Wednesday 27 May 2009

My Package of Joy

While vacationing in Manila, I was having second thoughts if I should buy the Twilight DVD from there. After having read witsandnuts’ post about how the Philippine-released DVD is wanting for a lot of features, I told myself that I’ll just wait for it to be released in Amsterdam. As difficult as it was to resist purchasing the DVD (which was seriously calling out to me while we were in the record shop), I managed to hold my ground and look the other way.

When we returned here, the first thing I did was check out the local record shops and to my dismay, the Twilight DVD is not yet available and I was told that it will be released sometime in June. I was about to kick myself when my colleague told me about the sale at Amazon. When I checked out the site, well what do you know? The Twilight DVD is already on sale. I was ecstatic. I immediately placed my order plus some books that I’ve been wanting to buy for a while now, which luckily enough were all on sale.



After three days of waiting, I was so thrilled to go home hoping that my anticipated parcel has arrived (or was left to our neighbours). The moment I stepped into the door, my eyes immediately spotted the white and orange slip, I knew the postman has come. I picked it up to see where the package is and immediately asked honey to go and get my parcel from our neighbour as indicated in the slip.



I have a big, wide grin as I welcomed honey back inside the house with the box in his arms. I was like a child opening a present on Christmas Eve. There it was my Twilight DVD, Nigella Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking, Complete Novels of Jane Austen and a children’s book entitled The very Hungry Caterpillar (for my little baby Bee). Oh, the simple joys of life. I have a lot of watching and reading to do.

Monday 25 May 2009

The Second Trimester Begins…


(baby Bee @ 11 weeks and 4days)

It’s been a smooth sailing ride for the three of us for more than three months now. I can’t believe how much joy, excitement and anticipation your daddy and I have while waiting for you to come out. I vividly recall that morning the stick finally turned blue, we almost jumped for joy. I still remember the first time we saw you on that screen, you tiny little angel, it was pure magic. And how about the first time we heard your heartbeat… oh we were ecstatic, I had tears welling in my eyes and my heart filled with so much love and yearning to finally hold you in my arms. You are the gift that we’ve been praying for, for quite a while now and now that you’re finally here, it’s so surreal, I have to pinch myself sometimes.

Now that we are embarking on the second leg of our journey, the three of us, I’m so looking forward to feeling your first kick inside my tummy, to soothe your movements with my voice and to caress my belly knowing that you’re there appreciating the touch. I can’t wait to learn if I should buy you pretty tiny little dresses, or will I be shopping for cute little shirts and shorts. There are a lot of other things that we are about to experience together and your daddy and I are looking forward to all those marvellous things.

I cannot guarantee that your daddy and I will not have doubts or fears in the coming months, for like you this is also something new to us, but if there is something that I can guarantee, that is, you are loved and will forever be loved. Hang in there our little baby Bee, mommy and daddy are patiently waiting for you.


(baby Bee @ 11 weeks and 4days)

Friday 22 May 2009

Bohol Sea Adventure

Our third day was spent basking in the glorious sun, sand and beach of Bohol. We were fetched by our bangkero, kuya George at around 5:30 to start our sea tour bright and early. As part of our itinerary, we were scheduled to watch dolphins at play, snorkel (well honey snorkelled, while I fed the fishes from the small boat) at fish sanctuary and island hop to Balicasag and Virgin (Pontod) Island.



I was surprised that as early as six in the morning when we reached the spot where the dolphins were supposed to show up, there were a lot of other boats, passengers of which were also tourists like us hoping to get a glimpse of the marvellous sea creature. We saw a couple of them dolphins jumping about but each time that we would go closer to the last spot where the dolphins were seen, all the rest of the boats followed suit and the dolphins just swam and went to a completely new spot. After an hour or so of aimlessly going about the wide area, although we did saw some flips and flaps from the ever elusive dolphins, I begun to feel tired of running after them and told Kuya George that we might as well go the next stop. Little did I know that where we were going next would be a much better location for us to spot the flirtatious swimming of these intelligent creatures. I couldn’t help but wonder why kuya George would want to spend all those time running after the elusive dolphins in the first spot. He explained to us that in the first spot that went to, the dolphins were much bigger and they are more playful. Oh, well, I was more than happy to just get closer to the dolphins, the flips and flaps of the bigger ones were a mere bonus.



