A different beach experience in Alona Beach, Panglao Island, Bohol

Choosing a place to stay at in Panglao Island is a daunting task even if we already had a budget in mind. We had  to choose between Alona beach, a stretch of beach with a wide range of resort, restaurant and entertainment choices or the area of Bohol Beach Club and Dumaluan Beach Resort with the better sand. After reading travel books, lurking on internet sites and forums, and interviewing friends who have visited Panglao Island, we decided to stay at Alona Beach.

Alona beach may disappoint some people. The sand, while white, isn't as fine as what you see in Boracay or Palawan. There are some corals, rocks, and sometimes even seaweeds, mixed in the sand. The restaurants that had good reviews online served ordinary-tasting food, and some of the entertainment bands were a torture to watch (there was a time when I just wanted to get on stage and grab the mic!).

After a couple of so-so meals, we just walked on the beach and chose a restaurant based on the price on the menu,  the smile of the servers and the temperature of their beers. The criteria worked for us because we got to eat inexpensive grilled meals which we enjoyed with our chilled drinks. (If you really want delicious meals, try the restaurant at Amorita,  pricey but worth the money.)

I also loved watching the dozens of boats docked on the shores of Alona beach. I loved how these vessels, which were all painted white, bobbed in rhythm to the sound of the waves.  

But the gem of alona beach is the fish sanctuary near Amorita resort. There were plenty of fish and you only need to swim a few meters from the shore to see them. They weren't as big and colorful as the ones in Balicasag Island, but I really loved the fact that you don't need to ride a boat to get to the wall (or the drop to the deep blue sea where the fish usually swim).

Imperfect as it is, Alona beach has a different charm, and gives a different but still enjoyable experience to its guests.

Banaue - more than its rice terraces

After visiting Sagada twice when I was much younger (and had stronger legs!), Banaue has always been on top of my to-go list. It also helped that I grew up thinking that the Banaue rice terraces was the "8th wonder of the world." (I guess children from different countries have different ideas on what the "8th wonder of the world" is.)

Visiting Banaue made me realize that it is more than just its famous rice terraces. It is a culture-rich heaven with intelligent and dedicated people who acknowledge that the terraces are not only a blessing but also a responsibility that they are willing to bear.

Details


Travel dates: 18-21 March 2010 
Companion: joined a Backpack Photography workshop organized by Ferdz Decena (ironwulf.net) and Oggie Ramos (lagalog.com)
Budget: P8,000 ALL IN (this includes bus fare, inn, food, tours and photo lessons/tutorials) 
Travel mode: 8-hour bus ride on Florida bus line


Information and travel tips

• The rice terraces is not only located in Banaue. There are rice terraces in Kalinga, Apayao, Benguet, Mountain Province and Ifugao. 2,000 to 6,000 years old, these are located 1,500 meters above sea level and cover 10,360 kilometers.
• The view of the rice terraces from the Banaue town proper is dotted with steel-walled houses that  harshly reflected the sun's rays. To appreciate the magnificence of the terraces, hire a jeep or a tricycle to take you to the viewpoints. The views in Batad and Hapyao are also much better.
• We stayed at the Banaue Ethnic Village and Pine Forest Resort. Located in Apar Nga-oh, it is approximately 20 minutes from the town proper. The resort has replicas of native Ifugao houses. We even got to sleep in one! The resort also organized a cultural show where the Ifugaos shared their dances, songs and rituals with us. The resort manager's tour of the ethnic village was also interesting - we learned how the Ifugaos improved their dwellings over the years, and we got to see the tools and things that they use. 

• I understand that the Banaue Hotel also organizes cultural shows for its guests.
• We toured the rice terraces in Hapao. It has steep stairs that lead down to the terraces. The hike isn't too far but there were times when walking along the terraces made my knees weak - the terraces were approximate a foot wide and in some places, you had the irrigation on one side and a 10 to 12-ft drop on the other.
• A lot of travellers also visit Batad, where the terraces form an impressive ampi-theater. My friends say that the ride over kilometers of bad road and a challenging 1-hour downhill hike was worth the view. (I have yet to go to Batad, though.)
• Hire a jeep or a tricycle to take you around the viewpoints.
• If taking the Florida bus, eat dinner first and bring snacks. There is only one stopover, which is halfway through the 8-hour trip.
• At the stopover, try the chicken mami - it was served hot, and it tasted like they've been boiling the broth for hours. It is also topped with really tasty dried garlic which you can also buy in bottles.
• It can get very cold in the bus - bring a jacket!
• Be prepared for emergencies. On the way back to Manila, our bus stopped. We were stuck in the middle of Nueva Ecija in the middle of the night with a not-so-helpful conductor and driver. The only option they gave us was to transfer to other Florida buses that are already full of passengers that you'll have to stand (or sit on your bags) the whole way back to Manila. We decided to take a jeep to the nearest bus terminal.

More pictures are posted here.

Flying Asiana Air

Every time people learn that I'm taking Asiana Airlines for my New York trip, they would grimace, give me a concerned look and ask me why. I used to answer that I had no choice as Asiana offered the cheapest airfare.

