altum viditur

We went to Davao City to attend one of my close friends’ wedding that turned out to be one of the loveliest ceremonies I’ve been to. The guest list was exclusive to family and close friends. The vows happened at the St. Paul’s Parish in Davao City, reception followed at the Apo View Hotel. Since we got there a day earlier, we decided to book for a white water rafting adventure at Crocodile Farm the headed to Island Garden City of Samal, just below Davao del Norte for some adventure.

It was a long ride to Samal so we had buffet lunch at The Stadium Sports Lounge in the City first. Buffet costs only Php 129 (less than $3)!

We then took a cab ride to Sta. Ana wharf for around 30 minutes, a bus ride to Peñaplata for 45 minutes, including a 5-minute Roll On Roll Off (RORO), and finally, a 10-minute habal habal (single motorcycles) trek to Maxima Aquafun. Bus fare is Php 40 ($1), habal habal fare is Php 25.

Maxima's Giant Slide

Maxima Aquafun is right on a cliff to the open sea of Davao Gulf. It has several water-fun features like the 40-meter drop Giant Slide, a diving board and a floating trampoline — all of these will throw you to the open sea! But don’t worry. They have a “No life vest, no swim” policy. There are also resort staff that will watch you when you’re in the water.

First thing we tried was the Giant Slide. Here’s my video, on my first slide down  to the Davao Gulf:

I did not scream. It was the person behind the videocam. :P The person that you see at the end of the slide is the staff that takes photos while you’re on the slide, upon request. They’ll give you a print out at Php 60.

We also tried the diving board. I jumped twice! :)

Related posts:

Pearl Farm Beach Resort, Davao (Part 1)
Pearl Farm Beach Resort, Davao (Part 2)
Isla Malipano, Davao
White Water Rafting in the Davao River
Crocodile Park and Tribu K’Mindanawan Cultural Village, Davao
Aldevinco Shopping Center, Davao City
Bogser’s Coffe House, Bangkal Davao

We were very lucky to have booked a room in EcoVillage on the Holy Week of 2007 when all resorts near Camsur Watersports Complex were fully booked.

EcoVillage is a gated community with different natural and man-made structures and sights to see.

It has a bird aviary of exotic birds, a floating gazebo, hanging bridge, bird houses, small parks within the area, a swimming pool and different kinds of trees and flowers. there was also a man-made bat-cave on top of a stream and surrounded by tall bamboo trees so the cave does not look man-made at all.

It’s accommodation facilities vary from studio type units with own T&B to cabins. The cabins are the most inexpensive at Php350, having a bed and an electric fan, with a little camp-feel at night since it’s located outside with trees and it’s dark. If you’ll be out exploring the whole day, and on a budget, this lodging is good enough for you. Eco Village has comfort rooms and shower facilities near the cabins so no worries about that.

It’s in the same vicinity as CWC but quite a long walk. A tricycle ride costs Php 10.00 per person.

Enjoy world-class cable skiing facilities at Camsur Watersports Complex and enjoy some relaxing time at The EcoVillage in Pili, Camarines Sur.

For more information call:
Telephone # (+6354) 477.56.36 or (+6354) 478.00.93
or e-mail us at: infocamsur@gmail.com

The EcoVillage Management Office
Capitol Complex, Cadlan,Pili, Camarines Sur
Philippines 4410

Related Posts:

Camsur Watersports Complex, Pili, Camarines Sur
The Great Bicol Adventure: Rest and Relaxation in Awesome Camsur

When we were in Singapore, we visited the Ikea in Tampines, Suntec City Mall and Fountain of Wealth, The Merlion, Hawker Center / Hawkers, Esplanade and the Orchard Road.

We went back to Sentosa to see the Pink Dolphin Show at the Dolphin Lagoon located at the far end of the island. We took the cable car from the Singapore Cruise Center building beside the Vivo City. And rode the Sentosa Express back to the mall then off to an art tour!

Here are some photos of our cable car ride:

Cable Cars, on the bottom left, a Casino on the rise, a Merlion statue from afar

View of the Ocean

cruise ship docked in the ocean, view from above

A roundtrip ride is at SGD 10.90/ SGD 5.50 (adult/child). Admission center is located at the Mt. Faber Harbour Front Center and will end inside Sentosa at the Imbiah Lookout where you will find the Tiger Sky Tower.

Related Posts:

Vivo City
Food Republic
Java Kitchen
Sentosa
Skyride and Luge Car
Underwater World
4D Magix Show
Songs of the Sea
Clarke Quay
Suntec City Mall
Fountain of Wealth
The Merlion
Hawker Center / Hawkers, Esplanade
Orchard Road

As an annual family vacation every May, we went up North to Baguio City last weekend.

We haven’t been going to the usual tourist spots like Mines View Park, Botanical Garden, Wright Park and Philippine Military Academy (PMA) since we’ve visited these places a couple of times years before.

