Michi Photostory

I hate to admit but I’m starting to get addicted to Korean Beauty products. I kept on checking and browsing Althea Korea site, parang lahat gusto ko i-try. This was the first time that I ordered several times in one online shop in a span of two months. Yes, I ordered four boxes last year, ever since I registered last September 2017. Nakakaubos ng budget! Waah!

Read: My First Shopping Experience at Althea Korea

I just received my fifth box yesterday or should I say my first Althea Korea order this year. But before that, let me share my new skincare haul from South Korea. This was my third box and fourth box, but I will review the Lazy Sunday Box in a separate post. I’ve been replacing my kikay kit with more K-Beauty products, so slowly, I’m adding new products.


Sharing what I ordered last year.


2 Boomdeahdah Facial Mask Aloe Moisture - Aloe vera leaf extract rich in moisture fills the skin with moisture to keep it moisturized and soft. The scent is just okay, a little bit sticky on the face.
2 Boomdeahdah Facial Mask Green Tea Moisture - contained green tea extract and herbal complex that moisturizes and vitalizes your exhausted skin from stress and other external environments. It makes your skin smooth too. The scent is just okay.
50 Boomdeaddah Facial Mask Aloe, Green Tea, Pomegranate, Berry and Honey. 
Rire Luxe Slim Eyebrow (grey brown) 
Boomdeadah Rose Body Lotion 

When the delivery guy delivered my fourth box, he immediately asked me.

DG: Ma’m ano ba laman nitong box. Ang bigat e. 

I just smiled. It weighed 2.5 kg so mabigat talaga siya. And what's inside the box? 50 pcs of facial masks and Body Lotion. Hehehe! I know, I only have one face but I ordered a lot because this was my gift to my son’s teachers. Actually, naintriga din ang mga teachers. Some of my son’s teachers asked him kung ano laman kasi it is soft but heavy. Well, I hope they enjoyed the facial masks during their Christmas break.


I’ve already tried all the 8 variants of Boomdeahdah Facial Mask and it makes my skin soft and smooth. I’m happy that there is no side effect and it is affordable. My personal favorite variants are Lemon, Honey, Rice, and Olive. Check the other variants that I've tried in this post Althea Korea Haul. 

Boomdeahdah Rose Body Lotion 

To be honest, I’m not fond of scented lotion lalo na yung mga flower scent but I bought Boomdeahdah Rose Body Lotion because it is affordable, P230 lang for 500ml. Boomdeahdah Rose Body Lotion contains Rosa Damascena Flower Extract which makes the skin texture smooth by providing rich nutrition.

I like the lotion because it is not sticky or greasy. It is easily absorbed by the skin. Yes, it is fragrant! The scent is really strong so if you are not fond of strong scent, you won't like this. Sa sobrang strong ng scent niya, tumatagal. One evening, my husband asked me “Bakit ang bango mo pa rin, gabi na”. I laughed and I told him na may bago ko lotion. Hahaha!

Rire Luxe Slim Eyebrow 

I’m blessed with thick eyebrows so I don’t need to put any eyebrow make-up anymore. But I still bought the Rire Luze Slim Eyebrow because of the 1.5mm thin brush and built-in screw brush. Though I have thick eyebrows, magulo naman so gusto ko suklayin. Hehehe! I like this slim eyebrow because it is so easy to apply but I know that I need more practice. I got this at P140 from P831, 83% discount.

How to Use 

1. Brush along your eyebrows using the built-in screw brush.
2. Have an overall sketch of the eyebrows and fill them up along the eyebrows.
3. Brush carefully with the screw brush so that your drawn eyebrows and actual eyebrows naturally blend well.

Read: Althea Korea Head to Toe Box Review 

I’m such a planner person so before 2017 ends, I’m already planning for 2018. I’m listing the goals that we want to achieve for the coming year. But no matter how you plan, there are things that you cannot really control. Two weeks before Christmas, we received a not-so-good news and we did not see it coming. Matatapos na lang ang taon and magholiday, tapos may humabol pa. 

