Batad Rice Terraces

Being the "Impulsive Traveler" of the group, let me share one of our "impulsive" trip of the year.

Batad Rice Terraces.

It's actually a long drive from Manila. Almost 8 hours of trip (including the time that we had a wrong turn and went to Isabella), ten thousand zig-zags and millions of trees. All in all, our butt hurts and our car had and additional more or less 1K in our mileage.

From Banaue, you should see signs going to Batad. It was raining when we went there and we didn't know that the road going to the Saddle Point is actually a very VERY rough road, and SUPER muddy. So, for the other travellers, I SUGGEST to not bring your car and leave it at the Banaue Tourism Office or better yet to leave it to a nearest restaurant at Banaue and rent a tricycle (300php per tricycle 4max) or jeepney (depends on the driver, we talked to one of them it's like 1800-2000php per jeep).

Arriving at the Saddle Point, it's actually a 1-2 hours of walking going to the Batad Proper (the city in the middle of the picture above). The view during the walking time is so beautiful. You can't just describe it's beauty, you have to see it to appreciate it. We were lucky that it's the harvest season, mas green!!! :)

Accomodations at the Batad Proper is cheap. Around 300php per pax, all the comfort rooms are for sharing. Don't expect too much for the service since it's a province. No aircons, and sometimes no fans. Don't worry, you wont need fans for this trips, so cold! Foods and drinks are costly since bringing those stuff takes a lot of walking.

Sadly, we weren't able to go to the famous falls here at Batad, since the group decided to go to Baguio instead. Maybe next time. :)

till my next trip,

Anne

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Craving for what?

We want burger. We want steak. We want pasta. Ugh!!!

It's not PMS guys, I'm just craving and it's normal! Searching the vast area of Makati was and also is never easy. Especially when you're craving for different types of foods. As we walk around Greenbelt 2 we saw Tender Bob's. We immediately went inside and took a seat cause we're that hungry. After reading the menu, we placed our orders and waited patiently. Yes. Patience is a virtue.

One by one, the orders finally came.

Hefty servings of three viands good for two persons. We're not monsters, we're just hungry and good eaters.

The Baked Ziti is amazing, the serving is so many that we think we got more than what we paid for! Penne pasta with bolognese sauce and cream and cheese sauce. Need I say more?

Baked Ziti, 205php

I love this burger. I really really like it! As in super! It's the best of the three meals we've ordered. 1/3 burger pattie, cheese and of course lotsa bacon with fries on the side. Look at the cheese!! Heaven.

Bacon Cheese Burger, 350php

Lastly, my least favorite among the three, we forgot the name and when I searched the web for the menu, it's not there. It's a steak that's already ripped off by its bone and somewhat softer than the usual steaks.

*I forgot the name and the price, sorry :(

The Verdict

A scrumptious feast of all the foods I craved that night and overall, it's a 9/10 score (blame the *insert name steak*, haha). Seriously though, I really enjoyed the pasta and the burger. The pasta is very creamy and the taste is mild, right portion of bolognese, cream and cheese sauce. Being a burger fanatic does not mean I'm being biased with my verdict but the burger is really juicy inside and the melted cheese and bacon is a right combination. It doesn't really need additional sauce because it's already yummy plus the fries is a perfect compliment to the meal. Though a little pricey, it's menu prices is a little like Burgoo or Chili's but it is worth a try.

Tender Bob's

Greenbelt 2

Ayala Center, Makati City

http://www.tenderbobs.com/menu.html 

-Arge

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A Trip to Mercato

Last month, I’ve been to Mercato two times. In these previous hangouts, I’ve tried a variety of foods just to say that I maximize each trip to this food market. On the first spree, I only ate at Big Bob’s. Yes, it’s also the one in Banchetto which my taste buds’ been longing to savour and after nearly 10 months, I saw its stall in Mercato. Rejoice! Rejoice!

My first time to try their burger is during last year’s 11-11-11 event in Banchetto which is by the way jam packed because of the Wishing Lanterns Parade. After that incident, I’ve been craving to get another taste of their delightful burger but unfortunately, I can’t find time to visit the said food market.

Luckily, during my last visit last month in Mercato, I finally got to see and buy the BURGER.

Big Bob's Super Special, 180php

The burger is a combination of 1/3 ground beef single pattie, bacon, cheddar cheese, fresh vegetables and mozarella inside the pattie! What a surpise. Spell Y-U-M-M-Y!

