Our Vigan City Travel Journal

My Vigan Home Hotel

We left our home in San Mateo area at 7 AM on Christmas Day. We took our breakfast at Jollibee in one of the gas stations along NLEX and arrived at My Vigan Home Hotel at around 4:00 PM. It was 9 hours of action packed trip to Heritage City.

Traveling from San Mateo up to the tip of SCTEX at Tarlac City was a breeze. It took us less than two hours to cover the entire distance.

After exiting SCTEX, we started encountering rural traffic in major towns and cities north of Manila especially in Pangasinan and La Union provinces. There were areas as well that roads and bridges were under construction and rehabilitation, not to mention several police and animal quarantine checkpoints.

Anyway, since it is our first time to visit Vigan City, our eagerness and excitement to see the so-called Heritage City has overcome the travel fatigue and boredom. Initially, we have TV, AM and FM stations to entertain us but after leaving Tarlac City all of them started to disappear from air one by one. Unfortunately, my son forgot his MP3 collection. I had only my Journey's CD thus after playing it countless of times I started hearing the songs inside my head; my techie kids played their music collections stored inside their mobile phones, MP3 players with external speakers and netbook. After some time, one by one their gadgets (battery) went kaput, LOL. By this time, we have reached Rosario, La Union and took our lunch at Chowking. I remember last 2011 Holy Week, we took our lunch also at the same Chowking before we conquered Kennon Road on our way to Baguio.

After a much needed stop-over at Chowking, we resumed our journey to Vigan City. I was confident that by simply following the main road we would be able to reach our destination. I took a wrong turn and ended near Kennon Road Tollgate. We retraced our path and after several minutes we found the correct road going to Vigan City. We lost at least 30 minutes travel time due to my mistake. I simply explained to family that getting lost was a part of our road trip adventure; they sneered in return. Nevertheless, I decided to swallow my ego and brought out several printed Google Maps. From thereon my wife decided to be my navigator, she identified all the places we have passed and about to pass as marked on my improvised maps. Since then we never got lost. As the saying goes, in every successful man there is always a woman nearby, LOL.

While traversing Santol, La Union at around 80 kph, we suddenly heard a loud chopper-like sound. I thought a chopper suddenly appeared directly on top of our family car. My son told me that the sound was coming from behind our car but I was damn sure that we were traveling alone in that area. It was a creepy place with large trees along the road with a small hill at the left side while there were no houses nearby. In fact the sunlight barely cover the entire road due to thick vegetation. I parked on shoulder road and found out that my rear right tire was severely damaged. Probably those sharp rock edges we passed at roads and bridges construction sites have torn the tire wall.

Having encountered this problem for the first time, I saw fear on my family's eyes. My wife hysterically asked me if I know how to replace a flat tire; piece of cake I replied just to prevent them from further worrying. Father instinct took over and I started assigning tasks to my kids. I asked my daughter and youngest kid to be in a safe place and distance while waving to incoming vehicles to approach cautiously since our car was immobile. While I was jacking-up the car my eldest was preparing the reserve tire. Wife was overseeing all the actions since my attention was focused mainly on replacing the damaged tire. I was able to install my reserve tire but found out that the tire pressure was low. It wasn't a big deal; it took more than a minute for my portable compressor to build up the tire pressure. In less than 15 minutes, we were back on the road and everybody has some stories to tell. However, deep inside, I thanked God it was a rear tire otherwise it could be a disaster. Having no spare tire, I can't afford to have another flat tire or else our vacation would go hay-wire. I drove cautiously and maintained our speed at less than 80 kph; another cause of delay.

In short, we reached My Vigan Home Hotel. Everybody was excited to go out except my youngest kid who was suffering from stomach pain. Actually, I was having a clogged nose and mild cough as well.

Immediately we strolled along Calle Crisologo.

Calesa is the only mode of transportation allowed along CC

A Christmas lantern at CC

Souvenirs along Calle Crisologo

Lagacy Club at Calle Crisologo

After Calle Crisologo, we trekked to Burgos Plaza and searched for the famous Vigan Empanada. You would find several eateries at the other end of Burgos Plaza and some of them are serving newly fried Empanadas. We bought 4 pieces at 30 pesos each and since the place was full we decided to eat our Empanadas in our hotel room while having some rest.

