Boracay Cruise: Inside Look at 2Go Vessel

Photos here were captured during our Boracay trip onboard 2Go Vessel from Batangas to Caticlan and back. It's hotel like feature makes this trip a destination itself, a highly recommended family sea trip adventure.

Boracay Station 3 Photos

Below are some photos taken during our recent Boracay trip, all taken within Station 3.

Boracay morning

Photos: Malawmawan Island, Sorsogon

the jump shot ^_^

Photos here were taken during our overnight camping trip in Malawmawan Island, a private respite somewhere in Sorsogon.

Villa Sylvia Resort, Nagcarlan, Laguna

water coming from equally enchanting Mt. Banahaw

Photos here were taken during our overnight stay in Villa Sylvia Resort in Nagcarlan, Laguna.

Address: Brgy. Banago, Nagcarlan, Laguna

Tel: (049)563-1810

for story behind these images, visit http://saggi-space.blogspot.com/2012/06/villa-sylvia-resort-nagcarlan.html

Trek to Pagsanjan Falls

Pagsanjan Falls

On my last weekend Laguna trip, me and 4 other girl buddies chose the cheaper alternative to see the Pagsanjan Falls. For just Php150, we trekked, rappelled, raft, soaked and enjoyed the waters of Pagsanjan Falls. I will blog more about this trip in details in Travel Journal. Meantime, you can check out the photos below to see the trail 400m down starting from Pueblo El Salvador Eco Park in Cavinti.

Day Trip: Splendido Taal Golf and Country Club

Surrounding the Splendido Taal golf course is the 87-hectare fairway lots and residential enclaves of the Splendido Taal Residential Estates owned by JAKA Tagaytay Holdings Corporation.

Splendido Taal

The Splendido Taal Golf Clubhouse provides golf club members and guests with facilities such as centrally air-conditioned men's and ladies' locker rooms equipped with individual showers, jaccuzi, sauna and massage rooms. Splendido Taal also provides practice putting greens, tee houses on the fairways and a pro-shop owned and operated by the Club. The clubhouse boasts of two premiere culinary destinations in the Tagaytay Ridge area: the La Esquina Spanish Restaurant which sits in a scenic corner of the clubhouse; and the Ladera Golfers' Lounge that is located on top of a small rise that provides a majestic view of the Taal Volcano and Taal Lake on one side and the greens and fairways of the Splendido Taal Golf Course on the other. Both restaurants cater to golf tournaments, wedding receptions, birthday parties, conferences/meetings, seminars and other special functions.

Staycation - Potter's Ridge Hotel, Tagaytay

Taal Lake's foggy silhouette

I have been wanting to take a break from the summer heat and humid weather for a much needed cool breeze getaway and Tagaytay's high altitude offers that much needed time out. The planning part for the overnight stay was a quick 1 hour of web search from Agoda where I found a very good place to stay with a fellow friend and travel fan herself. These two Taurus will be spending some bonding time together spending their birthdays for an easy escape and slow down away from the city's crazy pressures.

Here are some more photos taken during an overnight stay in Potter's Ridge Hotel in Tagaytay.

Ultimate Bicol Road Trip Experience

photos from my recent Bicol Road Trip Escapade

sunrise at Gumaca, Quezon

My ZALORA Wishlist

In just a few days, I will be celebrating my birthday. But other than that, this particular month of May is a month that calls for multiple celebrations for our family, naming me and my brother's birthday, Mother's day, my parents anniversary and my OFW dad's return for a short vacation - that's 5 important occasions in one month. I never really got to celebrate my birthday throwing a lavish glittery party - I don't splurge for my birthday parties - nothing fancy and nothing pricey. An intimate dinner celebration with family and close friends is enough to make my day extra special.

I have a lot of birthday wishes of course, I'm a type of girl who dreams! So when I got an email that there's a chance for me to SHOP FOR FREE courtesy of Nuffnang and Zalora, I thought this could be a drop of blessing from heaven! And I always feel good when I get to share my blessings, especially with my family.

Now let me share with you "My ZALORA Wishlist" consisting of clothes and accessories for each deserving member of the family.

1. For Mom as a Mother's Day gift - Cowl neckline blouse with convertible collar from Missy

Mom is always the type who never splurge for herself. Like most mommies out there, she takes care of herself last. It's not easy to raise a child today, but mom stands out as she devotes her life and time to her 7 children. It's pretty impressive how mom worked hard raising the 7 of us, her calm disposition, soft spokenness, sweet smile, meekness, caring hands, thoughtfulness, listening heart, courage, strength and love. Yes we're a big family and I would like to honor mom by giving her this simple gesture of appreciation with a new blouse she can wear during special family occasions. In months time would be my younger brother's college graduation and I want her to feel good and appreciated by gifting her with this simple but stylish top from Missy. Mom is synonymous to simplicity and I know she'd be comfortable wearing this kind of blouse.

PLDT myDSL & Nuffnang bring you The Avengers!

Awesome news to all Nuffies out there as Nuffnang Philippines and PLDT MyDSL gives FREE exclusive screening of The Avengers to 70 lucky winners. To know more about this exciting promo, simply visit http://www.nuffnang.com.ph/blog/2012/04/14/pldt-mydsl-and-nuffnang-bring-you-the-avengers/

But wait, here's another great news to online fanatics like me!!!!

Being a blogger, a fast internet connection is my ultimate BFF. It helps me give that up-to-date accounts on my latest travels, foodie adventure and new discoveries about making money online - fast. I can also get to watch my favorite videos as well as upload my own videos without having the pain of waiting longer hours. A fast and reliable internet connection provides surfers a good online experience into the magical world of the world wide web minus the downtime - it simply helps us do the more important things offline. 

