Movie Watching 2016

I missed a couple of films that came out earlier this year, including Deadpool. Interstingly enough, the first two movies I saw in 2016 are animated films that feature anthropomorphic animals.

Zootopia

photo from en.wikipedia.org

This Disney movie is easily one of my favorite films in recent history. With its detective thriller storyline that features the ever-popular you-can-be-whatever-you-want-to-be motto, Zootopia sets itself apart from most other animated films with its themes of prejudice and discrimination. As if that wasn't enough, it shows how anyone can easily make judgments about others, even when they don't mean to and even if they have been victims of discrimination themselves. I'm not alone in my admiration of this film. It currently carries a 99% fresh rating in Rotten Tomatoes and many critics have called it one of Disney's best films. It is incredibly smart and well-written, the characters are very well-developed, the animation is top-notch and the imagery is stunning. Oh and its theme song Try Everything by Shakira is also really catchy. :) Zootopia is now one of my favorite animated films of all time and I can't wait to get my hands on the DVD when it gets released.

Kung Fu Panda 3

photo from en.wikipedia.org

Of all three Kung Fu Panda films, this is the one I enjoyed the least. SPOILER ALERT: stop reading here if you don't know to know more about the movie. The animation is still incredibly vibrant (there is that one scene where you can see each individual hairs on Po's and his dad's bodies and I was just thinking, wow, that must have been very complicated to animate). Watching it, I felt a bit underwhelmed. I thought the storytelling of Kung Fu Panda 3 could have been done a bit better. I mean, it wasn't clear how Po figured out how to master chi when in fact it was the rest of the panda community plus Po's adoptive dad and Tigress who actually discovered how to use chi save Po's life. Furthermore, whatever little storytelling the movie had felt a bit rushed. It's still entertaining to watch as it is visually stunning and it has a lot of laughs and fun moments but I do think that this movie is mainly for young kids.

We almost lost our dog

There was a bit of a panic at home recently. I was hanging out with a couple of friends when I got a text from my mom saying that our dog was missing. Apparently, he went out of the house when my brother opened the gate to drive and my nephews said that our dog hadn't come back in more than an hour which never really happens. I suddenly had flashbacks of the time that our other dog went missing and never came back. I tried not to think about it since there was nothing I could do anyway. My mom said that they drove around the neighborhood looking for him but they couldn't see him. They even asked the guards in our subdivision for help.

After some time, I got a text from my mom saying that one of my nephews finally spotted him. It seems he was going around the neighborhood with a female dog and this companionship kept him out for a lot longer than we were used to. He didn't go into our house immediately after my nephew saw him but after about an hour more, he was safely home. While technically he didn't really get lost, I'm just really thankful that our dog is still with us now.

Happy International Macaron Day at TWG

I read online that because of International Macaron Day (yes, apparently this is a thing), TWG was offering a promo for their macarons. I thought the promo was that you could buy 1 box of 6 and get 1 for free on March 20. But while I was in the mall earlier today, I passed by TWG and asked about it and I was told that the information I had was not accurate. Apparently, you can buy their macarons at P30 each (instead of the usual P55) and today, March 19, was the last day of the promo. In fact, the promo should have ended yesterday but TWG decided to extend it. As such, I decided to get a box of 24 for my family.

There were only eight flavors that were still available so I decided to get three of each. The flavors I got (from left column to right column): Napoleon Tea and Caramel (black), Noel in New York Tea and Red Velvet (dark red/maroon), Earl Grey Fortune and Chocolate (beige), Singapore Surprise (yellow), Red Balloon Tea (rose red), Grand Wedding Tea, Passion Fruit and Coconut (purple), Brothers Club Tea and Salted Caramel (dark brown), and Silver Moon Tea, Vanilla and Strawberry (pink).

As if that wasn't enough, I decided to get a small box for myself as well LOL. I could have taken some of the macarons from this box that I intend to give to my family tomorrow but I decided it is better to give them a full box so I got a box of 6 for myself.

I guess this makes up for the time I wasn't able to buy macarons from TWG during their anniversary promo (it was the same set-up with macarons at P30 each). Thankfully they extended it. I suddenly remembered my free macaron from Bizu last year and it was also in late March. As a fan of this French confection, I should take a mental note of International Macaron Day since there always seems to be some promo at this time.

Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel

I stayed at Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel during my short stay there for a variety of reason. I wanted to stay in a beachfront hotel that had lounge chairs on the beach because I planned to spend a lot of time just laying around at the beach while enjoying shakes and reading a book. I also wanted to stay in Station 2 so that I would just be a short walk away from a variety of restaurants. I wanted a hotel with a pool. I also wanted to stay in a really nice hotel, even if it meant that I would spend a lot more.

