Singapore Botanic Gardens

Our recent trip to Singapore brought us to the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Since it’s our fifth visit to Singapore, we didn’t want to go to the usual tourist spots like Sentosa, Night Safari, etc.

We were not disappointed. Singapore Botanic Gardens is a sprawling 64-hectare land. There’s a swan lake with real swans. You can sit in the gazebo with a good book and kill time.

A good old-fashioned sundial is also there. I’ve never seen a sundial before and it was a thrill to see how it works. There were also several breeds of bonsai trees, some as high as six feet1

The entrance for the Singapore Botanic Gardens is free. The only downside is that it is not yet accessible via MTR. The nearest MTR is Commonwealth and it’s about three to five kilometers away. From Commonwealth, you can just take a cab to the Gardens.

The good news is, development is already underway to construct an MTR section that would make the garden more accessible.

For the orchid lovers, the National Orchid Garden is also located within the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Although it charges a minimal fee, you’ll find the place fascinating. Different breeds of orchids are present and they were all gorgeous, except for some flesh-eating orchids!

These are the flesh-eating orchids (photo below). Well, it eats insects but you get my drift.

The nice thing about the National Orchid Gardens is that there are specific spots that are great for picture-taking. Here are just some of them.

 

A trip to Everybody’s Cafe

During one of our corporate events in North Luzon Expressway, my officemates and I made a quick detour to Pampanga to check out Everybody’s Care.

We have heard quite a few things about this restaurant and, of course, the well-known Kapampangan cuisine, that it wouldn’t be right to be in that part of the country without dropping by.

True to what we read about it, Everybody’s Cafe provided a great gastronomical feast for us. I, for one, was pleasantly surprise to have a liking for fried crickets. It was so crunchy and yummy that you wouldn’t even think those are crickets!

I didn’t care much for the frogs as they tasted a little bland. But go ahead and still give it a try.

For our drinks, we tried the sugarcane juice. This one is an acquired taste. While it tastes sweet, it’s not really the usual “processed sugar sweet” that almost all of us are used to. But if only to introduce a different kind of sweet to your tongue, go ahead and give it a sip.

 

Things you don’t see everyday: Washing clothes in the water

Two weeks ago, we went to Dolores, Quezon to visit my father-in-law’s relatives. It’s just a leisure three-hour drive from Manila and it was my first time to visit the place.

Upon arrival, I saw a small sign that says, “Dito sa bukal” (There’s a nearby stream). After settling down, I asked my husband to bring me to this nearby stream. Lo and behold!

It’s a sight you don’t see in the city everyday–women washing their clothes in the river. For about 10 minutes, we observed the folks as they washed their clothes, used the palu-palo, etc. It was an amusing sight, something that I will always remember.

 

Go on a weekend drive to Puerto del Sol with BPI

Reposting the email I received from BPI.

For Petron-BPI and BPI Edge MasterCard holders, get 50% off on published rates on your third night.

 

CEB flies thrice daily Manila-Singapore

Reprinting the press release of Cebu Pacific from its website:

Starting August 2, 2009, Cebu Pacific (CEB) will start flying thrice daily from Manila to Singapore to address market demands and give passengers scheduling convenience. CEB will now offer a morning, mid-day and evening Manila-Singapore service.

To celebrate the additional frequency, CEB is announcing its ‘Great Singapore Seat Sale’ for all of its Singapore services from Manila, Cebu and Clark. The seat sale will run from June 12 to 15, 2009 and is valid for travel from August 1 to October 31, 2009.

The one-way ‘Go Lite’ fare for the Clark-Singapore service is at P988 while the one-way ‘Go Lite’ fare for Manila-Singapore and Cebu-Singapore is at P1,388. Promo fares are non-refundable and exclusive of applicable government taxes.

