When in Bora...Tesebel

When in Boracay, go to Puka Beach and dine at Tesebel Ihaw-Ihaw Restaurant. Their Garlic Prawns with Honey are to die for! This is their best seller and many have tried to copy this dish but nothing can really compare to Tesebel's cooking. The garlic bits are toasted to perfection and the sauce really as sweet as honey! Some may find the sauce too sweet but I personally love it! This dish includes three pieces of prawns and costs P195. A must-try to anyone visiting Bora!

How to get there: From the main beach (where Stations 1, 2, and 3 are located), ride a trike going to Puka Beach which costs P20-25/pax if coming from Station 1 (it might cost more if you're coming from Stations 2 or 3). Just tell the tricycle driver that you're going to Tesebel Ihaw-Ihaw at Puka Beach. The trike going back (from Puka to Station 1, 2, or 3) should cost the same as long as you hail a trike from Puka Beach and not ask for a ride from one of the tricycles parked there. If you get one of those parked tricycles, that would cost you P150 for a one-way trip (i'm not sure if this is per pax or for the entire trike regardless of the number of pax...maybe it's the latter). If you're pressed for time, then the parked tricycles are your only choice. But if you're not on a tight schedule (tricycles passing through this place are not as many as those that are found along the main road of Stations 1, 2, 3), then you can just wait at the shed right in front of Tesebel's until a tricycle comes along (make sure you ask the tricycle driver how much the ride going back would cost otherwise they'd jack up the price).

Aling Tessie (the owner) also suggested that we can ride a multicab going back to the main beach, so I guess you can hitch a ride on whatever comes first.

Puka Beach is also one of the stops in the island hopping tours offered in Boracay so you can just probably tell your bangkero that you want to have lunch at Puka Beach and i'm pretty sure Mr. Banker (a.k.a. Mamang Bangkero) will make sure you're at Puka Beach in time for lunch.Ü

Little known fact: "Tesebel" came from the names of the owners: Tessie and her husband, Billy. On my next visit I will ask why it's the letter E that's found between B and L and not I (I forgot to ask).

In The Orb of The Zorb

On a recent trip to Boracay, my friends and i decided to check out the latest craze to hit the island: The ZORB BALL. I first saw this on Sports Unlimited where Diane & Marc tried to Ride the Zorb in a trip to Boracay. And since it looks fun, I told myself i'd try this out on my next Bora trip. And that Bora trip came sooner than I expected.Ü

So what actually is a Zorb Ball? A Zorb Ball is an inflatable hollow ball with a wide enough opening for a person to be able to fit through. Where did this craze originate? From New Zealand, where the original Zorbers are (www.zorb.com). The Ride The Zorb place at Boracay is said to be a franchise from NZ (although i'm wondering why it's not listed in the Zorb site), and they offer two types of "rides": (1) The Hydro Ride and (2) The Harness Ride.

The Hydro Ride, as the name suggests, involves water since the riders are placed inside the Zorb Ball together with a depth of an inch or two of water. The purpose of the water is to let the riders glide inside the Zorb while the ball is rolled down a not-so-steep hill. Up to three riders are allowed to ride the Zorb at one time as long as the total weight of all riders do not exceed 180kg, hence the mandatory weigh-in before you are allowed to ride any Zorb (So all weight watchers out there, beware! Now is the time to know the truth & nothing but!). Oh, and standing inside the Zorb is a big NO-NO! And cameras are not allowed while inside the Zorb for the very reason that this might rupture the Zorb Ball and deflate it in no time (so we weren't able to use our waterproof camera). Hence, watches, rings, and any accessories with sharp edges will have to be removed before zorbing.

The Hydro Ride prices vay depending on the number of riders: a SOLO ride costs P580; a DOUBLE costs P380; while a TRIO costs P300 (all costs are on a per person basis). The Harness Ride, on the the other hand, is fixed at P380/person and it is mandatory to have two riders in it (otherwise you'll end up with a lopsided ball rolling down the hill).