Next, off we went to the fish sanctuary where honey snorkelled the entire day. I opted to join him and went into the small boat that we rented and thinking that I won’t be going in the water so I can take the camera with me. We took the bangkero’s advice and bought some crackers with us to the snorkelling site. At first, I thought I’d be bored to death while waiting for honey to finish exploring the fish sanctuary. However, while honey was busy floating and dipping and flapping away through the beautiful corals, I took some crackers and dipped my hand in the water. I was amazed by the number of fishes that came to my hand, the crystal clear water made it so easy to see all the fishes and I sure am glad I brought the camera, I took pictures of the fishes as they feasted on the crackers I gave them. I didn’t even have to ask if honey had a grand time, his smile said it all. We were nicely brown and toasted from the burning sun when we went back to the bank where a hearty lunch was waiting for us.






(virgin Island)

After lunch, honey did some more dipping and flapping in the beach but I managed to pull him off from the shore and we went to our last stop for the day, the Virgin Island. This is a half circle stretch of white sand beach that people can see during low tide but is completely out of sight during high tide. This was where we found the henna tattoo guys. Since I’m not allowed to swim and honey also wanted to get henna so badly, we spent half an hour or so waiting for the guy to finish the tattoos. I must say, I loved how my tattoo turned out, it’s so intricate and pretty.



When we finally returned to our hotel, I can’t believe how tired I was, I guess the heat of the sun really took a toll on me. However I must say that I haven’t seen a beach more pristine or sand finer than the ones I have seen in Bohol. It’s breath taking.

Wednesday 20 May 2009

Countryside Tour Bohol Part 2 of 2

The incessant coughing and sneezing coupled with the flu and fever that bugged honey and me down for the past couple of days made our wonderful trip to Bohol seems so distant now. That is why I must follow up on my previous post to relax my mind and remind myself of the recent good times that honey and I had in that wonderful island.

The Loboc River lunch and cruise left me yearning for a bed to nap (oh well, in my present condition, my body seems to always long for a bed to doze off) however, that sleepiness lasted only for a couple of minutes for the moment we saw the countryside leading to the place where we would soon be visiting the tarsier, our eyes couldn’t help but feast on the wonderful scenery. We reached the tarsier sanctuary in no time and I almost leaped out of the van as I was so enthused to finally see the infamous tarsier of Bohol. The moment I saw them cute little primates, I couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh wow… they are so freakin’ cute!” Indeed they were so cute, I wanted to reach out for one of them and start pinching them. Oh, of course I didn’t! I contented myself with feeding them crickets (crickets on stick - which at first gave me goose bumps) and taking their pictures.





I was bummed to leave them cute tarsiers but we had to carry on with our tour. Next stop was the other infamous gem of Bohol… the Chocolate Hills. On our way to the hills, K regaled us with the cheesy legend of the Chocolate hills. She said that one of the more famous legends tells a story of a giant who fell in love with a beautiful lady. Now this beautiful lady was engaged to be married and a part of the wedding ceremony, she has to bathe in the lake naked. Now the giant saw her and couldn’t help but reach out to her. Once the giant picked her up the lady was overcome by fear and died. The giant mourned the death of her loved one and cried for so many days. The tears dried up and up to this day stand as the symbol of the Giants grief and are now what we know the Chocolate Hills. I told you it was cheesy!



K told us that we had to climb hundreds of steps to fully appreciate the beauty of the chocolate hills from the viewing deck. I must say, as mushy as the legend is, there was nothing cheesy about the splendour that greeted us. The moment we were on top, we tried to catch our breath, not only from the steep climb but also because of the beauty that welcomed us. The viewing deck gave as a 180 degree-view of the hills and they were simply majestic. Such a shame this site didn’t make it as a finalist to the 7 wonders of nature for it’s truly breathtaking.

