Corregidor

Yesterday was my third time in Corregidor. (First was in 2005 with my family, and the second was in 2010 with Nikko -- shall post photos from these trips soon) Nonetheless, I still had a great time exploring the historical tadpole-shaped island. Corregidor day tours is one of the most fun, organized and interesting day trips I have ever experienced. You will certainly get great value for your money. I highly recommend it to families, couples and friends, who want to see extraordinary views and have a great learning experience about Philippine history and World War II.

Here are some photos:

Top - Paperdolls (Gift from Nikko); Shorts - Bazaar; Shoes - Steve Madden

With Kuya Louie

Dad and Kuya Louie (my uncle)

Mom and Dad

Dip-dyed

Mile-long Barracks

Sorry for the vain photos, I just love my ombre hair!

With Dad and Mom

Pacific War Memorial

The Lighthouse

Dad had this photo requested 'cause this is where Douglas McArthur left for Australia

Our tramvia

Inside the Malinta Tunnel. The Lights and Shounds Show at the Malinta Tunnel was a great one-of-a-kind experience. One will learn a lot from it and being inside the Malinta Tunnel itself during the show is just cool.

So for some reason, I like this photo.

Corregidor Day Tours
c/o Sun Cruises
http://www.corregidorphilippines.com

Pakil, Laguna: Parish of San Pedro Alcantara

Last Saturday, we went to Siniloan, Laguna to attend the wedding of Nikko's cousin. Unfortunately, we made it only to the reception, which lasted a little over two hours.

We found out that the place was near Pakil, which is famous for its spring resorts and its very beautiful Church, the Parish of San Pedro Alcantara. The Pakil Church is home to the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Turumba. We went to visit it and were awed with its architectural design.


Here are some photos:

Outside the Pakil Church

Dress - People are People; Tube Top - Babo/Nava Clothing; Necklace - Cosmopolitan (gift from my law school barkada); Bag - Unlisted; Sandals - Alfani (gift from my Lola Nanay)

With the Bride and Groom

Pakil Church: Parish of San Pedro Alcantara

With Nikko's Tita Moni and his sister, Bettina.

Janna and Nikko

It was a very tiring day but just seeing the old Church and the statue was worth it. Another pilgrimage adventure for Nikko and me. Which reminds me, I gotta head back to Manaoag soon.

Borawan Island, Kwebang Lampas and Dampalitan Beach

Day 2 of our Padre Burgos, Quezon trip:

Our group went island-hopping last Sunday. We went to three different Quezon islands: Borawan Island, Kwebang Lampas, and Dampalitan Island. Each island was uniquely beautiful! So proud of these virgin beaches of Quezon.

Borawan Island had pretty rock formations. I think they named it Borawan 'cause of Boracay and Palawan. Haha.

Swimsuit from Cocomo Clothing

My love!

Puting Buhanging / Kwebang Lampas had crystal clear blue water, fine white sand and a cave.

Janna and Nikko

Nikko, Janna and Manfred

With my favorite cousin Vanica

Ate Ping, Vanica and Janna

Inside the cave

Hello!

And finally, Dampalitan Beach was perfect for relaxation.

I like this photo even though it's overexposed. Haha.

Shades - Gucci

:)

The gang again! COG!

Padre Burgos, Quezon

I've heard a lot of nice things about Padre Burgos, Quezon particularly the Borawan Island, Puting Buhangin or Kwebang Lampas, and the Dampalitan Island. Last weekend, my favorite cousins from the father side (Robles) went there to go swimming, have fun, and bond. Even though it's just around two hours away from our hometown, Sariaya, it was my first time to go there.


We stayed at the Tamarind Tree, an over-priced, so-so resort, which had very limited amenities and a not so very accommodating owner/operator. Nonetheless, I had a lot of fun 'cause of the company.

Here are some photos of Day 1 (Saturday):

Bikini from Greenhills, I've had this since college!

With my favorite Robles cousins, Vanica and Ate Ping, and my goddaughter/niece Blair.

Love this photo!

