tourism | beyond toxicity

Posts Tagged ‘tourism

May

HERITAGE WING OF E&O PENANG

Poolside, Heritage Wing, Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang, Malaysia

It was one of the very first places in George Town, Penang that I saw, together with my colleagues a few days after we’re brought to Malaysia from the Philippines to work as a Medical Lecturers some time in 2010. I found Eastern & Oriental Hotel Penang’s Heritage Wing with Old-World-charm, utterly regal and remarkably elegant. Seeing its majestic and historic structures was already a huge treat for me back then. I never thought that I’ll have a chance to walk inside its beautiful suites with my family, more so, experience and appreciate its unparalleled service and world-class amenities when we stayed in one of its Corner Suites at its Victory Annexe Wing.

The very elageant lobby of E&O, Penang -Heritage Wing

“The Heritage Wing is the historical heart of the Eastern & Oriental Hotel. Built in 1885, its Moorish minarets and soaring echo-dome lobby provide the backdrop for khaki-clad doormen and pith-helmeted bellhops to welcome guests to its 100 elegant suites.

Indeed, over its century-and-a-quarter history, the E&O’s Heritage Wing has played host to some of the world’s most celebrated artists, writers and heads of state.

Attended to by the E&O’s legendary butler service, each suite offers the perfect invitation to step back into the refined elegance and colonial grandeur of a golden age.” ~via www.eohotels.com

My family, Tina & Gabby at the lobby, E&O Hotel Penang, Heritage Wing

My family and I were very pleased to be ushered inside a few suites at the E&O Heritage Wing and Victory Annexe Wing. We truly enjoyed every minute of the hotel tour as it doesn’t happen ordinarily to everyone, so we really felt privileged and grateful.

Imagine our excitement upon riding the century-old lift. With all its fixtures and buttons to press that are astronomically far from being modern, it seemed we stepped back in time and traveled through history in a blink. The feeling was similar to being on the set of one of the Harrie-Potter-movies; more than magical it was surreal!

We felt younger than Gabby’s during that few second-ride on the lift

The first we visited was the Heritage Wing’s Deluxe Suite. This 58-square-meter-sea view suite has separate living area, bedroom and luxurious bathroom.

I found it perfect for businessmen or professionals who travel either with a small family or solo, who prefer something classical and historic.

For someone who’s looking for a sophisticated and relaxing stay in a more spacious room at the Heritage Wing, the Writers’ Suites, definitely are an excellent choice! Spanning an area that’s not usual for a hotel room, this oversized 135-square-meter-sea-view suite has a living area, dining lounge with a bar and a guest restroom. We’re able to see one of the Writers’ Suites that was named after Rudyard Kipling. Its bathroom includes a claw and ball long bath tub with separate shower stall equipped with “His” and “Her” hand basins.

The bed looks certainly delicious!

This suite’s balcony gives you a sweeping view of the Malacca Strait and a feel of Europe when you’re in Asia.

En route back to Victory Annexe, we were generously asked if we would like to take the stairs rather than the more modern lift to go down. The kind staff opened one door that gave us the chance to see this lovely chandelier that hangs over the ceiling all the way down to the ground floor and can be best appreciated when descending from the stairs. Obviously, my family and I decided to take the lift going down but we didn’t lose the chance of photographing that gorgeous chandelier amidst the wooden winding stairs.

Tucked in one of the corners of E&O’s Heritage Wing is its library. The library houses a couple of flat-screen computer units with free and fast wifi access. What gives the room its E&O appeal is the use of very handsome leather seats and wooden furnitures. We liked it a lot actually. It’s a fusion of something old and something new.

Past & Present Fusion : Computers and century-old-stylish-furniture. Lovely pair, isn’t it?

The Library, Heritage Wing, E&O

A necessary gym with sauna is also installed in the Heritage Wing, strategically located near the swimming pool to encourage guests to keep fit and healthy. Another fitness room was built at the Victory Annexe Wing for its guests’ convenience.

Fitness Room, Heritage Wing, E&O.

The doors at the gym and from the lobby generously open to the courtyard and swimming pool with a gorgeous view of the Malacca Strait and a well manicured garden. This area of Heritage Wing is very relaxing and soothing.

After a few minute-stroll at the courtyard of the Heritage Wing, we were led back to the Victory Annexe Wing.

The Lobby, Victory Annexe Wing, Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang. Modern yet with a hint of grandeur during the colonial British era.

Our eyes were soon mesmerized by the classy interiors and outstanding amenities of Superior Suite at the Victory Annexe Wing. Each of the 55-square-meter Superior Suite has a balcony that either offers a city view or a more preferred sea view, luxurious marble bathroom with twin vanity counters.

With E&O Hotel Penang, either in Heritage Wing or the newly restored Victory Annexe Wing, all guests are absolutely pampered with high-quality-amenities, warm and friendly service; provided with full access to enjoy a fabulous holiday or savor a special occasion while delighting in a very impressive and a pleasurable stay.

Eastern & Oriental Hotel | 10 Lebuh Farquhar, 102oo Penang, Malaysia | www.e-o-hotel.com

This E&O Blog Series includes :

Special thanks to E&O Hotel Penang, to Ms. Eileen Chong and Mr. Criz Lai.

PS : If you must know, E&O provides a guide map of the Heritage Trail of one of UNESCO’S World Heritage Sites, George Town, and it’s conveniently located at the reading nook at the suite, but you can also read my blog post, My Mini Guide to George Town Penang. Thanks!

*While this is a sponsored blog post, the words are all mine unless quoted, and were never influenced by anyone.

Apr

MELAKA MEMORIES : MALACCA RIVER CRUISE

By docgelo 19 Comments

*Ornate details of the elegantly handsome Victoria Regina fountain in front of Christ Church Melaka

The words on the tip of the fountain (not in photo) reads:

“Victoria Regina 1837-1901, erected by the people of Malacca in memory of a great Queen 1904.”

In so many ways, Melaka is as a family-friendly destination. Along with her heritage trail that preserved colonial structures from her historic past, is a bunch of modern attractions from theme parks to charming coffee shops and teeming with food stalls and eateries and night bazaars and whatnot, that effortlessly appeal to all ages. I must admit, Tina, Gabby and I were happy with our entire experience despite the fact that our three-day-two-night-family-trip was so unplanned, without hotel reservation and a limited budget at hand, everything surprisingly went smoothly and what really mattered most :

we all had fun!

In case you missed the previous posts on this series : On the afternoon of Black Saturday of 2013, we found ourselves in Malacca instead of crossing the southern Malaysian border on foot to revisit Singapore for a supposed sponsored trip (which was rescheduled last minute to fourth week of May due to unforseen circumstances; we cannot wait!). Cliche as it may sound, it was truly a blessing in disguise as we finally discovered Melaka; we loved every moment we spent there to bits.

One of the highlights of our short break to one of Malaysia’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, was embarking on the touristy boat ride via the Malacca River Cruise.

*Doing that touristy thing!

Before we rode the boat for that famous river cruise, we paid an almost obligatory visit to the iconic landmark, the Dutch Protestant, Christ Church Melaka…

*Arguably, one of the most photographed places in entire Malaysia, the Christ Church Melaka

We admired that Queen Victoria fountain in front of the church…

And never missed to take tons of photos, of course (oh, one of those things we do best! lol).

*Heavily armed and dangerous! lol

*Happy we were here!

Christ Church Melaka, the Clock Tower and the Stadhuys Museum that was previously the administrative office, all in terracotta red color make up the Dutch Square or Red Square.

After quick homage to those must-visit-spots, we walked our way to the jetty where ticket booth to the Melaka River Cruise is located.

*I love this photo! While my lovely wife was ever ready for a close up, our adorable son’s busy with munching! Behind my family are another tourist drawers to Melaka -those overly adorned trishaws!

Few steps more, et voila! The area where the 45-minute-river-cruise starts. No, we didn’t ride that galleon ship, hahaha! I wish!

We bought 15 rinngit per adult tickets and 7 ringgit per kid. This is Malaysia so admission rates are higher foreigners. No further questions.

Finally, we had a glimpse our ride…

It was our first time in Melaka and I was the most excited. “Hey, wait, honey, Gabby. Picture!”

The sight reminded me of the title of a movie of my youth, ”A River Runs Through It.”

All aboard! Here we go!

The boat passed under several pedestrian bridges that were vividly lighted by greens, blues and a few more hues at dusk.

“On your right is the St. Francis Church…. on your left is….this…and that…” heard from the recorded tour commentaries. With a reasonable price for the tour, I could not hope for a better interactive and live tour guiding. Or perhaps, there’s a boat with an actual tour guide but we had it otherwise.

Moving on, the river is cleaner than I expected. I personally liked the presence of few pedestrian bridges that link streets along the river. Even delighted with the fact that no bridge was built the same. Each has its own design and character.

River trees and mangroves keep the river alive.

Here’s hoping the authorities could do more efforts in maintaining cleanliness in and along the river.

Read somewhere that Melaka River was called, “Venice of the East.” Wow! Thankfully, it didn’t stink. Keep up the cleanliness, please!

Major attractions to the Malacca River Cruise were the colorful murals on the shop houses and inns and restaurants and residential and commercial buildings along the waters. It was something we had not seen before! Beautiful!

Spot the following : Vegetables, Moon Cake, Dim Sums, Rafflesia…

Look, there’s a monorail!

Monorail by the river. Amazing!

The 45-minute-10-kilometer-river cruise could also be a hop-on, hop-off for passengers as there are a few jetties at one side. One group of tourist from our boat decided to alight after the boat took a turn at the river’s end to go back from where we started.

And it’s true that the best way to experience Malacca River Cruise is between 6 to 7PM (or onwards) when the sky starts to become blue. If you must know, sun down in Malaysia comes after 7:30PM or so.

May not be a perfect photo but would love to share!

I’m guessing, this is the Eye of Malacca…

Passed under those well-lit pedestrian bridges…

More murals…

Blurry and imperfect and I’m so embracing it!

Red, red, red!

Then my family and I opted to hop off just in front of Christ Church Melaka in the Dutch Square…

Eenie minie miny moe…

There were a choices of restaurants and coffee shops on both sides of the river that apparently offer a romatic ambiance at night. I asked Tina if she wanted to have a dinner in any of those but she thought it might be more costly. We didn’t waste time and strolled our way to the nearby Jonker Street (I’ll have a separate blog post about it).

For now, here’s a glimpse of Jonker Street…

In my opinion, the Malacca River experience is never complete if one only saw her beauty from the boat. The river is totally different when the sun is up! Murals provide you another perspective at daytime.

Oops, do you see those dilapidated walls on the photo below? Something’s crying out loud for an urgent and careful restoration!

Small inns and guesthouses for backpackers (If we only knew they’re here!), mini-groceries and eateries are where the murals on. We spotted a mini-pasar (mini-mart) and had some thirst-quenchers. Look at us, mag-ama, tambay sa Melaka! lol

I was saddened by the sight that my most favorite mural along the Malacca River was dilapidated too! Authorities, when can you restore this?

Had we known that guesthouses and inns are what most of these painted walls are made of, we could’ve spent our two nights in one of them.

Stroll. Pause. Smile. Picture. Repeat. It’s a vicious yet happy cycle! Therapeutic actually! :D

The Malaccans know how to do it! Look at these orchids and other blooms and greens! Bravo!!!

Food murals along the Melaka River. Nice!

Photos, more photos!!!

My favorite mural, that Chinese Lion!

Another mural not to be overlooked…

Worries were melted, nothing in mind but fun, fun, fun with the family!

We’ll cherish all our fun and colorful memories from Melaka forever!

*This Melaka Blog Series includes :

We Wore Baba & Nyonya Traditional Attires
The Baboon House Malacca
Malacca River Cruise
To be continued…

*Since we had a CHANGE of travel destination from supposed Singapore to Malacca, this is my entry to WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE : CHANGE

Apr

MELAKA! MALACCA!

By docgelo 18 Comments

Rocking the Baba, Nyonya Malaysian traditional attires | Christ Church Melaka, 31 March 2013.

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber

We’re supposed to be in Singapore again from March 30 to midnight of April 2, 2013 but because of unforseen and inevitable circumstance that happened the last minute when we’re already in Johor Bahru (the state of Malaysia at the border prior to Singapore) on the daybreak of Black Saturday, our sponsors -a hotel in Singapore and an a-theme-park-access-card, and my family agreed that the sponsored trip to revisit the Lion City for blog review and feature is best rescheduled to last week of May 2013. Although cliche as it may sound, my family and I considered it a blessing in disguise because as of morning of April 2, 2013, our salaries for the month of March are yet to be issued by our employer, so pushing through with that much-anticipated Singapore adventure could’ve been a challenge on the pocket. Nonetheless, we’re still thankful to the sponsors for such invitation!

After almost 10 hours of travel via bus from Penang to Johor Bahru and learned that the trip was rescheduled, we didn’t dwell on the hassle but opted for the next best thing (affordable too!). Tina, Gabby and I grabbed quick breakfast bites from McDonald’s at Larkin Bus Station and purchased bus tickets at 19 ringgit each from JB to Melaka for that 9:30AM bus ride. We didn’t want to spoil everything and at least, we became excited to experience a place that’s new to our senses.

Without any hotel reservation and no itinerary at hand, we slept the 2 hour bus ride from Larkin Bus Station in Johor Bahru to Melaka Sentral in Malacca. And the rest was a 3D2N of nothing but family bonding, food and fun! Randomly, Beyond Toxicity will take you to our first ever Melaka trip!

Unplanned, Spontaneous, Random Trip to Malacca : Here we go!

On our second day in Melaka, we attended the 8:30AM Easter Sunday Mass at one of the most iconic landmarks in this UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Dutch Protestant Church, Christ Church Melaka. Yes, we’re Catholics and experiencing other religious service of Christian faith in a completely new place to us was truly warm and welcoming. The mass that ended after 2 hours with full band and choir singing, was so similar to Catholic masses in order & sequence. After coming out of the church with smiles on our faces, holding Easter eggs and tiny lemon cake slices given by the choir members and the priests, Tina spotted two people with a clothesline of Malaysian traditional attires for rent at 7 ringgit (USD 2.26) per adult, 5 ringgit (USD 1.60) per kid. Next scenes unfolded ~ she asked me, “Gusto mo?” (“Do you like?”), then she began choosing what to wear for a few minutes of photo-op. Why not, choc nut?

While Malaysia is known to be a cultural melting pot in Southeast Asia, Baba and Nyonya in Penang and Melaka (also in Singapore and Indonesia) are people with rich and fascinating heritage. When Chinese, mostly traders, came to Malaysia and married Malays, Peranakan or descendants in Malay term were born. The term, Baba refers to male and Nyonya to female. Interestingly, Chinese culture and traditions were assimitated to Malay cutoms.

Wearing the Baba and Nyonya traditional attires for the moment was such an experience. Admittedly, the part could’ve been complete if we found time to visit the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum. Now that’s a good reason among many others, to revisit Melaka given another chance in the future.

Luckily, there was a Baba costume that fits my size, haha! While Gabby’s too big for the little Baba outfit, he donned Baju Melayu instead, complete with red sampin, a sarong wrapped around his hips. In our eyes, he looked like a very regal Malaysian prince!

Et voila! A Filipino family in Malaysian cultural outfits in front of Christ Church Melaka!

With permission, Tina took a shot of the next customer who rented another colorful Malaysian wear, an adorable little tourist who came with her parents too. The frame could’ve been nicer if we paired her with Gabby, hehehe!

Too cute for words!

Bagay po ba?

Before some closed minded ones conclude that we’re not being proud of our roots and prefer to wear foreign traditional attires, here’s a photo of our family taken at Mines View Park in Baguio City, Philippines that I’ve unearthed from this site’s previous posts. All for the sake of FUN!

In traditional attires from Northern Philippines. Blog post HERE!

*This Melaka Blog Series includes :

We Wore Baba & Nyonya Traditional Attires
The Baboon House Malacca
To be continued…

>><<

Mar

2013 MINISTRY OF TOURISM MALAYSIA BEST EXPAT BLOG AWARD!

By docgelo 32 Comments

2013 March 6th, Wednesday.

2013 Malaysia International Tourism Conference & Blog Awards | MITBCA

Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

Beyond Toxicity @ docgelo.com is named

2013 Best Expat-Malaysia-My-Second-Home-Blog Award Winner!

Awarding the trophy was the honorable Tourism Malaysia Minister Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen

The scene was surreal. Almost deja vu of what happened last year…

2012 MITBCA blog post HERE!!!

It’s truly an honor to receive another recognition for this personal passion, particularly of which 80% came from public voting. I cannot be grateful enough to all those who follow and read this site since I started this virtual home back in 2007 in the Philippines, to those who remain loyal readers and commenters after we have moved to Penang, Malaysia to work and of course, thank you to those who voted for my blog to win last year and this year’s MITBCA! Your support is absolutely priceless!

Terima Kasih to Ministry of Tourism Malaysia and all the people behind MITBCA for appreciating and lifting the spirits of movers of Tourism and bloggers in Malaysia in general. Awards like this is certainly inspiring and motivating! Maraming Salamat po at Mabuhay po kayo!

Similar to last year’s event, MITBCA offered two-day-bloggers conference for free, but because I chose to limit my absences from work in Penang, I decided to attend the awards night and skipped the meeting of the like-minds and international movers in social media including a bunch of fellow Filipino bloggers. That was a wrong move from me. I could’ve learned so much from them but to regret is futile. Nonetheless, I met them in the Gala Dinner & Awards Night that was far better than last year’s. Proof that collective efforts have been put just to nail this year’s success of MITBCA! Kudos to everyone involved! The ceremony was nothing short of fantastic!

The venue was bigger and more sophisticated. The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, no less!

I arrived of course, with TEAM DOCGELO; who else but my loving wife, Tina & our bundle of joy and pride, Gabby!

We’re so happy to meet again Ms. Emila Yusof of emilayusof.com, two-time-winner of Best Tourism Lifestyle Blog Award from MITBCA and who happens to be the Malaysian Illustrator and Children’s Book Author who custom-made my very own blog header! I am one of his huge fans and she remains an inspiration!

After the cocktail, came the Gala Dinner & Awards Night proper. The mood inside the venue was festive!

The view from where we sat.

Drum roll, please! Let the show begin!

The honorable people behind the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Social Media Chamber and MITBCA shared engaging and powerful words about the reasons of our gathering.

Beautiful and talented Malaysian performers lorded the stage!

While local entertainers were doing their great parts on stage, we were busy dunking our forks and scooping our spoons to the delightful dinner they prepared. There were visual and gastronomic treats! It was a complete sensory feast!

Speakers in the Bloggers’ Conference were awarded by plaques; I wished I captured them all.
Here’s Malaysian Celebrity Chef (second from left of the photo below), Nik Michael Imran…

And the speakers from where I came from, the Philippines! Here’s Vince Golangco (second from left on the photo below) of www.wheninmanila.com.

Blogie Robillo (second from left of the photo below) of www.robilloblog.com

Tonyo Cruz (second from left of the photo below) of tonyocruz.com

It was flattering when one of my fellow Filipino Bloggers shouted, MABUHAY! when my name was called as one of the winners, even overwhelming when Tonyo Cruz himself, told me, “kinikilabutan kami to see someone in Barong on stage” (kindly seek Google Translate, thank you!)

Blogger-winners included Best Tourism Travel Blogger, Squall Chin of www.wretch.cc/blog/squallczk whom I first met in Singapore Blog Awards last 2012.

And again, Ms. Emila Yusof of emilayusof.com, winner once more of Best Tourism Lifestyle Blog Award. Bravo!

For complete list of winners, visit www.mitbca.com.

More than the awards and recognition, I thank the Lord for my loving and supportive family!

They’re my LIFE! I love you, honey! I love you, Gabby!

After the wonderful awards night, we walked a few steps to pay homage again to Malaysia’s magnificence, what else but the Petronas Twin Towers. En route, we dropped by Aquaria…

And just before midnight, our eyes set on those incredibly stunning twins again!

Malaysia, Thank you very much for everything!

To God be the Glory!

>><<

Feb

LANGKAWI MEMORIES

By docgelo 20 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, ILOVEPHOTOS, MALAYSIA and TRAVEL
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24-27 January 2013. Langkawi Island, Kedah, Malaysia. No matter how short, a vacation can do no wrong when spent with people you love most and love you back. Tina, Gabby and I took advantage of the long public holiday here in Malaysia from January 24-28, 2013 (well, not actually as January 25th, Friday wasn’t a holiday so we filed a leave from work to maximize the fun) because of their celebration of Prophet Mohammad’s Birthday (January 24th Thursday) and Hindu’s Thaipusam (January 27, Sunday that made the next day a Replacement Public Holiday).

Time stood still upon the sight of this charming beach. Pantai Cenang, Langkawi. So happy to be here!

HOW WE REACHED LANGKAWI

When Tina and I were planning to go to this island paradise back in late November last year, we already crossed out the possibility of bringing our feet to Langkawi via ferry ride from Penang (about 2-3 hours), or from Kuala Perlis or Kuala Kedah simply because my lovely wife has vertigo; she gets dizzy easily on long ferry rides; she’s not fond of airplane rides either. She rarely travel without her anti-motion sickness pills. I thought the plan would not push through until I collected little earnings from a sponsor by posting an an airline food review, we both agreed to go to Langkawi via Air Asia with their promo-seat-sale. And man, the flight took us by surprise! It was like we just went on board to watch the pre-flight safety demonstration by the crew, went up at 11,000 feet for few minutes and then the plane took its smooth touchdown at the Langkawi airport at 25-minutes flat.

