Curbside Stories

The white beach of Bangui Bay in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. Click on the photo  for a larger view. Summertime has officially begun in the Philippines and of course a vacation is not complete if you will not spend a day or two in one of the island nation's famous beaches. I was lucky to have the opportunity to take a day off from work and fulfill one task in my bucket list--visit the Ilocos Region. The Ilocos Region is composed of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan provinces situated in the northwestern part of Luzon and is bordered by the South China Sea in the west and Cordillera Administrative Region in the east. This is the beach that greeted us on our first day. The first destination of our Ilocos Tour is Pagudpud, it is 562 kilometers away from Metro Manila or more or less 9 hours non-stop drive but it was all worth it. We left the house at 8 in the evening and arrived at 5 in the morning the next day. We did not have prior hotel reservations but we ...

The receiving area at the lobby. It is very homey and not intimidating compared to other hotel lobbies. I went to Hotel Kimberly in Tagaytay City to check out their conference room. We will have a seminar next week and ocular inspection is vital in preparing the team building activities. Here are some of the shots I took using iPhone 4S and Instagram filters.

The landscaped view from the country club. The only road that leads to the exit/entrance of Tagaytay Highlands. As part of our Marketing Management course for MBA, we had a tour in one of the most exclusive leisure parks and residential estate in the  Philippines-- Tagaytay Highlands . Tagaytay Highlands is located at Tagaytay City, Cavite--a three hour drive from Manila. Tagaytay City is known to be one of the premiere tourist destinations in the Philippines. The area is famous for its colder climate because it is elevated at 2,100 feet above sea level. Tagaytay Highlands is nestled in the area's highest elevation. It is an exclusive leisure park and village that began its operation 18 years ago. Today, there are more than 7,000 members from the A-list group and all shares are now sold out. A member can experience world class facilities and services--from golf courses, recreational facilities, spa, restaurants and banquet areas. Tagaytay Highlands has fo...

That's me! Photo taken at Quezon Island, Hundred Islands, Alaminos City, Pangasinan. My Aunt and sister have been planning to have a vacation since February. The initial plan was to go to Hong Kong with the kids but we could not find airplane seats for the dates that we wanted so we decided it would be better if we just go to some province in the Philippines. And so we decided to go to see the Hundred Islands  in Alaminos City, Pangasinan. Perfect! After too many weeks of planning, it ended up with just me and a friend having a vacation. It was so frustrating that they were not able to join me despite all my efforts. Anyway, at least I was able to have a vacation. It was my friend's first time to drive there so it took us eight long hours of land travel to go to Alaminos City, Pangasinan.  First things first, we need a place to spend the night. We went to Brgy. Lucap, the closest place to the Hundred Islands and the one with the most number of hotels...

One of the many lovely trees along the roads of Pangasinan. Gen. Carlos P. Romulo Bridge formerly Wawa Bridge in Pangasinan. Farmville, LIVE! Photographing the photographer. My friend. Our Lady of Manaoag Church in Pangasinan. Our Lady of Manaoag. Plant growing on the walls of Our Lady of Manaoag Church Lighted candles for the petition and intentions of the devotees. Inside the compound of the church. Archway of La Union. Can you find the heart? Taken at Kennon Road, Baguio City. Chicharong bulaklak. So unhealthy, yet so good! Shrine to commemorate the young Ifugaos who fell off the cliff of Mines View Park in Baguio. Mines View. Ponies with mane dyed in pink. Traditional Ifugao clothes for rent for you to take pictures at Mines View Park. Photos were taken using Canon PowerShot A3200 IS.

If you are tired of traffic, pollution of all sorts and you think you need to give yourself a break, you may want to consider spending two or three days in  Estancia Resort Hotel in Tagaytay City. For an hour of travel from Manila, you will be greeted with a spectacular view of the Taal Volcano--which is not so bad at all. The resort hotel also has music and video lounge, billiard hall, restaurants, children's playground and sauna. The restaurant overlooking the Taal Volcano. I like the lavender seats paired with white tables. My serving of iced tea with lavender mums as centerpiece of each table. The view outside the hotel. The indoor pool with jacuzzi, perfect for those who don't want to be exposed under the sun. The stairs lead to hotel rooms. The hotel rooms outside of the main building. The hotel rooms up close. This room is good for 2 to 3 persons. The pool area with sunken bar in the middle. The sunken bar up close. Th...