Batman at CC

Dinner time, we raced to Cafe Leona but since it was Christmas day the place was closed. We hurried then to Kusina Felicitas at Granpa's Inn. Unfortunately, the place was full and by reservation only. I remember that Uno Grille, another restaurant owned by Grandpa's Inn, was just across the street. Luckily, we found one table waiting for us. After a sumptuous dinner, we decided to skip the entire Calle Crisologo; my wife was worried with our youngest kid. We brought him his favorite Greenwich Pizza.

Though we have stayed only for a night in Vigan City it was obvious that we fell in love with those centuries old houses and Calle Crisologo's cobblestone street. Not to mention the serenity and surreal atmosphere during night time at Calle Crisologo. Actually, when my family headed back to our hotel after our dinner at Uno Grille, I decided to stroll around and noticed that several centuries old houses can be found in other streets as well. The entire area around Calle Crisologo becomes desolate and creepy at around 10:00 PM. Most of the times I was walking alone; goose bumps started appearing at the back of my neck. Upon returning to our hotel, I told my kids about my experience and they all wanted to go out again but their mother was tired and cautious hence we decided to call it a day and went to bed.

The following day, since I need to arrange for a new tire I asked my family to have a Calesa Tour without me. I brought them to Burgos Plaza where the Calesa station is located. The price was 150 pesos for an hour. They visited Burgos Museum, Bantay Bell Tower, Burnay and other touristy places.

The day after Christmas is my eldest son's birthday. We had a small and impromptu celebration at Max's Restaurant; my wife and daughter surprised him with a small cake bought from nearby Red Ribbon. My son ended up blowing sheepishly his cake at Max's. Another memorable day for all of us. After lunch, we returned back to our hotel since they allowed us to leave our car inside their parking area even after we have checked out.

                                           Baluarte Zoo

a yellow sub at Baluarte

We paid a quick visit to Chavit Singson's Baluarte Zoo. Since the sun is hovering around its zenith we spend just an hour to check the place; entrance is free. Baluarte is another good attraction for the entire family and a must see place when in Vigan City. It is merely 10 minutes drive from the center of Vigan City. Aside from the domesticated local and imported animals, added treat are the "concrete dinosaurs" while nature lovers would be in awe upon seeing the picturesque scenery of mountains at the background.

After Baluarte, it is now time to continue our journey. Our next stop would be Laoag City, the capital of Ilocos Norte. We planned to visit several places with historical connection to former president Marcos. This would be a good and learning experience to my kids who were all born after EDSA revolution.

I am truly elated and proud that we have this kind of place in the Philippines. Given a chance I'd love to travel back to Vigan City and this time I prefer to travel by bus, LOL.

To check our complete travel journal: Road Trip to Ilocos (Vigan/Laoag/Pagudpud) 

Spotted - Alcohol Free Zone, Singapore

I spotted this Alcohol Free Zone poster at Kampong Glam, Singapore. The area is considered as the center of Muslim activities in Singapore.

There are several shop owners who want to preserve the Islamic Heritage of Kampong Glam. They started a campaign and petition to ban alcoholic beverages within the vicinity of the said area.

It remains to be seen whether they would be successful or not.

Dad's Review - J.CO Donuts & Coffee - Trinoma Mall, Quezon City

J.CO Donuts & Coffee originates from Indonesia. It specializes in gourmet donuts, frozen yogurt and coffee. Aside from having outlets in major cities in Indonesia, it now has several branches in Malaysia, Singapore, Shanghai and Philippines as well. You'll find J.CO in Trinoma, Megamall, Greenbelt and Eastwood City.

I remembered my wife and daughter mentioned to me before that they usually noticed a queue outside J.CO Donuts & Coffee outlet at Trinoma. To satisfy my curiosity, upon getting my OEC from POEA satellite office at Trinoma a few days back, I asked my wife to have a coffee break at J.CO located almost beside POEA office. I got hold of my OEC at around 9:30 AM so we stayed outside J.CO since it opens at 10:00 AM. At quarter to ten, to my surprise, the guard asked us to fall in line outside. So this is the reason for the queue! I was initially annoyed because I never fell in line while waiting for any donuts and coffee outlet to open. More so, I noticed that almost all the early birds patrons in queue were youngsters. I felt awkward. Anyway, wife was with me and it was hopeless to argue.

Queue outside J.CO Trinoma

A couple of minutes before ten, a short staff meeting was held inside. The meeting ended with the staff clapping their hands and a loud cheer; it could be the battle cry of the new kid on the block.