Prior to that shortest flight ever, my family and I were admiring the newly refurbished Penang International Airport. Recalling how it looked like when we first saw it in 2010, there’s a tremendous improvement on this terminal as seen on its minimalist architecture, clean lines on its interiors and commendable provision of FREE internet lounge at the boarding area. We’re very impressed by the changes! Look at my family’s smiles while grabbing siopao bites prior to boarding, there’s no sign that we almost missed our flight that late afternoon! Teehee!

OUR AFFORDABLE AND BEAUTIFUL ACCOMODATION

From the list of hotels in Langkawi that Tina obtained online, I narrowed the choices for our accomodation prioritizing location, comfort and cost. It seemed like we hit the jackpot when there was a promo-rate offered for a Deluxe Room at the time of our online reservation. And we’re all content with the decision to purchase a 4D3N stay at White Lodge Chalet. It only took us 20 minute-taxi ride that cost 20 ringgit (US$ 6.4) from Langkawi Airport before we arrived at this relaxing island abode. The lush and gorgeous walkway to the reception area was enough to remind us of the importance of savoring a change of environment from time to time. Such an incredibly welcoming respite!

Admittedly, all staff of White Lodge Chalet particularly those assigned at the reception area were all warm and friendly. They readily answered all my queries about the Island and best, they volunteered to phone a taxi cab prior to our departure to the airport on our last day. We proved that their services were rendered fast and efficient as we requested their maintenance to check and repair a minor and brief electrical interruption in our room.

Location was perfect for us. It’s secluded from the busy main road of Cenang; about 5-to-10 minute walk from Pantai Cenang or Cenang (pronounced as chenang) Beach.

I already paid the room reservation via agoda.com a month before our holiday so checking in was a breeze; they didn’t even ask for a deposit on top of the paid voucher upon arrival. After we got the keys and wifi’s username and password, we headed to our designated room. It may not be a beachfront hotel, neither a five-star-accomodation, what mattered most was the fact that we really enjoyed our days at White Lodge Chalet! Tina professed her wish to go back to the same budget hotel if we get a chance to go back to Langkawi.

Here’s the garden-path to our Deluxe Room at White Lodge Chalet Langkawi…

The room was relatively new; not too spacious neither very small. Everything’s good except for few little things like there’s no phone in our room to call the reception, the wifi’s weak, the flat-screen-TV didn’t have cable channels and the tissue holder at the toilet was installed near the shower. But all in all, we managed to enjoy our time at White Lodge Chalet.

After checking in, we dropped our luggage and bags and off we trooped to the beach! But before anything else, must take photos!

A few minute walk will take you to the main road of Cenang…

…where restaurants, eateries and Duty-Free-Shops are located.

Have I told you that Langkawi seems like our very own Boracay in the Philippines but with plenty of Duty-Free? It’s an island paradise cum shopping haven! Tina bought few chocolates as they’re in volume and cheap in these shops.

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At the back of that famous tourist attraction, Underwater World Langkawi, lies the beach…

PANTAI CENANG (CENANG BEACH)

This was how we contained our happiness the first time we experienced Cenang Beach…

Then went wackier for the pic :

Felt the powdery white sand on our hands and hurriedly soaked our feet! Something we do not do on a daily basis!

It was almost 7PM and the sunset came as usual (in Malaysia) at around 7:30PM. It was time to leave the beach for dinner. Langkawi of course, boasts of freshest catch from the sea! We suddenly missed going to Dampa restaurants back home where you buy your ingredients from the market and ask restaurant people to cook your goods the way you want it -grilled, buttered, fried, in broth and whatnot! Hmmmmm!

There’s that airconditioned Cenang Mall and the main road itself offers a wide variety of choices of food places from hawkers and fastfood joints. We tried to sample local dishes but found nothing extraordinary compared to Penang; we ended up having dinner in this Tomato Nasi Kandar, a decent Indian eatery.

We had Chicken Satay in Peanut Sauce, Gabby’s favorite -Cheese Naan dipped in dahl, Buttered Chicken Masala and 3 orders of Roti Canai (which was so affordable at 80 cents | US $ 0.25 per plate!) and washed everything down with a can of Coke (sinful, I know!) and a gulp of fresh watermelon juice! Solb!

“The sun looks down on nothing half so good as a household laughing together over a meal.” #CSLewis

After filling our tummies and while waiting for the bill, Gabby and Tina made fun of themselves by playing one of Gabby’s antics. He calls this game, STARING CONTEST.

Without umbrellas, we were halted by a downpour and had to wait for half an hour under the shades of a sidestreet bazaar.

Thank God, it rained; it made me appreciate the wet colored tiles of the sidewalk. The patterns were amazing!

We continued strolling down the main road back to our room. Here’s a rundown of the interesting things we saw…

SECOND DAY AT THE BEACH

We thought of catching the sunrise by the beach but we’re too weak to resist the lure of curling under the sheets. We gave in to our desire to sleep longer; after all, that’s included in the philosophy of a break, isn’t it? Nothing’s more delicious than waking up without worries of battling with an alarm clock.

It was already high noon when we left our room. That red roof on the left side of the next photo below was our room for 4 days in Langkawi. And the structures on the right are called vacation homes by White Lodge Chalet. Spotted a Mini which is so common on the roads here.

Kodakan right in front of our room : Say ,cheese! :)

Inside a tiny wooden gazebo in the garden…

And at the walkway near the reception area…We loved this place!

Trying to avoid KFC as we commonly eat it almost twice a week when at work and in the absence of our favorite Filipino fastfood, Jollibee in this part of the globe, we opted for the next best thing on our list. ‘Love din namin ‘to!

Cravings : satisfied. Time to worship God and appreciate His beautiful creations by the beach!

We also like the fact that there are chalets and locally-themed accomodation at the beachfront but indubitably, the area can get crowded and noisy unlike if the hotel’s tucked somewhere near.

After Tina chose a spot to while away time, she spread our beach-friendly, sand-repellant Lagu blanket. Thanks, Lagu Singapore for this one; we welcome additional gifts in other vibrant colors #shamelessplugging!

Perhaps, one of the highlights of our family bonding on this Langkawi vacation was the moment Gabby and I flew this 5-ringgit kite that we brought all the way from Penang. We came prepared, you know!

The wind and sea breeze were perfectly blowing so flying this plastic birdie wasn’t an effort. It was whole lot of fun! I think I enjoyed it more than Gabby, lol. The only problem was, we all forgot to bring our sunnies and the scorching heat was unforgiving to the eyes! Nonetheless, it was surreal!

While Tina was having her ME-time at one shaded corner of the beach, it was a pleasure accompanying the little-big-boy in collecting seashells by the seashore. #soundsliketonguetwister.

We called it a day inside our room watching movies and munching junk foods.

THIRD DAY : BEST CHICKEN RICE AND PANTAI TENGAH (TENGAH BEACH)

As the plan to catch another sunrise by the beach was drowned again by long hours of sleep, we left our room at almost noon to take lunch. Tina’s craving for Chicken Rice was satisfied! We highly recommend Mr. Tan’s Famous Chicken Rice along the road in Cenang! Two thumbs up for this ultimately flavorful Chicken Rice served with soup!!! The wannabe-food-connoisseur in me told Tina that my palates sensed a-no-preservative dish in the plate and on the soup. Mr. Tan must not be fond of using chicken cubes but freshest ingredients only. Very nice indeed! So budget-friendly and cleanly served for only 5 ringgit (US$ 1.60) per plate! It goes without saying that I had two servings and unbelievably, it was the same case for Gabby! The chicken was not steamed but roasted to perfection! Dare I say it’s the best Chicken Rice we’ve tasted in Malaysia. Need I say more?

When in Langkawi, must eat here! Sarap! Sedap! Delicious!

Dining al fresco was never been better! Great tasting and cheap food enjoyed with family, provision of free table napkins (which is a rarity in Penang hawkers!) and a warm service from Mr. Tan! Everything’s awesome!

Too lazy to hit the beach at high noon, we decided to go back and cool down inside our room. We dozed off until late afternoon.

Just outside our room, Gabby dried his shells on those immaculate chairs that I wanted to bring home.

We woke up before 6PM and hit the roads again. The walk towards Tengah Beach from White Lodge Chalet took us around 20 minutes. Although Pantai Tengah runs continuously with the waters of Pantai Cenang with only a chunk of rocks and a slope of a hill dividing the beaches, one can easily know the difference between the two. If you’re into water sports like parasailing and jet skiing, Pantai Tengah is it! While if you’re like us who prefer finer and more powdery sand, go enjoy Cenang Beach!

Here are the scenes from Tengah Beach…

I love this monochrome portrait of Tina despite the blur. #lovely #happy #surreal

Also in Pantai Tengah, we spotted a Malaysian jelly fish ashore.

We failed more than once to catch the sunrise from Langkawi but we’re glad to appreciate the glorious sunset by Pantai Tengah.

Dinner time. Oh yeah, McDonald’s again.

Langkawi offers so many tourist adventures like the famous cable car that provides a panoramic view of the island with a Sky Bridge (some say you can even view the neighboring Thailand from there), a stroll inside Oriental Village filled with souvenir shops and other attractions, a trek to Seven Wells, a visit to the Eagle Square, gardens, museums and mosques, the Underwater World near Cenang Beach and of course, island hopping and eagle-spotting. We missed all those for some reasons (ask Gabby!) but nevertheless, they remain a notion for us to go back and revisit this wonderful island paradise in the near future. *crossed fingers and toes*

Honestly, we’re grateful and happy we did nothing but beach-bumming and eating in Langkawi. Even for a while, Tina and I were relieved from stress and worries about work (and perhaps, Gabby too with routine life in school). It may not be as interesting and fascinating as what the other tourists usually do iin this island but our simple break defined what we badly need. We created a no-game-plan-vacation and just allowed time to take its course. It was wonderful!

LAST DAY IN LANGKAWI

We checked out from White Lodge Chalet and left our luggage and bags at the reception area. We went back to the same Chicken Rice stall by the road and ordered the same thing for lunch. Gabby had two servings again! It’s that addicting, I kid you not.

After that quick lunch, we went back to the reception area and waited for few minutes for the taxi cab they phoned for us. We opted to kill time inside Langkawi Airport rather than rushing to catch the flight again. We arrived here around 2PM and waited for our flight 3 and a half hours after. We chilled in our favorite coffee shop with these yummies…

C’mmon, don’t count those calories! lol

As for me, I’m counting memories…

Bye-bye, Langkawi! Thank you very much for everything, we had so much fun! Till we meet again!

And just before the 25-minute-flight touchdown at Penang International Airport, I luckily got a good shot of Penang’s inviting coastline. Hello, Penang! We’re so back and recharged.

Until our next family bonding adventure!

*This is NOT a sponsored post.

>><<

Nov

7ATENINE

By docgelo 11 Comments

The quirky name of this restaurant-bar in one of the premier serviced apartments located at the heart of Kula Lumpur is enough for me to be interested. Who would not be enticed with 7atenine? I think it’s pretty neat name for a chill-out place. Glad I found time to drop by during my solo-3D2N-visit in Malaysia’s capital.

Before your imagination soars high, I didn’t drown myself into spirits nor alcohol at 7atenine. I passed up sampling one of their beverages because number 1, I think it’s too much as I already had from the other bar (blog post HERE!) and number 2, I’m not alcoholic anyway. I mean, I need not explain myself but I only drink on rare occasions and of course, during social gatherings (Now, I remember those days back home when I was frequently invited for events like wine & food pairing. Ahhhhh, the perks of blogging!).

“7atenine is an award winning International restaurant & supperclub where ‘you never know who you’ll meet’. Located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, her cool, stylish & contemporary ambience is accented by splashes of fuchsia & turquoise. 7atenine has 2 realms of recreation…. Sevenspoons dining on the mezzanine & the Supperclub on the ground floor. Cosmopolitan cuisine is complemented by a premium range of alcoholic beverages ranging from champagnes, wines, cocktails by our award winning mixologists to local & imported beers and liquor. pulsating retro remixes and house beats permeate the atmosphere cementing 7atenine as a firm favourite amongst chic night birds.” ~Sourced from their website : www.soulsociety.com.my/7atenine

Doesn’t it look like a great place to chill out, savor the good house music and indulge? With only my appetite in tow and with no reservation which I don’t promote, I brought my feet to 7atenine and enjoyed a couple of choices from their menu.

Linguini Seafood, RM39++ (USD 12.75++ ). Tossed with sautéed scallops, prawns, mussels & squid.

One word : DELICIOUS!

Despite a number of must-try-entrees from 7atenine’s menu, I knew I was craving for something like seafood pasta. And bingo! They have Linguini Seafood on their list. The pasta’s al dente; the dish was perfectly tossed with non-greasy oil and my favorites from the sea. The entire plate was wonderfully seasoned. I was a happy diner!

With nothing in mind to wash everything down but cold water, I also ordered a dessert. And I thought Lady Luck was really on my side because I spotted another personal favorite from the list of sweets.

Linguini Seafood + Mango Sticky Rice

Who says Italian and Asian favorites make a bad combo? Hell, no!

Mango Sticky Rice. RM19++ (USD 6.21 ). Steamed glutinous rice, served with mango & Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream.

One word : HEAVENLY!

Don’t let my photo deceive you; it’s a generous serving! I disregarded the petty fact that the mint leaves used as garnishing on top that irresistible vanilla-flavored Häagen-Dazs scoop had insect-bite-holes; it was never an issue since I removed it and didn’t munch it anyway. What mattered to me was my love for that tug-of-war between the cold ice cream, the piping hot glutinous rice cake soaked in coconut milk and the pleasant taste of mango slices (but not as great-tasting as Philippine mangoes!). For a while, I forgot all stress and hassles accompanied by living away from the comforts of your own country and simply I felt I was in cloud 9!

The service’s quick and attentive. The ambiance and overall appeal are laid back and almost impeccable! Thumbs up for 7atenine!

7atenine | The Ascott, 9 Jalan Pinang 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | www.soulsociety.com.my/7atenine

*This is NOT a sponsored post.

*This Luxurious Kuala Lumpur Blog Series includes :

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Nov

TWO WORLDS IN ONE AFTERNOON

By docgelo 9 Comments

Similar to my previous weekends when I killed a few hours of walking around George Town, Penang with the sole aim of capturing things I fancy on my cam, I didn’t plan to take Gabby with me but my 8 year old son decided to tag along again as I opted to spend my late Saturday afternoon in two areas in the island. Before we left our apartment, it was made clear to him and to his mom that malls and fastfood joints aren’t included in my itineraries. The boy was adventurous and excited to come with me; I welcomed the idea that he’s open to try things outside the box at such a young age.

Hopping on the bus and taking the 15-minute ferry ride from Butterworth to George Town, Penang aren’t unusual to us but going to a nearby clan jetty doesn’t happen even on a weekly basis. I took my feet and Gabby to one of those waterfront settlements of Chinese families who left their country of origin to live in the coastal waters of Penang, the Tan Jetty.

Unlike the CHEW JETTY which is more frequented by tourists and travelers, Tan Jetty does not have much settlers. The houses were less in number, there’s nothing much to appreciate except the existence of an authentic Thai restaurant and a narrower wooden walkway that extends to the sea. I wonder how glorious to catch the sunrise and sunset here!

What Gabby and I saw will definitely not appeal to those who value aesthetics and comfort over and beyond history and heritage. What made the sight a bit unpleasant was the fact that it was low tide when we arrived and the place, despite peaceful and tranquil, screams the need for maintenance.

I initially wanted Gabby to simply stand still near the Thai restaurant and wait for me while I take some photos but he’s determined to stroll down that tall and narrow wooden path. I told you, Gabby’s into this adventure too! So we held hands and took steps farther. At halfway towards the end of the wooden walkway, there’s a small Buddhist temple and the awesome view of the bay.

We only stayed in Tan Jetty less than half an hour but that minimal time gave us a different view of life in Penang. I’m also proud to state that Gabby braved that wooden planks and experienced a totally unique environment that’s incomparable with airconditioned malls, comfortable hotel rooms and wonderful theme parks.

We walked back to Weld Quay and took a 5 minute Rapid Penang bus ride to Jalan Penang (or Penang Road). We hopped off the bus just before Cititel Hotel and turned left to Muntri Street. The second world we visited in George Town that weekend was Soul Kitchen in Muntri Street.

Soul Kitchen is an Italian eatery located in front of Modern Hotel; oh yes! You read it right; it’s modern!

Admittedly, it’s not that common to find a non-Halal restaurant in George Town unless hawker stalls manned by Chinese-Malaysians. Soul Kitchen is uniquely different. It’s owned by a German and Malaysian couple by the names of Tonio and Michele. This restaurant boasts of authentic Italian dishes with ingredients mostly not found in the usual food places in Penang. The unpretentious shophouse-converted-into-a-food-place is a haven for those who look for something extraordinary.

Michele immediately approached us to hand in the menu. There were menu boards and the list of beverages available were on a simple black piece of paper. I asked her of the available pizza, because my boy loves pizza and Michele replied back with a query. She casually inquired if we eat pork. I said, Yes! She told me there’s Parma Ham pizza and some pasta; she also mentioned we can have the pizza in two flavors, half with prosciutto or parma ham and rocula, and the rest of the slices with only cheese. That rang a bell to Gabby’s ears since he’s a purist when it comes to pizza. We also ordered Pork Lasagne and washed everything down with Iced Cappuccino for me and Coke for Gabby.

Parma Ham Rucola Parmesan…

Lasagne…

Gabby and I loved the pizza! Its pretty thin crust and loads of cheese and prosciutto, plus its rare oval shape made it special however a bit pricey at RM 24 for half serving of parma ham. It’s reasonable for those ingredients, I guess. Although the pizza was nice and all, the lasagne needs a little improvement. The Iced Cappuccino is sweet and strong, I liked!

Dinner, solb!!!

Before I googled the web and stumbled upon Soul Kitchen, I never expected to find an authentic Italian eatery amidst Nasi Lemak and Char-Koay-Teow-dominated food stalls! More so, I never thought that an unassuming restaurant could serve freshly baked Parma Ham Pizza that tasted variably delicious compared with that of our favorite Pizza Hut! Sometimes, those that are less commercialized are more satisfying!

Going to Tan Jetty to explore a different environment and discovering another food place in Soul Kitchen offered something new to us. It certainly broke the monotony of our weekday routines and weekend escapes.

I believe that we need to step out of our comfort zones sometimes to uncover more things and places that we’re already familiar with; such will provide a better appreciation of the world we live in.

_____________

Oct

DEJA VU

By docgelo 18 Comments

Khoo Kongsi and the other corners of George Town, Penang.

I’ve done photowalking here several times but its incredible charm never fails to lure me.

I keep coming back.

After I hopped off the bus and brought out my camera to start capturing some things I fancy, everything seemed to have occured in the past. It was somewhat like deja vu but not quite. Simply because this time, my photowalking got a volunteer companion; none other than the love of our lives, Gabby!

I thought I would stroll the laterals of GeorgeTown alone again but to my surprise, our 8-year-old kid decided the last minute to come with me. It was cleared to him that I would take long walks and multiple steps from one street to another but the boy was determined to transformed his weekend to an entirely different one from his Monday to Friday routine in school. He really wanted to tag along; I could not be happier!

So while we left his lovely mom who did some amazing household chores at our apartment (she always does it best without us around!), this wonder boy was with me for few hours goofing around one of Malaysia’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites…

Bus, ferry and another bus ride and we arrived shortly to Jalan Penang. We finally saw the largest of Ernest Zacharevic‘s murals in GeorgeTown. Beautiful, is it not?

Few little steps and our feet brought us to Muntri Street. Let the photowalking begin!

GeorgeTown literally inscripted its history, culture and traditions on almost countless iron rod sculptures installed in various alleys and streets. Creative, whimsical, informative and educational, these art pieces surely are eye-catching; a lot of tourists drop by to photograph them. One of them actually asked me, “Do you want me to take photos of you and your son with your camera?”

One of the firewalls of a shophouse in Muntri Street has another Zacharevic’s mural painting -a Chinese-Malaysian girl in kungfu outfit (or is it blue PJs?) whose hands appeared to be pressing on window shades. It’s definitely not my favorite but quite fascinating too.

More installations in Muntri Street…

Yeah, right! Get a Life!

From Muntri Street, Gabby and I lazily walked towards Love Lane…

I wonder why the Lithuanian artist, Ernest Zacharervic painted a broken heart on two public phones when in fact they’re installed in Love Lane…

Blink and you will miss this on the wall across 711 and the broken-hearted-payphones…

Quaint gestures of recycling on warmest greetings…

Do you have the key?

Meanwhile, at Ah Quee Street, art needs resuscitation…

Alas, another Zacharevic’s masterpieces!

Something pink in Armenian Street…

Something weird?

Or it’s just me. I imagined walking through Armenian Street at midnight with this sight of a ~~voodoo~~ doll on a drift wood, would you not be afraid to death? LOL!

