Michi Photostory

A month before our flight I emailed one hotel in Bacolod to inquire if they still offer the promo rate on their website and she said yes. I replied to her email to reserve one room for us. Then a week before our flight I confirm my reservation with them but to my disappointment, the room was not reserved and she said they no longer offer promo rate and if we want to reserve the room please reply immediately because Feb 15-19 is their peak season. 


I did not answer back because I was really disappointed so, I searched the internet for possible accommodation; Circle Inn immediately responded to my inquiry and they told me the same thing.

“Please note that we are on peak season on Feb 15-19, 2012. We are requiring 50% non-refundable and non-rebookable confirmation deposit for the reservations we received within those dates.” 

I reserved a room immediately because I only have few days left before our flight. I also availed the airport pick-up for P500, actually, we can take a van from the airport for P100/pax but my husband wants to avail the airport pick-up because our arrival time is 5:25AM (yes, ganyan kaaga, yan ang natira sa promo fare.) 


Fast forward to our trip, we arrived at the hotel as early as 6AM, no early check-in so we just left our things and off we went to Capitol Lagoon to start our Bacolod Adventure. We went back at lunchtime and I was glad that they allowed us to check-in already. Circle Inn is a budget hotel so this is the room, twin beds, and bathroom. 



It was time for lunch but my husband wanted to sleep so my son and I just ordered at the hotel for our lunch. I ordered dinuguan, fried chicken, and rice. 


They have a pool too, my husband and son had night swimming while I was busy packing our stuff. 



I have no problem with our stay in Circle Inn; my only concern is the location. I did not check on their location, Circle Inn is two to three jeepneys away from tourist spots and restaurant so we’re having a hard time in commuting. We have to walk two to three blocks away from the hotel just to look for trisikad or tricycle going to Lacson Street. We could save more if we stay at L’ Fisher or Saltimbocca Inn because most of our food trip is located in Lacson Street.

Read: 31 Hours in Bacolod 
Food Trip in Bacolod

Circle Inn 
Lopez Jaena – Malaspina Streets, Capitol Shopping Center 
Bacolod City 6100 Philippines 
Telephone: 63-34-709-9111 OR 63-34-709-9009  
Telefax: 63-34-433-2538  
Mobile/Text Messaging: 63-917-445-9972  
E-Mail: bacolod@circleinnph.com

I’ve watched Eat, Pray, Love movie of Julia Roberts last year and this inspires me to create our own version of Eat. Pray, Love since we can’t afford to go to Italy, India and Indonesia. Last Friday we had another trip to celebrate our wedding anniversary, so we Eat in Bacolod, we Pray in Iloilo and we celebrate Love in Guimaras.

These are some pasalubong that we bought from each places though our Bacolod pasalubong did not reach Manila, it was gone in 24 hours. (except for muscuvado sugar)

BACOLOD PASALUBONG


Virgie's galletas
Muscuvado sugar, 
Pendy's meringue, 
Pendy's Napoleones 
Pendy's half moon cake

Bacolod is known for sugar plantations so it is not surprising if they love sweet foods. We went to Pendy’s for our breakfast and to buy some pasalubong. I will not leave Bacolod without tasting their famous Napoleones. We all love their Napoleones and too bad I only bought 2 boxes, I should buy at least 3 boxes, one for each of us. We also love half-moon, a simple cake with leche flan on top. So if you will visit Bacolod, don’t forget to buy Napoleones and half-moon at Pendy’s.

Read: 31 Hours in Bacolod

GUIMARAS PASALUBONG


Guimaras mango
Trappistine chocolate cookies
Mango yema
Mango cookies
Mango biscocho 
Mango otap





ILOILO PASALUBONG


I’ve tried Biscocho Haus butterscotch last year so this time I bought butterscotch at JD Bakeshop (P150 per box), some says that JD butterscotch is better than Biscocho Haus but to tell you honestly, I can’t tell the difference except for the size and packaging. For me, they both taste good.

Sad to say but this is the last day of our Ilocos trip, after breakfast, we went to St. William Cathedral, Tobacco Monopoly Momument, and Provincial Capitol. These tourist spots are all walking distance from UKL Ever Hotel, actually, there’s nothing special about this spot but this is part of my itinerary. 



We went back to our hotel to pick up our luggage and off we went to Laoag airport and that was the start of our Sunday mishaps.  End of my Ilocos series. =)

I had second thought in including Kapurpurawan Rock Formation in our itinerary because I know that we have to walk around 500 meters just to reach the place. I have no problem in walking or trekking but we have kids in tow so I wasn’t sure if they will enjoy this place but since we are going to skip Kaibigan Falls, I included this in my itinerary.

