November 20, 2015

Dinosaurs Island at Clark Pampanga

My son fell in love with the dinosaurs after watching Jurassic Park movie. He was only 5 years old at that time and I don’t understand why he liked it. But we were watching Jurassic Park 1, 2 and 3 for the last two years. So when I learned that there is Dinosaurs Island in Clark, Pampanga I immediately added it in our bucket list.


He was so happy when we visited Universal Studio Singapore last year because there is The Lost World Zone and we rode Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure.We’re supposed to go to Dinosaurs Island (reward after graduation) last summer but time did not permit us. So when my son told me that he wanted to watch Jurassic World movie last June, I agree with his demand kahit namamahalan ko sa movie ticket. Lol


We live in Southern Luzon so planning a trip up north is not easy. We need time and budget, ilang toll fee din yan. Hehehe! Finally, last sembreak we visited Dinosaurs Island.

Dinosaurs Island Entrance Fee 

P350 regular
P300 students (private school)

Klook.com

The entrance includes the Dinosaur Island exhibit, Dino Museum, and World of Fun. There was no map, flyers or tour guide so we tour the theme park on our own. You will not be lost because there are signs everywhere. I’ve seen a lot of pictures of Dinosaurs Island but I did not expect that those dinosaurs are moving. It was a different experience because you can hear dinosaurs sound and they are moving. Watch the video


Dinosaur Island Exhibit 

Each dinosaur has its own description so just read, it was funny because my son even remembers some dinosaurs that he saw in the Jurassic Park movie.

Dino Museum 


There is also Feeding Dino activity.

World of Fun 

The park is not that big, I was surprised na tapos na agad kami. The end part of the park is the Mascot Dino World of Fun. You can see dancing dinosaurs here, ito yung aliw na part. Even we know that it is just a mascot, napapasigaw pa rin kami pag lumalapit. Hehehe!




After the show, I paid another P100/person for the Jurassic Jungle Safari. It was less than 5 minutes ride. We were done in less than an hour so I find the entrance fee expensive. Maybe if other activities are included in P350, worth it na. But you have to pay extra for Jungle Safari Ride, Wonders of the world and 7D.


 Read: Pampanga Road Trip
DIY Dinosaurs Plush Toy



Dinosaurs Island Clark
Clark Picnic Grounds,
Gil Puyat Ave, Mabalacat, 2023
Pampanga Mon to Sunday 9 to 5PM
Posted by 25 comments:
Labels: , , ,

Pampanga Road Trip

One advantage of land travel is you can do side tripping to maximize your trip and to save time and effort. On our way home from Bataan, we decided to drop by at Dinosaurs Island in Clark Pampanga. My son wanted to visit this place and it’s supposed to be our treat when he graduated with an award. But Pampanga is so far from where we live parang nakakapagod if we will just have a day trip. 

 Finally, after several months we were able to visit Dinosaurs Island. My son was really excited when I told him that we will go here after our Bataan WWII Museum visit. I’ll share it on a separate post.  

After Dinousaurs Island, we checked the El Kabayo but no one was interested for horse back riding at tirik na tirik ang araw. It was past 12nn so we prefer to eat na lang. 



My husband knew that there is one restaurant that I’ve been meaning to try in Pampanga so at last, I was able to cross it out in my bucket list. We are frequent diner of Abe’s restaurant so I was glad that I finally visited Abe’s Farm. 

After eating we also checked the Abe’s Museum, unfortunately it is no longer free. According to my husband, free lang daw dati nung last visit nila, now P30 each. 

Pampanga is not only known for Hot Air Ballon Festival because there are more places to explore. I want to check the zoo and revisit Nayong Pilipino, maybe on our next side trip. 
Posted by 19 comments:
Labels: ,

November 19, 2015

Bataan Historical Site

Bataan is a province which is rich in history, it is known for World War II and Bataan Death March. It is sad to know that there were lots of people died in that war but we should not forget their courage to fight and defend our country.

