Sagada

Nature shots of picturesque Sagada.

Our usual morning view of the clouds rolling in

 

People in Sagada speak good English, a good FYI for tourists

 

The famous hanging coffins

These hidden coffins are for pregnant women and babies

At the church yard

 

You can reach Sagada through three alternative routes with almost the same travel time and fare: 

• via Manila - Baguio City - Sagada route

• via Manila - Banaue - Sagada route

• via Manila - Bontoc - Sagada route

Check out our post of Sagada's famous Sumaging Cave.

The Bojo River Cruise

The Bojo River Tour in Aloguinsan, Cebu. 

I’ve been wanting to check out the river cruise that this little town of approximately 30,000 is famous for. From the Balamban proper, we rode a jeepney to Toledo and then to Aloguinsan.

Aloguinsan is beautiful! It was the laid-back, quiet little town that I had expected and imagined it to be. A little history of the place: Considered a fishing village, the town is said to be named after the kinsan, a kind of grouper abundant during the months of May to July.

We took a habal-habal (10Php/pax) from the town's market and in less than 10 minutes, we were dropped off here. The start of our Bojo River experience.

“Always turn right” was the advise we got from an old lady that we met along the way. We soon found out that this was a very useful piece of advise since we met a couple of forks on the road. Here’s one -

The Bojo Aloguinsan Ecotourism Association or BAETAS organizes the tour. For a fee of 300Php, we got to enjoy this fascinating 1.4 kilometer-long river cruise on a traditional baroto. While the river itself was just amazing, the tour guide made the whole experience unforgettable. He amazed me with how well-versed and trained he was to provide a truly educational tour. He explained how to distinguish the 22 different mangroves growing in the river (with their scientific names), the 71 different birds (61 local birds, 10 migratory birds), how to determine whether a mangrove is a female or a male, why there are bubbles around the roots, etc. He also shared a little history of the river and how the town, Aloguinsan, got its name.

Clear waters! I love it.

The river opens up to the Tañon Strait, where sightings of Butandings or Whale Sharks have been reported. If we did spot one, that would have been an entirely different experience! 

Facebook link here.

Tour Schedule : Daily and depends on the tide.
The money paid goes directly to the local communities who run the tours, with the end goal of helping the local folks become self-reliant. It funds environmental protection projects, income for the families, and subsidy for their children’s education among others. 

Sokcho Part Two

Day two in Sokcho.
Destination: Seoraksan National Park.

This was probably the highlight of my last trip to Korea. I enjoyed seeing the natural beauty of the Park, learning about its history and immersing in the culture of the South Koreans.

Little kachi, South Korea’s national bird. It is a symbol of good luck for South Koreans.

The Bojero (pavilion in the foreground) and the Sinheungsa (Buddhist temple). This temple is believed to be the oldest Zen temple in the world.

The Bojero and the Sinheungsa.

The Bronze Buddha. The Great Unification Buddha, a 48-foot, 108 ton gilt-bronze Buddha statue, called “Tongil Daebul”, sits atop a 15-foot high pedestal, of the same material, making the total height 62-foot.

People put their prayers in stone slabs, while others pile their stones for good health and prosperity.

We rode a cable to car to get a better view of the Park from the top. From the viewing deck, you only have to take few more climbs up the snowy slopes to finally reach the peak. 

The view was indescribably magnificent and inspiring.

Sokcho Part One

Let me take you to South Korea. But not to Seoul nor Busan (will post about them some other time), but to Sokcho.

It is more than a day's drive from main Seoul to Sokcho, specifically to see the majestic Mt Sorak. Seoraksan is the highest mountain in the Taebaek mountain range in the Gangwon province in eastern South Korea. It is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike.

We started off for Sokcho (from Seoul) by mid-afternoon and reached our hotel for the night, Seorak Pine Resort, past 8pm. We checked in and then immediately proceeded to the Taepo Fish Market for some seafood to feed our hungry tum-tums.

