Kamayan sa Palaisdaan, Bay, Laguna

It was not hard for us to go along with my brother’s suggestion about having the reception for our baby’s christening and first birthday celebration at Kamayan sa Palaisdaan in Bay, Laguna. We’ve dined in the Palaisdaan in Tayabas, Quezon many years back so we imagine this restaurant in Bay, Laguna to be no different or even better.

The distinguishing feature of Palaisdaan is the floating cottages, each of which can accommodate a small group of diners. The ambiance-- water and lush vegetation-- is perfect for a refreshing meal of favorite Filipino dishes.

For Nadine's christening and first birthday celebration, we reserved the ground floor pavilion that can accommodate around 50 guests (another group has reserved the second floor). The place was just right for our 40 plus relatives and friends.

Other attractions include musicians who'll serenade guests while they eat, the beautifully landscaped entrance with distinct sculptures and white carabao near the main hall that can host up to 200 guests for bigger gatherings, the swings and slides that appeal to young and old alike, and of course the fishes that can be seen from along the water's edge.

read more...

Comparison of Fuel Prices along the Philippine Eastern Nautical Highway

For the information of travelers who'd opt for a road trip via the Eastern Nautical Highway in the Philippines, here's a comparison of actual fuel prices we documented in various refueling stations of Petron, a major petroleum player in the Philippines. These photos were taken between March 21 to 26 from Davao City heading north to Laguna.

Within Mindanao, Davao City has the cheapest fuel prices per liter, with diesel costing 36.50 pesos, among towns and cities along the Davao-Butuan-Surigao route. As expected, fuel prices tend to be higher in more remote areas.

In the Visayas area, Catbalogan, Samar has the lowest fuel prices, with diesel at 39.39 pesos per liter. But this is about three pesos more expensive compared to diesel bought in Davao City.

The best fuel prices among towns and cities along the Eastern Nautical Highway from Davao to Laguna were found in Southern Luzon starting at around 36 pesos per liter in Bicol and down to 33.25 pesos per liter in Laguna.

Petron fuel prices was representative of all other petroleum companies in all places we went through during the first leg of our road trip, i.e. there were no significant differences in fuel prices among various petroleum companies, big or small. A notable exception is around Naga City, Camarines Sur, where smaller petroleum companies, such as Cosco, offer as much as 35 cents lower diesel price per liter than the major players: Petron, Shell and Caltex in the area.

Therefore, if one is to maximize savings in fuel cost, fill up your tank in Davao City. Avoid refueling in remote areas. If possible, wait until getting to Luzon to refuel to get as much as six pesos savings per liter of diesel or about 15% savings.

So plan ahead. Know your vehicle's fuel tank capacity and fuel efficiency, as well as an estimate of the distance to be traveled. Newer car models, such as in the case of Toyota Innova G, have options to obtained information, like fuel efficiency or estimate of distance that can be traveled with the remaining actual fuel in the tank, with a mere push of a button.

With the above information, together with the comparison of fuel prices in this blog post, one can make informed decisions on when to refuel during a road trip along the Philippine Eastern Nautical Highway.

Happy motoring!

read more...

UPLB Freedom Park

The University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) Freedom Park is always teeming with energy during late afternoons, weekends in particular. Today was no different. There were those who flew kites, played soccer, frisbee, badminton and volleyball, walked dogs, jogged the circumference, picnicked on the grounds, met friends, read quietly or chatted the afternoon away.

This open area where various formal and informal activities are held is something we sorely missed. It's difficult to find an equivalent in Davao City. So the family relished our two-hour stay in the park today.

read more...

Guess Where We Are Challenge #2

Guess where Nadine and Mama Sez are in this photo. Quite tricky but it's actually rather easy. C'mon have a guess...

read more...

Laguna, Nang Ikaw ay Marating Ko

March 25, 9:13PM (Day 5), San Pablo City- After 1602 kilometers of travel, we're in our first home base province, Laguna. We'll be staying put for about 10 days and move around Southern Tagalog region coming mostly from Los Banos or San Pablo where many of our relatives and friends live (in other words, free lodging...LOL).