I have no regrets because this rock formation is really amazing. I’m not good at adjectives so all I can say is WOW and I’m glad that I’ve been here though seeing it up close is not easy.







Kapurpurawan Rock Formation is really amazing and if we’re not in a hurry, we could stay longer here.

gustong umakyat din pero nadudulas. =)

This is the view at the back of the rock formation.

Many first-time college students are often shocked by the very high prices of college textbooks, which can easily cost up to hundreds of dollars a book. Since new books have to be bought every semester those expenses can quickly add up. Thankfully, Campus Book Rentals has come up with an ingenious solution of renting books to students who would otherwise have to buy them. In fact, renting textbooks can save students over 50% of the cover price. Practically every textbook, for every major, is available in the easily searchable database, including the ever popular Organic Chemistry.



Campus Book Rentals offers free shipping both ways, so you will never get stuck with hefty postal charges. The rental periods are designed to fit the life of a busy college student. Three rental periods are available; semester (130 days), quarter (85 days) and summer (55 days).

However, if you need to keep the book a little longer to study for that all important final exam you can easily extend your rental period for 15 days or 30 day periods. Also, if you find that the textbook you rented has changed your life and that you would like to keep it with you forever and ever, simply pay the difference from the rental fee and the full value and the book is yours to keep. These books are meant to be treated as your own, so go ahead and use the all-powerful highlighter to mark the passages of interest. So, put money back in your pocket by renting your textbooks from Campus Book Rentals.

If you are planning a weekend or holiday getaway alone, with friends or family, Orlando Florida may be among your top preferences. You probably do not have the luxury of going through different brochures or walk around town looking for an ideal vacation spot. So why not tap into the convenience that the Internet provides, evaluate and compare different hotels in Orlando, and even make a reservation online?


Many new tourists are not aware of such provisions; and even when they are, they are probably hesitant to take this approach because they doubt its reliability and security. Making online hotel bookings is not only safe and private but also very favorable because it brings the services right to your desk or couch. There is a globally set standard that all websites maintain a strict privacy policy such that all customer information which will be specified will not be disclosed to unauthorized persons.

For most Orlando hotels, you are not even required to give personal details. They only ask you to specify your arrival dates, a number of people to be catered for, the type of accommodation preferred and any other additions that will enhance how services are rendered to you. Additionally, if this feels a bit too detached for your choice of customer care, telephone contacts should be provided at the site. Virtually all reputable Orlando Florida hotels have implemented this design.

Concerning payment details, very few hotels in Orlando ask for online money transfer. Although some have adopted online transactions, it would be advisable to hold onto your money until you are sure that you are paying for tangible services. Hackers and con artists have perfected their game and may disguise themselves well by offering unbeatable Orlando hotel deals. Be very careful as to where you disclose your credit card information otherwise, you may end up broke even before you can taste what Orlando Florida has to offer.

Today is the exact date of my first blog anniversary and I can’t believe that it’s been a year already. I would like to thank you for wasting your time, I mean taking your time reading my post. I have no idea that someone would be interested reading my blog, when I started my blog I only have 3 readers, me, myself and I. Then I told my mom and hubby about it and they became my number one fan. Thank you for your support.

Like I always say, Michi Photostory is like my online diary and sort of “me time”, as a full time mom, I need to have an outlet where I can freely write or express my feelings. And this blog is so helpful and keep me sane. I’m happy to share my experiences as a mom and wife, our travel escapades, our food trip and others. You have no idea how happy I am when my followers and subscribers are increasing and most of all I really appreciate your comments and thoughts. It is my pleasure answering your questions and messages because in my own little way, I can help. 

I never thought that blogging could be fun and interesting. I have learned a lot through blog hopping, I saw interesting places around the world and I came to know hole in the wall restaurant, and because of that I have long list of “places to go to”, “must see resort” and “food trip list”. I learned new information, ideas and techniques in dealing with kids and reading mommy blogger’s posts make me appreciate and enjoy motherhood. I even gained weight in reading food blog post, because of your post I keep on trying new recipes and restaurants.

Thank you for those bloggers who help me in doing my itinerary and planning our trip. Thank you for those people who gave me opportunity to earn on this blog, it is not that much but still thankful for the few paid post and paid links. One thing I learn about blogging is, “Blogging is not all about earning but learning and gaining friends” and I’m glad because I gained online friends.

