Michi Photostory

Boracay is a very popular tourist destination in the Philippines and it is always included in one of the best islands in the world. So there is no doubt that Filipinos and foreigners always visit this place. I’ve been meaning to visit Boracay for the longest time but I had a hard time booking a trip because I couldn’t score a seat sale.


Caticlan and Kalibo flights are very in demand during seat sales, good thing that I was able to book a promo flight via Zestair. As far as I can remember I only paid less than P2,500 for our roundtrip ticket (3 pax).

It’s been six years already since we went there and I hope we can revisit the island because our 3-day stay was not enough. We only had one whole day to enjoy Boracay island because day 1 and day 2 were our travel time from Manila to Boracay and vice versa.

Day 1 

From Kalibo Airport, it took us more or less three hours to reach Boracay white beach. We rode Southwest bus on our way to Caticlan, from jetty port we rode a boat to Boracay Island and a tricycle going to white beach.


How to Get to Caticlan: 

Our trip was in February 2011 so I'm pretty sure there is a big increase in the rate below. You can reach Boracay via Caticlan or Kalibo flight.

Caticlan Airport: you can walk or hire a tricycle to get to jetty port.
Kalibo Airport: you can either take a van or bus to get to jetty port.

Van rate: P200 Bus (Southwest or Island Star Express): P250
Jetty Port Boat pass: P30
Environmental fee: P75
Jetty Port Terminal Fee: P50

Going to white beach, you can hire a tricycle for P20/each or P100 special trip.

We stayed in Island Nook, it is located in Station 2 and near the highway so it is still a long walk to the beach. It offers modern basic accommodation with private CR. They have a restaurant too so just in case you're hungry, you don’t need to go far.

After our tiring travel to Boracay Island, we decided to stay in our room after check-in. We just went out to the beach for our dinner.

Day 2 

There are so many things that you can do in Boracay and most people say that 3 days are not enough to enjoy the beach but we only have 3 days and 2 nights to enjoy Boracay. And because of our limited time, we just enjoy the beach.

Enjoy the sun + sand + beach till sunset 







Visit D’Mall for pasalubong and souvenirs.

Mt. Luho Viewpoint

We have a son in tow so we could not do any water activities. We just visited Mt. Luho Viewpoint. Mt Luho Viewpoint is the tallest peak in Boracay so you can see the 360 view of the island.


After eating our lunch, we decided to go to Mt Luho via tricycle; the rate is P300 back and forth. I know that you can still haggle for the price but we forgot to do it. If you are an adventurous type, you can choose to go there via ATV or Buggy Car. The price may vary depending on the season. P400 for ATV and 800 for Buggy Car, it is for a 1-hour ride.

Mt. Luho entrance fee: P50 

On our way back to the white beach, we passed by Bulabog beach.

Food Trip in Boracay

There are so many restaurants in Boracay, it range from cheap to expensive ones so it would not be hard for you to choose from. I have read so many blogs and forums about the must-try food and drinks in Boracay and here are some of the foods and drinks that we have tried during our stay.

Island Kebab 

We have stayed in Island Nook so we were able to try almost everything on their menu. The price is affordable and the taste is also good. But I did not like the taste of their Kebab. We have tried their Bangsilog, Trondzilog, Tocilog, French toast, Kebab, and Kevins’ Bacon. Bambooze Buffet The tastes of the food and ice tea are all good. P240 buffet dinner/ pax Free bottomless iced tea 50% discount (children under 10)

Jonah’s Fruit Shake and Snack Bar 

They say that this is the best milkshake on the island but I did not enjoy their shake considering the price of P90 + 10% service charge. The taste is good but I did not find anything special about it. We have tried banana choco peanut and tropical shake. We did not like the banana choco peanut shake but they said that it is their best seller. I have tried other shakes in other stores for P50 which I like more.

Crazy Crepes 

I like crepes and I love crazy crepes. The price is P125 above, additional P25 if you want a scoop of ice cream.

Pancake House 

Dinner at Pancake House and we were so disappointed with the food and service. Ang tigas ng kanin.

Andok’s 

Bought some food before we left for our baon (lunch at the airport).

