Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda

This is the welcome sign/arch when you enter and leave Capiz in between Dumarao and Passi

It's been almost a month since Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda hit the Philippines. Tacloban and other areas in Samar and Leyte were probably the most affected parts of the country. However, other provinces were badly hit too! One of which is Capiz, my home province.

During the typhoon, telecommunication lines and signals were cut and we had no electricity here in Iloilo. When the weather calmed down, mobile network signals were back and I immediately contacted my family in Roxas City. However, I cannot contact anyone. I was hoping that they just had empty batteries or still no signal. But I was worried though especially when I heard news over the internet about the situation in affected areas. Iloilo wasn't hit badly by the typhoon except the northern part. There were a number of casualties in those areas especially those near the coast.

I was only able to talk to my parents 2 days after the typhoon when they went to the city proper and able to receive a signal. After 2 days, I was finally relieved knowing they're safe. But our kitchen roof was destroyed and trees around the house were uprooted. Our neighbor's house was even entirely ravaged.

Our kitchen was fixed immediately though and our surroundings were cleared by the efforts of my family and our neighbors. But there's still no electricity at home until now and some say it might take 3-4 months to fix everything. Only a small part of Roxas City proper has electricity as of today.

My grandparents' home at Sigma, Capiz was also totally ruined by the typhoon and this made me really sad. Of course I'm glad that they're all safe in there. Their home wasn't too big and grand but it holds too many memories for our family. Me and my brother used to spend summer vacations there when we were kids. Family gatherings were also spent there most of the time. Here's what's left of my grandparents home as photographed by my uncle:

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Avida Village Iloilo - A Place For Nonnomadic Traveler

As part of my online job, I have a good chance to read a lot of travel-related blogs which inspires me to travel even just locally. I admire most those who quit their jobs, sold their properties, packed their bags, and traveled the world as nomads. I know I love to travel but I don't think I'd love to be a nomad. ^^

Since I have no plans of being a nomad traveler, me and boyfie, decided to buy a property in Iloilo. There are many subdivisions or villages to choose from but we went for Avida Village located at Brgy. Balabag, Pavia, Iloilo. We chose Avida Village among others for a number of reasons:

1. It's developed by Ayala Lands Inc.!
2. The houses they build has the highest quality among the ones we've checked.
3. Avida employees, including site workers, aren't just professionals. They dress like professionals.lol I just want to stress this out because of an experience we had in one of the subdivisions here in Iloilo. Their site engineer walks out of the house to puff a cigarette while we were having an official inspection. How cool is that? Avida employees, on the other hand, dress like true professionals, not like a typical sales agent or customer service representatives. Even their carpenters wear a uniform and proper gears such as helmet and vest while working. On the other subdivision that I am talking about, their carpenters don't have a helmet, wear slippers, don't have a vest, and don't even wear a uniform.
4. Houses under construction at Avida Village are covered so that it won't obstruct the beautiful view of the village. Visitors and homeowners will be kept safe from construction debris as well.
5. Price difference from other subdivisions are not very significant.
6. The village is not too big compared to others and houses don't look congested.

Avida Village in Iloilo has 3 Model Houses: Cresta, Phoebe, and Stella. Interested buyers may also choose to buy lots only instead of a house & lot. Boyfie and I chose to buy the Cresta model. I personally like it among the 3 models even if it's the smallest. The size is not an issue for us right now since only the two of us will reside in there for a start. It's the cheapest also (though this may depend on the lot area as well) so it fits our budget well. 

Cresta Model House

Cresta is a one-bedroom house with a loft provision which can be converted into an office, a 2nd bedroom, or in any way you want.  It has a 120 sq. m. standard lot size with 45 sq. m. floor area. The deliverable unit already includes vinyl flooring, wall paint, and toilet & bathroom tiles.

I actually have a lot of plans in mind for the house designs, layouts, etc. but we haven't moved in yet and we have to prioritize what important things or furniture to put in first. So that's it for now.

