Staying at Island Nook for Another Round

As much as I can, I see to it to visit Boracay once a year. I really didn’t expect I was going this year due to too many changes in our lives. Somehow, due to some weird twist of luck, I stepped foot on one of my favourite places on earth.

I first stayed at Island Nook a little over a year ago with my office friends. It’s located at the back of D’Mall, by the main highway. It’s not a front beach accommodation, but it’s a very convenient place to stay because it is near the grocery, drugstores, dining places (after all, it’s just hop, skip and a jump from D’Mall), and the most important thing for me, drinking water (tip: If you are travelling with a group, buy a big bottle of mineral water in the grocery, then have it refilled in the refilling station located right at Island Nook, you’ll save a lot). When it’s monsoon season, Island Nook is just a walk away from the Bulabog Beach where you can do your Boracay activities sans the waves.

This year when I returned, it was the only time I saw Island Nook again and I was overwhelmed at what I saw. There were so many changes. They have built more rooms to accommodate more people. Rates also come with breakfast at their restaurant named Island Kebab which has a very tropical and laid back ambiance. All over, posters scream of beach life (Bob Marley, Che Guevarra, sunsets, etc) which I really loved. It’s too bad that it slipped my mind to take a photo of the area because I was always there just right after I woke up and I’m usually pretty much asleep even if I already washed my face and brushed my teeth. I would order their tocilog or tiki breakfast (which I actually loved, chicken in some concocted sauce plus rice was really flavourful).

We got the biggest room which accommodates four people. Check their very affordable rates here. The rooms come with LCD TVs, speakers to plug in your iPods, hot and cold shower and of course, air condition. Aside from that, they also provide you with clean towels so you can have a bulk-free bag when you travel. The free wi-fi is also a very cool thing you have so you can keep yourself or your friends back home up to date even if you are away.

In my opinion, for the quality of the place, you really can’t get any cheaper than this. It’s a boutique hotel, so they don’t have room service or any other luxurious amenities that you may find in 5 star hotels but at around Php 600 to Php 850 per person per night, this sure is a practical boutique hotel for you to stay at. Plus, whenever you have questions, the staff are the most accommodating bunch. Of course, kudos to Trondz for hooking us up with the friendliest people who offer activities at economical prices.

Island Nook
Road A1, Boracay, Aklan Philippines 5608
09228806665 / 09189912234
island_nook@yahoo.com

Incredible Rush: Cliff Diving at Ariel's Point in Boracay

I found myself at the edge of a plank. I wouldn't let go of the wooden rail. It was at a cliff that is around 30ft high. I can feel my hands tremble, knees wobble and my heart racing so fast I found it hard to breathe. I was thinking, what have I gotten myself into? How in the world did I end up doing something out of choice yet subject myself into one of the scariest moments of my life?

The dreaded anticipation

Walking towards the plank was already a problem for me. I could feel the heat absorbed by the wood as I very slowly made my way up the edge. It was moving every time I moved. When I reached the end point, I paused. I inhaled... too many times. It was serene. There is that bliss from feeling that you are giving up yourself to nature, to the sea, to the world. There was that deafening silence I experienced which contributed to my fear. The wind was blowing as if it is going to take me with it if I let go of the rail. At that point, I felt alone. I was full of fear. It might have been how people feel when they are about to die. After a little bit less than 10 minutes of just staring at the horizon, constantly trying to breathe, trying to have that presence of mind, I finally jumped.

That feeling during the drop

Falling was a long way down. I was wondering, WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE SEA? How come I haven't reached it yet? I saw a very fast woosh of blue colours from the horizon, then somewhere along the way, I closed my eyes. Still, there was no sea. Then a splash. It was a mixture of pain and exhilaration. Pain because I actually didn’t fall off the proper way (which I would describe) but at the same time, my entire body felt really alive. It was a great adrenalin rush.

After the fact

I did it not because I wanted to die, nor do I have a death wish. I was longing for that rush in a very long time now since I haven’t seen some huge waves this year and I’m really itching for a surf. But really, it was all about that sense of fulfilment. It's that sense of accomplishment and being able to tell yourself, I can actually do it. No job description asks for that particular "skill", but I did it. And if you ask me, next time I come back, I would do it again. Because in the end, it is something that is going to be a memory etched in my brain. It was about that confidence I can possibly build, it's that long exhale, it's that smile on my face every time I remember it, it's how life should be… an adventure.