I hope someday, I can also meet you in person. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for following my blog and to show my appreciation, I will be giving a small reward (Starbucks Tumbler) to my top commentator. As of this moment, I have 359 blog posts and 2,122 comments so I know that it would be difficult for me to check my top commentator so I added a widget last Sunday. Here are my top 20 commentators…. (drum roll).

this is the reason why I need to go to Starbucks last Tuesday. =)

Flowers, flowers, flowers, how many times will I say that I’m not a big fan of flowers. If you remember my post before, I wrote it here that I dislike flowers and stuffed toys, not that I really dislike them but there are things that I want to receive, but flowers and stuffed toys are not on my list.
Why I don’t like flowers and stuffed toys? I know that flowers are expensive especially on Valentine’s Day and they will not last so I find it impractical. But if you give me chocolates, may kilig every bite of it and it will satisfy my stomach. I don’t like stuffed toys because for me they are dust collectors, so just give me a queen or king-size pillows instead.

We started our Laoag - Pagudpud tour at 8AM, Glenn was not available at that time so his cousin was the one who drove us to Pagudpud. The first stop is the Sinking Bell Tower. It is one of the tallest here in the Philippines. This is walking distance from our hotel, they say that you can see St. Mary image in this tower. Can you see the image?
Laoag and Vigan are like revisiting the past while Pagudpud is enjoying the nature and scenery so I’m not surprised if more people stay in Pagudpud than in Laoag and Vigan. It is 2 hour trip from Laoag and 4 hours from Vigan.

Let the photos do the talk.

Note: We're so busy taking pictures and we did not notice na may parating na malaking alon, ang layo namin sa shoreline pero inabot kami, nagulat na lang kami at nabasa na kami at natanggal ang slippers ng anak ko, so habol ni hubby yung slippers, then one lady is shouting for help, yung kasama niya paglingon namin, nakahiga na sa sand and basang-basa so takbo ulit si hubby and inalalayan and sinave din ni hubby yung slippers ni lola.

1. UKL Ever Hotel – we’re lucky that our room accommodation has 2 complimentary breakfast. (sulit!) The only problem is we only have 4 choices; tapsilog, hotsilog, longsilog and tocilog. Our favorite is longsilog and tapsilog. Extra order is P80. 


Since we had an amazing race tour, we did not go out for dinner; we just ate at their restaurant. Our favorite is breaded porkchop P120 and fried chicken P120.


2. Café Uno – in Vigan.

We ordered pinakbet plain, pinakbet with bagnet, sinigang na baboy, grilled bangus, chicken inasal, plain rice and bagoong rice (rice, bagoong, kangkong, salted egg and tocino). They have big servings so we keep on ordering rice just to finish everything. We all love the food, I’m not fond of vegetables but I like their pinakbet. Price is affordable, for a group of 8 people, our bill is only P1k+.


3. Irene’s Vigan Empanada – they all ate empanada in Vigan except me, not a fan of empanada. P35 per piece.


4. BergBlick Restaurant in Pagudpud, can you believe that there’s a German restaurant in Pagudpud. We were supposed to eat at Evangeline Resort but they could not accommodate us because they are expecting 100 guests and we could no longer wait because it was past 1PM already so we ended up in BergBlick Restaurant. 

We ordered a fish platter, Ilocandia express, sinigang na fish (I can’t remember the name) and crème brulee for dessert. The price is a little bit expensive for a group of 8 people, our bill is P2k+. Our favorite is the fish platter.


5. Jollibee – in Laoag for snacks.

6. La Preciosa in Laoag, we ordered diningding, lengua estofado and mocha sansrival. Hubby and son enjoyed their diningding, he even said “sabaw pa lang ulam na”. I always love lengua estofado and La Preciosa did not fail me.

My son liked his mocha sansrival but La Preciosa best seller cake is carrot cake. I got to taste it because my sister’s friend gave me a slice. They have big servings and the price is also affordable, for a group of 3 people, our bill is only P500+


Like I said, La Preciosa carrot cake is their best seller and I even see some people at the airport who have boxes of La Preciosa cake but I still prefer mocha sansrival because I am not fond of carrots. I enjoy the cake but I have to remove the shredded carrots. 

pabaon from my sister's friend

7.     Street Foods


Food photos are not complete; blame it on our hungry stomachs.

At the entrance, you will see the small horse-drawn carriage called “tiburin”, the rides are free but of course “manongs” are expecting the tip. I know that it is free but my husband who’s not reading my itinerary asked manong if we can ride the “tiburin” and if it is free. Then manong whispered, tip lang po. 

I do give tips but I dislike when people are expecting them. Anyway, we rode the carriage and he brought us to the camel, took some pictures and he dropped us off at animal encounter shows.