And another one. Slippers from Abercrombie and Fitch

The next day, we went island hopping. Will post photos again tomorrow. :)

Wakeboarding

It was my first time to go wakeboarding last Sunday. On the way home from Caramoan, we passed by Pili and decided to try wakeboarding at the Camarines Watersports Complex (CWC). We couldn’t stay long because my dad and brother had work and school the next day and the road trip was really long. It was good that the CWC offers reasonable hourly rates for wakeboarding. We just went with the one-hour deal for P165 per person (inclusive of P40 equipment rental fee).

So Manfred, Nikko and I tried wakeboarding and it was awesome!

Getting tickets

Look at me! :)

I love this shot! Thanks, Mommy!

That's Nikko, Manfred and me

Manfred!

Waiting for Nikko!

Nikko!

And Manfred again!

 Super fun but the next day, my arms and chest were really painful. Haha. CamSur is definitely love!

Summer Paradise: Caramoan Islands

Last Friday/Saturday, my family, Nikko and I went to Caramoan Islands, Camarines Sur. Caramoan, even though not as famous as Boracay and Palawan, is known internationally because it has been a favorite shooting location of different international franchises of the show Survivor (France, Bulgaria, Israel, Serbia, Sweden and USA). 

From Manila, we drove all the way to Brgy. Sabang, San Jose, Camarines Sur (stopped over our house in Sariaya, Quezon for a few minutes and at a seaside restaurant in Gumaca, Quezon to eat). It was an 11-hour trip (including the stop-overs). We left Manila at 9PM and arrived in San Jose, where Sabang port is, at 8AM.

From the Sabang port, we took a boat (one-way costs P120/person) going to Guijalo port, Caramoan. Caramoan can be reached by land also but according to our GPS, it would take us another 300km to get there so travelling by sea, which took us approximately 2 hours was really the best option.

Sabang Port

I booked the River View Vacation Inn a few days before the trip. They offer 2D/1N and 3D/2N packages, which include accommodation, meals, island hopping, and transportation within the island. Since my dad and my brother have to be home by Monday, we just took the 2-days and 1-night package which costs P1600 per person.

When we got to the Guijalo port, we were met by our tour guide, Otep, who was really nice. We took a 6-seater tricycle going to our inn. We got there around 12 noon, just in time for our delicious lunch. Then we hurried to the other port to go island hopping.

We visited three islands: Lahos, Matukad, Busdak. Each island was beautiful and they were different from each other. 

Lahos beach had fine white sand, a majestic view and clear water.

Lahos Island

My favorite photo of us in Caramoan!

I was actually standing on a rock here.

<3

With Dad and Mom. <3

Matukad, had really powdery white sand (Station 1, Boracay powdery!) and had a lagoon on top (which we were not able to see anymore ‘cause Otep said it was difficult to climb.

The other side of Matukad Island; Notice the clear sea!

Hello!

<3

My pretty Mommy

And my handsome and cutie daddy

That's my only brother Manfred. We are very close and I'm glad I have him as an only sibling.

Nikko and Manfred goofing around

My loves!

 Busdak had a combination of white sand and grayish mud-like sand. Really unique! 

Busdak Beach

Haha

With our tour guide, Otep at the Busdak Beach

When we got back to our inn, we had crabs, squid and tinolang manok for dinner (yum!). Then, some of us had a soothing in-room massage for P300 (according to my masseuse, she was a TV extra in Survivor Israel. She massaged one of the contestants as a reward). By 10PM, we were all asleep.

Food c/o River View Vacation Inn! Yummy!!!

We woke up at 7AM (really early for me!) the next day for a yummy breakfast. After packing (‘cause we were leaving already), we were accompanied by our tour guide to the St. Michael the Archangel Church of Caramoan.

St. Michael the Archangel Church

We went back to the Guijalo port to catch the ferry going back to Sabang. We were able to catch the 9AM ferry and thus, reached Sabang by 11AM.

We may not have covered a lot of islands but it was still a wonderful experience. Everything was perfect: the beaches, the food, the tour, the friendly Caramoan people. And what made it all the more awesome was the fact that I was with my loved ones. I will definitely be back to explore the other islands!