The Island Explorer

I find great satisfaction in discovering new places. The Mangodlong Paradise Beach Resort was an accidental find, since we were really supposed to stay in Mangodlong Rock Resort beside it. When I saw the new resort, I was already lured towards it.

Finally, after 5 years of wanting, I found myself boarding the ferry to the island of Camotes in Cebu. If you have been reading my blogs on Cebu, you will be familiar with Camotes, as the destination I've wanted to go to, but never got the chance. So now, boarding this ferry is indeed surreal.

I was walking in IFC headed for Pret-a-Porter, when BOOM! It was there. I was planning to check out the Apple Store afterwards, but as I went up the escalator, it was there.

I must admit, I am back to my younger days, when clubbing was a addiction. But it's probably not because of the drinking and wild nights that I crave for, it's the music. And for the past years, I have been hooked so much on house and electronic music. In fact, I even wanted to become a DJ because of this.

And so I come to the reason why we are staying in Galaxy Macau. Just like roof deck and sky high bars, beach clubs are a growing trend in Asia. So when I chanced upon the beach club at the Galaxy, I definitely said to myself that I needed to experience it for myself.

I have been moving in and out of Macau to go to HK recently because of Tiger Airways fantastic prices to Macau from Clark. For example, for this flight to Macau, I only paid P1,500. It was even more expensive to travel to Baguio because of the gas. So, Macau has been my entry point for my past visits to HK. However, when in Macau, who could resist the lure of their ever growing luxury hotels.

We stumbled upon the newest boutique hotel in Tagaytay after giving up our search for a new restaurant. We got intrigued by Agui's fresh Tagaytay cuisine concept, because it was very vague. What was Tagaytay cuisine anyway? 

Most cruises to the Loboc River in Bohol take place during lunch time as part of the standard countryside tours in the island. However, I discovered that taking the night cruise is a better experience.

It was a bright and breezy morning as the sun rose from behind the house, revealing the beauty of the sea and the surrounding islands. I got so excited, so I planned our short island exploring trip. We hired the boat that was parked beside the house for P2,500. The rate was quite steep, considering we only used the boat for 3 hours. 

For the Halloween long weekend, we decided to go to a beach town that I haven't visited in years, probably because I'm not a diver. Our trip to Anilao was one of the long drives that put a smile on my face. From Alabang, it only took us a total of 1.5 hours, all because of the Sto. Tomas expressway being connected to the Star Tollway. The next thing you'll know, you're in Batangas City, and just 30 minutes away from Mabini, where Anilao is.

Before going back to Manila, I decided to explore Dumaguete city by foot. I had myself dropped off at the boulevard, and looked for lunch. The last time I visited, I wasn't really able to digest that I was in Dumaguete, so it was just like any quaint city to me. This time however, I was pleasantly surprised to see how it reminds me of a laid back Southeast Asian coastal town.