This summer, there are more and more internet surfers at home and it's the perfect time to enjoy the strongest connections with PLDT myDSL’s Great Payday Sale that's happening on April 27-29, 2012. All you have to do is register at the nearest PLDT Home booth or malls nationwide on April 27-29, 2012 with 1 valid ID, no cash out! You can then upgrade your Internet with PLDT myDSL’s biggest Internet sale ever. The promo comes with awesome freebies like a WiFi+Modem with free installation and 1 month DSL will be given away. That’s as much as P5,000 savings! Woohoo!!! You can also apply online at www.pldtmydsl.com

Crowning Ms. BellaGene

During our company's anniversary celebration, one of the highlights of the event is the "Ms. BellaGene Pageant". It seeks not only to promote country-wide the latest beauty product called BellaGene but also aims to empower women candidates and showcase not only their outer beauty but also inner radiance and smarter outlook in life.

Ms. BellaGene winner with other candidates

10 contestants competed for the crown and title to become the first Ms. BellaGene 2012. Thousands of distributors, leaders, stockist owners as well as foreign delegates from the U.S., Mexico and Malaysia attended this much awaited event. It is by far the grandest celebration of Gano iTouch anniversary in the Philippines.

The contest like many beauty pageants started off with presentation of candidates in their national costume. Since the theme for this year's anniversary is "Mabuhay Pilipinas, Kaisa sa Mundo ng Gano Excel",  I believe it was a smart way to introduce to our foreign guests the beauty and colors of Philippine culture. The talent portion was a total enjoyment with candidates singing and dancing, we were like watching a noontime entertainment show. To spice up the evening, the candidates ramped on stage on their red bikinis  sporting their fitter curves for the swimwear competition looking fresh from a possible clean cleanse diet. This was followed by the long gown competition. Obviously, a beauty pageant wouldn't be complete without the question and answer portion.

The program lasted 7 freakin' hours, although entertaining, it was more than we could chew. We left the venue hungry for dinner. But all in all, it was a glam up night to remember.

Luneta Park: Dancing Musical Fountain

Luneta Park: Dancing Musical Fountain

Located in the heart of Manila, Rizal Park also known as Luneta Park lights up at night with fun colorful splashes from its latest offering, the Dancing Musical Fountain adding a bit of modern day enjoyment to the park's historical story. Mom, sister Hannah and I were able to catch this dancing musical fountain a few weeks ago after a walking and pedicab tour of Intramuros. At around 5pm, families, lovers and friends gather around the park trying to spot some seats to fully enjoy the fountain show. The splashes started at around 6pm adding a more dramatic look at Manila's sunset view.

Inside the Intramuros Walls

Fort Santiago

Some historical background about INTRAMUROS

Long before the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines, villages abounded along the banks of the Pasig River. One of these was a palisaded fort called Maynila. Ruled by Rajah Soliman,  a native chieftain, the citadel was a trade center for Asian goods.

Peace in the thriving community was shattered upon the arrival of the Spaniards led by master of camp Martin de Goiti and later by conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.

Fort Santiago is located in the norther part of the Walled City and one of the oldest fortifications in Manila.  The Spaniards under the term of Governor Gomez Peres Dasmariñas fortified what was originally stone structures. Other governors general continued to modernize Fort Santiago's defenses. Which makes it probably the best laid-out portion of the walls.

Along with increasing blog stories and good online reviews, a walking tour in Intramuros has becoming increasingly popular to foreign visitors and even locals wanting to reconnect with the past. Together with mom and sister, we tried to visit this charming streets of Intramuros for a day tour. Below are some interesting tourist spots you can see inside Intramuros.

MV Logos Hope: Inside Tour at the World's Largest Floating Book Fair

MV Logos Hope in Manila 2012

Life is a journey.

We're all going 

somewhere,

but where 

are we going?

The largest floating library in the world, the MV Logos Hope, arrived in Manila last February 17. Carrying more than 5,000 titles, the ship officially opened its doors to Manila, providing high-quality books at a fraction of the cost. The Logos Hope community of 400 unpaid volunteers from over 45 different countries lives and works together for one purpose - to bring knowledge, help and hope to the people of the world.

Photos: Sabang Beach, Palawan

panoramic view of Sabang Beach

We stayed and took our lunch at Sabang Beach while waiting for our scheduled afternoon trip at the Underground River. Sabang Beach is hugely popular to tourists as it's the where most packaged tours with free buffet lunch is given.

Photos: City Tour, Palawan

Puerto Princesa Bay

Photos below were taken during our packaged city tour covering Palawan's Baywalk, Plaza Cuartel, Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral, Crocodile Farm, Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, Mitra's Ranch, Baker's Hill and yes, pasalubong shopping :)

Photos: Underground River Tour, Palawan

For those planning to book an Underground River tour, expect to catch sight of these gorgeous Palawan scenery you'll surely enjoy.  Photos below starts from the boat trip from Sabang going to the entrance of the cave and some images seen  inside the cave.

Palawan: Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour

hundred year old mangroves

The province of Palawan has the longest coastline with the largest remaining stand of mangrove forest (40,000 hectares approximately). It contains 43% of the total mangrove forests of the Philippines and Puerto Princesa is a city in the country where the total area of mangrove forests do not decline, but are increasing. Thanks to responsible locals and a supportive government, the Palaweños surely knows how to conserve, protect and care for the environment that relatively supports the community's livelihood back.

The Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour is a highly recommended activity when in Palawan. Aside from being an educational tour, it will help make tourists realize "why" the province cradles many of the world's most clean and beautiful beaches and other natural wonders because of the bakawan or mangroves existence in the area. Below are some pictures taken during our educational boat tour with Lady Mangrove as our tour guide :)