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Friday, August 29, 2008

Pataan Mountain Resort, Bago City



Had my grandma not have her hair permed that weekend, we would have not known that Bago City is home to another marvel, the Pataan Mountain Resort. From Kipot Twin Falls, we travelled three (3) kilometers following the road to PNOC (thanks to the locals who gladly gave us directions). Along the way, a lady hailed to hitch a ride with us. Incidentally, she was going to the resort too. Turns out she works for the owner of the resort and her folks work there too. Knowing that, my folks didn't wait long before they could ask her more questions about the resort. So she gave us a little backgrounder.

It's owned by a retired police who bought the property in 1998. Many people had showed interest in co-financing the development of the resort but the owner declined them all. Too many cooks spoil the broth, so they say. Instead, they relied on the concerted efforts of family members who contributed to the growth of the property from a simple bahay bakasyunan to a resort ready to accommodate picknickers,backpackers and nature lovers.

The resort has now at least 9 picnic cottages (much like the day cottages at Mambucal, but built with wood) situated near the pool of water from the falls. Big groups can rent the space which doubles up as a canteen, the pavillion or the other bigger structure (restaurant set-up) at the opposite side of the day cottages. Two overnight rooms are available for group accommodations: one good for 6 and the other good for 15. There is a swimming pool which, during our stay, was dominated by kids. From there, you get a good view of the rice terraces in the lowland plus a good view of your parked vehicle, in case you feel like checking on it once in a while. If you think you are too old for the pool or just didn't want to pay PHP50.00 to get wet, there is the many pools of water from the waterfalls at no extra cost.

And the waterfalls. Wow... it's a different sight from the ones I've seen in Mambucal. It's wider and covered with greens all over. My folks took a dip in the pool under the waterfalls but didn't stay long because the water was cold. I would have gone with them had I been in better health during our visit. (poor me huhuhu).

If you want a new mountain resort experience, do check out Pataan Mountain Resort while it's not yet known to many. The owners didn't want to advertise so they rely on word of mouth and referrals of satisfied customers who bring friends and relatives along during their next visits. Works for them really, as they feel that they are not yet ready to draw more crowd than they could serve.

Here's some useful info about the resort:
Location: Sitio Pata-an, Brgy.Mailum, Bago City
How to Get There:
  • By Public Transport

Travel Details

Mode of Transport

Fare

Libertad Market to Ma-ao Public Market

Road Star Bus

P30.00/head

Ma-ao Public Market to Pataan

Tricycle

P30.00/ head; P150 for hire

  • Private Transport

Alternative Routes:

  1. Bacolod City > Araneta St > Brgy Sum-ag > Crossing Abuanan > Maao Public Market>
  2. Bago City > Crossing Mining > Maao Public Market
When you reach the market, you just go straight up following the concrete road til you pass by the signboard to Buenos Aires, then Kipot Twin Falls. No harm in asking locals for directions to be sure (LOL!)


Useful tips:

  1. There are no PUJs passing by the resort so you have to work out your transpo details
  2. Bring your own food and drinks, if you can help it. They don't charge corkage fee except for liquor (I'm not sure about the beer though). And bring only what you can consume so you wouldn't have to bring them all back home.
  3. Make reservations in advance.Especially if you plan to stay overnight. You may call any of the following numbers: 476-1330 or 433-0443 or 434-6854
  4. Be prepared to get wet.
  5. You can't get your camera too close to the falls because of the mist so I suggest you bring one with a powerful zoom to get a good close-up of the falls.

Enjoy Pataan!

Check out my pictures here>>>

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Good Deeds

Good deeds don't go unrewarded.


On our way back to Iloilo, the hubby saw a cellphone in the toilet of the pre-departure area.
What to do? What to do?

He weighed his alternative courses of action.
  1. Give it to the pre-departure staff and let them deal with the matter. But what if the owner would not realize that he lost his cell until he was already on board or has reached his destination? What happens to the cellphone then?
  2. Leave the cell open and wait for the owner to make contact. What if the owner would think that the hubby's answering the phone is just a case of a heist gone bad?
  3. Turn the cell off . Turn it on upon arrival in Iloilo and wait for the owner to make contact. What if the owner was actually not a passenger but one of the toilet attendants?
Decisions, decisions...

And the winner is....Option no. 3!

We didn't have to wait, though, until we reached Iloilo before the on-board PA system announced the search for the missing item. We trashed option 3 and told a cabin crew that the hubby found something. Without going into further details, the crew went to look for the guy who reported the missing item.
There we were face to face. A middle-aged guy, holding a clutch bag, ashen face, cracked lips (look a little sick int he tummy, to me), the cabin crew, the hubby and me. We had to check if he was indeed the person who lost the unit. So we asked where he might have lost his cellphone and what brand/model was it. The guy gave a straight forward answer. Tadaaaa! Reunited and it feels so gooooood!

