One of the most rewarding adventure I did so far was when I reached my first summit last March 19 2011. Along with 14 former colleagues from HP, we climbed the peak of Pico De Loro, the highest point within the boundary of Cavite and Batangas. We left HP McKinley Hill office on a Saturday morning between 5.30-6am. It took around 3hours, more or less, to reach the DENR outpost where the group registered and paid Php20 each. There’s also a store where you can buy trail food and water.

Arriving fresh and lively at the DENR outpost.

The Climb

We started our trek few minutes away from the DENR outpost, just along Ternate Highway. I remember how excited I was because it’s my first time to climb a peak. I prepared for the climb by running a few kms in the gym the day before and I even religiously followed the checklist of things to bring that Kian, the our leader in this out-of-office activity, gave us. And yes, I ate bananas.

Walking from the highway entrance to the jump off point. I wish I was NOT wearing shorts that day!

After 20 to 30minutes of what seemed to be an easy trek, we arrived at the first base camp. Again, there’s another registration at the camp. The group sat for a while to rest – yes we needed rest after a 30minute walk! HAHA, but no seriously we’re actually preparing for a full 3-hour trek which I swear is not for the faint hearted.

Registration campfew minutes away from the DENR outpost.

Oh there's the peak, the parrot's beak!!!

The trail to Pico de Loro’s peak is actually easy to follow. There are signs on the forks (there was two or three forks, as far as my poor memory could remember) put up by the DENR people and other trekkers who’ve first been there. You really have to be careful following the path/signs because if you take the wrong path, you’d get lost (obviously).

Signs are everywhere! I hope you don't get lost!

And yes, have I mentioned that the trail is steep? No? Well, yes some parts are really steep! You need upper body strength here to pull yourself up! HAHA We would hold on stones and tree roots and almost anything we could actually hold on to just to climb our way up!

The whole trek up the mountain was REALLY HARD. I kid you not. I don’t know why they say it’s an “easy minor climb” HAHA. Well I guess for first timers like most of us in our group, it’s understandable that we found the hike super exhausting. Anyway, no matter how hard it has been for me, I still enjoyed it. What made me appreciate the trek was the sound of nature – the birds, the trees, the wind – and just the feeling of being one with nature brought bliss to me. And of course for some parts, I thank Bob Marley HAHA Sometimes I would sing loud and the group would join me, it’s hilarious how we’d sing “Don’t worry about a thing, ’cause every little thing’s gonna be alright” while we’re all catching our breaths!

Stopping to rest. And catch our breath. And of course, photo opps!

The team continued hiking, trekking, climbing steep slopes, and after what seemed like an endless feat, we finally arrived at the camp site where other trekkers would usually set up tents and spend a night.

The climb was hard, but the view is great. Totally. And oh, wait until we reach those two summit!

Admiring the view before conquering it. And of course, rest time after more than two hours of hiking!

AWESOME.

The First Peak

After regaining some energy, we continued to climb the peaks of Pico de Loro. Climbing the first peak proved to be the most difficult - steep slope with only grasses to hold on to plus strong winds to challenge your balance. You can really feel the wind slapping you all over, it’s too strong it could actually knock you down if you aren’t careful!

Nah, that doesn't look too difficult at all, eh?

While the climb gets more difficult, the view gets more rewarding!

From the peak you get a 360 degree view! That's the Pico de Loro cove down there!

The second peak viewed from the first peak.

The Second Peak

Now, this is why the organizer of our trip Kian has made us sign a waiver – climbing the second peak (that rocky summit up there) is what they call “buwis buhay” kind of trip. I think only half of the group were daredevil enough to climb it, mostly guys.

Rocks are hard to climb. Because for one, it's slippery. Two, it's dangerous.

Climbing this rocky top I think needs assistance from someone who climbs rock. Does that make sense? Or at least from someone who’s not so amateur with this kind of things because really it’s dangerous. There’s a soooper steep part here where you had to climb up using a small rope (which has always been there according to tales LOL) – you have to pull yourself up and use your legs to support your body as you climb up – it’s actually like rappelling but only you’re going up.

Olah!!! Two brave girls and five monkeys, I mean guys HAHA!