Day 3 

We availed the one-way transfer of Island Nook so the van picked us up at the hotel. The travel is still the same, the only difference is may nag-aasikaso ng ticket namin. We were so early at the airport only to find out that our flight was canceled. Nasa South Korea pa daw ang plane namin. Waah! We stayed for almost half a day in the airport, it is one of the moments that I don’t want to experience especially when you have a toddler in tow.

Now I know, why people keep coming back to Boracay, the beach is really beautiful. You can’t help but really fall in love with the place, very fine white sand and sky blue water. My 3-day stay is not really enough to enjoy the place. But I know that this will not be the last time, I will be back, hopefully soon.

Hubby revisited Boracay during their company team building and experienced island hopping during his trip. And of course, I asked him to buy the famous calamansi cupcake at Real Coffee and Tea Cafe in Boracay.

I love nothing more than taking photos of my travels, not only do they provide wonderful memories for me to look at later on down the years, but it also gives me a chance to snap some of the finest landscapes around the globe. Whenever possible I like to combine my 3 loves into one, fishing, traveling, and photography, and each year I try to organize a trip for me and my friends to head off on a vacation where we can fish to our heart’s content, and of course, take photos whilst doing so.

Organizing a fishing trip can be a little testing and if you want to put a tour together for you and your fishing friends then here are some tips on doing so.


Go Professional 

When it comes to actually heading out on the water to your chosen destination then I would absolutely recommend hiring a tour company to help you out. We went to Miami last year and without using one of the Miami fishing charters group options then we would never have been able to get to the best fishing spots. It was the first time that I have used a charter for the group and I will be doing so again this year, why bother trying to find the best places to fish when there are companies out there who have fished there all their lives, pay the money and go with the pros. 

Get The Money 

First When people commit to joining your fishing expedition it is vital that you get the money from them before you book up. A couple of years ago I made a group booking on my credit card and trusted that everyone who said that they wanted to go, would do so. Come the eleventh hour and 3 people dropped out before they had paid, this left me with the unenviable task of trying to find others to fill the space or risk losing a great deal of money. I was lucky enough to find a few more people who can take the spots but ever since then I have learned to get the money from people before going. 

Book and Plan, Nothing More 

If you are organizing a fishing trip for a group then don’t take on every ounce of the responsibility, I have learned over the years that you should simply find the destination, book the fishing tours, flights and hotels and then let everyone fend for themselves. Too many times when abroad people would be asking me what was on the agenda for the next day or what restaurant we would be eating at. You are the planner of the main events and nothing more, make this clear to the group and once you are on tour, their free time is exactly that, theirs. 

These are just a few things that I’ve learned throughout my time planning group fishing trips, I thoroughly enjoy doing it but there are certainly a few areas that you need to watch out for to ensure it is all smooth sailing, no pun intended.

This is a guest post, you can read my personal fishing adventure here: Fishing Adventure in Norway 

We started our year in Sagada but after that trip, I noticed that we don’t have weekend getaway anymore. Most of the time we just stay at home since my husband is back to work. Our weekend bonding now is always errands, yes, paying bills and groceries. I’m not complaining but I’m looking forward to summer break so at least we could have a vacation. 



Before January ends, we went to Furniture Source Philippines to buy Kallax cabinet and then we dropped by at Wilcon and Alabang Town Center. We had lunch at Pepper Lunch, we ordered Big Ribeye Steak P660, Beef Pepper Rice P295, Miso Soup, Ice cream and drinks. 


 

I was a little bit disappointed because I ordered Big Ribeye Steak P660 and when they served the order, I was looking for the mashed potato and we were advised that they replaced the mashed potato with monggo sprouts because they don’t have mashed potato. They should inform us that there is no mashed potato, because that is the reason why I ordered Big Ribeye Steak. If it is not available, I will just order Pepper Steak.



And I’m not happy with my meat, it doesn’t look fresh. Look at the color, brown na ang kulay. Ang layo sa dati namin order. My husband ordered Miso Soup but it was not hot. This time, we’re not satisfied with our order. 

Read: Lunch at Pepper Lunch
Dinner at Pepper Lunch  

After lunch, we saw Dino Play at Alabang Town Center. We just took pictures outside and we did not let my son play. As usual, namamahalan ako sa ticket, hehehe! 


Have you visited Dino Play? Let me know if it is worth it.

