Snaps & Stories

Pipho13: Taichung

2019-12-21T15:33:00.001+08:00

Pipho13: Taichung

Taichung, Taiwan

November 18-21, 2018

Pinoy Photography Organization on its 13^th year went to Taichung City in Taiwan. Taichung is the 2^nd or 3^rd most populous city in Taiwan at around 2.8 million people. The city is a bit rural compared to Taipei but it is as complete as any city needs to be; places to eat, places to shop and a night market (a staple in many Asian cities).

Taichung is not as modern and urbanized as Taipei, but it does not fall far behind. Taichung also makes up for the difference by being the ideal jump off point to the best nature attractions in Taiwan such as the Alishan National Scenic Area and the Sun Moon Lake. We spent a day at the Alishan National Scenic Area; a vast and beautiful nature park that is just a 2-3 hour drive from Taichung. (for the blog entry on Alishan click here)

Rainbow Village (Nantun District, Taichung)

Rainbow Village was a rundown area of the city that was converted to a children’s park. The old structures are painted and designed with cute and colorful graffiti art. Playgrounds, souvenir shops and refreshment stands are available. I personally didn’t find it too interesting… the place is meant for kids and not really for photographers. You can skip this in the itinerary unless you have somewhere nearby you need to go to as well.

Xinshe Castle (Xinshe District, Taichung)

Xinshe Castle’s attraction is not the castle per se but more like the whole castle garden compound. The castle is not too big but around it is a beautiful garden park with a waterfall fountain, an artificial pond and picturesque bridges and pathways. The place is quite large with lots of stuff to take photos of. Coffee shops and souvenir shops are available in the compound as well. The maintenance of the structures and the flora is top notch. A wonderful place to just relax and get some coffee or a light meal while enjoying the beautiful surroundings.

Zhongshe Flower Market (Houli District, Taichung)

Zhongshe Flower Market is not just a market but more like a garden farm. The farm is filled with flowers (organized neatly) with various garden ornaments and displays for the visitors. Making the farm into a tourist attraction is a smart way to earn extra funds from doing flower farming. Even the roughest and manliest of men would take a selfie in this colorful place!

Gaomei Wetlands (Qingshui District, Taichung)

Gaomei Wetlands is an amazing place and quite unique to all the places I have been to. The place is actually a giant shoreline with a wooden pathway (1 km long) into the ocean. During low tide, the water will recede such that you can walk around 2 kilometers from the shore into the ocean and still be on sand-deep water! The place is highlighted by the sunset behind the massive windmills in the distance. People come here to enjoy the soft sand on their bare feet, breath in the ocean breeze and admire the sunset. Food stations and bathrooms are readily available on the shore across the road. A truly amazing place; we actually went here twice (on a 4-day trip) to try and capture its sunset beauty.

Food in Taiwan

Food in Taiwan is oh so good… one could go to Taiwan and be satisfied just from the food alone (food trip anyone?). Beef noodle soup, braised pork chop, Taiwanese pancakes, chicken chop, meatball soup, ground pork on rice, pearl milk tea and more! Even the fruits are the best especially the Sugar-Apple (atis)! More importantly, all of these are not only good tasting, but very affordable as well!

Conclusion

Another successful Pinoy Photography Organization international photography trip! This trip gave me an even bigger appreciation of Taiwan and it was definitely an eye opener for me to Taiwan’s natural beauty. Taiwan has first world level amenities and conditions, beautiful natural wonders, decent people, wonderful weather (during the right season) and also important… good and affordable food! What more can you ask for?

for more photos of Taichung click here

Pipho13: Alishan National Scenic Area

2019-12-13T13:02:00.000+08:00

Pipho13: Alishan National Scenic Area

Alishan Township, Taiwan

November 19, 2018

Pinoy Photography Organization on its 13^th year went to Taiwan and one of the main items on the itinerary is the Alishan National Scenic Area. We hired a private bus from Taichung (the nearest big city and best jump off point to Alishan and other scenic attractions in the middle portion of Taiwan) and it took us more than 3 hours to get there. The big tour bus we got had a lower speed limit on the highway and also had difficulty maneuvering the mountain roads. Hiring multiple smaller vans would have been faster but also most likely more expensive.

parking area and ammenities

train station

Alishan National Scenic Area is a beautiful place and I think better described as a nature park. Simply wonderful; I usually don’t like going back to places I have been to, but this place is definitely worth returning to in the future. We went there in autumn so the weather helped a ton as well to the overall experience. Photographers carry so much stuff especially in our backpacks and walking around in 18-20 degree C temperature is just perfect to avoid sweating. I would definitely recommend staying a night or two inside the park (hotels are available) because there is just so much to see and enjoy to fit in a day trip.