I hope this post is helpful to those who are looking for a property to invest in Iloilo City. There are many house & lot for sale in Iloilo but don't be fooled with what you see in pictures and what sellers or agents tell you. They don't disclose everything about the property. We've already had a bad experience in one of the subdivisions here in Iloilo and we've learnt a lot of things from it. So far, Ayala Land Inc. is the best company that we've dealt with.

I'm not affiliated with Avida Land Inc. and I'm not selling any Avida property as well. But if you have queries, you may contact me anytime. I will answer your questions when I can. :)

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WW: Philippine Beaches

Wordless Wednesday

Its summer and the scorching heat of the sun really hurts big time. Going to the beach just seem so perfect this season. Last year, I've been to a few beautiful beach destinations in the country:

El Nido, Palawan

Isla Gigantes, Carles Iloilo

Sandbar Island Resort, Concepcion Iloilo

The Famous Boracay Sunset

Oslob, Cebu

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WW: Sheridan Boutique Resort, Iloilo

Life's been very busy lately and I've missed several weeks in my Wordless Wednesday series. So it has been my goal to update the blog before Wednesday ends. 

Last week, me and my friend went swimming at Sheridan Boutique Resort located at Oton, Iloilo for her birthday photoshoot. The set of photos can be found at my Facebook page - Life-Trotting. I'd really appreciate it if you "like" my page.heheh

Disclamer: It was a non-pro photoshoot just for fun. ^^

So for this week's (not-so) Wordless Wednesday, here are some photos of the beautiful luxury resort:

The Azure Infinity Pool

The Gazebo

The Casitas

Ayanna Restaurant

Yours Truly! LOL

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Sand Bar Island Beach Resort, Concepcion Iloilo

Western Visayas Paradise Islands (Aside From Boracay)

Boracay is the first thing that comes to mind to most people who want to have an island getaway. Its paradise-like beauty is undeniable. But little did we know, there are more paradise islands in Western Visayas: I've been to Guimaras, Isla Gigantes, and just recently, to Sand Bar Island Beach Resort in Concepcion, Iloilo. These islands also have white sand, fresh air, and beautiful scenery. But unlike Boracay, these islands are unspoiled, not too crowded, and still in its pristine beauty.

Sand Bar Island Beach Resort

This small island, owned by Mr. Sonny Eusala, is located in Concepcion Iloilo. It is a three-hour bus ride from Iloilo City and about thirty-minute boat ride from Concepcion port. Upon arrival, the water was overflowing on the long stretch of sand bar. The sand is still visible though and it was even a more welcoming site for us.

The clear beach water was very inviting for a swim. There is a small boat or a canoe that can be rented at the resort for a fee of PhP100/hour.  During low tide, it's hard to miss the opportunity to stroll around the island. The white sand and the fresh sea breeze are perfect for a lazy stroll. The surrounding nearby islands are a beautiful scenery that makes the place even more beautiful.

Needless to say, Sand Bar Island Beach Resort is really BEAUTIFUL.

The Resort

There are small and big cottages in the island resort where guests can stay overnight. No aircon and fan but you wouldn't really need them. Their shower room and comfort rooms are clean enough. Open cottages are also available for a fee for those who are staying for the day but free for overnight guests.

Guests can bring their own food and cook it in the resort. For overnight stayers, make sure to buy ice for food storage. You can borrow an ice box from them and other cooking materials. There is also a sari-sari store in the resort where you can buy basic necessities like cooking oil, coffee, dish washing liquid etc. But its better to bring your own because they're somehow overpriced.

The resort can provide fresh water and drinking water for the guests. Each container of fresh water costs PhP20 and 5 gallons of drinking water costs PhP100.

Electricity in the island is until 10pm only. There are no sockets as well. They basically provide you with lights only. If you need to charge your cellphone or electronic gadgets, you may do so at the owner's house. After 10pm, you can have a bonfire near the beach. They charge PhP300 for the bonfire setup.

