Author: shellan

Venice Grand Canal in Taguig

Posted on by shellan

If you are looking for a shopping mall that offers an out of the country experience, such as Venice (obviously), then this Venice Grand Canal in Taguig is the mall for you. Located at Taguig, it will only take you an hour or so to get here if you are coming from Manila or Cavite.

This is actually our firs time here, so I do not know if the volume of people were the same on other seasons. I was hoping to get a quality photoshoot here, given the fact that the place is instagrammable, but due to the volume of people, that you can see here on the link: https://youtu.be/KyvQfxYPs2w , we (me and my husband) failed to get one. But here are some photos we took that somehow capture the beauty of the place:

Thanks to my husband who captures these photos and is so patient with me because really I’m having a mood swing during this time. Perhaps because of the crowd or hunger.

Meanwhile, here is my favorIte photo among all:

Anyway, if you don’t like crowded places, don’t go here during holidays. You will also have to wait on a long line to experience Gandola ride worth P400 each, and that my friend I think is not worth your time and energy. Because the ride will only take you around 15mins. Anyway, the choice is still yours, as long as you enjoy the moment, it’s worth it. Have a safe and wonderful Christmas, Shalom!

2022 Update on some of Cavite’s Nature Get-Away

Posted on by shellan

We’ve been longing for a climb for quite too long now, hence we suddenly decided to check mountains to climb on. We didn’t actually plan to check on them, it just so happen that one mountain was closed for climbing and the other too. Not only that, as if the heaven forbids us to wind up with the nature and also a park which happened to be our last resort as day-off destination was also closed that day.

If you are wondering which mountains and park I am talking about let me list them one by one together with their 2022 update.

1. The first one is Mt. Buntis, located in Maragondon, it should be an easy climb as of what I have read about it, but the only activity they offer is camping on the campsite, which is also open for an overnight stay, and RTV.

Budget wise: They offer a nipa hut cottage room for P1,500 including the entrance fee. Or you can opt to bring your own tent and just pay P150 per head and P350 each if overnight.

Activity: They offer RTV activity that ranges from P1000 to P3000 depending on the trail you will choose. According to the caretaker, since it is heavily raining, climbing Mt. Buntis is not allowed and we should wait for the weather to be sunny at least 3 days. So we told them, that we’ll be back when hiking is allowed because that is the activity we are looking for.

2. We then headed to Pico De Loro (Mt. Palay-palay) without knowing if it’s finally operating. It was close during Pandemic and still is not operating since then. But perhaps we need to see it for ourselves if it’s now open or not, we headed on. And since it is on this list, yes, Pico De Loro, which is also in Maragondon, is still close.

Update: According to the staff we have inquired, it will be operating soon this year we only need to wait for an update on their fb page. I’ve climbed it twice already but it’s no big deal to climb it for the third time. I’m sure they changed some trail.

3. Buhay Forest in Magallanes is the park I am talking about which also happened to be closed that day. Which is why I have no idea how much should be the budget because we haven’t spoken to anyone except to the other couple who mistakenly thought, like us, that it is open today.

Update: They are close every Monday and Tuesday to give way for their disinfection.

View: Anyway, since some part is open for the public even if they are closed, I got the chance to take photos with the view…

I’m sorry I forgot to get contact details to make it easier for you to inquire. But I’ve put all the important details here which could help you in your plan and itinerary, if you choose to go on one of these.

All in all, although we weren’t able to fully enjoy the nature, we were still satisfied by the road trips and we still spent quality time together so yes, the day off was still awesome.

Thank you and God bless on your trip!

Meanwhile, here are the photos we’ve taken along the way (and you may click this link https://youtu.be/NKTAMVY9hzo  for our video documentation):

A Sunflower Farm in Jala-jala, Rizal

Posted on by shellan

Good news to all sunflower lovers out there who are following our site, we’ve found a place that will surely bring happiness to your sunflower-filled hearts.

If you’re from Rizal, I’m sure you have heard about the place already, if not, be ready for a long trip because Jala-jala is located somewhere deep inside Rizal. Perhaps the very reason why it is not included in most Rizal Tour offer.

