Palawan: Puerto Prinsesa City Escapade Part 2

Part 2 was late because author was busy…. Gomen…

Crocodile Farm – Barangay Irawan, Puerto Prinsesa City, Palawan

Crocodile Farm

top – Rio
middle – Mascot
bottom – Baby Crocs

The Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center is a cab ride away from Sta. Monica.

We arrived there just in time to miss the 2PM tour. So while waiting for 30minutes for the tour to start, we bought our ticket which costs 40pesos each, ate some ice cream and look around the souvenir shops. In the end, I bought lots of miniature crocodiles and stingrays for the fiends back home.

The start of the tour introduced us to Rio, a crocodile who was captured because he ate half of the spear and was injured. He was treated but sadly because of old age, was unable to adapt to the new environment and died of stress. Next were the baby crocs from the newly-weaned to the almost adult ones kept in tubs in ones, twos, threes, fours or fives. There are screens on top of tubs but there are spaces with no covers. Because of this, signs of “DANGER: Baby Crocs may jump and bite. Do not place hands on top of tubs” are placed around the holding area. Then, we went to enclosed area with a bridge on top where the adult crocs are kept. The biggest one is big all 60+ cm semi-hidden in the water but the head and jaws can be seen and the horror you will be experiencing when you fell into the pen to be his meal is beyond my imagination :D.

Crocodile Pen

After this, there is a booth where you can have a picture with a baby croc and have it printed as well for souvenir.

The animal park is a do it yourself tour, we roamed around for a bit. The 1st animal is the bearcat, when we approached he got out from his hiding place to have his picture taken. Lucky us. The 2nd one is the bearded pig, snobbish creature who kept his face hidden all the time as if telling us not to bother him in his mealtime. The next are the majestic serpent eagle, I think. They looked regal all the time sneering at us, mere mortals. Then the lonesome sea eagle who gave a plaintive cry when he was disturbed. His tail was magnificent though. Then we have the hornbills who doesn’t want their pictures taken and kept themselves to the foliage inside their cage. Next, the noisy mynahs. Then, the parrots who rarely made a sound while we were looking at them. There was also a wildcat which has no name plate, so we could not really know what it was. They also have monkeys. But the last animal we went to see is the porcupine and we think it’s dying because its pins and needles are falling off. And the skin is showing, with red pelts.

Bearcat, Eagles, Parrots

After this, we wander back to the crocos for the last time then walk back to the highway to go to the tiangge.

Tiangge-Tiangge – Barangay San Rafael, Puerto Prinsesa City

The Tiangge is a marketplace for souvenirs. We told the driver specifically to drop us off there but he thought that we are not getting off because when he looked at me I did not take that as a hint that he was asking if we were getting off. So, we had to walk back a few blocks to get back there. In there, we added a few more souvenirs. Some pearls and a shoulder bag. We also looked for croc meat for people who requested but we’ll, the souvenir meat shop is closed. So, we left the tiangge behind before we are tempted to buy more.

Kinabuch’s – Rizal Avenue, Puerto Prinsesa City

Kinabuch’s Bar & Restaurant

Kinabuch is a highly recommended place to eat in Palawan, so from the tiangge we rode a tricyle to get there for an early dinner.

We ordered the specialty of the house, crispy pata, baby back ribs, halo-halo and shake, a platter of rice as well. The serving is good for 5 persons for the pata and the back ribs for 2-3. We ate a lot but we couldn’t really finish all of it, so we had those wrapped up to be taken out. It was a very satisfying meal and the place is quiet to as there are a few other guests in the resto. We paid almost 1000pesos for that meal but we had lots of leftovers that we still ate the next day.

Puerto Prinsesa Capitol

After the meal, we bought some soap, shampoo and food for breakfast. There was a funny scene when a foreigner asking why liquor is not sold in that store when it is sold somewhere else even though its banned because of the recall election. He did not insist though.

We also passed by the Provincial Capitol but did not go in because it was already late 

Baker’s Hill – Sta. Monica, Puerto Prinsesa City

Baker’s Hill

Before going back to WPU for the night, we decided to stop by Baker’s Hill to taste the tamilok. The driver finally dropped us off where we want to go and he said, we can walk or ride. We decided to walk, decidedly the longest walk in my life. Two almost uphill climb and stretch of land in between. Poor feet. But we arrived, passing by wagyu beef, mother of steaks advertisement and many other restos along the area. Baker’s hill is aptly named, many stores sell pastries, pizza among them. There is also a massage parlor. After resting a bit, we explored. No tamilok for us, as the resto serving is already cleaning up when we arrived. And as we are not really hungry, we just walked around the park.