Island Hopping

Island hopping activity at the resort costs PhP2,000 for 16 people with 5 island destinations. I've heard about Agho Island before and we passed by it during the activity. We didn't stop by the island though because the entrance fee of PhP25/person and PhP100 boat parking fee turned us off. The island is much like Sand Bar Island Beach Resort so we decided not to stop by.

Agho Island

Among all the islands we went to in this activity, I must say that Sand Bar Island Beach Resort is the most beautiful. Though it was fun to go island hopping with friends.

The "Sand Bar"

The sand bar is one of the wonders of Nature that I find really fascinating. That long stretch of curved white sand in the middle of clear water is just stress-relieving. It was even more fun to swim and take photos at the sand bar when it is submerged onto the water. It felt like you're in the middle of the sea.

Rates

PhP120    Bus from Iloilo City to Concepcion (vice-versa)
PhP2000  Boat Rental from Concepcion to Sand Bar Island Beach Resort (Roundtrip, up to 20 persons)
PhP25      Environmental Fee
PhP1000  Big Cottage (per night)
PhP800    Small Cottage
PhP2000  Island Hopping Boat Rental (up to 20 persons)

Going to Sand Bar Island Beach Resort is cheaper if you are in a large group. You can already enjoy the place in just 2days and 1night.

Important Note:
Last trip of buses from Concepcion to Iloilo is at 3pm.

Contact Number:
Sonny Eusala - 09068197516

Credits:
Big thanks to Lakas ng Trip for the very helpful travel guide. :)

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Self-Pampering Day at SM City Iloilo

I just turned a year older last thursday, 12th of July and celebrated it with my bestfriends over the whole weekend. We went to Bacolod, partied for 2 nights, strolled, videoke, watched movie, etc.

Now before I start my work week, I thought of pampering myself first!

Posh Nails at SM City Iloilo is pricey but their service is commendable. The advantage here is that the place is quiet unlike in hair salons because they only specialize in nail/hand/feet care services. They have wi-fi too! :D

After pampering my feet, I then went to Forever Flawless for a body scrub. They give 50% discount for non-medical services if it's your birth month so I grabbed the opportunity! :D Body scrub at Forever Flawless originally costs PhP2000 but I only paid PhP1000. 

The body scrub made my skin feel lighter and smoother and I was quite satisfied with their service. But honestly, I don't think I'd do it again for PhP2000.lol Spa Riviera also has body scrub services for less than PhP1000 but it wasn't that great. They only scrub your body with "rice scrub" - that's all. I could have just bought a body scrub product and did it myself. Unlike with Forever Flawless, they use salt scrub, put a "mask" after it and finish it off by putting lotion all over your body. 

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Ocean City Iloilo

Ocean City is a well-known seafood restaurant here in Iloilo City. I haven't been to any of their restaurants until yesterday. I was only able to taste their food at SM City's food court section. But I only get to really appreciate them yesterday.lol Our virtual team makes it a point to meet once in a while so we had lunch at Ocean City yesterday located at General Luna St. It was also an advance birthday celebration for me! ^^ 

 The restaurant is divided into two parts. There's an airconditioned section and an open area. Though it would have been great to stay in the airconditioned part of the restaurant because it was hot outside, we chose to sit in the open area because we could freely talk a bit loud without being a nuisance to other customers. They have the same menu anyway. 

Ocean City offers a variety of food from chicken dishes to pork, beef, and seafoods. We ordered a set meal worth PhP2500 which was already good for a maximum of 12 persons. There were 9 of us and I could say that it was more than enough because we had leftovers which we took home. :D 

Here are some of their dishes. 

Bird's Nest Soup

Roast Chicken

Chopsuey

Chicken (Sweet & Sour?)

