Hula-Hula @ Westgate

Several firsts for me. .

It was my first time to eat at a mall located in the South. I’m an East (Pasig) and North person and well, you can throw Makati there also but I seldom find myself in the South area. It was also my first time at Westgate and it seems to be our version of Eastwood. There were several restaurants and coffee shop in the area.

It was also my first time at a Hawaiian-themed restaurant. As well, a first time to try the luau fests.

Luau Fest: food served in banana leaves meant to be shared.

Boracay-themed luau fest

Our choice of theme for the luau fest was a hit. The bagoong rice was made of bagoong balayan (anchovy sauce) and not of bagoong alamang (shrimp paste). I never knew bagoong balayan tasted good with rice. Combined with grilled squid, chicken, liempo, eggplant and okra – it was a hearty Filipino dish. It felt like we were actually beside a beach and enjoying a grilled dinner.

The other group tried these:

Davao Gulf (mostly served with salsa;
came with mango salsa, pomelo salad, cucumber salad and kilawin;
with crab rice)

Japanese Hawaiian (with pineapple pork rice)

Hula Hula is a must try especially for the experience. I have yet to try their crabs and famous belly chops.

Located @:

Business Development-Commercial Centers, FAI Administration Bldg. Alabang-Zapote Road, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang
Muntinlupa City

Exotik

It was already late in the afternoon and past our lunchtime when we finally left Pagsanjan. Starving, we were desperate for something to eat. But being in an adventurous mood, we didn’t want to opt for Jollibee or any other fastfood we could easily eat at at Manila. Besides, we were looking for a restaurant that shall serve Filipino food. After all, we were in the far South. I recommended a restaurant at the town of Bay but it was just far and opposite our direction. We then headed to another known eatery at the town of Kalayaan which was just a few kilometers of Pagsanjan.

We were determined to be daring so we decided on eating at Exotik. The name can’t be more original. LOL. And true to their name, they serve exotic food – those dishes that we do not normally eat.



The area that the restaurant occupies is quite vast. As we were waiting for our food, we explored the area a little bit. There was a small pool upstairs but I’m thinking it was just for design. There was also a store downstairs selling pasalubong. The real highlight of the resto was the creatures we discovered while exploring the place. There were huge snakes in cages. The caretaker of the resto said that these snakes were ‘harmless’ and friendly. Some of us were brave enough to prove that. I wasn’t.

(Some of my friends who were fearless enough to come near the huge snakes).

As for the food, we actually ordered only three exotic dishes. The rest were the normal, safe food.

(L-R, Top: Sinigang na Baboy and fried whole chicken
Bottom: pinakbet and chicken curry)
I can remember how the meat in the sinigang had more of fat instead of the meat.

I still prefer the food at Kamayan sa Palaisdaan sa Bay. Food there was full of flavor and tasted home-cooked. Food was just ok at Exotik but just for the experience of trying a unique resto – Exotik is worth eating at.

(T - B: fried palaka (frog), ginataang kuhol (snails cooked in coconut milk), sizzling baboy ramo (wild boar)

Litratong Pinoy: Luntian

(Dapat sana kuha ng La Salle ang aking lahok sa linggong ito. Di nga lang ako nakapasok sa klase noong nakaraang Sabado kaya di ako nakakuha ng larawan. Sayang).

Ito na lang ang aking lahok. Isa ito sa mga paborito kong larawan. Kuha ito sa Calirana Resort kung saan kami namalagi ng ilang araw noong Mayo ng aking mga kaibigan. Ang bata sa larawan ay anak ng tagapag-alaga ng nasabing resort.