If they ask me again now, I'd say "why not?"

I've tried flying Business Class on Lufthansa, KLM and Asiana over the past year and a half and among the three, Asiana is the best for me.

Both Lufthansa's and KLM's flight menus boasted of chefs on board. Asiana's menu was the simplest - it just provided the meal choices. But it served the best tasting food. The tenderloin was not as good as that served in Prince Albert's but it was good enough. I didn't get to choose how it will be cooked but since they served it medium well, I was happy. It was soft and tender and perfectly seasoned with just salt and pepper. It was served with sculpted creamy mashed potatoes. My other main meal was a delicious Bibimbap (translated as: Mixing and Harmonizing) which came with instructions on how to enoy it. It was as good as those served in the Korean restos in Manila, minus the heated bowl and the side dishes. They did serve kimchi with it, though.



In addition to this, I loved that they served salted butter in a dish. It was much easier scooping butter from a solid dish rather than trying to squeeze tasteless unsalted butter from the small packets that Lufthansa and KLM (and other restos in Manila) provide. I just held the piece of bread with my left hand, and scooped and spread the butter with a knife on my right hand.

I also loved the fact that in addition to the usual US movies, I also got to watch Japanese, Korean and Chinese movies. I enjoyed watching Korea's Princess Mighty during the Manila-Seoul leg. I attempted to watch Iron Man on the Seoul-New York leg but failed, as I was asleep most of the time!

And this was the real reason why I love Asiana - they had the best seats for me. Lufthansa had some nice chairs but the headrest was too high for me making me nod a little. the KLM seat also felt weird. But the Asia chair was so perfect! It fit my hips perfectly, gave my back ample support and it had the perfect space for my head! Even if I wanted to stay awake and watch a movie, I ended up dozing off.



Oops. Another reason to take Asiana was that their washrooms were always clean!!! In Lufthansa and KLM, there were times when the washrooms weren't clean. In Asiana, an attendant regularly cleaned them so they looked and smelled clean all throughout the flight.

Oh, and there's one more reason.(I feel like I'm in a home tv shopping show.) They have reasonable airfare!

Word for the Day: Karoshi

"Karoshi" - deaths from overwork

I guess these are not uncommon in Japan as they already have a term for it. For the latest Karoshi news, check out:

Ruling finds Japanese man died from overwork

Barcelona pics are up!

The Barcelona pics are here.

I'm still feeling tired after the Barcelona trip - I only had 2 days to rest before heading to La Luz, Batangas for our company outing (now that's a different story.) So I don't have much energy to do anything other than work. I'm hoping I'll be better in a few days. See you then!

Kung Bakit Payat si Paris (a review of the food in Hilton Hotel, Barcelona)

 
With only 1 hour and 29 minutes left on my internet card, 250 ml remaining on my 1-liter bottle of Evian and 2 hours and 5 minutes prior to check-out, I decide to take a rest and divulge some facts that I recently discovered.

Bakit payat si Paris? Dahil hindi siya kumakain.

Bakit di siya kumakain? Kasi hindi talaga masarap ang pagkain dito sa Hilton!

At first, I thought it was limited to the finger food that they serve during the meetings. I was wrong. Yesterday, I was too exhausted to move after 3 days of non-stop meetings. So, I decided to order room service for lunch and dinner. The sea bass for lunch was fresh but poorly seasoned. They just grilled it with the other vegetables and the chef probably thought that the sauces of the onions of the aubergines and onions would be enough to flavor the fish. Just like me, he was wrong. The sea bass tasted flat.

For dinner, I decided to order something basic, something that even I can prepare - a bacon cheeseburger. Since they called it the "Hilton Cheeseburger" I was hoping that it would at least be decent. Again, I was wrong. The fries that were served on the side tasted like cooking oil, the bacon was tough and the meat patty was dry. I am just so happy that I can charge all those crappy meals to the office.

Bakit payat ang mga tao sa Barcelona? Kasi ang bilis nilang maglakad!

Only a handful of our meetings were held at the Hilton. Most of the sessions were held at the Hotel Rey Juan Carlos. According to everyone in Barcelona, Hotel Rey Juan Carlos is only 15-20 minutes away on foot. Since I didn't have any reason not to believe them, I walked from Hilton to Hotel Rey Juan Carlos. It took me 45 minutes to get there.

A similar thing happened for dinner. We were scheduled to eat at a resto, which the concierge said was only 10 minutes away from Hilton on foot. It took me 10 minutes to get there in a cab.

CONCLUSION: People in Barcelona as are fast as taxis.



Bakit wala pa ring Barcelona pictures? Kasi wala pa akong napupuntahan. Kagabi lang natapos ang meetings ko.

But I am now on my personal time. Hola, Barcelona!!!

Back from Hundred Islands

Pangasinan doesn't have 100 islands . . . it has at least 123! And a day in Hundred Islands is worth the 5-hour drive from Manila.

Photos are here.