Shrek Park, Cherry Blossom, Peacock Display, Flowers

It was very dark, and I think we disturbed more than one fowl creature. They had a golden pheasant, peacocks (stuffed and real), and other birds couldn’t recognize because its too dark. There are also over-sized vegetables. I am not sure if all of them are real though. Then there are swings, and see-saws for children. Shrek Park have Shrek, Puss, Donkey, Fiona and the kids and other figures as well. Then there’s the cherry blossom and flowers. After exploring, we decided to call it a day, hired a tricycle to WPU for bed and rest.

As the next day is for the Palawan Underground River adventure.

For the first day of our adventure, aside from the 7200pesos for airfare which is 2-way trip for 2 persons, we spent about 3000pesos for transportation, souvenirs, food and other miscellaneous things we bought as we go.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

Resto Review: Into the Rabbit Hole

If you want to avoid the hustle and bustle of the new tambayan of yuppies and teens in Iloilo which is Smallville. I recommend you go visit a quaint little place near Atrium that will remind you of a childhood classic.

Let’s get lost together down the Rabbit Hole with the White Rabbit and your friends to attend the tea party.

Me and my friends are always on the lookout for new places to eat here in Iloilo. We heard a bit of a place called Rabbit Hole near St. Paul University but did not really know exactly where it was until I stumbled upon it by accident when I took the wrong turn when walking to Tibiao Bakeshop.

There was the small sign that said Rabbit Hole.

So me and the friends decided to try it out one Friday night.

On the door, it said Café + Bar. We hesitated for a bit before entering because none of us is much of a drinker, but decided to try the menu, if nothing else.

The café is small and one of the company said that it used to be an internet shop when he was in college. So that might explain the setup.

It has a high rise table (portion of the wall) that looks like it holds something and the cashier desk is somewhat further in with displays on shelves which now shows the menu but once upon a time displays available food.

Anyway, the place was small, about 10-11 small tables with 2 chairs per table. But it was comfy and dim lighting really creates a relaxing mood plus the music playing are the usual un-irritating top hits.

The neon lights and the art works displayed on the side does not cause loss of appetite at least. 

When we were handed the menu, I resisted a giggle because at the top it read Eat Me! for the Food Menu and Drink Me! for the Cocktails and other drink selections.

At the side, the menu is also displayed.

(That's the door to the kitchen)

So for the Food we ordered their Rice Meals: Honey Chicken, Mongolian Beef and Pork Schinitzel.

We also have 3 orders of Hot Box Burger, 1 Buffalo Wings and 1 Mozzarella Sticks.

For the Drinks, we only tried their Blue Turnate that turns the drink from Blue to Purple when Calamansi or Lemon Juice was added.

The food though was mouth-watering. Its presentation will really whet your appetite. And the taste, the taste of the food is heavenly. The honey chicken tasted sweet but you can really feel the tenderness of the chicken. 

 

Honey Chicken and Mongolian Beef

The Mongolian beef was easy to chew and the sauce in the Pork was creamy but not bland. 

Pork Shinitzel and an Exra Egg

The mozzarella was melted just right and crunchy even though it was chewy. 

Mozzarella Stick and the Hot Box Burger

I even nibbled on the Buffalo Wings even if I have a no-no rule for spicy foods. I think they added cheese in the Buffalo Wings and that added to the taste. 

Buffalo Wings

I only had problems with the Hot Box Burger because the patty was too salty for my taste but the other 3 people who ate the burger does not agree with me, they are highly recommending that you try the burger.

Hot Box Burger from the drinks

Purple Turnate

Don’t ask us about the drinks because we did not order any except for the Blue Turnate.

But I am recommending you try the place out and discover for yourself the wonders of their available cocktails.

You will get your money’s worth in terms of food quantity and quality.

That goes for drinks too, because even if we are no longer actively drinking socially, I am still aware of the price range.

So visit the Rabbit Hole, at Gen. Luna St., in an alley in-between Tibiao Bakeshop and St. Paul University, in front of Atrium.

Bring your own Alice or invite the Mad Hatter.