And because of that, our world suddenly stops because we have no idea what will happen next. My dreams and goals this 2018 were shattered and to be honest, I started to worry. Until now, I still don’t know what will happen this 2018 and I know worrying won’t help me so I just put my faith and trust in God. I want to hold on to His promise, “I know what I’m doing, I have it all planned out. Plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for”. Jeremiah 29;11.

I want to stop thinking and worrying about what could go wrong and start being excited about what could go right. I’m thinking positive na lang, maybe the best is yet to come. Well, life is really like a rollercoaster ride, there is a high and there is a low so we just need to enjoy the ride. Even though there were challenges this 2017, it was still a good year for our family. 

“Whatever happened over this past year, BE THANKFUL for where it brought you. Where you are, is where you’re meant to be.” 

2017 is a year of achievement for us, there are so many things that I finally crossed out on my list such as… 

1. We finished some home projects and we replaced old appliances and furniture. 
2. We went to Europe and my two boys experienced snow for the very first time. 
3. I started my fitness journey. Oh yes! Believe it or not!
4. I attended WAHM seminar because I’m planning to be a work-at-home mom this year. 
5. My son and I got insurance, and we availed Sunlife Maxiprime. 
6. I started to invest in my blog. Aside from my blog domain, I spent on my blog themes and social media templates. Well, there are so many things that I need to improve on this blog so just wait and see this 2018.
 7. Finally, after two years na hindi pag-aasikaso, I now have PWD ID.

Read: How to Apply PWD ID in the Philippines

So let me reflect on my 2017… 

January

We started our New Year in Sagada, it was a long day because it took us almost 12 hours on the road, from North to South. January is also the time when I began preparing for our Norway trip, I checked and collected all the papers that we needed for our Schengen Visa. We started our year decluttering so we bought new furniture to organize my stuff.

February 

February is our anniversary month but there is no grand celebration because my husband went to Austin, Texas for two weeks and he went back the night before our wedding anniversary. We had lunch at Melo’s, it was a simple celebration but at least we had a happy tummy. During this month, we applied for Schengen Visa and we were glad because it was visa-approved so we bought our plane ticket two days later. 

March 

We got FREE egift credits worth P10,000 from Citibank so we redeemed it immediately. There is a due date on when to redeem it and when I checked the dates, nakabakasyon na kami so we went to Southmall to shop, eat and watch movie for FREE.  

April


My mom was back in the Philippines for a vacation so we spent one weekend in Zambales. We enjoyed our overnight stay at Macampao Beach and Leisure Farm. We attended my son’s Recognition Day and got the school card. We went to Caleruega the day before our flight. And lastly, our much-awaited trip, we went Norway for our summer vacation. 

May 


We’re still enjoying our vacation in Norway but it was the longest time that we were away from my husband. We ended our vacation with a blast because we went to Iceland. Honestly, it was an unplanned trip, I had no idea that we would go to Iceland during our vacation in Norway. 

June 

We’re back in the Philippines and I was fighting jet lag and at the same time, preparing for my son’s school. We watched Wonderwoman, revisited Abe’s Farm, and my two boys attended Manila Mini Maker Faire. We celebrated Father’s Day at Texas Roadhouse and Mind Museum. 

July 

We revisited Enchanted Kingdom and we started our new home project.  

August 

August is quite busy because of our fourth home project, my father-in-law went home from USA, and of course, it is my birthday month. I celebrated my birthday at Discovery Suites in Ortigas and we had a quick stay at Hop Inn Hotel in Makati.  

September

This is the month that we started investing in life insurance + investment. I will share that on a separate post. I discovered Althea Korea and I’m starting to get addicted, as of this writing I already ordered 5 times.  

October


We celebrated my son’s birthday at Makati Shangri-la Hotel. I started buying Christmas gifts and I’m planning to do it again next holiday season to avoid stress. My son went back to ophtha so new eyeglasses again. 

November 


We had a day trip at Masamirey Cove in Sual Pangasinan. I attended “Introduction to The Basic of Freelancing” seminar so at least I have an idea of how to start working at home. I still have a lot of things to do and learn and I hope I can finish everything this first quarter of 2018. 

