfortunately, though, it's more than 50% zigzag roads, such that two of the kids we were riding the van with, puked before reaching our destination. Anyway, the ride was around 5-6 hours, so there was a quick stopover at Elfredo's Manukan and Seafood located in Roxas City. You just need to order fast and eat fast because the stopover is only for 15-20 minutes.

El Fredo's

Inasal na manok, Rice, free soup, and Coke
(more or less Php100)

After a few more zigzag roads, we finally reached our home for the next three nights ~ Overcomer Lodge, located in Corong-Corong. It's hard to miss since it's right after the Welcome sign to El Nido. Right the moment we landed in PPS, we were warned by our pickup service not to drink water from faucets in El Nido as the water is not clean. True enough, the moment we opened the faucet, I wasn't sure it's even good enough for brushing my teeth! This is a local problem though, but the lodge could have been cleaner in terms of other areas - there were traces of dirt on the floor of our room and remnants of poop in the bathroom bowl, there were no toiletries other than towels; and the wifi is not working. The signal for both globe and sun are also very poor in this area. We were given a room right beside the stairs (Room 9) which is quite near the rooftop where people would normally eat and hangout so it was a little noisy as you would not expect the rooms to be sound proof.

For our first day, we just had to rest in our room after the long land travel. For our dinner, we walked a little on the road and ate at Greenviews Resort and Restaurant. We had Red Snapper, rice, soup, veggies, coke, and mango shake while watching that beautiful sunset.

The second day (first day of our island hopping tour) arrives! The van arrived at 8;00AM on the lodge. It was our first day so we were up early, excited as can be. But other joiners, who were on the same lodge, started coming out a little before 8:30. We were brought to Northern Hope Tours, where we made the complete payment, and waited for other joiners of the same tour. We were completed around 9:00AM. We were brought to the boat area, but had to wait another 30 minutes for our boatmen to prepare the boat, our food, and snorkeling gears. Our island hopping (Tour C) finally began around 9:30AM.

First stop at Helicopter Island

It was named so because of how the island looked like (but it looks more like a whale to me =p)

Hidden Beach

As the name suggests, the place seemed to be hidden. You need to swim for some distance before reaching this place. This is where we saw Nemo in the wild.

Talisay Beach

This is our stopover for lunch, with the boatmen setting up a table full of food - Grilled squid, Shrimp, Fish, Ensaladang Talong, Fruits in season (pineapple, banana, orange watermelon)

Secret beach

Quite a challenge if you're not a good swimmer as we had to go through a hole to get to this place. Note: This is not the beach. The hole in the middle of the picture is where you need to go through to see the Secret Beach.

We also stopped for awhile at a snorkeling site where there were lots of corals and small fishes, and also in Matinloc Shrine,

but there was an additional Php100 fee to go to the overlooking area.

On our second night, since we were actually more tired than the previous night, after the whole day tour, we did not go far and just had dinner at the pizza house Dos Quadros, just right in front of the lodge

 Dos Quadros Pizza and Pasta

Our second island hopping (Tour A) consists mostly of lagoon. We started off earlier today, mainly because there was no van to pick us up, so we rode a trike, and it was easy to fill up. We got to go ahead.

At Ipil Island

We were supposed to stop at 7 Commandos Beach but since the place is already full, our boatmen decided to bring us to Ipil Island instead, which is only a few meter away. We had the place to ourselves, though there wasn't much to see.

Big Lagoon

The place is picturesque but we did not go down. Our boat just went for a tour and we took pictures of the beautiful scenery.

Lunch at Shimizu Island

Our stopover for lunch today. We also got to snorkel in this place for awhile. There were lots of fishes to see too!

Secret Lagoon

Everytime they say "secret" or "hidden", prepare to swim and be challenged! (well, atleast for non-swimmers like me)

Small Lagoon where we get to kayak 

VIDEO

To get around the small lagoon, you need to rent a kayak. There are kayaks for 1-2 persons and for 4-5 persons.

I got so sick on our last night that I was not able to eat dinner. We just had a few snacks from the sari-sari store beside the lodge.

For our last day, we were picked up by a service around 8AM, stop over is still at El Fredo's. We asked to be dropped off at MCA Market Center where we bought our pasalubong for relatives and friends. Before proceeding to the airport, we opted to try out a place referred to us by a friend ~ Kinabuchs, unfortunately, it was closed during our free time so we ended up at Ugong rock instead, which was located just a couple of blocks away from the airport.

Food Trippin' in Taipei, Kainan sa Taiwan

If there's anything you shouldn't dare miss in Taiwan, it would be the tasty food that is served everywhere! From posh restaurants to foodcourts, from small eateries to food stalls, from day markets to night markets, steaming hot and delicious food can be found anywhere and everywhere! 