This time, we went to Tam-Awan Village for a different experience. I’ll post a separate article about that, meanwhile, let me tell you what I do when 0n vacation in Baguio.

One of the fun things that I always do when is going to Ukay Ukay stores to look for very affordable fashion finds.

Aside from the cool weather, Baguio City has also become famous for its Ukay-Ukay (probably derived from the Filipino word Hukay, or to dig) or Wagwagan (to shake) shops. Originally, clothes, bags, shoes are thrown in on a mat, table, or big boxes where you can dig to find your match, these were on small shops and  side walks.

Now there are several Ukay Ukay joints in Baguio, most famous are the Skyworld along Session Road, and Bayanihan, near Burnham Park. They have rows of clothes racks, and shoes are displayed in an organized manner.

I still do not know where the items come from, some say these are surpluses from abroad, maybe why some items are brand new and still have tags.

Most of the items are pre-owned goods and if you’re lucky, you’ll find new, branded stuff at very cheap prices.

Manolo Blahnik, Bally, DKNY and Naturalizer

Another place to visit is an area called Hilltop, behind the Baguio Market where they sell all sorts of clothes, accessories and even home furnishings like curtains and bed sheets. You can find streets and blocks of Ukay Ukay shops in Hilltop. A few years ago, I was also able to buy a couple of good finds in Harrison Building in Harrison Street, beside Burnham Park. At night, Ukay Ukay sellers would spread out their selling goods around Harrison Building, passing through Mabini Street going up to Calderon Street. Calderon Street is intersection Session Road. At the corner is Skyworld. So that’s a whole block of Ukay Ukay stuff!

a customer fitting a pair of Guess shoes

Related Post:

Oh My Gulay! Baguio City
Filomena’s Restaurant and Bakeshop, Baguio City
Tam-Awan Village, Baguio City
Strawberry Farm, La Trinidad Benguet

Here’s a first timer tourist’s guide to Singapore from another first timer tourist. This contains the walking, shopping, sight seeing and eating that I’ve done the first time I was in Singapore last December. I went back soon on March for the Indigo Girls concert.

Essential:

First thing that you need to do is be familiar with the MRT stations. The MRT can take you to most of the places you need to go to.

Here’s a hi-res map:

The trains are always on time and the stations are easy to navigate because of the numerous signage that point you to your destination. MRT rides cost .80 to 1.90 SGD, quite affordable for its efficiency.

Here’s our itinerary (click on linked items to see related article/s):

The First Day

1. Vivo City
- Food Republic – Toast Box and Java Kitchen

2. Sentosa
- Islander Card
- Sentosa Express
- Skyride and Luge Car
- Underwater World
- Dolphin Show
- 4D Magix Show
- Songs of the Sea

3. Clarke Quay

The Second Day:

1. Ikea

2. Suntec City Mall
- Fountain of Wealth

3. The Merlion

4. Hawker Center / Hawkers, Esplanade

5. Orchard Road

view from The Merlion's bridge

The Third Day:

1. Singapore Cable Car

2. Museums
- National Museum of Singapore
- Singapore Art Museum
- 8Q SAM

3. Bugis

4. Night Safari

5. Mustafa – 24 hour mall

The Fourth Day

1. Funan / Funan DigitaLife Mall

2. Chinatown

3. Marina Square

4. Ikea

—
Other useful tips:

If you’re a smoker, prepare to be watchful, most places are smoke-free and there are only small smoking areas which you have to spot while strolling. Don’t worry too much, if you’re mindful about it, you’ll find these smoking areas.

Transportation

Go to ticketing offices in the MRT stations to inquire about the Tourist Pass – an all day transportation tap card – if you think you will be heavily relying on public transportation. There are also the standard card (enter – exit MRT card with 1 SGD deposit) and a prepaid card for MRT and buses.

I’ve seen two types of taxis – Comfort Taxi and Silvercab. Comfort is blue and dominant in the streets and looks like a mini cooper. Silvercab is white, seldom and intimidating. Its cabs are Mercedes Benzes! Really. Don’t get intimidated (like I did), I heard that the fare is the same.

Food

Rice is about .50 SGD a cup at the Hawkers, Coke in can at vendo machines is 1.60 t0 1.80 SGD. A decent meal is at 4 to 7 SGD the cheapest. Airport food is ok, at 7 to 15 SGD. We tried the Hor Fun, Mui Fun and another food when we get there. Milkshakes are nice too, it’s got a faint taste of tea.

I have yet to update this once I’ve posted the write ups about the other destinations. :)

Songs of the Sea. A must see! Try to get a seat up front to experience the whole show. It has fireworks and an amazing lights and water show!

Just look at the pictures and swear to yourself to not miss this one :)

Really worth it for only 8 SGD. 6 SGD with the card!