My fear of heights will never go away. I was at the tip of a 6ft. high jump and I couldn’t do it. One thing was that my thighs were aching like hell and there was no way I was going to let myself get hurt unless it is for a higher height. I can still remember the fear I felt in anticipation of the jump. My hands still get a little bit sweaty. Sadly, there were people who hurt themselves when they jumped off the highest tip while I was there (dislocated shoulder, bleeding nose and lip), so I got scared to do that. I was thinking, jumping off 30 feet high enough adventure. It was extra scary because I couldn’t see anyone at all during my preparation to jump. The raft was at the other side of the mountain, so it was just me, the sea, the skies, the horizon and my fear. But it felt really really great. It made me feel happy that I was alive.

Here's the video, watch how scared I was. And oh, this was edited, it took me a little less than 10 minutes to jump off but I would do it again in a heartbeat. :)




Tips/Pointers

So, for the scared like me, read this so that you won’t get yourself unnecessary bruises like I did, jumping off should be totally safe:

1. Take a moment. Enjoy the view prior to jumping. Enjoy the silence, enjoy that moment that you hear nothing but the wind. Smile. Then concentrate.

2. Unless you are an expert diver, remember to jump feet first. Also, point your toe so that your feet won’t hurt. And it is in fact, an effort to do that (what I did was just let nature take its course because I didn’t know that you actually have to exert some effort to keep your legs together and stand during the fall). It is important to stand still so that you won't fall butt first (like I did).

3. Remember to exhale or to hold on to your nose before getting in the water. This I was able to do. This is important so you won't have that feeling of discomfort after your jump due to the pressure of water entering your nose.

4. Scream at the top of your lungs once you get your head out of the water.

I hope you enjoy your experience as much as I did. This is best to do with the daredevil ones because once you are with a bunch of scared people, them being chicken might rub off on you. ;)

Contact Trondz at 09228876639 to book. It normally costs P1,200 (inclusive of the boat ride that’s around 40 minutes per way, buffet lunch, free flowing drinks and snorkelling gears) but he might be able to give the price a little less if you guys are a big group. ;)

Boracay Island Once Again

I lost count on how many times I’ve been to Boracay. It is probably the place outside of Metro Manila that I’ve been to the most. It felt good to be back on the island I dearly adore. Last I’ve been here was a little over a year ago, and I actually wrote about it here. Once I landed at Caticlan, I started feeling excited knowing that once again, even just for a few nights, I’ll be living the beach life.

I stayed in Island Nook, just like I did last year. I’ll be making another post about that really soon. I didn’t plan on doing any activities except for cliff jumping / diving which I was able to do (watch out for that post as well). Hanging out for a light snack at Shangri-la Boracay was a great experience. I will have to stay there the next time I come back. Also, I had a nice time relaxing and having a daily dose of Jonah’s shake plus a little bit of alcohol during the night.

There was actually no heavy partying that happened. I think I’m beginning to be too old for that. One of the highlights though was spending the night by the beach, listening to live reggae music at Pat’s bar while downing one of their unique drinks called Chi-chi (milk + pineapple juice + some alcohol + something else; surprisingly good).

I happened to see Starbucks in Boracay for the first time (drinks and food are around Php 5 to Php 10 more expensive by the way). It was also the first time I was at the shore of Bulabog Beach which is at the other side of White Beach. This beach becomes popular during the monsoon season because island activities are done here as this area does not get much waves as the White Beach. I have never seen the White Beach with much waves before, they say it’s quite possible to surf there but you won’t get huge ones. Waves tend to be only at around 1-2 feet.

Anyway, I’ll be back posting some stuff really soon. Every time I remember how it feels for my feet to be walking on sand, I instantly want to be transported to Boracay. I miss the place. When happy thoughts are needed, I just close my eyes and recall the sound of the sea, and that awesome shake that has been always part of the experience. And if you need better details about travelling to the island I love, visit my post a year ago here.

(Belated) Happy Birthday Blog! =P

I was on vacation when my blog turned one year old so I didn’t get to post anything about it. Anyway, so far it has been good. In fact, it is quite a miracle that I am still blogging up to this point. Before this, I would occasionally post some silly nonsense in my Multiply account and of course, they were only to be viewed by friends.

Today, I’m grateful that there are some people who read this blog other than myself (hehe). This blog has already become my journal as well where I write about topics I am passionate about. You can find mainly travel and food, but other than that, I like writing about theatre, electronics, music, books or movies even from time to time. Adventure is one amazing thing and I like my life to be full of it. I always look forward to do things for the first time.

Travel is my passion, and I haven’t really written so much about mine yet because I didn’t realize how detailed a travel entry should be until I started this blog. But it is alright, I am slowly drafting posts one at a time so I may share some information to whomever reads this (are you one of the 10? :P) or just provide a story to entertain.

Food is an ultimate part of my lifestyle. I cannot go hungry because my body won’t be able to take it. Haha. I am not a food connoisseur, I am just a person who loves eating. I'd like to think that I have some sort of a valid opinions on food. I share my insights based on my own taste-buds.