 There are so many historical sites that you can visit in Bataan, I have visited some of the sites last year when we had a Bataan Road Trip. We were able to check the Mt Samat, Zero Kilometer Death March Marker and Philippine-Japan Friendship Tower.  

Last sembreak, we stayed in The Plaza Hotel in Balanga, Bataan, which is the capital of the province. I searched for possible places that we could visit in Balanga, Bataan for our side trip. 

 1. Bataan World War II Museum 
2. St. Joseph’s Cathedral or Balanga Cathedral 
3. Surrender Site Marker 
4. Tortugas Bird Site 
5. Flaming Sword 
6. Balanga Nature and Wetland Park 
7. Bataan National Park 

Due to time constraint, we just visited three places. We were lucky that the St. Joseph Cathedral is just in front of our hotel. This church was used as an artillery emplacement during the Japanese invasion. It was renovated by Bishop Celso Guevarra, the first bishop of the Diocese. 

Then we went to Balanga Elementary School where the Surrender Site Marker and Bataan World War II Museum is located. This school served as the command post of Lt. Gen. Homma at the time of Bataan’s surrender. 

At the back of the school you can see the Surrender Site Marker, this marked the exact spot where surrender terms were negotiated by Major General Edward King with Japanese Colonel Motoo Nakayama (who represented Gen. Homma) on April 9, 1942 after three months of relentless siege by invaders. 

We waited for few minutes because the Bataan World War II Museum was still closed. The museum was opened last February 2014, it was just a small museum where you can see pictures, war artifacts, doll diorama of Death March and 9 minutes video during World War II. Picture taking is not allowed. 

 Entrance fee: P50 adults P20 students P40 senior citizens 
Operating Hours: Mon to Sat, 9AM to 4PM 

 Even the museum is small, there's a tour guide that will tour you so you will learn new information and personal stories of World War II which is not written in history books. 

Before we left, the tour guide informed us that the Torture Chamber was also inside the school. This is used by the Japanese to torture Filipino and American Soldiers. 

 After I took this picture, my husband asked me.

 Hubby: kinunan mo ng picture? 
Me: Yes, bakit? 
Hubby: Wala lang, parang nakakatakot mamaya may lumabas sa picture. Dami namatay diyan. 

 Honestly, natakot ako and parang ayaw ko tingnan picture. Isa kong matatakutin pa naman so sa biyahe namin napapaisip ako then I realized na bakit sa cemetery, marami din naman patay pero pag dumadalaw mga tao nagpapipicture. Hehehe! 

 Bataan has fallen, but the spirit that made it stand- a beacon to all the liberty-loving peoples of the world cannot fall. - excepts from a radio broadcast from Corregidor.
Posted by 16 comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

November 18, 2015

Max's Junior Art Master Birthday Party

When I was planning for my son’s 7th birthday, Max’s is one of my choices for birthday party because they have Kiddie Chef Package and I won Little Chef Party Kit too. Ok na sana but my son doesn’t want to have chef party, I already showed him the photos of Max’s birthday party but he was not interested. 

 But when he saw the chef party kit, he agreed to have little chef party but it was too late to prepare for Max’s birthday party so I told him that we will just have mini party at home with family. 

Last Saturday, we attended a Max’s Junior Art Master birthday party and it was our first time to attend a Max’s kiddie birthday party, of course it was very different from my mom’s 51st birthday in Max’s. Hehehe! 

My son enjoyed the party and parang gusto na niya ng Max’s party next birthday niya, kasi Art Club member daw siya. Well, let see matagal pa ang next birthday niya. 

Max’s has 4 Kiddie Birthday Package that you can choose from. 

