Lalalalala La Union

Want to get stoked?  

San Juan, La Union is one of the famous hideout of surfers here in the North. This time, the Surf and Music Festival capped the long weekend of San Juan from October 31 to November 3 with great night of party,  adventure and fun.

The Surf & Music Festival 2012 was presented by Aloha Boardsports in partnership with the Department of Tourism [http://www.philippineconcerts.com]. Famous local bands, such as Wolfgang, Urbandub, and Pupil, convened together to create the best 3-night concert at the beach.  The festival also featured beginner and pro surf competition over the weekend.

Ace Water Spa

Outdoor activities are limited during rainy months. Aside from staycation and windowshopping, there are interesting indoor places that we can visit to pamper ourselves. Ace Water Spa is a perfect choice for a weekend relaxation.

                             

Ace Water Spa at Ace Suites Ortigas is accessible in the metro (http://www.acewaterspa.com.ph/). It has a hotel-like ambiance for its reception area with large massage pools and buffet area. Regular entrance fee is PhP550 but online sites like metrodeal and cashcash pinoy offer vouchers at discounted price. Ace features the following facilities:

My Lakbayan Map

I am a certified avid reader of Pinoy travel blogs. My regular net browsing, particularly during lazy bed weather days, includes reading articles from my favourite travel blog sites: Lakwatsero, Pinaysolobackpacker, Soloflighted,Iwanderiwonder & Journeying James. Philippine tourist destinations are often promoted in these websites wherein the bloggers have their unique,wonderful and interesting way of sharing their travel  and tips.

In Journeying James journal, James' lakbayan Philippine map was mostly shaded with blue, a graphic representation of places he had visited. Undeniably, he covered almost all places in the Philippines.To assess my current standing as a traveler, I also created my own lakbayan map and tantananan.... here it is....

Updated as of 05132017

Meet Bo Sanchez

Every start of the year, I make it a habit to write down the goals I want to accomplish, the things I want to do and the places I want to visit. In my 2009 journal, included in my to-do-list is to attend one of Brother Bo Sanchez’s talks. I am a big fan of Bo and it is my dream to see him in person. I watch his preachings on tv regularly and I find his talks very inspiring, what more if it’s live?

Better late than never, I was able to put a check on this item this 2012. In the office, I constantly receive e-mails of daily dose from Bro. Bo’s blog, thanks to gwen! (“_”) This serves as a cue to complete my 2009 outstanding assignment. Fortunately,I have another officemate who is part of the Life of Jesus family, the community of Brother Bo. She informed me that Brother Bo is regularly conducting his talks (The Feast) at the PICC for free.

BORACAY not BORA (Part II)

Boracay is hailed as the 2^nd Best Beach Destination in the World in the recently concluded 2011 Travelers' Choice® Beaches awards. Travelers all over the world, particularly the Europeans, Koreans, and the Filipinos, love to visit the beautiful island of Boracay. It is undoubtedly more fun in the Philippines! 

BORACAY not BORA (Part I)

I previously worked as a researcher in a transport group company and my job gave me the privilege to travel in different parts of the country. During this time, my wanderlust was born. 

In the summer of 2006, we had a trip in Iloilo and most of the tourists in our ferry trip were on their way to the famous island of Boracay. As we touched down Iloilo and while we were having our breakfast at Iloilo City Lapaz Bachoy, we envied the tourists who were busy chatting about Boracay, so we had an on-the-spur of the moment decision to have a side trip on this famous beach. The decision was really abrupt! With no travel plans at all and no idea of the travel time and how to go there. We were 4 in the group and the 3 of us were first timers. Since it was a great opportunity at hand, we did not hesitate with our decision to visit Boracay.

Canyon Cove, Nasugbu Batangas

It usually takes a long boat ride to take you into a remote island with a beautiful beach. Still, there are some beach resorts at the mainland which can take your breath away.

Canyon Cove Beach Resort, located in Nasugbu, Batangas, is a 4 hour-drive destination from Metro Manila. Upon entrance, you will feel that you will be having a grand vacation in an exclusive condominium/hotel. The swimming pools are surrounded by condo-hotel structures with nice ambiance and landscaping.

My Hometown Visita Iglesia

Commemorating the goodness of our Lord this Holy Week is the best thing to do. This Maundy Thursday, we have tried a DIY (Do-It-Yourself), on the spur of the moment “Visita Iglesia”.  Our fruitful joyride via jeepney and tricycle led us to the seven (7) churches nearby my hometown of San Pedro, Laguna.

We started around 10:30am at the onset of summerheat J. We completed our way of the cross in the seven churches, extending our prayers of thanksgiving and supplication. Snapshots of our successful itinerary are as follows:

Stopover 1       Sto. Sepulcro Parish (Landayan, San Pedro,Laguna)

The Anawangers (Anawangin Cove, Zambales)

Eversince 2009, Anawangin has been included in my travel bucket list. Almost all Filipino travel bloggers, including Angel Juarez of lakwatsero.com, cited Anawangin as the favourite camping site in the north. Used to be labeled as the “mountaineers’ secret getaway”, this secluded cove is already open to all and is becoming a popular destination for travellers who wanted to be detached from the usual metro life.

Touchdown Cagbalete Island!

The province of Mauban, Quezon is known to be the haven of NPAs as heard on the national news. Despite this, the place offers a perfect hideaway for nature lovers and adventurers coming from the Metro.

Cagbalete Island is a tropical island beach in Mauban, Quezon. To get there, it is advisable to be at the Jac Liner Kamias QC terminal at 3am. The Manila -  Lucena route has an earlier trip schedule  (http://www.jacliner.com/schedules.html ) compared to Manila –Mauban route so the preferred option is to ride the Lucena-bound bus. The road trip will take around 4 hours; wifi are available on board for the convenience of the tourists. Upon arrival to Lucena terminal at 8am, travellers are suggested to take the non-airconditioned bus headed to Mauban; estimated time of arrival is 9:30 am.

FiReWoRkS!!! Katy Perry Concert

January 22, 2012 10:00 pm

What a better way to celebrate Chinese New Year than watching Katy Perry live as she performs onstage her famous FiReWoRkS?

Katy Perry is worth the wait. Yes, the 4 hours of waiting period is gruesome but Katy’s superb performance has topped it all. Philippines is the last stop for her California Dreams world tour - her 125th show! and she saved the best for last.

Here's the highlights and 10 super moments of Katy's 2012 concert here in Manila:  http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/32545/10-super-moments-from-katy-perrys-concert

See yah again Katy ("_")

xoxo,

Mai