Photo and Article Source: Turista Magazine
Sunday
La Union
DINING AND DRINKING IN LA UNION
• River Farm Seafood Restaurant The only floating restaurant in La Union can be found along the Baroro River in Barangay Baroro in Bacnotan, right under the bridge. There are cabanas that can sit around 10 people in a long table with the view of San Gabriel Mountain, which is already part of Ilocos Sur. Their specialties include inihaw na tilapia that costs P60, kilawin na tuna or blue marlin at around P150. Other must-try dishes include the veritable Ilocano dish pinakbet at P160, the River Farm hot pot with assorted seafood like tuna, shrimps, crabs, squids and vegetables in sinigang broth at P290. They also have what’s called the "River Farm medley", which is an assortment of grilled tilapia, bangus and liempo with steamed okra and seaweeds at P270. Prawns and lobsters must be ordered one day ahead to make sure of its availability.
Location: Km282, Barangay Baroro, Bacnotan, La Union Mobile: +63908/ 998 7132, +63921/ 433 9131 Email: ces_craftsmen@yahoo.com.ph
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| River Farm Seafood Restaurant |
• Halo Halo DE Iloko For all-day dining, serving such dishes as the typical sinigang na baboy, pinakbet, kamote tops in bagoong sauce, to the innovative like the Ilocano express where the famous local mainstay, bagnet, is cooked in coconut milk and chili ala Bicol express. During the surfing season, surfers come in groups to sample the pork binagoongan. Also try the dinakdakan, which is cooked like sisig with minced pork cheeks, ears and brains and come with soy sauce dip. The Halo-Halo, with typical sweetened sweet potato, boiled banana, yam, sago added with yema, corn flakes, coconut, ice and milk, is the signature dish, and always in great demand.
Location: Branch 1 is on Corner P. Burgos and Zandueta Streets, San Fernando City; Halo Halo de Iloko 2 Modernorte is along National Highway, Barangay Carlatan (in front of Shell gas station), La Union Tel: +6372/ 700 2030, 603 1430; mobile: +63919/ 388 3145 Email: reivax69@yahoo.com
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| Halo Halo De Iloko |
• Lola Nanny’s Surf Retreat & Restaurant Located right in the middle of Urbiztondo Beach, this homey restaurant/resort with an eclectic décor, is owned and operated by the well-known Lola Nanny, Luke's mom. Her specialties are meat pies, chicken cordon bleu at P210, open burger at P160, and Korean ribs at P190. If Lola Nanny’s not around to personally cook your meal, her assistant cook and all around girl Emar is there to happily serve you. Open from 7am until dawn during surf season but closes at 8pm on off season. Room rates start at P500.
Location: Barangay Urbiztondo, San Juan, La Union Mobile: +63915/ 418 4034 Email: buskay613@yahoo.com
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| Chicken Cordon Blue |
• S.O.U.L Café a Luke favorite. "I really love S.O.U.L. Café in Rosario. I love the aroma of coffee as soon as you enter the place and you can also smell the herbs. Since I always drive from La Union to Manila, I always stop by S.O.U.L. Café. They’ve got a lot of dishes there like rib eye and the osso buck."
Location: Camp One, Rosario, La Union Tel: +6372/ 712 1190
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| S.O.U.L Cafe' |
Photo and Article Source: Inflight Magazine (Seair)
ILocos Norte
Marcos the Man: His Rise and Fall
Ferdinand Marcos was Philippine president from 1965 to 1986. He declared war against the Communist party and imposed Martial Law in 1972, assuming absolute legislative power – closing newspapers and tightly controlling mass media, banning demonstrations, strikes and boycotts. Martial Law brought stability and economic turnaround at the price of reduced social freedoms and increased corruption; land reforms were limited; business enterprises were nationalized and handed over to Marcos’ cronies and relatives. The Armed Forces was politicized as well, with officers from Marcos’ home provinces promoted to high ranks; and a Marcos childhood friend became chief of staff of the Armed Forces and head of internal security network. In 1976, the constitution was amended to allow Marcos to continue to rule by presidential decree even after lifting Martial Law. Marcos ended Martial Law in 1981 but continued as president when he won overwhelmingly in the presidential election that same year. In 1983, opposition leader Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr. returned from his political exile in the US only to be assassinated upon his arrival at the Manila Airport, a sad event that served as catalyst to the ouster of Marcos.