*Pardon for the bad photography, I was so hungry that time that I just immediately took a picture of it. :)

For the second trip in Mercato, I choose to eat light cause I'm not that hungry when we went there. All in all, these are our food choices:

From left to right: Spring rolls, Jalapeno with cheese, barbecue, hotdog and stuffed pizza. My favorite treat of the night is the Jalapeno with cheese. I'm not a chili fanatic nor hater but I just want to try it for fun and as luck would have it, it became my favorite!!!

For desserts, this is the highlight of the night!

And the winner is.. *drum rolls please* SEA SALT CARAMEL!!!

The Verdict
Going in a food market which you're unfamiliar of, is like a trial and error analysis. You got to experiment to determine which is good, which is bad or which is so-so. But fortunately, most stalls there offer free food taste! Which I think if most stalls(especially my favorite ones) offer this kind of privilege, I would no longer have to buy from them cause for sure I would get full just by tasting most of them. Haha just kidding. Though seriously, it's one of the best experience you'll ever had because you'll got to taste different kind of foods not offered in fast food chains.

Mercato Food Market
corner of 9th avenue and 30th street, Bonifacio Global City
The Fort, Taguig City
http://www.mercatocentrale.ph/

-Arge

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H&M Stores in Hong Kong

Hello fashion lovers! Since the H&M franchise is taking too long in the Philippines, why not head to Hong Kong?  Drop by any of these H&M Stores NOW.

Hong Kong Side


H&M CityplazaMTR Taikoo StationOpening Hours:Mon - Thu : 10:30 AM - 10:00 PMFri - Sun : 10:30 AM - 10:30 PM

H&M Central68 Queen's Road CentralCentral, Hong KongOpening Hours:Mon - Sat : 10:30 AM - 10:00 PMSun : 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM


Kowloon Side


H&M Tsim Sha TsuiSilvercord, Tsim Tsa TsuiOpening Hours:Mon - Sun : 10:30 AM - 11:00 PM
H&M ElementsKowloon Station- Tsim Sha Tsui+852-21968391 Mon - Sun 10:30 AM - 10:00 PM
H&M Olympian CityOlympic Station- Tai Kok Tsui, KowloonOpening Hours:Mon - Sun : 10:30 AM - 10:00 PM
H&M Langham PlaceMong Kok Station- KowloonOpening Hours:Mon - Sun : 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
H&M Festival WAlkKowloon Tong Station- KowloonOpening HoursMon - Sun :  11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
H&M Plaza HollywoodDiamond Hill Station- KowloonOpening Hours:Mon - Sun : 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM


New Territories


H&M Metro City PlazaPo Lam Station- Tseung Kwan OOpening Hours:Mon - Sun : 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
H&M Megabox38 Wang Chiu Road- Kowloon BayOpening Hours:Mon - Sun : 10:30 AM - 10:30 PM
H&M New Town PlazaShop 457, Phase I- Sha TinOpening Hours:Mon - Sun : 10:30 AM - 10:30 PM
H&M TMT Plaza- Tuen Mun, N.T.Opening Hours:Mon - Sun : 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

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Enchanted River

Enchanted River at Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur is one of the hidden paradises in our country. It displays a blue green water that makes you think how wonderful our country is.

Going to the Enchanted River is kinda hard because of the rough road, but once you get through it, the river welcomes you with a great big hug and a refreshing scenery.

They already have cottages and tents in the vicinity of the river. They also have stores outside (means there's an entrance fee) which could cook lunch for you if you want to. You could also bring your own food but forget all your electronics because the power sockets are limited. There's also a common comfort room, changing rooms for boys and girls, and an artesian well for the source of water. It would be fun if you bring your own "tabo" because there's no shower. But hey, the destination is not the accomodation but the river itself. So once you get there, dive in. Try to reach the floor (your ears might pop!) and try to be not afraid of the fishes... they swim with you.

Speaking of fishes, there are fishes in the water which the community feeds every now and then. Fish feeding in the Enchanted River is scheduled, if you want to see the big fishes below you should time your arrival to the river. You could also go snorkling if you want to see the fishes, but the depth of the river makes it hard for the people to see the fishes becuase they hide at the bottom of the river.

The water of the river is a mix of salt and fresh water and very cold. It also has a small current so you should add a little effort with the swimming to reach the other side of the river. You could rent snorkling gears and life vests if you want. Life vests are a must for those who don't know to swim but because of the water content, floating is just easy.

I could describe the river as long as I want to.. but let the pictures tell you how amazing the Enchanted River is.

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