 1. Super Race Package 
2. Princess Palace Package 
3. Kiddie Chef Package 
4. Junior Art Master Package
Posted by 8 comments:
Labels: , ,

November 17, 2015

Lunch at Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken and Sauce Bar

Last Saturday was the opening of S&R Nuvali so we decided to do our grocery there since we will be attending a party in Arcadia Paseo de Sta Rosa. But after wasting almost 2 hours in traffic and falling in line, we realized it is not worth to wait. Honestly, I’ve never experienced that long lines during Member’s Treat. 

So to kill our time we went to Solenad 3, it was my first time there and I was happy because it has more stores and restaurants compared to Solenad 1 and Solenad 2. It was time for lunch, my husband suggested Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken and Sauce Bar, his officemate said na masarap daw dun. 

 Actually, I was hesitant at first because we will be attending a birthday party in Max’s so chicken na naman. Pero tamad na kami maghanap pa so we tried it, we were lucky that there was available table for us kahit sa labas na lang.

 We browsed the menu, since the name of the restaurant is Peri-Peri chicken we ordered chicken. We ordered 3 Bahia which includes 1/4 peri-peri chicken + 1 side dish P180 + SC. There is soup and beverage all you can at P99 with a minimum food purchase of P250. 

I was surprised to see the chicken kasi ang liit niya and ang dami ng java rice. I find it expensive considering the serving, rice is considered as side dish and no drinks included. 

In fairness, the chicken is good, it is different from other roasted or grilled chicken that you have tasted. It is tender and flavorful. According to their website, Peri- Peri Chicken is trimmed of excess fat and marinated 24 hours using best African-Portuguese mix which is from Africa for fuller flavor, inside and out. It is spit-fired over charcoal to bring out its smoky flavor and complemented by sauces derived from Peri-Peri. 

They gave us this plate of 3 sauces, I can’t remember the name of the sauces but my husband like the middle sauce.  Peri Peri or Piri Piri refers to African bird’s eye chilis that they use for their sauces. 
Posted by 5 comments:
Labels: , , ,

November 12, 2015

Why Do Filipinos Love to have Lechon During Parties?

Lechon is indeed a popular pork dish in some parts of the world including the Philippines. The word lechon came from the Spanish word which means "roasted suckling pig". Two to six weeks old whole pig is seasoned and roasted over charcoal for several hours. Yes, it takes time to cook this pork dish but it is really worth the wait. 
Filipinos love lechon; honestly, aside from the vegetarians, I haven’t met a person who doesn’t like lechon. I personally like lechon, it was love at first taste. It is not a secret that I’m a self-confessed meat lover and diet is not my thing. If you’ve been a regular reader of this blog you already knew that I love this national dish. 

 Love at First Taste 

 Speaking of love, would you believe that my ex-boyfriend now husband used to live in La Loma Quezon City. I’m pretty sure that you know that this place is famous for lechon and they even have a yearly parade of lechon. As expected, we always eat lechon in one of lechon restaurants there.

I really missed our lechon dates because when we got married, we moved to South Luzon which is really far from Quezon City. 

 Why Do Filipinos Love to have Lechon During Parties? 

 It is not surprising that Filipinos love to have lechon in any occasions. It seems that celebrations is not complete without it. It is always present in birthdays, festivals, reunions, wedding, parties or any other occasions. 
Lechon in our wedding in Pangasinan
Being a lechon lover, of course we had lechon in our wedding and every time my husband’s has reunion in Pangasinan, I always look forward for lechon. But there is one lechon that I really like to taste; Cebu’s lechon has been in my bucket list for the longest time.

 Cebu’s Lechon

 Four years ago, I revisited Cebu to celebrate my birthday and I did not leave the place without tasting the famous lechon. One bite of lechon made me realized why Cebu’s lechon is really famous, it is true that you don’t need a sauce to enjoy this dish. 