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| The Marco's Family |
In 1986, Marcos announced another presidential election and ran against Aquino's wife, Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. Marcos won again in the election but the results were gravely contested and the opposition and Roman Catholic Church called on Marcos to resign during a “People Power” revolution on Edsa on February 22, 1986. On February 25, 1986, the Marcoses fled the presidential palace and flew to Hawaii. When Marcos was in Hawaii, he was indicted by a federal grand jury in New York for offences including mail fraud, fraudulent misappropriation of property and obstruction of justice.
Before his trial in 1989, Marcos died of a heart attack. When the Marcos regime ended, the Philippines was left with the highest debt burden in East and Southeast Asia. The country became bankrupt, unable to meet obligations on its US $24.6 billion debt. When the Marcos government ended, the Philippine debt reached $28 billion.
TOURISM CONTACT
The Provincial Tourism Office can assist you in getting your itinerary together. Call Tourism Officer Angel Lao at +6377/ 770-42-42 or 722-12-11 to 20 loc 119. You can also send an email to Ms. Lao at in.tourism@yahoo.com.
Photo and Article Source: Inflight Magazine (Seair)
ILocos Norte
Where to Eat?
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| Saramsam Pasta |
"Another must try in Laoag City is Saramsam Café (N. Corpuz Bldg., Rizal St. cor. Hizon St., tel: +6377/ 771 5825), which has developed a poque poque variant – topped with a mix of grilled eggplants, cooked omelet style with onions, tomatoes and eggs, along with their inkalti, which is essentially karioka or crisp-fried rice cooked on the table a la fondue.
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| Miki |
“Whenever I visit the province, I usually do food trips. Batac is the best for food. It’s where you can get the authentic Ilocos Norte empanada (fried thin pastry stuffed with grated green papaya, longganisa or local sausage and egg). Go to Riverside Empanadaan in Batac for empanada and miki (a thick chicken noodle soup).
Photo and Article Source: Inflight Magazine (Seair)
ILocos Norte
Batac is the Best for Food
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| Ilocano's Empanada |
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| ILocos Norte |
ILocos Norte
“Malacañang of the North”
Malacañang Ti Amianan (“Malacañang of the North”) overlooks Paoay Lake and was built on a five hectare land in 1977, inspired by Spanish colonial houses. It is one of the 29 summer residences of the Marcoses built during the Marcos regime. Though a substantial property, it pales in comparison with the other more lavish Marcos residences. It has nine spacious rooms for the family and their guests, and showcases a combination of both Ilocano and Spanish architectural designs. The walls are made of baked bricks; the floors and staircases of hardwood; and the sliding windows are made of capiz shells. The house is now a museum of the late president’s memorabilia. The Malacañang of the North is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am to 11:30am and 1pm to 4:30pm. Entrance fees are P20 for adults and P10 for children.
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| Malacañang of the North |
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| Maira-ra Cove |
"Maira-ira Cove, to me, is the cove I've been going to since I was eight. I personally don't do resorts. Whenever we go to Pagudpud, we go to Maira-ira. The first time we went there, there was nothing there. Not even a hut, not any form of shelter. That was like five years ago. It was really nice. I don't know how much it's changed – before, you could walk up to like 200 feet to the beach and the water would still be waist deep. It's really, sort of like, paradise. It's probably about 2km long but it has that nice cove. It has a wide beach front, about 40 to 50 feet of sand before you hit.
Photo and Article Source: Inflight Magazine (Seair)
ILocos Norte
Beautiful Landscapes
Photo and Article Source: Inflight Magazine (Seair)
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| ILocos Norte |
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| The Light House |
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| Poay Church |
Davao
"Island to Highland Destination"
Welcome to Davao City, tagged as the "Island to Highland Destination." Amazingly, in the world's largest urban area, every popular tourist destination is within an hour's reach from the shore to the hills. Speaking of the highest, Mount Apo has always been a lure for those physically fit to flex their tight abs while smelling wild berries on the way up.