OK, it aint weird but…unique (for the lack of better adjective, hahaha!)

What about a pair of shoes on a giant frog’s mouth? Art? Recycling fun!

Can’t blame us if we craved for Starbucks…

Talking about craving, long walks need refueling of course. And the wonder boy wanted to eat in one of our favorites in George Town. Believe it or not, it was Gabby who wished to eat in Restoran Kapitan again for some Indian dishes. So we had Boneless Buttered Chicken, Garlic and Cheese Naan, Mango Lassi and Chocolate Ice Blended. Solb!

Our last stop was a bookstore for the little boy also craved for his favorite pocketbook series.

We enjoyed our weekend. Yet another special one. And you?

_________________________

This blog’s other posts with George Town’s street arts include :

Aug

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE : MERGE

By docgelo 16 Comments

Categories: ILOVEPHOTOS and TRAVEL
Tags: arts, bangkok, doc gelo, docgelo, hotels in bangkok, innovation, merge, postaday, recycle, thailand, tourism, traveling, weekly photo challege, weekly photo challenge : merge, wordpress weekly photo challege

This is my very first entry in the Weekly Photo Challenge. I finally thought of joining the league! With this week’s theme, Merge, I am posting the photo of one of the corners of the boutique hotel room where we’re spending one of our nights here in Bangkok. The room is called Trash Chic and it merges a lot of concepts! Recycling and functionality. Innovation and creativity. Art and tourism. One of Thai artists who was commissioned to do this room among the 36 rooms in this beautiful and fascinating boutique hotel used various colored sacks of rice for the walls and upholstery for the furnitures without compromising function.

What do you think of my entry?

This is one of the 3 rooms we’re sampling in our 4D3N accomodation here in Bangkok!

Jul

GEORGE TOWN FESTIVAL 2012 : JUST GOT BETTER

By docgelo 22 Comments

Categories: EVENTS, ILOVEPHOTOS, MALAYSIA and TRAVEL
Tags: 14 living story, 14 living story penang, acheh street, armenian street, art, arts, cannon street, cheah kongsi, chicken cheese kebab, chinese culture, chinese money plant, chulia street, culture, doc gelo, docgelo, ernest zacharevic, expat in malaysia, expat in penang malaysia, festival, fiesta, george town festival 2012, george town penang, george town penang festival, heritage, http://docgelo.com/, indian culture, indian dishes, indian traditional dances, kapitan keling street, kebab, lebuh acheh, lebuh chulia, life abroad, lifestyle, malaysia, malaysia tourism, malaysian culture, naan, paavani, paintings, penang, penang tourism, photography, restoran kapitan, roti, roti cheese, street photography, tourism, tradition, traditional dances, TRAVEL, travel blog, traveling, travelling, unesco, UNESCO world heritage sites

I anticipated grandiosity in this year’s celebration. I also set no less than great expectations of the pageantry of events. I thought there’s no way that the 4th anniversary of inscription of George Town, Penang as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites could get worse but otherwise. No one can blame me as I experienced George Town Festival 2011 : Tapestry of Cultures last year. I saw, heard, felt, smelt and tasted it as beyond spectacular! A flamboyant display of rich diversities that this cultural melting pot in Southeast Asia is known for. I was simply blown away by that 2011 holiday and I believe this year, it just got better! I haven’t traveled the world but where else can you find streets showcasing arts, heritage, culture, traditions, food, religions, performances and whatnot, mostly for FREE and readily accessible to public all at the same time?

July 7th is the gazetted public holiday for the George Town Festival but people behind it planned and prepared an entire month of merrymaking! This year, it extends from June 15th to July 15th. And if that doesn’t sound grand fiesta to you, I rest my case.

With only my mom in tow, as my wife and our 7-year-old son decided to stay at home to do some chores and rest after, I arrived in George Town from our place in Butterworth on the afternoon of Saturday, July 7th. My mom and I did some necessary errands first, then headed to Plaza Gurney Mall and back to the laterals of Lebuh Chulia.

If you’ve been following this blog, you’ve probably known that the Lithuanian artist, Ernest Zacharevic‘s murals are all over the key streets of George Town. I assumed the muralist who did those fantastic and whimsical reflections of bits and pieces of life in Penang using mostly children and children’s imagination as his subjects, was commissioned specially for the GTF2012. I showed my mom one of his works located in Lebuh Ah Quee as we began our personal GTF2012 walking tour that weekend.

This Zacharevic’s art installation in Lebuh Ah Quee is an updated version that we saw on our visit last June 23, 2012; before it became more animated, it was firstly presented as ruggedly, rustic and restless looking street painting then…

His masterpieces at one of Penang’s waterfront settlement protected by UNESCO, Chew Jetty …

Armenian Street which is my favorite…

and other streets of George Town are always admired by local and foreign tourists.

I regret the fact that I failed to come to Ernest Zacharevic and Gabija’s invitation via facebook and missed their exhibit called Rescube which was a collaboration with few more Malaysian artists.

What I like most of George Town, Penang other than its multi-racial diversities that are so apparent in their flavorful gastronomic delights, colorful and vibrant cultures and varied and inspiring religions, is the fact that this island boasts of creativity in almost every corner.

Another wonderful treat for the public present in this year’s GTF2012 was witnessing Malaysian artists creating their on-the-spot-watercolor paintings. My mom and I were very fortunate to chanced upon these artistic and skillful hands immortalizing parts of Cheah Kongsi and its nearby shophouses along Armenian Street. For few minutes, I was left in awe!

Still in Armenian Street, I walked my mom through a souvenir shop called, 14 Living Story which in my humble opinion, is one of the most quaint stores that sells interesting pieces that represent George Town and a few more things about Pulau Pinang. However, since it’s my nth time inside that souvenir shop and I somehow became familiar with what they could offer, I was more fascinated with one of their ornaments –a Chinese money plant! I like this plant and I want money, LOL!!!

Spotted this street performer at the junction of Armenian and Kapitan Keling Streets who’s throwing his unusual neon yoyo up in the air while grooving over an imaginary sound. He drew crowd expectedly.

Then we continued our aimless strolling and walked towards Cannon Street. Et voila, another Ernest Zacharevic’s mural!

I saw him when he did this last June 23, 2012…

The other side of the wall has pink pin wheels to send lovely vibes…

Meanwhile, at the tail end of Cannon Street comes Lebuh Acheh…

How do you like sweet smiles as a welcoming party?

Whenever I fill out forms or converse with Malaysians and tell them that we, Filipinos came from Malay race, I usually get quirky stares because most of them haven’t heard of it yet. One need not google or read history books, there’s proof in things that are common among us. Traditional music with gongs, for one, is shared by two countries.

There were also live demonstrations of other forms of arts and handicrafts from henna tattooing, batik making and basket weaving.

Past half hour that we’re roaming George Town streets, my mom and I trooped back to Armenian Street and went inside Cheah Kongsi.

We were in Cheah Kongsi to witness one of a kind expression of Lion Dance. To most of us, Filipinos living in Manila, we usually enjoy such Oriental street performance in Manila Chinatown every Chinese New Year. We might be familiar with Lion and Dragon dances performed on the road with so much ease, but Penangites do it on stilts! The GTF2012 map and guide had Lion Dances on stilts at 6PM and Dragon Dance at 7 in the evening for that day. As soon as we got inside the Cheah Kongsi compound, I let my mom watched over my backpack and reusable shopping bags and thankfully found a nice spot that’s high enough for me to capture the impressive performance.

Yeah, right, I was on stilts too! LOL! No, of course not! I stood up the concrete fence with my stance secured and took extra efforts not to fall and break anything important while capturing this feature. So here’s a few of my photos of that amazing Lion Dance on stilts…

One of the breathtaking stunts they did was this…

And these were the two young men who moved the lion on stilts with ease and expertise…

This Lion Dance was tremendously done; absolutely entertaining!

There was an hour gap between the Lion dance on stilts and the Dragon dance thus, my mom and I opted to grab some eats from our favorite food place in Lebuh Chulia (photos just before the end of this post) and headed back to Cheah Kongsi before 7PM.

Just a few steps from Yap Kongsi and Yap Temple is a Southern Indian decorative design made of colored grains. Where else can you experience Hindu, Chinese and Malays co-existing harmoniously? Pardon me but I really I have to state this : Indeed, “Malaysia, Truly Asia!”

We left Lebuh Armenian and headed to Lebuh Acheh where Indian, Thai and Sri Lankan dances will be performed at 8PM. Days before this event, I was personally invited by Ms. Pavaani, the classical Indian dancer whom I met last June 23rd before she performed then. Her email noted that I can capture a few shots of the girls just before their show.

Local and foreign audience in the street including my mom and myself were treated to fascinating cultural dances. First to perform were the very energetic and passionate, Punjabi dancers…

Each group as I understood it, prepared two dances. Each step was engaging; all eyes were glued to the steps of the performers.

I was surpised myself to see Thai and Sri Lankan dancers. I’m not sure if they’re from George Town too or must have been invited to grace the event. Either way, they made the night even more vivid and alive!

After the amusing Thai dances, the group of Ms. Paavani continued presenting ”Dancing Feet”, a wonderfully choreographed various styles of Classical Indian dances, much to delight the audience.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the beautiful lady in yellow is Ms. Pavaani… I believe she leads the group.

It was almost 9PM when we decided to leave and didn’t wait for the Sri Lankan dancers to perform; we saw they have real swords and spear-looking weapons as props. Not because we chicken-out of their performance, but we’re almost dead-tired. We saw they even needed a long table to put all those props in place prior to their performance. We missed their dances but nonetheless, my mom and I were happy with what we experienced. The shows were modestly done in streets yet so exuberant and lavish!

This blog entry would not be complete without food post of course! For our early dinner that Saturday, just before we came to watch the Dragon dance in Cheah Kongsi, I brought my mom to our family favorite, Restoran Kapitan where we indulged in simple but tasteful Indian dishes.

We love Indian dishes from Kapitan however we prefer it less spicy (or for my family –non-spicy at all). We’re glad they have food choices to cater for the taste buds like ours. I ordered Chicken Cheese Kebab with Cheese Naan. It comes with flavorful dips which I like very much. That tangy tamarid, green mango and chili mix is one of the tastes that I usually crave for! It’s perfect to dip the Cheese Naan or Roti Cheese.

Chicken Butter Boneless is the bomb for me! It’s the first time I’ve tasted this and so glad my mom opted for anything without chili. It might be red in color but only because it’s tomato based. Creamy and buttery with hint of tomato sauce with Indian herbs (and spices), it’s another great dip for those Indian breads. I found another favorite in this dish! Can’t wait till Tina and Gabby sample this.

My mom loves Kapitan’s Mango Lassi which I also like. Lassi’s different from the usual and plain juice or fruit shake because it’s yoghurt based. We all washed down our Indian meal with thirst-quenching Mango Lassi…

This post was only about a few hours of a month-long celebration of George Town Festival 2012. It’s not even tip of the iceberg, so to speak. There’s a long line of programs that includes performers from other neighboring countries. So there were Sri Lankan and Thai dancers whom we saw in this D-I-Y-day tour but there are performers from Cambodia, Australia to name a few; not to forget, no less than my country’s pride, The Philippine Madrigal Singers also threw a 2-night concert that regretfully we missed (due to financial limits). More activities are in store for the remaining days of the festivities.

I remain grateful for being an expatriate here in Penang for almost 2 years now. Because of my work here, I and my family get to engaged ourselves in decent revelries like this. Most tourists and travelers would take efforts just to visit this UNESCO’s World Heritage Site but as mentioned, I consider it a blessing to be based in Penang and to experience George Town almost every weekend. This island’s diversities, heritage and gastronomic offerings are its strongest charms that lure tourists from near and beyond. In my opinion, those are the main reasons why George Town Festival should be celebrated by more generations to come.

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Jun

KAPANAPANABIK!

By docgelo 16 Comments

Can I just shout out that this email made me so thrilled to look forward to the next issue of Lonely Planet ASIA magazine July/August issue? (click screen capture to enlarge)

I am one of the avid readers of Lonely Planet Asia magazine; in fact, I was just reading their May/June issue that features London, NYC and other best spots in the globe yesterday when I received this email and it certainly put an ear-to-ear smile on my face! And to have one of my non-professional photos to be published soon and to be invited to contribute something to this esteemed travel magazine is such overwhelming!

*My photo that I called, The Floating Duo taken from Hat Yai, Southern Thailand was first posted in this blog entry :
http://docgelo.com/2011/08/04/discovering-hat-yai-thailand-crossing-borders-floating-market-more/

May

PENANG SPICE TRAIL : ENTICING SENSORY EXPERIENCE

By docgelo 22 Comments

When I arrived in George Town, it took me about five minutes to figure out the location of the office of Ministry of Tourism Malaysia-Penang branch in Beach Street. I asked a traffic officer and a man guarding a building across the street about its location but I didn’t get a positive response. I found out later the office was newly transferred in the area. It came to mind that my adventure for that day had started early. Luckily, taking few more steps, a warm smile and a friendly welcome greeted me at the office’s lobby. I felt so home and was surprised that Ms. Jaime Yeoh knew my name and my recent win for blogging from their office’s Head Quarters in Kuala Lumpur. I randomly exchanged thoughts with her about being a traveler and being a tourist, and the so many possibilities that Penang can offer. Little did I know that I was already speaking casually to the Director of the Penang branch of the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia herself.

Exclusively invited participants arrived in the office few minutes past 8AM. I was introduced to a variety of people who are directly involved in the Tourism industry in this part of Malaysia. Our group of around 40 were composed of hotel managers, travel agency representatives, people from Tourist Guide Association of Penang (I hope I got their group’s name right), some journalists and photographers from the media and of course, a bunch of Penangite bloggers. We were all invited to be introduced and to experience the new tourists’ package called the “Hot and Spicy Penang – The Spice Trail”.

Here are my insights, suggestions and a few tips about the program…

As a tourist, I want to see, taste, smell, hear and feel the place that I am visiting. As a traveler, I want to discover, experience and immerse myself with the culture, traditions, history and lifestyle of the people and place I am exploring. The Penang Spice Trail offers all that with fascinating diversities from Malay, Indian and Peranakan or Straits Chinese all represented in the package.

From the brief orientation at the office’s AVR, we were immediately led to the streets of Penang on foot.

*Suggestions : It would be better if you include an audio-video presentation of somewhat like a synopsis-introduction of the Penang Spice Trail to the participants during the orientation. Also, weather forecast for the day of the tour should be noted.

*Tips : Bring umbrella and fans, wear your sunnies and sun visors and apply that much needed SPF lotion because the tour would involve some walking and strolling in and out of George Town other than riding the very comfy Bas Persiaran or tourist bus.

The tour was professionally guided by the amusing and spontaneous, Ms. Joann Khaw. She kept the participants engaged and well-informed with everything about spices, its history relating to the island and the rest of Asia and lots of pertinent facts. She was never boring and was so candid to burst into laughter and shared smiles with us. She really caught my attention when she mentioned that the Spice expedition to the Southeast Asia was halted when the Portugese, Ferdinand Magellan was killed in an island in The Philippines.

Our first pit stop : An old building with history that dates back to the Spice trade and industry in Penang. I so appreciate the fact that it’s preserved with its structure built with mixed concrete, steel and wood.

After brief discussion on the Spice trade and history in Penang, we strolled back to Jalan Pantai or Beach Street. What’s interesting with this tour package, it’s informative not only of spices and herbs but with almost everything in George Town. Case in point, I learned that when a building has inscription of a year, like that 1886 in the building shown on the next photo, the year indicates the year the building was completed.

From Beach Street, we went to Little India via this quaint alley called Lorong Che Em or Che Em Lane…

Et voila, Welcome to Little India…

Having been to Little India in George Town for a countless times, it still never fails to amaze me. The structures, the aroma of spices and herbs either being sold as raw ingredients or that distinct olfactory stimuli from Indian restaurants will surely draw and entice your noses to try and sample them. Not to forget the loud and lively Bollywood music that lords the parallels of Little India.

That day, I also developed my appreciation for wooden shutters! We were told that this building with gorgeous wooden shutters (on the next photo) is currently undergoing restoration.

It was only a few steps across the Indian restaurant we sampled for breakfast.

I have professed on this blog my family’s love affair with few Indian dishes, as well as this blog has documented some of our gastronomic adventures in Restoran Kapitan located at the junction of Pitt Street and Chulia Street in Little India. That morning, my taste buds were exposed to another Indian restaurant, the Sri Ananda Bahwan.

My Sunday breakfast : Teh tarik or Milk Tea, hot and Cheese Roti which I enjoyed with 3 Indian dips. Flavorful and made me crave for more

I was looking at a young family (who brought their grandparents with them) devouring an interesting Indian food. The Tourism officers noted my fascination and they ordered one for me. I told them I surely cannot finish one with its humongous serving but I really wanted to put my fingers on that Roti Tissue.

It was my first time to see such towering delight! I was like a kid silently jumping for joy! The moment could have been happier if I was with Tina and Gabby; I’m sure my little kiddo would also love this! Roti Tissue is a crunchy and crispy, hand-tossed larger and thinner version of the traditional, Roti Canai. It’s also called Roti Helikopter or Helicopter bread apparently because of its incredibly creative presentation. It can be eaten with jam, sugar, or ice cream or in our case, it was served with condensed milk. A perfect ending to a simple but flavorful breakfast! A must-try in Little India!

*Suggestions : It would be better if the Ministry of Tourism-Penang Office would constantly check or delegate another office to keep an eye on the hygiene and cleanliness of restaurants, not only in Little India but the rest of the island. Delicious foods would appeal more tasteful to travelers, tourists and even local and expats if dishes and beverages are prepared and served with utmost cleanliness. Some restaurants barely offer table napkins or at least tissue to diners.

From Sri Ananda Bahwan restaurant, we walked to another alley in Little India. There were more wooden shutters for me to appreciate, and more wonderful sights to see. I particularly liked this amazing tree whose leaves and branches are not common to me. Pretty, is it not?

One of the parallels of Little India is China Street (Okay, it sounded like we toured around Asia with just few steps. Unless you’re from other planet or somewhere in the outer space, you must have heard of MOTOUR’s tagline, Malaysia Truly Asia! It’s Truly Asia in this part of Southeast Asia!) In China Street, we found ourselves inside the V. Kaleespari Grinding Mill which they had it open only for the tour (read : remember, it was Sunday?).

For me, this is one of the highlights of the Penang Spice Trail. Tourists and travelers would definitely be interested in something they never see and experience on a daily basis. And of those things is being inside a Milling factory.

Spices, spices, and more spices!

I salute this man who was grinding chili on a Sunday morning. He could have enjoyed the day off with his family but he gladly reported to work just to accomodate us in the tour.

Chili grinder, baby!

We only stayed for few minutes inside the Milling factory, enough for us to practically see how some spices are processed. Then we walked along China Street again. There were more wooden shutters and century-old structures to love. The day was even lovelier because the sky was intensely blue and the sun was in its mightiest; at least we didn’t have downpour!

An inspiring day, is it not?

One more shot with those beautiful wooden shutters and that handsome tree…

At the heart of Little India, we were ushered to this store that sells, what else but spices!

*Tips : Take note tourists and travelers, we were told that this spice shop is the friendliest among the many spice stores in Little India. They allow you to ask queries about their commodity even without you buying. Photo-ops are also free!

After that Spice Milling factory and Spice store visits, we needed to go inside this art exhibit gallery while waiting for our tourist bus. It was an extra treat for us!

Inside this art gallery are tons of inspiring objects. I instantly found this corner with art and photography books, a guitar and piles of colored masterpieces very inspiring! Is it not too cozy?

While our tourist guide, Joann further explained things about spices, I found more fascinating things like this wooden staircase.

“PENANGism”

Here we were on this central spot of the art gallery having an engaging talk about spices, spices and spices…

Joann came so prepared like a girl scout and brought several samples… The most interesting spice to me at this point of discussion was the Betelnut which of course, can cause Nasopharyngeal cancer. It’s commonly chewed by Southeasian people including native Filipinos in the Northern Philippines.

On our way to our tourist bus, I saw this Kedai Kopi or Coffee Shop… Do they serve peace and joy with their drinks? I must sample!!!

A stone’s throw away and we reached the Goddess of Mercy Temple in Kapitan Keling Street. The shrine is located beside this pastel colored structure. It caught my attention because it blended well with the hues of the clouds and the sky!

The roof of Guan Yin Temple…

From George Town, our Bas Persiaran took us to Penang Botanical Garden…

It’s my second time in this place; the first time was with Gabby almost a year ago, while Tina was taking her “me-time” at a salon in the mall. I love how lush and textured the trees here.

Mr. Michael Langdon (center) spoke to us about the history of spice trade in Penang and how it evolved through the years. He also pointed out how several species of spices and herbs have grown and were kept in Penang Botanical Garden.

Other than the spices and herbs and century-old trees that may lure tourists, there are a lot more this flora-and-fauna-theme park has to offer…

I found this tree with uniquely charming bloom too interesting that I decided to make a separate blog entry about it soon. For now, enjoy this solitary shot…

Time flew so fast that I didn’t feel hungry until we were brought back to George Town in a restaurant called, D’ Dapur located in Union Street near Beach Street. They specialized in Malay cuisine.