This is the most fulfilling part of climbing Pico de Loro. Not all hikers brave this summit. #mayabanglangakobakitbaHAHA

Going Home

We started our descend around past 1 in the afternoon. Some people from the group decided to have a detour to the falls, but I am included in the sub-group who decided to skip the falls because I heard the falls is dried during summer.

So here we were after a day hike in Pico de Loro – exhausted but happy.

At the middle of the highway. All exhausted but happy hikers!

The Parrot’s Beak

Pico de Loro was named as such because of it’s contour that resembles a parrot’s beak when viewed from afar. It’s 664 meter above sea level and considered as a minor climb ( Level I, Easy ). It was said that the best time to hike Pico de Loro is during summer ( April/May ) where rain is almost impossible.

View from the usual camping site for Pico de Loro hikers.

I started traveling in 2009 out of the inevitable circumstance that the former object of my affection is fond of it. To forge a bond, I tagged along with his travels and eventually I made my own. And then I had trips after trips and the rest was history. I grew more addicted to travel as he slowly got tired of it. (And no, that wasn’t the reason why we broke up HAHA)

I bought this domain in 2009 to chronicle the stories I’ve collected from my trips. But obviously, that objective wasn’t fulfilled with after three years, there’s only 6 posts in this blog =)) I tried to shutdown this blog once, well that was when I got really down and I don’t think I can find sense in blogging anymore. This year, I tried to write again but only to my dismay. Well, I could not recount how many times I’ve been going in and out of the blogging scene anymore. I think what’s important is no matter what I do I always come back to blogging. *cheesymuch.com haha*

Well, now I think I need to re-establish my objectives to myself as to why I am doing this. Today I am inspired to write and put up my own franchise of a travel blog – not just something to feed my vanity but something that I could actually share to people, something that actually has value. And, yes I’d be honest there would still be vanity – I’d like to get popular *ehem* and fulfill my dream of running a race in Amazing Race Asia, or land on a travel magazine cover, or be discovered as a model *LOL*.

To kick-off my new-found inspiration, I created an FB page for this blog. Yeay! Pink Tsinelas is now on Facebook! =) I’m looking forward to more travel posts, I hope to keep up with it HAHA!

See you around! =)

http://tinyurl.com/theimagehunt

Second impromptu trip was April this year. I went international – Singapore and Malaysia for 10days.  While in SG, I also booked train tickets to Tampin-KL-Butterworth, and booked flights to Bangkok and Phuket then back to SG where I have ticket back to Manila.

Yesterday I booked yet another impromptu solo trip. Tomorrow I’m going to Hong Kong and it would be my first time to go solo on a HK-Macau trip. I am utterly  excited. I got lost twice in Macau, I had company on both occasions and it thrills me to anticipate that I’m going to get lost again and this time I’m on my own!

I only have a few hours to pack my things, I’m running a list in my head right now that’s why I came up with this short post while I’m on a van on my way home. And there’s panic creeping in, like what if I forget anything and stuff like that. Anyway, here’s what I realized:

* If you’re a frequent traveller, or you really fancy impromptu trips, then you should always have a travel kit ready. Always ready. Your travel kit may include (plus or minus) the following:
- toiletries in sachets or small bottles or small jars (yes it has to be small because you don’t to bring your whole bathroom)
- sarong or shawl or a big scarf that can function as a blanket, a skirt, a bag or just an addition to give your fashion an extra ooomph.
-  universal socket for your charging needs, especially if you’re going out to other countries
- a comfy head pillow so you can grab rest while travelling, I bought one from Watson’s for around 180php and it already passes for comfort
- a small messenger bag where you can put your travel documents and important items
- your favorite flip flops

Well by the look of this list that I just made up to make myself look like a travel genius haha, I have a good rush packing to do later when I reach home =))

Drigg's Pension House. Yes that doesn't look like a pension house, it looks more like a hotel. Photo grabbed from DabawPinoy.com

Driggs has 19 fully airconditioned rooms, all with facilities/amenities that a usual hotel has like LCD TV with cable, hot and cold pressurized shower, free wireless internet connection, and a telephone system. The whole place has CCtV security system installed to ensure the security of the guests. There is also a wide parking space and 24hours standby generator. Room rates inclusive of 1 free breakfast, 2 free breakfast for family room. *See room rates below

Hanging out at Driggs' restobar (open 24hrs) with Marky and Keith

Room Rates:

• Standard Room (Twin Bed/Matrimonial) – Php750
• De Luxe Room (Twin Bed/Matrimonial) – Php950
• Family Room – Php1,750

Drigg’s Pension House is located on Eve Street, Paradise Subdivision, City Heights, GenSan City.