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| Davao |
Photo and Article Source: Mabuhay Magazine (PAL)
Davao
If on a short visit, prepare to be flexible…
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| Davao |
It’s difficult to write about one's own hometown objectively when you only have superlatives to describe it. Forgive the intensity of a Dabawenya like me who grew up in a place blessed with abundant food, uncontaminated air and the sweetest tasting water-and that's only half of it. How do you enjoy the largest city in the country (and according to states, the world, at 2,443 square kilometer or 36, 916 hectares) that serves home to more than a million folks who live and breathe clean air, thanks to its strictly followed anti-smoking ordinance? Let’s not forget that it's the only highly urbanized city with least traffic imaginable.
Photo and Article Source: Mabuhay Magazine (PAL)
Thursday
Davoa
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough!
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| Mt. Apo |
RHONSON NG’s remarkable experiences in ascending our country’s prominent peaks paid off when his passion for photography and mountain climbing was put to test by a couple’s request: to shoot their pre-wedding pictures at the top of Mount Apo, the highest and most majestic peak in the country at 10,311 feet. The groom was an avid mountaineer but the bride was a first timer, whose knees were just about to give up halfway through the climb. They wore a gown and a suit at the top of the peak and declared their love above the clouds, right where the sunset transformed the skies into a fiery red and orange vista.
Photo and Article Source: Mabuhay Magazine (PAL)
Wednesday
Cebu
Cebu is furniture haven, so don’t miss …
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| Seating Sofa by Kenneth |
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| Customwood Showroom |
Kenneth Cobonpue (3-A General Maxilom Avenue, Cebu, +6332/ 2333056, 233 4045, www.kennethcobonpue.com ). Everyone knows he’s the guy who does celebrity ex-couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's homes but not a lot of people know that he’s done the sets of Oceans 13 and CSI Miami, and not to mention the so many up market resorts and hotels worldwide. Kenneth, the brand, is in six continents but makes its home base in Cebu.
Customwood(P.C.SuicoSt.,Tingub,MandaueCity,+6332/2368603,2368746,wavi@pldtdsl.net). Torralba swears that Customwood is “by far, is the best custom-furniture manufacturer I've come across in the country: world-class, ISOcertified; their factory is computerized. If you have a dream furniture piece in mind, just give them your ideas, your specs; and they will make it come to life. A tad costlier than your usual custom supplier but they are worth every penny. They specialize in veneering and other wood and iron techniques.” Their other worldfamous company is Wicker & Vine, Inc.
Photo and Article Source: Inflight Magazine (Seair)
Cebu
CHILL OUT @
ü The Loft at 2/F CJRS Point Building, Asiatown IT Park, Lahug (+63 32/ 2380532). Being at the IT Park, a lot of yuppies makes this club their high-style watering hole and a place to try out new drinks and hang out with friends. Don’t forget to pass by The Penthouse as well just a couple of floors up, which is more of the Loft’s partying sibling with international djs playing there regularly or events like fashion shows.
ü Z Bar on Crossroads in Banilad is, according to Torralba, someone's dream bar. “It's not a place for dancing; but if you're into high-fashion interiors, this Kenneth Cobonpue-designed masterpiece – which I hear, cost millions and millions to build – is your ultimate chill-out destination.”
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| The Loft Interior |
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| The Penthouse Crowd ü Maya taqueria and tequila lounge, also on Crossroads (+6332/ 238 9552,238 9618), is your best bet for authentic Mexican food. Jason Hyatt, owner of Abaca, swears this restaurant of his in the city is what Pinoys are looking for when they crave Mexican, at least Cebuanos think so, and they sure pack the place. ü The Gustavian at The Terraces at Ayala or at the Marina Mall in Mactan is the place to satisfy a major Euro-style meat craving for German sausages, salamis and a dinner buffet that serves steaks and roasts like roast beef château briand, roast leg and lamb, roast pork, in abundance. ü The Beehive Restaurant on F. Ramos St. has been around since 1954 but Cebuanos, including Torralba, grew up having Sunday lunches at Beehive so it should be worth a try. "I always have their tenderloin steak, served with their precious French bread and butter, and cap it off with the classic Beehive roll, an ice cream roll classic but perfectly executed by the Beehive people." Photo and Article Source: Inflight Magazine (Seair) |
Cebu
Torralba’s favorite food and nibbles…
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| Taboan Market |
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| Mangarind Candies (mix mango & tamarind) |
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| Danggit |
1. Lynn Moro's Belgian lace cookies at Don Merto's in SM City. “Lynn Moro makes ‘em just like the Belgians. It's perfect. I like buying the assorted pack.”
