The Tail End of Aliwan

Holy Week, Puerto Galera 2012

 

White Beach, Puerto Galera is a popular destination during Holy Week, mainly because of its proximity to Manila.  Now, with the opening of the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road, the travel time to Batangas Port is faster and convenient.  I have been spending Holy Week in Galera yearly since 2004 except for 2010 when we got lured into exploring Palaui Island in Sta. Ana, Cagayan.

It's good to note the improvement made by the port officials and the local government of white beach this year.

12:00MN

I started to pack my things due to the last minute decision to actually go.

Things to bring:

1 pair of walking shorts

1 Lightweight Pants

3 Winkle Free Shirt

2 Tank Top

1 Board Short

1 Swimming Short

3 underwear

Sunscreen

Sunglasses

Phone

Phone Charger

Hairwax

Toothbrush

(though costly, other essentials are available on the stores along the beach)

2:00AM

Took a shower, had coffee, did a last minute check.

2:30AM

Walked our way to Buendia.

Withdraw cash from the ATM.  The nearest ATM in Puerto Galera is in Calapan, or the one at Batangas Port.  Never assume that your companions will be able to lend you money otherwise you'll starve.

3:00AM

Boarded the Bus at JAM Bus Terminal

3:15AM

Cruisin along SLEX

4:30AM

Arrived at Batangas Port

At first, I was expecting chaos.  I remember the long lines years back.  But this time, it more organized with separate terminals for those going to Calapan, Puerto Galera, and Super Cat.  We were assisted by a local for tickets and terminal fees for a tip, which is actually made it more convenient.  We were able to purchase tickets for the 5:00AM Father and Son boat bound for White Beach, Puerto Galera.

Inside, people are in line to board at the different gates.  I'm not really sure why people would like to get ahead of everyone on a scheduled boat departure.

5:00AM
Finally boarded the boat, after the long line at the gate.

6:00AM
Halfway through the 2 hour boat ride along Verde Passage

7:20AM
Trying to Dock

7:30AM
Boat had to turn around, we actually though we were going back!

7:40AM
Landed on White Beach Puerto Galera

8:00AM
Got settled at the resort.  During Holy Week, beach front accommodations are usually booked so better reserve in advance.  Its also good to establish a relationship with resort owners so they can give you good rates.

Had to sleep sideways, 7 in a room, there was a time when we were 9.

Cheaper residential accommodations are available but their located a few distance from the beach.  Tent areas are also available.

Typical White Beach Puerto Galera Itenirary:
Sleep all morning

10:00AM Brunch, Expect to wait for the service since most of the kitchens are not equipped to accommodate the outpour of guests during this time.

11:00AM WAlk around the beach, shop early before you consume all your cash on drinks.  You can also just chill at Coco Aroma.  The service sucks but its a good place to hang out.

2:00 PM Late Lunch, its best to take a late lunch since there's less diners.

4:00PM Start Drinking, some would start earlier.  Mindoro Sling is the drink of choice
You can also opt to get a massage, swim or explore other beach activities.

7:00PM  Dinner, Try the Kebabs available on most establishment.

8:00PM  Continue Drinking, Buy promo drinks from the ladies roaming around. You would not miss them.

10:00PM Party at Miggy's or Hiyas

1:00AM Sober Up at the Beach or Explore Jurassic (But the Dinosaurs are being haunted, so not much action lately)

3:00AM Sleep (Depends on whose bed)

10:00AM Brunch (start of another day)

Foodie Finds in Kapitolyo Pasig

Cafe Juanita
When we talk of dining in Pasig, the first restaurant that would come to mind would be Cafe Juanita.
The restaurant is known for creating innovative ways of preparing our home cooked favorites like the sinigang, adobo and sisig.  It has a unique interior that showcases an eclectic collection of antiques and and items from all over the world.  It's usually full during lunch and dinner and is best to make reservations and order ahead of time.

Corned Beef Sinigang

Tofu Sisig

Cafe Juanita's Eclectic Interiors

The Catfish Salad, Almost did not make the shot!