More stringent rules are applied in the Harness Ride as compared to the Hydro Ride. First is that the rider must not exceed 80kg in weight. And since the riders are on opposite sides of the ball, their weight difference must not exceed 20kg. Since we didn't do this Harness Ride (we're reserving it for another Bora trip Ü), I didn't ask the reason behind this rule. I'm guessing it's to prevent that "lopsided ball rolling down the hill" kind of thing from happening. I'll ask next time.Ü And one last rule for the Harness Ride is that the riders must be at least 5 feet tall. So does this mean that our dear President GMA won't be allowed to ride the Harness Zorb? LOL!Ü Good thing there's the Hydro Zorb without any height limit!Ü

Since doing the Zorb Ball was my idea, and no one wanted to go first, my friend and I were the guinea pigs in our group so to speak. We headed up the incline without our slippers on (they asked us to remove it at the foot of the incline or what I want to call as "base camp") and when we got there, they were already putting water inside the ball (the balls were already inflated, thank God!Ü). When the water was already enough (how do you measure "enough"...i don't really know...), they asked us to go inside the ball, one by one, head first. When we were both inside the ball, I told my friend: "Ganito pala ang feeling ng nasa loob ka ng ball." So, what actually is the feeling of being inside a hollow ball? Hmmm...nothing special actually. When they covered up the hole where my friend and I got in and started inflating the small ball that they used to cover it up (imagine a munchkin fitting in the hole of a donut), I got a bit nervous coz I was afraid our oxygen supply inside the ball would run out. And then I told my friend: "Kaya pala sandali lang ito kasi baka wala na tayong hangin pagdating dun sa baba." So I guess you can't Zorb from the top of Mt. Everest coz your oxygen supply would run out. (But who would want to do that??!!!???!!!Ü)

When we were all set, the manong removed the rope stopping the ball from rolling down the incline and let us loose. Of course we started shouting (or at least I started shouting Ü) as we started rolling down the not-so-steep incline. I remember thinking: So this is how it feels like to be inside the washing machine. Cool!Ü And one other thing I remembered is my friend's legs being right in front of my face the whole time! It was so funny! And lots of fun! I actually didn't want it to end yet but 20 seconds was all it took to get from the top to base camp where everyone was waiting with their cameras. The manongs stopped the ball by guiding the ball up the small incline at the base (to stop the ball from accelerating...hello, laws of physics!) and then guiding it as it goes back down to a full stop (this is hard to explain...just watch the video Ü). And then they removed that munchkin of a ball (Hello air, I missed you!) and asked our friends to take our photos while we were still inside the Zorb. Of course we were all wet with all the rolling and sliding inside the ball but hey, it was 101% fun! When the photo ops were done, we were asked to slide out the Zorb, one by one, feet first. When I got out, I told the manongs: "Ganito pala ang pinapanganak!" LOL!Ü It was my re-birth! Right there in Bora! (So...can I now start celebrating my re-birthday every February 7th?Ü)

Since my friend and I were the guinea pigs, we didn't know that you can actually ask to get rolled over by the Zorb Ball. Apparently, one of our friends was lying face down on the grass, trying to be as flat as possible, while we were rolling down the incline inside the Zorb. When we learned about this, we decided to get rolled over too! Must make the most out of this Zorb experience! So we did! And all I can say is: Na-bale ata yung tenga ko! Hahaha! Since we were trying to be as flat as possible (the manong will teach you how to do this), our face was facing one side while on the grass. There's nothing more that can be done with the ear that's exposed so when the Zorb rolled over, that was the only body part that was not as flat as it can be. Hence, the only body part that hurt (not too much...just a bit) when the Zorb rolled over. Or maybe the weight of the riders is also a factor...I don't really know! But still a must-try! Just so you know how it feels to be rolled over by an inflatable ball.Ü

Will I do this again? Definitely! How I wish it was only P100/ride, we would've zorbed ourselves over and over again! Next time, i'll definitely try that Harness Ride...I wonder how that would feel?Ü

So guys, while in Bora, make the most out of your trip and try riding the Zorb! It's definitely one fun ride!Ü TTFN!Ü

A shout out of THANKS to the following for allowing me to post the photos they took during our Zorb experience: Dexter Lao, Jennifer Cruz, and My de Jesus.Ü Thanks guys!

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Post Script: After browsing & reading through the Zorb site, I now have reason to believe that the Ride the Zorb in Boracay is NOT a franchise of the one in New Zealand. The girl behind the counter told us otherwise (when I asked for a discount...LOL!). Tsk, tsk, tsk...

Boracay Virgin

Last Holy Week was a memorable one for the entire family (Mom, Pop, Kyle and I). It's the first time in the longest time that we went out-of-town for the Holy Week and it was our first time as well to visit the famous island of BORACAY (yep, first time for ALL of us...Ü).