Youcan find them on Facebook:

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!
I post an article once a week... :D

Antique: Dip Now in Tibiao

Leaving Molo Plaza at 5AM in the morning on a rented van, we pick a few friends along the way until the van is filled to its capacity of 15. Along for the ride are my officemates, friends and the bf. We are bound south to visit the beautiful neighboring province of Antique. Our first stop will be in Tibiao and the next is Culasi. The van is rented to us for 8k (8 thousand pesos) for this 3day-2night escapade.

We arrived in San Jose, Antique at about 9AM, making good time, withdraw some money in case we need to buy something unplanned on this trip. San Jose will be the last stand of civilization where access to ATMs and malls is still available. After this, it will be more of the provincial way of life.

Welcome to Tibiao!

An hour or so, we arrived in Tibiao, already at awe with the beautiful stretch of sand and sea that we glimpse through the van’s window. We stopped at the marquee heralding our entrance to Tibiao, got down from the van and have our picture taken as any tourist may have done. Our itinerary is quite lax since we did not get ourselves a tour as we have friends who hails from Antique and the places to visit are places she have been to before, therefore connections. For ready-made tours, a friend owns a katahum.com and he offers different tours for different places in Antique. But if you want to do it for less, you can always DIY.

Before proceeding to Kayak Inn, we also stopped at the tinda (market) of Tibiao to buy food supplies. No restos on the mountains, but the caretaker’s wife offers cooking services for a fee of 250pesos/meal. Quite reasonable for 15 of us. We bought 15 kilos of rice, pork, chicken, veggies, seasonings, ice for the cooler where we will be storing our food, and other things one might need for cooking.

Exploring if safe for swimming

Kayak Inn is located on the mountains, the van really has to climb a little bit as we wind our way into it. The driver really needs to be cautious, aside from the steepness the road is also under repair. At the entrance to the barangay where the mountain resort is situated, we were hold up a bit because the back hoe needs to be moved out of the way first so that the van can pass.

Glenn d monkey and Tanya d pig

We paid 50 pesos as environmental fee upon entrance. The dual zipline is also situated at the entrance. It costs 300pesos for each person. As we were hungry, we did not linger there. At around 12NN, we finally arrived at the Kayak Inn where we will be spending the night. We discussed what meals to be cooked for lunch, deliver it to the capable hands of the caretakers and relaxed.
 

While waiting for lunch, or afternoon mess; some of us relaxed in the shade, went exploring on the river and the hanging bridge, and befriended the animals as there are pigs, dogs, a monkey around the premises. Around 2PM, we lunched on fried chicken and pork with monggo and kalabasa for ‘sabaw’.

Malakagat Hanging Bridge

We would have loved to go kayaking or banana boating on the river, but since it’s the summer the water is quite low and its really not fun rowing in that. But there are places that are deep enough, so some frolicked and swam in the river.

swimmin coz no boatin and kayakin

After that, we reserved ourselves for a Kawa Bath which the place is sought after for. They have kawa that can hold 4 persons at once, there slightly smaller ones that can hold 2 and the slightly bigger than the one used for cooking that can only accommodate 1. While waiting as the Kawa is being prepared, some played basketball and some just sat talking while enjoying the mountain breeze. Quite a breath of fresh air after living in the city so long.

Kawa in flames for good boiling (sauna)

The Kawa Bath is for 250pesos and you can dip yourself in it until the water turns cool or until you feel that you are slightly cooked :D. Kidding aside, the advised max time is 30minutes until you are boiling and the vegetables are ready to be added.

At around 7PM, we have dinner on grilled pork and the leftover monggo from lunch. After this, we prepared for bed. There is electricity in the place but there are no entertainment sets. So, we make do cards and talking and gadgets while waiting our turn to use the bath.

We have an early night as well, for we planned on a trek to the falls before we leave in the morning.

Before the sun has risen, I was awake and about as one of our companions is taking photography lessons and she plans to have a picture of the sunrise. Woke everybody up as well at 530AM so that we can leave by 6AM for the falls.