“The additional third daily Manila-Singapore service will allow us to offer more low fares to the traveling public. We hope that with our trademark low fares, Filipino workers in Singapore can come home to visit their families more frequently and more Filipinos can see Singapore’s many wonderful attractions.” Candice Iyog, CEB vice president for marketing and distribution said.

CEB was recently honored by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore as one of the “Top 5 Airlines by Growth in Passenger Carriage” at the 4th Changi Airline Awards in Singapore held last May 26. “This is proof that through CEB’s continued expansion and low-fares, more Juans are now able to fly not only in the Philippines but wherever CEB operates,” Iyog added.

Go Lite’ fares are for passengers traveling with no check-in baggage. Passengers with check-in bags just have to add P200 to the fare. 

For flight bookings and inquiries, passengers may log on to www.cebupacificair.com, call reservations at 70-20-888 (Manila) / 230-88-88 (Cebu), or visit their nearest travel agent.

 

Cebu Pacific offers P286 fare for Cebu hub flights

Your value-airline Cebu Pacific (CEB) is offering a P286 one way ‘Go Lite’ fare on all our Cebu hub flights! 

The seat sale include flights from Manila to Cebu and Cebu to Bacolod, Boracay (Caticlan), Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, Davao, Dipolog, Dumagete, Iloilo, Roxas, Siargao, and Zamboanga.

The promotional sale is for travel from July 15 to August 31, 2009. The Sale starts now until June 26.

‘Go Lite’ fares are for passengers traveling with no check-in baggage. Passengers with check-in bags have to add P200 to the fare.

Hurry, grab your value seats now at www.cebupacificair.com!

 

PAL flies to Ozamiz

 

Cebu Pacific offers international seat sale, fares from P988

I’m reprinting the email I received from Cebu Pacific.

Celebrate father’s day with low fares from Cebu Pacific! We’re offering a seat sale for our international destinations starting now until June 19, 2009, for travel from August 1 to September 30, 2009.
Our fares are as low as P988 one-way ‘Go Lite’ fare for Clark to Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, and Manila to Kota Kinabalu services.

We are also offering a one-way P1,388 fare from Manila to Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Kuala Lumpur, Guangzhou and Shanghai; and from Cebu to Singapore and Hong Kong.

‘Go Lite’ fares are for passengers traveling with no check-in baggage. Travelers with check-in bags have to add P200 to the fare. International fares are exclusive of gove! rnment taxes.

Log on to www.cebupacificair.com for your seats now!

 

 

Visit Villa Escudero

If you’re looking for a quick weekend getaway, you may want to go to Villa Escudero near the border of Laguna and Quezon. This destination is popular for balikbayan Filipinos and foreigners who want a taste of Filipino life. This was also featured by Discovery Channel’s Travelers many years ago.

Villa Escudero is a sprawling hectares of land. Once you enter Villa Escudero, you’ll be greeted by a vast bare land. A few meters more and you’ll reach the pavilion, where you’ll be greeted by Filipiniana-wearing ushers and a nice glass of welcome drinks. 

Once you have paid for your entrance fee, you can choose to ride a unique carabao-pulled transportation.

 There are basically three areas where you can hang out—the church, the falls and the lake.

 The church-turned-museum houses artifacts of Philippine history. No cameras are allowed inside so you just have to trust me. Inside, you’ll find several giant statues of Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ and other saints. You’ll also find clothes of past Philippine presidents and even Philippine national hero Jose Rizal. There are also animal and plant fossils.

The museum is in serious need of renovation. Although the façade is picturesque, the inside feels dark and old. It’s quite cramp, too, so you need to be careful when touring the place.

 

Outside the church is a nice park where you can breathe fresh air. You will see a small replica of a World War II tank, different sizes of bells, and a statue of a couple. I assume that this was the Escudero couple who established Villa Escudero.

You will also see a gated mansion nearby, which is off-limits to the public. This is probably where the family stays.