Plus, these are very affordable! Real value for money!

Just a note though, most of the restaurants are in Chinese characters, which I can't read so I can't share the specific names. Instead I am mentioning the locations of where these yummy food can be had.

Noodle Soup in Taipei Zoo

 

Complete set in Taipei 101 Foodcourt

Dumplings in Guang Hua Shopping Mall

Candied Strawberries and Tomatoes at Tamsui Old Street

Fried Octopus at Tamsui Old Street

Dumplings in Ximending Night Market

Spicy Fishballs in Jiufen Old Street

Candies at Jiufen Old Street

Mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooooms!!!

Chinese Sausage at Jiufen

Juices and Snacks at Juifen

The famous Taoyuan Noodle Soup

Tea Time @ Ah Mei Tea House

8way Dumplings and Potstickers in Shi Lin Market

Egg Pancakes in Ximending Night Market

Fried Quail Eggs

Various Eats on Sticks (Mushrooms, Pork, Squid, etc.)

That Bacon Wrapped Mushrooms!

Shaved Ice near Ximending

Fried Rice at the Airport

Siomai at the Airport

Fly away to LA LA Land

I rarely watch musical movies because I find it hard to follow the lyrics, while enjoying the melody and at the same time appreciate the story, cinematography and of course the acting. But this is the first musical movie I really loved and would have wanted to repeat watching.

The song "City of Stars" has been my LSS for almost two weeks. Give me the tune and the LSS will surely start again.

I haven't watched the movies of the other nominees but for me, both Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone do deserve to win the best actor/best actress awards with what they have shown. The sadness in their eyes says it all. They did not even need to shed tears, exchange deep quotable quotes, or show devastation in their acting. It was simple, it was true, it was heartfelt.

A number of the places featured in the film were the places I visited just a few months ago during my first visit in the US. So somehow, this may have added to how I felt for the movie. I couldn't help myself from shouting the names of the places as we were watching in the movie house! It was a subtle way to feature wonderful spots in LA.

The movie is light, with a touch of heaviness in some parts. Much like the real life of dreamers and lovers.

Dalaw na sa Dabaw

Even before our current president has won the elections, we have already heard so many good things about Davao ~ wonderful beaches, great seafood, and nice people. So again, when a promo came, we booked a flight to Davao. We arrived at Davao just a few days before the city's ex-mayor, now the country's President's inauguration.

Below is a quick view of our itinerary.

DAY 1



No late departures for us, so we were right on track with our plans. We arrived in Davao at the ETA indicated in our CEB Itinerary, which was a little before 1PM. They said people in Davao are honest so we did not hesitate to book a taxi that will bring us straight to our hotel. The travel time from airport to Seda is a little less than 30 minutes. Because we haven't had our lunch, we just checked-in, left our bags in the room and headed over to Abreeza Ayala Mall to look for a place to eat. We had our lunch at Hukad sa Golden Cowrie, and tried their Lechon Kawali and Grilled Tuna. We ate in banana leaves, making everything smell so good. The food was generally good but I expected more on the tuna. Either it wasn't as fresh as I expected or maybe I'm really not a fan of tuna.

Next, we headed to Davao Crocodile Park. I initially though that the place is pretty much the same as the crocodile farm in Palawan, which is just what the name suggests, but I was wrong. This is Davao's zoo. And there are more animals than just crocodiles. What makes it more awesome is the animal show, where you are not only entertained but you also get to learn new trivia. Some examples are the difference between monkeys and apes, with the former having tails while the latter has none, about the Oranggutan coming from two words Orang which means Tao and Gutan which means Gubat, and them having 97% of human DNA, about hornbills which are frugivores (a word I just learned that day), wherein males catch food as a way to show off, and once they were able to win the heart of the female, they will be with them for life as they are monogamous. Talk about #mayforever. The animal show also teaches us about manners of bless, shaking hands and kissing through our mammal friends, and also includes bird shows like Blue who taught the audience proper biosegregation and Nigel who knew how to ride an ecofriendly bike, both amazing talent shows, that tries to instill in us caring for our environment.

It's not only the mammals and birds that do the show, there was also a show by the star of the place - the reptilian crocodile. I won't say much, but if you plan to watch this one, Be prepared to get wet!

Up close and personal

Various species of birds in the park

The ticket we bought for the park includes not only the entrance to the park, the animal shows, but also an entrance to the butterfly garden and the Tribu K'Mindanawan Cultural Presentation and Fire Show, where we headed next. This place is also a restaurant, so you can have dinner while watching the spectacular shows.

