Curbside Stories

Snorkeling at Sumilon Island. Before I proceed, disregard the date and time stamp on the photos because I was too excited to use my action camera that I forgot to check the setting. Silly me! My first time in Cebu was more of a city tour and although it was fun for a first-timer in the Queen City of the South, it felt incomplete. After 3 years, I am back and it was a more adventurous and daring trip with my friends. Our tour package included 2 nights and 3 days hotel stay, swimming with the whale shark, trek to Osmena Peak, Mainit hot spring, canyoning to the Kawasan Falls, snorkeling at Pescador Island, sardine run in Moalboal and Sumilon Island sandbar stay. All of that for only 6,500 pesos. You will get a better deal if you are a group of 5 or more. We arrived at the Mactan Cebu International Airport around 7 in the morning last March 12 and we immediately headed south to Badian where we were met by our travel agent. We rode a taxi from the airport to ...

The mansion of the Marcos family in Batac, Ilocos Norte. We are now heading south and it's our time to visit historical landmarks of Ilocos. Our first stop is the Marcos Museum and Mausoleum in Batac, Ilocos Norte. Inside are the family's memorabilia during the Spanish, Japanese and American regime. You have to pay a minimal fee of 30 pesos to get inside. Other displays are about the love affair of Ferdinand Marcos and Imelda Romualdez. The photo above is a replica of the slippers Imelda wore when she first met Ferdinand. You will have a clear sense at how rich and influential the Marcos family is. Downstairs is where the mausoleum of Ferdinand Marcos is located. Visitors are not allowed to take photos or use any electronic device for that matter. The guards which also served as tour guides explained that frequencies and light emitted by electronic devices affects the integrity of the corpse. He also said the once a year, an Egyptian embalmer checks the co...

The view of Mactan Island from our boat. I can't believe I forgot to post my first ever Cebu trip with my sisters! We went there last October 2013. It almost didn't happen because Cebu and Bohol were rocked by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake. We were so scared because of the reports of aftershocks but we can no longer move the date because my younger sister will be back in the US the following week. So we went, with all courage and prayers for guidance and safety.  We stayed in a cheap but decent hotel in Mandaue, it is about 30 to 40 minute taxi drive from Mactan Cebu International Airport. Although there were many public transportations, we opted to ride a taxi for convenience. If I remember it correctly, we paid a little over 6 thousand pesos for two family rooms for three days. Not bad, eh? The Magellan's Cross. Day 1 of our stay started with a tour at the Magellan's Cross in the compound of Basilica del Sto. Nino in Cebu City. There were many tourists ...

My employer was so generous to treat us department heads to a summer escape in Mount Sea Resort in Marseilla St., Rosario, Cavite. It is around 30 minutes away from Manila and is accessible via Cavitex. Aside from swimming pools, the resort also has a restaurant, a bar, billiards, KTV, zip line, obstacle course and hotel rooms. They have various affordable recreation packages for every group type to enjoy. This is outside of one of the pools of the resort. It opens to the public at 7 in the morning. Guests are allowed to bring in foods. The road leads to the zip line and obstacle course. The zip line is around 500 meters and ends in another resort. A one-way ride is only 50 pesos. The 5 feet deep pool has slides. Guests are allowed to wear white shirt or sleeveless and board shorts for female if they do not want to wear swimsuit and board shorts only for male. The kiddie pool is 3 feet deep and it also has slides. The resort also offers swimming lesson...

I don't know about you but whenever I am stressed, I go to a different place. It is not necessarily a far place, just a different ambiance or away from the source of the stress.

The tomato soup that tastes very Italian because of the herbs, spices and cream cheese. Roasted chicken with herbs, a serving of mashed potato and buttered vegetables as the main course. For dessert, mocha cake topped with whipped cream, shaved chocolate, kiwi and cherry. After the  tour of Tagaytay Highlands , we indulged in a simple yet fine dining experience at La Belle Restaurant in Tagaytay Highlands Golf & Country Club. We had locally brewed coffee after the meal.

I have been craving for Country Side's  special sizzling gravy since last night. Just thinking about it makes me salivate. To finally end my craving, I had a lunch date with my son. I ordered sizzling crispy chicken, that is good enough for two, cold iced tea and extra fried rice. While waiting for our order, he, as usual, played with his Bob the Builder toys. For just a little over one hundred pesos, we're so full. I am so recommending the restaurant.

T-bone steak and tuna sisig on sizzling plate! Yummy! These are just two of my favorite dishes at Country Side . My relationship with Country Side started when I was in college. It is just a small restaurant in front of the university where we usually have lunch... and where I usually spend my day's allowance. The interior of one of their branches. The main theme of the restaurant is the Wild West. They serve a wide range of Western dishes with a touch of Filipino to suit the palates of Filipino foodies. One of their best sellers is the T-bone steak with special mushroom sauce and buttered vegetables served on a sizzling plate. An order comes with a rice of your choice for the ultimate gastronomic experience. For Php130 per plate, it can be shared by two. Another best seller is their tuna sisig which is perfect if you are on a diet. Howdy Cowboy! If you happen to be in the Philippines, I recommend you sample Country Side dishes. For a list of their branches, click here ....