*Suggestion : It would be better if the proximity of location in the itinerary will be well thought of, so traffic jam particularly during rush hour can be avoided, thus time could be stretched.

We had Indian food for breakfast, Malay for lunch!

This bright yellow wall was the view from where I sat. Eye-catching, isn’t it?

Here’s the table where I had my lunch with newly met fellows. Wait till you see the photo below when it was filled with Malay dishes…

A detail shot of the view of the corner from where I sat…It appears to me a father-and-son-bike. And you?

Now, these were the HOT & SPICY MALAY CUISINE we sampled…

Can anyone identify those dishes ?

My Filipino taste buds were intensely stimulated by these Malay dishes! I was sweating profusely on my nape as I taste everything on the table. To my surprise, one of the Chinese-Malaysian bloggers in our table commented to the manager of the restaurant that overall, she found the dishes not that hot but rather SWEET! It was a statement to reckon with; a comment to ponder!!! Kidding aside, I understood her point. For someone whose palates have been accustomed to HOT & SPICY dishes, any local Malaysian can easily tell which is authentic from which is not. The manager of D’ Dapur reasoned out that the dishes they serve were already tailored to the tastes of foreingers.

In all fairness, the set meal that was served per table had veggies, seafoods, rice of course, chicken, tofu, and teh tarik or milk tea to complete. The proportions were huge for sharing and spices and herbs made everything tasteful and… spicy!

God is alive because they followed the hot and spicy meal with a heavenly dessert. A truly Malaysian sweet treat, Cendol! This reminds me of Halo-Halo from the Philippines, although ours have more ingredients while Cendol, in my opinion is a simpler version. It was a glorious ending to a hot and spicy meal! A perfect one to sample even from hawker food stalls in Penang…

My personal serving of Cendol… Refreshingly sweet!

*Suggestions : It would have been better if the chef himself came out from the kitchen (D’ Dapur in English means “Inside the Kitchen” according to my Malaysian students) to explain every dishes and feature the spices he used in cooking. There was no set menu found on the table to introduce the name of the dish to a foreigner like me. The dishes were nicely presented and the facilities of this restaurant including the toilet and a peek into the kitchen proved that they give importance to cleanliness and hygiene.

I also suggest for the restaurant to prepare the set menu with names of dishes, description and include the ingredients highlighting the spices used in preparartion. That way, the diners particularly non-Malaysians would have better appreciation of the Penang Spice Trail.

After that spicy and hearty lunch, we hopped on the tourist bus again and few minutes after, I saw this by my bus window…

We were brought to the Tropical Spice Garden which is not to be missed if you’re into this Penang Spice Trail! It’s my second time there after I brought my family there last year.

*Tip : It’s better for visitors and tourists to go with the guided tour inside Tropical Spice Garden, this would maximize their visit.

I learned a lot from the tourist guide unlike when we had D.I.Y.-tour I had with Tina and Gabby last year. Do sample their in-house restaurant, Tree Monkey and if you have extra time, enroll in their cooking class which highlight herbs and spices of course.

*Suggestion : Remind tourists to wear something casual and easy, comfortable enough to cover the arms and legs and the feet so as to avoid the pesky mosquito bites. Although the free citronella oil spray at the entrace of this tropical paradise was offered, I still had another memorable mosquito bite at my antecubital fossa from Tropica Spice Garden.

I appreciated that almost all species in Tropical Spice Garden has its label complete with Scientific Name and common name, plus its use as a plant, as a herb or medicinal plant or just plain cooking spice and its sources.

It was only during that Penang Spice Trail that I learned about the Pinang Tree (the palm tree on the next photo). I know that Pulau Pinang or the island of Penang’s flag has a palm as a symbol but I had no idea what species of palm tree this state was named after until I joined this tour. Informative, I tell you!

Behold, a tropical beauty at its finest…

This tree that exfoliates spontaneously exposing its nearly scarlet bark is used as an ink to design Malaysian batik.

While that ordinary looking plant beside our knowledgeable and cool tourist guide is poisonous! I think most domestic houses, private and government offices have that as their indoor plant but it was only last Sunday that I learned that it has toxins and is very lethal. Do you such info? I was totally out of the loop!

*Suggestion : Be cautious to observe timetable. Some tourists and travelers want an on-the-dot-schedules. Others may also prefer to have the tour guiding in their native tongue. I remember touring California ages ago, from LA-San Francisco-Fresno-LA, our tour guide then spoke and explained everything in 4 languages – English, Italian, Spanish and French. He did that impressively! However it may add up to the cost of the tour.

The last part of this Penang Spice Trail was way beyond my expectations. We were all assigned to different spa in various hotels in the island. This part of the tour package aims to highlight the Peranakan-Inspired Spa treatment. To me, it completed the package because all the 3 large communities in Malaysia are well represented–We had breakfast and toured Little India. Lunch was at a Malay restaurant that featured Malay cuisine where spices were used and the day ended at a very relaxing note in a Peranakan-Inspired Spa (representing Chinese community).

I, together with 7 other fellows were brought to Rainbow Paradise Inn Beach Resort in Tajung Bungah to experience Samporna Spa…

*Suggestion : Remind tourists who would avail of this package to bring extra clothes.

The massage with aromathic oil followed by application of mud really put me to sleep for few minutes. It was indeed relaxing!

Samporna Spa also has jacuzzi…

A group of four to maximum of six can unwind in the jacuzzi and enjoy a sip of their favorite red or white wine… I only had the massage then hit the shower after an hour. It was so invigorating after all the walking and a whole day of tour in the island… Thank you, Saporna Spa! Thank you, Rainbow Paradise Inn Beach Resort! Thank you, Ministry of Tourism Malaysia-Penang Branch for the invite!

Penang has its unique charm with its rich culture, heritage and diversities in food, people and places. This Penang Spice Trail offers a variety of options on how to enjoy and maximize one’s stay in the island. Avail of the tour packages via your chosen hotel in Penang, ask your designated tourist guides or personally visit/email/call the office of Ministry of Tourism Malaysia-Penang branch for more details about these.

Are you enticed to take the Penang Spice Trail? You’ll definitely savor every step!

Visit their facebook website via
https://www.facebook.com/MOTOURPenangOffice
. Special thanks to Ms. Jaime Yeoh and her staff and to fellow blogger, Willy Wah for the invite.

*My blog post last year about Tropical Spice Garden via
http://docgelo.com/2011/04/03/amidst-lush-greens-good-food-mosquito-bites/

May

ARMENIAN STREET, GEORGE TOWN, PENANG

By docgelo 29 Comments

The initial weekend plan was for my wife, Tina to relax and stay at home while our son, Gabby, my mom and I head to the island to run some errands. Then, they all decided to just enjoy the Saturday without leaving home so it ended that I went alone for a half day of buying some things we need for the coming week. There’s nothing to complain because it gave me the chance to go back to that unassuming but uniquely appealing street in George Town, Pulau Pinang en route to destination.

I already lost count on how many times I’ve walked through Armenian Street. It’s one of those frequently visited laterals of George Town, particularly by tourists who exactly know what to experience in a place inscribed as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. The most memorable ones were when I took a stroll with my camera during George Town Day, celebrated every July 7th, for the past 2 consecutive years and I think the latest was when Gabby and I sampled the quaint little hole-in-a-wall-restaurant, AMELIE CAFE December of 2011. Then there were those random visits last year on way to other places in the island.

The chance presented itself for me to personally devote several minutes of my lazy weekend to admire and capture the most recent mural cum street art installation fantastically done by the artist, Ernest Zacharevic (visit his website here –>
http://www.zachas.com/artwork/walls/
). I even waited for some tourists and passers by to complete their photo-ops before I savored mine. It’s such a joy to see this pleasant work of art!

Must have that detail shot

Doesn’t it look so alive yet whimsical?

Moving on… Armenian Street also houses one of the kongsis or clanhouses of migrant Chinese families who lived an opulent and illustrious era in this side of Malaysia. Just beside Amelie Cafe is Cheah Kongsi that I also got to visit last year. Will try to do a separate post about Cheah Kongsi soon.

Immediately after Cheah Kongsi is a garage-looking-area-turned into a very extraordinary souvenir bazaar called 14 LIVING STORY (their facebook account here –>
https://www.facebook.com/14livingstory?ref=ts
). I have dropped by their shop several times already and in every visit, I always hold on to my pocket and try my best to resist buying their beautiful paintings. The problem lies on the limited budget against a big temptation. I don’t think I’d be happy with just one frame, that’s why.

More murals along Armenian Street. These older ones were made of wrought iron creatively depicting Penangite tradition via caricatures and cartoons. The style and technique are so effective that even the young generations, such as, ehem, I am, could relate and be fascinated too.

At the junction where Armenian Street meets Kapitan Keling Street, there’s this yellow painted building with mural too.

I told you, tourists usually flock here for the same reasons I have.

Still on the same building, another wrought iron caricature that’s not only entertaining but informative too.

The stretch of Armenian street is still long but I had to walk through Kapitan Keling Street to wait for the bus to Komtar to go to Prangin and First Avenue Malls.

The walk from jetty in Weld Quay to half of Armenian Street wasn’t that tiring because of countless reasons to indulge your sense of vision into.

Apr

SOME THINGS ABOUT KUALA LUMPUR

By docgelo 12 Comments

Categories: MALAYSIA and TRAVEL
Tags: batu caves, bukit bintang, doc gelo, docgelo, fun, harrods, kuala lumpur, must go places in kuala lumpur, must visit places in malaysia, pavilion mall kuala lumpur, petronas twin towers, tourism, tourism malaysia, tourist spots in kuala lumpur, travel guide, travel guide to kuala lumpur, travel guide to malaysia

I received the message above from a friend way back in Med school via facebook last week. I thought of publishing my lengthy reply here that I also sent to her email for somehow, it may serve as a RAW-guide to any first-time-tourist visiting Kuala Lumpur (particularly those coming from Manila or Clark). Any suggestions and corrections to the information below will be appreciated.

hello! as promised, here’s a list of you can do, places you can visit when in malaysia (these are just based to where we’ve been to, of course, i cannot recommend the ones we haven’t tried yet hehe!). i also included some info which i hope you may find useful.

if you’re (from Manila) coming from the airport -KL-LCCT (kuala lumpur low cost carrier terminal) via either cebu pacific that flies everyday but i recommend you take 10am flight from manila every tuesdays, thursdays and saturdays (the rest of the weekdays, cebu pac flies at 9pm so you’ll arrive 1am in KL -medyo hassle!), or via air asia from naia 3 or clark, you have to take a bus from LCCT to downtown KL called KL SENTRAL (a bus station).

the buses kiosks are located just before you exit, after the immigration officers in the KL-LCCT. the fares are either 8 ringgit (RM1 =roughly PhP 14) in AEROBUS buses, or RM9 in Skybus of air asia. the buses are parked after McDonald’s at the airport (left side). they leave every 15 or 30 minutes from the airport and will take you to KL SENTRAL at about an one hour.

when in KL Sentral, try to remember the spot where you will be dropped off by Aerobus. this will be the same place where you should take the same bus (leaves every 15 min to the airport) when leaving malaysia to airport again when you go home. Once you got off the bus, you take the stairs (makipot sya, hehe! walang escalator doon), then walk your way up to 1st floor (in malaysia, our 1st floor is their ground floor, so yung 1st floor nila ay 2nd floor na sa pinas!) and look for the TAXI COUNTER just before you exit KL SENTRAL.

taxis (or teksi in bahasa melayu, Pinoy-slang! hehehe) from KL SENTRAL are provided with tickets, so you have to purchase the fare/ticket at the counter. Tell the counter, chinatown kayo or petaling street (assuming na doon ang hotel nyo) and the counter-staff will give you a ticket around RM 12 to 15 siguro ang fare of taxi cab. Then, the stub/ticket shall be given to the teksi driver who will take you to your destinasi (destination, hehehe!).

yes, chinatown is a good choice –cheap and affordable hotels available (you can choose from agoda.com if you have not booked yet), then pagbaba mo, palengke agad, tyangge like recto and greenhills! dami restos, foods! malapit pa sya sa pudu raya or PUDU SENTRAL (a bus and train station that will take you else where).

kami nag stay sa chinatown boutique hotel the last time we’re in KL. medyo maliit pero malinis naman at gabi lang naman kami nagstay doon, maghapong lakwatsa (*it’s a bit small hotel but clean, just enough to spend the night; anyway, you’ll wander around during the day) check it out if you like . if not, we tried breakfast buffet at SWISS IN HOTEL also in Chinatown, KL. that’s also nice to stay, i guess.

since may kasama kayong 15 years old, she may like GENTING HIGHLANDS. it’s the theme park in KL but dont expect disneyland-like ha. ang ok doon, malamig kasi it’s on top of the mountains, you need 1 day at least or two, in Genting. May cable cars sa foot ng genting highlands where you can take after you ride bus from Pudu / KL Sentral to Genting. May indoor at outdoor theme parks doon, 5 atang hotels at madaming casinos and buffets. We took a bus direct from Penang to Genting when we went there 2 years ago kaya di kami nakapag cable car. here is the link to my post just in case you want to peek

http://docgelo.wordpress.com/2010/12/21/our-days-in-genting-part-one/

http://docgelo.wordpress.com/2010/12/28/our-days-in-genting-part-two/

i also suggest you go up the Skybridge of PETRONAS TWIN TOWERS. it’s a must-experience when in malaysia -or at least in my vocabulary, hehehe! We queued at 6AM, yes tickets sell like hotcakes at the basement of Petronas / Suria-KLCC Shopping complex, daming turista lagi, kaya go there before 6am then purchase your tickets, RM 50 per pax then you get to choose the time of your SKYBRIDGE VISIT –either morning, lunch time or gabi. We got the 9:15am visit; blog post and photos here
http://docgelo.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/our-fun-homage-to-malaysias-magnificence/

After nyo ng SkyBridge Visit, you can go shopping in Suria KLCC (mall in between the foot of Petronas).

If you’re feeling like to indulge sa Suria, kain kayo sa Harrod’s kasi sa UK lang mayroon noon di ba? Pero 2 naman ang food courts sa Suria, dami choices, may mga restos din, Chilis etc.. here’s our merienda in Harrods’s
http://docgelo.wordpress.com/2010/12/25/harrods-cafe-celebratory-indulgence-in-kuala-lumpur/
(photos were then taken using point and shoot kaya medyo blurry hehe!).

Pwede din kayo punta sa Aquaria pero Manila Oceanarium in my opinion is far better. Nasa ilalim or basement sya ng Suria-KLCC.

If you dig tourist spots and some Indian flares, you may want to go to Batu Caves too. I suggest you do that in the morning (before 9am para di pa mainit). You may take KTM Train from KL Sentral (so from chinatown, you may take a cab to KL Sentral), buy a ticket for 1 or 2 ringgit lang ata one way at KL Sentral to Batu Caves. Mga 40 minutes ang byahe. After Batu Caves, we went to Pavilion Mall and other malls in BUKIT BINTANG (it’s like the Ginza of Tokyo or Beverly Hills of Manhattan or Makati of Pinas). Bukit Bintang is accessible via cab from Chinatown or from anywhere. Ayos sa Pavilion Mall, malaki, but I still miss Greenbelt and Glorietta there, hehe! Here’s my blog post about Batu Caves and Pavilion Mall.

http://docgelo.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/caves-and-bears/

There’s also KL Bird Park, Orchidarium and other Nature Park in downtown KL which we passed up kasi lack of time the last time we went there.

I read from fellow bloggers that Malacca is so nice, when you like heritage/clan houses/old-world-appeal kind of thing. Never been there. It’s 3 hours from Kuala Lumpur or a 7-hour bus ride from Penang (Sungai Nibong).

Then there’s Langkawi which I heard is the Palawan/Boracay of Malaysia. It’s near Penang but we haven’t explored it yet too.

Let me know if you’re going to Penang and we shall talk. If you plan to go to George Town, I wish it’ll be on a weekend, para masamahan namin kayo umikot, kasi may work at weekend lang kami libre.

Hope this long suggested and info list helps.

Mar

OUR HONG KONG DISNEYLAND TRIP 2012 : LAST DAY HIGH

By docgelo 27 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, HEADLINES, HONG KONG, ILOVEPHOTOS and TRAVEL
Tags: amusement parks, angelo nino santos, beyond toxicity, black and white photography, blooms, breakfast, broadway shows, cadillac, chef mickey's, dining, dining with family, disney train lines, disney's hollywood hotel, disneyland, disneyland train line, doc gelo, doc gelo blog, docgelo, family and living, family blog, family from philippines, family life, filipino blog, filipino expats, filipino family, flight of fantasy parade, flowers, foliage, food, food blog, food places in hong kong, foodie, fun, gardens, gratitude, Hollywood, hong kong, hong kong disney's hollywood hotel, Hong Kong Disneyland, hong kong island, hong kong tourist spots, hotels, hotels in hong kong, how to go to hong kong disneyland, how to go to hong kong disneyland from hong kong international airport, lantau island, live performances, musicals, must see in hong kong, must-visit in hong kong, nikon D7000, pancakes, parades, park, photography, photos taken using nikon D7000, pinoy expats, r & r, rest and relaxation, restaurant, restaurants in hong kong, simba, sunny bay, thanksgiving, the golden mickeys, the lion king, tourism, tourist spots in hong kong, toy story, train lines in hong kong, vacation, vintage cars, woody toy story

19 February 2012. Sunday. It was the last day of our 3D2N grand family vacation in Hong Kong Disneyland Park and Resort. And although we’re ecstatic with everything we had experienced in the Happiest Place On Earth, we tried to struggle a bit with fact that we’re leaving Hong Kong for our work place in Penang, Malaysia before dusk. It’s always hard to leave something so special that gave you many wonderful memories. Nontheless, we still had a day to enjoy so Tina, Gabby and I started our last morning in Hong Kong with ear-to-ear smiles.

Good Morning, Disney’s Hollywood Hotel !!!

From our room down to the lobby, we headed directly to Chef Mickey to have our buffet breakfast!

“Chef Mickey recalls the lavish Art Deco-styled studio commissaries of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Mickey decorations and various Disney characters in sketch form are found throughout the restaurant.” (via hongkongdisneyland.com)

Here’s the nice corner reserved for my family and me…

From the ceiling, fixtures, tiled walls and the spread, there’s a piece of Mickey Mouse to delight your senses!

It was Gabby who first noticed and told me, “Daddy, look at the plate, it looks like Mickey Mouse’s pants!”

Much ado about carbo-loading : My first plate had a crusty cheese bread, a delicate egg tart, sample of fruity and fluffy pastries and a piece of Winnie the Pooh banana cake. Of course, my morning would not be complete without a dose of coffee.

Who says pizza ain’t a morning meal? Gabby was wide-eyed when he spotted an all-cheese-thin-crust-pizza on the spread; he’s a purist when it comes to pizza thus, it’s his favorite! I asked him, “Anak, do you want some?” Of course, I received an excited positive response! I got a few slices for him, added some hash browns molded into smileys; how cute! And the basic scrambled eggs and bacon with Mickey Mouse waffles spruced up with maple syrup, while our boy favored chocolate syrup!

One of my favorites that I found so good from Chef Mickey’s various offerings was those thin slices of smoked salmon! I paired it with fresh green salad which I topped with different kinds of cheeses, some bits of cold cuts and vinaigrette and my morning instantly became perfect!

Tina and Gabby were satisfied with the breakfast too. Why, there were cereals which is a staple for my wife and son; yoghurt and fresh tropical fruits too! There were also some Chinese favorites –choices of dim sum, noodles, congee and a lot more that we wished our stomachs can accomodate.

After filling our tummies from Chef Mickey, we got our luggage and bags, had an early check out at 10:30AM, deposited our bags (for free!) at the Left Luggage Service of the hotel and trooped to the Disney’s Hollywood Hotel garden.

For the nth time, I owe some brilliant observations from our 7-year-old-kid. After first noticing those Chef Mickey’s plates patterned after Mickey Mouse’s pants, he commented about the aisle at the garden has film strips! And so I took a snap…

Bright and beautiful foliage at the Disney’s Hollywood Hotel garden…

The colors of the blooms – both big and small were awe-inspiring!

Pretty, isn’t it? My mother would agree (read : she loves flowers while my wife prefers food!).

It must be the great climate. It must be…

Happy moments in Disney’s Hollywood Hotel were made of these…

So happy he became buoyant on cool air!

Then, at the back of those “Hollywood Hotel” signage is somewhat discreet walkway where vintage cars are parked, excellent for photo-ops. What is Hollywood without them anyway?

Now, here are the exhibits of our “not-our-car-photos”….

Gorgeous cadillac coupled with those lovely smiles…

We’re almost ready to leave the garden when Gabby was fascinated with this movie ticket booth…

Gabby was inspired to do role-playing with his mom. Tina as the movie-goer and Gabby sells the tickets. Guess who’s their director? Definitely, not me! I played the usual camera man; Gabby himself called the shots! And all the while we thought his mind’s already fixed in becoming a chef, hotelier and restaurateur in the future. He got other talents, baby!

The moment came when he thought of dancing in the middle of a turntable-designed ground near the poolside. Elvis Presley songs were on air. He was then more of an entertainer with the grooves more than just an actor-director! haha! (I captured all of his moves in photos which I will probably post on a separate entry soon).