December 

Another busy month because we had a lot of get-togethers and Christmas parties. It was also my son’s first communion. We had a quick trip at National Shrine of Padre Pio too. You can check here our Holiday 2017 activities. After two years, I went back to ophtha and I had to change eyeglasses again. 

Read: Highlights of 2016

"I don't know the future, but I know who holds it" - Ralph Abernathy

“It’s been said that everlasting friends go long periods of time without speaking and never question the friendship. These friends pick up like they just spoke yesterday regardless of how long it has been or how far away they live and they don’t hold grudges. They understand life is busy and love is there”.

 After graduation, I always have get together with my college friends to celebrate birthdays, special events or we just want to hang-out because we have so many stories to share. There are times that we also travel within or outside the Philippines. But things change when we got married and have our own family. I moved to the Southern Luzon and I resigned from my work in Makati so I have no time to meet with my friends in Metro Manila. 


We seldom meet because of our busy schedule but last month, I planned our get-together. To be fair, we always choose Mandaluyong area para gitna, because I live in the South and some of my friends live in Bulacan. Two years ago, we ate at Sambokojin so for a change I checked the different buffet restaurants in SM Megamall and I suggested Tong Yang Shabu-Shabu and BBQ Restaurant. I’ve never tried this resto pa because there is no branch near our place. 

Two weeks before our get-together, my husband has been calling Tong Yang to reserve a table but no one is answering. For two consecutive days and different times, wala sumasagot. So after few days, one of my friends went to Tong Yang Megamall to reserve a table and he was informed that there is no reservation, “First come- First serve”.


Fast forward to our get together, I was in SM Megamall before the mall opening time so I can reserve a table. By the time I arrived at the restaurant, one of my friends was already there but he said, wala pa kumukuha ng reservation. Tong Yang staff only went out at 11AM to get the reservation. Make sure you know kung pang-ilan ka kasi medyo magulo at wala naman number. Be aware na lang sa mga dumadating so you will know kung mas nauna ka, hehehe! Good thing pangfirst yung friend ko na dumating sa restaurant. 


When the staff called my friend, she asked kung complete na kami but we said no, she informed us na once na pumasok kami, counted na yung 3 hours. We agreed because we were all hungry. Hehehe! So just like Hogs & Cattle Steakhouse, may 3 hours limit lang din sila sa buffet.  


Tong Yang means winter sun in the Chinese language. It is the longest night and the shortest day period in a year. They offer Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Filipino foods from appetizers to desserts. The buffet rate includes unlimited food and drink. I noticed that the restaurant was not big compared to other buffet restaurants and the food selection was not that grand too. But one thing I like about Tong Yang is you can enjoy both hotpot and grilled foods. 


There are enough grilling plates and hotpot stoves on each table so cooking is not a problem. Upon seated, the staff asked us for our soup base. You choose from chicken, sinigang and satay soup. You can choose two soup based, we chose sinigang and satay soup pero walang asim yung sinigang. I remember my friend, she put a lot of calamansi juice in her sinigang soup para magkalasa. 

Here are some of the photos or check my video here. 


I hope there will be Tong Yang branch in the South na because even the food selection is not that grand, we enjoyed our shabu-shabu and barbeque experience. Service is just okay, I just hope that their staffs are approachable and mas okay kung nakangiti sila. hehehe! We left at 2PM, sinulit talaga namin ang 3 hours. “Time spent with friends is never wasted.” 

Tong Yang SM Megamall Buffet Rates

P545 net - Shabu-Shabu & Grill 
Lunch Buffet Monday to Friday 11AM to 2:30PM

P575 Net - Shabu-Shabu only 
P645 Net - Shabu-Shabu & Grill 
Dinner Buffet 5:30PM to 10PM
Lunch Buffet Saturday, Sunday & Holidays 11AM to 2:30PM 

Tax included. No service charge. 
Dinner rate applies for Lunch Buffet on Holidays. 