Antique and Crysta Collection at Cafe Juanita

Kainan Augusto
It is owned and operated by the same people as Cafe Juanita.  It also takes on the same eclectic vibe with the miss match chair and vast collection of antiques and found items.  The difference is that they have pre-prepared dishes "Turo-Turo" style.  My favorite is their Kaldereta.  The meat is so tender that it literally melts in your mouth.  Although the portion is small, you can easily finish more than 1 serving of rice.  They also have the usual Filipino favorites like the rellenong bangus, laing and morcon among many others.
I am coming back to try their merienda offerings like the ginataan halo halo and pansit luglug. For those who love our native kakanin, they have different types of puto and maja on a stand.

The Entrance to Kainan Augusto

The Turo Turo Stand with the Pre-Prepared Dishes

The Ginataan Halo-Halo and Maja

Same Eclectic Vibe as Cafe Juanita

Three Sisters
A block away from Kainan Augusto along East Capitol Street, is a small restaurant known for their pork barbecue and grilled items..  The sign says they've been grilling since 1941, so this must be really good to survive those decades.  I drove past to take out 3 sticks and scent just filled the car and the barbecue was consumed in seconds.

The Famous Pork Barbecue

Poco Deli
I love this restaurant.  The interior is simple, and made to look like a rustic cellar with the use distressed wood, crates and the wooden furniture.  One wall houses the wine collection, and chillers showcase their sausages, cheeses and other deli items.  The chalk board wall reminds you of a neighborhood diner. The menu consists of salads, tapaz, soups, pasta and pizza.
We tried the truffle oil pasta with seafood and the four meat pizza so we can sample their sausages.
It was really good, and the pizza could easily serve 2 to four person. The price is very reasonable considering the serving and taste.

Entrance to Poco Deli

The Wall with their Wine Collection and Chiller for the Deli

Truffle Oil Seafood Pasta

Four Meat Pizza

Thaidara
I owe my trip to East Capitol Street to this restaurant.  I saw a post on facebook about the chicken salad on this establishment which prompted my visit one lunch afternoon a few days back.  I was having a hard time looking for parking and as I was driving, found these very interesting places to eat.  Thaidara has a lunch special that comes with a drink and dessert. I tried the chicken basil for 179 pesos.  The meal portion was enough, although I wanted more of the savory spicy ground chicken, with a hint of freshness coming from the basil.  The dessert was so cute, its a cookie topped with ice cream.  I'm not sure if its the taste or the portion, but I left the restaurant still hungry. maybe it's both.

Entrance to Thaidara

Lunch Special: Chicken with Basil that comes with a drink

The dessert that comes with the lunch special

Lia's Cake in Season
After having lunch at Thaidara, I noticed the small cake shop beside it with a sign that says "home of the best avocado cheesecake".  This something new to me, so I immediately went in to get myself a slice.  It was only the avocado cake that's available that time, and was only able to taste the cheesecake on my second visit.  They also have other cakes on their chiller like red velvet, chocolate cake, strawberry and the avocado sylvannas.  Actually they have a more creative name for the cakes, i was just basing it on appearance.

Its gonna be hard to choose....

The famous avocado cake and cheesecake

My Yet To Try
Since, there are more restaurants than how much I can consume in day, these are the establishments I am eagerly wanting to try in the coming days.

Techie Travel, Useful Iphone Applications on the Road

Having started driving for two years, I cannot count the number of times my phone has helped navigate to places I've never been and breeze through the traffic in Metro Manila.

Before I go through the applications I am using, I would like to enumerate the essentials of a techie motorist in manila and going on a road trip.

1. You need to make sure your car is always in good condition. Regularly have your gas, air, oil and water checked.  Make sure you have a spare tire and tools in hand should you need it.  Also keep important numbers stored in your phone in case of emergency.

My Car Chager for Iphone

2. Internet Connection.  Almost all applications run using the Internet so its best that you have uninterrupted service especially during long travels.  Most of the country is 3G covered so you just need to be ale to connect to it.  Cell phone companies now offer flexible options for unlimited service depending on the number of days.

3. Charged Battery.  This is both for your car and your gadget.  I always keep an Iphone car charger with me when I'm driving.  Since I am connected 24/7, it uses up a lot of my battery life.  With the car charger, I can use the idle time driving to load up on battery life to take pictures, calls and browse on stopovers.

Shawarma Snack Center, A Taste of Middle East in Manila

When I was still in college, I remember passing by this snack shop whenever I would go to Robinsons Place from school.  I would always get off from the jeep at the corner of M.H. Del Pilar St. and R. Salas St. to get to the Adriatico entrance of the mall.

