Travel Hard, Hannah!

Showing posts with label Philippines. Show all posts

Saturday, February 7, 2026

Up close and personal with the wildlife.

After six long years, I was finally able to revisit the Philippines. I want to say that coming back felt like a dream, but the truth is it felt more like a punch of hot, humid air. I am not proud to say I had acclimatized to the temperature in the North-western hemisphere so that every second outside of an air-conditioned room in the country felt like the entrance to hell. I thought planning outdoor activities such as going on zoos and safaris in Vigan City (especially during the summer) was a huge mistake. Thank goodness staying at the Safari Hotels and Villas offered us the reprieve and relaxation we needed from the heat in between outings.

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Freshly-caught tuna sold at the Magsaysay Riverside Market, Dagupan City. One-hundred and twenty pesos per kilogram is actually not bad of a deal.

Friday, July 17, 2020

Isdaan Floating Resto-fun Park is chock full of wonderfully-made statues of famous figures and animals. In the above image, a gigantic representation of Buddha overlooks a swimming school of Koi.

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem! (Luke 2: 10-11)

Friday, November 10, 2017

Move over, Pokemon Go!

I came across Chef Wars when I opened my App Store and saw it as the Featured Game of the Day. With the promise of being "a food and cooking RPG (role-playing game)" with "over 900 recipes to discover" and "over 500 different towns to explore", I could not resist sacrificing my three-year old niece's Playfirst app (much to her chagrin) just to make more room in my phone for a 116.9 mB app.

Friday, October 20, 2017

The stunningly-beautiful infinity pool at Villa Escudero.

I'm not usually one to visit an attraction that I've already gone to in the past unless (1) some part of it was revamped in a major way, or (2) it was designated as a place where I need to go to celebrate something. In the case of my second visit to Villa Escudero, it was for both aforementioned reasons: their swimming pools were newly-renovated and my father booked us a room for Fathers' Day.

And so, we drove to Tiaong, Quezon province in the middle of June for a family staycation where we expected to be free from the stresses that came with living in a generation where dogs eat dogs.

Monday, October 9, 2017

Shelves full of pre-loved (and some brand new) sneakers and boots from an ukay-ukay in Bayanihan, Baguio City.

Before the year 2017 ends, by God's will, I might be traveling to somewhere with negative temperatures.

While I'm all consumed with the excitement of flying off to my third G7 country after Canada and Japan, 'til a few weeks ago I was plastered with worry about what I should wear to keep my fingers and toes attached to my hands and feet and where I could shop for them. Just as I resigned myself to making orders for winter boots and ski apparel from online shops, my mom presented her brilliant idea of staying for a few nights in Baguio to scout all the ukay-ukay establishments within the city.

And if there's any place in the Philippines where ukay-ukay shopping is a pleasant experience because of the constantly cool climate and the wide variety of items for sale, it's gotta be the Summer Capital, Baguio City.

Monday, September 18, 2017

The balcony of Couples Marina 1.

Have you ever dreamed of spending your idle days in an island wherein hundreds upon thousands of specks of magenta-colored bougainvillea are accentuated by blue-capped cliff-side white buildings, with the commanding view of a teal-tinted crystal ocean surrounding a beautifully-shaped caldera? If Greece is where your soul yearns to stay but you find yourself tied to the Philippines by the many complicated things that come with being an adult, there's nothing to worry about. Recently, tons of local resorts are starting to emulate the signature appearance that made world-famous the pristine island of Santorini-- and in Pangasinan, the most famous among these resorts is Sundowners.

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Old Heritage Houses standing on the edge of a canal in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar.

There's something fascinating about old architecture.

I remember writing a 300-word essay explaining my stand on a question that went, "Should old heritage buildings be kept as they are or demolished to give way for progress?" It sounded like it was an easy question wherein any immediate opinion could easily be formed, but it was not.

Sunday, April 9, 2017

The "Bahn mi" (Php 110.00), a traditional Vietnamese sandwich. Marinated pork cutlets together with onions, dressing and other vegetables are stuffed inside a crispy, toasted bun. Only at Lucky Bà ngoại's.

Friday, March 31, 2017

The "Fruitasan Mo" fruits market at Bangkerohan, Davao City.

"All roads lead to Davao City."

While Davao City in Davao del Sur has always been one of the Philippines' most iconic tourist destinations, its new-found popularity and sudden projection to the spotlight can be credited to the country's most powerful man as of present-- His Excellency, President Rodrigo Roa-Duterte who hails from said province. The largest city in the world in terms of land area, Davao City has always been famous for its low cost of living, public safety, cleanliness, and orderliness, and its export-quality production of fruits and seafood.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

One of the mid-depth pools at Rhosean's Garden Resort, Pampanga.

On the morning of September 1, 2016, I and my family woke up to a tragic news: one of my uncles from Pampanga passed away due to multiple organ failure from end-stage renal disease. With this tiny tidbit, we were also informed that his interment will be on the 6th.

September 6th was the day I was born.

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

The wooden azotea of San Fabian PTA Beach Resort overlooking the picnic area and the ocean is where diners may indulge themselves in unlimited pork barbecue and bangus sisig.

Monday, July 4, 2016

Beautiful horses waiting to give customers a ride at Wright Park.

The third post in the Tribute to Summer series details the trip I took with my family to Baguio City on a warm, sunny day after a meet-up with my endocrinologist.

(Related: The first post from the Tribute to Summer series can be found here.)

The Philippines, being a Southeast Asian country, only has two seasons: Dry and Rainy; there is no in-between-- just these two extremes of temperature. Filipinos try to escape from the unrelenting heat of the sun by going to the pool/beach, staying cool indoors, or climbing to places in high altitude-- and Baguio City is one such place. Dubbed the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", Baguio City in the Cordillera Administrative Region of the Philippines is about 1,500 meters from sea level. It is close to the sun, but it's cool and crisp most of the year. From my experience living in Baguio for almost two years, temperatures can go up to 33° Celsius during dry season to as low as 9° Celsius during the rainy season. February and December, in my opinion, are the coolest months.