I know...HOLY WEEK + BORACAY = NOT a good combination. But on the contrary, the island was NOT as crowded as I expected it to be. I was brazing myself for a crowd as big as that of Puerto Galera during summer weekends, even preparing myself for long queues in the restos there, but that was not the case at all. I guess everyone was expecting Bora to be crowded this summer so they opted for another vacation spot, which all ended up on a good note for us Bora-Holy-Week-Vacationers.Ü [According to the son of my dad's friend who's been to Bora on a Holy Week before, and was also in Bora the same time we were there, it was much crowded then than it was now so...YAY! for us! HAHAHA!Ü]

Seeing as we went there on a Holy Week (Wednesday to Saturday), the rates of all the hotels there were at their peak. And seeing as the place we were aiming to stay at was already fully-booked (we were trying to book at around January and they were already full), we had to stay at a much more expensive place, which was the Boracay Regency Beach Resort. We got a Superior Room (P8,993.60/night with complimentary buffet breakfast & welcome drinks for 2) at their Garden Wing, which is the newest wing in their lot and is actually located at the back of the resort for those aiming for "seclusion and privacy...without sacrificing the convenience of being within close proximity to the beach." Since there were four of us and the maximum capacity for the Superior Room is only 3 adults, we had to get an Extra Bed at P1,200 which includes a complimentary buffet breakfast and welcome drinks. [NOTE TO SELF: Room # 276, where we stayed, is a-OK coz it's facing the morning sun, hence presko in the afternoon when the sun is at its hottest].

Since PAL flies only to Kalibo (and not Caticlan), we had to take a bus ride, a boat ride, and a van ride to get to the island of Boracay. We availed of BR's (Boracay Regency) roundtrip land and sea transfer via Kalibo which is P850/pax (P600/pax if via Caticlan), and is still exclusive of the P50/head Environmental Fee (for some reason, they forgot to charge the four of us with the P50/head Environmental Fee...hehehe!) and P100/head Terminal Fee at Cagban Port (P50 upon arrival, P50 on departure).

We left Manila via PR321 leaving at 0925H and landed in Kalibo Airport after a very quick 45-minute plane ride. Had an hour and a half bus ride (the bus was fairly new and is operated by Southwest Tours Boracay) to the Fairways & Bluewater Resort's port (the other passengers of the bus who won't be staying at Boracay Regency were dropped off at a different port), then took a 10-minute boat ride to Cagban Port at Boracay Island. We then had a 15-minute van ride going to our ultimate destination which was Boracay Regency. We were starving when we got there since it was past lunchtime already, so after checking-in, we headed off to find a place to eat and ended up at Gasthof, which is famous for their ribs. True indeed, their ribs are a-OK but I can't say the same to their Tenderloin Steak which is NOT GOOD. It wasn't tender to begin with (what a contradiction!)!

Aside from Gasthof, the other places where we dined at Boracay are:

• BR's Prince Hendrik Cafe - This is where we had our complimentary buffet breakfast for the 3 days that we were there Ü


• BR's Cafe Christina - We ate here for Thursday dinner and needless to say, I probably wouldn't be coming back anytime soon (or, ever?). Had a traumatic experience where I threw up everything I ate for dinner at 2AM Friday and Dad even had to call the front desk to ask for 2 pcs. of Kremil-S...one for me and one for Kyle, who's tummy was acting up as well. Then whole day Friday I was sick with fever [I stayed in the whole day...what a bummer =( ] which is probably still an effect of the food poisoning incident from the night before (for some reason, I was the one who got struck the worse)


• BR's Room Service - We ordered Calamares, Pansit Bihon, Pansit Sotanghon, and Mushroom Soup from their menu (on 2 different occasions) and the food is fairly good. Their pansit were full of sahog, but their mushroom soup is just the Knorr-type (hindi man lang Campbell's...I should know, i'm a mushroom soup expert! Hehehe...)


• D'Talipapa - Boracay's version of Dampa. We at dinner here twice and here is where I saw the largest prawns I've ever seen in my life so far. They were huge! And they cooked it inihaw-style and it was really yummy!Ü

Of course, one goes to Boracay not really to eat but to bask under the sun and enjoy the sand and sea. And that was exactly what we did. My initial reaction when I got there was: "Oh my God! Ang ganda ng sand!!!" I cannot begin to explain how divine (huh?Ü) the sand is at Boracay...it was white and fine and for some strange reason, it doesn't get hot even if it's exposed for hours under the sun. And the beach...WOW...super clear. However, the water was cold so it would usually take me a few minutes to get used to the water's temperature before I can fully submerge myself in it. Also, there were seaweeds (is that the english for lumot???Ü hmmm...algae? well, anyway...) getting washed-off along the shore, which happens every year when the cold weather exits to give way to summer...that's according to our dive instructor friend who works at Boracay. Anyway, once you get past the lumot-full shore, you'll get to appreciate just how clear the water at Boracay is.

