Bacolod City foodtrip: Mushu

Have you ever tasted a pancit canton with grilled liempo?  How about lechon inside a pita bread?  At Mushu in Bacolod City, you’ll be able to try all these and more! 

Dinner at Mushu was a pleasant surprise and I’m glad we made this the first stop in our Bacolod foodtrip.   At first I was a bit hesitant to eat here, thinking that the food is too pricey for my travel budget but surprisingly it’s not.  Though the price is above average, it still is affordable enough given their generous servings. 

The chic atmosphere of the place plus the artsy decors is a big plus for me.  And their food is definitely something to rave about. 

There’s the Pancit Canton with inihaw pork belly, chicken, grandpa's egg and and fried bread.  I’m not really a fan of pancit canton so I thought I would only eat a few bites but when I saw the toppings, I couldn’t wait to devour it.  It tasted just as good as it looked! 

Mushu’s chicken curry is another dish that I liked. It is spicy just the way I like it. The Indian spices is so distinct which makes the dishy very tasty. 

Mushu Pancit Canton

Chicken Curry

pita bread to go with my chicken curry :)

Pritchon pancakes is lechon, cucumber inside a pita bread to be dipped in hoisin sauce.  I don’t really know why it’s called pancakes when it’s really not.  This dish gives a different twist to Filipino’s beloved lechon.  Just when you thought there’s no other way to cook lechon, here comes another variation.

Pritchon pancakes : Php185

There wasn’t much room in our stomach for dessert and we still had leftovers so we skipped that part of the meal and just headed back to the hotel. 

Though I’m no food expert, I still want to give a personal rating on my overall dining experience at Mushu.
Rating:

• Ambiance: 4/5 
• Taste: 5/5
• Service:  5/5

Negros Occidental's Bacolod City : More than Inasal

Is there anything we can do in Bacolod besides eat Inasal?

That's what we asked ourselves after being able to book a really cheap flight to the City of Smiles.  We just couldn't resist booking that Php200 all-in airfare. And although Bacolod seems like a world apart from the previous adventure-filled places that we've been to, we didn't let ourselves be discouraged.  I, for one, believe that each place has something to offer and some, just waiting to be discovered. 

So just imagine my delight when my sister gave me a flyer of Next Stop Negros  a tour company which aims to provide tourists a unique experience of Negros.  Their tours consisted of the following:

• Hacienda Lunch Tours
• Biking at the foot of Mt. Kanlaon
• Central Market Walking Tour
• Four Waterfalls Trek
• Danjugan Island
• Visita Iglesia

Now these activities doubled my excitement for our Bacolod trip!  Among the activities above, I couldn't wait for the bike ride along the sugar field.

But much to my dismay, after contacting Next Stop Tours for countless of times, I wasn't able to formally book a tour.  At first I was able to talk to the owner but after some follow-up email and calls, I wasn't able to get hold of them any longer. 

I wasn't to lose hope, though.  Up to the time we arrived in Bacolod, I was still trying to get in touch with them or visit their office.  However, after my nth call, I was informed that the company is no longer active and does not offer bike tours anymore.  Crap.  I would have appreciated a simple email/text days before the trip.  Or better yet, why not put a big banner on the site announcing such state?

So here goes our revised itinerary.. minus the waterfalls and biking tour that I so dreamt of:

Day 1

2: 00pm          ETD Manila

2: 45pm          ETA Silay Bacolod airport

3: 45pm          ETA Circle Inn (Bacolod City)

7: 30pm          Dinner at Mushu

Day 2

8: 30am          ETD Circle Inn

8: 45 - 9:30am Bus terminal
10: 45am        ETA Mambukal Falls

2:30pm           back to hotel
4:30pm           lunch/dinner
6:00pm           Robinsons

Day 3

8:30am           ETD Circle Inn

9:30am           ETA Silay City
                     * Bernandino - Jalandoni Museum
                     * San Diego Cathedral
                     * Balay Negrense Museum
                     * Old Houses around Silay

1:30pm          Lunch at Bacolod chickenhouse
3:00pm          Dessert at Calea (Robinsons)

4:15pm          The Ruins

6:00pm          Back to the hotel
7:30pm          Dinner at Bob's

9:00pm          Pendy's Pasalubong

Day 4

8:00am          Breakfast at Mcdo Capitol
8:45am          Photoshoot at Capitol

                    San Sebastian Cathedral

                    Virgie's Pasalubong

12:00pm        check out and lunch at Circle Inn

4:30pm          ETA Silay- Bacolod Airport

(delayed flight!! *$%@!#)

8:45pm          Left Bacolod

9:30pm          ETA Manila

Here's a sneak peek of the places that we got to see around Negros Occidental.  Each place will have a separate post:

the only pancit that I'm craving for

4th falls at Mambukal

Famous The Ruins

dinner at Bob's

Balay Negrense

heavenly Calea cake

Capitol Lagoon

One of the pools at Mambukal Resort

San Sebastian Cathedral

Exploring the Islands of Coron: Malcapuya and Banana Island

DAY 3: OCT. 4, 2009


After enjoying the picturesque lakes, playing with colorful fishes in great snorkeling spots and savoring the beauty of it's magnificent limestone cliffs and secluded beach coves; we were off to see two of Coron's white-sand beaches -  Malcapuya and Banana Island.