A dip in cool 1st falls

Bugtong Bato Falls is located an hour away from the inn on foot and into the mountains. You cannot go there without a guide, so you need to hire 1 for 5persons at least. We hired 2 from the barrio and the caretakers’ daughter came with us. The trail is quite easy to follow, on the way to the falls. The 1st one has a place to swim in and also a spring where you can get drinking water. The 2nd one also has a place to swim but water is not so deep and you need to climb the stairs to get there. The 3rd one is amazing. It’s a 12ft basin below the falls with a wide area to splash into. The water is cool as well, and if only we are not going somewhere else, I could stay there all day to dip myself in that inviting freshness. You have to rappel your way into it or go via the stairs which is steeper than rock climbing.

Rock climbin to swim!

Sadly, good things must come to an end for a greater good. So we climb back down to bring ourselves back to the inn. We paid 300 for the barrio guides and some tip. Then we prepared to leave for Culasi. Our overnight stay is 250pesos each but the bed smells and feels nice so that makes up for it. The food was great to.

The 3rd falls is approved!

SHOUT OUT to the OWNERS of the PIX… Thanks to @goldpiz @mikejohnsabido @elzniv

 
Don’t forget to check back the next day for our adventures in Culasi.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

Restaurant Review: Kusina NaNam

After the Siomai incident, we are now off to a restaurant to try out their menu. A friend is trying to regain weight and we are invited for the pig-out :D.

So we are off to a classy restaurant named Kusina Nanam, located at 180 Jalandoni DeLeon St., Iloilo City. It is actually a hotel restaurant for the Chito Hotel.

Our friends arrived ahead of us almost 2 PM and were told that the kitchen is closing and they are allowed to order before 2 and that's that. They called us up, and without perusing the menu we just ordered something up. So the hubby said any meal made of beef and I said pasta and that the barkada can decide on whatever is available.

When we arrived at the resto, the food is already waiting for us. Our friends ordered medium-well Americano Roast Beef for the hubby and instead of pasta, they ordered Barbecue Ribs for me.

The Barbecue Ribs was excellent, the meat separates from the bone without any effort on my part. The taste was perfect including the sauce. The hubby agrees, his Roast Beef tasted great, though he thought that it was Pork Roast instead of Beef at the start of his meal. But it turned out OK in the end. (Sorry for the lack of pictures, we were too busy eating :() Our friends had some leftover NaNam Pasta, so we also ate those as well but for me, the pasta tasted bland, it lacked cheese or some other ingredients. The cream overpowers everything. But our friends said it tasted OK. So I think it's just me and the hubby because we are choosy in our pasta. After all, there is no great tasting pasta in Iloilo. Just OK Pasta but not something that you would go back to all the time.

NaNam Pasta

Anyway, the place is comfortable, the ambiance is great, the lighting excellent. The service was fast and the staff friendly. If you want the full experience, the place is open from 10 AM to 2 PM for the lunch hours and 6 PM to 10 PM for the dinner hours. They also accept reservations. Please click on the links above to visit their page and get more details.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

I post a new article every two days!!! Just because!!!

Bacon Pancake

The other day, the hubby and I were deciding on what to eat for dinner. I wanted pancakes. He wanted bacon. So in jest, I said let's have Bacon Pancakes for dinner. 

When I googled Bacon Pancakes, wonders of wonders there is a Bacon Pancake result, not including the Bacon Pancake song from Adventure Time.

Here's our slightly altered recipe of BACON PANCAKES.

Ingredients:

• Bacon Slice
• Pancake Mixture
• Salt 
• Ground Pepper

Preparation:

1. Place 10-12 pieces of Bacon Slice in a bowl, sprinkle with some salt and pepper. 1/8 tsp or less of each should do the trick. 
2. In a separate bowl, prepare the Pancake Mixture. I actually use a ready-made one, so I just add an egg and some water. Do not add the usual amount of water you usually use so that the mixture will be slightly thicker than the normal pancake.
3. Heat a flat pan over the fire, and place the bacon slice in it. Cook each side of the bacon for 3-5 minutes. Set aside the cooked bacon.
4. Remove bacon oil from the pan.
5. Place 1-2 cooked bacon in the pan, pour 2 tbsp (or more) of pancake mixture over it. Once it bubbles, flip the bacon pancake to cook the other side. 
6. Cook all slices in this manner.
7. Eat after cooking. Enjoy!

So there you have it, folks!!!

Enjoy your breakfast, I mean meal :D

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

S & R Membership Shopping Iloilo

Today is the first time I’ve ever visited S&R Membership Shopping since its store opening in Iloilo late last year.