Fried Rice

Pork

Pancit

The Verdict:

Food is definitely delicious! The price is not cheap but not too expensive as well. I guess it's cheaper if you are in a group. Our bill was around PhP2,800 because drinks were not included in the set meal. 

The service wasn't very satisfying though. We asked for plates for the cake and they gave us only 4 when they can clearly see that there were 9 of us. I don't know if the restaurant closes in the afternoon or not because the waiters were already cleaning our table even if we were still busy chatting and video calling. They also asked us if we'd like to take home some of the leftovers but I just said "later" because I was still eating. 

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Travel Guide: Isla Gigantes in Less Than PhP2000

Ever since we have posted pictures of our Isla Gigantes Adventure, friends started to ask a lot of questions on how to get there, how much did we spend all in all, etc. So I thought I'd post a guide on how to get to Isla Gigantes and some tips on what to expect at the island.

Gigantes Group of Islands is accessible via Estancia (Iloilo) port.

How To Get There:

1. Estancia is just 2 hours away from Roxas City, Capiz via Ceres bus. Fare is PhP81.
    From Iloilo, bus ride is approximately 3.5 hours. Fare is PhP145 via Sara/Balasan-bound Ceres bus.
    Estancia-bound bus fare from Iloilo is PhP152.

2. From the bus terminal, you can go to the port of Estancia by riding a tricycle. Fare is only PhP10.

3. Passenger boats leave from Estancia port at 2pm so make sure you arrive early. Boat travel is approximately 1.5-2hrs and fare is PhP80 per person. From Isla Gigantes to Estancia port, passenger boats leave at 9am.

4. Once you get to the island, you will have to ride a motorcycle going to Gigantes Hideaway Inn. Fare is also PhP10 per person.

Important Notes:

*For those who need to travel by plane, nearest airport would be in Roxas City. But flights are very limited. If there is no flight to Roxas City from your area, next option is Iloilo or Kalibo. But I am not sure if there is direct bus or van routes from Kalibo to Estancia.

*Sara/Balasan Ceres bus will only drop you off at Bani-an corner where you will have to ride a tricycle going to Estancia port which is about 5-10 minutes. Tricycle fare is also PhP10.

*I think there are also L300 passenger vans that travel to Estancia but I'm not sure about this.

*It is best to contact someone from the Island to know if there is a boat trip when you get there. They may also arrange a boat service for you.

*It is best to go there during summer as it may be difficult or may not even be possible to go to the island when there is low pressure in the area.

Electricity

Electricity in the island is limited. It is only available from 4pm-11:30pm. Though the resort uses a generator after the electricity is cut off. But i think they only turn the generator on for a few hours.

Mobile Networks

There is no mobile network signal in the island. You can try hanging your cellphone on the tree. You may be able to receive some text messages. If you are desperate to make a phone call or send a text message, the resort caretakers can accompany you to a higher area within the mountains where there is a signal. They call it their "call center". ^^

Water Supply

The resort owner, Mr. Joel Decano, boasts of their unlimited water supply which comes from a natural spring. You can even drink water straight from the faucet. We brought our own mineral water but we were also able to drink from their supply. It has a taste so you may not get used to it easily. :)

Gigantes Hideaway Inn Expenses

Accommodation

Accommodation is PhP200 per person per night. You can take any of the rooms they offer. Our group occupied the whole house which has 3 bedrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen, and 1 restroom.

Food

The resort can provide food for you. They will charge you with the same price from the market. Then you will just give their cook, Manang Anggay, a tip for her cooking service. Seafoods are very cheap in the island and our sumptuous dinner on our first night was only PhP745.

Island Hopping

Boat rental is PhP2500 including the tour guide fee. This activity will take you to seven beautiful islands including Tanke, a natural pool.