 I have to agree with Anthony Bourdain’s statement, “Best pig ever!”. Since then I always get excited whenever my husband has a business trip in Cebu because I know that he will buy lechon for me. Yes, I don’t ask for danggit, dried mango or otap, all I want is Cebu’s lechon. You can check here the different lechon that I’ve tried in Cebu. And as of this writing, I’m just waiting for my husband’s pasalubong from Cebu. :) 

 Manong’s Lechon Cebu 

 Cebu is far so it is really sad because we can’t have it any time we want. But fret not because I just discovered last October 25, when I attended Blogaplaooza event that there is Manong’s Lechon Cebu here in the Metro. I was so happy when I saw the lechon and we immediately fell in line to sample it. 

Waah! It is really Cebu’s lechon that I really like, it was tender, juicy, flavorful and no sauce needed. We loved it! And because of that, we left Blogapalooza early to eat our lunch. #nagutombigla Sayang, sana nagdala ko ng rice, hahaha!

Oh yes, we don’t need to pay shipping charge or we don’t need to fly to Cebu just to eat Cebu’s lechon. For your Cebu lechon needs, you may contact Manong’s Lechon Cebu at (632) 475-6875, 0932-8805600, 0927-7839920. They even deliver door-to-door within Metro Manila.
Posted by 14 comments:
Labels:

November 11, 2015

Lunch at Cafe Kyoto

We stayed in The Plaza Hotel in Balanga, Bataan two weeks ago and the only restaurant in the hotel is Cafe Kyoto. A Spanish inspired building has a Japanese restaurant inside. There is Jollibee at the ground floor and there is Max’s beside the Balanga Cathedral but of course we want something new so we decided to have our lunch here. According to their website, the lunch and dinner is prepared by their Japanese Executive Chef. 

We went to the restaurant at 10:45AM but we were advised that 11AM is the opening time. So while waiting, we browsed the menu to save time. The staff went to our table at 11AM to get our order. We ordered Chicken Teriyaki Bento + Miso Soup P320, Mixed Tempura P320 and Rice P50. 



They have a big serving of bento meal, chicken teriyaki is just ok for my taste. Mixed Tempura includes shrimp, squid, fish, crab stick, okra, onion, eggplant, okra and bell pepper. I enjoyed my ebi tempura and my husband ate the rest.

The following day, we had breakfast in the same restaurant but we chose Filipino meals. :) 

 Cafe Kyoto 
3rd Flr The Plaza Hotel 
Plaza Mayor de Ciudad de Balanga, 
Balanga City, Bataan, Philippines
Posted by 6 comments:
Labels: , ,

November 10, 2015

Staycation: The Plaza Hotel in Balanga

Two weeks ago, my husband told me that he will have a business trip in Balanga, Bataan. It was just an overnight trip and he told me to check for hotel. I immediately suggested The Plaza Hotel because I’ve seen that in Deal Grocer and I like the Spanish inspired building.

The business trip was just in time for sembreak so we joined his business trip. This was the very first time that we joined his trip because most of the time, we have classes. We left before 5AM because it was our coding day and we need to be in NLEX before 7AM. I know that 2PM is the standard check-in time so on our way to Balanga, I was checking what are the possible places where we could stay while waiting for 2PM. 

We arrived past 8AM and it was really nice to see Balanga, Bataan. Though I’ve seen some pictures pero iba pa rin in person. It seems that they had urban planning in the area because the adjacent buildings are also Spanish inspired. The hotel is located in Plaza Mayor de Ciudad de Balanga, where you can see the City Hall, the 18th century Balanga Cathedral and Galleria Victoria Mall. 

We went inside the hotel, the reception and restaurant is located at 3rd floor. My husband asked if we could check-in and they allowed us. Yehey for early check-in. My husband reserved Plaza View Deluxe P4000 but they had promo that time and we got it at P2990. You have to pay P1000 for incidental deposit.

Let’s have a tour. 



The room is clean except for the shower curtain that I think they need to replace. I also notice that some stuff are missing like there is only one teaspoon in the coffee set and there is only one bathrobe in the cabinet. 

