My 2017 Birthday Trip to SG

Unlike my other trips, where all little events and meet ups were squeezed in between every part of the travel itinerary, this trip was designed to be limited, but meant to drive pure bliss.

Flight Schedule

The outbound flight was planned to arrive late in the afternoon in Singapore, to avoid the heat of the sun upon arrival. Predeparture activities are already stressful to begin with, so might as well be there just before sunset.

The return flight was scheduled to arrive in MNL on a Sunday noontime or early afternoon, so traffic is light to moderate in the metro.

Accommodation

Why settle for less when you can be at the best? Convenience is the top priority when this trip was finalized. Accessibility to amenities and hotel facilities, wide variety of food choices, availability of

coffee shops, and proximity to MRT,

attractions and shopping areas were all taken in great considerations and were all achieved.

Hotel Facilities and Amenities

The highlight of the trip is a garden view room of Marina Bay Sands. The Gardens by the Bay and the Flower Dome can be seen from our balcony.

This relaxing scenery both by day and night is one of my favorite parts of this trip. Thanks to my bbeyb for making this happen. 

The hotel also offers infinity pool access at the 57th floor, exclusive to guests, with a view of the Merlion and the Esplanade.

The Sky Park is also located at the same level and is open to non-hotel guests who are willing to spend $25 to see a 360^o view of the city.

Restaurants and Coffee Shops

Marina Bay Sands also offers a wide range of food choices including the famous Xiao Long Bao of Din Tai Fung and Bread Street Kitchen by the famous Gordon Ramsay. Canton Paradise also serves mouth-watering dimsums and dumplings.

Thanks, Boyong, for the treat. 😎

Outside the mall, within 10 to 15 minutes walk are also good food choices such as Gluttons Bay and Satay by the Bay. 

The availabilty of Starbucks Reserve at the basement floor lined up to our favorite coffee bonding moment. TWG is also available at the same floor for tea lovers.

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is also everywhere. 

Attractions and Services

The proximity of our accommodation to famous landmarks was also well-planned and has made the trip hassle free. We stayed for a night in Harborfront area - the gateway to the Sentosa Island, the home of the man-made beaches of Singapore, Resorts World and the Universal Studios.

One night was also spent near the city's tourist hub, Clarke Quay.

And of course, who would want to miss the Merlion Park, Esplanade, Art Museum, Gardens By the Bay and Marina Bay Sands? All of these can be enjoyed all-day if you stay within the city center. 

Thanks, Kuya Hec and Ate Gen for babysitting mom on some parts of the trip. 😎

Shopping

What else can you wish for if all your favorite shops are under one roof?

Feeling Grateful

After few days of fun, it is always fulfilling to end the day with a few moments to thank our one true love for everything. Thank you, Papa God, for all the blessings. 

Wrapping Up

Happiness begins when you can honestly tell yourself that you can live life to the fullest. I am close to that feeling of pure bliss - having not to worry much about travel expenses, getting your utility bills and investment plans paid in full and on time, having a less stressful work environment, meeting and exceeding your clients' expectations both in dentistry and technology world, keeping a few but true circle of friends, not having serious health problems, traveling with the most important people in your life, and going home to your adorable fur balls after one stressful day. These all make the hardwork worthy of all.

My birthday celebration isn't over yet, but, this was indeed a happy trip. 

Until next time.. 😎

Kalanggaman Island Experience

Kalanggaman Island can be reached via Tacloban, Leyte or Malapascua, Cebu.

We chose the Leyte route. 

From Tacloban airport, a three-hour land trip will take you to Palompon, the gateway to Kalanggaman Island. Fare per way is 150 pesos. 

According to the locals, the earliest van leaves at 4 o' clock in the morning. That may be true for some months of the year, but when we arrived the UV express station at 5 o' clock in the morning, we were informed that they will leave the terminal at 7, or when we reach a group of 18 passengers.  We were only 6 then. 

Since the water was said to be rough after 12 noon, we agreed to divide the total fare among the six of us, so we can arrive before the coast guards cancel the trips after noon time.

We arrived Palompon around 9 o'clock in the morning, had a quick breakfast at the back of the tourism office, and boarded our pump boat to the island. A private boat ride is 3,000 pesos. Other boats offer group reservations. We chose the private boat.