At exactly 10:00 AM the guard allowed us inside, there were 10 of us in our batch, before closing again the glass door leaving the others outside waiting for their turn. There were 3 counters inside, the first one was for donuts and the second counter was for frozen products while the last counter was for coffee. I ordered 2 Tiramisu donuts and 2 Cafe Avocado for dine-in while my wife selected half-dozen take-out donuts for our 3 kids. The Donuts counter staff told me to order the 2 Cafe Avocado from the coffee counter. Even so, he gave me a number for my dine-in order. I complied and noticed that another diner has ordered coffee and dine-in donuts from this third/coffee counter. In short, you order take-out donuts from the first counter while you may order all dine-in foods and drinks from the coffee counter. Quite confusing isn't it?.

When my number was called I quickly paid the 2 boxed dined-in donuts at Donuts counter then dashed to the third counter to pay for the 2 Cafe Avocado while asking their coffee counter staff to provide me two small plates and forks so we could eat comfortably our boxed dined-in donuts. To add, they don't have creamer at J.CO Trinoma; they simply give a jigger of fresh milk to the lady asking for creamer. I can't confirm whether this is the norm or their creamers haven't arrived yet. So for those who couldn't drink their hot coffee without creamer you have been forewarned, LOL.

A Donut costs 42 pesos while the half-dozen is priced at 230 pesos. I found it quite pricey. Nevertheless, you'd get a big discount if you buy a dozen since it costs 350 pesos. This could be the reason why we were the only one who bought half-dozen and 2 pieces donuts. In fact, I saw a lady ahead of us carrying 6 dozens of donuts. Likewise, the smallest or Uno size Cafe Avocado costs 120 pesos per cup which I believe is reasonably priced compared with other gourmet coffee brands.

It is fascinating to see those gourmet donuts such as: Heaven Berry, Black Jack, Berry Spears, Alcapone and Tiramisu to name a few. I must admit that the Tiramisu donut is flavorful but nothing spectacular though. For its price, I am expecting a fuller and firmer donuts dough but it seems they only offer soft donuts; my kids had the same observation. The other gourmet donuts brands offer firmer and fuller dough at cheaper price.

About the Cafe Avocado, the taste is initially interesting but once you get used to its quirky taste you'd realize that it is merely one of those fancy flavored coffee frappe. Sorry guys, I am a hot coffee fanboy.

I don't know whether limiting the actual diners inside is a marketing strategy because it would eventually result to people queuing outside or perhaps the queue only happens during opening time. Nevertheless, this queue is creating a buzz and my wife and daughter are caught in this frenzy. As for me, I consider it as poor customer service. I can't imagine myself in queue while the door is shut on my face for a mere donut & coffee; I don't see any reason why they need to close the glass door. Eventually when people have satisfied their curiosity and the buzz died down, queuing could even discourage patrons. Just my two cents though.

Lastly, unless you're a gourmet donuts lover you'd think twice in indulging from this place since you can have a burger or hotdog at almost the same price. However, considering how Starbucks has generated religious followers through the years especially from the trendy youngsters, I am sure that J.CO Donuts & Coffee would definitely have loyal followings of their own. At the end of the day, it remains to be seen who would stay as J.CO's patrons and who went there due to the buzz generated by the fastest growing Donuts and Coffee chain in South East Asia.

J.CO Donuts Part 2

My daughter begged me and her mother to accompany her to J.CO Trinoma this morning. As Vice-President of their ORG in UP, she is leading the fund-raising campaigns. One of these campaigns is selling J.CO Donuts in UP. In short, her mother lends her some money to buy 12 boxes/dozens of assorted flavors of J.CO Donuts.

Wife and daughter outside J.CO Trinoma at around 10:30 AM

My wife and daughter were in queue as early as 10:30 AM; I was seating at one of the round cushioned sofas in that area playing Angry Birds Star Wars on my Lenovo smartphone. They knew they won't be able to coerce me to fall in line for mere Donuts again.

They got their 12 boxes of Donuts at past 12:00 PM. Can you imagine that? Almost 2 hours in line and still there was a long queue snaking out of the outlet. My wife's patience was tested to the limit especially when there were young patrons using Senior Citizen ID with authorization letter bypassing the long queue. Aside from that, some of them were very fanatic to their favorite Donuts flavors such as "Alcapone;" they even scolded the staff once they noticed that their favorite flavor was missing from their Donuts box while others would wait until their favorite Donuts become available; some have lists of their Donuts flavors on paper and mobile phone.