Applause! Applause!

Heaven must have been making random checks right at the very moment for the hubby got rewarded for his good deed a few hours after the incident. He finally saw the coin purse (containing his "most precious" three ally-friends charm ) which he misplaced a few weeks earlier.

Does this mean the hubby's got his groove back? Wohooo!

Good deeds, they don't go unrewarded. What good deed have you done today?

photocredit: rodrigo cristofolini


Saturday, August 23, 2008

iamninoy

Photo Credit: clickthecity

I found this while browsing for inspiration for some graphic designs for my t-shirt project. Team Manila was commissioned by the Benigno S. Aquino Foundation (BSAF) to design and produce shirts and accessories to honor the spirit of Ninoy.

The iamninoy movement hopes to touch the youth of today to change the world and stand on the same values that Ninoy Aquino lived and died for:
I am a hero.
I do what I believe is right.
I do what I believe is good.
I fight for justice.
I fight for freedom.
I am a hero.
In a big way, in a small way.
In my own way.
I am a hero.
I am Ninoy.

I am Ninoy merchandise are available at the following retail stores: Bench, Penshoppe, Analog-Soul, Team Manila, Rudy Project. A portion of the sales goes to the the following beneficiaries of BSAF: RMD Foundation, K.I.D.S. Foundation, Children's Hour, Hapag-asa and Saint Anthony's Boys Village Foundation, Inc.

Know more about the iamninoy movement by visitng their website.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Kipot Twin Falls Summer Resort



Apart from the magnificence of Mambucal's Seven Falls, be prepared to be wowed by the sight of Kipot Twin Falls in Bago City.

Fast Facts:
Location: Brgy. Mailum, Bago City
Time of Travel: approximately 1 hour from Bacolod City
Mode of Travel: PUJ, private car
Reservations: Bago City Tourism Office Tel. Nos. (034) 4610-164 and (034) 4610-540
Amenities: picnic huts and overnight cottages

Things to do in Kipot Summer Resort:
  1. Have a picnic with family and friends. The resort is situated on a slope so you have to walk down to where your cottage is. So I suggest you just bring enough food and special effects that you can carry without cursing your way down th steps. (Are we there yet?)
  2. Have your picture take with the waterfalls. Midway down the 220 steps is a viewing deck where one could rest and have pictures taken with the falls as a backdrop.
  3. Have your picture taken in the waterfalls. Just below the 220 steps is a trail leading to the falls. You'll be short of breath from the walk but it would be worth it anyway.
  4. Swim swim swim. Since you are already in the waterfalls, you might as well take a swim! Just make sure you have something to warm you up after a splash in its cold cold waters.
Other online resources about the resort:

Check out my pictures here >>>


Friday, August 08, 2008

Don Salvador Benedicto, Neg. Occ.

We went to visit our relatives in Don Salvador Benedicto. Unlike last year when we just passed by on our way to San Carlos City, we spent the day in town to explore its many landmarks.

Fast Facts (from Wikipedia)

Region : Western Visayas

Province : Negros Occidental

District : 1st District of Negros Occidental

Income Class : 5th class; partially urban

Barangays : Bago-Lalong, Bagong Silang-Marcelo, Bunga, Igmaya-an, Kumaliskis, Pandanon,Pinowayan-Prosperidad

How to get there: The fastest route would be following the Bacolod-Murcia-Pandanon-Don Salvador road network which takes 1 hour and 30 minutes on a private car. Commuters have the option to either take the bus or the v-hire. You can catch one at the Ceres South Terminal near Libertad, Bacolod City.

Things to look forward to in DSB:

  1. The high altitude and cool weather similar to Tagaytay.

  2. Long and winding roads which follows the contour of one mountain to another. The trip's no hassle though with the local government's efforts of providing its constituents with a well-constructed and well maintained road system. And you'd wonder why your local government, with a higher income class, couldn't do the same for your own town.

  3. The Magnetic Hill experience.

  4. Kape Musang is to DSB as Kopi Luwak is to Indonesia.

  5. Villa Ica Garden, the perfect garden setting for weddings, anniversaries, family gatherings. They are currently undertaking maintenance construction in preparation for the wedding the son's owner come April 2009 (and we are invited, wohooo!)

  6. Monkeys hanging freely on trees by the roadside. We've actually seen one near the municipal hall.

  7. The Signature Plant at the DSB Municipal Hall. All the town hall's visitors are enjoined to write their names on the leaves of the signature plant. It's grown tall now so I guess they will have to provide a ladder for visitors to do that.