Half Price -Children 4.5ft below 
P200 - Children 3ft below 

Tong Yang Shabu-Shabu and BBQ Restaurant 
Level 4, Mega Atrium 
EDSA Mandaluyong City

Tong Yang Shabu Shabu and BBQ Restaurant Branches

SM Megamall
Jupiter Makati
Centris Walk
Greenhills
Robinsons Place Mania
SM Fairview
SM General Santos

We did not have any vacation or travel plans last Christmas break because we have a lot of errands to finish. But my grandmother-in-law spent her holiday in my mother-in-law’s house so pinasyal siya ni hubby. After Christmas, off we went to Sto. Tomas Batangas to revisit National Shrine of Padre Pio.



We’ve been here last year so we were really surprised of the big improvement. Sementado na ang parking area and they even have designated parking for PWD. Upon arrival, my husband dropped us off near the shrine. After few minutes, the guard saw us and he said, “Sir, pwede po kayo magpark sa loob, may sinilip po kasi ko kaya di ko kayo napansin”. He noticed na may nakawheel chair kami na kasama so don’t forget na may special parking for PWD. Good thing, hindi pa nakakaalis si hubby or else, malayo ang lalakarin niya pabalik sa shrine. 



The National Shrine of Padre Pio was established so people will have a place for evangelization and catechism. Thanks to Ernesto and Adelaida Gonzaga for donating 1.6 hectare land and Dr. Isabel Malvar-Villegas for donating 200sq m of land.  




The structures in the shrine are all nature and eco-friendly and it was designed to fit our culture and tropical climate. You can see stone, wood, bamboo and sasa. It was conceptualized by Rev. Fr. Jojo Gonda and according to him, the salakot-shaped roof of the church serves as a reminder to people that God protects his people from evil and harm and it protects farmers and fishermen from the rain and heat of the sun. 



We arrived before 8AM and the mass starts at 10AM so it was a long wait. We were not able to tour the whole place because of the rainshowers. You can check my video here.  




They also sell massage oils, cream and other souvenirs.

Rose & Grace 

After mass, we went straight to Rose & Grace Sto. Tomas Batangas branch. It is easy to find the restaurant because it is located along the hi-way. We’re a frequent diner of Rose & Grace in Sta. Rosa Laguna branch, you can check our experience here and here. But it was our first time in Batangas branch.

This restaurant is much bigger compared to the Laguna branch and they have bigger parking space too but there are so many diners so securing a parking slot is not easy. Good thing we were able to park immediately. 



My husband ordered Bulalo, 2 order of Tulingan na isda, Grilled Liempo, Lumpiang Shanghai and Rice. For a group of seven, we paid more or less P1400. If you check the photos, nabawasan na ng ulam, gutom na kasi mga kasama ko. Hehehe!

Since 2012, we’ve been going to Tagaytay every Christmas day for church service. At first, we just want to feel the cold weather of Tagaytay but it became part of our Christmas tradition. For the first two years, we just simply attended the morning service and went home to eat our Noche Buena leftover because we wanted to avoid the traffic. 


It was the year 2014 when we started to eat breakfast in Tagaytay after the mass, for a change para naman hindi leftover ang food namin sa Pasko. Hehehe! So for the past few years, we ate at 

2014 Breakfast at Antonio’s
2015 Cafe Veranda at Taal Vista Hotel
2016 Restaurant Verbena at Discovery Country Suites

The night before Christmas, we were searching for different restaurants in Tagaytay which is open as early as 8AM. We chose two restaurants but when I was reading online reviews, medyo hindi maganda review nung isa so we chose the restaurant near Crosswinds. 

After mass, off we went to the restaurant but on our way to Crosswinds, my husband changed his mind. We went straight to Restaurant Verbena of Discovery Country Suites for our breakfast meal. My son even said, “Mommy, we’re going to eat here again”. Natawa na lang ko sa again niya, parang Jollibee kung maka-again, e second-time pa lang namin. Hehehe! 

Read: Staycation at Discovery Suites Hotel

We had a good experience last year so we went back. We liked the food, service, and ambiance of this restaurant. I think is a sign of aging, when tend to look for a quiet place away from the crowd. We want good food at a reasonable price. 