At the counter, the lone cashier would open the Donuts box and register all the different flavors to the machine. In our case, 12 boxes means 144 Donuts flavors manually registered on the machine. Sounds great? Not if you are behind us, lol.

When we left J.CO at past 12 PM, a long queue of patrons was still outside. However, I noticed that due to long queue some disappointed patrons left. Nevertheless, J.CO's avid followers would be elated to know that several J.CO Donuts branches have sprouted within MM in short period of time. I think there are 7 branches now open for business while another one will open soon at SM City, North EDSA.

My daughter availed their promo and paid 550 pesos for 2 dozens of assorted Donuts or 3,300 pesos for 12 dozens of Donuts. They were able to sell all 144 Donuts for 35 pesos each; quite cheap compared with J.CO's retail price of 42 pesos per Donuts. Their ORG earned at least 50% profit from the money they borrowed from my wife in few hours. This is how UP Business Admin Students raise their funds. Impressed? I wasn't; I received my money without any interest at all, not to mention my gasoline and parking expenses in going to Trinoma.

All told, I am now fully aware why people were queuing at J.CO. Likewise, I noticed dozens of Donuts boxes waiting to be picked-up by their regular patrons. The more you buy J.CO Donuts, the cheaper they become compared with their competitors' premium Donuts. I believe there are already J.CO "mini-outlets" around Metro Manila, including in UP Diliman.

Revised: 08 March 2013

20 June 2103

Wife and I were at POEA satellite office at Trinoma Mall to process my OEC. The satellite office is located almost beside J.CO Donuts. At around 10 am, the usual queue was gone. I even saw some patrons conveniently dining inside. It seems the frenzy has died down or J.CO Donuts found a way to avoid the usual long queue for their customers. Either way, I won't miss J.CO unless I plan to buy several dozens; in this case their Donuts will be more affordable for a working Dad.

29 August 2013

This morning when the wife and I were at POEA office at Trinoma Mall to process my OEC. we were surprised to note that the long queue at J.CO Donuts was gone. In fact we saw several diners enjoying their Donuts and coffee without the usual "dining rush" generated several moths back. It is only a sign that indeed the frenzy has died down.

Road Trip 1 (Vigan/Laoag/Pagudpud) - How much did I spend on this Road Trip?

Seeing and conquering northern Luzon was one of my ardent dreams since I learned how to drive. I know that this is no easy feat even for seasoned drivers. Because of this, I need to make sure that the most important member of the family should be well prepared and ready for the rigorous travel. I don't speak about my wife or my kids. I'm speaking about the family car.

It is worth mentioning that it took us 9 hours to reach Vigan City last Christmas day with 2 stop-overs at NLEX for breakfast and at Rosario, La Union for lunch while returning back to Manila from Laoag City, it was a grueling 15 hours drive due to traffic at La Union and Pangasinan provinces. Interestingly enough, we were caught with December truck ban in Manila thus countless of slow moving trucks were traversing NLEX with us on our way back home thereby increasing our travel time.

This post will tackle the expenses on exploring northern Luzon by car.

The breakdown of fixed expenses are as follows:

* NLEX: 215 pesos (2 way) = 430 pesos

* SCTex (Dau to Tarlac): 104 pesos (2 way) = 208 pesos

For fuel, my Nissan Grand Livina clocked 1,301 kms for 4D/3N round-trip (Manila - Vigan - Laoag - Pagudpud - Laoag - Vigan - Manila). The total odometer reading includes the joy ride and quick visit to interesting places around those areas. After re-fueling for several times, I was able to determine my fuel consumption. Our family car consumed around 13 kpl mixed hi-way and city driving. Thus, 1301 kms/13 kpl = around 100 liters of unleaded fuel. At that time, the price within MM of unleaded fuel was slightly more than 50 pesos per liter while it reached more than 52 pesos as you go farther away from Manila. To average my fuel expenses I would use 51 pesos per liter of unleaded fuel.

* My total fuel expenses = 5,100 pesos

The breakdown of variable expenses are as follows:

* Hotel accommodation at My Vigan Home Hotel for 1 night stay at family room for 5 person: 3,750 pesos

* Hotel accommodation at Isabel Suites Laoag City for 2 nights stay at 2 twin rooms with extra bed (5 people):  1400 pesos (2 rooms) + 350 pesos extra bed = 3,150 pesos (2 nights) = 6,300 pesos

I booked hotels with complimentary breakfasts so I need to spend only for lunch, snack and dinner. Meal expenses would depend mainly on where you 'd dine.

