Mayon Planetarium and Skyline

Do you want to see Mayon Volcano closer than what the postcard pictures give you? You can actually! 

I was really surprised that there was a planetarium about halfway to Mayon Volcano. It quite fascinating and also they have a skyline deck you can have picnics with your family. 

The Planetarium wasn't like how I would expect it to be. There wasn't really a big telescope there to check the stars and we were day during the daytime so we were allowed to watch a documentary about Mayon Volcano which fascinated me a lot because of how active it was. 

Mayon Skyline is a relatively new attraction but its so amazing to see. 

We did some photo shoots in the marker which I won't show you because the pictures I got are so embarrassing I can't even think of posting them! 

But quite honestly if you will be visiting Mayon Skyline make sure to bring your closest friends because its really fun to just chill here and also you have a closer view of Mayon Volcano. Its so beautiful up close although we weren't given the opportunity to see the top closer. 

But it was really fun. 

I still have tons of posts to share to you guys so make sure to check back ok? 

Much Love! 

xx Alice

Your Perfect Destination: Visiting Quituinan Hills World War II Tunnels

I am by all means not an active person on a daily basis. My source of exercise is running from my evil spawn of a cat because he has another fit and I am his human scratching post - I am a bullied owner of a Persian cat. 

Okay I am getting off the topic so let's move to my latest adventure in Albay when we visited the Quituinan Hills and the World War 2 tunnels. 

During World War II, the Japanese troops made these interconnected bunkers as a way to keep safe from aerial attacks. They also made base in the Quituinan hills because it has a clear view from the sea and the land. It is also high enough to keep the enemies away. 

 The trek down to the tunnels lasted about 10 minutes going down there but it will be longer when you go back up. It is a bit steep so be sure to wear comfortable shoes on this trek. 

Before entering the cave, our tour guide gave us some information about the tunnels. That in this age there are only a few that can be entered since some of the others are covered due to erosion. 

The only thing that went in my head is will I emerge alive after this? 

I am actually terrified of the dark so going inside is both exciting and terrifying. I don't want to do that anymore though because it left me zoning out while inside the cave. 

But I will still recommend this when you visit Albay. Its such an experience because its a way to conquer your fear. Its a big thing for me and I have to give myself a pat in the back for this. 

Hope you love this series! I still have more in store for you all! 

Much Love! 

xx Alice

Let's Visit Bohol This 2015!

Personally, I haven't been in Bohol but I have heard so much good things about it. I heard that the natural wonders like the Chocolate Hills, seeing the tarsiers and also the food in Bohol is really a must try. I am really honored to be part of this event and for sure this 2015 I will have my own adventure in Bohol!

Makati City, Philippines - The province of Bohol shows how it defiantly rose from the rubble as it introduces "Visit Bohol 2015," a year-round tourism campaign that aims to revitalize its image and entice more visitors to come to Bohol. 

Under the leadership of Gov. Edgar Chatto, this event seeks to position Bohol as a top-notch tourist destination with its amazing natural attractions and also its friendly and honest people.

The tourism campaign kicked off via a three-day Bohol Travel Fair at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City last January 11 to 13 2015. Organized by the Bohol Provincial Tourism Council Inc. under Atty. Lucas Nunag, the travel fair gathered together all major players in the Bohol tourism sector with an objective of providing a strong boost to Bohol's tourism industry. 

"For years, Bohol has always been in the hearts of every Filipino, not only as an eco-cultural tourism landmark but as a home to a number of our country's pride. As we felt how out kababayans share our grief during the devastating catastrophe that hit out provice, we now feel the surge of support as we pave the road to recovery to come back in the tourism map. With Visit Bohol 2015, expect a much better and bolder Bohol - ready to welcome all of you to our beautiful province. We invite you to visit and we awed bot just by the wonderful sited Bohol has to offer, but also by the endearing graciousness, hospitality and trustworthiness of Boholanos," says Governor Chatto during the opening ceremonies of the event. 

Other partners for "Visit Bohol 2015" include the United States Agency for International Development through its Advancing Philippine Competitiveness Project (USAID-COMPETE), The Department of Tourism (DOT), The United Nations-World Tourism Organization (UN-WTO), and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), plus local tourism businesses, Ms. Gloria Steele, USAID Mission Director for the Philippines, and DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., who is also one of the keynote speakers, are among the many dignitaries at the event. 

Bohol also partnered with AirAsia for a year-round low fares for its Manila-Tagbilaran and Manila-Cabu flights to attract more visitors to the province. Also up for grabs at the expo is at least 60% discount on accommodations, tour packages and other travel essentials and various Boholano products. 

For entertainment at the event, the travel fair visitors were serenaded by the heavenly voices of the world- famous Loboc Children's choir, who sang popular and classic music for everyone to enjoy.

See you in Bohol this 2015! I will surely put this on my bucket list for 2015! 

Much Love! 

xx Alice

My First Trip for 2014 in Potipot Island!