Amazing Fire Dance!

Cultural Music and Dance

DAY 2

We had a relaxing morning, extending our sleep and taking some pictures at the hotel's pool. We checked out early so we won't be late on the scheduled ferry trip at 1PM to Samal Island. We had our lunch on the way, at Penong's Seafood and Grill.

The seafood is so gooood, me and my travel buddy were able to finish all these!

The travel from the wharf to Samal Island is around 45 minutes. It was hot and humid, the kind of weather that easily brings you to sleep, but the surrounding nature convinced me not to close my eyes for a second. On the way to Samal, we saw flying fishes (called bangsi). It was just so amazing how nature can entertain you without effort.

We booked a night at the Pearl Farm Resort, just to know what the fuss is all about. The resort did not disappoint. We were welcomed with a refreshing drink and towel, and a breathtaking view.

Welcome to Pearl Farm!

A bird racing with us to take a dip on the sea (see bottom left)

The infinity pool and the infinite sea

Villas by the sea

Our room, however, is not one of those villas. We opted for the less expensive room, located at the top. It may be far from the beach but it provides a nice view.

The first hotel I've been too that has a Holy Bible on the bedside table. Nice!

After checking in, we have the next 20 hours or so to explore the resort, take a dip in the infinity pool or in the other pool that's more private and peaceful, snorkel in the beach, sunbathe, enjoy the gameroom, or just relax in that comfy bed.

For dinner, since there is no other option in the private island, we dined in the resort's restaurant. We had buffet and watched the cultural show with performances from Pangkat Silayan of the University of Southeastern Philippines. They even engaged the audience when they tries to ask some to join them in doing the tinikling.

Pangkat Silayan performing various cultural dances

So delicious! So many to choose from!

There was also some game during the night. They showed us the story of the resort so we pocketed more trivia about the place, the artist Francisco "Bobby" Mañosa, Mt. Apo Island, native tribes.

DAY 3

We woke up early to make most of the remaining time. We had Breakfast Buffet, included in our room package, then headed straight to Malipano Island. The small boat going to Malipano Island is part of the resort's amenities, so there's nothing to pay. The place was very private and the beach was full of starfish. Never have I seen that much starfish in my life! Every step, every turn, there's another one!

At 12 noon, we checked out from Pearl Farm and waited for the ferry that will take us back to the city. Pearl Farm also brought us to our third hotel, Casa Leticia, so we did not experience any more hassle in bringing our bags and looking for a cab.

A few blocks away is Davao Dencia's, where we had our late lunch. We tried their lechon paksiw and the much acclaimed lumpiang shanghai, which are both good, but their lugaw is a must-try! It looks so simple but it's so yummy! 

Just right in front of our hotel is Davao City's People's Park. It was a Sunday so the park was a bit crowded, nonetheless the place is clean and serene, not rowdy. The place is a typical park, with lots of trees, birds, and benches, but what sets is apart is the number of life size statues all over the place. 

Aye, Aye, Davao!

who won't love these life-size Mario figures?!

If this is not your thing, there's a garden at the far back of the park. The place is so calm, and very few people go to that space, so you if you need some time and space, this is the place for you. :P

Just look at this kid's excitement!

After visiting People's Park, we went to St. Jude Thaddeus Parish, which is a single ride from the park for our Sunday mass.

For dinner, we hailed another taxi to Roxas Avenue. Have you ever been to Mercato or Banchetto? Well, Davao has their own such market place right in Roxas Avenue. Street food, street food, and more street food!

That Durian Ice Cream is a must try. It tastes heavenly!
(Note: I'm not a fan of Durian candies)

DAY 4

For our Day 4, the first stop in our itinerary is the Philippine Eagle Center. Because this place is far, and it is very unlikely that the taxi we booked via Grab can get another customer going back, and because it will also be hard for us to book another Taxi on the way back, we decided to rent it for the whole day.

I first learned about the  Philippine Eagle Center about a year ago when Pamana was released into the wild. Too bad that we did not get to see him as he was shot just a few months after his release. :(

Even though I've seen shots of the place in TV, I did not expect it to be a real forest, moreso to be housing various fauna and flora, other than the endangered Philippine Eagle. I was awed. The place houses a number of Philippine eagles (Kaibigan, Fighter, Mindanao, Hiyas and Dakila to name a few), monkeys, wild boar, Philippine brown deer, owls, and more.

A spile?

Reminds me of Hunger Games!

 Flora on the way to seeing Fauna

Up close and personal with Fighter!

Everyone was watching Pacquiao's fight!

Me taking a picture of the snake skins!!