When we got there, there was only one table occupied so we were able to choose a table with a view. The staff immediately gave us the menu and we ordered Verbena Breakfast Steak, Country Corned Beef, and Baby Pancake which is similar to the Cottage Breakfast that we ordered last year. 

All breakfast meals include a buffet of bread, cereals, fruits, fresh fruit juice, and a choice of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate for P495 + SC. I forgot the rate for the kid's meal. We liked their hot chocolate because it is not instant chocolate. 

We ate bread while waiting for our main course. 


My husband ordered Verbena Breakfast Steak, I liked this too but since I tried it last time iba na lang. The meal includes seared US beef on top of onions and pepper, served with egg and roasted potatoes. 


I ordered Country Corned Beef, homemade corned beef with scrambled egg, and garlic rice. I learned something new about this dish, I will add big green chili pepper on my corned beef next time, it adds a little kick. 



My son's Baby Pancakes Meal, it has 2 small fluffy pancakes with scrambled egg, country sausage, and crispy bacon. Unlike before, my son was able to finish this meal except for the bacon because he prefers soft bacon. 


As expected, we enjoyed our breakfast. Magiging yearly Christmas breakfast na kaya ito? There are still a few meals that we haven’t tried on the menu. 


Read: Food Trip in Tagaytay
Holiday 2017

Restaurant Verbena  
Breakfast: 7AM to 9:30AM  
Lunch and Dinner: 11AM to 9:30PM  

Discovery Country Suites Tagaytay  
300 Calamba Road,  
San Jose, Tagaytay, 4120 
Cavite, Philippines  
Telephone: +632 529 8172 /+63 46 413 4567

Hello! Happy New Year! Yes, I’m back to the blogging world again. I’m still recovering from the holidays, organizing my thoughts, and planning goals for the year 2018. I know I have so many backlogs and stories to share and I haven’t finished my Highlights of 2017 post yet. But soon, I will finish it.  


Last December, we did not have any grand vacation but still, we’re preoccupied with get-togethers and errands. So how did our holiday go? 

December 8 

It was my son's first communion and he was so excited to taste the bread. I was happy that my husband has no work that day because it was Taguig Day so he was able to attend my son’s communion without filing a vacation leave. Thank God that he has no business trip too. We ate lunch at Nina’s Kitchen.  

By the way, I just learned that December 8, 2018 is already a Special Non-Working Holiday kaso natapat siya ng Saturday. 

December 9 

My friend organized a get-together and I suggested Hogs and Cattle Steakhouse for our venue. I already blogged about this restaurant so you can read it here. 

December 15 

I have psoriasis so I’m a member of PsorPhil and Asian Psorclub. It is really nice to have a support group that knows and understands my illness. So if you have psoriasis, join PsorPhil. 

Anyway, 2013 was the last time I attended our Christmas Party so I was glad that I was able to attend last month. We had potluck, games and exchange gift. While I was busy partying, my husband and son watched “Star War Last Jedi”. They got 2 free movie tickets, care of Globe Movie App. I was not able to redeem my free tickets since I cannot watch the movie with them. 

December 20 

Christmas Party of my son so last day of school. Yey to Christmas break. No school until January 7. 

December 23 

We delivered our gifts to my siblings, nephews, and nieces and then we went straight to my aunt’s house to visit our lola. I used to visit my grandmother every month when she was in Laguna but when she moved to Bulacan, bihira ko ng madalaw. 

December 24 

Lunch with my in-laws. We had games and exchange gifts too. My son was happy because he got a lot of gifts. We spent our Noche Buena at home. I did not cook last Christmas, my husband bought foods and cakes from Contis. We had Mango Bravo (potluck), chocolate cake, lengua estofado, corn, dinner roll, fruits, and sparkling juice. 

December 25

We woke up early and off we went to Tagaytay. It was my husband’s tradition na mag-mass sa Tagaytay every December 25. Then we had breakfast again at Discovery Country Suites, we’re supposed to eat somewhere but we ended up in Restaurant Verbena because we enjoyed our experience last time.

Read: Christmas Breakfast at Restaurant Verbena 

December 26 

We went back to National Shrine of Saint Padre Pio in Sto. Tomas, Batangas because my in-laws want to go there. If I will compare it to our first visit, ang laki na ng pinagbago ng shrine. I will share it in my next post. 