If you’re a regular of this blog, you know for sure that my husband is not fond of taking pictures so even he’s always out of town or out of the country, there are no souvenir pictures. But after his Myanmar trip, I told him to take pictures of his trip so I can share it on my blog and at least I can have a glimpse of those countries. And he did, so now I have something to share on this blog even I’m not traveling. 


Anyway, two weeks ago my husband went to Indonesia. He usually stays at Hotel Mulia, which he considered one of the best hotels that he stayed so far in Asia. But during his last trip, he stayed at Shangri-la Hotel because this is nearer to his office but because of traffic, mas matagal pa naging biyahe niya compared to Hotel Mulia. 

This is the well-lighted room. 




Toiletries are the same, nothing special. But the bathroom has a bathtub. 



When my husband was sending me the photos, I really remembered our staycation in EDSA Shangri-la because of the room, restaurant, and pool. They look the same. 



They even have a wet play area which is a big advantage if you have kids. I’m not sure if they also have Cubs training. 



Read: Birthday Staycation at EDSA Shangri-la







The room package includes a buffet breakfast at SATOO. The restaurant has 12 open kitchen stations that serve Asian and International cuisines. Since traffic is so bad in Jakarta, my husband just ate a la carte dinner at SATOO too.






As always, the service is good. The only thing that we did not like is we need to make a follow-up pa for the floating charge. Upon check-in, you need to make a downpayment (Number of days x 2) so my husband paid 4 nights x 2. He was advised that it would be canceled after 7 Days. But two weeks had passed and I can still see the floating charge and it is eating up our credit card limit. Good thing that 2 days after our follow-up, it was canceled. 

You can also use your Golden Circle Membership to earn GC points or an Airline Loyalty Card to earn miles. My husband chose the miles and it will be reflected after 4 weeks. I told my husband, next time just choose GC points since we can exchange them for room awards, upgrade awards, food, or even spa vouchers. If we want miles, we can also convert the GC points to miles. 

When we followed up on the 500 Miles, we were advised that they already credited it (February 10), it takes time to credit the miles so I think it is better to use the Golden Circle Membership. 

Shangri-la Hotel Jakarta 
Kota BNI JL. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 
1, Jakarta, 10220, Indonesia

If you are working, most of the companies offer Annual Physical Check-up for free. We all know that APE is not cheap so this is a nice employee’s benefit that you can take advantage because you can monitor your health. I stopped having this when I resigned from my work. 

Anyway, since my husband is an employee, he has yearly check-up. In the year 2014, he learned that he has gallstones. The hospital staff said “Sir, lumiit po yung gallstones niyo”. My husband was surprised because he didn’t know that he has gallstones. The staff said, yes po sir, last year po ito yung result.

Imagine, year 2013 pa pala yung gallstones and hindi niya alam. So we checked his past health records and we saw the cholelithiasis. Malay ba naman namin na cholelithiasis = gallstones. Sometimes, it really pays to read and research your test result, hindi yung feeling ok kasi wala ka nararamdaman. 

Cholelithiasis is the medical term for gallstone disease. Your gallbladder may have one or more gallstones inside. My husband has gallstones since 2013 which he didn’t know because he is not reading his test result. (skim and scan lang siguro) There are no signs or symptoms so we are just thankful that he has annual physical check-up so nalaman namin. 

His cholelithiasis is called silent or asymptomatic gallstones. It is very common but since there are no symptoms, people have no idea that they have it. My husband has silent stones and since he doesn’t feel anything, he did not mind it. Sino ba naman ang gusto maoperahan?

But in the year 2015, after his APE, the doctor advised him to undergo Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy. Don’t wait for any symptoms before considering the surgery at baka magkacomplications pa. Maybe because of the nature of my husband’s job, he is always out of the country and his gallstone is so big too, more or less 2 inches in size. 

According to medscape.com, here are the patients that need cholecystectomy.

Who Needs Cholecystectomy? 

1. Patients with diabetes mellitus.
2. Patients who have a solitary large gallstone. 
3. Patients who are going to be living or traveling for a long period of time in a location that is far from the basic medical care. 