Boracay Mandarin ticked all the boxes, and when I saw that it ranked very high on Tripadvisor (it is #7 among hotels in Boracay as of this writing), I decided to stay here. Needless to say, I was not disappointed.

I booked a Deluxe room through agoda. When I checked in, I was told that a deluxe room doesn't normally come with a view of the sea but mine came with a partial view. Cool!

Upon entering my room, I could tell why this hotel is rated very highly. It seems to have been designed to make guests feel very welcome and have a completely relaxing stay. It comes with a queen-sized bed and a double bed. At the far end of the room, there's a wicker chair with with leg rest. While it is only 25 sqm, it feels a lot bigger and more spacious than that.

As if the comfortable space inside the room wasn't enough, my room came with balcony.

Since a beachfront location was a requirement for me in my hotel selection, I made sure to enjoy just lounging about at the beach. (I did write previously that I got to read a book during this trip.) The views from my beach chair throughout the day were of course pretty awesome.

I also made sure that I enjoyed the swimming pool. The Boracay Mandarin pool is not very big and it isn't deep either but it suited my needs perfectly. The cool thing about this pool is that there are partially submerged lounge chairs at one corner of the pool.

Thankfully, each time I hit the pool, this area was vacant so I was always able to sit there. Here's the view from these chairs:

All in all, my stay at Boracay Mandarin Island was superb. The service is great, the room is very comfortable, and the location is perfect. I completely understand why it is so highly rated and I may just stay here again the next time I visit, even if it is a bit on the expensive side. If you want to stay in a good hotel during your Boracay stay, I definitely recommend Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel.

[Boracay] Don Vito

Don Vito is where I had my first meal in Boracay. I was a bit tired when I checked into the Boracay Mandarin and I didn't really feel like walking so I ended up just having a late lunch in the main restaurant of the hotel. I ordered the Don Vito Fettuccine with Chicken (P340). Pretty decent portion size and the flavor was not bad. (You can also get this dish with shrimp instead of chicken.)

For dessert, I had the Mint Chocolate Cake (P150). Personally, I thought this looked a whole lot better than it tasted. I think the chocolate part of the cakes was like a crumbly chiffon and texture and density-wise, it didn't work very well with the mint. The dollop of ice cream on top was pretty good though.

Don Vito is also where I had my breakfast (it was included in my room rate) and I thought the selection of breakfast items was pretty good. So while my lunch in Don Vito was just okay, I did enjoy my breakfast here.

[Boracay] Cafe Del Sol

As if my heavy dinner at Epic wasn't filling enough, I made my way to Cafe Del Sol (which is also at D'Mall) to have coffee and dessert. And add a few more pounds. :)

There's a large selection of desserts and sweets here and it took me a while to decide what to get. I knew that I didn't want something too heavy since I was still pretty stuffed.

I ended up choosing the Torta Del Sol (P150), with its interesting checkerboard design. The verdict? It was just okay. The waitress did tell me it was a buttercream dessert but I didn't realize just how, er, "buttercreamy" it would be.

Of course, I was still able to eat the whole thing. :) I paired it with a mug of Cafe Americano (P110). In retrospect, I think the Mango Crepe Indulgence would have been a better choice for me (I was choosing between those two desserts before opting for the one with chocolate). Nevertheless, I do think that Cafe Del Sol is a good place to enjoy coffee while you are in Boracay.

[Boracay] Epic

Epic is a pretty popular place in Boracay because of its location (right at the entrance to D'Mall), its great food, and the fact that it switches to club mode at night.

I worked up an appetite by spending a couple of hours in the sea and in the swimming pool of my hotel and since I had a relatively light lunch, I was pretty famished by dinner time. As such, I decided to order a starter and a main course.

For my appetizer, I got for the Croquettes (P240). These ham and gruyere cheese bites are served with an aioli dipping sauce. Not only was the portion size quite big, the croquettes were delicious! I had to force myself to stop eating them because I wanted to leave room for my main course. I took half of this appetizer back to my hotel and when I ate my leftovers a few hours later, they were still realy good!

For my main course, I had the Bangers and Mash (P360). This sausage and mashed potato combo is perfect comfort food for hungry tummies. And the portion size is pretty solid too.

My dinner at Epic was really good and thoroughly satisfying, which isn't really surprising since the menu was created by Chef Carlos Miguel who has made a name for himself with many popular restaurants in Manila (Draft, 71 Gramercy, Opus). I definitely recommend this place to anyone who wants to enjoy a good meal in Boracay.