For reservations or inquiries you may call (083) 553-0088 or email driggspensionhouse@yahoo.com.

Big Ben Steaks and Grill @ Robinsons, GenSan

And first on the list was a delightful tuna feast at the Big Ben Steaks and Grill. Mica, Avel, Orman and I had a wonderful lunch c/o the very good and hospitable owners of Big Ben -

Obligatory group pic LOL. Orman, Avel, Mica and I with Mr Ben and Ms Baby, his wife.

The Tuna Feast.

Everything we had on our first lunch in GenSan is tuna. We had four different tuna dishes which are the bestsellers in Big Ben’s – Tuna Salpicao, Tuna Paella, Tuna Curry and Tuna Mediterranean. What’s good about cooking dishes using tuna is that this fish can actually mimic the original taste of the meat that the dish is originally known for. It takes in all the flavor of the dish and it makes it grand, and even healthier. You know you can always take a tuna and transform it to something very delectable.

Tuna Paella.

I love the contrast in texture and flavor of tuna chunks and sliced salted egg in this dish. The play of colors is very appetizing.

Tuna Salpicao.

Now this is what I’m talking about earlier – Tuna Salpicao has proved to me that tuna is a versatile protein to use. When I tasted this one, it tasted like beef salpicao, no awkward taste that you usually get when you use a protein for a dish that is not very familiar with that protein.

Tuna Curry.

Yes, that’s one big grilled tuna steak in curry sauce. I remember this dish tasted a sweet. I would have love this dish more if it was spicier. But I still love this nonetheless.

Tuna Mediterranean.

And this is my favorite! Tuna Mediterranean! This dish is very original and it did captured the taste of Mediterranean. It’s like eating tuna in a pirate ship, I swear. And I also like how the plating played. It’s simple and clean. If I am to eat again at Big Ben’s I would definitely have this one.

And of course the feast wouldn’t be complete without a dessert! Our group had a BIG bowl of Big Ben’s original halo-halo.

Big Ben's Halo-halo - Sweetcorn, leche flan and ice cream!

This is really one big halo-halo bowl!! Our group wasn’t able to finish it all. As much as we wanted to, the bowl is good for 6-8 persons. And yes, our tummies’ already bloated with all the tuna that we just had. Mica shot a video while the waiter mixes the giant halo-halo. Find it here in her video blog.

Big Ben Steaks and Grill is located at Robinsons Mall, General Santos City.

The Borough. Shhhhh.

The Borough is a loft-style restaurant-bar inspired by Brooklyn’s neighborhood. It offers comfort food 24 by 7! They have different menus on different time of the day.

Borough's Late Midnight Menu, the white paper is where the cocktails and alcoholic drinks are listed.

The whole place is very cozy, I love how the couches and the stool chairs have muted floral prints that compliment the wooden communal tables and surfaces. The interior is very homey and warm, it’s really comforting and it seems to be a very nice place to hangout with friends.

Loft-type restobar that lets us experience New York.

I was in a big craving for french fries after A and I just had coffee and chocolate sponge cake at Starbucks. A said he read there’s a new place open 24/7 in Podium and so I said we should check it out.

French fries!!! A ton of it! (Php150)

The french fries was not on the menu but I asked the lady if they’re offering it because I’m dying of cravings! I love these french fries, the skin is not peeled from the potato how sweet is that?

Chocolate chicken wings with sour cream! (Php280)

This chocolate-coated chicken wings woke up my appetite that night. 6-pcs generous chicken wings served with salted beans and sour cream. It complimented my shot of tequila rose very well! The taste of chocolate in chicken wings is very fun. Though I really didn’t like dipping it in sour cream, I enjoyed it just as is.