 Meanwhile, the man-made falls in Villa Escudero is hugely popular among tourists. Here is where you can enjoy a nice buffet lunch with your friends and family. You have to be a little careful because the ground is pretty slippery, due to the growth of moss.

You will enjoy the Filipino-themed feast that Villa Escudero offers.  Foreign tourists are especially fond of this because using your hands to eat is a necessity. And where in the world can you have lunch while your feet are soaked in cold running water.

 After lunch, you can wander around and take a dip in the pool. There are only two pools (for kids and adults) in Villa Escudero so prepare to share the pool with some kids.

The lake is the piece-de-resistance. You and a friend can take the balsa and sail in the lake. It looks easy but it’s not as it is quite difficult to navigate the balsa. But it is quite a nice bonding moment for you and your loved one.

 

Trekking at Taal Volcano

Many of us are familiar with Taal Volcano, considered to be one of the smallest volcanoes in the world. We were taught in grade school that it is a unique formation because it is a volcano within a volcano. That cone shape we see in postcards and other souvenir items is so familiar.

But I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the popular cone shape is not the only crater in Taal. In fact, there is a bigger crater, tucked away near that famous landmark. My research informed me that there are four craters.

Recently, I and some friends went on a Taal Volcano Trek. Our first stop was the World Wide Web for recommendations and instructions on how to go on a trek. Taal is notoriously known for overcharging, hassling boatmen who would charge you an arm and leg for the boat ride.

My research took me to the website of Taal Lake Yacht Club, a website for Filipino sailing enthusiasts. TLYC offers three kinds of trails—Regular Tourist, Secret/Kalawit Trail and Ambassador Kenney Trail.

Although the fees for the Secret Trail are more expensive than the two, we chose this because of one important component—we wanted to swim in the crater. After making the payment arrangements, picking out our lunch for the day, renting a vehicle, and issuing the reminders for the our group, we trooped to Taal Lake.

Arriving at the TLYC, we were welcomed by Ate Sonya, the woman in charge of our lunch. In a few minutes, we boarded our boats (maximum of five per boat) and had a 30-minute travel from the shore to Volcano Island. A TLYC guide also accompanied us.

When we got off at Volcano Island, we met the island guide, who will go with us in our trek to the crater. She informed us that the trek would take us about 45 minutes to one hour, depending on our speed.

For the next hour, we tested our will and stamina, and headed for the crater. For someone who’s not used to long and arduous walks, this was one exhausting trek. Although there is a trail, there were slippery steps and steep climbs, making the trek a little difficult. We also had to take short breaks for sheer exhaustion (we’re not a physically fit group).

 

After an hour of trekking, we finally arrived at the crater.

The place is gorgeous, to say the least. The crater lake is well-hidden and it is not visible by people who travel in Tagaytay. It feels like you’re isolated from the rest of the world. It is also nature at is most raw, as you will not find any restroom (even a makeshift one) nor a cottage in the area.

Because of this, we just took a dip in the crater lake in the very clothes that we are wearing and trekked back without changing—we had no choice! Hahaha!

Our guides were also careful in telling us not to swim far from the shoreline. The seabed of the crater lake is uneven and just a few steps may mean a foot deeper. No diving allowed, either!

The only downside with swimming in the crater lake is that your shirt will turn into orange. I think this is because of the sulfuric water in the lake. And because the lake is completely surrounded by land, the water doesn’t go anywhere and algae have made the water green.

After about 30 minutes staying in the crater lake, we happily packed our bags and trekked back to our boat.

If you’re interested to on this trek, you may contact Taal Lake Yacht Club at. The advantages of coursing the trek with TLYC are:

1) They will not charge you an arm and a leg (what you see in the website is what you get).

2) They will provide you knowledgeable guides to accompany you during your trek.

3) They practice safety. They will not overload the boats as Marina requires a maximum of only five people per boat.

4) The boats are also equipped with life jackets, cell phone (in case of emergency), etc.

Photo credit: Barry, Zita, Jen and Che