Sokcho is definitely one of the best places to sample all the spoils of the sea - including king crabs, manta rays, squirts (first time to see and taste one!) and anything else you can fish out of the ocean. Every seafood was on display in tanks of constantly filtered seawater with everything alive. Talk about fresh.

 

Our main course of the night - King Crabs.

Squirts. First time to see and eventually taste them.

I found the crabs very delicious and filling. On the other hand, I found the raw fish and squirt combo too, hmmm, raw for my taste (Blech!). The presentation is superb though.

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel for some ice cream and coffee while watching Korean pop stars invade the world. Slept a little bit over two hours and then was on our way to Soreaksan National Park early the next day.

A Cafe

Chasing Delicious with the girls and we ended up at the A Cafe (Crossroads, Cebu) where we ordered the Roasted Turkey Cobb Salad, Pork Chop (with potato hash & apple butter) and Buttermilk Fried Chicken (with homemade biscuits & coleslaw).

Roasted Turkey Cobb Salad

Pork Chop. This would be my favorite.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Likes: The attentive and friendly staff, the overall look and feel of the place and of course, the food - everything was amazingly delicious.

Verdict: Two things: A bit pricey and you'd have to be ready to wait .. and wait .. because serving could take up to an hour! But because the food is so worth it, A Cafe has always been one of my favorite restaurants. 

Taj Indian Restaurant

The Taj Indian Restaurant (City Time Square, Cebu) is one of the few Indian restaurants we have in the city and probably the most recent one to open. 

I have recently grown a liking for Indian cuisine so when I saw this place, I was excited to try it out. I dragged a friend and we ordered their Roti, Vegetable Samosa, Chicken Kebabs and Aloo Gobi. 

Likes: I thought their starters - Roti and Vegetable Samosa - were good. 

Verdict: The Aloo Gobi had too much gravy and too few potatoes. An authentic Indian Aloo Gobi would be a dry dish. The Kebabs were another disappointment - they were too dry and tasteless. I had high hopes around this particular dish since I enjoyed the Kebabs from another Indian restaurant, the Firozian Indian Tea House. Overall, the food experience wasn't worth the money we paid for. 

Eden Nature Park and Resort

Nature tour around the Park.

Other activities in the Park:

• Skycycle 

• Zipline / Skyrider

• Horseback riding

• Fishing

• Swimming 

Tel Nos: (+6382) 2990313; 2991020

Email: info@edennaturepark.com.ph

Website: www.edennaturepark.com.ph

Hof Gorei Beach Resort

"Hof" is German for Farm. "Gorei" is short for Gregorio. This lovely beach resort in Samal Island is owned and run by a German and his Filipina wife. We booked a night's stay in the resort, not expecting much, considering that the place was not as pricey at around 2,500Php a night compared to the other hotels in the island. But boy, were we wrong!

We had our own personal butler, to start with. I have never had my own personal butler, not even from any other 5-star hotel! Hannah welcomed us, toured us around the resort, served us our breakfast, lunch and dinner. She was amazingly punctual and attentive. All we had to do was ring the bell. 

The resort also had two resident hornbills. One of them was our regular friendly visitor - making sure to invite himself every time we had our meals. 

Our little round hut was just lovely. The room was airconditioned, we had our own fridge and television. We also had our private dining area and wash areas. Absolutely no complaints there. 

The meals were delicious and the presentations were just amazing. I especially loved their Chef's Salad and Pollo al ajillo.

Chef's Salad

Fried Ice Cream

Grilled Burger

 

The resort has free boat transfers to and from the Sta Ana Wharf, Davao City.  
Websites: www.hofgorei-resortdavao.com and https://facebook.com/horgoreisamal
Contact Information: info@hofgorei-resortdavao.com and hofgoreiresortdavao@yahoo.com
+63 9228646814; +63 9177113868; +63 9209667564