[Boracay] Lemoni Cafe

I had breakfast in Lemoni Cafe the last time I was in Boracay in 2011 and I remember enjoying the food here. As such, I decided to pay this restaurant another visit. Lemoni Cafe is located right smack in the middle of D'Mall.   

I had a very late lunch on my second day in Boracay but even then, I still wasn't extremely hungry (maybe it was the heavy buffet breakfast combined with the fruit shakes I had). As such, I decided to get something a bit light and risotto seemed to fit the bill perfectly. I ordered the Grilled tiger prawns, spinach, coconut risotto (P650). This dish is on the expensive side of the menu since most other items were on the P300-500 but oh wow, it was so worth it! This was probably the best meal I had in my short stay in Boracay.

I didn't feel like having any dessert afterwards (and strangely enough, I didn't feel like having coffee either) but they do have a wide selection of cakes, pastries and other baked goodies. This place is also perfect for fans of breakfast food because they have an all-day breakfast section in their menu.

Apart from the food, what I love about this restaurant is the atmosphere, Two of its sides are open, giving it a very airy and inviting atmosphere. Its bright green and white color theme make the place feel more comfortable and refreshing. I will definitely visit this restaurant again the next time I am in Boracay.

[Boracay] La Cozina

La Cozina now stands where the Greek restaurant Zuzuni used to be. (Zuzuni is still around, but now just as a boutique hotel.) Located at the point where Station 1 and Station 2 meet, this beachfront restaurant now serves Spanish-Mexican fare.

I was thinking about getting the Baby Back Ribs but since I knew I wanted dessert, I decided to get something which I felt was a bit lighter. I instead ordered the Pork Belly Porchetta Tacos (P250). They were pretty good although I did find the fat in the pork belly a bit too, er, fatty (I was hoping they would be a bit more crunchy).

Since it was a warm night, I decided to get a glass of sangria. The menu indicates the price of sangria by the pitcher but the waiter told me that I could order a glass. I think the glass cost about P200 and a pitcher costs P650.

I had initially planned to order the Mati Sin for dessert. This is a flourless chocolate lava cake that was part of the Zuzuni menu back in the day (and it was also in the menu of Mati, a Greek restaurant in Rockwell about a decade ago). This dessert is tremendously good but after having my tacos, I felt that maybe the Mati sin would be a bit too heavy for me. I decided instead of get the Churros Con Chocolate (P164).

Each order contains 6 churros and thick and rich chocolate sauce. I partnered it with Long Black coffee (P80). These churros were really good and the chocolate sauce was absolutely delectable. It was too bad I was full already because I was only able to eat half my order (I obviously took the rest back to my hotel but when I had them a few hours later, they weren't as good anymore as they were when they had just been prepared.)

The menu of La Cozina is quite limited and personally, I preferred when it was still Zuzuni and served Greek food. Nevertheless, it was still a satisfying meal and the service was good.

Boracay!

Boracay, we meet again! The last time I visited Boracay was more than four years ago so I was due for a return trip. Knowing that my Ati-Atihan experience would exhaust me, I felt that a couple of days relaxing at the beach would do me well. They certainly did.

This was my first solo trip to Boracay. I chose to stay at the Boracay Mandarin (I will write more about this hotel later), which meant that I was just a short walk from D'Mall and many other restaurants in Station 2. This allowed me to try a lot of different restaurants (I will be writing more about these as well in succeeding posts).

I also managed read a book (my first since Juliet, Naked) during my short vacation. On top of that, I actually finished it in just one day. I can't recall the last time I was able to read an entire book in just one day. Granted, the novel I read, In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami, is only 181 pages long. Gotta say, reading a book by the beach while enjoying fresh fruit shakes is the life. :)

I somehow ended up with a bit of a late-day-early-evening routine while I was there. I would go swimming in the sea shortly before sunset and once it got dark, I would move to the swimming pool of Boracay Mandarin. The water was a bit cool since it was January but I found it very calming.

Of course, no trip to Boracay would be complete without the requisite sunset shot. :)

This vacation turned out to be one of the most restful I've had in a while and it allowed me to regain my equilibrium. Despite being on my own (or maybe precisely because I was on my own), I enjoyed my two-night stay in Boracay tremendously.

Kalibo Ati-Atihan: Final Thoughts and Travel Tips

Here's a summary of my Kalibo and Ati-Atihan posts:

• Kalibo Ati-Atihan
• Sadsad (Street dances and parades)
• Sunday mass and final festivities
• Food tripping: Primavera
• Food tripping: Peil
• Food tripping: Ramboy's
• Accommodations: La Esperanza Hotel
• Final thoughts and travel tips

I'm really happy that I have now been able to attend my first Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo, the city where many of my relatives were born and raised. Being able to experience the annual celebration from which many other festivals got their inspiration was incredible.

