[Throwback] El Nido, Palawan

I had been hearing about how beautiful El Nido was and that it has fantastic (albeit pricey) resorts that are perfect when you want to get away from the world and regain your equilibrium. So when I had the opportunity to stay in Lagen for a few days many years ago, I decided to take it.

Lagen Resort in El Nido, Palawan

I shared my plans with some friends and one of them, Mitch, decided to join me. She took her family with her. I also had a Belgian friend and colleague, Jef, who was in town at the time and he also decided to join us.

I went a bit (a lot?) fancy with my accommodations and I got the Water Cottage, which is built on stilts over the sea. The room is spacious and very comfortable, with a balcony that provides an amazing view of the ocean.

Water Cottage

This trip turned out to be a mix of relaxation and outdoor activities, all of which were included in the package. One of the more interesting things I did was to walk through the forest, from one side of the island to the other.

Hiking through the forest, from one side of the island to the other

Once we got there, we found a couple of kayaks were waiting for us. We got on the kayaks and paddled all the way around the island and back to the resort facilities. That was such a memorable experience!

Kayaking around Lagen Island

We also did some island-hopping where we got to see some fantastic lagoons.

We were also taken to the Lagen Wall, which got its name because it was featured in an episode of the Amazing Race.

The Lagen Wall was featured in the Amazing Race

The evenings were a lot more chill. Mitch and her family would normally retire to their room after we had dinner so during the evenings, Jef and I would hang out in the recreation room, watching DVDs (although I can't recall what movies we watched). All our meals were included in the package but I don't think drinks were, so we didn't really drink a lot during the evenings.

photo of the resort in the evening, taken by my friend Jef

We only stayed there for 3 days and 2 nights but it was thoroughly enjoyable and I'm happy I got to go there with my friends. Writing about this trip to El Nido and the one I took to Busuanga (which I wrote about in my previous post) reminds me how much I love Palawan. It's been about two decades since I was last there so I think I should plan another visit there soon.

[Throwback] Busuanga, Palawan

Back in 2004, a friend of mine invited me to join his friends on a trip to Busuanga in Palawan. At that point, I hadn't been to Palawan yet but I had always wanted to go. Naturally, I accepted his invite. We stayed at Maricaban Bay, which I believe was like a sister resort of Club Paradise. (I can't seem to find Maricaban Bay Resort online anymore but I think it rebranded and changed its name to El Rio Y Mar.)

Maricaban Bay Resort in Busuanga

It was a memorable trip for many reasons. First, the snorkeling and island-hopping. Part of our stay there included getting to spend a day at Club Paradise. Apparently, the snorkeling around that resort is fantastic. We started out by snorkeling on one side of the island. It was relatively deep and our guide pointed out a sea turtle at the sea floor. Cool! We continued swimming until we got to a section filled with a wide variety of fish and incredible corals. Before we knew it, we had gotten to the other side of the island.

Beach at Club Paradise

As if that wasn't enough, on another day, we were taken to a small island. We were told to just swim out from the shore so we did. Just maybe fifty meters away from the beach, the water seemed to be about 30 meters deep already (or more). The sun was up and the skies were clear, which meant we could see all the way to the bottom of the sea. And I gotta say, that snorkeling experience was quite possibly the best I have ever had. There must have been thousands of fishes swimming about in that area! The variety was absolutely astounding. And we're not talking about minuscule fish here, we're talking about good-sized, vibrantly-colored fishes! It was like an incredible kaleidoscope under the sea! We would most likely have continued snorkeling there and enjoying the visual feast underwater if not for what seemed to be a very territorial triggerfish that kept swimming ominously close to us and darting about in a seemingly menacing fashion. At some point, we all got worried that it might just bite us so we swam back to shore. But that snorkeling experience (as well as the one we had at Club Paradise) continues to live in my head rent-free to this day.

The snorkeling around this small island was the best I've ever experienced!

We also got to visit Calauit Game Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary. While there, we got to see a few African animals such as giraffes and zebras out in the wild. We also got to see some local fauna such as the Philippine mousedeer, the Palawan bearcat, and wild boars.

Feeding a giraffe in Calauit

Our food during that trip was also pretty good. As far as I recall, all our meals were part of our package, including the lunch we had at Club Paradise and the amazing beach picnic buffet that was prepared for us during our island-hopping day.

Gorgeous Busuanga sunset

I went to Palawan two more times shortly after that. I wrote about my trip to Coron back in 2006 and I will write about my visit to El Nido in my next post.

Rediscovering Paul Boulangerie

Several years ago, I tried Paul Boulangerie for the first time and I enjoyed it. In fact, I got to visit Paul a few more times after that. However, after those first few visits, I didn't get to go back. That is, until this year. I was looking for a place to have brunch when I passed by Paul. It had been such a long time since I last ate there that I decided to get a table. I ordered the Potato Pancake Mushroom (P450), a warm potato pancake with freshly sauteed mushrooms, garlic, onion, parmesan cheese, and parsley. It's served with a small side salad. As soon as I put the first forkful into my mouth, I instantly loved it!