So after few months, my husband finally decided to undergo Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy at St Lukes BGC. We went to the hospital last February 4, my husband underwent surgery on February 5, and we went home February 6. He was back to work on February 9, 2016. The doctor did not give him any sick leave, good thing that February 8 was holiday so at least nakapahings pa siya. (CNY)

I was so nervous that time because I was informed that it will only take 2 hours but more than 4 hours na sa operating room husband ko, so imagine my stress. I’ve kept on calling kung nakalabas na ba sa OR asawa ko. When the doctor visited my husband, we learned na natagalan lang kasi hindi mailabas yung stone. As I mentioned before, malaki yung gallstones niya and hindi mailusot sa pusod. 



Well, I don’t know how they did it but one big gallstone turned into several pieces. Do you have gallstones? 

Read: St Lukes BGC Experience 
St Lukes BGC restaurant 

Being a stay at home mom without a helper is not easy because you have no choice but to do household chores. I won’t deny that there are chores that I don’t enjoy doing like cleaning the bathroom and ironing clothes. But if there is one thing that I like to do is decluttering.

I mentioned before that I like to practice minimalist living so every month, I declutter one closet. I always weed out our closets and remove those stuff that we no longer need, I try to sort them into three, “to keep”, “to give away” and “to reuse”.

We always give our stuff to our relatives, those who are willing to accept hand me down clothes and stuff. A few years ago, we donated my husband’s clothes in Tahanan ni Maria, it is a home for the aged near our place. I didn’t donate my clothes because I’m not sure if grandmothers will wear my clothes. Sometimes, we just put clothes in a clean plastic bag and give it away to the trash collector. Those clothes that have holes or stains, I upcycle it so I seldom buy a rug.


“One man's trash is another man's treasure” 

Giving away is much easier than selling but sometimes, we sell preloved clothes and stuff online. A little amount that we earn from old stuff is still an extra income.

This year, my goal is to declutter and organize our home. We have so many stuff but few storages. One of our projects at home is to build or buy cabinets and shelves. A few years ago, we hire a carpenter to build a cabinet and it took him more than a week just to finish one cabinet. Waah!

After that project, we’re contemplating whether to hire a carpenter or just buy ready made cabinets and shelves. I’ve been meaning to buy Kallax cabinets for my son’s room but I just don’t know if I can bring it to the Philippines without paying any tax. If may tax din, di rin nakatipid so during my past two visits in IKEA, hanggang tingin na lang ko.


Since I am determined to declutter our home, I asked my husband if we can buy Kallax at Furniture Source Philippines. They have ongoing New Year Sale so we took advantage of it. We went to their store last week and ordered the 2x4 and 2x2 Kallax Cabinet. I thought we can already bring it home but I was wrong, all stocks are in their warehouse so it is either we pick it up or pay for delivery. Showroom lang pala siya.

We chose pick-up. When my husband went there, he was advised that the 2x2 pink Kallax Cabinet is no longer available. They can deliver the 2x2 white Kallax cabinet for free or they will refund the money. I told my husband to choose refund because 2x2 white Kallax is not included in their sale items and I don’t want to pay for the excess. He can buy the Kallax Cabinet in his next business trip naman.

Read: Buying Furniture at Furniture Source Philippines: Yay or Nay?


My husband assembled it and I was so glad that I was able to use our black Drona Boxes. If you remember, I asked my husband to buy these black boxes when he went to Thailand. So after 8 months, nagamit ko na rin. My decluttering is not yet over but hopefully in the near future, mabawasan na rin ng kalat sa house.


Furniture Source Philippines
38 Granada St. Villa IOrtigas II
Brgy. Valencia, Quezon City

Five years ago, we were able to visit Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. It was my long-time dream to visit Ilocos but it was so far. At that time, my husband doesn’t like long driving and he said if I wanted to visit Ilocos mag-eroplano daw kami. So when I saw the P12 seat sale of Cebu Pacific, I immediately bought tickets.

To make our life easier, I rented a van for this trip. At first, I was not sure if we can tour Laoag, Vigan, and Pagudpud in three days but surprisingly, we were able to do Laoag, Vigan and Pagudpud in two days though it is like an amazing race trip. We had three kids in tow but no one complained. 