Bangui Windmill, Burgos

Don't forget the souvenir items. Remember, you don't know whether you'll be able to visit these places again so it is better to buy something that would remind you of your travel to these places. Plus, don't forget the "pasalubongs" and cheap local products such as garlic, broom and local vinegar. In our case, we purchased:

Ref Magnets at Vigan City: 50 pesos (2 pieces) = 100 pesos 

Bangui Windmill replica: 80 pesos

1.5 liter (vinegar) Sukang Iloko: 35 pesos

Baguio Walis  Tambo (Broom) : 100 pesos

Bawang (Garlic): 40 pesos (2 lengths): 80 pesos

Island Souvenir T-shirts at Vigan City: 400 pesos (5 pieces) = 2,000 pesos

So you think it is over? Not Yet! Lest you forget the local delicacies such as:

Vigan Empanada: 30 pesos (4 pieces) = 120 pesos

Small Cornicks: 3 packs for 100 pesos

Tinubong (glutinous rice cooked inside a bamboo): 3 pieces for 100 pesos

My favorite, Collette Buko Pie at Rosario, La union: 150 pesos

Otap from Collette also: 50 pesos

Local dishes such as Bagnet / Pakbet / Poqui Poqui Balls / etc. I would safely assume that you could allocate 200 pesos per head for each meal. Fancy drinks not included. Stick with soft drink, iced tea or plain water. Better yet, bring bottled water with you so as to avoid ordering those expensive drinks.

Don't forget the side expenses such as:

Vigan Calesa Tour (1 hour): 150 pesos

Burgos Museum at Vigan City: 20 pesos (5 persons) = 100 pesos

Vigan Bell Tower (donation): 20 pesos

Total tips for hotel room boys: 200 pesos
Malacanang of the North: 30 pesos (5 persons) = 150 pesos

If you are traveling with your family, be prepared for any eventuality. It is safer to bring extra funds for emergency expenses. My wife had the  board and lodging amount while I got the transportation and emergency fund. When my rear right tire blew, I knew that I would be spending a big part of my emergency fund for a replacement tire. The new tire cost me a whopping 4,000 pesos at Vigan City.

Bring meds as well. Though drugstores can be found in major cities across northern Luzon; it is better to have meds and has no need for them rather than the opposite. I was downed with cough and cold while my youngest was having stomach pain; fortunately, my wife brought some emergency meds thus; my son and I were able to recuperate during our road trip.

In addition, spare some amount for stop-overs expenses especially when you have kids with you.

I won't sum up our total expenses anymore since my aim is simply to give a rough estimate for a family trip to northern Luzon by private car; I am sure that you'd definitely have different travel itinerary that suits your needs. In fact, if you'll use a diesel vehicle then the fuel cost will be lower.

Finally, if you have kids with you, aside from gadgets, don't ever forget to bring tons of snacks and drinks while traveling. A cooler would be of great help. Otherwise, tension and stress can easily flare up and destroy the vacation mood, trust me on this, lol.

To check our complete travel journal: Road Trip to Northern Luzon (Vigan/Laoag/Pagudpud) 

My Vigan Home Hotel - Vigan City

My Vigan Home Hotel during Christmas

We planned our first visit to Vigan City as early as November; we decided to celebrate Christmas Day at the Heritage City. Surprisingly, being accustomed in booking our previous hotel accommodation through internet, many well recommended hotels in Vigan City were not accepting or didn't have any on-line booking facility. They even refused to reply to my email such as Grandpa's Inn. I tried my luck with "My Vigan Home Hotel" after reading a blog about this hotel. Fortunately, My Vigan Home Hotel replied to my inquiries through their FB page; they simply asked for a partial deposit of 2,000 pesos to their account. Upon confirmation of our deposit they sent immediately the hotel voucher through my FB.

I booked a family room for one night for 5 adults with free breakfast and wifi for 3,750 pesos.  I paid the balance upon check-out. Added treat was the secured parking area inside the hotel's compound.

The room is quite huge with two double beds and one extra bed; there is only one T&B though with working hot shower. In addition, electric kettle, two bottled water and two coffee mixes are provided in our room. It is worth to mention that my wife and I fell in love with the old furnitures and cabinets of the hotel though my kids found them creepy.