I still remember the smell of the savory beef vertically grilled for their shawarma.  Back then, I felt intimidated since it was always full of foreigners.

A few years back, me and a friend of mine were becoming more adventurous with the food we eat.  We got bored of the usual offerings of the restaurants in the malls and decided to try food from the different international communities in Metro Manila.  Finally , we had the chance to visit Shawarma Snack Center in Malate.

Roasted Chicken with Arabic Rice

It comes with pickled vegetables, and soup for two.

Right along the street is the Shawarma stand and the grill for their Kebabs.  There's also trays containing prepared middle eastern dishes, usually the days specialty not included in the menu, so be sure to check them on your visit.

The menu is mostly kebabs of chicken, beef and lamb with a variety of breads, and side dishes.  They also have youhgurt and the tea is a definite must try.

On our last visit, we had the Shawarma, and tried the roasted chicken with arabic rice.  Initially we thought it was expensive for the price of 250 php, but the serving was good for two.  It contained half chicken over a generous bed of arabic rice.  It's best eaten which the garlic dip and the chili sauce.  Just be careful on how much chili you add to your meals, too much heat can numb your taste buds.

Things To Do And See In The Philippines - Ilocos Sur

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Before I move on to another region, I need to take time to make sure I have covered the majority of Region I.  This very important landmark is one of the significant entry I have missed out.  

I'm sure I will still add more as this project moves forward, especially with Metro Manila, but this is a work in progress, suggestions and comments are deeply appreciated.

68. The Asunta Parish Church (Sta Maria Church) click on the link for the source

The Sta. Maria Church in the Archdiocese of Nueva Segivia in the Province of Ilocos Sur is the most magnificiently located of all the churches in Ilocandia. Perched strategically on top of a hill, it provides a panoramic view from which one can enjoy and survey the most delightful sight for miles whether looking at the blue China sea or into the verdant paddy fields of the valley, the surrounding seven hills, the coastal plains of the town, and Cordillera mountain ranges. It is approached by three broad stairways – one from the eastern side where lies a now abandoned cemetery with a quaint chapel, another from the southwest side at the back of the church and the main stairway with 83 steps from  the northwest side.

The church façade itself is not too impressive, being blocked from view by the convent. It has three openings and one blind niche. But its rose-tinted stonework is worth a second look. So are the Moorish floral an foliate designs around the recesses. The recessed arched entrance is flanked by a pair of rectangular pier framed by heavy circular buttresses that end up in urn-like finials. The svelte octagonal bell tower nearby seems a stark contrast to the church’s simple and massive structure. The church measures 75.15 m. long (90 varas) and 14.19 m. wide (17 varas). The bells arrived in 1811.

The parish was established in 25 April 1765 with the first baptismal record signed in 1767. it served as a station of the Augustinian missionaries in 1822 on their way to evangelize Abra. The first parish priest was Fray Jose Cuadrado, OSA. The original Ermita of the small village once known simply as Purok was in the sitio of Bulbulala in Barangay Maynganay Norte. It started as visita of Narvacan. As the community grew, a twin chapel was built at the center of the town in the present Poblacion. This if the rarity in Philippine colonial architecture. The southern chapel was dedicated  to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the northern chapel was dedicated to Senor Sto. Kristo. These chapels were located just at the foot of the hill where the present church was built  which replicated both in the bigger scale. The construction of the church begun in 1810 apparently in the obeisance to the wishes of the Blessed Virgin Mary whose image, dating back to 1769, would periodically be found there at the foot of a large guava tree growing right at the spot where the main altar now stands. This God fearing community deemed it wise to follow the heavenly hint and transferred the church on top of the hill where it now dominates the surrounding countryside like fortress with brick buttresses and thick ramparts. The fortification and cemetery was the work of Fray Lorenzo Rodriguez, OSA, in 1863. Fray Benigno Fernandez, OSA, built the convent in 1880. on this shrine, the Virgin Mary serves as a perennial beacon and guide to her children in the Ilocos where she is known not only as Apo Asunta or Asuncion but also as Apo Caridad, Apo Esperanza, Apo Carmen, Apo Rosario and La Immaculada Concepcion.