Our next stop supposedly was Malagos Garden Resort. Unfortunately, the place is under renovation, so we just bought our favorite Malagos Dark Chocolates!

Since we did not enter Malagos Garden, we had more time to visit Eden Nature Park, much recommended by most drivers in Davao. It was a little bit far so when we got there we did not waste any time. We paid for the entrance fee and booked a tour of the place, which includes a snack of your choice (diet diet muna!)

The tour lasted about an hour with around 3 stops (Flower Garden, Tinubdan, and Lola's Garden). We went through the park's vast mangosteen trees, their different amenities, the hiking trail, and the plantation of dragon fruits.

"Somewhere over the rainbow.."

At Tinubdan - Bagani (warrior), Balai-Kalimudan (traditional house), Bebalay-baylan (Shaman's House) , Kaingen(a traditional shifting cultivation)

Just a selected few of the medicinal plants in the park's Lumadong Tambal

Mangosteen Plantation (located right in front of Lola's Garden)

On the way back to the city, there were a lot of stores selling mangosteen, pomelo, and durian, so we then opted to buy some for our pasalubong.

For our late lunch/early merienda, we tried the Shawarma Pizza from Dexter's Pizza, located just a few blocks away from our hotel It's something different, we did not expect to like it that much, but we did! We were able to finish the whole pizza, just the two of us. Just thinking about it now, makes my mouth water.

After this, we just had some rest as we had a long day, not to mention the long travel plus some trekking. We met a friend during the night and we were treated for dinner at the nearby Penong's Seafood and Grill. This time we also tried their pinakbet, and it was also good. I was actually wishing someone could framchise Penong's and bring it in Manila.

DAY 5

For our fifth day, we did our own D-I-Y City Tour, starting off at Museo Dabawenyo. The museum is for free. It's a collection of arts and photographs, and shows the culture of the different groups of people in Mindanao.

Next, located just a few steps away is the Davao City Hall, where Sara Duterte took oath as mayor, just the day before. We just went around and took some pictures of the place. Just right across is the San Pedro Cathedral, where you can also head on to say a prayer or hear the mass.

D-I-Y Short City Tour

Afterwards, we hailed a cab to bring us to Lachi's Sansrival Atbp. and sample the sansrival. For someone who is not a big fan of sansrival, I have to say that you should definitely try this! The crunchiness, creaminess, and the sweetness are all just right.

That's all for our city tour. We went back to our hotel and pack our things, so we can head back to the airport. But before that! We stopped by Ahfat Seafoods Plaza which is a Chinese restaurant that serves seafood. The price is a bit higher than Penong's but that's because the serving is so huge, we were not able to finish it, despite the great taste. I think the serving was good for 5-6 people! So the price is still cheap compared to those in the metro.

Below is a summary of our expenses (per PAX):

Airfare - Php 1,295 MNL-DVO-MNL via Cebu Pacific
Hotel Accomodation:
Seda - Php 1,834
Pearl Farm - Php 5,275
Casa Leticia (2 days) - Php 2,184
Entrance Fees and Package Tour - around Php 750
Meals - around Php 2,800
Transportation (includes one whole day Taxi Rental) - around Php 2,500

A little less than Php 17,000 is actually a bit pricey for a Davao Trip. But we promised ourselves that this will be this year's personal treat. So we opted for a cab when you could ride the jeepney and trike, we booked a night at Seda and Pearl Farm (both a little bit pricey for my standards), and did not skimp on food either. If you're on a budget, I believe you can travel Davao for less than Php 10,000. There are other resorts in Samal that are a lot less pricey.

For further reviews and comments on the hotels,

Seda had some stains on the sheets, something I surely did not expect

The shower room in Pearl Farm is a little cramped and there was no Wifi in the room, only in the common room. It also seemed that one water bottle was already opened

For Casa Leticia, it provides what you can expect of the price. Nothing fancy, but the location is the best. The room we booked comes with a free buffet breakfast. The food served is the typical Filipino breakfast, with some kakanin, and also cereals. That, to me, is a big plus.

For some tips,
You should try out the hito sold on various eateries along the way from Philippine Eagle Center. We've heard this so many time that it's really a must try. I now regret that we did not.

Book a night or two at Eden Park. There is so much to do in this place that a day tour may not be enough.

When going to Pearl Farm, you should instruct the driver to bring you to Davao Beach Club as we were initially dropped off at Marina Wharf, where most boats going to Samal are located. Or better yet, use the resort's pickup service which I think is included on the hotel price but we were not informed by the resort. The cab drivers and most bystanders also don't seem to know about Pearl Farm.

Buy mangosteen! Buy pomelo! They are really so much cheaper compared to those sold in the metro.