We had lunch at Cafe Kyoto, the only restaurant in the hotel. They serve Japanese food at reasonable price. Will share it in my next post. 

Since there is no playroom or swimming pool, my son and I stayed in the room while hubby was working. Yes staycation kaming mag-ina. 

The hotel is located in the heart of the city so the place is really busy, I enjoyed watching the fountain in front of the hotel. There was a program in the plaza “A Night of Saints” so you can really hear the noise inside your room. Good thing it was finished early so I was able to sleep after watching On the Wings of Love, #otwol 



The following day we ate our breakfast at Cafe Kyoto, the room rate includes two complimentary breakfast so we had additional order for my son. The breakfast price range from P145 to P299, but for Hungry’s Man Tapa P225 and Japanese Special Morning Bento P299, you have to add additional fee. We ordered Longganisa and Tocino Combo P195, Balanga’s Own Tinapa P185 and Buttered Pancake with Bacon P185. The breakfast meal include coffee and juice. 

We checked-out after breakfast.

 Like 

 1.We like the location of the hotel because it is near mall, church and city hall so it is not really hard to find. There are different restaurants around the area so you have a lot of choices. 

 2.They allowed us to check-in early. Imagine our travel from Cavite to Bataan, it was really long so at least we were able to rest. 

 3.Free wifi though there are times that the connection is slow.

 4.They do not have swimming pool but at least they have bath tub. 

 5.Service is good. 

 Dislike 

 Not really dislike but things to improve. 

 1.I think they need to replace the shower curtain. 

 2.Please make sure that all items in the room are complete before the guest check-in. 

The Plaza Hotel in Balanga 
Plaza Mayor de Ciudad de Balanga, 
Balanga City, Bataan, Philippines
Posted by 7 comments:
Labels: , , , ,

November 06, 2015

Share the delight with Chips Delight

I’ve been blogging for four years already but I don’t really go to events because I don’t have much time and the location is always Metro Manila. But last month, I was able to attend Blogapalooza event for the very first time. Thanks to my husband for being my driver and my son for accompanying me in visiting different booths. 

 Upon entering One Esplanade, I immediately notice the Chips Delight booth, who wouldn’t notice the Santa Mascot so we immediately fell in line for a photo op. Seeing Santa Claus reminds me that Christmas is fast approaching. Have you started your Christmas Gifts list? I just started mine yesterday. 

Writing a gift list is not easy, especially for those people you do not know personally like my husband’s officemates, my son’s teachers, classmates, and friends. So one of my choices is to give food gifts that they will like and appreciate. You can check my christmas gift ideas and homemade gifts ideas.  


 This coming holiday, why not share the delight with Chips Delight, #sharethedelight I’ve been buying this cookie for quite some time now. Our family loves chocolate chips so it is always on our grocery list. Chips Delight of Galinco is one of my chocolate chip brands. I buy different chocolate chips kasi madali magsawa anak ko sa baon so dapat paiba-iba din. 

 I haven’t tried the other variants but Chips Delight has different flavors and they even have cookie mixes which are perfect for lazy bakers like me. We got a sample, Chips Delight Triple Overload Chocolate Chip Cookies that I haven’t tried because my son ate it all. Glad that I was able to take pictures before he finished everything, di halata na di niya gusto. Hehehe! This one has no baon pack sizes.


 How about you, what is your favorite Chips Delight cookie? Or What are you planning to share this holiday?
Posted by 22 comments:
Labels: , , ,

November 04, 2015

Trick or Treat at Taal Vista Hotel

As I mentioned in my post, my son has no Trick or Treat event in their school. He is now in grade school so they have few activities that require costume. I searched for different places here in the South where we could join, I posted here the list of Trick or Trick events for 2015.  

We decided to join the “Li’l Monster Mansion” of Taal Vista Hotel because of the location, price and costume. My husband just called the hotel to reserve and he was advised to pay the fee on the day of the event.