Potato Pancake Mushroom

That visit a few months ago reminded me that, while Paul is not cheap, I really do like the food here. And they have a pretty extensive menu with many items that appeal to me. I decided then to try and visit this place more frequently, especially if I wanna splurge and treat myself to a good meal. Shortly after that visit, I found myself dining at Paul again a few weeks later. This time, I ordered the Crepe with Chicken and Mushrooms (P375). It's a crepe with freshly sauteed mushrooms with chicken breast cubes, emmental cheese, and bechamel. This was really, really good! I also loved the Provencale tomato that it was served with.

Crepe with Chicken and Mushrooms

My third visit came shortly after that. This time, I ordered the Omelet Complete (P450). a 3-egg omelet with farmer's ham, sauteed mushrooms, potatoes, and emmental cheese. It is served once again with the Provencale tomato that I love and a side salad. I decided to get some dessert to go with my omelet and I chose the Crepe with Chocolate and Chantilly, a thin French pancake with Paul's chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

Omelet Complete and Crepet with Chocolate and Chantilly

At that point, almost everything I had ordered had been something that people would normally have for breakfast or brunch. On my fourth trip, I decided to get a main course. Christmas is coming up and I had worked long and hard this year so I decided to go a bit over-the-top and get the Beef Bourguignon (675), which is slow-cooked braised beef in red wine sauce. I partnered it with French Onion Soup (P400).

Beef Bourguignon and French Onion Soup

Aside from having great food, Paul also serves good coffee. There are still so many items on their menu that I want to try. I figure the reason why I stopped going to Paul was because it's quite expensive. However, I worked really hard (and I'd also like to think really smart) this year so I thought it would be fitting to reward myself with several good meals as the year comes to a close. I really do love Paul Boulangerie so I will surely visit this place again.

Retiring my Quarantine Stories Series

I started my Quarantine Stories blog posts during the early months of the pandemic and when the Metro Manila was still under Enhanced Community Quarantine. I've kept at it since we are technically still in the midst of a pandemic and I don't think there was ever any official declaration that Philippines is not under an alert level anymore. However, I do acknowledge that while Covid continues to be a threat, life has started to be somewhat (a lot?) like it was before the pandemic. In fact, masks are no longer required in the country, except in health facilities and when using public transportation. (That said, while I've seen many people walking around without masks, majority still do.) As such, this will be my last post that has Quarantine Stories in the blog post title.

I got a new Fitbit badge: Italy! I have now walked a total of 1,184 kilometers - the entire length of Italy - which also means that I am averaging 6.93 kilometers per day. It has gone down since my last badge but walking almost 7km a day is still pretty incredible.

My Fitbit Italy Badge

I also had a craving for sopas recently since it was raining and it had been a while since I last enjoyed this dish. I tried searching online for places where I could order it and I discovered Merienda by Pan De Manila. Soon after my initial craving, I visited Merienda in Santolan Town Plaza to order a tub of sopas that was good for about 5-6 people. At P650, I think it's pretty good value. I ended up enjoying sopas for a few days.

Shortly after having brunch with my friends at Denny's in Eastwood, I met up with them again, but this time with Jeof at his home in Las Pinas. He said he was bummed out that he wasn't able to join our brunch so he invited us to his house for his birthday. He told us to bring some games. Migs and Diann couldn't stay so they just had lunch before heading to their prior appointment in Makati but Case, Cara, and I hung out with Jeof until the late evening. I brought my Splendor and we played a couple of rounds of it before we played Cluedo. I really do enjoy playing Cluedo; the last time I played it was also with them (and it was also Case's copy).

Speaking of board games, I got to play with my friends Cla, Kat, and Drew recently. While we wanted a few more people to join us, most of our other friends were unavailable. I taught them Rococo, which they enjoyed (Kat and Drew had played it before but Cla played it for the first time). We also played 7 Wonders. It has been ages since I last played this game and I still absolutely love it. I'm glad Kat asked me to bring my copy because she really wanted to play it.

My Rococo Board Game (photo taken by Cla)

On the downside, I got sick. I was initially worried that it was Covid because I had many of the symptoms but thankfully, I tested negative. My doctor told me I had an upper respiratory tract infection. Interestingly enough, I was in worse shape from this illness than I was when I got Covid earlier in the year. To make things worse, I also chipped the crown of one of my teeth. I now need to try and visit a dentist to have it repaired. However, with the Christmas season coming up, I am not sure if I can schedule a dental appointment anytime soon. Thankfully, my tooth doesn't really hurt.

Disney+!

I'm so happy Disney+ is now in the Philippines!

I've actually been quite bummed for a while now because Disney+ wasn't available here. Since Star Wars and Marvel are now part of Disney, there are so many movies and series that I want to see to which I don't have access. I became even more frustrated when Disney bought Fox because all the Fox channels disappeared from Sky Cable and many of the shows I watch were on Fox.