2. Fresh mangoes from the stalls along Banilad Road.
3. Chilen chicharon with laman or crisp fried pork skin and fat from Carcar chicharon. These are crispy pork cracklings, a popular local snack.
4. 7D Dried Mangoes and Mangorind (D Mango Nectar Sacris Road, Mandaue City,+6332/ 346 122, 346 1769, www.7dmangoes.com ). “There are a gazillion brands in the market, but I like the taste of 7D. They were the pioneers in Mangorind, a killer combination of mango and tamarind.”
5. Danggit bought at the Taboan Market. “Dried fish at its salty, tangy finest. Nothing’s like Cebuano danggit!”
6. Shamrock Otap. “This flaky pastry is sold at Shamrock's main outlet just across Fuente Osmeña. It's so good; I recently sent some to friends in London. They loved it!”
Tuesday
Cebu
City Delights
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| Baked Scallops |
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| Fresh Grouper |
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| Pinakbet |
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| Fried Thigh (pork) |
Photo and Article Source: Inflight Magazine (Seair)
Cebu
Historical Cebu
A stay in Cebu is not complete without stopping by a few historical landmarks. The Spanish expedition, headed by Ferdinand Magellan, first landed in Cebu in 1521 on its quest to colonize the Philippines. Magellan’s wooden cross still stands on Magallanes St., Downtown, beside the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño. Ferdinand Magellan planted the cross to commemorate the baptism of local chief Rajah Humabon and his wife and their people in April 21, 1521. The original cross is safely contained inside the tindalo wood outer casing to protect it from people who chip away at it, believing it to be miraculous. The Basilica Minore del Santo Niño was built on the spot where a statue of the child Jesus – believed to have been brought by the Spaniards during the 1521 expedition – was found by the Spaniards in 1565. The church, ran by the Agustinians, was first built out of wood and nipa in 1566 and later on constructed out of hard stone in 1735.
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| Fuente Osmena Circle |
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| Dried Danggit |
Christianity in Cebu.
Colon Street in Downtown, Cebu is the country’s oldest street. According to a SunStar Cebu published in November 2007, the Women’s international League funded 25 Heritage sites on Colon to be marked for remembrance. These markers marked significant entrepreneuring establishments of the early days and traditional homes alike. The Lapu-Lapu marker and statue at the Mactan Shrine on Mactan Island commemorate the bravery of local chieftain Lapu-Lapu, who, on April 27, 1521, repulsed the Spanish invaders, killing their leader Ferdinand Magellan, thus becoming the first Filipino to repulse European invaders. He is the city’s well loved hero. Fort San Pedro, built by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi in 1565 and finished in around 200 years later in 1738, is the smallest and oldest fort in the country. With walls 20-feet high and 8-feet thick, the Spaniards used it to repel hostile natives and Muslims; the Japanese, during World War II, used it as a hospital; it was an army camp during the years of liberation; and, in more recent years, a garden club’s experiment (1950) and a zoo (1957), before it has evolved to what it is now, a tourist attraction (P10 entrance fee). All cab drivers know where Fort San Pedro is (Brgy. San Roque, Cebu) though it’s best to come right after your visit to Taboan Dried Fish Market (Carbon, Cebu) for danggit or dried fish (P300/kilo) when it’s still not too hot to explore.
Driving around the city, there is no escaping the rotunda that is Fuente Osmeña circle, a small park marked by its famous fountain built to commemorate the city’s first waterwork construction (it’s the fountain on the right side of the fifty-peso bill), named to honor the republic’s fourth president. When you see it, you know you’re in Uptown Cebu where many hotels, shops and restaurants are located. One of the four streets Fuente Osmeña opens to is Osmeña Avenue, where the former President Osmeña’s house still stands. The street ends right smack in front of the provincial capital building, a massive colonial-style structure that is the city’s seat of government.
Cebu
Choice of Honeymooners
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| Plantation Bay Resort |
The Plantation Bay Resort is about 30 minutes away from the city center, making it ideal for holidaymakers wanting a weekend or short break. Its 11.4 hectares of seawater lagoons and fresh water pools make it popular for families with kids. It’s also known for its spa, Mogambo Springs. Designed like a Japanese village with its own water falls and a rejuvenating hot spring Mogambo completes the illusion of a complete getaway. Plantation Bay is the only Filipino resort included in the Conde Nast Traveller’s Reader’s Choice Award Gold List for 2009 for one of the best places to stay in Asia. Rooms rates start at $200++ on peak season, $150++ on off-peak, with breakfast for two.