Related Posts:

Sentosa 4D Magix, Sentosa Island, Singapore
Sentosa Island, Singapore
Underwater World, Sentosa Island, Singapore
Skyride and Luge Car, Sentosa Island, Singapore

The Merlion

From Suntec City Mall, you can walk to the Merlion, pass through malls for window shopping . We took a cab because our feet were already sore from walking. There are coffee shops at the Merlion. Personally, I did not find it very grand. Because for one, it is small, and two, it’s just there, spitting out water to the bay. But go there and enjoy the view. You can see the Esplanade and The Flyer (a really big ferris wheel) from the Merlion’s adjacent bridge.

The Esplanade

Singapore Flyer

photos by: amrei dizon

The ticket’s quite pricey but definitely worth it – for 20 SGD  learn about hundreds of different fish species, play with the rays, and touch cute creatures in the touch pond. I love fishes so I really enjoyed my stay there – I was there for almost two hours! But of course you can navigate through the whole place in an hour or less.

There’s a pass to the dolphin show included in the ticket but we had to go back the next day to see this because I stayed too long in the Underwater World and missed the last dolphin show. The Dolphin Show was really entertaining so try to catch it!

Related Articles:

Sentosa 4D Magix, Sentosa Island, Singapore
Sentosa Island, Singapore
Songs of the Sea, Sentosa Island, Singapore
Skyride and Luge Car, Sentosa Island, Singapore

4D Max Show. The ticket is also a bit pricey (18 SGD – 20% with the Islander Card), but if you like 3D shows, you’ll like this too. The show runs for abot 15-20 minutes. Bring your jacket. It’s cold inside the theater (wink).

Cameras are not allowed inside.

At the Beach Station, try the Skyride and Luge Car. It costs 10 SGD (combo) but only 6 SGD with the card. I’ve to tell you that it’s not easy taking pictures when riding the Luge Car. The skyride is like a cable car ride to a high place (which gives you a good view of the beaches) then ride the luge car (a type of go cart) back down to the Beach station.

Related Posts:

Sentosa 4D Magix, Sentosa Island, Singapore
Sentosa Island. Singapore
Songs of the Sea, Sentosa Island, Singapore
Underwater World, Sentosa Island, Singapore

Gateway to Sentosa Island

Get an Islander Card first, if you plan to see all of Sentosa Island’s attractions and avail of 2 SGD to 20% discounts! I’ve carefully studied this before I went to Singapore – the membership card’s cost and the discounts that I’d be getting. Guess what, it’s worth it! Plus nothing beats the feeling of getting discounts!

The monorails are called the Sentosa Express that has three stops – the Sentosa Station, Imbiah Station, and Beach station. We’re supposed to alight at the Imbiah Station but was too busy taking pictures of the view, we alighted at the last station instead, the Beach station.

At the Beach Station, I surveyed the beaches first, to see if they were ok. I heard that Singapore’s beaches were no match to the Philippines’ beaches. The sands were ok, but there’s a big possibility that the waters were greasy, because vessel ships docked a couple of meters away from the shore. Here’s a map of the Sentosa Island:

Sentosa Island Map

Whether you’ll be traveling alone, with a partner, with family or friends, Sentosa is a good place to visit. If you’re not into themed attractions or rides, you can always hang out at the beach, or at the coffee shops around the area to read a book or just relax. Or go food tripping at different food kiosks.

To see the whole place, hop on to the buses or trams (trams are more scenic). There are three lines in the bus/tram stations — the red, blue, yellow lines. Each take a different route.  And you can easily hop in and out of the bus/tram because it’s free. Just be patient, some stations have longer queues than the others. But every stop has sufficient signage to know which bus or tram you need to take.

beach tram Stn., Sentosa Island

If you were to purchase just one ticket inside the Island, get the Underwater World. There are a hundred different species of marine creatures to see!

If you’re in for a a real show, watch the Songs of the Sea!

Entrance to Songs of the Sea

Related articles:

Sentosa 4D Magix, Sentosa Island, Singapore
Songs of the Sea, Sentosa Island, Singapore
Underwater World, Sentosa Island, Singapore
Skyride and Luge Car, Sentosa Island, Singapore

We had a filling lunch at the Liberty Café in Apo Island. Apo Island is where you go to when you want to experience white sand near Dumaguete City. And Liberty Café is one of two two resorts in the Island. Meal prices range from Php 100-Php150. There are other food choices that are more expensive. And though there’s no electricity at Liberty Café. during daytime, there are cold drinks (beer, soda, juices) available.

Bangus

Someone could not wait to have her food photographed. Pardon the used spoon. Hahahaha.

chopsuey topped with boiled egg

chicken mango sandwich

something with tomato sauce (yum!)

yummy omelette - your choice of fillings

Related Posts:

Apo Island
Dumaguete City
Harold’s Mansion
Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries
Lab-As Seafood Restaurant