From the chocolate hills, we stopped by the man made forest going to the giant python, Prony. The man made forest has been an initiative of the local government to help the once deteriorating forest of the island and after 50 years, the trees have been kept safe from loggers and they are constantly being monitored. Such feat should be followed by other LGUs I think.

After the man made forest stop, we went on and visited Prony, she is the largest python in captivity ever known (via). In this python sanctuary, it was not the python that caught my fancy, it was Marimar, and he referred to himself as Prony’s twin. What initially caught my attention was when he greeted us in Dutch (heck he knew more Dutch than I do). He started telling us Prony’s history, his eating habits and finally asked us if we want to see him perform which of course we readily agreed. He was amazing, he hung himself upside down while lip synching a Regine Velasquez song. He was really pretty with his make up and the red dress that he was wearing, I even told honey that he really looks like Michael V. (when Michael V dresses up like a woman).





After being amused with Marimar, err Prony, we passed by a bolo making house (there was nothing special there) and a nipa weaving lady (also nothing special there) before we finally made it to Baclayon church. Baclayon church is the second oldest church in the Philippines (next to San Agustin church in Intramuros). The massive walls and the tainted glasses gave me a feeling that I’m somehow in the Spanish era. Honey and I took turns in taking pictures and K kindly asked us if we want our picture taken. She picked the spot where to take the picture and when we all looked at the picture she has taken, she pointed out to the wall which eerily seemed to have a face on it. She said that the face has started to appear a couple of months ago and a lot of people are saying that the face looks like Father Pio (I’m not sure who he is).




Our last stop for the day was the souvenir shop, of course no tour is complete without souvenir shopping. We hoarded several delicacies and some pasalubongs.

The entire day was tiring but it was so worth it. It really pays off to have knowledgeable and nice people to show you around their town. Thanks to K and Kuya Ferry for the unforgettable tour, honey and I enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Monday 18 May 2009

Countryside Tour Bohol Part 1



Honey and I stayed for 4 days in Bohol. The first day was our free day which was spent in the beach, me lounging under the coconut tree while watching (and getting envious) as honey swam his heart out in the beach and then in the pool, oh well I got to dip my feet in the pool and I got to walk in the beach as long as its only knee deep. Tough, tough, tough.

The following day was the day we explored the many wonders and great spots of Bohol. Our very nice driver, Ferry and our very well informed tour guide, K, took us to a lot of breath taking places in Bohol. Our first stop was the miraculous well of Mother Mary in Dauis Bohol, K explained that some time long ago there was a drought and all of a sudden, water sprung from the ground and the image of Mother Mary was seen floating above the spot were the water welled up and from then on the well never dried up. The other curious thing about this well is that the water is fresh while the entire island is surrounded by sea water. The people of the town built a church with the altar situated where the well sprung.


(the miraculous well)

Next stop was the popular blood compact monument. I’ve seen this site plenty of times in the past in pictures and in some movies as well, but I was not prepared by how beautiful the view is from the monument overlooking the sea and the landscapes of Bohol, it was amazing.




(beautiful Loboc River)

After taking in the beauty of the scenery of Bohol from the top of a cliff, we all decided that it was time to experience the Loboc river cruise where we will also be having our lunch. I believe this meal was one of the best we’ve had in Bohol, owing to the mouth watering mango and shrimp paste combo that I devoured all throughout the meal.

(our hearty lunch)

The painstaking view of the green river made the meal a lot more pleasant. There was also a singer who regaled us with old ballads. The cool breeze that touched my face was more than a welcome relief from the hot and humid weather. In the river bank abounds Nipa tree, all the while I thought they were small coconut trees.



Before we went back to the bank, we stopped by a settlement area for a tribe. We took photos of the native children while they were swinging from the trees with a rope. They even invited us to take a picture with a snake which we can hang over our shoulders, to which offer, honey and I both declined. Hehe.



No wonder a lot of people are enamoured by the charming town of Bohol. There are so many treasures waiting to be discovered. I can’t believe how much beauty we’ve witnessed just at the first part of our countryside tour.