As such, when the news broke about Disney+ being available in the Philippines, I became really excited. After checking the packages, I immediately told my family not to subscribe anymore because I was going to the get the premium subscription and share it with them (premium allows installation in up to 7 devices and 4 simultaneous users). A friend shared a GCash promo, offering a 22% discount for payments made before the official launch on November 17 so I naturally snatched it up.

A great surprise was that Disney+ actually became available on Nov 16, a day before their supposed launch date. Once my friend told me it was available, I installed it in my phone and in my Smart TV. The first thing I watched? Return of the Jedi haha. I really am a Star Wars fan!

I had many things to do at home over the last few days so I couldn't watch stuff I hadn't seen yet. Instead, I decided to play films I had seen before: Aladdin, the Emperor's New Groove, Incredibles 2, and Cars. I did find enough time to see Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings which was fun to watch. I'm also really happy that one of my favorite TV shows, 9-1-1, is on. Yahoo! I can now catch up on the seasons that weren't shown in the Philippines in the last couple of years.

There are so many things I want to see, including Star Wars series like The Mandalorian and Andor, Disney shows like Raya and the Last Dragon and The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, and Pixar movies like Soul and Onward, among many others. There's no rush to see everything, though. I'm just really happy Disney+ is finally here.

My Lazada 11.11 Haul: Kiehl's

My big purchase this 11.11: Kiehl's!

My entire stash of Kiehl's products, including all freebies

It started when I noticed some pretty deep lines under my eyes recently. I had been using a facial cream somewhat regularly since the start of the year and while it helped address my dryness, I still developed these lines. I started researching about products that could help with this problem and I discovered the Powerful-Strength Dark Circle Reducing Vitamin C Eye Serum of Kiehl's. I looked up how to use it and saw this YouTube video that recommended using the eye serum with a couple of other Kiehl's products, specifically the Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate and the Super Multi-Corrective Anti-Aging Cream.

My order was packed in this nice Kiehl's box

I then searched for these on Lazada and saw that (1) they were available, (2) there were promos for the products I wanted that granted a lot of freebies, and (3) Kiehl's had a special 11.11 promo that provided an additional 28 items for free for the first thirty customers who purchased a certain (large) amount worth of products on November 11. Wow!

While I initially planned on purchasing just a few items, the special promo felt too good to pass up. I then decided to stock up on the products that I was interested in and to buy a few more items that I would give as Christmas gifts to help me reach the target value. I saved everything in my cart and once midnight struck, I placed my order, hoping I would be one of the first thirty customers to get the massive set of freebies. Thankfully, I was!

Freebie for the first 30 customers: a Kiehl's advent calendar

The freebies turned out to be a Kiehl's advent calendar that included 24 different products, along with 4 extra items. The advent calendar itself was really nice and I kept the packaging because it would be nice to place under a Christmas tree for decorative purposes.

The advent calendar contains 24 random Kiehl's products stored in cool, Christmas-themed boxes

I still have some facial cream and so as not to waste anything, I decided to fully consume what I already have before using my new Kiehl's products. I expect to use up my current facial cream by the end of the year so I guess my New Year's resolution will be to adopt a new skincare routine.

Megalovania (from the Undertale Video Game)

I discovered this song by Toby Fox while going down a rabbit hole of YouTube videos one night haha. The moment I heard it, I instantly liked it. It's very catchy! I'm not even familiar with the Undertale video game but I've already added Megalovania to my Spotify playlist and have been listening to it a lot. Check it out:

video uploaded in YouTube by Game Guard

Antipodean

I passed by Antipodean a few (many?) times in the past and each time I did, I always thought it looked interesting. On one recent Saturday morning, I wanted to have brunch and I thought this would be a good place to try. When I'm hungry, I tend to order big breakfasts in places that serve some version of it and my first visit here was no exception. I ordered the Big Breakfast (P499), which comes with a choice between bacon and sausage (and if you choose sausage, you also need to decide if you want pork, beef, or chicken), breaded mushrooms, scrambled eggs, hash brown, toast, and a side salad. I particularly enjoyed the scrambled eggs which were quite silky and creamy.

Big Breakfast

I enjoyed my first trip here so soon after that, I paid it another visit. In my subsequent visit, I ordered the Eggs Benedict with Bacon Deluxe (P549). It's like a grilled bacon and cheese sandwich with poached eggs on top. This was also really good!

Eggs Benedict with Bacon Deluxe

The interior is charming and cozy. The restaurant is covered but open-air so it doesn't have air conditioners (or at least none that I noticed). However, there are fans all around and both times I was there, it felt cool and comfortable. Their menu is very extensive, with a truckload of options from a variety of cuisines.

The menu is written on the wall

There are so many more dishes that I would love to try here. I will surely visit this place again in the future.

Antipodean in Legazpi Village, Makati

Antipodean

https://antipodeancoffee.com/index.php/cafes/antipodean-philippines

Legazpi Street corner Gil Street, Legazpi Village, Makati