Location: Marigondon, Mactan Island Tel: +6332/3405900,+632/8445024 to 25 Email: rsvns@plantationbay.com URL: www.plantationbay.com Seen at Plantation Bay: Korina Sanchez, John Lloyd Cruz, Bea Alonzo
The resort of choice of honeymooners, celebrities and politicians, like Manny Pacquiao and the ASEAN heads of state, is the 547-room five-star Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa, which has the longest stretch of beach on the island at 350m, multi-level pools, the famous Chi Spa Village, and service you’ll remember long after your stay. It’s hats off to the concierge here. When we asked for a box to pack a couple dozen packs of Shamrock Otap biscuits, danggit dried fish, and 7D mangorind candies from the 7D factory, the concierge sent three different sized boxes to the room for us to choose from. The concierge also made sure the lechon or roast suckling pig we ordered, which arrived just in time for us to catch the shuttle bus, was appropriately packed and tagged. Rico’s Lechon, reportedly “Cebu’s best,” sells lechon at P2,500-P5,000. It’s on Hiway 77, Talamban, Cebu. Call +63917/ 407 2033 or +6332/ 344 0119 or email ricoslechon@yahoo.com to order. Rates at Shangri-La start at P13,500/night.
Location: Punta Engaño Road, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu Tel: +6332/ 231 0288 • Fax: +6332/2311688 Email: mac@shangri-la.com URL: www.shangri-la.com
Cebu
City Living
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| Cebu |
Why go now
Cebu city is Manila without the mayhem, offering the conveniences of city living with its upscale shops and restaurants, and the joys of beach life, with many resorts just a few minutes’ drive away from the city center. April is perhaps the best time as any to go when the summer season is just beginning to peak. You get to avoid the tourists, crowds, and heavy traffic during the frenetic January Sinulog street-dancing festival season and you can still get good deals in resorts and hotels. April is also the season for Philippine mangoes, reputed to be the sweetest in the world.
Get your bearings
The very hub of the Visayas, Cebu is an economic center second only to Manila. An hour’s flight from Manila, Cebu is the gateway to the islands of Visayas, and the kick-off point to the islands of Bantayan and Malapascua, both diving destinations. On a clear day, it is possible to see Bohol from your hotel room, while Dumaguete and Suiquijor, like most other places in the Visayas, are just ferryboat rides away. Designer Kate Torralba calls this city “the Milan of the south”, a center for international quality furniture design and fashion. The city is home to such designers as Kenneth Cobonpue (www.kennethcobunpue.com), Customwood Fine Furniture (+6332/2368603,wavi@pldtdsl.net),Butch Carungay of Avatar accessories (www.avatarstyle.com, and 2/L Greenbelt 5), fashion designers Jun Escario (www.junescario.com) and Kate Torralba (www. katetorralba.com, 2/L Greenbelt 5).
Check in
If you’re feeling like the high roller, the 561-room Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino in Lahug, with its two casino floors open for 24 hours, is your kind of place. The hotel’s castle-like architecture stands out in the city’s skyline, and there’s no mistaking the Vegas-like ambiance upon setting foot in its grand lobby. For both locals and tourists, the hotel’s duty free shop is also a draw. All rooms here are fully equipped with cable TV, IDD, mini bar, fridge, broadband Internet access (there’s free WiFi but it’s a bit spotty on some floors). Rates start at about US $100 (about P5,000) a night for a standard room to $950 for the Penthouse suite, once booked by a foreign dignitary for all of 219 nights, at a discounted P40,000/ night.
Location: 1 Salinas Drive, Lahug, Cebu City Tel: 1-800-10-WFRON T8 (for PLDT lines), +6332/2329000,+632/687 0888 Email: msro@waterfronthotels.net, wcch@waterfronthotels.net URL: www.waterfronthotels.com.ph Seen at Waterfront: Kim Chiu, Coco Martin, Ai-ai Delas Alas
Photo and Article Source: Inflight Magazine (Seair)
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