We went to Discovery Shores on our 2nd day at Bora to visit Mom's friend Corina who's a pastry chef there. And with her boss' permission, we were given a beach bed infront of the resort, a butler named Hector, and brownies & cookies made by Corina herself (yum yum! especially the cookies...crunchy on the outside but with a chewy center!). Hadn't the resort been fully-booked at that time they would've shown us the different rooms that they offer (lowest price for that Holy Week is a Junior Suite at $650++...not sure about the "++" part)...but they were full so I guess we'll have to try our luck next time.Ü

Personally, I don't think there's any difference between the beach in Station 1 (where Discovery Shores is) and Station 2 (Boracay Regency, etc.). They're practically the same so I guess the very big difference in price are: (1) the crowd - although the difference is not too obvious during our stay there; and (2) the facilities and services offered to the guests - you have your very own butler who immediatly comes at your beck and call...arranges your slippers or any what-have-yous...gives you cool cucumber for your eyes...anything and everything that you can think of you can ask from them and they'll give it to you in a jiffy.

We were there for half a day and had to say goodbye around lunch time in order for Kyle and I to make our 1pm scuba diving appointment with Corina's husband, Chito, who works at Seraph Hotel which caters more to the Korean crowd. We joined in on 2 Koreans who were also on their introductory dive. We were first taught how to breathe underwater in the pool then we all rode a van to get to Station 1 where their speedboat is parked. The speedboat took us to the middle of the ocean where they have a boat stationed that contains all the equipment needed by the divers. I let out a sigh of relief when I learned about this coz it means I wouldn't have to carry the heavy oxygen tank on my back from one point to another. They actually put it on me when I was already in the water, sparing my entire body from carrying such a heavy load (Yay!Ü).

Good thing my brother and I had that scuba activity on our 2nd day in the island because as fate would have it, the parasailing activity that I promised not-so-little brother will be going down the drain because of me getting sick the next day =(. We actually scheduled it already and mom and I even had to haggle with Mang Ago (referred by a friend, contact # 0927 635 6961...i'm sure he wouldn't mind that I gave out his number.Ü) about the price, which he could only lower to P1,900/head (others were offering it at P2,500/head). We were supposed to parasail at 10:30am on Friday but I was too sick to get out of bed so we had to cancel it at the very last minute (I was still hoping against hope that I would get better, but didn't). So...that parasailing promise to not-so-little brother still remains...maybe on our next visit to Bora or to wherever place that we get shipped off that offers that activity.

On our last day at the island (Thank God I was feeling much much better!Ü), we tried to fit in as many things to do as we could so we ate breakfast at the hotel's cafe, went shopping for additional pasalubong at D'Talipapa (we already bought some keychains and magnets at 7 pcs for P100 the night before), swam at the beach, swam at the pool...all on top of fixing our things and getting ready for check-out which was 12noon. We also availed of our 3 complimentary "Welcome" Drinks on our last day (so it was more of a "Goodbye" drink...Ü) and what we ordered was their Green Submarine as suggested by Rainier, the one who accomodated us at the Front Desk (Mom said, "Ano nga yung ni-recommend nila? Green Barracuda?" Huh?!?...HAHAHA!Ü). By 1pm, we were already on the bus en route to Kalibo to catch our PR326 flight back to Manila. We had our late lunch at Latte Cafe at the Kalibo airport while we were waiting for our flight. The food was decent enough, especially if you're hungry, and the place had better air-conditioning than that of the departure/waiting area, which was small and got so full since there was also a Cebu Pacific flight departing at probably the same time as ours.

So...I guess that's all I have to say about this trip, which will forever be embedded in my memory (until the next best trip comes along, I guess...hehehe!). But before I end this, I just have a few more additional NOTES TO SELF:

(1) The tricylces traversing the main road (behind the beach) charge only P7/pax if you stop (make para ??? hahaha!) them in the middle of the road. But if you ride those tricycles that are lined-up on the side of the road (those waiting for passengers), they charge you as much as P50-100 (I guess they get to fool a lot of foreigners with this jacked-up price). Also, don't ask "How much?" (Magkano?) since that's a dead give-away that you're a tourist and they'll probably charge you much higher than usual.