Monday, June 20, 2016

D'you fancy sitting here, a cold drink in hand, while gazing at this lovely view?

Here in Pangasinan where I come from, tourists come for the infamous beaches for their amazing beauty and world-class quality. Think Hundred Islands in Alaminos, Patar Beach in Bolinao, and the surfers' favorite Lingayen Beach in the provincial capital.

Sunday, June 12, 2016

"I want to test your faith," the Whale at RoheiM Farm and Resort seems to (hungrily) say.

"Summer". Whenever we hear the word, we tend to get glassy-eyed and start to daydream about the sea, the sun, the sand, and ice-cold drinks while Olaf's summer anthem plays on repeat in our heads. For students like my twelve-year old brother, summer is a blissful time of catching up on some sleep, watching TV until dawn, and being free from homework. It's a bit different from how we salarymen imagine to spend it, but the infallible truth is: no matter how anyone else thinks about it, summer will always be synonymous to swimming.

Friday, April 1, 2016

It looks like a quaint little bahay kubo from the outside-- with the bamboo works and stained glass and all!

I've been curiously driving through this establishment for a few months already, but I only stepped into it for the first time today for some late lunch with the family. KamBak Kambing at Baka (a play between the two Filipino words that literally meant "goat and cow") Grill and Resto is a small restaurant by the highway that held my fascination because it looked like a little but quaint Filipiniana-style native restaurant on the outside with majestic green mountains and rice paddies as its backdrop.

In short, it looked cute.

Saturday, January 30, 2016

The facade of Matutina's and Gerry's Seafood.

The common belief that the province of Pangasinan is rich when it comes to blessings from its surrounding bodies of water is actually an understatement-- the place is literally overflowing with seafood (especially during circumstances that warrant an increase in the level of the tides). Pangasinan is where places dubbed as "Bangus (Milkfish) Capital of the World" and "Seafood Capital of the North" hail from. And from among the numerous seafood restaurants that serve freshly-cooked seafood in the unique Pangasinense way, Matutina's has been one of the oldest leading institutions.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

The facade of Dreamplay, a one-of-a-kind theme park produced by Dreamworks Animated Studios in the City of Dreams, Manila.

I'm featuring two attractions in this post: the first being Vikings Luxury Buffet at SM Mall of Asia followed by Dreamplay by Dreamworks in the City of Dreams, Manila. We went to these establishments to prematurely celebrate my brother's 12th birthday one day before the actual date.

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Very delicious pork sisig and rice from Patio Elmina.

Have you ever entered one restaurant in your entire lifetime that made your breath catch on your throat because-- based on what it looks outside-- you didn't expect it to look so darn rustic and charming inside? As I remember last night's dinner with my best guy friend, I smile and think to myself, "Yes, I think I just did."

Located along Jose de Venecia Avenue, Patio Elmina Grill & Restaurant is easy to ignore at first because they had no large signs at all beside the road. In fact, I only found out about the restaurant through my mom, who also knew about it from a friend.

There are cute bangus (milkfish) statues in the parking lot...

..whose eyes light up at night! So cute!

There's a bridge over koi-filled water leading to the dining area.

The two-cubicle restroom is a little dirty and mediocre, though. It would have been great if it stuck with the restaurant's theme.

Hand washing area.

There's space for a live band. Too bad there wasn't one playing the night that we dined.

Inn Asia, a motor inn, is located just behind Patio Elmina.

They have a pool. I hope it's not just for Inn Asia's guests, though. I'd love it if diners could casually eat beside the pool while enjoying the breeze (if there's any).

Poolside dining area.

The food here are not only very commendable-- they're very affordable, too!

Pork sisig (Php180.00) and steamed rice (Php25.00 each). I understand that the restaurant's specialty is bangus sisig, but we still went with pork and were thankfully not disappointed. The sisig's portion size is a little bigger than what average restaurants serve, but when it comes to talk like this then the steamed rice takes the cake (one serving is really big)!

Kare-kareng gulay (Php165.00). Very delicious peanut sauce here-- and they even put in some pieces of beef. Thank you, Patio Elmina!

Pancit guisado (Php140.00). I want my pancit to be wet with some sauce, but this one's a little dry. Still, it tasted really good and has a big portion size!

Sinigang na tiyan ng bangus (Php190.00). Beware of fish bones!

Crispy kare-kare (Php220.00).

Aside from the food above, we also ordered a pitcher of iced tea (Php140.00). We saw that the diners on the table next to ours ordered ensaladang gulay (it was served in a very small porcelain dish; I know I won't be ordering this in the future), pork barbecue (skewered in bamboo; I thought these were very large), and fresh coconut juice (comes with the shell; the waiter informed me that this does not come cold).

One of the things we found convenient for us is that there were not many diners by the time we arrived (5:30 PM). People only started to pop in for dinner at around 7:00 PM and there were still a lot of seats to spare!

Upon coming home, I immediately told my family all about the dining experience and recommended the place to them and to some of my Facebook friends. Aside from the charming interior and the affordable and delicious food, the service was very exceptional! We didn't wait for too long for the food to arrive. The servers were very courteous and well-mannered, always wearing a smile on their faces. They even offered to take pictures of us, and our water glasses were always promptly refilled. It was a delight to dine while being served by them! I'm sold. I love this restaurant so much and I'm definitely coming back! Yep, I definitely am!

**Patio Elmina Grill & Restaurant is located at Inn Asia along Jose de Venecia Avenue, Dagupan City, Pangasinan.