The visit proved that indeed S&R is for people who wants to buy things in bulk and in big packages. Aside from the appliances and apparel that are sold individually, one cannot really see anything else in small packets or as the Filipino fondly called it ‘tingi-tingi’ (smaller packs).

Let’s start with the place itself. From the parking area which has 8 lanes of parking space to the inside of the store with rows and rows of items, ranging from appliances, household items and tons and tons of aisles dedicated to food.

Upon entering the store, you are met with rows of appliances sorted according to type. So we have the TVs, kitchen items like burner, toaster and microwave, then household items like iron and electric fan. Then apparel, stuffed toys, backyard things like table, chairs are lined up next. Did not really explore this area much so can’t write other details.

The household items like dishwashing liquids, detergent, cleaning agents, lotion, shampoo and the likes comes in big sizes as well. Let’s include the tissue, diaper and many more that really answers to the advertisement One Year Supply Of ITEM NAME. No small packs here sirree. Some packages are even bigger than I am. Did not explore this part as thoroughly as I should but of well, we have limited time.

The largest part of S&R is dedicated to food. At least 75% of the store area is for food displays. Large chocolate packages, Hersheys, Ferrero, Toblerone, M&Ms, chocolate chip cookies, Peppero, Macadamia Nuts, and other brands you usually hear but never really tried. Large bags or containers of chips, from PikNik, Pringles, Lays to Nuts, Bread. Everything that you could never really eat in one sitting. Then, fridge after fridge of Ice Cream, gelatin, and fresh Milk. Also, a whole section dedicated to wine and drinks from Black Label to Budweiser. Then a section for cakes, a section for meat, pork, sausages, and cheese. Lots and lots of cheese types. Makes you want a membership just to explore these cheesy delights.

After this mini tour, the friend paid up and we had dinner at S&R also. We ordered chicken and pizza. The line was long. It took forever just to give the order and eat. But the food is cheap. Like an 18” pizza slice is 99 Php only and the Burger is 120 Php and the Large Fries is for 49 Php and the drink is for 45 Php and I guess its unlimited because I saw a lot of people coming back to the soda stack for more, more than once.

All in all, the experience was fun and I hope to explore it more in the future.

But unless you plan not to shop again for the whole year, I guess shopping at S&R is a no-no for you. Though they did have products not found in our SM and Robinson’s and some imported products are cheaper compared to the usual. I cannot itemize everything. You have to find that out for yourself.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

World Pizza Day!!

We planned to celebrate World Pizza Day at Yellow Cab.  They have a 2-hour Eat-All-You-Can Promo for 299 Php with unlimited pizza and soda. Unfortunately because of the time (after office hours), there were a lot of customers who are queuing to eat. According to the manager, they estimated that it will clear out by 8PM as loads of people came in at 6. If we can wait, we will have a table then.

Since it is a lot later than we thought it would be. We decided to eat somewhere else. In SM City Iloilo, we have 4 options but we decided to flip 2 coins for 3. Both heads, Shakeys; both tails, Pizza Hut; split, Sbarro. We forgot about Greenwich and I just remembered now while writing this piece.

Pizza Hut won. Our order consisted of one Stuffed Crust German Franks Family Pizza and Meal 9 Group Meal. It is good for 6, have 2 regular pizza (we ordered Hawaiian and Bacon Supreme), 3 pasta (2 Bolognese, 1 Mac & Cheese), 3 salad (2 Mango Salad, 1 Caesar Salad), 6 Soups (Mushroom Soup), and 1 pitcher of Lemonade. Our total bill was 1577 Php and each of us paid 263 Php so we have a saving of 36Php. :D

We did not even manage to finish everything off. 

To all, who were able to celebrate with Yellow Cab. Good for you!

To us who didn’t, better luck next time and hopefully you also found a better deal or something for your money.

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!

Tax Time

BIR Income Tax Return 2016 was released today.

Looking at ones yearly income and wondering where did all that money go?

Seriously, where did I spend my money?

I do not shop, not for clothes anyway.

But there are tons of BOOKS, BOOKS and BOOKS somewhere along the way.

Also, there’s FOOD, FOOD, and FOOD every day.

Hahaha…

Housing, internet and mobile load :D

Education.

A bit of savings.

Among other things.

Listing things that I did spent money on, clarifies everything though.

So, it’s not really a wonder that I almost have nil amount of money at the end of the year.

So, how did you fare in 2016?

Daghang salamat sa pagbasa!!!