Time to bid goodbye to Disney’s Hollywood Hotel. Thank you for that warm and family-friendly accomodation!

As we planned to collect our luggage from Disney’s Hollywood Hotel at around 3PM before heading to Hong Kong International Airport to catch our 5:45PM HK-KUL flight via Air Asia, we rode the resort’s free shuttle bus and went to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Public Transport Interchange (PTI).

TRANSPORTATION IS ALSO WHIMSICAL AT HONG KONG DISNEYLAND!

Here are some info and tips on how to go about the MTR Disneyland Resort Line

Getting to and out the park is as easy as counting 1, 2 and 3. From Hong Kong International Airport, one can opt to ride a bus, a car, a taxi cab or a train to reach Hong Kong Disneyland and vise-versa if you’re leaving the Happiest Place On Earth.

We’ve been to Hong Kong and Hong Kong Disneyland quite a few times already but we were always on a package tour (read : there’s a tourist bus that pick us up to and from the park) and we have not experienced riding that Mickey-Mouse-windowed train running on the MTR Disneyland Resort Line. And so we did not let the chance pass last month to enjoy such experience.

It’s always great to ask whenever you’re in doubt. So I went to the counter of the MTR Disneyland Resort Line to inquire how to go to Ting Chung via Sunny Bay. He instructed me to buy tickets from the machines located at the laterals of the station just before the turnstiles. He generously broke my bills into coins for the train ticket machines; very HKDL-friendly!

The ticket machines are touch screens; you need to identify and press the point of your origin before you touch the point of your final destination. Say for example, touch first Hong Kong Disneyland Resort then Tung Chung. The ticket price for adult and kids are different but the machine monitor will show the amount per person and you just need to press the total pax (e.g. 3 adults, 1 kid). Et voila, you collect the tickets to be inserted (or swipe if it’s loadable) on the turnstiles!

Convenience meets Fantasy.

That’s my first impression on Disneyland Resort Train Station.

It made me wish that all train stations around the globe would be as neat and pretty as this.

“Travel on the railway network of MTR and interchange for the Disneyland Resort Line at Sunny Bay Station.

Only 23 minutes from the Hong Kong International Airport, MTR Airport station,

30 minutes from MTR Kowloons tation and

33 minutes from MTR Hong Kong station where Guests can pick up Park Tickets too!

Operating Hours between Sunny Bay and Disneyland Resort Station
From Sunny Bay: from 6:15am – 12:45am the following day From Disneyland Resort Station: from 6:20am – 12:40am the following day

Frequency 4 – 10 minutes.” (-via hongkongdisneyland.com)

Just wonderful.

And at an instant, we fell in love with the train! Those train handles are one of the many reasons why one should visit and experience Hong Kong Disneyland!

Among the many train couches, we were lucky to randomly seated near that Mickey Mouse bronze statue.

There’s Tink’s and many other Disney characters immortalized in bronze enclosed in capsules.

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort line runs until Sunny Bay. From here, you wait and take other trains that will take you to your destination.

Doing the “tourist thing” at Sunny Bay Station….

Now, where did we go and what did we do after Sunny Bay would have to be posted next!

With that, I’d like to thank the people who made our Hong Kong Disneyland trip very memorable and fun-filled! Thank you to Jaclyn, Nicole, Catherine and Purple –you guys are the BEST!

Thank you to my fellow Filipino bloggers with their families and friends! Thank you to Gael of The Pinay Solo BackPacker and her sister, Juvy, Thank you to Thammie of ThammieSy.com who came with her entire family, Pastor Dennis of Act Like A Man and their two adorable daughters, Alyanna and Mika. Thank you to Leslie of Shoot First Eat Later who came with her friend, Ms. Elizabeth (not in photo but Thank you, Maam for giving Gabby a lego-Buzz Lightyear watch!), Thank you fashion bloggers and celebrities, Laureen Uy of Break My Style who came with her special one, Robbie, and Kryz Uy of KryzUy.com who went with her sister, Jack. Maraming Salamat! Don’t you wish we meet again in some similar trip like this? Better yet, let’s go to HKDL again someday!

Last but not certainly not the least, THANK YOU SO MUCH to HONG KONG DISNEYLAND for being the venue of our FAMILY bonding, offering more than expected delicious FOOD and providing us never-ending FUN!

In so many ways, this Hong Kong Disneyland vacation was truly an exceptional one!

Whether it was our first time or we’ve been to the park and hotels several times over, reasons are beyond words to go back and revisit the Happiest Place on Earth!

Let this last set of my photos speak of those remarkable reasons why WE SO LOVE HONG KONG DISNEYLAND!

As Shakespeare had put it, “Parting is such a sweet sorrow.”

It was an enormous blessing that we got a chance to revisit Hong Kong Disneyland and experienced family bonding, food and fun beyond our great expectations!

Thank you so much, our dear God!

Thank you so much, Hong Kong Disneyland!

Till we meet again, Mickey Mouse!

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This Blog Series Includes :

Jan

CHRISTMAS BREAK 2011 DAY 14 : HOTEL CELESTE

By docgelo 27 Comments

Our Christmas Break 2011 Blog Series includes :

En Route To Pinas
Day 2 : Ulingan, Tondo
Day 5 : Malacanang Palace
Day 8 : Bisperas Ng Pasko Sa Ulingan
Day 11 : Our Students’ Wedding

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*This is not a paid post for Hotel Celeste. The blogger and his family spent for their overnight stay and this blog’s simple review and staff commendation attempts to be honest and fair.

Celeste (pronounced with silent last e) means heavenly. And Hotel Celeste in Makati City is just that. Celestial. Stellar. Heavenly!

30 December 2011, Friday. Exactly 2 weeks after we arrived from Penang, we availed of the deluxe room I reserved a few weeks ago at Hotel Celeste, a European-inspired boutique hotel in the heart of Makati City. Now, before someone raises his or her eyebrows and comments that we’re spending a fortune on this overnight accomodation, think again. We only availed of the hotel’s promo called CELESTIAL WEEKENDS that I luckily spotted at their website last year. Besides, give us a break, will you? It’s already 2012 and it’s our 8th Wedding Anniversary on Sunday, January 08, 2012, hence this simple indulgence.

I asked first my commander-in-chief’s go signal (who else but Tina) if I can book a hotel room even for just a night in honor (naks!) of our 8th years of being officially married, 11 years of togetherness and as a part of our Christmas vacation in Pinas. And man, I was in cloud 9 when I got her nod.

It was already the night of December 8, 2011 when I emailed Hotel Celeste to make a reservation. One night for us (December 30-31) and the other date this January 2012 as gift certificate that we gave as present to our first inaanak sa kasal (sponsored newlyweds, Nicole & Carlo). Tina and I thought it’s a decent wedding present for them more than the classic golden chamber pots (ginintuang arinola) *pun intended*

Incidentally, this is the first time I’ll be acknowledging the names of the people who served us beyond expectations. The hotel service was excellent!

First to be applauded was the front desk officer, Ryan Lacerna. We never met him but he was the one who promptly replied to my email-request and immediately sent a reservation under my name on my preferred dates on PDF form. Thank you!

Second was the door man/bell boy, Dexter and the couple of guards outside. Mabuhay po kayo! Dexter’s Indigo blue marvelous uniform was perceived by Gabby as those worn with Samurai. (Our son mixed Japanese with Old World European–you know how kids watch so many cartoons these days, haha!).

And of course, the nicest people who man this small but ever efficient reception should be regarded as well.

Thank you to Em and Ethel who smilingly received me when I first personally went there to settle our bills in advance. Believe me, they’re the friendliest front desk ladies I’ve ever encountered.

Thank you to Jiggs Garcia who texted to inform me that the GC that I requested was already ready for pick up.

Not to forget the front desk people who were on duty during our stay, Gracie and the tall male front desk man who’s with her and whose name I forgot to ask, he also didn’t wear his nameplate that time, nontheless, thank you too!

To the Celi’s restaurant wait staff -morning and night shift, hats off to you for being courteous!

All of you made our brief stay so remarkable and memorable! Maraming Salamat!

Honey, lower your eyebrows, please. Umabot ata sa 3rd floor. Why? hehehe! *she'll kill me for this*

Needless to say, Hotel Celeste impressed us –not only the jologs in me who’s easier to pleased but Tina who has more discriminating taste. With only 30 rooms –in Suites and Deluxe that vary in their interiors (I think no room is designed similar), this charming hotel is an absolute respite amidst the hustle and bustle of Makati City and a great competition to the premier hotels around. It’s a few steps away from our favorite malls -Greenbelt and Glorietta. Very accessible too for tourists and balikbayans who likes a nearby accomodation from the airport.

Wacky Gabby posed for Tina while I check in at the counter.

Gracie, the front desk officer on duty didn’t ask anymore for the PhP 2K refundable deposit when I checked in for my family. I don’t know, either she forgot about it or I’d like to think she trusted me because of the 2 letters after my surname (ehem!). She just requested me to provide an ID; I gave her my passport and after she scanned and returned it to me, I found myself with Tina, Gabby and the bellboy/doorman, Dexter inside the lift. Even the lift was elaborately decorated with DAMASK TEXTILE and mirrors. Nice!

We’re assigned at level 3, room 305. Here’s the corridor…

The lateral view from the door of our room…

We were welcomed by spotless wooden floors and simple yet amazing fixtures.

I'm happy when my family's happy.

The mini bar isn’t free of course unlike QUINCY HOTEL SINGAPORE but nevertheless provides with complimentary bottled water, coffee and tea making facility. Personal fridge also available.

The quality of pillows and the size of the bed for me are relatively important whenever slumbering in a hotel. I want my pillows not too soft but a little firm. Tina and Gabby like it otherwise. We all love a king size bed instead of a twin, so much room to cuddle and curl up. And in Hotel Celeste, we’re grateful that we had one of our restful sleeps. Fantastic!

Tina noticed the wardrobe has a long umbrella for the guests to use. We both think it’s uncommonly provided by most hotels unless you ask for one and Hotel Celeste was thoughtful in doing so even without a request.

The tandas (toilet) at first glance was instantly perceived as covered with wall paper but a closer look revealed it’s beautifully stenciled. Thank God it’s no floral design but leafy. The Deluxe room has no bath tub but the rainshower dutsa with comforting hot and cold water was good enough.

The banyo may be small but almost sterile. It’s so important to be kept clean.

L'Occitane hair and body wash are provided, must of all, I like it when hotel choose Colgate to include in the box of toothbrush (despite we always bring our own gum needs).

The Celestial Weekend Promo package that we availed comes with a foot and leg massage upon arrival that we failed to enjoy. Tina and I opted to have it in the morning just before checking out however, it’s already late when we learned that the service is only available from 3 to 5 in the afternoon. Our fault. No worries. But definitely, Gabby and Tina savored the welcome drinks; they chose ripe mango shake and iced chocolate.

vouchers for fee welcome drinks that were handed to us upon check in.

Fast forward to dinner : Most deluxe hotel room packages would only offer buffet breakfast, but Celestial Weekends treats guests to set dinner as well. When we’re almost ready to choose from the set menu, Gabby asked me to accompany him to pee.

This is how the toilet at the lobby looks like…

waiting area just before the toilet at the lobby

the male toilet : I wish I had mural painting of a knight to in our comfort room.

Admittedly, the set dinner may have been better if the servings are a bit bigger. But I’m not complaining; just saying. As mentioned, it doesn’t happen all the time that set dinner is inclusive in a hotel package unless it’s an ALL INCLUSIVE (Read : QUINCY HOTEL SINGAPORE again FTW!).

Inside CELI’s Restaurant just by the lobby of Hotel Celeste…

There's a male acoustic crooner who's set we adore : love songs from the 80s sang and popularized by male foreign singers. Ang husay!

The view from where we sat…

From the set menu, Tina and I chose, focaccia and another high-fiber bread with buttered spinach and rock salt as starter, then roast chicken for me that’s sadly too salty and so minimal serving (I should’ve ordered the salmon!). Tina had carbonara which we gave a thumbs up but wished for, yes, a larger serving, hehe (note to self : it’s free and included in the package, remember?). She shared some pasta to Gabby but he likes the desserts better. We all love the chocolate ecclairs but the creme brulee’s too sweet for my sweet tooth.

If the set dinner was just OK, we were greatly surprised with the buffet breakfast!

A knock at our door at few hours before we went watching last full show of Gabby’s choice from 2011 MMFF at Greenbelt 3 cinema (guess what movie? haha!), made me opened it and saw 3 people, wearing white collared shirts and pants (correct me if I’m wrong but they struck me as on OJTs or HRM interns) who handed me 2 sheets of paper to fill out.

It's all in the details.

The paper had the menu for breakfast but it allows the guests/diners to customize their dishes. It’s like tick the ingredient you want in your omelette; tick if you want Belgian waffle, croissants, danish pastries, cinnamon, smoked fish, pork tocino, bacon, chicken frankfurter, eggs benedict, fresh fruits, cereals, yoghurt and a lot more choices with various tea and coffee.

The jologs couple in us were puzzled after reading the instruction on the paper. It simply state tick your preferred dish to be served either in Celi’s restaurant or right inside your room. We’re not dumb or anything but we want to make sure before filling it out and submitting it to the front desk before 11PM. So Tina called the front desk to clarify. The OC in me followed to verify.

Tina : “Hello, this is room 305, We just received 2 sheets of paper for us to select our menu for breakfast. So how do we fill it up, will it be, we choose one per dish category or we can select more than one plate?”

Front Desk : “Maam, you can select all po.”

Tina : “Ah, OK, Thank you.” …puts down the phone and turned to me, “‘ney, pwede daw lahat? haha! Ikaw nga tumawag!”

To cut the funny story short, I confirmed that it’s like “select-all-that-apply” kind of thing. SARAP! Alam nyo naman, we have to eat like a KING during breakfast! hehe!

We’re glad to have tasted their SMOKED BONELESS BANGUS… This is one reason why we love Filipino dishes!!!

Admit or deny it, this is how a typical Filipino buffet plate looks like : mix-mix! haha! ...There's that gorgeously delicious Smoked Boneless Bangus (we opted it instead Daing), Omelette, Beef Tapa, Pork Tocino, Hash Browns, Bacon strips, Chicken Frankfurters which we all shared.

Then Tina loved their Eggs Benedict…

And then seriously, while being served with one of our delightful breakfast meals, Gabby began feeling sick (he and I really got sick, NOT because of Hotel Celeste but perhaps of pollution/bacterial/viral exposures or change of weather temperature), so Tina requested the wait staff if we could have all the food to be served in our room in order for Gabby to have ample and more relaxed time to eat. Et voila!

We didn't finish everything! Ang dami..so we take it home by buying microwavables from Landmark when we went grocery shopping before checking out at 12noon. Sayang naman itapon! haha..

Our stay in Hotel Celeste’s Celestial Weekends only cost us PhP 5,399 nett (the promo runs every weekend until January 15, 2012). Some may accused us of overspending beyond our means, but hey, it ain’t your money we’re using. So chill. Some may say it’s too much for an overnight stay, well I say it’s a steal from the original deluxe room price of almost PhP 10K+ exclusive of what we enjoyed. And above all, price for as long as you can afford, shouldn’t be an issue when you spend for family’s happiness and family bonding. Memories are cherished forever. Money can be earned.

I love you honey and Gabby! Cheers to our 8th year and here’s to more traveling, delicious feasts and fun-filled family bonding!

For more details on Hotel Celeste, visit their website at www.hotelceleste.ph

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Dec

CHRISTMAS BREAK 2011 DAY 5 : MALACANANG PALACE

By docgelo 31 Comments

Our Christmas Break 2011 Blog Series includes :

En Route To Pinas
Day 2 : Ulingan, Tondo
Day 8 : Bisperas Ng Pasko Sa Ulingan

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*Disclaimer : I try to maintain my blog as an APOLITICAL one so this isn’t about views and opinions about any issue.

”How many times have you been inside Malacanang Palace?“ asked by Ivan Man Dy of Old Manila Walks to our group of 14 tourists –a mix of locals, balikbayans and a few foreigners. One of us replied, “Four!” …I thought my previous Malacanang experience was absolutely no match because I only answered, “Once“…

Then Ivan continued to ask, “How many times have you been to SM (Shoemart Department Stores)?

I smiled.

Apparently, setting foot inside the grounds where President of the Philippines resides and takes office doesn’t happen on a daily basis. Needless to say, it’s another EXTRAORDINARY experience for us. Thank you, Ivan for the invites! My wife, my dad-in-law and I definitely enjoyed every bits. Brilliant!

We began The Power, Palace and A Shot of Beer Walking Tour in one of the art-deco huge houses in San Miguel, Manila– the Legarda Mansion, that’s known to others as the fine-dining restaurant, La Cocina de Tita Moning. From there, Ivan escorted us through a parallel of San Miguel all the way to the stone throw away, Malacanang. The drizzle that Wednesday afternoon wasn’t an issue to get us in the Palace.

these things look amazing to me...

ORGANIZED… Several days prior, we received an email with reminders of what to expect, where to meet, the how-to-get-there-map, and whatnot on the this walking tour. Our names were collected for submission as guests to the Kalayaan Hall or the Malacanang Palace Museum thus, getting inside was such a breeze (Do you think PSG did a character-investigation prior to the tour? haha, just asking!). Understandably, since we’re paying the highest office of the land a visit, our bags and bodies were scanned; cameras were labeled with red-orange PSG stickers (I just didn’t get it why PSG asked us-those with cameras to have a test shot with them or point and shoot it first at anything…). Ivan explained everything’s a protocol, of course.

With utmost humility, I got 1.25 (highest of 1.0 and lowest of 5.0) in Philippine History back in my days when I was taking up my pre-medical course at Far Eastern University (who cares, right? even the carebears don’t care, toinks!). Defensively, I am neither a History geek nor a happy-g0-lucky kind of guy. I just don’t know up to now what soul got into me those days that I became so fascinated with Agoncillo’s book on Philippine History and taking essay-type-of-exams in our class wasn’t difficult for me. With more than a decade after, I forgot everything I’ve learned. Haha! Well, almost.

INFORMATIVE…Glad I was one of the participants of this walking tour because A LOT of things that happened in the past were not found on books. And Ivan had refreshed and informed us even of things unfamiliar to many. Case in point are these four men on a set of painting who contributed to the Philippine History. The only name that rang a bell to my ears was Hernando de Magallanes who toured the globe before he got killed with his Portugese Christian soldiers by a native ruler of Mactan, Cebu–who else but Lapu-lapu. (Iyong iba, di ko ka-facebook, hehehe!)

Apart from history and politics aside, Malacanang Palace as a tangible structure in my humble opinion, is very Filipino or at least represents who we are, how we evolved through the years. Inspite of the fact that the exteriors reminds us of Spanish colonial regime, it boasts of intricate carvings on solid wood inside its vast and countless rooms that obviously reflect talent, skills, artistry and craftmanship of Filipino people.

Must have that detailed shot…

INTERESTING…wood carving galore!

Can you believe that this served as a luggage used in traveling in the previous era? ...*hebigat*

One can easily tell that those solid wood carvings from Narra, Kamagong and other finest lumber are symbolic of our resilience amidst adversities, or was it only my interpretation? I hope others won’t perceived it as luxuries in the heart of a third world country (Did I just mentioned this blog would not discuss social and political issues?).

NEVER BORING… The tour featured almost all corners of the museum and the stories behind them.

Imagine the efforts exerted in making these floor to ceiling wood carvings. One can almost feel the hands that held those chisels. Artistic. Decorative. Beautiful!

Nothing’s overlooked…

even the electric sockets should look authoritative?

NOSTALGIC…Alas, my solitary memory of Malacanang Palace resurfaced from my lazy cerebrum. Upon the sight of the rooms, I remembered Imelda Marcos’ shoes, Ferdinand Marcos’ five libraries with vast collection of books, their gorgeous paintings, Madame’s canopied bed with wooden crown at its top, her toilet boasting of jars of perfumes with actual miniscule faucets and a lot more of Marcos’.

Admit it, they're the most vivid and powerful people who lived in the palace.

COMPELLING… How does a ruler convince his people to follow his lead?

Letras Y Figuras : One of the eye-catching commissioned paintings inside Malacanang has the name of Imelda Romualdez Marcos with scenic and iconic paintings representing her "achievements" per letter of her name.

Si Sir....

at si Madame...

Martial Law may have scarred the many; thus, looking at the same chair and table where it was proclaimed could hyperstimulate your senses or worst, can be disturbing…

ENGAGING with WITS and HUMOR…As a lecturer myself for almost a decade now, I have learned to make my classroom discussion interactive, lively and enticing despite a boring topic. And the Ivan Man Dy certainly knows to do the same, in fact far better than my limited skills. He makes Philippine History soft and chewy to absorb by the common tao, much more by the foreigners who most of the time are clueless of our own story.

"How many pairs shoes did Imelda Marcos have?", "Where are her shoes now?" Everyone was enthralled in the charming discussion about everything inside the museum including fellow blogger, Marian of her site, upto6only (wearing black shirt with pink headband and pink belt; yes, it must be pink, right, Marian? hehe!)

Folks, meet the most participative tourist in our group, Mr. Primo (the one wearing Fedora hat and eyeglasses). He’s the man who made the tour more fascinating. He had the most extensive commentaries.