And without further adieu, I present to you…

Sunflora Farm and Restaurant

To be honest, there’s really nothing yet to expect here but flower fields, though they started operating since 2017. Here’s our mini interview with the staff there: What to Expect at Sunflora Farm and Restaurant

That’s why this is only good news for all sunflower lovers because they are the ones who will truly appreciate the beauty of this place. Also, they sell almost all kinds of sunflower stuff, from seeds to earrings, name it.

The place will be more attractive if the owner will try to utilize its vacant space for camping or other outdoor activities that suit the filed. Anyway, that’s just a suggestion from us who are not sunflower lovers but loves traveling. And don’t get us wrong, sunflowers are pretty, alright? All flower is. So yeah, still suggesting you would come and visit the place. It would also help them increase their revenue. ☺

Anyway, the entrance fee is P40/person. Other details are on our travel vlogs.

Have a safe trip! God bless!

Witness Camarines Sur and its Beauty

Posted on by shellan

We’ve stayed at the province of Bicol for a week and that is not enough to experience the beauty it beholds. But continue reading and we’ll share with you the amazing experience we had, so that somehow you’ll have a glimpse of it too. And maybe, you’d want to join us on our future trips back there, specifically at Legaspi, Albay and at Camarines Sur. ☺

I’m quite hesitant to share the beautiful island we stayed at, the hometown of my husband, because I don’t want to exploit the peace, serenity and beauty it has. I want them to continue living at peace with the nature without being distressed by self-entitled tourists and disrespectful businessmen that could buy a place there for a profit gain. But because we aim to showcase the beauty of our country and encourage others to travel too while sharing some useful tips on how to travel on a tight budget, I resolved to share just a bit about the places we went to.

We island hopped for a day, and there are white sand beaches you can enjoy for free. Here are the photos:

And here are other photos we took at other parts of the whole island we went at:

To fully visualize our trip, click this link: Cam Sur and its Beauty | Travel Philippines

If you are looking for the budget money we had, there’s literally none we spent. But of course, you need to consider paying for the gas of the boat you’ll be using to go to these beautiful places. And you may want to include the fare going to Bicol, here’s the link of our total expenses on trip to Bicol: Motorbike Road Trip to Mayon Volcano (CALABARZON LOOP)

And yeah, we are serious about asking you to join us on our future trips there, we could provide an affordable accomodation, just message us.

God bless on our future trips! Shallom!

Motorbike Road Trip to Mayon Volcano (CALABARZON LOOP)

Posted on by shellan

Right after our wedding, we hopped on our motorbike and started the road trip to Mayon Volcano, located in Legaspi, Albay, Bicol.

I am always mesmerized by the beauty of Mayon Volcano whenever I see it on social media, hence, I told myself that I will definitely see that beauty in person and the very reason why my husband suggested it to be our honeymoon get-away.

Mayon came from the Bicol dialect “magayon” which means beautiful. And upon seeing her personally, I now know, it suits her name perfectly.

Here’s our road trip itinerary:
3:40PM – Cavite to Binangonan
8:00PM – Arrived at Binangonan (sleepover)
7:30AM – Started the CALABARZON LOOP to Bicol

The rest time check can be seen on the following photos:

We reached Bicol at around 6:30 PM and ate our dinner here:

We went back on the road around 8PM and decided to take a lodge at an inn at around 9:30PM to rest. Because I was so exhausted by that time, I told my husband. We continued around 4AM, took our breakfast and coffee break along the way and arrived at Cagsawa around 9AM.

Jeez, the ride was so exhausting but it was all worth it as I witness the beauty of Mayon.

Here are the photos we took as we get closer to Mayon ’til we arrived:

And here’s the photos our tour guide captured:

I know you are looking for the budget we spent, so here it is:
P1000 – Fuel (papunta’t pabalik)
P1000 – Food and Coffee expenses for 2 (papunta’t pabalik)
P400 – 5-hour stay in an inn
P40 – Entrance fee at Mayon for 2
P700 – ATV tour for 2
P100 – Tip for the tour guide
P700 – 12-hour lodging

TOTAL – P3,940

That’s super sulit for a 2-person travel get-away, but yeah, it is exhausting, but yeah, fun and memorable experience. Here’s our travel vlog to help you visualize our ride ☺ : https://youtu.be/jm9J8mAX0UY

Btw, you can take a plane, bus, or van, if you want a less exhausting travel.

Ride safe! God bless!