Spelunking

The tour guide fee for spelunking is PhP200.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Breakdown of Isla Gigantes Expenses (Accommodation, Food, Activities, Tips):

Dinner: 

3kgs Scallops (Shell-on) @35/kg - 105
1kg Scallops (meat)                       100
1.5kg Fish @ 80/kg                       120
2kgs Crab @190/kg                       380
Soup                                               40 

Total                                             745

Breakfast:

7 Eggs            56
Hotdog           25 

Total              81

Lunch:

.5 kg Scallop (Meat)    50

Dinner:

2kgs Scallops (shell-on)     70
.5kg Scallops (Meat)         50
1kg Fish                            80
2kgs Crab                         380
1.5 gantang Rice              120 
Total                                 700

Accommodation (2nights)

7pax @ 200each - 2800

Activities & Misc.

Boat Rental - 2500
Spelunking Tour Guide Service - 200
Cooking Service Tip - 358

Overall Total Expenses at the Island: 7700

Total Expenses per person: 1100

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is a breakdown of the overall total expenses for each person (in a group of 7) for the Isla Gigantes trip:

Bus fare from Roxas or Iloilo: 80 (Roxas) / 145 (Iloilo)
Tricycle Fare from terminal to Andok's Restaurant: 10
Andok's Restaurant (lunch): 40
Tricycle Fare To Pa-on Beach Club (Side trip while waiting for the boat schedule at 2pm):10
Pa-on Beach Club Entrance Fee: 20 (consumable)
Tricycle Fare to Port: 10
Boat Fare to Isla Gigantes: 80
Motorcycle fare to Gigantes Hideaway: 10
Gigantes Hideaway Inn Expenses (Accommodation,Food,Activities  + tips): 1100
Boat Fare Back To Estancia - 80
Tricycle Fare to Pa-on Beach Club - 10
Lunch at Pa-on Beach Club (No entrance fee if you eat there or maybe order something) - 145
Tricycle Fare To Bus Terminal - 10
Bus Fare to Roxas or Iloilo - 80 (Roxas) / 152 (Iloilo)

Overall Total Expenses Per Person:

From Roxas - PhP1685

From Iloilo - PhP1822

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Isla Gigantes Contact Information:

Joel Decano

Proprietor/Tourism Officer

09184685006

09155796612

Facebook: Isla Gigantes

email: isla.gigantes@yahoo.com

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Isla Gigantes, Carles, Iloilo

Second on my summerscape 2012 list is Isla Gigantes, located in Carles, Iloilo. Though a boat trip to Isla Gigantes is only available in Estancia. My companions were from Roxas City, Capiz and I'm the only one who's coming from Iloilo so I had to leave at least an hour earlier than them. Travel time from Iloilo to Estancia is approximately 3.5 hours while from Roxas City is only 2 hours. I took a Sara-Balasan bound Ceres bus since there was no Estancia route yet. The Ceres officer instructed me to get off the bus at corner Bani-an and ride a tricycle to Estancia which was 10-15 minutes only. And that's what i exactly did. :)

Bus fare was PhP145 while tricycle fare was PhP10. Me and my friend agreed to meet at Andok's restaurant and we coincidentally arrived right at the same time and that's where I first met 5 of my companions!^^ Lunch at Andok's was only PhP40 for each of us. It was just 12nn and the boat was scheduled to leave at 2pm. So we decided to go to the plaza which was just across Andok's. Since we had to wait for more than an hour, we decided to go to Pa-on Beach Club. Tricycle fare was also PhP10 per person. Entrance fee at Pa-on Beach Club is PhP20 and it's consumable. You can order for a bottle of mineral water or softdrinks for that. :D The view at Pa-on was very beautiful that we felt like looking at a painting. It only got us very excited to go to Isla Gigantes.

From Pa-on, we went to the pier at around 1:30pm. We did not take the passenger boat because our contact person from the resort said that they will fetch us using their service boat. So we had to wait for another 1hour for the service boat to leave because they were waiting for their other supplies to be loaded on the boat. Since it was not a regular passenger boat and they were loaded with supplies, it took us approximately 3 hours - which felt like forever - to reach the island.

