Water Camp Resort

One of the best Resorts in Cavite is the Water Camp Resort located in Kawit. There was no wave pool the last time I went there but I recently saw one of its billboards advertising a wave pool.  That I'm going to see.

The Small La Laguna of Puerto Galera

When I first set foot on the black sands of Small La Laguna in Puerto Galera, more than 25 years ago,I was in awe. It was so pristine and fishes of varying colors were swimming around giant corals just even under a 4-feet deep crystal clear water. I couldn't help writing on the sands, "thank God for this paradise!". Small  La Laguna, was practically unexplored with no big establishments except for the small hut owned by one of my co-workers Ernie Silla. The hut at that time was the only place to stay although I heard that its most popular neighbor "White Beach", which is kilometers away, was already teeming with vacationers, mostly foreigners because aside from its white sand, it had more facilities such as cottages and bars.  It is also the most ideal place for swimming. Sabang, on the other hand, which is just beside Small La Laguna was practically unheard of.  

After so many years of spending my summer vacation (at least six times) in White Beach, I recently decided to see what has become of Small La Laguna. After half an hour jeepney ride from White Beach, we reached the drop off point, Sabang, now the most popular part of the island for its nightlife activities.  I could no longer recognize the once unspoiled place. There was no shoreline or sands to walk on, except for the concrete pathways of the various resorts and establishments built along the shore.   Treading to an almost one person at a time walkway, we reached Small La Laguna. The coconut trees that once dotted the shoreline was already replaced with concrete edifices.  We rented snorkels for Php150.00 per hour and took a dip in its limited swimming area. Although my friends still enjoyed swimming near the rocky areas, gone was the aquarium-like experience I had when I took a dip even in waist deep water.

VOLET'S RESORT

Every time we plan for an outing, I always consider Volets Resort, in Dasmarinas Cavite, as one of our choices. For one, it is near our place as I hate to spend more travel time going to a resort  because of the distance and traffic that goes with it and back than the time spent in the pool no matter how enticing the feedbacks were of the said place. Second, it had 8 pools, including a wave pool and slides for kids and adults.

The last time I checked, I was disappointed because the wave pool was closed and the Lifeguard said that it's open only during the summer months of  March until June 15. I was there with my family June 20, 2011 which was a holiday. It's maybe because the resort's income during off-summer season is no match to the wave's power generation charge.  We rented a "cottage" which could accommodate 20 people for Php700.00. The Nipa Hut type also cost 700.00 but could only accommodate around 10.   Entrance by the way on weekdays was Php200.00 for adults and 150.00 for kids below 4 feet. There was no entrance fee for babies. The entrance fee for weekends was Php220.00 for adults.

If you want to grill all your food, I suggest to bring your own as we have to wait for one family to finish grilling their stuff and when it was our time, the same family, which had to cook another dish had to wait longer for us to cook our barbecue. There were just three families at that time so just imagine if this happened during summer.

What quiet turned us off was the swarm of flies on each table everywhere which gave an impression that the area was not being cleaned. We had to wash the table ourselves with soap while our neighbor had lighted candles. (Update: Last May 2012, My family and I, more than 10 of us, went to Volets and I noticed that there were already several grilling areas, the facilities were improved, new walkways, and the entrance was renovated. The entrance fee though also increased.

Palawan's Underground River

One of the must-see places in the Philippines is the Underground River in Puerto Princesa, Palawan which is among the top finalists of the  New Seven Wonders of Nature for 2011. The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is 50 kilometers away from the city, and it took us about two hours to reach  the place. I'm sure, information on how to get there is readily available in any hotel as even in the lodging house where we stayed, we got flyers for package tours from its coffee shop. For the more adventurous, jeepneys or vans for a more comfy ride are available and are stationed near the city but visitors must be there very early morning because at the Sabang fish port, they have to get a number and pay for the permit from its tourism booking office. It is not advisable to go there late morning especially during the summer months of March to May because of the influx of visitors. The boats, motorized or paddled, are limited so the time of waiting might turned off one's excitement. 

From the fish port, we took a motorized banca because it was easier to reach the entrance of the cave rather than take a mountain trek. The sight was already breathtaking along the shore going to the cave with white sand and mountain formation which reminded me of Jurassic Park. We were advised not to bring food while passing the jungle trail going to the cave as monkeys in the area  have a bad habit of snatching anything worth their fancy. I haven't seen one though except a monitor lizard.  Greeting us after the short monkey trail was a green lagoon where paddle boats good up to six persons were waiting.

Entering the "bat cave", was eerie as it was so dark except for the car-battery-operated spotlight used by the boatman cum tourist guide who was joking and sharing anecdotes all throughout the 45-minute ride pointing at stalagmite and stalactite formations resembling fruits, vegetables, people and saints. Being fond of horror movies, I imagined a big creature under the river would suddenly appear and eat  us alive. 

Matabungkay Resorts

Here comes the rainy season and surely beaches everywhere will not be so crowded unlike during the summer months of March to May.  If you want to take the chance of dipping into the sea all by yourself during this season, one beach getaway that is fairly clean near Metro Manila that I could recommend is Matabungkay in Lian, Batangas. The area is popular for its floating cottages  (shown above) rental of which ranges from Php500.00 during lean months to Php1,500.00 during peak season. 

Manila High School Batch 75 Gives Back

School alumni have different ways in thanking its alma mater.  With its "Nangarap, Nagpunyagi at Nagtagumpay" theme, the MHS Batch 75 shared its blessings by donating a brand new set of computer, 90 school bags, 10 pcs. of tote or hand bags and box full of books and reading materials courtesy of the members' "international" counterparts, meaning, those who are residing overseas.