Since our first stop, Malcapuya, is an hour and a half away from the town, we had to start the tour early to avoid choppy waters.  Before riding the boat, we passed by the market which is situated beside the port, to purchase items for our lunch.  With the help of Ate Vangie, we haggled with the vendors and only spent Php400 for the following:  1/2 kg of liempo, 1 kg of bananas, 1 large fresh tuna, a pack of trusty Mama Sita Sauce for our inihaw na liempo, ice, 1.5 liters coke, charcoal and eating utensils.

back of the Malcapuya island

polvoron

We arrived at the island at around 930am and was pleasantly surprised to have the long stretch of white sand beach for ourselves.  Wasting no time to enjoy the place, we sunbathed, swam on it's clear blue waters, and took lots of photos to our heart's content. Sadly, however, the weather did not cooperate as it became gloomy and drizzled for a few hours.  We had to leave for Banana Island only after spending an hour on this beach. If I get to go back, I would definitely consider camping on this island with my friends.


If you want to see the top view of the island, just climb the viewing deck located on both sides of the island.  This can be a perfect spot for great photos. But when we were there, it was drizzling so we weren't able to get a good shot.


As we were already hungry and ready for lunch, we then went to Banana Island which is a few minutes away from Malcapuya.  The island is called as such since its shape is that of a banana.  Upon seeing the island from afar, we kept saying "wow ang ganda!".  Who wouldn't be charmed with the place with it's pristine white sand under a warm sunshine.

because i couldn't resist doing this silly pose

Kuya Allan preparing our lunch

All we did at this place was laze around on the hammock, played with the resident dogs and took photos while waiting for Kuya Allan to finish preparing our meal.  Our sumptuous lunch consisted of grilled liempo, tuna, itlog na maalat and tomatoes paired with ice cold Coke.  Relaxation at it's finest!

We capped off our 3rd day by having our dinner at Bistro Coron . I'm glad that we decided to splurge on good food for our last night and chose to dine at this place.   The owner of the bistro is French and the menu consists of pizza,  pasta, salad , steaks, seafood, etc.  The price is above average but the servings are good for 2-3 persons.  My mouth still waters just by thinking of the delicious food we ate.


For people who wants a peaceful time away from the hustle bustle of the city, the quiet town of Coron is definitely the place to visit.

Entrance Fee: Malcapuya - Php150

                      Banana Island - Php200
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Mrs. Violeta Gallego can be reached at

Tel #: 09214741602

Email: bananaislandcoron@gmail.com

Where is Coron located?

It is a small and quiet island in the Calamian Group of Islands in northern Palawan. This place is famous for its rich marine life, limestone cliffs and well preserved lakes and beaches.

How to Get there from Manila:

By air: The following airlines have flights to Coron: Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, South East Asian Airlines (seair), Zestair for approximately 45 minutes to an hour.

By Water: The following ferries travel to Coron: WG&A Super Ferry and Negros Navigation which takes about 12 hours.

Exploring the Islands of Coron

DAY 1 - OCT. 2, 2009

After an endless search for an affordable but nice place to stay in Coron, we ended up not having any reservation when we got there. Here we go again..doing it backpacking style..but what the heck, this is a part of the adventure anyway.

By the time we arrived the airport, Kuya Richard of Mt. Tapyas Hotel offered us a ride to the town. We asked him to drop us off at Coron Village Lodge or Darayonan, two of the inns that we researched from the net. Good thing these two resorts are next to each other and offer rooms at a reasonable price. We chose to stay at Coron Village Lodge for a cheap price of Php 750/room/night with AC and cable TV.

Since we’re still not sure whether we’ll hike Mt. Tapyas or go swimming at the Maniquit Hotspring, we decided to just start our activities the next day and just plan things over dinner at one of the recommended restaurants in Coron – the Kawayanan Grill. There’s really nothing to rave about the grilled food of this place. The Php6 bbq infront of Seadive is way tastier than Kawayanan’s Php 120 liempo. The Bicol Express is a surprise though. Instead of using meat, they used finely chopped squid which tasted good.

yummy Bicol Express

After eating early dinner, we went around town to look for Al Linsangan, the guy that Kuya Richard said was offering the cheapest island hopping packages. But we weren’t able to see him or his shop, and instead met Kuya Allan and his wife Ate Vangie while walking around town. For a price of Php5k, he offered us a Coron Island Hopping Tour and a Malcapuya-Banana Island tour and we agreed.