The beds are quite comfortable while towels are fluppy; basic toiletries are provided as well.

HOTEL SHOTS

Ground Floor

Dining Area

Living Room with small balcony overlooking the road

The place seems to be an old house converted into hotel. The hotel's antique wooden furniture was a sight to behold while during night time the external Christmas lighting was equally awesome.

The place is right in the middle of the action. The hotel is just a stone throw away from Calle Crisologo and walking distance to Burgos Plaza, Cafe Leona, Max's Restaurant, Greenwich, Uno Grille & Cafe Uno (Grandpa's Inn) and convenience shop. It is also 10 minutes drive to Baluarte.

BREAKFAST

You can select your complimentary breakfast. Aside from the usual coffee, I chose Tapsilog while my wife and kids asked for Longsilog. Unfortunately, my family didn't like the Vigan Spicy Longanisa while I loved their Beef Tapa.

The hotel staffs are superb; after check-in they helped us with our bags and trolleys. They even informed us how and where we can avail the famous "Calesa Tour." On our second day, I need to buy a new tire since my rear right tire blew when we were traversing Santol, La Union. One of their staff instructed where I can buy a replacement tire. Moreover, after coming back to hotel with a new set of tire, I need to rotate all the newer tires to the front side for safety reason. In doing so, Tito (if my memory serves me right) assisted me. He was a big help since it was not easy to remove and rotate 3 tires.

I am glad that we are able to stay in this hotel. Room price could be steep but considering that it was peak season and the convenience of staying in the middle of the Heritage City, I would definitely consider this hotel if an opportunity to visit Vigan City again would arise.

Finally, we noticed several celebrities who have visited this hotel as well such as Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Zubiri and Coco Martin, to name a few.





To check our complete travel journal: Road Trip to Ilocos (Vigan/Laoag/Pagudpud) 

Uno Grille - Vigan City

Today is January 01, 2013. Thus it befits to post about number one or Uno.

During my preparation for our Road Trip to Northern Philippines, I researched for good places to eat especially those offering local specialties such as Bagnet and Pakbet, to name a few.

I encountered this al fresco style restaurant in many blogs hence during our first night at Vigan City I brought my family to this place. Actually, we tried Kusina Felicitas first at Grandpa's Inn but the place was full during Christmas so we searched for the other famous Grandpa's restaurant.

We found Uno Grille just across the street. The place was by reservation at that time too but fortunately there was a vacant table awaiting us.

One of their lady staff immediately informed us that our order would take around 30 to 45 minutes due to numerous diners. We agreed since we wanted to pass time as well because I wanted to show my family how Calle Crisologo looks like during night time. We were given two sets of menu, one for Uno Grille and the other was for Kusina Felicitas. We ordered Bagnet, Pakbet Poqui Poqui Balls, Pipian and Chicken Karimbuaya. Unfortunately, Karimbuaya wasn't available so I asked for Sweet and Spicy chicken instead. To add we ordered Felicitas Rice and Binagoongan Rice as well. Later on, we were  told that Pipian wasn't available too.

While waiting for our orders we noticed that a group of diners left hurriedly. They were around 12. They came before us and it seemed that they were not able to wait any longer for their orders. I believed they were waiting for their food for almost an hour.

Our drinks were served haphazardly; my SMB Light was mildly cold and served without ice and glass. The same with the soft drinks. Hence, when our orders finally arrived all our drinks were already warm.

The service was poor; you'd see their staff carrying covered trays of food to and fro Kusina Felicitas. They brought grilled foods to Kusina Felicitas while took Bagnet and  other local dishes from Kusina Felicitas. They were obviously busy but it took them around one hour before they started serving our order. Moreover, when we were about to finish the Felicitas Rice and asked for our Binagoongan Rice, we were then told that it was not available as well so we settled for Garlic Rice. Halfway through Garlic Rice another staff arrived and informed us that Binagoongan Rice was now ready and she asked us if we still wanted the Binagoongan Rice. We replied NO!

Since our orders arrived after an hour we were expecting that we would be served with steaming hot foods but we were wrong. All the foods were cold except the Pakbet which was slightly warm. Imagine dining in a famous and well recommended place where all the foods including rice were served in room temperature.