December 30 

After our get-together with my orgmates last December 9, I decided to organize a get-together with my college friends. Our last get together was year 2015 pa, ang tagal na. I was happy that after a long time, we were able to meet and this time complete ang attendance. I can’t remember the last time na nacomplete kami. We had lunch at Tong Yang, it was my first time to eat there so I will share my experience in a separate post. 

Read: Lunch at Tong Yang Shabu-Shabu and BBQ Restaurant

After our lunch, we went straight to Valenzuela for our Year-end Party. My cousin, my sister, and my SIL organized a small party. It was a simple get-together with games. It was fun because we won twice in Bingo games. Hehehe! 

December 31 

We had lunch at my in-law's house again and we celebrated New Year at home. This time I cooked tuna pasta as per my husband request, the rest bili na lang ulit. We had roast beef from Contis, ham, tuna pasta, garlic bread, leche flan, fruits and sparkling juice. I don’t really prepare a lot of food since we are just family of three, ayoko ng marami leftover. 

It was funny because after our dinner, we took a nap and nagising na lang kami na nagpuputukan na sa paligid. And wala ng gustong bumangon sa amin, I just hope maging okay naman year 2018 namin at di matulog ang grasya. Hehehe!

How about you, how's your holiday?

Last 2013, PhilHealth already increased the premium contributions at 2.5% and this year, there will be another increase. There is an adjustment in the Premium Contributions of the Employed Sector Program in order to Sustain the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP)


Effective the applicable month of January 2018 onwards, the monthly premium contributions shall be at the rate of  2.75% computed straight based on the monthly basic salary, with a salary floor of P10,000.00 and a ceiling of P40,000.00, to be equally shared by the employees and their employer. With the removal of the salary brackets computation shall be based below.

Monthly Basic Salary x 2.75%	Monthly Premium	Personal Share	Employer Share
P10,000 and below	P275	P137.50	P137.50
P10,000 to P39,999	P275.02 to P1,099.99	P137.51 to P549.99	P137.51 to P549.99
P40,000 and above	P1,100	P550	P550

Click here for more information

The year 2017 is about to end and most of us are now starting to reflect the things that happened this year, the things that we are grateful and the things that we want to achieve. This is the best time to check our bucket list, see if we can cross out something and add more goals for the coming year.

I love planning and making a list, I have different bucket lists and one of them is my travel bucket list. If money is not an issue, I’m pretty sure that you won’t see me in one place. There are so many places that I wanted to visit but I know that life is so short and budget is limited. But it doesn’t stop me from planning and dreaming that one day, I will be able to visit my dream destination.

 “Travel as much as you can, as far as you can, as long as you can. Life is not meant to be lived in just one place.” 

I have a long list of places on my travel bucket list but for now, let me share with you the Top 3 Places on my Travel Bucket List in the Philippines. Our country is an archipelago which has 7, 641 islands, it is a beautiful country and there is no doubt about that. I’m not sure if I can explore all the provinces and islands in the Philippines but I would be happy if I could visit these three places.


I’ve been meaning to visit Batanes, Siargao and El Nido, Palawan but one thing that hinders me is the plane ticket. The airfare is so expensive so sometimes I chose to go to other countries in South East Asia because they have cheaper airfare and if I’m lucky I can score a seat sale.

The Top 3 Places on my Travel Bucket List

1. Batanes 

Batanes is situated in the northernmost part of the country, in fact, the island is closer to Taiwan than the Philippines. It is the smallest when it comes to the number of people and land area. The province may be small but it is on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage site.

Fortunate people who already visited the place compared Batanes to New Zealand because they have wide pasture lands, rolling hills and mountains, massive cliffs, deep canyons and rocky shorelines. I’ve never been to New Zealand so I would neither agree or disagree but I would want to see their beautiful landscapes and seascapes with my own eyes.

2. El Nido Palawan

I’ve been to Palawan twice and every visit is always memorable. It is one of the beautiful places in the world that I wanted to revisit and I’m proud to say that our Underground River is part of the 7 Wonders of the World and just recently, Palawan island won the first spot of the Best Island in the World 2017.


