Throwback Thursday: A Taste of Bacolod

Dear friends surprised us the other day with goodies from Bacolod. They sent inasal from Nena's Rose, chocolate cake from Calea and piaya from Virgie's. Wow! Our tummies were very happy and the experience immediately transported me to Bacolod. 

Bacolod is one of my favorite local destinations. There's so much you can eat and do there. The five pounds I gained staying there for a week did not go away, haha. Here's some of my unforgettable moments and activities from Bacolod -

Food!

My favorite inasal restaurant is Nena's Rose. That's definitely one place I'd like to visit again. My craving has been managed for now with the inasal friends sent us the other day. Another great place to dine in is at Bob's. Most unforgettable though was when we visited North Negros College. They laid out a feast for us! It included the fresh prawns and lobster. Best bacon in the whole wide world award though goes to Sugarland Hotel. And if ever you swing by Silay, go visit Cafe 1925.

Pasalubong Shopping

Bacolod is the sugar capital of the Philippines. There are many places you can buy pasalubong from. One of my favorites is El Ideal. We usually pass by it's original bakery on the way to Cadiz. They have bottomless goodies! Another favorite is the fresh piaya my friend gets from the market. Nothing like getting them fresh. For now they usually get me Virgie's piaya which is best served warm. I like having it for merienda. 

Activities

My most favorite thing to do whenever I go to Bacolod is head to Cadiz City. Once there we hop on a boat and go to Carbin Reef. The last time we were there though the sea became moody. We had the most adventurous ride back to Cadiz City. The boatmen though are all very skilled and I just enjoyed it like a roller coaster ride. I'd do it again to visit Carbin Reef again. 

Carbin Reef

Most unforgettable activity I've done in Bacolod is trek the Mambukal mountain to see the waterfalls. That was I think the last time I went trekking since I couldn't walk properly a week after that activity, haha. The trek though was worth it because we saw a lot of beautiful waterfalls across the trail. It was very challenging for me and the guide didn't leave me until I was safely back down. I won't be able to do it at my present state, but I'm glad I did it back then. 

Well, a place is more fun to visit when you're in good company. I will always look back at my visits and remember that I ate all the good food and enjoyed the activities because I was with amazing friends. We'll be back in good time. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

The Beach, I Miss You

I miss the feeling of walking barefoot on a sandy beach. Feeling the warm sun on my face. Breathing in fresh air. And then taking a dip in the cool water. 

I had a hard time selecting photos for this post. 

This is one of fave places, Carbin Reef.

I love going to the beach. I oftentimes find myself looking outside the window wishing I was at a nice tropical island. I was only 8 months old when my parents started bringing me to the beach. We'd go to Camangui in Pasacao every year when I was a child. My family always had a hard time getting me out of the water. I never learned and was always sunburnt by the second day. 

I haven't changed. I try to go to the beach at least once a year. At least we were able to go to Bohol last December. We spent a few days there as a family to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. It was a fun few days. Looking back we should have spent a whole week there. 

Super miss my Miggy and Mom.

The beach also reminds me of the wonderful food you can have while on vacation! Fresh fruits like mango, watermelon, honeydew, lanzones, rambutan, chico, banana. Special local food inihaw na isda, barbecue, mangga't bagoong, ensalada, kinilaw, sinigang, kare-kare and the multitude of yummy Filipino food. I think I have just effectively brought back my appetite just thinking about all the food I normally eat whenever I'm by the sea. 

Back when we could do jump shots hahaha.

I have so many happy images flashing through my mind now. I miss going to the beach with my family and friends. What about you? What do you miss most about going to the beach?

Miss the beach? I have many more beach posts here and here.

#CB//211 #StuckAtHomeDay/241 #WFH142 #StayHome #BeKind

Let's Go to the Beach! Dreaming of my Fave Beach Places in the Philippines

It really feels odd to be grounded. Good thing when I took a break I was still able to visit Baguio and Bohol last December. Then the Taal Volcano erupted and I've been hiding at home eversince.

In true beach form many years ago. 

Photo by my friend Sasha Manuel.

2020 has been really difficult for all of us, but keeping positive and thinking happy thoughts keep me going. I've been thinking about the beautiful beaches I've been to the last couple of years. I finally found the photos from our place in Pasacao. The very first beach I visited in my life. I may have gone to many beaches, but my heart and my mermaid self belongs to Camangui.