At Palompon, take a photo of the welcome sign before the tourism office registration, as you may forget about the existence of this sign when you get back. 

 

We left Palompon at 9:30 a.m. and the water was little bit rough and sharp.

After an hour of a bumpy boat ride, this sign welcomed us.

 

A few steps to the right lead us to this paradise.

 

 

The sand bar at the eastern side of the island is a long stretch of white sand with bits of white stones and broken corals.

We chose a Tipi (Teepee) house with a bed, instead of a regular tent for an overnight stay. The tipi houses are located at the western side of the island and is a little exclusive compared to the eastern side. Tipi house costs 1,000 pesos a night. Bed sheets can be rented for 300 pesos. We brought our own.

 

A pretty tree house and a nipa hut can also be found at the western side of the island with banana boats, kayaks and bicycles for rent for 150 per head per hour.

 

 

We rented a bike to the eastern side of the island where the rest of the other campers are.

 

 

 

 

The eastern side also has the longest sand bar.

 

 

It only takes an hour or less to travel the whole island by foot.

 

 

 

 

Just like most camp sites, there's no electricity in this island.

 

We had solar-powered bulbs, flash lights and the moonlight to help us see and do things throughout the night.

 

You may need to bring extra blankets as it was  really cold when we stayed there. It may vary on some months, but it really was cold at this time of the year.

We had our early morning coffee with the moon setting on the west.

 

The other sand bar on the western side also appeared at dawn time.

 

The tide was low until 8 o' clock in the morning.

 

Star fishes and other sea creatures can be seen in the shallow areas of this part of the Visayan Sea.

 

 

There's a lot of dead corals and there's very little fish.

 

We left the island at 9 o'clock in the morning after our breakfast.

For me, an overnight stay is just enough to have an overall island experience. Another night in this island would bore me.

It was a good island camping experience. 

Until our next trip. 😎

Zambales Coves - Weekend Roadtrip

It's another weekend. 😎

While everybody else enjoys the snow and the cold weather in various places of the world, our thirst for salt water resurfaced. So, off to the beach, we went. This time, we hit the coves of Zambales.

We left Antipolo at around 5 o' clock in the morning and had some sweet stop overs in Quezon City, Clark and Subic. A road trip cannot be complete without a coffee break. 

Who wouldn't agree? ☕️☕️☕️

Below is my frappe with Olaf's key rings - Tigger from HK Disney and my 1988 Los Angeles chain from Gift Creations.

 

We arrived Pundaquit at 11 o' clock in the morning - just in time for lunch.

Our rice meals were consumed swiftly, but this rare dessert (below) found a room in my camera phone. 

 

This is a view of the West Philippine Sea (above) from our cottage with this famous dessert - iced buco salad.

We capped the night early after an afternoon stroll to the beach and a little bonding over beer. 🍻 

 

 

Here is a view of the West Philippine Sea at sunset (below).

 

The next day, we went island hopping to the coves of San Antonio, Zambales. We left at 6 o' clock in the morning. 

 

Our first stop: Nagsasa Cove. It is an hour away from Pundaquit. 

 

There are several campers and this campsite caught our attention. The sand is gray but is clean and powdery. You can walk with your bare foot.

We had our breakfast at this island. 

 

Our next stop: Anawangin Cove - thirty minutes away from Nagsasa Cove.

The sun was scorching hot so we didn't bother to walk around. 

 

We stayed at the shades of the trees near the camp sites and had pinipig crunch by the fence.

 

The sand here is also gray but is cleaner and more powdery than Nagsasa.

Next stop: Capones Island - thirty minutes from Anawangin.

This, for me, is the best of the four islands in this trip.

The sand is white but is not powdery. You would hurt your feet if you walk without slip ons. So, it's better not to take your aqua shoes off.

The sea is deep blue and the rock formations are breath taking.

 

 

Our next stop: Camara Island - twenty minutes from Capones.

 

The floor of the island is coated with these pebbles and tiny shells that are pleasing to the eyes and are foot friendly. 

This is the smallest of the four islands.

After a few minutes, we went back to Pundaquit and had our afternoon mango shake.

We went back to MNL the next morning. We left at 5 o' clock.

Here's Olaf (below) parked at SCTEX.

 

Until our next trip! 😎😎😎