Kalibo Cathedral

I'm amazed at the endurance and heat tolerance of the parading tribes. It was tremendously hot when I was in Kalibo, and I can't even imagine how difficult it must have been to dance and parade in oppressive heat while wearing an elaborate costume and being covered in body paint. Or while beating drums - some of them pretty big and heavy - non-stop and with full force. That this is done for hours at a time and many times over the At-Atihan weekend, with many of the participants being children, makes you realize just how big of a deal this festival is to the locals.

I will say this though: if you want to have your photo taken with one of the people parading in costume, it is just more polite and proper to ask them (or at the very least just say you will take a photo with them). I was really put off when I saw some people grabbing random paraders - a lot of them kids - to stop them from moving forward so that these people could take a better photo. It is rude to grab someone else, especially when what they doing is very physically demanding, so please treat the paraders with respect.

Getting around Kalibo
Tricycles are most common and easiest way to get around the city. A tricycle from the airport costs P100 (for one person that's expensive but for a group of people, not really). Within the city, tricycle rides are P8 for short distances. I guess there are jeepneys here as well but I don't know their routes. There are no taxis.

Where to stay
As I wrote in my previous post, during Ati-Atihan, if you want a bit of peace and quiet, La Esperanza Hotel is a very good option. (Be ready to pay about 3-4 times more than you normally would if you plan to visit during the annual festival.) If you want to visit Kalibo at a different time and you want something closer to the plaza, you could stay at Hotel Carmen. If you plan to go to Boracay after your stay in Kalibo, La Esperanza is the best option because it is right next to the Ceres bus terminal, meaning that you can just get on the bus immediately after checking out.

Kalibo to Caticlan (Boracay)
I was told that the best way to travel from Kalibo to Caticlan is by bus from the Ceres bus terminal. Shuttle vans are apparently not very safe because they are driven too fast in the hopes of making more trips from Kalibo to Boracay and back. Aside from more safety, another good thing about riding the bus is that you also have a bit more leg room.

When I got to the Ceres bus station, the Caticlan bus had just left but I only had to wait about 20 minutes for the next one to arrive. (There was actually a non-aircon bus to Caticlan but I wanted to take a bus with aircon so I decided to wait just a little longer). My bus took 1 hour and 45 minute to get to Caticlan and it made only a few stops on the way. It also doesn't wait to be full before it goes, so you don't really lose a lot of time if you choose to travel by bus.

Total cost of my trip from Kalibo to Boracay island via bus: P332

• Bus ride from Caticlan to Kalibo:              P107
• Terminal fee at the Caticlan port:              P100
• Environmental feeat the Caticlan port:         P75
• Boat ride from Caticlan to Boracay:            P25
• Electric tricycle ride on Boracay Island:      P25

After my high energy weekend in Kalibo for Ati-Atihan, I spent two days in Boracay to chill and relax. I will be writing more about that next.

Kalibo: La Esperanza Hotel

I booked a standard room in La Esperanza Hotel along Osmena Avenue. The hotel is a 15-20 minute walk from the Plaza. It is near the rotonda where you can find a Chowking and a Dunkin' Donuts (which is where I got my caffeine fix multiple times during my stay). There's an Andok's right next to the hotel which is open 24 hours I think. There are also many sari-sari stores and a drugstore nearby. (I can't recall which one it was; I think it was Super K?)

The standard double room comes with a queen-sized bed. There's a TV mounted on the wall. The toilet is quite spacious and the shower area has hot water. There is free WiFi in the hotel but the internet speed could be better - I guess maybe there were so many people checked into the hotel during my stay that at certain times of the day, everyone was online.

Note: there are no elevators so if your room is on the 2nd or 3rd floor, you need to use the stairs. This should not be a problem for most people but if you have difficulty going up stairs for whatever reason, you may need to request for a room on the ground floor.

What I realized is that hotel room prices really spike during Ati-Atihan. When I checked the price of a standard room in La Esperanza on a different date, it is around P1,300. During my stay, I had to pay around three times that rate. I will assume this is the same for any other hotel in Kalibo.

La Esperanza is about a one to two-star hotel. During my stay, my room was not cleaned and my towels were not replaced. However, I didn't have any need for my room to be cleaned (I had no trash inside and I was pretty tidy when I was there) and I wanted to conserve water and energy so I didn't want nor need my towels to be replaced. That said, I am guessing that if you want your room cleaned or your towels replaced, you can probably ask them to do it.