Carbin Reef follows closely Camangui. It is part of the Sagay Marine Reserve. You can only visit it during the day and you need to bring your own food/drinks since there are no amenities in the reef. What I love best is the clear water and the many tiny fishes you end up swimming with. Between the reef and Sagay City the boat will also stop in an area of the marine sanctuary. You can get off the boat and experience having the fish clean you. It was ticklish!

I haven't been to many beaches in Mindanao, but Samal Island is one of my favorite beach places. We'd usually spend a day with friends there and enjoy the clear water. We normally end up ordering a lot of food from the resort restaurant. I remember spending a full day with my girl friends there before I married. I wish we could do that again.

Not far from home in Manila is Puerto Galera. The boat ride to Galera though is tough but negligible for me since I love going to Puerto. I went there a lot when I was in my 20s. My best friend and I would usually just on a whim and one of my most popular posts before was my guide on how to go to Puerto Galera. We never wake up early in Galera because we usually stay up late partying haha. The beach is amazing, but always be careful of riptides. I miss going to Puerto Galera.

Oh my I forgot to mention one more favorite beach place - Bohol! I super love the character of Panglao beaches. It has shells, starfish, beautiful stones very much like what we have in Camangui. I was just there again after Christmas and now wish we spent a few more days there.

I didn't mention Boracay because who doesn't love Boracay? I always make sure to visit Boracay every few years. I still have a lot of beaches in the Philippines I haven't visited, like Camiguin, Tiwi in Albay, Siargao, the pink sand beach in Zamboanga and I need to spend more time in the beaches in Ilocos, La Union, Batangas, Quezon etc. Oh my! So many places I want to explore. I'm sure in good time when the issues we are having today globally is over we can all travel and explore the world again.

What about you? What's your favorite beach place in the Philippines?

I Will Make You Hungry with this Post

Warning: this is an epic post about food, gathered from years of travel and eating.

My doctor was very happy yesterday to see my progress. He said that he and my cardiologist were very worried about me, but seeing me walking and smiling again have relieved them. After doing a quick 2D echogram with his handy gadget he said that my lungs are clear and I just have 1 millimeter of water in my pericardium which should go away in time.

I've actually been feeling much better in the last week. I just stayed home for five days straight to rest and started venturing out for walks in the last 3 days. I think it's really helped regain some of my strength and I was really surprised that results from my spirometer exercises have increased to 1,250 ml (yay!). I can also raise my arms straight up now and wear a tshirt without wincing in pain (wearing though is a different ballgame from taking it off).

Anyway so since I've been stuck at home and been ordered to take my mind off work (and keep away!) I've just been watching TV, reading, blogging, updating my journal and dreaming about my favorite food.

My doctor said it'll be safe for me to travel in about a month. Ahh, aside from seeing family and friends back home I look forward to finally eating food I like. Here's my itinerary:

Vigan

Longganisa

Empanada

Manila 

Spaghetti from Makati Supermart Coffeeshop in Alabang

Cheeseburger from Dayrit's

Jollibee, of course

And my first glass of cherry beer at Shift Restobar in Guijo, Makati

Pad Thai at Krung Thai in Marikina

Baguio

Strawberry Shortcake from Cafe by the Ruins (and loads of strawberries)

Buffalo Wings from Don Henrico's (it has to be in Baguio because I can eat the chicken there)

Bicol

Pasta Pinangat in Albay

Chiffon Cake and Pambonete from Casa Moderna

My Tita Olive's cooking

Cebu

A feast at AA Barbecue with my AA buddies Jerome, Andrew, Sweetie and hopefully with the girls, Chelle, Anne, Celine, Mitch and Jomar (no Jomar isn't a girl haha)

Boneless Crispy Pata from Dessert Factory

Bacolod

Bottomless cakes from Calea

Eating mangoes at Carbin Reef

Iloilo

Tuna Taco at Bauhinia (I hope it's still open!)

Davao

Pork Marinara, Unforgettable Pork Ribs and yummy cakes at Lachi's

Cagayan de Oro/Bukidnon

Cakes and pizza margherita at Candy's

A feast at Panagatan

Steak at Del Monte Golf Club

General Santos/Saranggani

A feast at Saranggani Highlands with my friends

Tuna kilawin and grilled tuna at Ranchero Grill

Making this post has seriously made me hungry.