Alishan has picturesque trains, train stations, railroad tracks, mountains, pathways, leaves, trees, roads, lakes… everything a photographer could ask for! The park however is closed to entry in the early morning so a sunrise shoot would require an overnight stay and some proper preparations to get to your spot.

Alishan has a lot of places where you can just relax, enjoy nature or do some trekking to stretch your legs. There are various walking routes with various degrees of difficulty available. For example, you can opt to take a leisurely walk to a nearby lake or a challenging trek up a mountain to see the clouds below you.

One key to the whole experience is how well maintained the place is. Despite the massive area, everything ran smoothly from the trains to the restaurants and shops. The roads are clean, the walking paths are safe, the food is good and affordable (not tourist traps)… I have no complaints whatsoever! Full admiration for the people running this place!

A truly wonderful and memorable experience. I think all of us that went on the trip would have enjoyed more time to roam around the park. A future trip should be planned better to be able to maximize the Alishan experience.

for more photos of Alishan click here

for the main blog entry of Pipho13: Taichung click here

Ilocos Road Trip

2019-12-10T17:15:00.000+08:00

Ilocos Road Trip

Vigan, Paoay, Laoag & Pagudpod

August 18-21, 2019

My sister came home from her studies abroad and wanted to go see Ilocos, so off we went! The short notice made it hard to find more travel buddies to join us but nevertheless, we pushed on.

DAY 1: VIGAN

The travel from metro manila to Vigan was very quick using the TPLEX upto La Union. It took us less than 7 hours because we left Metro Manila very early (2am). We walked around to see some sights and eventually took an afternoon nap before roaming around again for some evening touring.

Calle Crisologo (day time)

Calle Crisologo (night time) -RECOMMENDED MUST VISIT

St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral (15mins+)

Padre Burgos House and Memorial Library (30-60min)

Syquia Mansion (30 min)

Fountain Show

FOOD: Irene’s Empanadahan (lunch)

FOOD: Cusina Felicitas (dinner)

The next day we checked out of the hotel early to go to Baluarte Zoo and then to Bantay Bell Tower before heading off to Paoay. Baluarte Zoo has it’s share of animals but needs a bit more renovating to make the presentation better. The animal show that day was cancelled due to few guests (weekday).

Buluarte Zoo (60mins+)

Bantay Bell Tower (45mins+) -RECOMMENDED MUST VISIT

DAY 2: PAOAY

The main thing to see in Paoay is the Paoay Church. There are some good food options near the church so it is good to schedule a visit here near lunch or dinner time. After lunch we went to the historical Marcos Museum, the Malacanang of the North and then tried the Paoay Sand Dunes before driving to Laoag. The Paoay Sand Dunes was a thrilling 4x4 ride up and down the biggest sand dunes in the Philippines! It was a memorable experience especially for two scaredy cats!

Paoay Church -RECOMMENDED MUST VISIT

Marcos Museum

Malacanang of the North

Paoay Sand Dunes -RECOMMENDED MUST VISIT

DAY 3: LAOAG

While driving to the hotel in Laoag, we stopped over in the city center to check out the Laoag Cathedral and the Laoag Bell Tower. Sadly, both were unimpressive. Laoag is the biggest city in the area with the most amenities like groceries and restaurants. The Laoag airport is the only airport in the Ilocos region and so it is the logical jump off point to the various tourist places if you came to Ilocos via plane. Other than wanting to be close to the airport, there is really no other good reason to stay long in Laoag. The hotel we chose to stay at (Java Hotel) was strategically located near the outskirts of Laoag going northward, making it easier to travel to Pagudpod early the next day.

Laoag Cathedral

Laoag Bell Tower

DAY 4: PAGUDPOD

We were able to see all the sights of Pagudpod in a day via car from our Laoag Hotel then back. Another possible option is to stay overnight at one of the beaches in Pagudpod and then from there go straight back home to Metro Manila. The windmills are very impressive and there are actually two wind farms now: the original one along the coastline (Bangui Windmills) and the newer one situated on the mountaintops (Burgos Wind Farm). We had lunch at Saud Beach (a popular beach resort) then checked out the Blue Lagoon beach area where we had some coffee at Hannah’s restaurant.