Ivan's so successful in engaging all of us in his tour.

To me, students who come to my classes so prepared and well-read, are definitely a challenge. And Mr. Primo is similar to such, that with his impressive knowledge on Philippine History, his great discussions with Ivan made me think he could effortlessly pass as a Dean in an academe or simply put, he’s someone who experienced the tales being told.

FANTASTIC... The tour featured the priceless art works of Filipino artists as well as gifts from foreign dignitaries that are all housed inside Kalayaan Hall.

I just had to click my cam on the sculpture of that Greek God, Mercury (right photo); reminds me of a local drugstore's tag line, "Gamot ay Laging Bago" hehe!

There’s something for everyone to be interested with…

With all due respect, Ex-President Joseph Ejercito Estrada's inaugural Barong Tagalog showed he's definitely bigger than I am. *no pun intended*.

She will be forever Tita Cory to me. I was once a child growing up in her presidency.

One of the reasons why this tour's called, "Palace, Power and A Shot of Beer" : San Miguel Brewery back in the old days was located literally beside Malacanang Palace. Don't ask me how it happened. I highly suggest you join the tour of Old Manila Walks.

And of course, there were those photo-op moments…

Special thanks to my father-in-law who snapped this shot.

On way out, I found this sculpture of a family that I wished to have as a takeaway. hehe!

After more than 2 hours, we walked our way out of the Palace and Ivan led us back to the Legarda Mansion (not of Senator Loren’s but Atty Katrina’s family).

The tour promised a fine-dining merienda, et voila!

How often do you eat with rose petals on the table?

We enjoyed it in an-open-air-dining area within the simple garden of the Legarda’s. The ambiance was so casual yet the offerings were special.

The sotanghon (vermicelli noodles) dish was a delight. Squeezing a calamansi covered with mesh (similar to how they serve it at the Lobby of the Manila Peninsula --abangan!) over a sauce dish of fish sauce and chili even made the pancit more heavenly.

We were treated to a delicious light snack but absolutely less ordinary…

If my taste buds and memory serve me right, those 2 slices were chicken galantina. One thing is definite, its aroma and fantastic taste was to die for.

However, they made the dessert less sweet (perhaps, they’re considering the diabetic tourists/diners). Sayang, I like it done with more sugar.

Guinataang Bilo-bilo

For the nth time, this tour’s called, Palace, Power and A Shot of Beer. So other than that refreshing and refillable Tanglad Iced Tea (Lemon Grass Iced Tea) and cold water, here’s that single shot of San Miguel Beer, cheers!

It was so nice to end a tour with a simple feast. But lo and behold, Ivan gave us a plus! After I told him that I read somewhere that the Legarda Mansion houses a doctor’s clinic (the patriarch and his 4 kids were all MDs), without hesitation, he invited all of us for a short but another impressive tour inside La Cocina De Tita Moning.

The experience inside the Legarda Mansion deserves a separate post…Soon!

For interested parties to join Ivan Man Dy’s tours of Manila, contact them via their website at OLDMANILAWALKS.COM

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Manigong Bagong Taon po sa lahat at Maraming Salamat! May the good Lord continuously shower us with His divine grace.

Sep

OUR SUPERSTAR PISCES EXPERIENCE

By docgelo 32 Comments

15 September 2010, Wednesday–Exactly 101 days before Christmas and 3 days prior to my big day, I had an experience of a lifetime!

Four of my colleagues who are now my new found travel and shopping friends (read: GASTOS ito! ….note to self: SAVE more Ringgit!) and I went on an overnight cruise within Malaysian waters via Superstar Pisces. I was sort of the mind behind the plans of how to spend our eleven-day-vacation that began lunch time of 09 September, Thursday and will end on 19 September Sunday, within our limited budget of course.

I’ve been longing to experience a cruise with my family since the day my youngest brother traveled 30 European countries when he worked with Costa Atlantica few months after he finished his Tourism course in CEU, Manila. I know for a fact that it would cost me a fortune before I can experience such but not until I had a chance to be in Penang.

It was the early days of August when I first spotted that one of those remarkable Star Cruise liners is harbored in Penang bay. Soon after, I became intuitive with the travel agencies located in Prangin Mall, George Town. My itchy feet can’t wait since I’ve learned that Superstar Pisces is so affordable at RM 110/pax all in (PhP 1540 without room, almost RM 300 or PhP 4200 for twin sharing of a tiny cabin with toilet, at present rate) inclusive of buffet dinner and breakfast!. Who would not give it a green light?

We were officially informed of our long-paid holiday about few days before we did the reservation. Needless to say, our preferred date of the cruise was already fully booked and the only available rates were that of standing pax only. I thought, come what may, we have to push through with the game plan.

And so on the afternoon of 15 September, Wednesday, we trooped to the pier where Superstar Pisces is harbored. Check in started at 5:30PM until 7PM.

Swettenham Pier, George Town, Penang

Don’t you just like the name of this harbor? Sounds like sweet ham to me.

Upon entry, we presented at the counter our booking confirmation which we just claimed from the travel agency half an hour before boarding. *wrong move! we could have claimed it days before* Then, the Chinese lady at the counter asked for our passports and handed us a cruise pass; somewhat like a credit card with your complete name on it and it’s the only thing you need when you purchase something on board.

Meet my travel buddies …

from left to right : Drs. Roy, Anna, Ronnie and Alvin.

We hopped on the lift and went directly to the 11th floor then headed straight to the viewing deck.

Here are some of the things and amenities you can enjoy with this wonderful cruise ship…

a mini pool and a jacuzzi

mirrored ceiling of the entertainment center where meeting rooms, an auditorium are housed

Seemed like we’re looking for our cabin here…oops, they’re all fully booked, remember?

On where we slept the night, I’ll just leave it to your imagination. As for me, I had an hour and a half of restful sleep.

cabin hallway : follow the stars!

Do you know how to play mahjong? …I don’t.

Souvenir shop, Japanese restaurant, Children’s Day Care Center, an arcade for kids and kids at hearts, karaoke bar, Galaxy of the stars where the singers and wait staffs are all Pinoys, casino and more…

Blame it on my shirt, we were easily recognized by a volume of Pinoy crew on board. Seriously, we’re all proud to know that almost half of the 600 crew members of Star Cruise Pisces from 20 nations were from the Philippines. Most of them just boarded few weeks back; some even joined the cruise ship for work on that very same day.

It’s so comforting to see kababayans who work hard for families back home. We stood tall amidst various colors!

Below are some of the warm Filipino cruise ship crew we met inside Superstar Pisces : Lovely, Josephine & Erica

Inclusive of the cruise rates were the buffet dinner and breakfast served at Mariners resto at 6PM-9PM and 6AM-9AM respectively. Chow time made me miss more my wife, Tina and of course our bundle of joy, Gabby. I so hope that I can bring them over someday to experience this as well.

Our buffet dinner at Mariners…

Since Star Cruise Pisces sails within predominantly Muslim waters, they serve Halal-food. We’re informed that the spread vary everyday but for our cruise, in the absence of pork dishes, we pig-out Ostrich with broccoli, Prawns with Garlic, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Chicken dimsum noodle and so much more delicious foods!

As usual, my shameless display of my pig-out plate : Ostrich with broccoli, Sweet and sour Chicken, Seafood something and a load of my favorite Udang or Prawns in garlic! Yum!

Spaghetti Marinara, fruits and assorted desserts…

When I was scanning the spread, I met one of the chefs who happens to be Pinoy too.

After dinner, one can try their luck at the casino, play bingo and might hit the jackpot, relax in the spa with indoor jacuzzi and sauna, or just unwind and listen to the music by a Filipino band…

"Careless whisper" : care to sing along with the Pinoy band? =)

Breakfast time…

With my every bite, I miss my wifey and son, particularly when I saw the free flowing coffee and tea counter and yes, those cereals. Tina and Gabby love those for breakfast!

tina and gabby will certainly love this!

On my plates :

Eat like a king for breakfast!

Other than meeting Pinoy crew on board and experiencing how it feels like to be in one of the Star Cruises, the best part of our trip for me was welcoming the break of the new dawn at the deck of Superstar Pisces…

This was absolutely priceless!

Thank You, Lord for the new day!

Waking up in the middle of the sea on a cruise ship never happens on a daily basis...

Komtar, the tallest building in Penang Island is apparently stunning in the middle of the sea

We went down and settled our bills (I purchased a Star Cruise canvass pillow as souvenir) then claimed our passports before disembarking at past 8 in the morning.

I’m just glad we did the cruise; so grateful for all the blessings–big and small!

Star Cruise Pisces, it wasn’t good bye, but see you again soon, with my family.

————————-<@

PS : Salamat po sa mga Pinoy crew na nakilala namin sa Star Cruise Pisces : Aime, Rhodalyn, Mike, Tirso, Erica, Lovely, Josephine, Gino, Joey, Mark, Godfrey, Chef Antonio at iyong ilang hindi namin nakuha ang mga pangalan.

Sep

TOY MUSEUM, PENANG

By docgelo 25 Comments

05 September 2010, Sunday –I was skeptic at first to go to Toy Museum in Penang Island for I know I’ll surely miss my son, Gabby more. But heck, I decided to push through with my own “field trip” and thought that it’s better to check out the place so that when I get the chance to bring him and his mom over to Penang, I know our way out.

Imagine more than a thousand collectible toys under one roof! It’s far from Toy Kingdom and Toys R Us because toys aren’t for sale and no one is allowed to touch anything for they’re encased in mirrored racks nonetheless, my solo trip brought back so many memories not only from my childhood but from movies that I enjoyed watching.

Let’s start off with House of Horror toy collections: Bride of Chucky (1998), a 4th installment movie from Child’s Play series. Would you play with them? Hell, no! hehehe

But honestly, my ultimate goal in traveling from our place in Butterworth to Penang Island by bus, ferry and a long trip via bus again was to see and to capture this monstrous dolls. I saw a couple of movies from its series and they were really freaking weird and scary.

It was fun seeing these horrific dolls at the museum. For unknown reason, they made my Sunday afternoon, LOL!

Hellrasiser (1987) and Freddy Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street (1984 and 2010).

The Crow (1994) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).

Moving on with the more fun stuffs…

ET (1982), X men series (2000 -2009).

Matrix trilogy (1999-2003) : I love these Neo+Trinity movies!

Shrek (2001, 2004, 2010) : My family and I watched all Shrek movies; Gabby even has its DVDs; who doesn’t love this ogre?

He also loves watching Kung Fu Panda (2008) on dibidi dibidi.

Lilo and Stitch (2002) and of course, Mr. Bean...

Gabby also likes Monsters, Inc. (2001) while Tina and I are fond of watching Pirates of the Caribbean series (2003, 2006, 2007) over and over…

Some of the cartoons I grew up with…

Voltron (1984).

Toys and more toys : Pikachu, Naruto, Street fighters, Star Wars, Star Trek…

The Incredibles (2004) and everybody’s favorite, Harry Potter (2001 -2011).

IronMan (2008-2010) and Tomb Raider (2001)..

Spiderman and Silver Surfer from Fantastic 4 :

For girls and ladies, there are Barbie and Japanese dolls at the Toy Museum they’ll surely like.

There are several more toys on display including Disney’s Mickey Mouse, Looney Tunes, Garfield, Batman and others but I can only post as much.

I remember having GI Joe action figure collection during my wonder years but lost them in time.

Gabby has started building up his collection of McDonald’s Happy Meal toys and whatever pleases him.

Perhaps at this point in time, if there’s one group of collectible toys that I want to start buying for myself, or better yet would appreciate to receive as presents (ehem, paging family and friends!), it would be from Toy Story (1995 -2010).

Tina, Gabby and I simply love Toy Story series. The friendship between Woody and Buzz Lightyear is as classic as their movie’s theme. The series presented the importance of those junkie toys and issues beyond animation.

Although it took me half hour bus ride from Butterworth to Jetty (RM 2 or PhP 28 one way), 15 min ferry ride from Jetty to Georgetown (RM 1.20 roundtrip, PhP 16.80) and another 40 min Rapid bus ride from Jetty to Tanjung Bungga where Toy Museum is (RM 2.70, PhP 37.80 one way) and adult entrance fee of RM 20 (PhP 280), the experience of reviving wonderful memories with some of these toys and their movies was really worth it.

What are your favorite toys?

Enjoy your new week, everyone!

—————————<@

Toy and Fantasy Museum is located in front of Copthorne Orchid Hotel, Tajung Bunga, Penang Island. Open daily including weekends and holidays from 9AM-9PM. Parking area is spacious and taxi cabs other than public airconditioned buses are also readily available near the entrance.

Aug

BE INSPIRED IN PENANG ISLAND

By docgelo 31 Comments

15 August 2010, Sunday –After we attended the 8AM Catholic Mass in St. Anne for the second time and indulged in grilled liempo once more in a Chinese restaurant in Bukit Mertajam, my colleagues went home to our temporary villas via our shuttle service bus while I decided to create my own Sunday adventure by exploring some fascinating spots in Penang Island.

I hopped on the Rapid Transit bus line from Kailan to Jetty in Butterworth and enjoyed the joyride for an hour; I also took a 15-minute ferry ride to Penang Island and another bus ride to George Town that brought me to Lorong Burma or Burma Road.

One of the reasons why I visited Penang Island alone was to be inspired by the diversity of cultures and religions. As my first take, I was so fascinated by the 2 Buddhist temples from 2 different Asian countries located in 1 street.

First stop : Thai Buddhist temple called Wat Chayamangkalaram temple.

Elaborately structured like the other temples I’ve seen, this was built in 1845 by a monk who came from Thailand.

Stunning entrance to the temple…

Lotus candles illuminate the sacred ground…

One of my favorite quotes by Buddha :

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”

I like the lotus flower detailed even on the temple’s floor.

Wat Chayamangkalaram temple houses a 33-meter-gold plated image of reclining Buddha.

I’ve read that this image depicts the tranquil state of Buddha as he perceived his death. The serenity that beams on his face reminded me of his enlightenment.

Even his feet reflects humility.

At the back of the statue of reclining Buddha are several other images of him in various positions. On its background are niches with urns of departed devotees.

Second stop : Dhammikarama, a Burmese Buddhist temple located just across the Wat Chayamangkalaram temple.

Sima Shrine Hall inside this Burmese Buddhist temple has one of the world’s tallest standing Buddha.

My reflection on its enormous size is the thought that regardless of religious beliefs, there is always a higher being who looks upon us.

More statues of the Enlightend One…

After visiting those 2 temples, I got in the public bus again, went to Prangin Mall in Komtar; inquired about some travel tour packages and compared rates. Since I thought of bringing my wife and kid to Penang for a brief vacation in perhaps 2 months from now, I began to plan and scout for itineraries to maximize their visit. Thankfully, I was not disappointed.

Because I marveled too much at those temples, I only felt I needed to load my tummy when I saw my kid’s favorite fastfood; what else but McDonald’s.

Big Mac meal + Strawberry Cornetto McFlurry are such a joy!

I just miss enjoying McDo meals with Gabby.

After that hearty late lunch, I hit the roads again and made a quick stop at one of George Town’s famous landmarks.

Queen Victoria’s Clock Tower …

It was already 4PM when I got in the ferry again back to Jetty, Butterworth. I was almost breathless when I ran a few meters just to make it to the 15-minute sea ride; my shoe laces got untied.

Experiencing Penang is such a blessing; I look forward to more wonderful and meaningful days despite the sacrifice of being distant from my family.

“Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.” ~Buddha.

———————<@

PS : There are no entrance fees to these temples and they allow visitors to take photos. Just remember to remove foot wears before entering. While public bus rides via Rapid in Penang cost around RM 1.40 to RM 2.70 (PhP 19.60 to 37.80); roundtrip ferry transfers in Jetty, Butterworth is priced at RM 1.20 (PhP 16.80). There are also FREE bus rides around George Town; be sure to catch those from Jetty when you visit Penang.

May

WAWA

By docgelo 28 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO and TRAVEL
Tags: adventures, bernardo carpio, bike, bikes, cycling, doc gelo, docgelo, family, family and living, family life, fresh air, montalban, montalban rizal, Philippine tourism, Philippines, picnic, Pinoy, Pinoy food, province, rizal, rodriguez, rodriguez rizal, summer, summer vacation, tourism, TRAVEL, traveling, travelling, trip, vacation, wawa dam

Dear Gabby,

Sometimes I wanted a quick escape from hassles of daily living in a nearby province where fresh air and tranquility are common.

I envy your Lolo Ben, Tito Mac & Ninong Melton and 2 of their friends for what they did last Sunday. While we’re lazy spending the first day of the week at home, they went to Wawa Dam in Rodriguez, Rizal, the province formerly known as Montalban. It’s the town that comes after San Mateo, Rizal, Marikina and Quezon Cities. Your Tito Mac is generous to share his photos taken from their trip.

The provincial welcome sign has the dam’s replica on top…

No, they didn’t go there via four-wheeled vehicle but by bikes. You know how your 60-year-old Lolo Ben is still very groovy as he continuously joins cycling events like Tour of the Fireflies with your uncles..Look how he’s geared to the form that day! Japorms ang tatay ko, ano?

While your Tito Mac was in his usual cheerful self…

It’s amazing they’ve reached the place after long hours of bicycling…Your Tito Mac and Ninong Melton’s second time to be there; and first for Daddy or your Lolo Ben…

The scenes at Wawa Dam are simply inviting …

Rock-filled stream…

lush greens…

crystal waters…

They went to market to buy something to grill…

At the area near the stream, they parked their bikes.

Then they grilled these…

and had a fun picnic…

I can just imagine how relaxing the atmosphere in that part of Rizal…

perfect spot to doze off…

beside a river that runs through it...

Kiapo or water cabbages (where the name of Quiapo, Manila was rooted) are also abundant. Nice!

I think this is the must-see-spot in Wawa Dam : the two great rocks where Bernardo Carpio , being of great strength, was believed to be trapped. When you study Philippine folklores in years to come, you’ll learn that some say he is keeping the mountains from crashing into each other (similar to the Greek titan Atlas holding up the sky), and some versions say he is trapped and trying to break free. When Bernardo Carpio shrugs his shoulder, an earthquake occurs. (Sourced via Wiki).

The merging of those streams underneath those legendary mountains is just awesome! Who knows we might find time and go there someday too.

For now, enjoy your bike; you’ll have your own adventures when you grow up!

I love you, anak!

Tatay-doc

——————————————————————-<@

*photos except Gabby’s were taken by my brother, Mac. Thanks, Mac!

Apr

LETTERS ABOUT TOKYO #13 : TOKYO SEA LIFE PARK

By docgelo 3 Comments

Dear Tina and Gabby,

About three weeks ago, I spent my first weekend in Tokyo with sharks, school of fish and corals…

I rode a train with a bunch of fun-loving Pinoy MDs from Gotanda to Tokyo Stations then we took a 15 minute-train-ride from JR Tokyo Station via Keiyo Line.

Entrance fees to the aquarium are Y700 (PhP 350) for adults, Senior Citizens Y350, Students (13-15 y/o) Y250 and Children (0-12 y/o) FREE.

Before we saw the fish tanks and what the Japanese waters have to offer, I’ve started my admiration with colorful blooms that grow best even in almost always-single-digit-temperature.

And here are some of those cold-blooded friends we met from Tokyo Sea Life Park…

Having seen Ocean Park in Hong Kong, Kelly Tarlton’s in New Zealand, and even our very own Manila Ocean Park , I was a bit disappointed when I found out that Tokyo Sea Life Park has no walk-through-180-degree-glass aquarium.

Nevertheless, the penguins made my day that Saturday afternoon.

The first time I saw live penguins was at Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World in NZ; then was only followed by the sight of these cute little ones…

We ended our day at this spot near the sea; We had fun like kids, taking photos–jumping left and right for the cameras…

The place was simple yet a perfect one to commune with nature. The day had the coldest temperature I’ve ever experienced; it was no longer winter in Tokyo then but definitely it was chilling cold.

God willing, one day, I’ll be able to bring you to Tokyo and we’ll visit these wonderful parks together.

I love you, ‘ney and Gabby.

Tatay-doc.

Apr

LETTERS FROM TOKYO #10 : TOKYO DISNEYSEA

By docgelo 23 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, TOKYO and TRAVEL
Tags: american port, disneyland, disneysea, doc gelo, docgelo, europe, family, family and living, family fun, family life, food blog, fun, japan, mediterranean, pinas, Pinoy, spring break, themed parks, themed resort, themed resorts, TOKYO, tokyo disney resort, tokyo disney sea, tokyo disneyland, tour, tourism, tourist spots, TRAVEL, travel blog, traveling, travelling, trip, trips abroad, vacation

Dear Tina and Gabby,

It was last Sunday, March 28 when our group rode Yamanote Train line from Gotanda to Tokyo and hopped off from Tokyo Station to Disneysea. Yup, it’s only in Japan where one can find and enjoy DISNEYSEA. Remember I told you that we availed of their promo rates of Y10,000 (PhP 5K) for both DISNEYLAND and DisneySea on 2 consecutive days? (One park entrance fee on regular rates costs Y5,800 or PhP 2,900). We’re glad to grab the chance because it was all worth the fun!