The Coffee Capital of the Philippines (Amadeo, Cavite): How’s it Going?

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I don’t know if I weren’t listening to my teacher when she taught us about the coffee capital of our country because seriously, I just knew about this weeks ago. If not for a friend suggesting us to include Kapeng Amadeo on Juan & Marias’ product list, I wouldn’t know.

And that made me realized, that it is one of the major problems why Kapeng Amadeo’s popularity in the market is declining — it lacks promotion. And that’s only one.

The others were discussed by Tatay Celso here on our vlog: Kapeng Amadeo: How is it Going?

Tatay Celso is the owner of Celso’s Farm in Amadeo, Cavite – one of the suppliers of Juan & Marias‘ and I was very honored to meet him personally. He discussed the reason why Kapeng Amadeo is declining in the market. And I couldn’t say anything but to agree.

Also, some of the problems of the farms and farmers in Amadeo facing today is being talked about here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CSoeiN8BtOH/?utm_medium=copy_link (Btw, it is the official IG account of Sa Sound Garden. Follow them for more agricultural and farming updates.)

We would like to thank the whole family of Tatay Celso for allowing us to feature them here in this blog and on our vlog. They were very accommodating and may God bless them more to be a blessing to others too.

And if you want to know more about them or order one of their farm goods, visit this link: https://shopee.ph/celsosfarm?smtt=0.0.9

All other information are on our vlog: https://youtu.be/eKl3E4EeLbM

But if you want a detailed transcription of their coffee farming process, here it is:

1. December – this is the start of harvest season since it is the time where coffee cherries start to get riped and it only happens once a year. The red ones are considered ripe and ready to be picked. Also, coffee flowers bloom as the ripe ones get harvested.
2. The coffee cherries were dried under the sun.
3. Dried cherries need to be peeled off to get the beans. 2:1 (2 beans per cherry)
4. The beans get roasted.

If you want to know more, you may directly message SA SOUND GARDEN (CELSO’S FARM) on the IG and the Shopee links I provided.

Thank you for your interest. Happy coffee! Shalom and God bless!

Tagaytay Picnic Grove is Now Open for Tourist of All Ages

Posted on by shellan

The world is slowly going back to normal after the widespread of Corona Virus Disease 2019 or CoVid 19 as we know it. Now, I don’t think it will ever be the same normal as it was before and I believe we would adapt more of the new system brought to us by the new normal but one thing is for sure, tourism is one that would definitely be back to normal — the very reason why we have this blog now.

We went to Tagaytay Picnic Grove days ago to check how tourism is going there because we heard that it is now operating. The good thing is, although many people crave to go out after being restricted, the place wasn’t that crowded. Or maybe because we went there on a weekday; we cannot tell the magnitude of people at the place on weekends.

To visualize what I’m talking about, visit this link: https://youtu.be/m9DVukjNRk8

We weren’t ask for a vaccination card but yeah, face mask is a must. Well that’s quite impressive because most of the establishments requires fully vaccination card in order to get their full service and that’s a blatant discrimination, which, should be a big NO.

I don’t know how much the entrance was before the pandemic but now it cost P50 / head. Additional fee applies depending on your type of vehicle.

And still, the cinematic view of the whole Taal Lake and the volcano within is such an eye candy. The one that would make you praise God for such aesthetic creation — and my camera failed to capture what my eyes are exactly seeing. I think, you just have to go there to experience what I’m talking about.

Here’s some of our intagrammable shots we had at the place. Truly an amazing place.

 

Thank you God for your wonderful creation.

Mt. Kulis Overnight Escapade With Sea Of Clouds

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After not being able to climb a mountain for more than a year already due to the pandemic, finally I and my fiance got the chance to climb a mountain that is just perfect for those who are just regaining stamina for climbing again. Not being active in hiking for more than a year can weaken our stamina for climbing, thus, doing a minor climb just like our Mt. Kulis overnight escapade slowly helps us awaken our active outdoor lifestyle.

If you are following our website, you already know that we haven’t got the chance to see Pililla Windmill due to the restrictions implemented as part of the new normal. And because of that we decided to spend an overnight escapade at Mt. Kulis instead.