 Hey guys! I am back! I know I haven't been posting lately due to my impending resignation to my current place of employment. It seems hard to swallow that after three years of working - might I say happily working with Koreans I have mustered the courage to resign as an online English teacher. 

Its not that I don't want to anymore but I just want to explore my boundaries as an individual and I would like to also experience life without getting stuck to a desk job. 

But nuff said about that I am here to show you my recent trip to... POTIPOT ISLAND! *confetti splash*

Complete Itinenary of our Bolinao Pangasinan Trip

Hello lovelies!

If you are planning to visit Bolinao Pangasinan for the weekend, you can check this post out to see how much you can spend in time and money.

Rock Garden Resort...What I think about it

Hey guys! 

I'm back with a quick review on Rock Garden Resort. If you missed my post about our Bolinao trip you can check them out on the links below. 

Onto the post! 

I would just like to say that this review is 100% based on what I think of the resort. All the things I will say here are purely based on our experience with the resort, the personnel and the likes. 

There isn't much to say about this resort with the mere fact that it is near the town proper which is good if you want to buy more stuff since it will just be a 20 minute travel from the resort to the town market. One thing this resort boasts of is it doesn't have an entrance fee if you are just going to enjoy a day at the beach. 

The offer a lot of rooms and cottages for different sets of people, they have a dormitory style room in which it costs 4,000 PHP for non aircon while the one with the AC is around 6,000PHP per night. Pretty cheap if you ask me.

our room!

I will just talk about the dorm rooms since that's where we stayed the duration of our trip. If you will be out most of the time, I suggest you get the non aircon type which is much cheaper. The dorm rooms have 15 beds which is just enough for me and my team mates and also for our cute tour guide to stay in. If you like are more than 15 in the room, you can request for extra mats that would be 170 each.

It has two bathrooms so you won't have to hurry so much when there is a line to wash up in the morning and before going to bed.

Free tissue, toothpaste, soaps and shampoo

The bathroom is ok since its only a shower and a faucet. Don't even attempt to use the shower on these since it would take you 10 minutes to wash off your body since the water pressure is not much. You will have to use the faucet and the dipper to wash yourself off.

If you are not much of a fan of walking several flights of stairs, you will have to get used to it since their dorm rooms are located at the top floor. There are only two dorm rooms available at the resort so it would be best to reserve one if you will be having a big group outing like we did.

Below our dorm room is a picnic area and a gazebo in which you can eat there for lunch and dinner. You can also opt eating in the veranda of the dorm, but it would be a hassle especially if you will have to cook the meals there.

The picnic area doesn't have a lot of shade except for the gazebo so its not really good to hang out there during the afternoon since its windy.

Eating time! Talo talo na! :D

 

There is also a common cooking area for guests, unfortunately I didn't take a picture of that place which is just behind the front office of the resort.

The resort offers its beaches that is free of charge to guest, they also have pools if you don't want to go to the beach. If you use the pool it will be a 35 php for the kiddie pool while it would be 75 php for the adult pool. The pool is just fine since the water is just right - not too cold nor too hot even though its an outdoor pool.

There is also a mini zoo which you can check out different animals like monkeys, parrots, and snakes. There isn't really much about the mini zoo except for the talking parrot that says Pangit (ugly in English)

The resort also offers cottages to use if you would just stay there for the day. The cottages are alright if you ask me since its just like other cottages offered in the other resorts.

Now let's check out the beach!

Mind you that I expected a lot with their beach since its been years since I last went to the beach. And here's what I saw.

It was no elegant beach front if you ask me so I was a bit disappointed. I actually expected to walking to a sandy beach front. It was sandy alright but for only like 10 step? Sorry gotta be honest there. 

But I still have to check out the sea. It doesn't have big waves as I expected and it was relatively calm maybe because the rocks underneath have stopped it. There was also that smell of rotten fish. I'm not particular with scents but I can't remember knowing this scent when I go to the beach when I was younger.

The shore was definitely full of pointy rocks and sea grasses that it wasn't all appealing to go in the water. There were some families that did went in, I also did try but I was not happy because of all the rocks that I stepped on. It was far too painful to walk anymore even with my slippers in the water. 

Here are some other pictures of the resort!

Those are not fishies.. they're sea grasses. 

I still enjoyed our stay at the resort. The only thing that I didn't like is their beach front but over all everything was fine. If you want to save up on your accommodations if you are travelling on a group, they have the cheapest rate for sure. 

I suggest just book in this resort and explore the rest of Bolinao because I think that is the thing you really have to do in Bolinao is explore its hidden jewels.  

I would rate this resort 6 out of 10 stars, because their beach front is not appealing to me and my colleagues. Their staff are friendly although some are not as approachable as the others. The location of the resort is near the town proper but a bit hidden so its really best to know where you are going (or have google map on hold at.all.times LOL) I really love that they have pools as alternative if their guests want to do night swimming. They also have a mini zoo which is really nice if you have kids with you. 

Over all I think this resort is great. The beach front is not that good but above that I don't have any complains. 

If you want to see the rates you can check out the resort here. 

Much Love! 

-- Alice