Felicitas Rice and Pakbet

Bagnet

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Poqui Poqui Balls

In fairness, the Pakbet was superb. I grew up in Tarlac and I knew when a Pakbet has been cooked in authentic Ilokano style. The Poqui Poqui Balls were crispy and tasty as well. Actually, all the foods tasted good, even the rice. I would therefore assume that due to number of diners at that time their customer service deteriorated. My family agreed with me in this regard.

Further, the price of each dish was reasonable. Eating a local specialty for just more than a hundred pesos is literally blissful. Not to mention that each order is good for 2 people.

If you will ask me if I would recommend this place then my answer is a big yes except maybe during peak season or when the place is obviously full unless you are willing to wait and dine in cold dishes. Better yet, reserve your place earlier during peak season.

To check our complete travel journal: Road Trip to Ilocos (Vigan/Laoag/Pagudpud) 

Yearender 2012

This year has been great for me. The travel ban to my work place has been lifted by our government at the start of this year. However, my company allowed me to spend my vacation in Philippines in the month of June only. Anyway, due to this, I am now in Philippines for my Christmas and New Year holidays. Great vacation indeed!

During the first semester of this year, aside from bringing my family to Bangkok, I traveled alone by land in several countries namely: Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

Ho Chi Minh City

I was expecting a backward Ho Chi Minh City when my wife and I visited that country. Well, it is not yet as progressive as Manila but it is obvious that development is on high gear. To add, I had a great opportunity to have an insight on how the Vietcong won the war when we visited the famous Chu Chi Tunnels. I won't forget that place; I learned that I was claustrophobic while semi-crawling inside those tiny tunnels.

S21 & The Killing Fields

My inner being was deeply touched when I visited S21 (Tuol Sleng) and met the 2 survivors of this security prison established by Khmer Rouge under the administration of Pol Pot. More so, the brutality of killing both young and old alike at "The Killing Fields" (Choeung Ek) was simply unimaginable. I really can't comprehend how this thing happened in modern times.

Siem Reap

Still in Cambodia, I have set foot on Angkor Wat, one of the places abroad I dreamed of visiting. The experience was simply indescribable. I never thought that there were several equally magnificent temple ruins in Siem Reap making my trip more meaningful.

Outside my normal wandering, my wife and I shopped at Bangkok twice this year as well. My newfound baby, an online shop born during my wandering, "Happy Stripes" is doing great. The demand was above expectation thus I now consider Happy Stripes as possible business venture in near future; when 2 of my kids have finished their college studies. I had several business plans before and having an online shop was not one of them but perhaps, fate has played on me.

Going back to my land travel on these 3 countries, I had a very memorable experience. It was when I traveled by bus from Siem Reap to Bangkok. It took me 9 hours of arduous travel. I thought I have experienced my worst land travel but I was wrong. Surprisingly, I experienced few days back the most grueling land travel in my whole life and it happened in my own country with my family

It was one of my ardent dreams to drive to northern part of The Philippines. In fact, I envied my friends who were able to drive up to Vigan City; I knew the experience was great and challenging. I had a golden opportunity to fulfill my dream when my daughter opted to see Vigan City rather than go back to Baguio this December. It was an opportunity I gladly grabbed thus wife and I started preparing as early as November.

I knew the drive would be tedious and taxing to my body considering my recurring lower back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome hence as part of my preparation, I visited our company's gymnasium twice a week to do some workout while I was at work in Yemen.

Traveling to Vigan, it took me 9 hours of driving with 2 stop-over. Our safety was put at risk when my car's rear right wheel blew while traversing Santol, La Union at more than 80 kph speed. Luckily, it was a rear tire otherwise it could have been a disaster for all of us. Upon reaching Vigan City, I asked my family to proceed with their "Calesa Tour" while I searched for a brand new tire.

However, that was not the worst yet. After 1 night in Vigan City, we proceeded to Laoag City. After 2 nights in Laoag City and a visit to Pagudpud, we left the place at 8:30 AM. We reached our home after 15 hours. I was dead tired. In addition, I was recuperating from cough and cold during that 15 hours travel. Well, stay tuned for my Road Trip 1 (Manila/Vigan/Laoag/Pagudpud).

Previously, I thought overseas travel was more challenging and consuming. I proved myself utterly wrong! Next year would be an interesting year for my wandering; we have several road trips lined-up and I would post all details here so as to assist other road trippers.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL MY READERS ESPECIALLY TO MY FOLLOWERS! MANY THANKS!