A shot of tequila rose (Php140), followed by a shot of jager (Php140). SWEET.

And of course, hanging out will not be complete without shots! Yes of course, the Borough is offering cocktails and drinks, perfect for weekend hangouts or after-office booze. The pricelist is quite reasonable. A bottle of local beer is around Php60 and shots would range from Php90-150.

I had tequila rose and jager and I wish I had more but A said that should be enough. Meh.

I know I will surely go back to this place. Really. And I would like to bring my friends for more fun. Hahaha

====

Borough

GF, Unit 107A, The Podium Mall

12 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center

Mandaluyong

telephone: 570-8906

Hilton Hotel Cebu - so pink!!

Two weeks ago I was back in Cebu for a very short impromptu weekend getaway with A. Though I didn’t really grow up there I consider Cebu as my sweet home — I was born in Cebu and almost all of my relatives from my Mom’s side are living in Cebu. We wanted to stay in Abaca Boutique Resort but after deliberating we decided to stay at Hilton Hotel instead.

We booked our room reservation online and we chose to stay on one of their King Deluxe Room, which was around P6,000. Then after we confirmed our reservation, we decided to put an advanced upgrade request for an Executive Spa Suite room for only Php1600, giving us 50% discount if ever the room is available upon check-in. When we arrived at Hilton, there was an available Executive Spa Suite and we have to take it because that’s what the agreement says if you book advance room upgrade online.

View from 22nd floor - continental view

Our room was on the 22nd floor, the last floor in Hilton Hotel Cebu and was facing the continental view.

Executive Spa Suite, Hilton Hotel

Executive Spa Suite, Hilton Hotel Cebu

Executive Spa Suite - the room holds almost nothing but the couch, the tv, the table and the bed.

I was really disappointed with the room because it doesn’t feel “home-y” to me. The whole place is very spacious with nothing much on it. It’s like walking into a place where buying furnitures and room decorations is a crime. There are two TV set in there, which are not even flat-screen LCD TV considering that its rate is like Php10 000 per night. Also, there is problem with the airconditioning system on the 22nd floor of Hilton Hotel Cebu, it doesn’t get cold in there, so we asked to be transferred to our original reservation, the King Deluxe room. Luckily there’s one available.

View from 17th floor - oceanfront view

This room is smaller but I like this better.

Cute lamp!!

So what else is there in Hilton Hotel Cebu aside from overpriced rooms? Well they have an infinity pool and a man-made beach to start with, four cafes, gym, lounges, and the usual stuff you’d get from a high-end resort. I spent most of my time in the pool and in the beach.

Infinity Pool

Man-made beach. Those artificial islets over there are so "trying-hard".

Hilton Hotel Cebu viewed from the beach

I was really disappointed in Hilton Hotel Cebu because for one it’s too pricey but not worth it. There’s not much to do in there, unlike in Bellarocca the outdoors activities like kayaking, snorkeling and windsurfing are free. If you’re planning to stay in Hilton, I would suggest that you up your game just a little more and stay in Shang-ri La Cebu instead.

And if there’s something I am really looking for from Hilton, it would be the very good service. I’ve experience excellent service when I stayed in Bellarocca Island Resort and Spa last August and their service is unparalleled. They’ve raised the bar and I think on every resort/hotel of  almost the same caliber that I will visit next time, I will always compare the experience with what I’ve had from Bellarocca.

Abaca Restaurant in Lapu-lapu City, Cebu

The good reviews we read about the restaurant were all true — the place is great, the food is awesome and the chef is not too friendly. :p

So there, we ordered Moroccan Chicken Tagine with cous cous, organic vegetables and yoghurt, Grilled prawns, squid, sea bass, shellfish and aioli Bouillabaisse with crostini bread, and Abaca Original Flatbed Pizza in Four cheese (padano, forme d’ambert, mozarella, smoked gouda). I also had a glass of Bella Mia 2008 white wine.

Grilled prawns, squid, sea bass, shellfish and aioli Bouillabaisse with crostini bread

The wine and the pizza were served first. Abaca Restaurant is very famous for their flatbed pizza with very very thin and crunchy crust. This four cheese pizza is very flavorful.