Sharing with you our 4 Days Trip in Vigan, Laoag and Pagudgpud with Kids 

Day 1: Off to Laoag

We stayed in UKL Ever Hotel for three nights, its a small hotel which is near in the market and walking distance to some tourist spots. They fetched us at the airport for free. Since we had an evening flight, we just slept after check-in. 

Day 2: Laoag and Vigan Tour 

Laoag 

We started our tour as early as 7:30AM; we visited La Paz Sand Dunes, Fort Ilocandia Resort and Casino, Malacanang Ti Amianan, Marcos Mauseleum,  Batac Photo Gallery, St Augustine Church (Paoay Church), and Juan Luna Shrine.



Vigan  

We ate lunch at Cafe Uno in Vigan. After our hearty lunch we went to Pagburnayan Jar Making, Crisologo Museum, Syquia Mansion, Vigan Loam Weaving, Baluarte, Bantay Church and Bell Tower and Calle Crisologo.  


Baluarte is the only zoo that we have visited that has no entrance fee. So if you have kids, don’t forget to include this in your itinerary. 

Day 3: Laoag and Pagudpud Tour

Laoag to Pagudpud

We started our tour at 8AM, we went to Sinking Bell Tower, Marcos Museum, Salt Making House, Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, Kapurpurawan Rock Formation and Bangui Windmill. 


We enjoyed our stay in Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, Kapurpurwan Rock Formation, and Bangui Windmill. 

Pagudpud 

Of course, we will not miss the opportunity to see the Patapat Viaduct. 


We just took a photo at Agua Grande then we went to the Blue Lagoon. You will see these tourist spots on your way to the beach, Timmangtang Rock, Bantay Abot Cave and Dos Hermanos Island. We did not stay long in Pagudpud beach because it would take more or less 2 hours to get back to our hotel. 

Day 4: Laoag Walking Tour

On our fourth day, we bought pasalubong in the market then we started our walking tour. We visited the tourist spots near UKL Ever Hotel while waiting for our flight. St. William Cathedral, Tobacco Monopoly Monument and Provincial Capitol. We ate lunch at La Preciosa then we rode tricycle to Museo Ilocos Norte.  

Do not leave Ilocos without buying their famous pasalubong such as chichacorn, longganisa ilocos, bagnet, shirt, salt, garlic, onion, bangui windmill magnet, keychain, and display.  

We enjoyed our Vigan, Laoag and Pagupud trip even though we experienced some mishaps after the trip.  

Read: Food Trip in Laoag-Vigan

P.S. Regarding the rented van, check the details below. 

Contact Glenn

Read my updated post here. How to Track Parcel in PHLPost

Thailand is the first country that I had a chance to visit but I have never set foot in because I have no idea about transit visa. I was still in high school during my first out of the country trip so my siblings and I just stayed at Bangkok airport for 11 hours. That was long hours of waiting, imagine di pa uso wifi nun. Hehehe! Moving on, I hope I can still visit Thailand. 

Read: 6 Days in Bangkok with Kids

Two weeks ago my husband went to Thailand, he usually stays at Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit but during his trip, the hotel was fully booked because of the conference. He was booked in Westin Grande Sukhumvit which is a sister company of Sheraton Grande. 

The hotel is also located on Sukhumvit road, which is a good location because it is just a few steps away from the shopping malls, BTS Skytrain and MRT Subway. Traveling to the hotel is not a problem because there are so many options, yes, maraming pwede daanan if ever traffic. 



This is the room. 









The room, facilities, and amenities are good, I think the only difference is the swimming pool. My husband prefers their swimming pool compared to Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit. The breakfast buffet has few options if you will compare it to Sheraton. 





The service is also good. Since 12NN is the standard check-out time, my husband always check-out after his breakfast before going to work then straight to the airport. But at Westin, they advised my husband that he could check-out at 2PM for FREE. So my husband did not bring his luggage to his morning meeting anymore and he was able to rest for few hours before he went back to the Philippines. 

He had a problem with his baggage and the airline said that they could no longer repair it before his flight. He can’t go back to the Philippines with damaged baggage so he asked the hotel staff if they have sewing kit so he can repair his luggage which they gladly provided.

Read: How to Deal with Damaged Luggage

Westin Grande Sukhumvit 
259 Sukhumvit Road, 
Bangkok, 10110, Thailand