Photography is one of my passions, but I cannot talk about it because truthfully, I wouldn’t know how to explain. I try to lessen the technical stuff because for me, photography should be an expression. I’d like for it to be an outlet of my spontaneity (or what’s left of it), of freedom., of creativity I try to show that passion through incorporating photos in this blog and uploading some photos in my flickr account.

So, for the following days, there will be a series of posts about my recent trip to Boracay (I love the place). I’ll be posting about my trip to Cebu as well. Then I will start drafting the trips I had to Europe , one city at a time so as to reminisce about the days that I was there. A Hong Kong post shall be made too. In between would be about food, both from the city or outside. I’m a bit excited.

Because I was never tagged as someone who writes exceptionally well, I will just try and make my brain work until I bleed words. Kidding. Number really is my forte but I was and will always be fascinated with people who can compose articles really beautifully. It is quite unfortunate that I did not have the proper training and education in writing back in high school as I would want to. I wanted to be in the journalism field then and I’m thankful that there is now this thing called "blogs" wherein I can express myself and let others read a little of it. Someday, I would like to affect change, I would like to influence people. Not such a far-fetched dream, don’t you think? :P

Be back in a few. Thanks so much for reading (again and again :P). Here’s to more years of blogging.

Tutti Frutti ---Yogurt Place

Yogurt places seem to increase as much as the available coffee shops are around the metro. It amazes me. Here’s another one I found while looking around Glorietta 4 for some furniture.

Tutti Frutti

For some reason, the name reminds me of cereals in different colours (was there a brand of cereal by that name?) Anyway, I got intrigued. Qoola was providing a self-service yogurt place to offer an experience to their customer, same goes with Tutti Fruitti I guess.

What I got was their original tarty flavored yogurt with sliced almonds. Unlike any other though, their yogurt came in around 8 flavors or so, though I haven’t tasted all of them yet because for some reason, the staff don’t offer samples and when a customer asked for a sample, she was ignored (it could be that she wasn’t heard, too). In terms of the taste of the yogurt, it’s light, a little less creamy, but still tarty which is a very good thing. What I liked most about it is that among all the yogurts I’ve tasted, theirs seem to be the slowest to melt, which is a big plus as I don’t like melted ice cream or yogurt.

Tutti Frutti offers a whole lot of toppings ranging from fruits, syrups, to the dry ones which include nuts and sweets. They sell their products by the ounce which cost Php 20 per. They also offer the yogurts in cone which cost Php 85.

The price wasn’t bad. I actually think it’s the cheapest among others. The staff could be better. They are not snobs but they weren’t trained to educate their customer as to what the process is. A lot of the first timers would just walk inside the store putting on a clueless look but none of their staff would approach to assist. Also they were not very engaging. One last drawback would be that they don’t offer free water inside their store.

In any case, this yogurt place is good enough for me. I should probably try other flavors next time.

Tutti Frutti
3/f Glorietta 4 Ayala Center Makati City

Filipino Dining for a Change: Kabisera ng Dencio's

Well at least for me. Kabisera has been present for quite a while now. I first saw the branch in High Street. I’m not very much into Filipino food but wherever there is Kare-kare, I’d willingly go.

The branch in Rockwell caters to a lot of types of people. There is the outdoor space for the smokers, drinkers or for the people who just want to spend some time outdoors. There is also air-conditioned space perfect for a really hot day for families, couples, and huge groups.

The following were ordered:

Kare-kare (Php 370) – well, for those who might not know, kare-kare is a type of stew made from peanut sauce There are different ingredients that go with this but vegetables, ox tail, ox tripe are the common ones. Kabisera’s version had a smooth texture. The shrimp paste (bagoong) was really tasty. It was served hot which I like but I just wish they had more ox tripes in it. I love eating those in Kare-kare.

Bistek Tagalog (Php 310) – this is soft beef bits sautéed in onions with calamansi syrup. I was actually surprised by how tender the meat in this dish was. It was a delight to actually eat it. Not to mention the right balance on the saltiness and sourness, it was a blast. I really loved eating this.

Bagoong rice (Php 55) – this was only Php 5 more expensive than their plain rice or their garlic rice. It was really flavourful and did not lack in shrimp paste (like how others’ bagoong rice are). For me, it was perfect to pair with kare-kare because of the shrimp paste being infused in the rice already.

They offer a wide array of Filipino dishes. I failed to mention earlier that Kabiser and Dencio’s is one and the same though I’m not sure about their menu. Service was good, waiters were very attentive. I may even consider this as a place to go to when you need familiar, comfort food.

Kabisera ng Dencio's
2/f Powerplant Mall Rockwell Center Makati City