From the Disney Resort’s main entrance, we paid Y250 (PhP 125) for one-way-Disney Train-ride and off we went to the other happiest place on Earth.

SM Mall of Asia ? Naaaah… Tokyo DisneySea Plaza…

There were those tiny and colorful petals near the entry gates that were so attractive that I cannot resist but to capture… It’s the start of the Spring season in Tokyo when I left. Imagine these plants a few more days from now; they’ll be in full bloom!

Welcome to Tokyo DisneySea…sana kasama ko kayo dito! There’s always a next time… someday!

Tokyo DisneySea’s tag line is : Where Adventure and Imagination Set Sail… It’s true that we sailed into its 7 beautiful themed ports of call starting with MEDITERRANEAN HARBOR…

MEDITERRANEAN HARBOR has the ambience of Southern European port where one can even take a ride on a gondola!

We’ll ride those gondolas in Venice one day (libre naman mangarap di ba?).

One of the features of Mediterranean Harbor is the FORTRESS EXPLORATIONS…

It’s an interactive fun at the Fortress and Galleon…

We all lined up for the LEONARDO CHALLENGE but was dumbfounded that the “mission” on the map given to us by the staff and its clues and directions were all in Japanese! LOL We were all smiling when our “lost in translation” episodes in Tokyo continues…

There’s something about boats, ships and galleons that I like; perhaps, I’m a sailor in my past life, LOL.

The Japanese made an amazing job putting up all these… It’s just fantastic!

After Mediterranean Harbor comes AMERICAN WATERFRONT…

TOWER of TERROR is one of American Waterfront thrilling attractions. It’s a tour of an old, abandoned hotel to explore its treasures and mysteries. Supernatural phenomena and spine-tingling climax await visitors.

According to Tokyo DisneySea’s map, in American Waterfront, one can find both the excitement of the big city and the charms of a New England fishing village in this vibrant themed port.

At CAPE COD…

Our group had a leisure trip around the park via the DisneySea Transit Steamer Line. After which, our feet led us all to PORT DISCOVERY…

People get to visit the scientists of the Center for Weather Control in this themed port located across the horizon of time.

Attractions at Port Discovery include Storm Rider (a movie shown inside a theater) and AQUATOPIA, a twirling ride with watercrafts that spin wildly through a maze of fountains, rock formations and whirlpools.

After Port Discovery, Mount Prometheus greeted us at MYSTERIOUS ISLAND…

Captain Nemo has created this secret base for his explorations into the depths of the Earth and beneath the waves.

Don’t you wish to explore the abyss with that submarine? I think it’s only for display.

All of the attractions in Disneyland and DisneySea have posted time of waiting on queue. In Mysterious Island, there’s that JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (inspired by Brendan Fraser movie) ride aboard fantastic vehicles designed by Captain Nemo. And guess what? Waiting time : 3 LONG HOURS! Some of the doctors who took the ride told us that the wait was worth it. Sulit daw; Sayang di kami sumakay!

Moving on…

LOST RIVER DELTA …

The ruins of an ancient Central American civilization await visitors deep within the remote jungles of this themed port.

One of biggest attractions in Lost River Delta is INDIANA JONES ADVENTURE : TEMPLE OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. Another is RAGING SPIRIT for those daredevils who wanted to try roller coaster ride with 360-degree loop.

MERMAID LAGOON is one of the most colorful features of Tokyo DisneySea…

The world of Ariel, the little mermaid, and her aquatic friends is filled with fun for kids of all ages.

Inside the Mermaid Lagoon are attractions like Flounder’s Flying Fish Coaster, Scuttle Scooters,Ariel’s Greeting Grotto, Mermaid Lagoon Theater, Jumping Jellyfish, Blowfish Balloon Race, The Whirlpool and Ariel’s Playground.

Then the last area we’ve explored for several minutes was the ARABIAN COAST…

We set sail for an adventure ride at SINBAD’S STORYBOOK VOYAGE. The tour inside the theater on board a water-floating seats was meant for kids but nevertheless also fascinated me; except for the songs of Sinbad in Nihonggo. After Sinbad’s Storybook, we had hot cups of coffee which were so soothing…(read : it was a single-digit-degree-celsius again that day in Tokyo).

These are the pillars of the cafe where we had our coffee…

Other than Sinbad’s StoryBook Voyage, the Genie from the Disney classic film, Aladdin has created this themed port full of magic and mystery. There’s an entire garden devoted to Jasmine.

With Tokyo DisneySea, I thought I was touring the world; I almost forgot I am in Japan!

Even creeping grass were made to be fascinating…

At late afternoon, we headed to Mediterranean Harbor again near the main entrance; we got time to shop for pasalubong (I’ll have another posts for pasalubong soon) and ate early dinner…

I chose this lunch/dinner set of ham & turkey sandwich with muffin (that I gave to nurse Ruth), strawberry panna cotta and coffee.

I like it even if it was Y1480 (PhP 740); quite pricey but I know nothing comes cheap in Tokyo and secondly, this set came with lunch box with Tokyo DisneySea characters and logo on it. Of course, Gabby the lunch box is for you, anak for you to use this coming June in school!

Our day at Tokyo DisneySea was capped by BRAVISEA MO! a show of waters and fireballs (read : Disneyland has fireworks, DisneySea has fireballs!) over the Mediterranean Harbor. The night came more alive with the miraculous tale of love between Bellisea, the spirit of water and Prometeo, the spirit of fire. It’s a must-see, magnificent and spectacular show of fire and water! A perfect show to end the day.

The Lord knows how I wished that I have enjoyed Tokyo Disney Resorts with you, ‘ney and Gabby. I’ll just hope that one day, I’ll get to bring you there and savor these wonderful themed parks together.

Two days are not enough for these 2 wonderful attractions in Tokyo.

Although most of them say that Disneyland and DisneySea are the happiest places on Earth, I say it’s still HOME!

I love you Tina and Gabby!

So glad to be home.

Tatay-doc.

——————————

Dear Kind Readers,

After viewing my posts on TOKYO DISNEYLAND and TOKYO DISNEYSEA, which do you want to experience ASAP one day ? Which park do you think is far better than the other ? Take your pick.

I’ve got more posts on Tokyo coming up! Thanks for following and may the good Lord bless us all always. Stay safe, healthy and happy, everyone! Advance Happy Easter!

-gelo.

*note : most descriptions of the park’s attraction written in italics were sourced from the Tokyo DisneySea October 2009 –March 2010 Guide Map.

Jan

FIELD TRIP 2010 : PART 3

By docgelo 16 Comments

After a wonderful animal-encounter at Ocean Adventure in Subic, the 5 buses of preschoolers (Gabby & his batchmates) with their parents (including me and Tina of course) and teachers trooped to Clark, Pampanga and had a brief exposure to Filipino history & culture.

We already heard few years ago that NAYONG PILIPINO which was previously located in Pasay City near the airport, is now in Clark, Pampanga but we only got to see it last week. This TEMPORARY RELOCATION of the famous replica of most tourist spots of the country was done to give way for the building of the 2 Ninoy Aquino International and domestic terminals. And the latest we’ve known from our trip, plans have transpired to push through with the new construction of Nayong Pilipino near the SM Mall of Asia area. Have you heard of this news?

First stop : the replica of church in Bulacan imprinted on Philippine Ten Peso-Bill.

MALOLOS CHURCH served as venue for so many Philippine Constitutional Conventions.

Then there’s also those WALLS of INTRAMUROS and what appeared to look like a river however, there was no running water but a rock bed.

The Nayong Pilipino guide informed us that this Clark’s version is divided into 2 parts : Precolonial and Post Colonial eras.

At the Precolonial area, the simple Pinoy lifestyle before the Spanish regime is depicted. We were greeted by an Ifugao native dance…What a warm welcome for all of us!

The short performance of the natives was a fresh sight to the kids who were used to gyrating pop music.

The simple and creative way of living of Filipinos long before we were under foreign rules were shown in these huts built without a single nail or screw and amazingly can withstand any typhoon. I guess these native shelters truly represent what early Pinoys were – imaginative, resilient, simple. Do we still have these qualities at present ?

“Movable Ladder – Walang Akyat-Bahay! Ang galing ng ating mga katutubo!” (click the picture to enlarge)

Weaving of textiles with intricate and colorful patterns was also demonstrated.

Panggatong, anyone ?

This is a replica of an upscale Muslim house that’s suited for a Sultan or Datu, the village chief in Maranao, Mindanao. It’s called TOROGAN.

The Torogan House has colorful and intricate butterfly-like end beams that protrude in front of the house; apparently gorgeous Maranao artwork!

There are also monuments inside Nayong Pilipino to honor Philippine History and Literature…

On the left is Ang Alamat ni Malakas at Maganda… And on the right is Lapu-lapu, the chieftain of Mactan, pardon the pun, appeared to us as depressed in his stance… (click photo to enlarge) I believe Lapu-lapu deserves to be depicted victorious having been considered as the country’s first hero.

There are also monuments for Philippine Folklore’s goddesses – the likes of Mariang Sinukuan and Maria Makiling; but I didn’t take photos for I personally didn’t like how they were created. Imagine a statue of a women who look distraught complete with a dress-slit nearly up to their inguinal areas!

Moving on… The Post Colonial Era…

As far as I recall, there are replicas of houses of Filipino heroes – Apolinario Mabini’s, Jose Rizal’s and others’ that played significant role in Philippine History.

Note the features of houses during post colonialism greatly evolved and was then inspired by Spanish architecture.

As parents, Tina and I are always trying our best to be well-rounded with Gabby. We appreciate joining his field trip for we know that there’s more to life that kids should learn outside the corners of their classrooms and beyond reading their books.

We left Nayong Pilipino at around past 5 in the afternoon to head for our last pit stop : Puregold Duty Free for some shopping.

Another family fun-bonding time enjoyed.

PS : Because we as a family have experienced being in few amusement parks abroad, Tina and I wish that local authorities would exert more efforts in putting up and maintaining quality and cleanliness in our very own tourist spots.

Oct

BORACAY SERIES : THE BEACH FROM DAWN TO DUSK

By docgelo 30 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, TRAVEL and BORACAY
Tags: family, traveling, Pinoy, Life, foodie, vacation, Philippines, summer, tourism, leisure, Filipinos, doc gelo, docgelo, food blog, family life, family and living, food blogger, BORACAY, boracay philippines, best beach, Philippine tourism, balabag boracay, escondido resort boracay, escondido hotel boracay, Escondido, station 1 boracay, beaches, boat station 1 boracay, willy's rock, willy's rock boracay, paraw, paraw in boracay, island hopping, philippine islands, station one boracay, boat station 2 boracay, station 2 boracay, sand castles boracay, travel blog, break, travel blogger, summer in the philippines, summer break, resorts in the philippines, summer fun, resorts, best beach in the world, best beach in asia, best beach in the philippines, boracay beaches, most beautiful beach in the world

This is my 3rd post in a series.

Boracay has its unique Filipino charm. It has the glorious sunrise and the most magnificent sunset. And who can resist its turquoise crystal waters and sublime powdery sands? My family and I are missing it already

Our first morning in this island paradise was truly unforgettable. After a restful night, my wife, Tina, our 5-year-old son, Gabby and I made an effort to rise from our bed few minutes after 5AM to freshen up and hit the waters as early as 6AM.

Mother Nature has this scene to offer every sunny morning during off season at Boat Station 1…Boracay beaches is divided into three boat stations – Boat Station 1 has the finest, pristine white sands comparable to talc. As Boracay first-timers, we can’t help but to get few samples to bring home as a priceless souvenir

finest sand in my hand

Since the area isn’t as busy and is less crowded than Station 2 and 3, the hotels here are too pricey than others but with best amenities and services.

We stayed at ESCONDIDO BEACH RESORT in Station 1; since it’s not a beach front hotel, it’s budget-friendlier but nonetheless, relaxing, safe and with the warmest service too Few steps from Escondido and after crossing the main street and passing through a sidewalk in between 2 beach front hotels, we’ve an access to the waters already…

That second rectangular hole from the left served as our path to the beach.

Willy’s Rock, named after a beach front resort near it, is one of the attractions in Boat Station 1. It has impressive rock formation near the shores and a grotto of Our Lady.

It’s so amazing to see it on both high tide and low tide.

Breathtaking views of the white beach of Boracay can be best appreciated from the uppermost area of Willy’s Rock, all 360 degrees of it!

I guess anyone can enjoy Boracay at its most quiet moments during off seasons and every sunrise when most tourists and backpackers are still asleep or intoxicated with alcohol from a nightout.

Here’s another view from the top most area of Willy’s Rock …

For people like us who lives in urban areas, this rock formation is a sight to behold…

We just can’t hide the fact that we’re enjoying Willy’s Rock that morning…Wala kasing ganito sa Greenbelt o TriNoma, LOL…

I found this signage very important that I wish everyone in Boracay, tourists or not, should always take into action.

When Tina and Gabby sat on the sand and played with it, I left them for a while to take a short walk from Willy’s Rock to the northern part of Boat Station 1…

Next are my “NOT OUR HOTEL” photos…LOL…

Seriously, you might be interested and consider these beach front hotels on your visit to the island. But then again, you know now what I recommend. Sea Wind Boracay Island Resort

Sur Boracay Resort

Ambassador Hotel…

Pearl of the Pacific Boracay

Residencia Boracay

Other than those in my photos, the other notable upscale resorts in Boat Station 1 are Discovery Shores, Fridays and the newest addition to them – Shangri La Boracay If you have the budget to splurge, go ahead, by all means indulge! It’s your vacation anyway!

As I went back to Willy’s Rock, I noticed my family became too busy making sand patterns…

I tried making one, but I just left it with Tina and Gabby

We ate breakfast at the hotel, took showers and headed again to the beach. We walked and walked and walked from Boat Station 1 to 2 where most restaurants, establishments including ATM machines are located (I’ll post about D’mall and our eat outs next on this series).

In the afternoon, Boat station 2 has these sights to boast…

PARAW or sail boats with two outrigger canoes (or for us Pinoys, katig) predominate the shores of Boat Station 2 when winds are present every afternoon… Paraw with boat men are all for rent with price starts from PhP 600 per hour. Did we try it? No. Gabby, Tina (and I) preferred to pig out rather than to sail

Actually, my wife has vertigo making her too anxious of an attack during airplane and boat rides. So we rather dip into the water, eat, savor the wind, sand, and sun than sail or take island hopping… Island hopping which usually takes more than 4 hours going to Puka Beach and Crystal Cove and other isles near Boracay costs about PhP 1,500 and up; some offer snorkeling gears and free snacks and buffet lunch too.

Seeing all these made me realize why Boracay is considered one of the best beaches in the world. Tourism is alive regardless of season in this island.

Other than riding the paraw or sail boats, island hopping or taking glass-bottom boat rides, parasailing and scuba-diving can also be enjoyed. Most people we saw also have henna tattoos on their bodies which are so affordable from PhP 50 up and stays temporarily on the skin for 2 weeks. We never tried it for 2 reasons - we fear of paying damages when sheets at the hotel are stained and it’s not just us to have tattoos, permanent or otherwise. You can also ask and pay some women to braid your hair or get some relaxing massage by the beach or inside their facilities. Other attractions or must-do in Boracay is riding an ATV/all terrain vehicles which costs roughly thousands of pesos depending on the duration of driving. We saw some of these on the main road with the local tricycles and other vehicles. Since ATVs don’t have its own trail, driving it puts anyone to an accident-prone area especially with reckless drivers. For some, it’s part of the thrill. To each his own.

Fantastic is an understatement. Despite the commercialism, we wish Boracay could be maintained as serene and as clean as this so more local and foreign tourists can enjoy Boracay for many years.

It’s a common thing during weekends to spot marvelous sand castles along the shores and in front of those beach front hotels. Pictures may be taken for a voluntary donation of any amount. Before dusk, these sand castles are illuminated by lighted bottles.

Indeed, Boracay is such a fascinating island to explore. It’s so gorgeous that one can easily be lured and seduced by its beauty. It’s too enticing to people who long to leave the busy life even temporarily.

We’re just glad to finally enjoyed it

What’s your best memory of the beaches in Boracay?

Up next : our Boracay food trip!

Jun

IRREPLACEABLE

By docgelo 8 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO and TRAVEL
Tags: amsterdam, caribbean cruise, ceu, college, costa atlantica, costa cruises, cruise, cruise ship, cyprus, education, egypt, europe, european cruise, european tour, family, finland, france, fridge magnets, gibraltar, greece, italy, leisure, martinique, norway, paris, pleasure, portugal, spain, st marten, tourism, TRAVEL, turkey

When I visited my parents’ home in Pasig City this afternoon, where my 3 brothers and our father are staying, less our mom who’s in UAE now for work, I waited for my brother to borrow his treasured memorabilia for me to feature them here, I’m glad he granted my simple request.

My youngest brother JC will be 24 years old this year, exactly a day before my 33rd birthday this September.

After enrolling 2 different courses at 2 universities back in 2003 within one week, he dropped all those to finally enroll Tourism at CEU (Centro Escolar University) in Manila. Biniro ko pa sya noon, sabi ko “Gusto mo bang maging turista JC?” Honestly, we didn’t expect he’ll be serious enough to finish that course and find a profession out of it at that time, but wow, he proved us all wrong!

He was only 21 years old when he had his OJT (on the job training) at Magsaysay Shipping in Manila as a requirement of his course. He’s done with his OJT few months before he walked down the aisle of Manila Hotel for their batch’s graduation. Few days after his graduation, he was absorbed and went on training under the same company and gained his seaman’s book. By the third week of July 2 years ago, he’s off to Europe to join COSTA ATLANTICA CRUISE as one of its crew.

It was amazing, really awesome experience for him. I’m so proud of him. Although he started with uncertainties, he went far from what I’ve imagined. At an early age, he was already earning foreign currency with Euros as tips. Best of all, among our many relatives from a huge clan in Calumpang, Marikina, probably he’s the only first to see most of Europe. He’s the first in our family and the only one to date to secure a Schengen visa (needed to be in Austria, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxemburg, Norway, Portugal , Spain, Sweden , The Netherlands).

JC only stayed and worked with the cruise ship for 5 months and came home to be with our ailing maternal grandmother December of 2007. It was a wise decision for him not to finish his 8-month-contract with Costa Atlantica and be with our Lola 3 months before she passed away.

Nevertheless his thankless job, as he put it, made him experienced some of the nicest places in Europe and the diverse cultures of their passengers who are some of the world’s rich and famous.

As I’ve featured few posts ago (browse page below) the fridge magnets that my wife and I collected from few of our travel abroad, here are my brother’s irreplaceable memorabilia…

JC joined Costa Atlantica July 2007 via Amsterdam…

Then the cruise ship went from one country to another… I failed to ask my brother the order of his docks to this places when I borrowed his fridge magnets for a little pictorial session =). so this is in random order…

Trolls from Norway…

He rode the cable cars of Santorini when he got this…

I’m sorry but thought Finland is only best with mobile phones, LOL until I saw his photos and this…

He mentioned he’s been to Tenerife, Vigo and Barcelona and got these…

Then he celebrated his 22nd birthday that year amidst the sphinx and pyramids of…

They also sailed to Turkey…

He also experienced the islands of Eastern Caribbean Seas- St. Lucia, Dominica and…

He got the next fridge magnet from a country whose white flag contains the island map on its entirety with 2 olive branches as a symbol of peace…

Gibraltar is an independent British overseas territory…

And his flight back to Manila on December 2007 was via the airport that I long to see before I die (lol)…

Isn’t that a worthwhile trip?

The moment we fetched him from the airport the day he arrived from that overseas job, he’d only wish for us to go with him to even one to few of those countries one day as tourists and not him as a cabin crew anymore. Wishes do come true, right? So we continue to dream… (long sigh! =)

He worked as a Starbucks Coffee barista here for a year after his Costa Atlantica stint and now he has been working with a 5-star-hotel-group of companies based in Makati City. He aims to gain new experience locally before he explore the world again.

It’s nice to collect photos, fridge magnets and whatnot, but more importantly we cherish the memories that come with it.

Mar

WHERE SKY CITY TOWER IS

By docgelo 7 Comments

Categories: TRAVEL
Tags: airports, auckland, bendar seri begawan, brisbane, brunei, brunei tourist spots, city of sails, doc gelo, family, Filipinos, kelly tarlton's, Life, lifestyle, manila, new zealand, northshore, Philippines, Pinoy, royal regalia museum, tourism, TRAVEL, vacation

Summer time always brings back memories of our trip to
Auckland, New Zealand exactly 4 years ago.

I, Tina and our then 4-month old son Gabby arrived in the City of Sails 2 weeks after my parents flew there for a sponsored vacation by our relatives (who all transferred to Melbourne, Australia after living in Auckland, NZ for more than a decade). The main reason why we didn’t fly there together : I got Varicella (read: chickenpox). Yeah, right, I’m so late bloomer. I only got infected with that vesicle-causing virus at my 29th year. Luckily, those lesions errupted 4 days after my Oath taking as licensed physician then.
I remember vividly how I was received by my nieces there. The eldest daughter of my first cousin greeted me, “Hi, Spotty!” Ouch! After 2 weeks of healing, the scars on my face were still apparent but thank God I was not quarantined in any airport stop-overs we had.