  8. A peak into the Stone House, home of the town's founder, Nehemias G. dela Cruz.

  9. A view of Malatan-og Falls (cigarette falls) from the Lantawan or The Viewing Deck. From there, you can also see the seas of both Oriental and Occidental Negros. There's a trail which adventure- lover could follow leading to the falls. The walk, they say, is long, about 30 minutes, but all worth it after taking a plunge in the waters.

  10. The rice terraces similar to that of Banaue.

  11. Buy/Enjoy mickey mouse plants, pink torches, million flowers, anthuriums. They are grown in commercial quantities at the Dela Cruz Garden. But I'm not sure if they are selling it. From what I've heard, they are propagating it in time for the son's wedding.

  12. Eat/Bring Home pineapples, atis, durian, marang. If you are riding the bus, you can ask the conductor to stop for you to check out the roadside vendors who sell fruits in season.

Check out the pictures here >>>

The Stone House in Don Salvador Benedicto

There used to be one but now there are three - one, where the founder of Don Salvador Benedicto, its first mayor and now a Sanguniang Panlalawigan Board Member, Nehemias G. De la Cruz. The second one is home to the current mayor, Mayor Marxlen Del a Cruz and the third one, still undergoing construction is for the other son, Nehemias Jr.

The Stone House has been featured in many local and national television programs including one aired on the The Filipino Channel (TFC). You will find many interesting furniture/art pieces all over the place. Some of my favorites are the old oil lamp which was revived and used as outdoor lamp, the tree trunk which served as the base of a garden table and the body of the sewing machine which got a makeover and is not used as a base for a utility table.

Entertaning guests wouldn't be a problem. Not with the many garden settings, a pavillion (complete with a mini-bar) and a bahay kubo conveniently placed all over the property. We sat and dined where politicians have forged agreements and tv personalities like Cesar Montano and the Viva Hot Babes have had their pictures taken.



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Friday, August 01, 2008

Kape Musang: DSB as Kopi Luwak: Indonesia

"The Luwak (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) denizen of the coffee (kopi) plantations of Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi, eats only the ripest coffee cherries.

Unable to digest the coffee beans, the Luwak graciously deposits them on the jungle floor where they are eagerly collected by the locals.

The stomach acids and enzymatic action involved in this unique fermentation process produces the beans for the world’s rarest coffee beverage." - Raven's Brew Coffee, Inc.

Wohooo! we didn't have to pay a premium price to sample this rare coffee, we actually had it for FREE! Turns out, the relatives we visited in Don Salvador Benedicto grow coffee and had sightings of the musang (which they locally refer to as a wild cat but is actually a civet). When they learned about Kopi Luwak and Kape Alamid (the Philippine version), they knew they were in for a treat! They call their local brew Kape Tae, which really, isn't all that appealing. I hope they change their mind about it and call it Kape Musang when they start selling their brew commercially.

Our host didn't think we were up to the challenge so they just brewed enough for six cups. The hubby and I had to wait a little while for our coffee to be served. When it came, it was simmering hot hot hot! They ran out of non-dairy creamer so we had to take it black just as it should be.

By occular inspection, I noticed a thin sebo-like layer on my cup of coffee. Must be natural oils or something (or so I hope LOL!). I'm no coffee connoiseur so I'm trying to explain this based on my personal, non-professional opinion. The taste? indescribable but the coffee experience was heavenly, according to the hubby. What with the cold weather and the sumptuous buffet of lutong-bahay we feasted just a few minutes passed. Me, I found it rather interesting! The coffee was so dark you'd think it would either have a burnt flavor or bitter taste. Surprisingly, it tasted just... I guess I'd have to agree with the hubby - indescribable but the coffee experience was indeed heavenly.

I would have wanted to ask if I could have some beans to take home with me but I chickened out right after I thought about it. Baka masanay tayo, eh, mahirap na, LOL!


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The Magnetic Hill Experience

Road to Don Salvador Benedicto via the Pandanon, Murcia route.

I heard about the same occuring in Los Banos, Laguna but I haven't experienced it until this. We parked our car beside the KM34 SB13 road marker, put in on neutral and then voila! our car moved backward on the downhill slope.

They call this occurence the gravity hill or magnetic hill. We were awed by what we saw and talked much about it after the trip. Fascinating as it is, though, science (or is it?) explains it as a mere optical illusion. According to Wikipedia, "...Objects one would normally assume to be more-or-less perpendicular to the ground (such as trees) may actually be leaning, offsetting the visual reference."

Down goes my excitement....Oh well, whatever it is, it still makes for a good tourist attraction. Check it out for yourself!

Here's a list of other gravity hills around the world.



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