 P799 for adult 
P399 for kid 
Less 10% discount if you have SM Advantage card or BDO Rewards card 

 I’ve read in their post “It’s a Halloween party that’s sure to be a fright. Come dressed in your scariest best and celebrate the night” so I decided to have a Dracula or vampire costume because I just need a vest and cape. I asked my family if they have vampire costumes and my sister-in-law replied that they have a costume so I borrowed it. Good thing that we will be going to my cousin’s wedding so I was able to get the costume, a week before the event.

 My son used his graduation attire so I just used the cape and vest of my nephew. I was happy that I did not spend anything on the costume. I did not do any make-up anymore para wholesome pa rin ang hitsura. 
Last October 31 off we went to Taal Vista Hotel, it’s been years since the last time I visited the place. Three years ago we had staycation in this hotel and I was not impressed with the service but I’m happy to say that they improved the service. The staffs were smiling and approachable na. Keep it up!

We went there early and I was surprised to see that not all are wearing scary costumes, kahit ano pala pwede. After paying the fee, they gave us these tickets. While waiting we went to the photo booth. The event is from 3 to 6PM but it did not start on time so while waiting they allowed us to eat popcorn. 


Balloon Twisting and Games
My son was raising his hand to join the game, di naman makita ng host.

They started the event with balloon twisting and games. The problem here is there were so many kids, so not all kids were able to join and not all were able to get prizes. My son was sad because he did not get anything. 

Awarding of Best in Costume

 Then a parade of costumes, I was not expecting that my son will win, at di naman kami nag-effort sa costume. 

Cherifer mascot performed too. 

 Snack Buffet

 Next was eating time, we were among those people na last nakapila because we waited for my son to go down the stage (best in costume parade). We were really hungry so I was really disappointed when we reach the buffet table, the only food there was steamed rice. 

 Akala namin hindi na kami makakain, sayang P799. We waited for 15 minutes before the refill came and it was not complete. I don’t want to wait for the fries and pizza so I just get pasta, rice and chicken. Mahaba pa din pila sa likod ko. 

In fairness, there are salad station, nachos station and dessert station. 

Puppet Show and Magic Show

 While eating, my son was busy watching the magic show and puppet show.

 Bubble Show

 Click here for video

 Last program is the bubble show, thank God that all kids had a chance to try the bubble. 

 Loot Bag

 There was a raffle but of course, sawing palad na naman kami. Hehehe! We got the loot bags and we went home. 
Adult loot bag
Things to Improve

 1. I suggest they have a crowd control staff because the host cannot manage the crowd, especially for the games. Some kids and parents were staying beside the stage so even if you want to win in ‘”Bring me games” wala ka na pag-asa na makalapit sa stage. 

 I noticed na same people lang ang nananalo kasi sila yung nasa baba ng stage. I hope they give chance to others lalo na ang daming kids. Even the host kept saying to move back, wala naman nangyayari. 

 2. We got three loot bags, 2 adults and 1 kid and hindi pare-pareho ng laman. Hehehe! Yung isang bag may juice, yung isang bag may banana peel clip and yung isang bag snacks lang talaga.
Kid loot bag

3. For the food, it was so disappointing na buffet siya pero wala ka naman makuha. Ang haba ng pinila mo, you gave the food stub pero wala naman pala food. Nagpareserve naman kami, siguro naman they have the estimate kung ilang prepare nila food. 

 This was the first time that we attended a Trick or Treat in a hotel so I’m not sure if this is the usual scenario. I asked my son if he enjoyed the event and he said yes. Though there are things that need to improve, it was still a different trick-or-treat experience for my son. I'm sure it will be a memorable trick or treat for him. Next on my list is the Easter Sunday event.

 Related Post
Staycation at Taal Vista Hotel
Christmas at Taal Vista Hotel
Posted by 14 comments:
Labels: , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
Klook.com