(2) BR didn't provide any newspapers during our stay there (we got spoiled by Baguio Country Club where we even get to choose what newspaper we want Ü)...probably because it was the Holy Week and there aren't newspapers published during those days. But how come there was no newspaper for Wednesday and Saturday (i'm assuming newspaper companies have published on those days...It's usually just Thursday and Friday that they go on "vacation leave")? Oh well...just my thoughts...Ü

(3) Park N' Fly rates are as follows: P280/day; P11.66/hour...exclusive of 12% VAT. But if you'll be leaving your vehicle for more than 3 days (like us), they give discounts so we just had to pay a little less than P1000 for the 4 days that our loveable "school bus" was parked there. Also, their service is a-OK...we didn't have to wait a long time for a van to bring us to the airport, and we also just waited a few minutes for a van to pick us up at the airport when we arrived.

(4) D'Mall...for when I feel the urge to shop, I drop by here.Ü I didn't realize that this "mall" strip is actually quite long...from the beach all the way to the main road...and there are a lot of stores to see (they even have a Crocs store there!).Ü I so wanted to try this crepe store there...I think the name is Crazy Crepes...but I just completely forgot about it. So I guess i'll just try their crepes next time. Also, i'm a suki of the Budget Mart there. I keep on dropping by here to buy cup noodles and chips, while my dad gets his midnight snack essentials at the Julie's Bakeshop across Budget Mart.

(5) Have my hair braided the next time i'm there.Ü

Gosh...kasing-haba ng NOTE TO SELF ko ang aking blog! HAHAHA! 'Til next time guys! Ciao!Ü

World's Best Beaches

Look what I found in the net! Something the Philippines can be proud about. Check out number 7 in Yahoo's list of The World's Top Ten Beaches.Ü

http://travel.yahoo.com/beaches

It's such a pity that I haven't been to Boracay...EVER! And to think that I've been living my whole life here in the Philippines, and Boracay is just an hour's worth of plane ride away. However, I can feel it in my veins (aba, Grey's Anatomy?!??!!!) that I'll be able to sink my feet in the white sand beaches of Boracay really soon.Ü (I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Pati toes! Pati eyes, crossed na rin!!! Hehe!)

In The Heat Of Things

Summer's just around the corner and I can't wait to hit the beach! This summer would be a bit different for me though...given that i'm now working and gone are the days when summer is synonymous to V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N. Oh bummer! But hey...look at the bright side...at least now I don't have to ask mom and dad for moolah to hit the beach. Oh yes...you heard (or in this case, read) me right! I now have my own money to spend for my summer gimmicks and escapades! And not even the fact that I have to work from Monday to Friday can bring me down!

Ooohhh...summer! Such a nice word that i'm even considering naming one of my future daughters "Summer." Nice huh? Well, well...so, where to head off to first? Hmmm...Galera? Nice AND affordable...you get the feel of Boracay (at least that's what they say) at a much lower cost...great for kuripot gals like me...HAHA! Boracay? Never been there but i'm hoping someday i'll be able to visit this island paradise...before it gets trashed and polluted by careless tourists. Palawan? Wow...the next "Boracay." Given that Boracay has now somewhat lost some of its sparkle, Palawan is now the next "IN" thing where VIPs and celebrities hie off for some much-needed vacation (with a wee bit of privacy). Amanpulo? Well, this is what I call HEAVEN! Ok, ok...so I haven't been there...but who has? Only those with excess moolah has been there given the place's hefty price tag ($500 a night? probably even more...). Actually, I can't even fathom how i'm gonna get there...when...and with whom (hopefully with my special someone ). But a girl can dream, can't I? So here I am, sharing my thoughts to whoever cares to listen (or read), and hoping that someday...one day...i'll get to visit this virginal island in the South. Bahamas? Now, this place i've jotted down in my notes as one of the places my hubby and I will be going to on our honeymoon (the other place is Paris). OK. Before I hear any objections, let me say my piece first. I know there are a lot of "questionable" things in that one statement alone. Hubby??? Honeymoon??? Oooh, wow! I sure do know how to plan ahead, alright. Well, what can I say? I AM a planner. And no one can steal away my thunder. So...going back to where we were (Bahamas, my dears), this is one place i'm SURE i'll be visiting in the future. Don't ask me when. Don't ask me how. And don't ask me with whom. (Gheezh! I've heard that line before...HAHA!) But i'm surely gonna be visiting this place whether you like it or not! HAHA!

Well...I guess we've covered the essentials. Or at least what I (emphasis on the "I" please) consider THE essential places to go to, on a summer vacation, in one's lifetime. Just don't forget to bring your ooh-la-la swimsuit and tons of sunblock and you're ready to hit the beach! So...in this season of sun, sand, and halo-halo...let the tanning (and swimming!) begin!!! Have a great summer every all! *MUAH!*

Originally posted on 12 March 2006 @ http://cdsaint.blogs.friendster.com/cnd/