Curbside Stories

The hotel where you and your family could stay for a day or two. It's summer time! I bet you are already looking for a place to cool down this 35 degrees scorching hot weather. If you live in Cavite, there are a lot of new resorts that are not yet explored by many, and one of them is Legata Familia Resort in Brgy. Paradahan along Tanza-Trece Road. It is a 2-hour drive from Manila. The main pavilion that can accommodate 30-50 guests for special corporate or family events Entrance fee ranges from 150 to 230 pesos and cottage fee ranges from 400 to 2,000 pesos. The prices are higher compared to other resorts but I don't mind because it somehow promotes privacy and you will not worry about the pool being crowded. The cottages in front of the main pool for small groups. Originally, there is just 1 large pool that is no more than 5 feet deep with a kiddie pool on the left corner but now they have added another large pool with slides for the kids and kids a...

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 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 ...

If you happen to be in Tagaytay City, never miss the opportunity to visit Caleruega. It is a religous complex in Nasugbu, Batangas, just a few minutes off of Tagaytay City to the South. It is currently the famous wedding events of many A-lists and well-to-do families because of the beauty of the location and you can really feel serenity when you are inside the compound. My sister, nieces and my son went here on December 30. It was not a planned trip but it was definitely worth it.  There is an entrance fee of 30 pesos per head, you can bring foods and take lots of photos in their garden. The Koi Pond is the entrance to the picnic grounds and it also leads to another church on top of a hill with a magnificent view of Tagaytay and Batangas. Their motto "Close to nature, closer to God" is very obvious in the ambiance. It is so peaceful. You can just sit in one place and reflect or meditate. I should have bought a book when we went here. ...