2008 Summer with Karen, Arbi and Kay

This year's summer was my busiest so far! Hey, I'm not complaining. It was a summer that I had so much fun that I was only held back by my obligations in the office and my budget (I wasn't born with a silver spoon you know!Ü).

Destination #1: Batangas
Batangas is becoming my own province since I've been going here more often.Ü Although this is Karen's province (mother-side), I have never gone to a province so frequently than Batangas whether its to visit Karen's relatives or to go to the beach. Quite frankly, I am enjoying the frequent road trips here. Maybe some day I can have a tour of Batangas!

We stayed at the Blue Coral Beach Resort. The sand is nice and the cottages are very close to the beach. Even though we got the pool side room, the beach is just a few steps away so it does not really matter to me if we got the pool side room. The only downside we experienced was the jellyfish. It was like migration time for the jellyfishes that you wouldn't be able to swim. It was even hard to just wade because a jellyfish will be right next to you in practically all directions.


Karen and Arbi figuring out how they can enjoy swimming in the beach


A couple of the jellyfishes that were already washed ashore


Taken by the beach


Pool shots
Before retiring to bed, I went around the resort to do practice some night photography.Ü




The following day, the jellyfish were no longer in sight. Not sure what happened or what the resort people did but Karen and Arbi were happy to be back in the water.Ü




Group Hugs!Ü
Destination #2: Cavite
After a week, all for of us again headed south for another road trip. This time its somewhere a little more relaxing and cold, where else but in Tagaytay! Of course, a visit to Tagaytay is not complete without eating at Leslie's Restaurant. I really think that their Bulalo tastes better in Tagaytay. Mas masarap higupin ang sabaw kapag malamig ang paligid (Warm soup is suited when in cold places).


The balikbayan Kay with Arbi taking a "kabataan" shot


Halo-halo in Tagaytay


My favorite! Sizzling bulalo!Ü


Karen and Kay listening intently to the singing group


A big round of applause from Kay and Arbi for the singing group Ü
After our delicious lunch, we went to Sonya's Bed and Breakfast for a little more RnR. It was my first time there and unfortunately, it was drizzling when we got there so I was not able to take much pictures of the place. I just enjoyed the massage and to be honest, I would come back for another massage! I really felt relaxed afterwards. Here are some of the pictures I took there.


Curtain beads




Walk this way..


Arbi in limbo
Destination #3: Bohol
Another first for me and Karen. It took us quite some time in planning for this trip because we arlready running low on resources. If you want to save your money on fares to go to Bohol, then the best option is to get a plane from Manila to Cebu then ride a ferry from Cebu to Bohol. It's a lot cheaper compared to taking a direct flight to Bohol. It can be compared to Boracay's Manila-Kalibo-Caticlan-Boracay Island trip which takes about 3-4 hours but the travel time is way shorter. The ferry ride is about 1hr and 45mins, give or take a few minutes. That's not bad if you really are on a tight budget and want to save some money to be able to spend while you're on your vacation. I would also suggest you allot a day or two in Cebu since you're already there. It can make the ferry ride a lot less stressful plus you got to enjoy Cebu! We'll do this next time.Ü

We got our reservation at Lost Horizon Resort thanks to Joems who suggested the place. Its a nice cozy place to stay if you're on a budget. The food they served was awesome but be prepared to pay for what you ate. The food is quite expensive but I still would recommend the place to friends. I guess we are just unlucky during this summer. This time, it was so hard to swim in the beach because of the strong waves. We were not able to go snorkling and see the dolphins because of the strong waves. We still managed to have fun when we took a tour of Bohol.Ü (Note: Some facts about Bohol were taken here.)


Kampai! (At the blood compact site)




Baclayon Church (one of the oldest churches in the Philippines a.k.a. The Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception)


Inside Baclayon Church


Bohol's Longest and Biggest Python in Captivity


With the owner


Cute little tarsiers!


Loboc Church (The second oldest church in Bohol a.k.a. The Church of San Pedro)



Loboc River ride entertainment


Kay, Karen and Arbi enjoying the boat ride after a hearty lunch


A tour of Bohol is not complete without seeing the Chocolate Hills
It was really fun being with Karen, Kay and Arbi. My only regret was we were not able to join you on your Ilocos trip.Ü