I’ve been to Coron and Puerto Princesa, Palawan but I haven’t been to El Nido. If you’ve never been to Palawan, I suggest that you add this to your bucket list too. You can DIY your trip or if you want to make your life easier, just book a tour package. You can find cheap Palawan tour packages here. 

3. Siargao 

Siargao is located in the province of Surigao del Norte and it is the well-known as “Surfing Capital of the Philippines” so it was not originally part of my bucket list before because I thought that this province is only for surfers. But I was wrong, this place is not only for surfers because there are a lot of interesting places that you can visit aside from the Cloud 9. You can do island hopping, visit the mangrove forests, or just enjoy the beach and food tripping.

Some people say that one week of stay is not enough to enjoy the place. The airfare may be expensive but the foods, tours, and accommodations are affordable. I don’t know when will I visit Siargao but for the meantime, I will just watch the upcoming “Siargao” movie this Christmas season.

How I wish I can visit these 3 places in the next five years but only time can tell. How about you? What is your travel bucket list?

 “Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.” - Dalai Lama

I was checking my blog and I noticed that my Bohol posts have a lot of views for this week. It’s been 10 years since we last visited this province. I thought we can no longer push through this trip because it was supposed to be August 2007 for my birthday celebration but my vacation leave was denied so we need to reschedule it to December. When December came, for some reasons this trip was almost canceled but thank God, we made it. 



Day before the trip, I called Dumaluan Resort to reserve a room but unfortunately, there was no longer room available so I settled for Metrocentre Hotel, which is located in the city. It is very far from Panglao Island. 



Metrocentre Hotel has free roundtrip airport transfer so it is a really good deal and they even allowed us for early check-in. The service, facilities and amenities are all good. There is Sundry shop beside the hotel where you can buy snacks, pasalubong and souvenirs. 

Day 1: Sleep, sleep and sleep 

Just like our Coron Trip, I have no itinerary for our trip so good luck to us. We did not do anything for this day because we are both tired and sleepy because of the Christmas Party. Good thing that there were flyers and calling card in the airport so we were able to book our Countryside Tour, P2000 for the two of us. 

Day 2: Countryside Tour 

We booked our tour at 8AM, the driver/guide fetched us at the hotel. Our itinerary for the day are Blood Compact Shrine, Baclayon Church and Museum, Tarsier, Loboc-Loay River Cruise, Hanging Bridge, Mahogany Man-made Forest, Chocolate Hills and souvenir Shop.



We enjoyed our countryside tour and I was so glad that I was able to see Chocolate Hills and tarsier. If ever we will go back to Bohol, I will also avail countryside tour so my son can experience it too. This is already part of their lesson so makakarelate siya. 

Read: Bohol Countryside Tour

Day Trip of Panglao Island Nature Resort and Spa 

After our countryside tour, we decided to avail the Day Trip of Panglao Island Nature Resort and Spa (now Mithi Resort and Spa). Well, should I say, half-day trip. Hehehe! It is the sister company of Metrocentre Hotel because I’ve seen the flyers in the hotel. We just took a cab on our way there, cab fare is x2 because you need to pay for roundtrip fare kahit one way lang naman ang trip.



Panglao Island Nature Resort and Spa is beautiful and clean. At the resort, there is a cave that you can visit, we did not stay that long because of the closing hours of the cave. So we spend most of our time in beach and swimming pool. The place was not crowded too. 



Read: Day Trip at Panglao Island Nature Resort and Spa

Day 3: Back to Manila 

As much as we want to book an Island Hopping Tour, we cannot afford to miss our flight so we just stayed at the hotel, waiting for our check-out. That is one disadvantage of staying in the city, malayo sa beach so if ever we will go back to Bohol, we will make sure to stay in a resort. 



So that’s it, it was a 3 days trip but we just explored Bohol in one day. Ito yung nangyayari pag walang plan or itinerary, di namaximized yung trip. Hehehe!

Read: Damaged Heritage Sites Klook.com