The only thing we have to pray hard for is a GOOD WEATHER. A sunny one would be perfect. Typhoon Pepeng go away!

DAY 2 – OCT 3

It was raining hard on our first night in Coron and even on the following morning, that we  thought that the rain won’t stop for the whole day. But at around 8am, God blessed us with a bright and sunny weather. We bought packed lunch at Binalot and headed off to our Coron Island Hopping trip. I was so excited to see the crystal clear waters of Palawan’s beaches and lakes which I only get to see in postcards before.

Our itinerary for the day was:

1st stop – snorkeling fun at Skeleton Wreck
2nd stop – photo op at Atwaya beach
3th stop – lazing around the amazing Kayangan Lake -
4th stop - passing by Siete Pecados
5th stop – relaxing afternoon at Maquinit Hotspring

Amazing rock formations around the cove

rafting at the picturesque Kayangan Lake

Maquinit Hot spring - 40 degrees temperature

Mangrove-filled area at Maquinit Hot spring

Better be prepared with extra money while touring the islands of Coron.  Since their beautiful spots  are protected by Tagbanuans, entrance fees ranging from Php100-200 (per spot) are collected. Giving back money for the maintenance of the place isn't so bad.  We even saw how the caretakers of the place were sifting sand and collecting every bit of trash lying around. 

It was a blissful and tiring day for us and we’re definitely looking forward to another exciting day in Coron. We had dinner at a nearby carinderia and bought cheap but delicious barbeque  infront of Seadive and a melon Zagu.

Off to see the white sand beaches for the following day!
View the next blog post

Breathtaking Calaguas

I was looking for a beach that's not too commercialized and somewhere that me and my friends haven't been too, and we found Calaguas -  a group of islands in the province of Camarines Norte.  A place that most bloggers tag as one of the best beaches in the Philippines.  

It was time for us to see it for ourselves.

Though I wasn't really keen on availing group tours on any of my trips (Pinatubo being only of them) and prefer to do it DIY style, i can still say that it was a wise choice for us to book via Melvic Brinas.  Their group package worth Php3,000 (2 Days, 1 night) was highly recommended by a friend of mine and rightfully so.  They were very accommodating but not to the point wherein you're pressured to mingle with others. 

Despite it being an early rainy season for the year 2011, we were blessed with the perfect sunny weather during our Calaguas trip last June 4-5.  We followed the itinerary which the Calaguas Island Tour set for us and left for Manila around 9pm on a Friday and arrived back in Manila at 4am, Monday.  I was prepared for a long and strenuous trip to Calaguas but I still felt battered nonetheless.  The Amihan bus is old and their air conditioning is cruelly cold.  So no matter what the weather is, better wear a thick jacket and bring a blanket. 

view from inside the bus

After breakfast at Daet, we rode a tiny boat from Vinzon's port to the island. (Just my two cents on the boat, perhaps it wouldn't hurt for the group tours to rent a boat with real seats since it's 2 hour ride.)

While we were nearby our destination, we couldn't contain our excitement.  More so when when we saw the crystal clear water and how fine the sand is. 

In unison, Boracay what?!

We spent the day taking endless pictures, drinking booze, skimboarding, swimming and topped it off with nonstop laughter and pure fun. 

photo by www.moniquedejesus.com

Come nightime, memories of Anawangin came rushing in.  Bath time also took place in a poso that is shared with the other campers.  After bathing, we were greeted with a blanket of stars :)  It was a natural high.★

We played the "association" game over a concoction of melon-3in1 coffee-GSM blue and my friends surprised me with a bday thingie.  Happy to have celebrated my 26th with them. 

I woke up early in the morning on our following day in Calaguas with the wind furiously shaking our tent.  It was already bright in the morning that I thought it was already past 9am.  But to my surprise, it's just past 5.  With my friends still sleeping soundly, I took the chance to take a few pictures of the island.

At around 930 in the morning, we left the island to head to Bagasbas - a famous surfing spot.  I wasn't really up for surfing at that time so I opted to take pictures of them.  Too bad I didn't have the lens to capture them close-up.  But I did enjoy watching them and told myself to maybe try it next time.

To sum up our Calaguas trip, I must say it was a love at first sight.  The island's crystal clear water is worth the long and arduous trip and I wouldn't hesitate to experience it all over again.  

So if you're planning your next trip, make Calaguas a must in your bucket list!