Abaca Original Flatbed Pizza in Four cheese

For the main course, instead of serving us our original order, they served us Roasted Duck Breast with grilled asparagus and fondant potato in currant jus and Grilled tiger prawns, clams and coriander in roasted garlic broth with crostini bread by mistake. We didn’t notice it immediately because the duck breast looked like chicken breast and the two seafood dishes are almost similar. Then someone came over to our table asking if we’re already fine with our food, I thought he was asking about the taste and all that stuff so I said yes it was fine, until I realized that the food they served us was not the ones we ordered!

Grilled tiger prawns, clams and coriander in roasted garlic broth with crostini bread

Roasted Duck Breast with grilled asparagus and fondant potato in currant jus

I really like how the duck breast was cooked medium rare, and the flavor of raisins went well with the currant jus. If there’s something off with this dish, it would be the potatoes because it wasn’t cooked every well. Overall, it’s awesome. A was fine with this dish but I insisted to have my Bouillabaisse.

Vanilla ice cream over mango "panna cotta"-ish and chocolate ice cream over chocolate moist cake (something like a chocolate decadence)

Because of the hassle they’ve caused with the wrong serving of food, they gave us complimentary desserts. Yum! A was like, “They noticed you weren’t happy with what happened so they gave us desserts! Haha”.

I love this one! Soooper yum! Chocolate orgasm! Those are blueberries and peppermint on top of it.

I didn’t get the name of the dessert, it was something mango and chocolate But I swear after they served the dessert, I was smiling and giddy again like a little kid!

If you like to try Abaca Resort + Abaca Restaurant, you can visit their site.

Bellaroca Island Resort and Spa. They call it the elephant island. I can't see why.

5-minute speedboat ride to the elephant island

Bellarocca Island Resort and Spa sits nicely on a private island called Elephant Island in Marinduque. Last weekend, A and I were there to celebrate my birthday. It’s a 30-minute fly from Manila, 45-minute land transfer from Marinduque airport and 5-minute speedboat ride from the port to the island itself.

Very nice room. This is the cheapest one. It has a very nice terrace overlooking the beach and the mountains of Marinduque. I love that this room has a surround sound system,it made my midnight movie marathon a whole different experience. ^^

The service is superb. The place is very romantic and nice and beautiful and calm and totally the best place to do nothing but relax. The staff are always prompt in attending our needs. Even the General Manager is very hands-on in welcoming the guests and making sure we do enjoy our stay.

This is the view from the room where we stayed. Captivating beauty.

There’s a lot still under construction when we toured the island. They still plan to have a hot spring there and more rooms and villas and stuff like that. We had the chance to see their casas, terrazas and villas which were named after Greek gods.

trying hard wind-surfer wannabe.

view from the beachfront

kayaking!

A and I did some outdoor activities like snorkeling, kayaking, and wind surfing. There’s not much colorful fishes and corals under the waters of elephant island but it was my first time to see lion fishes and cucumber fishes. We saw a pink lion fish and I was sooo giddy like a little kid! We swam for about an hour enjoying neon blue fishes and starfishes and stuff like that. Then Boiffie tried wind surfing while I was resting. Then after that we went kayaking;  it took us 20minutes to go around the entire island.

There are other things to do in Bellarocca also aside from bumming. They got a billiard hall, a smoking room where you can play poker and do karaoke, they got this grand piano in the hotel lobby, a library with a little collection of books and DVD’s from which I borrowed Erin Brockovich and RENT.

And yes, have I told you the view is great? I’ll just let the pictures I took tell you the stories.

The Hermes Villa, top view

Lap pool.

This reminds me of a local movie "Moments of Love"

Infinity pool at the break of dawn

Infinity pool again! That's a sunken bar right there.

This can replace the "walking down the beach" romantic scene. Boiffie and I walked here, holding hands and stuff like that. Hahaha

Define laid back.

So there. Staying in Bellarocca Island Resort and Spa could be really pricey but I think it’s worth it – I swear you wouldn’t regret spending that much. It’s like a dream vacation/getaway.