When we arrived, it was low tide already and we had to take a very small boat to go to the shore. We were also a bit disappointed to find out that the resort was not in the front of the beach. The shore is also not good for swimming because it was actually a mangrove. We were already planning to swim after settling at the resort because we felt exhausted of the long travel. But all the disappointment disappeared when we saw the food they prepared for us!lol

The island is abundant of seafoods, especially scallops. They gather a minimum of 2 tons per day according to Mr. Joel Decano, owner of Gigantes Hideaway Inn and tourism officer of Isla Gigantes. We were worried that the food might be very expensive especially that they prepared a lot. But it wasn't. They just charge us with the same amount on how much they bought it from the market (the scallops were just PhP30/kilo). Then they just charged us with the spices and other cooking ingredients they used. For the cooking services, Sir Joel told us to just give the cook a tip. A detailed breakdown of our expenses will be provided on the next post. :D

So after the sumptuous dinner, we stayed outside the house and had a "few" drinks. There are cottages and other rooms but we stayed in the house with three bedrooms, a living and dining room, kitchen and a restrom. Sir Joseph, brother of Sir Joel, joined us and showed us photos of the islands where we will be hopping the next day. The pictures were very beautiful and we got really excited. He also told us some information about the island and its history.

Isla Gigantes is actually a group of islands. It was called Isla Gigantes because there were wooden coffins found in one of the caves in the island which measured 7-12ft. We even saw 2 of the coffins that they brought in the resort. The island is rich in history and it was even featured in Magandang Gabi Bayan years ago.

We started our island hopping adventure early the next day because there were 7 islands waiting for us but I think we only went to 6 due to lack of time. Nevertheless, we had a great time! 

Island 1: Uaydahon Island

First stop was the Uaydahon island. White sand, big rocks, pristine water, a hammock, coconut trees, seashells - simply paradise.

Island 2

I don't know the name of this island but this is really beautiful. This is a diving site so we really enjoyed swimming here. We also had our lunch here. The sandy part in between also gives you a "back-to-back beach". Isn't that nice? :D

Island 3: The Natural Pool called Tanke

Cliff Diving

The "Tanke" was the highlight of the trip. The natural pool surrounded by the tall rocks was  stunningly beautiful. The  water was very clear and the place itself was mesmerizing.  There is a small hole somewhere in the rocks that fills the lagoon with seawater during high tide. Then it washes away the leaves fallen from the trees and other dirt during low tide which explains why the lagoon looks clean.

Island 4: Cabugao Island

Island 5

There were some people having a picnic in the island. We just visited the small cave and went on to the next island because we were running out of time. 

Island 6: Sand Bar

The Sand Bar is also a good spot to go swimming. The water becomes deep a few feet away from the shore due to steep sand. It was also a good spot for snorkeling and you can actually see different fishes unlike in the 2nd island where we didn't enjoy the coral reef, only the cool water. :D

The reason why we need to finish the island hopping early is because we wanted to go caving or "spelunking". It was a fun and thrilling adventure as we climb through the rocks at the cave and trailing our way down to the rocky mountain.

After caving, we went back to the resort and freshened up. We were all tired and all we were thinking was to drink an ice-cold coke or water and indulge in the fresh seafoods that Manang Anggay (the cook) prepared for us. :D After dinner, we stayed at the tree house, had a few drinks and lots of stories to share with each other. 

We left at 9am the next morning aboard the passenger boat. Travel time was only 2hours and we headed straight to Pa-on Beach Club to have our lunch. We paid 80 each for our lunch and additional 65 for the halo-halo we ordered individually. After lunch, we all went home with lots of memories to cherish at Isla Gigantes. :)

Isla Gigantes Contact Information:

Joel Decano
Proprietor/Tourism Officer
09184685006
09155796612
Facebook: Isla Gigantes
email: isla.gigantes@yahoo.com

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