We arrived at the registration area of Mt. Kulis, specifically located at Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal (Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist Campsite) around 5PM. We had a minor difficulty in locating the area because the locals are still not familiar with the name of the mountain but will definitely know once you mention “bahay ni Cardo” since the location was used as that in ABS-CBN’s teleserye “Ang Probinsyano”. Having said that, yes, the trail to Mt. Kulis is accessible by any vehicle. Here’s the link to see how our motorcycle climbed uphill and down hill: Witness Sea of Clouds at Mt. Kulis But if you’d like to hike it the traditional way (by feet) you may do so.

As of now, they are accepting both pre-scheduled and walk-ins. Overnight camping is now allowed too.

At the registration area, you will be given the choices where to trek. Camp A or B or both. Each Camp is amounting 300 per head and a tour guide (1 is to 5) is a must at certain location that if you want to trek to, you are obliged to have amounting P500. And since Noah’s Arc requires to have a tour guide, we got one. We didn’t include Camp B on our list. So what you’re going to see here are those included in Camp A. All in all we spent 1520 for two, including a P400 rent for a tent (you can bring your own). The expenses is listed below this blog if you’re looking for a break down.

This is the view that awaits you in the morning, yes, finally, a sea of clouds:

Here are the beautiful spots at the top of Mt. Kulis (btw, rice meal and refreshments are available at the top):

A little trek again for less than 20 mins. to reach Nipa Campsite (you can choose to stay for only 1,500 good for 2 pax or a family size for 3,000):

And then the famous heart peak at Sambong Peak:

Another trek for around 30mins. and then the famous Noah’s Arc:

And our last attraction, the spider web:

Again, to fully visualize our adventure here, visit this link: Witness Sea Of Clouds at Mt. Kulis | Travel Philippines

BUDGET BREAKDOWN:
Camp A Fee – 300/pax
Tent Rent (good for 2) – 400
Tour guide (1 is to 5) – 500
(Since we are on a motorbike ride, I cannot give you a transpo budget but you can visit our other trip in Tanay which has a budget info: New Things You Need to Know Before Hiking Tungtong Falls and Nagpatong Rock Formation, Treasure Mountain, Calinawan Cave (Tanay Tour Highlights), 3 in 1 Adventure at Mt. Daraitan)

Meanwhile, here are additional photos along thw trail that we found perfectly awesome:

We left the place around 10AM with a fulfilled spirit and a merry heart.

By the way, if you are planning to book a tour, you may contact Ate Leni at 09070646745. She will gladly assist you, also, she took most of our photos posted here.

God bless on your trip.

Road Trip to Pililla Windmill as of June 2021

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Since the government already allowed outdoor activity with the provision of following IATF guidelines, I and my fiance went on a road trip to Pililla, Pililla Windmill to be exact.

And upon our road trip we learned that a road is currently on construction, thus, heavy traffic flow is experienced by the travelers. And not only that by the time we got to the location, only 4 wheel vehicle or maybe those who have pre-booked their tour that day were allowed to enter.

That was quite disappointing. Imagine travelling for more than 2 hours and that is what we get. Yeah, we should have searched for any news about it first before heading on. So here we are, informing you the things you should expect and do before going to Pililla Windmill. Meanwhile, here’s the proof of the heavy traffic: Pililla Windmill as of June 2021

Aside from that, it’s a good thing we take every opportunity to take photos of beautiful scenery along the way.

We ate in a karinderya along the way. Their food is quite satisfying and their place is refreshing because it is somehow overlooking.

Thank you and God bless your trip.

First Travel For 2021

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The title might sound extravagant, but honestly we didn’t even take a tour outside my province, still every moment in this travel with my fiance is incomparable.

I have mentioned many time here in my blogsite that our province is a coastal area, therefore where else could be my first travel is? Well, the photos below say it all:

I had very few photos to share with you on this trip because I was actually using a roll film camera that needs to be developed yet. I will later on share it with another blog post once they’re available.

And we went again to one of the motorists’ most favorite ride destinations — Kaybiang Tunnel.

Only this time, we encounter a minor problem (to know more about it, here’s the link: https://youtu.be/9vQdMXp555U ). Good thing this child, saved the rest of the trip: (we fail to take a photo with him but here’s a photo of him doing a great job and yes he fixed our flat tire mano-mano, without using electricity.)

That’s all for now. God bless, everyone!