Noong nakaraang Sabado lang ay nasa Caliraya uli ako. Ang lawa ng Caliraya ay matatagpuan sa bayan ng Lumban sa Laguna. Ngayon naman ay sa Caliraya Recreation Center kami namalagi. Maganda ang lugar na iyon at maraming outdoor activities na pwedeng gawin. Ilalahad ko na lang sa mga susunod na araw. Ito naman ang mga kuha ko sa lugar na iyon.

so many things to do

School-related
1. review for two midterm exams - one for tomorrow and the other on Saturday

Work-related
2. finish several pending CGQ for reviews
3. prepare for Level 3 training next week

Others:
- secure (again) a transfer credential from UP since La Salle somehow lost it during their transition from the Makati to the Taft campus
- a Jollibee party for kids from a day care center (this Friday)

Extra:
- dinner with college friends for Mic's birthday
- watch The Dark Knight
- watch A Very Special Love (kakakilig!)
- a trip somewhere North from the 27th to the 29th

August, what's in store for you?

:)

Shooting the Rapids @ Pagsanjan

Over the weekend, my officemates and I visited the famed Pagsanjan Falls at Caviniti, Laguna. How was the experience? It was exhilarating and a mixture of all sorts. At the beginning, it was really scary. Halfway though, the experience was just really fun.

Prior to going to Pagsanjan, we have already contacted a resort to facilitate us with the boat ride. As posted by Anton Diaz in his blog, there are several illegal flaggers who will try to convince you to get the boat ride from them. When we stopped to meet our contact, there were indeed several men who approached us and tried to convince us to get the boat ride from them. Our contact directed us to a house which had several rooms for staying there or just for changing clothes. We were not planning to stay overnight so we just used the resort to shower and change clothes.

We were a total of 15 people and so we rented five boats (three persons each). As soon as I sat at the boat, a wave of fear swept over me. I do not know how to swim. I do not trust the life vests which they provided us as those seemed to be just hand made and not of high quality. I was overly sensitive with the slightest movement or tilt of the boat. I was seated in the middle. If the person in front of me looks behind, the boat moves immediately and I was really frightened. I was feeling that way because I do not know how to swim. It actually takes time for one to get comfortable with the boat ride.




About 30 minutes of the ride, the boat was traveling through calm waters. The view of which were the various houses beside the lake. As we went deeper into the woods, we were greeted with various trees and rocks around us. It was a beautiful sight.




After the calm waters were the flowing rapids and huge rocks along the path. These were the parts where the boatmen had to carry the boat for us to pass through. Indeed, it was a difficult task. There were three of us in the boat; surely we were heavy to carry.




A few more meters ahead, there was a stop over for the boatmen. There was small store there selling refreshments to the tourists and the boat men. The food being sold was priced steeply (softdrinks in can for P50). We then proceeded with the boat ride, with the huge rocks becoming more frequent. After about an hour we finally reached the legendary falls.




Of course, we wouldn’t miss experiencing Pagsanjan Falls. For a fee of P90, we rode a bamboo raft which will pass through the falls. The ride promises a once-in-a-lifetime experience of massage under the falls. Tip: It’s best to seat at the left part of the raft. That is the section that will surely be hit by the falls and will guarantee that massage. The feel of the waterfall was so strong. The irony of which is it was also relaxing. The water was cold but felt pleasant to the skin. We stayed for a while inside the small opening behind the falls, feeling the splash of the falls on us.

We then went back and headed to our boats which will bring us to the resort. This time no longer was I nervous. I’ve already gotten use to the feeling of the boat and wasn’t scared anymore. This time also it was easier to navigate through the river as we weren’t against the currents. It was thrilling every time the boat falls down from a high level. The perfect ending: it was raining when we went back.




We gave the boatmen P200 each as tip. Some of the boatmen didn’t ask for a tip. Some dropped hints for a tip. There were signs posted in the bridge that tipping is illegal and must be reported to the Pagsanjan tourism office or to the mayor. Considering that it was a difficult job and they have to wait more than a week for another chance of a boat ride, the tip can be considered reasonable.


The towns of Pagsanjan and Caviniti in Laguna are just two hours away from Manila. Planning a trip there is really quite easy. And best of all, you can cross Pagsanjan Falls from your list of must see spots in the country. I already did.




Boat Ride: P660
Tip to boatmen: P200 each, 2 men in a boat
Raft ride: P90