A sense of pride could be felt all throughout the turn-over activity, which include the very important aspect of photo ops for "Facebook", as the said donation is one way for the said batch to thank the public institution which moulded them while helping most of the school's  poor students.

Touring the already old facility which at present undergoes some renovation, the members were brought back in time recalling the teachers, the activities performed and the noticeable changes that has been done.

Initially a school for girls, the Manila High was established in Intramuros during the Spanish period in 1892  and according to "Wikipilipinas" was named Escuela Municipal de Manila. It was renamed to Manila High School  in 1906 after the Americans had taken control of the Philippines.

While one batch of alumni conspicuously plastered its name over its glass-covered bulletin board project which is ready to be turned over to the school, another batch prefers giving monthly allowance to deserving students of its choice.

Truly, a rewarding way of sharing the blessings to the less fortunate as these would ensure the reaping of good harvest and will create a multiplying effect for somehow, these beneficiaries, will also in turn give back.

Andalucia Returns

During the 16th and 17th Century, galleons sailed the Philippine waters trading porcelains, silk, spices, precious metals and commodities which made the Manila port one of the busiest in the world.  The ships that sailed between Manila and Acapulco signaled the beginning of a global trade between Asia, America and Europe.

Three hundred years later, the "Andalucia",  a replica of a 17th century Spanish galleon came and docked at the Port of Manila last October 6-9, 2010 in celebration of the Dia del Galeon Festival or Day of the Galleon.  Andalucia's journey to our country relived the famous Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade.

The huge wooden ship arrived at Pier 13 of the South Harbor on October 6, 2010 to a warm welcome of the Filipinos.  The 51-meter galleon built for more than two years was named after a region in Spain where Seville is the capital.  Centuries ago, these sea crafts were made out of Philippine hardwood in Cavite.

The Philippine Port Authority's port of Manila gym served as the receiving and briefing area where visitors had the chance to buy souvenir items from stationed booths. Due to the galleons limited capacity, guests had to queue in batches for their turn.

The galleon trade which promoted cultural exchange during the Spanish rule in the Philippines was an important piece of history shared with other nations as our country became a central part of the trade route.  The Andalucia rekindled the Filipino pride that, in the olden times, the Philippines measured up in the field of maritime trade.

CAVITEX

"Skyway", that's what the newly opened "Cavitex" is called by conductors and drivers of the mini-buses plying the Baclaran-Tanza route for lack of any other name they could use even if the seven-kilometer road cuts along the waters of Bacoor and Kawit Cavite unlike the "skyways" in Southern Luzon Expressway.   These mini-buses were already using the road before it was inaugurated, thus, conductors in the absence of information has to call the new road as "Skyway".

For a daily commuter like me, using the Cavitex is a breeze, literally and figuratively cutting my regular travel time by as much 30 minutes to an hour. Time saved could be spent to do more important things for my business, family and rest instead of cursing traffic enforcers, who in my observation, are the ones who actually cause more traffic jams.

Prepare though to spend additional expense for using the two expressways going to Tanza or Cavite City as Cavitex charges Php 58.00, 116.00, and 174.00 respectively for class 1, 2 and 3 vehicles. The fees are more than twice the Coastal Road's toll of Php 22.00, 43.00 and 65.00.  Anyway, we should have more infrastructures such as this to save man hours and lessen the stress of the riding public.

Lemon Pie

I love to bake and always experimenting on baked stuff using recipes from cookbooks or websites so that my family will have something new to eat during our weekend merienda. Alas, cookbooks are no guarantee that what was published is good because oftentimes authors themselves haven't tried the ingredients.  If there are no leftovers, then its a sure winner unless my family and some friends are just too hungry or has no other choice. I came over a lemon pie recipe from the web and tried it myself since lemons from Divisoria were at that time cheaper. Sure enough, my family loved it so I want to share this recipe to you.

1- 9 inch deep dish pie crust, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 2 tbsp butter melted, 1/3cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/2tsp grated lemon peel, 5 tbsps fresh lemon juice, 3 eggs separated, 1 1/4 cups milk.

Directions:  1.Put rack on lowest position in oven; preheat oven to 375c 2.  In a bowl, stir together melted butted and sugar 3. stir in flour, salt, lemon peel and lemon juice 4.  in a bowl, beat egg yolks with milk until will blended and stir into lemon mixture 5.  in another bowl beat egg whites until they hold moist peaks 6.  fold gently egg whites into lemon mixture and pour filling into pie crust 7. Bake 45-55 minutes until the top is browned 8.  Let cool before serving.

Flores de Mayo

Returning home from work, there was a huge traffic along the way. I asked a bus vendor why and he said, a "Flores de Mayo" or "Santacruzan" procession involving senior citizens is on-going. Haay... name it, we in the Philippines have it.  From the "Sagalas" of beauty queens, matrons, teenagers, gays, kids and now senior citizens. Rain or shine, weekdays to weekends, Flipinos love to join this parade done during the month of May to honor the Virgin Mary, which is actually, from the outsiders point of view, just a showcase of the Filipinos penchant for pageantry.  A costly show for other people to see using major thoroughfares as its stage not minding affected commuters who want to go home and rest early.

During my childhood days in Cagayan de Oro,  the Flores de Mayo processions were done only on a Sunday or end of May by two religious groups, the Catholics and Aglipays and I used to represent one of the little devils.  Poor me. I don't know  if at present, all the Barangays in the said area also hold their own Flores de Mayo just like here in Greater Manila Area and nearby provinces where one procession alone could result to a huge traffic jam.