I initially thought of staying in a different hotel the next time I go to Ati-Atihan, one that is closer to the plaza. However, I think that La Esperanza is a very good option primarily because its distance from the plaza. This means that you can get some peace and quiet at the end of the day when you feel like it since you won't hear drumbeats all throughout the day and you won't be amidst thick crowds of people all the time. I would definitely recommend La Esperanza as a place to stay in Kalibo.

La Esperanza Hotel
http://www.agoda.com/la-esperanza-hotel/hotel/kalibo-ph.html 
Address: Osmena Avenue, Kalibo
Phone:(036) 262 3989

Food tripping in Kalibo: Ramboy's

Ramboy's came up in a couple of lists I saw online of food places that you shouldn't miss when you are in Kalibo. It is supposed to be known for it's liempo, which is a bit unique because unlike most other liempo dishes, the Ramboy's version has a very crispy crackling skin. When I learned about this, I knew I had to try it.

Ramboy's, like most lechon manok and liempo places (such as Andok's) is primarily a take-out joint. I read online that you can pay an additional P10 to eat in so I had initially planned to do that, but when I got there, no one else was dining in and there seemed to be only one person preparing and selling the food so I ended up just getting an order of liempo for take out.

An order of liempo is P290 but it serves about 3-4 people. I also have to say that it absolutely lived up to the hype. While the meat is good and tasty, the star of this dish is the crackling skin. I don't know how they season it but it not only has a really good crunch to it, it also has a whole lot of flavor.

Since I was by myself in my hotel room, I couldn't eat all of it in one go so I had a third of it for early dinner (around 7pm), another third for a midnight meal (don't worry, I didn't sleep immediately after eating), and the rest I consumed the next morning. What's amazing is that even the next morning, more than 12 hours after I bought the liempo, the crackling skin was still very crispy. I don't know if there is more than one Ramboy's in Kalibo but the one I visited was along Toting Reyes Street, at the corner of N Roldan Street (just one short block away from Roxas Avenue).

Food tripping in Kalibo: Peil

I visited Peil on Saturday afternoon before I joined my relatives for our late afternoon sadsad. It is on the corner of 19 Martyrs and Acevedo Streets, and it is in fact on the same building complex as Primavera (albeit on the opposite side). I saw this place on Friday afternoon and I noticed that the place was packed and they served crepes. I decided this was a perfect place for me to have an afternoon snack.

Peil doesn't only serve crepes; they also have a lot of other items, including savory dishes, on the menu. The challenge I had was that the menu didn't have descriptions of the different crepes. I ended up getting the Red Maisie, which the waiter told me was a strawberry crepe.

Red Maisie crepe (P135)

Red Maisie (P135) is served with a generous drizzle of strawberry sauce and a scoop of strawberry ice cream. It is served with bananas, cream, and surprisingly, cereal! I had never tried crepes served with cereal before and I actually really enjoyed this. The cereal provided a good crunchy, textural contrast and made this sweet snack even more satisfying.

The downside of Peil is that they don't serve coffee, not even instant. I ended up ordering softdrinks to go with my crepe. While I do wish they had brewed coffee in this place, the crepe I had was really good so I wouldn't mind visiting this place again to try the other crepes on their menu.

Food tripping in Kalibo: Primavera

While in Kalibo for Ati-Atihan, I found time to try a few restaurants and food places in the city.

Primavera is at the corner of 19 Martyrs and G. Ramos Streets, just a couple of blocks away from the plaza. I ended up having lunch here on Saturday because I was looking for a place to have lunch and almost all places I saw were full. Primavera was also full but just as I passed by, a table became available so it became a logical and easy choice for me to eat here.

I ordered the Penne Rosa pasta (P252). It was pretty good, quite similar to the Penne Rosa of Amici.

It was while having lunch here that I saw the parades in full costume passing by so I decided to finish my pasta and not have any coffee and dessert, which was what I had originally planned. As such, I returned to Primavera the next day after having lunch with my relatives on Sunday so that I could get my caffeine fix. This time, I ordered a Cafe Americano and a slice of Sans Rival. (Total bill for both was P200, I guess each item was around P100; unfortunately, I lost the receipt.)

Overall, this is a place to have a meal, with is tasty food, good portion It has great ambience (I prefer sitting outdoors as the interior of the restaurant has a tendency to smell a bit like the smoke from all the food that was cooked during the day). They also don't have any service charge. If you are looking for Western cuisine and good coffee near the plaza, this is a good place for you.