My wife Tina & Gabby aboard Royal Brunei Airlines to Auckland, New Zealand

We were advised by my cousin to get a flight to Auckland via Royal Brunei Airlines. By being obedient, we got a chance to stay over night in a hotel (included in the flight package) & toured Bendar Seri Begawan, the city capital of Brunei Darussalam the next day.

inside the Royal Regalia Museum, Bendar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam

the Sultan's chariot used in parades is in display at the Royal Regalia Museum

Brunei was enticing! With all of its greens around the city, the abundance of gold in the mosques, & the calmness of the city at dawn, we were drawn to the experience.

Considered as one of the grandest monuments to Islam in the whole region, the magnificent Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque is the brainchild of His Majesty the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah and Yang Dipertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam.

Jame' Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque

With our “sometimes-jologs- lifestyle”, who would have thought that we’d been to THE EMPIRE HOTEL in Brunei already, one of the grandest hotels in the globe. It was part of the half-day city tour that we availed from another hotel where we stayed during our 1st stop over.
(read : JOLOGS as defined in wikipilipinas as “pathetically cheap & corny sometimes equated to baduy, OUCH!!! definitely NOT us!, well, sometimes, lol)

main LOBBY of the EMPIRE HOTEL, Brunei

inside EMPIRE HOTEL, BRUNEI

From Manila, it took us more or less 3 hours to get to Brunei. We had an overnigt stay in Brunei Hotel & had half day city tour the next morning. At around 2PM, we were brought to the airport & boarded Royal Brunei airlines again to Auckland via Brisbane, Australia. It took us around 7 hours to land to Brisbane from Brunei for a 2 hour-stop over.

another airport stop-over : BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA

Then after a brief aircraft transfer from Brisbane Airport, we flew another couple of hours to our main destination for our 7-week vacation : AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND.
We officially arrived in the City of Sails minutes past 3 in the morning.
I can still recall the less than 12 degrees celsius morning breeze we experienced on our first step to the land of the kiwis. We were fetched by our parents & relatives and few hours after, we hit the road for some sight seeing and toured the downtown like we didn’t have jet lags…

FIRST DAY: “walang sinayang na sandali-citytour!…”
translation : “As-if-there’s no tomorrow city tour!…”

the blooms at WINTER GARDEN PARK, Auckland, NZ

forget the jet lag, hello wintergarden park!

After seeing the WINTER GARDEN PARK, we ate breakfast “pinoy style” with “baon” in our vans and headed straight to AUCKLAND MUSEUM for a quick grasp of the MAORI CULTURE…

as if we had adequate sleep...

inside a MARAE at the AUCKLAND MUSEUM

With no clues whether they eat live people or whatever, we posed beside MAORIS inside the Auckland Museum. Their attitude towards tourists was warmer than the weather.

the natives of NZ : the MAORIS ! cool, eh?

photo-op with a lady MAORI inside Auckland Museum

DOWNTOWN AUCKLAND …

QUEENS ROAD, Auckland, NZ

kodak moments before crossing a street, lol

near the FULLERS FERRY station

HALF MOON BAY…

smile muna before boarding FULLERS FERRY

We tried going to downtown aboard the FULLERS FERRY from HALF MOON BAY..

crossing HALF MOON BAY to DOWNTOWN AUCKLAND IN STYLE!

Ofcourse we found time to give THANKS for blessings HE continuously showers us!

HOLY TRINITY CATHEDRAL, PARNELL, Auckland, NZ

another view of the cathedral in PARNELL

I honestly admit that like most people out there, I too, expected that NEW ZEALAND was only a country of cows and sheep but boy, I was all wrong!!! AUCKLAND is more urbanized than MAKATI City here, at par with Hong Kong and probably New York City. The very modern lifestyle in Auckland is due to the british influence of course.

MALLING was always a part of our Auckland experience. There was WESTFIELD MALL where we munched NZD 7 each per combo meal of chinese food and BOTANY MALL which was only a 5-minute bus ride from TE IRIRANGI Street, where we stayed for almost 2 months…

BOTANY MALL, Auckland, NZ

However, just like most provinces up north here in the Philippines, the night life in Auckland ends at around 5 in the afternoon. Yes, you read that right, every establishments including malls close an hour before 6PM. Thursdays were exception. Malls were open until 9PM latest.

Inspite of the urban lifestyle one can enjoy in Auckland, MOTHER NATURE was still at HER BEST!
We went to AUCKLAND BOTANICAL GARDEN one weekend where entrance fees were FREE!
At least we also experienced where Prime Minister Helen Clark put the taxpayers’ fees into use.

roses were bigger than we could imagine

the stroller that rolled Gabby from Manila-Brunei-Brisbane-Auckland and back!

Gabby with those ducks and other feathered creatures at Auckland Botanical Park

No, we haven't been to Japan yet, but this shot was taken also in Auckland Botanical Park

had some father-and-son bonding...

We boarded another ferry ride and went to WAIHEKE ISLAND, where vineyards and wineries served as tourist attractions. It was a whole day in the island, and we rode buses to explore it, but sadly we got lost! We just found ourselves enjoying pizza at an italian resto in the island before hitting the ferries again back to Auckland.

lost in WAIHEKE!

Our cousins also drove us to NORTHSHORE, a northern part of Auckland where ships and ferries dock from wherever. This shot was taken at PUPUKE LAKE
(yes, you read that right again! If you’re pinoy, you got what I mean)

coolest below 10 degrees celsius

si doc tambay sa northshore!

We also enjoyed KELLY TARLTON’S OCEAN ADVENTURE
where we appreciated seacreatures from piranhas to stingrays and sharks to adorable penguins !!!

monster-fish piranhas at our backdrop

Kelly Tarlton's Ocean Park

SEVEN WEEKS and we headed back to Manila
but never missed to take a shot of SKY CITY TOWER,
the landmark of the City of Sails….
We went to its lobby but did not go up to the main restaurant and viewing deck
at its top… At least we have reasons to go back some other time… SIGH…*-*

taken at Victoria Market, Downtown Auckland with SKY CITY TOWER at the background

Feb

I’LL STOP d WORLD & MELT with U

By docgelo Leave a Comment

Categories: Attitude, EVENTS, FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, HEADLINES and whatever
Tags: balloons, colorful, colors, Filipino, Hot air Balloon Fiesta, hot air balloons, Life, manila, Pampanga, Philippines, tourism, vacation

We’re still on HIGH with our experience last Saturday at the 14th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta which I also blogged here recently complete with our own photos taken at the site itself. It was really awesome to see those amazingly beautiful balloons so close being blown one by one by the wind in the clear blue skies of Pampanga on a Valentine’s day no-less. Our fascination lead us ( I, Tina & even Gabby) to surf for these photos from www and found ourselves going loco after these colorful uniquely shaped hot air balloons… looking at these pictures taken abroad is never different with eating your favorite flavor of ice cream…. see if you can resist the child in you…

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Feb

FONTANA!

By docgelo Leave a Comment

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD! and TRAVEL
Tags: Clark Freeport, doughnuts, Filipino, Fontana, food, golf course, krispy kreme, krispy kreme doughnuts, leisure park, Luzon, manila, NLEX, North Luzon, Pampanga, Philippines, Pinoy, recreation, tourism, tourist spots, vacation, vacation place, water park

It was good that everyone in our family was off from work last Friday, 13Feb., so we all geared up for another worry-free weekend escapade. We were just at the Island Cove a week prior to our Fontana trip and as early as now, my mom is planning again to spend our Sunday next week out of town for another family gateaway. These are indeed a whole lot of blessings!

Around 9 in the morning last Friday, I bought Krispy Kreme doughnuts in a limited edition tin can for Tina. She liked it so much, the doughnuts ofcourse and the tin can for she is a collector of those types; even took a photo before she shared it with our family.

I & my wife Tina with our son Gabby were fetched by our whole family in a van to go to Clark Freeport, Pampanga and have an overnight stay at a villa in Fontana Leisure Parks & Casino. It was my first time in Fontana so I get extra excited to explore it and experience the fun of being with them again. My parents had been there already but that was almost a decade ago so they decided to go back and bring us there primarily to attend the 14th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta held annually (thanks to Capt. Joy Roa, organizer, host of a travel show Asian Air Safari at ANC which Tina & I like watching) usually every 2nd week of February so it falls on Valentine’s day. What a way to celebrate the day of hearts with everything that flies! (see my earlier blog about Hot Air Balloon Fiesta).

We joined our family at around 11AM, hit North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and had quick lunch at our kids’ favorite fastfood : Jollibee. After munching on some chickenjoy & burgers, we headed straight to Fontana. Fontana is a 300 hectare leisure park located 80 km north of Manila. It’s a leisure park with villas where guests/members can enjoy amenities of homes; it also has a golf course, a water park, a casino and a lot more. We arrived at the reception area at around 2PM in time for the check-in sched. We were given villa # 4901 about 2 blocks from the main gate.

Gabby at the reception hall…

With his cousins : Kelly & KC…

Each villas in Fontana Leisure Park consists of 3 bedrooms with twin beds, 3 toilets & shower rooms, a comfortable living room with cable-ready TV, kitchen with fridge, sink with hot & cold water, and a dining area. It was comfortable enough, just like home away from home… Here’s a peak at our villa and its amenities…

After we checked in at our villa, we decided to have an early dinner and as we went out of our rooms, we
spotted a karitela a.k.a kalesa (horse-driven carriage) with white horse…my brother who’s actually a private aviator didn’t hide his excitement riding it and posing for the cam…

We hopped to our van and asked our driver to look for a chapel or a church first before we eat dinner for us to make 3 wishes.. We found Our Lady of Remedies Chapel near Fontana; were impressed with the serenity of the area and reminded me of churches’ structures abroad. (Clarkfield was a former US Air force base)

After seeing colorful hot air balloons took their flights in the clear Pampanga skies, we trooped to Fontana Water Park…

Fountains at the water factory inside water park…

The fontana water park WAVE POOL…

The blogger striking a pose for whatever…

Till our next trip!

Feb

LOBO : UP, UP & AWAY!

By docgelo 3 Comments

Categories: EVENTS, HEADLINES and TRAVEL
Tags: aerobatics, air crafts, air show, aircrafts, Asian Air Safari, balloon, balloons, bonding, Capt Joy Roa, Captain Joy Roa, Clark field, date, EVENTS, family, fiesta, fun, hearts' day, hot air balloon, Hot air Balloon Fiesta, Joy Roa, kids, kite flying, kites, Life, Pampanga, paraglide, paragliding, Philippines, Pinoy, tourism, tourist destination, tourist spot, vacation place, valentine, valentine's day

It’s not often that we see an elephant, a coca-cola bottle, and a red mug of cappuccino FLY high in the sky…But we certainly did when we attended the 14th HOT AIR BALLOON FIESTA at Clark field, Pampanga. It’s an annual festivities of EVERYTHING that FLIES! Made me want to hum, “Up, up & away on my beautiful balloon…” lol.

My entire family had an overnight stay at one of the villas of Fontana Leisure Park a day prior to the fiesta and made sure that we’re at the venue before those colorful hot air balloons take their flights. We all got up from bed at around 3:00AM, reached the venue from our villa in Fontana at around 5AM, then saw the preparation of the participating countries in this one big balloon fiesta! We trooped to the site on its 3rd day (the fiesta started 12 February 2009) at dusk and saw how those lovely balloons in their flat linens forms until they were graciously inflated. We had our breakfast of rice & spicy barbecue on location few minutes before the 1st flying object was seen on air. I, for one, did not contain my excitement to experience such for the first time. It was really a FUN experience! An unforgettable way to celebrate the day of hearts with my whole family…

This is my son Gabby who was also in awe when we had that extraordinary, really amazing weekend…

The event started with a national anthem and an aerobatic performance with the national colors descent from heavens…

Then one by one, we gladly witnessed those colorful balloons flew to the skies. It was an awesome sight!

Isn’t it obvious that this balloon became my favorite; such a burst of colors in the air!

And there was also that flying cereals : Kellogs!

Of course, my wife Tina & our little valentine GABBY are still lovelier than those balloons…

A red cappuccino mug-balloon that came from New Zealand caught our interest for 2 reasons : we’ve been to Auckland back in 2005 for 7 week-vacation and has been missing it now, and Tina and I are both coffee-addicts!

Even a yellow phone booth managed to fly up in the air…

Goofing about a yellow flying phone booth…

There were also mascots to entertain kids and the kids at heart…

Celebrating HEARTS’ DAY IN STYLE!

Despite the fact that we barely slept for this event and the long travel that we took just to be there; it was all worth it! We enjoyed every minute we spent watching those balloons fly! It was all pure FUN!

mommy-018

Till our next bonding moment…:)

Feb

OUR ISLAND COVE ADVENTURE

By docgelo 8 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD! and TRAVEL
Tags: animals, bakasyon, bakasyonista, breakfast, buffet, buffet breakfast, butterfly, Cavite, Digman, Digman halo-halo, Eastwood, Eastwood City, family, family blog, family bonding, farm, Filipino, Filipinos, food, food blog, foodie, Gilbert Remulla, good food, halo-halo, Island Cove, Island Cove Hotel & Leisure Park, Kawit, leisure, leisure park, Life, manila, merienda, monkey, nature, ostrich. ostrich egg, parks, Philippines, Pinoy, recreation, recreation facilities, relax, relaxation, resort, resort in the philippines, resorts in asia, sam milby, sandosenang halo, siopao, Something Fishy, summer, summer adventure, summer escapades, summer trip, swimming pool, tigers, tourism, TRAVEL, travel blog, traveling, travelling, vacation, vacation place, zoo

It’s natural for mothers to constantly make efforts for family bonding. And my mom is no exception. She usually schedules trips, eat-outs or anything for us to do or to go somewhere and enjoy. On the same month of last year, she booked a hotel accomodation for 3 days and scheduled a trip to Baguio for us to experience Panagbenga Flower festival. This year, we agreed to go to Island Cove Hotel & Leisure Park in Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite; a small town of about an hour drive from Manila (less the traffic). My parents went there 2 weeks ago to celebrate the anniversary of their elopement. We saw their photos taken from their overnight stay and did not expect that our whole family will be there 2 weeks after.

Last Saturday, February 07, we were fetched before 5AM to catch the buffet breakfast at Something Fishy at Eastwood City, Libis, Quezon City. The buffet breakfast is offered from 12MN to 10AM daily at PhP 114 pax exclusive of drinks; reasonable price for a wide variety of breakfast yummies. It’s a favorite not only of families but most employees usually call center agents around the area. Something fishy’s buffet breakfast includes arroz caldo, mami, sausages, mini pancakes, beef tapa, boiled and fried rice, fried scrambled eggs, palabok (local pasta with rice-based sauce), pancit canton (chinese noodle), tinapang bangus (smoked dried milkfish), adobong manok, kakanin (rice cakes) like bibingka, biko or some call it sinok-mani, and maja and others.

As we were escorted by the staff to our reserved seats for 11 adults and 4 kids, my brother’s fiancee’s eyes quickly spotted Sam Milby as he dines with his friends. And before he went out of the resto, my mom, as candid as always did not miss the chance and asked for a souvenir shot from Sam with my son Gabby and niece Kelly who are frequent viewers of his teleseryes. One of Sam’s friends was nice to volunteer to take the picture for them.

mommy-3461

After Eastwood City we headed straight to Kawit, Cavite where Island Cove is located. It’s a leisure park stretched in a 36-hectare island with swimming pools, animal land that includes an aviary, a butterfly house, a monkey & aligator farm, recreational facilities for badminton, volleyball, basketball, tennis, billiards and even a gym. It also has function rooms, bars where concerts are held, a spa, playground for kids, and a 96-room hotel other than the 17 cottages where one can relax. I also found out recently from a broadsheet article that the managing director of this tourism spot is the TV celebrity & former Congressman Gilbert Remulla. No wonder Island Cove is apparently well maintained to be a place where one can commune with nature.

I was so impressed with the cleanliness & availability of facilities; never expect to find electric sockets even in cottages & huts to plug in mobile phones, laptops and other electronic gadgets. Island Cove is also a wi-fi area so I got to check my e-mails and did some updates on my social networks. My favorite part of Island Cove is the Fishing Village where we had our lunch in a hut on stilts, enjoyed the sea breeze, while being serenaded by roving local string band and singers. Those dining and resting areas on huts on stilts are the best part of Island Cove where one can feast on Filipino food and get to breathe fresh air and think of nothing but enjoy nature. It’s really a relaxing sanctuary. I really appreciate that I had a chance to forget my worries at least for a day when we were there. You have to experience it, or at least, enjoy first my photos here…

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I tried feeding the ostrich myself with leaves I found on the ground…just for a photo-op of a kid-at-heart

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Ostrich remains to be the biggest flightless bird and probably with the biggest avian egg as well…

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My 4-year-old son Gabby & his 7-year-old cousin KC : who’s taller err, longer than crocs & ostrich ?

And here’s the ultimate gateway to relaxing dining experience : the entrance to the Fishing Village…

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That’s our hut #20 on stilts ….

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What’s a Fishing Village without trying to catch something to grill or fry; but luck was not on our side…

Gabby with his Lolo Ben (my dad) did some fishing…

Three generations of fishermen-wannabe…

Staff of Fishing Village doing the fish bait made from flour & water as a substitute to an actual fish feeds…

Another sight to behold : Fishing Village’s menu…

Here’s a peek at what we had for a family feast…

Post-prandial smiles… perfect kodak moments (LOL !)

My son, nephew and nieces enjoyed the swimming pools with clean and impressive facilities of Oceania Water Park within Island Cove. Swimming or not, one has to pay the entrance fee of PHP250 which includes the entrance to animal land and aviary etc.

Proof that amenities & facilities are available in Island Cove…

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We left Island Cove at around 4PM and decided to take merienda at Digman in Bacoor, Cavite on the way back to Manila. Digman Halo-halo with sandosenang halo originated in Cavite before they branched out to SM malls nationwide.

May

ROXAS CITY, C A P I Z …makisaya, biyahe tayo !

By docgelo Leave a Comment

Categories: TRAVEL and WORK
Tags: CAPIZ, Life, nclex, NCLEX REVIEW, nurses, nursing, Philippines, Roxas City, tourism, TRAVEL, Visayas, WORK

The local flight I had last April 20 – 22, 2007 was not actually for leisure but work. I was sent by my office to Roxas City to conduct Medical Surgical NCLEX review. My flight was delayed making my stay at the boarding area of the airport a little longer. There I saw some celebrities who are also patiently waiting for their own flights. The basketball teams of San Miguel and Sta Lucia were there waiting for their flight to Tacloban. Then came Team Goma, headed by the wannabe senator and his entourage for a provincial campaign.

I departed Manila at half hour past noon. The flight via Cebu Pacific was ok, took only 45 minutes to get to Capiz. From the airport I was fetched by the review center coordinator & a reviewee who were both pleasant & accomodating. We went for a late lunch by the shoreline. It was a feast of mouthwatering seafoods you can think of – soup of clams, buttered prawns, grilled tanigue, oysters and pork barbeque. What a way to welcome a manileno. Then they brought me to Roxas Midtown hotel, a newly built, small but clean, and cozy hotel. Few minutes after check-in, I found myself conducting the first part of the review at the office. The reception of the people (staff & reviewees) from Roxas City was overwhelming. They were warm, interactive with the review & hospitable in every sense of the word.

The whole trip was far from what I had expected. I enjoyed it so much. Besides sharing a bit of my knowledge to local nurses is already fulfilling job, the fact of being in a new place, meeting people & eating good food is even more. I have never eaten that much seafoods with bare hands before – crabs, prawns, clams, fresh & dried fish, grilled or buttered or cooked in soup..hmmm, yummy!!! Now I know why Roxas is known as Seafood Capital of the country. Not to forget the mangoes from Guimaras which were the sweetest I have ever tasted..

I went back to Manila by April 22, Sunday afternoon.

By the way, i did not see any flying half-bodied night creature there as most locals believe. hehehe…

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2013 BEST EXPAT BLOG WINNER MINISTRY OF TOURISM MALAYSIA

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2012 BEST EXPAT BLOG WINNER MINISTRY OF TOURISM MALAYSIA

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2010 PHILIPPINE EXPAT BLOG AWARDS

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TOKYO 2010

***ANOTHER DAY IN MALAYSIA

***DAYS IN KOTA BHARU, KELANTAN

*2012 : HONG KONG DISNEYLAND

*A BREAK IN SINGAPORE

*ADVENTURES IN TOKYO

*BORACAY'S A PARADISE

*DISCOVERING HATYAI, THAILAND

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SUBSCRIBE TO BEYOND TOXICITY

2013 BEST EXPAT BLOG WINNER MINISTRY OF TOURISM MALAYSIA

2012 BEST EXPAT BLOG WINNER MINISTRY OF TOURISM MALAYSIA

FEATURED IN INTERNATIONS.ORG

2012 BRONZE AWARD EXPATSBLOG.COM

FEATURED IN ExpatFocus.Com

SINGAPORE BLOG AWARDS 2013

2012 ExpatBlogs.Com Nominee

2010 PHILIPPINE BLOG AWARDS

2010 PHILIPPINE EXPAT BLOG AWARDS

2009 PHILIPPINE BLOG AWARDS, FINALIST FAMILY & LIVING BLOG CATEGORY

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