Sunday 17 May 2009

A piece of Paradise in Bohol



One of the highlights of our recent Manila holidays was going to Bohol for a much needed R&R. Since this would be the last time that honey and I are travelling by ourselves, because soon enough we’ll have our little angel always with us, we wanted to make it extra special trip. We had to book everything at a very short period of time making it more difficult to have all our requirements met or otherwise making the trip very costly since it’s the peak season after all. Good thing one of my college friends, M, recently got married and had her honeymoon in Bohol just a few weeks earlier and she was able to recommend an agent who can take care of all our needs.

After browsing through websites and hotel and resort reviews, our first choice was to stay at the Amorita resort. However, after receiving the package options and price list from our very agent, we saw that our preferred resort costs twice as much as the resort that our agent recommends (which happens to be the same resort M and her husband stayed at and she had all nice things to say about it) with fewer inclusions. Our agent explained that this is because the resort is almost fully booked so the prices are much higher than their normal rates. So without thinking any further, we decided to go for Alona Tropical.



I must say, I couldn’t be any happier with our choice. The first indication that the resort really strives to give great service was when we arrived at the resort at around 9 am. Normally we would have to wait till 2pm before we could check in but they readied our room for us and checked us in immediately, without extra cost. At first we stayed at a beach front room that was quite further from the beach front but after soaking in the sun for a couple of hours, honey was able to request for a different room that was literally 10 steps away from the beachfront, perfect!

(in front of our beach front room)


(posing after taking a dip in the pool)

Since my OB in Manila told me that I was not allowed to swim, I had to content myself with lounging in front of the beach while dozing off or reading a book, that was when I noticed that the resort that we initially wanted to stay at was right next to Alona Tropical and that they don’t have a beach front of their own. Since they are located at the top of a cliff, their guests would have to go down the stairs (which would not have been very convenient at my present condition) and use the stretch of beach in front of Alona Tropical. That was when honey and I were convinced that we made the right choice. Anyway, we were able to savour the view from that resort the night we had dinner at their restaurant overlooking the beach stretch of Alona.


I would definitely recommend Alona Tropical to anyone who wants to go to Bohol. It offers great value for money, the service is impeccable, the amenities are great, I love the homey feel of the spacious and well kept rooms and it definitely made our stay in Bohol more special.

Friday 1 May 2009

Dessert Discovery

A couple of weeks back, while browsing through blogs, i chanced upon a post about Estrel's caramel cake and how good they are. Being a dessert fanatic, I got curious and googled some more and found out that all hits refer to this cake as nothing less than remarkable. I can't believe that anything this good has escaped my radar for a long time. I told honey that once we're here in Manila, we have to drop by the shop and make sure to grab one of these caramel cakes everyone is raving about.



Last week, after accompanying honey and his cousin for a hair cut, we finally decided to look for the famed cake shop. It is a quaint space in the corner of a very busy street. The homey feel of the this shop adds to the charm of the desserts sold. Upon entering, there were several boxes lined up in the shelves so I immediately asked the nice lady for a box of their famous caramel cake. She told me that all the cakes are sold out all the rest of the boxes still in the shop are just waiting for their owners to pick them up. I was about to get so disappointed when the other person in the shop told the lady that they have one more box of cake to sell because there was a mistake in the order taken earlier in the day. The lady told us that we were quite lucky because normally, there are no more cakes for sale at that time of the day. We greedily grabbed the box and bought a box of food for the gods as well and went on our merry way home.

We immediately served the cake once we got home and everyone enjoyed it thoroughly because it's very fluffy, the sponge cake melts in your mouth, nothing I haven't had before but I believe that the best thing about this cake is the frosting, it was quite unique something I haven't tried before although it reminds me of cajeta, i can taste condensed milk in it but it is delicately sweet, not the uberly sweet kind. The food for the gods was a winner as well. I think i'll try my hand and make this caramel cake on my own and see how it turns out.

One should definitely try this cake, this can be a favorite during special occasions but it can get old after a while because this is the only cake that they make.