It was indeed a most welcome sight to find familiar faces and knowing that it's the closest we can get to the feeling that we're home. A warm late dinner was prepared by my brother's family and we're glad to see that Lolo Ben and our scholar have settled down after flying in yesterday from Davao (which reminds me of the discounted tickets that we had to forgo as a consequence of the decision to go for the road trip...deep inside, it still hurts a bit).

After the kuwentuhan, we had to stop the kids' Wii session to hit the sack.  We're looking forward to writing about our first five days...because there's just so much to tell.  For now, only exhaustion is stopping us from typing the night away. 

read more...

Our Bicol Experience

On our fourth night on the road, we got a chance to perform our nightly gratitude ritual we normally do at home after dinner. It was late in the evening but it probably felt right after not having done it the past nights mostly because of the difficulty of getting the right opportunity while on travel. The babies were asleep so we're focused on catching up with the thoughts of our two older kids and for a recap of our long day in the southern Bicol. We also felt at home at Fritz Homestay with the personal attention given by the owner, Jocelyn. We're gonna share our unique experience at Fritz in a separate blog post.

Here's some highlights of the many things we're thankful for today:

1. Butanding and firefly encounter at Donsol. We thought all along that the babies might not be able to join in the boat ride to watch the whale sharks. But we were all there to experience it. We count this experience at Donsol as one of the best not only for the kids but for us as well. We're giving details in a separate blog entry.
2. Flat tire in Daraga. Not that we relish that thought of delays and repair costs, but it happened at the right time and the right place. We were about to leave Jollibee Daraga after a late lunch, when the flat tire at the right rear side was discovered. Actually this was already the second one because the left rear tire was damaged the previous day and we were already running with the spare tire. Because it was in the middle of the city, it was easy to ask around and we found a tire/vulcanizing shop just a block away. We paid P160 for the assistance and vulcanizing on both tires. Really a good deal when almost everything was done for us at the spot where we're stuck. Imagine if it happened in the middle of nowhere.
   
3. Meeting Genean. Because we were stuck for a while, we got a chance to coordinate with a friend from college who lives in Bicol. We thought she cannot make it because we knew that she was having a meeting this afternoon. But to our surprise, she was only a few minutes away and she asked us to wait so we can meet. The 30 minutes was not enough to catch up for the many years apart, but we were able to exchange basic contact and schedule info for a chance later on to talk some more.
4. Bicol hospitality. Our encounter with the Bicolanos in Sorsogon, Donsol and Daraga areas were mostly positive. For a weary bunch of travelers, the last thing we want are rude unhelpful people.
   

As we head to Southern Tagalog, we look forward to a nice final day in Bicol, maybe not as awesome as our Butanding and firefly experience, but close to it wouldn't be too much to ask LOL.

In our interaction with our boatmen while waiting to launch for firefly watching, we learned to say: Maray na banggi sa inyo na gabus.

read more...

Guess Where We Are Challenge #1

For our very first challenge in the GUESS WHERE WE ARE CONTEST, don't forget to follow us on twitter, Facebook/ Networked Blogs or Google Friend Connect before posting your guess in the comment section of this post.  You may have more than one guess (=posts in the comment section) as long as these are posted in separate days. 

We moderate the posting of the comment section so expect lag time between your submission and appearance of your guess so we can confirm you've complied with the follow us requirement.  For details about this contest click this link to the Kick Off Promo.

Happy guessing!  Cheers!

read more...

Ferry trip from Lipata, Surigao del Norte to Liloan, Southern Leyte

March 22, 8:01 AM (Day 2)- I am writing this blog on board Super Shuttle Ferry in route to Liloan, Southern Leyte from Lipata, Surigao del Norte. In fact, here's the view through the window:

and in front of me is my beautiful family

This was after Mama Sez and Nadine have settled their wrestling match (it was a draw!) during a diaper change session.

The ferry is quite new and facilities are relatively modern with convenient accommodations.

Here are the scenes prior to boarding. We got up at 4AM to get to Lipata Port at 5AM. We were witnesses to the beautiful sunrise on our vantage point at the northeastern tip of Mindanao.

The ferry was already there when we arrived, boarding was efficient and departure was on time.

Our car got a very good spot...near the entrance and neighbors with the traveling pigs LOL

read more...