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Puerto Princesa, Palawan: Day 2

Sabang Beach, Puerto Princesa, Palawan

No, the day didn’t start at the beach, and it wasn’t really part of the itinerary. Moreso are the beauty pageant contestants in their bikinis that you see above, the same ones that boarded the same plane as our group did, though yes, I did take the photo, and no, I wasn’t friends with the official photographer. I was just there, and they were there, too.

So I’ll start now from where I left from the first post: I woke up at 3AM in the morning, with no dinner digesting inside me. I was hungry, but by then, well-rested. I only got to leave Lola Itang’s when the sun was peeking out, and even if I intended to go to the Puerto Princesa baywalk, as Jeck was already there shooting the area, my appetite got the best of me. I hailed a tricycle, and asked the driver where I could eat. He noted that there weren’t a lot of places open at that time, but he did leave me at a just-opened eatery, and I was happy-enough to gouge on some streetside chaolong.

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Puerto Princesa, Palawan: Day 1

Traditional weaving at Binuatan Creations at Puerto Princesa, Palawan

It all started with an IM from Tif, an invite to a group outing to Puerto Princesa with some of her officemates, and Jeck, a common friend we have from Rangefinder Filipinas. There was a promo over at PAL, and they had already booked their tickets. The hesitation was instant: Tif and Jeck were good friends, and Madel and Catz were people I’m familiar with already, but there’s also the being with other people I’m not sure I could get along with. There’s also the question of cost: my out-of-town trips have always been funded, from not-so-recent Baguio and Batangas, to out-of-Luzon trips to Batanes and Camiguin.

This was Palawan, though, and long before these airline promos came into existence, its always been known that its cheaper to fly off to Singapore than Palawan.

So I gave in. I wasn’t with a non-existent sweetheart, and all expenses will come from my wallet (got it from blog revenue!), but hell, why not?

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Carnation Family Food Trip 2009, Part 1

Like last year in Baguio, I was invited to join Appetite Magazine and Carnation’s Family Food Trip last Wednesday, this time down south in Batangas.

Fried Tawilis from Batangas

Being just a few days away from my birthday, and scheduled on my exact weekday work restdays, the promise of another food tour was very timely. Except for the part that I was deadset on my diet by that time, which involved eating a lot less red meat and processed food, adding the same amount of brown rice to white rice, and generally eating healthier than usual.

A compromise was taken without any hesitation. It’s also been too long since I took pictures.

Peanut Brittle Making at Taal, Batangas

The tour’s first stop was Taal, which I didn’t know was a Heritage City, same as Vigan. The cozy provincial vibe, the narrow streets, and the old churches reminded of a town further south: I spent summer vacations as a kid in Tayabas, Quezon, and I always wax poetic about those times. The ancestral houses, however, was a different thing, as they were scattered around the town, unlike Vigan. Most were in a semi-dilapidated state, but it was still a welcome sight that they still do exist. We were informed that there was a conscious effort to keep fast-food establishments out, but I couldn’t help noticing the 7-11.

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Camiguin: Part 1

Jay Javier

Camiguin was never part of my must-see places list. That list was short, and it always had been Batanes on top, and the rest of the entries are a blur. but since I’ve been there already -would love to come back, though- I had to go somewhere else.

And then photographer-friend Jay Javier just had to tell the RFilipinas group that his assistant won’t be available for a Camiguin workshop he’d be conducting. Somehow, I got the part.

So that makes this one FREE trip #2 for this year. And it doesn’t even relate to my actual work at all.

Continue reading Camiguin: Part 1