Lighthouse -lighting is better during afternoons; RECOMMENDED MUST VISIT

Rock Formation -lighting is better during afternoons; RECOMMENDED MUST VISIT

Burgos Wind Farm

Bangui Windmills -RECOMMENDED MUST VISIT

Saud Beach

Blue Lagoon

Patapat Viaduct

CONCLUSION

The Ilocos road trip we did was pretty comprehensive. Many thanks to my friends who gave crucial advice for our itinerary. I understand now why my friends would do a loop instead and go back to Metro Manila via the Cagayan route because once you get to Pagudpod, you are all the way at the top and travelling eastward back south will give you more interesting things to see than just backtracking. I cannot imagine going back again unless I am tasked in bringing other people to see the various points of interest. The historical places were nice and memorable but if it is only a beach you are after then there are plenty of other beaches that are more accessible.

for more photos of Vigan on my google photos click here

for more photos of Paoay & Laoag on my google photos click here

for more photos of Pagudpod on my google photos click here

Pipho11: Chiang Rai

2019-08-29T14:39:00.003+08:00

Pipho11: Chiang Rai

November 14, 2016

Chiang Rai, Thailand

Pinoy Photography Organization (PiPho) allocated a day of our Chiang Mai trip for a long van ride to Chiang Rai. A stopover on the way there is a gas station with the usual amenities but with a special bonus add-on... hot spring baths! All the gas stations along this road have these hot spring baths coming from volcanic water in the mountains. There are vendors there selling fresh quail eggs which you can boil in the water… it is however the same water that people dip their feet in… quail eggs anyone?

White Temple

The main attraction of our Chiang Mai road trip is the White Temple! Popularly called the White Temple, its real name is really Wat Rong Khun. A beautiful temple in a big complex that houses plenty of other structures and works of art. We spent a lot of time here and even went over our allotted time for this stop because of the picturesque structures and scenery.

Golden Triangle and Mekong River

The Golden Triangle is actually the area where the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet at the merging point of the Ruak and Mekong rivers. There is a viewing deck to see the rivers with some nice pieces of art symbolizing the Golden Triangle. We took the Mekong River boat ride just to see what’s up but we were disappointed because there was almost nothing of interest at all. Maybe we should have chosen the option with the stop at the market along the shore of Laos but we really didn’t have enough time. Actually, this whole Golden Triangle and Mekong River part of the tour was a complete waste of time (imho).

Golden Triangle

view of the giant golden buddha from the river

market at Laos side

Karen Long Neck

There are various Karen Long Neck villages along the route from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. There is an entrance fee to enter. The people of the village are very nice and gracious. They are best known for their long necks caused by the heavy brass rings that they wear on their necks. These people historically lived in the mountains of Burma/Myanmar and some have fled into Thailand due to political problems in Myanmar. Those who escaped into Thailand are sadly illegal immigrants whose opportunities in Thailand are very limited. You can take photos with them and take photos of them and usually as a token of gratitude you would buy some of their products and souvenir items.

Supermoon

We stopped along the road to take photos of the supermoon! We sadly didn’t have enough time to find a good spot to take photos of it, so we just stopped wherever we were at and snapped away.

Chiang Rai is definitely a worthwhile land trip to take when you are already in Chiang Mai but try to convince the tour guide to remove the Golden Triangle part of the tour or at the very least adjust the timing of the tour such that you spend less time at Golden Triangle and more time at the White Temple and Karen Long Neck.

for the main blog entry Pipho 11: Chiang Mai click here

for more photos of the Chiang Rai click here

PIpho11: Doi Inthanon National Park

2019-07-27T13:39:00.002+08:00

Pipho11: Doi Inthanon National Park

November 16, 2016

Thailand

Pinoy Photography Organization’s (PiPho) Chiang Mai international trip included a day trip to Doi Inthanon National Park. Doi Inthanon is the highest peak in Thailand. It is an hour and a half away from Chiang Mai, so we left at around 430am to be able to capture the sunrise above the clouds. Since we reached there very early, it was still very cold! My jacket barely kept me warm!

The place is very well developed! There are well paved and wide roads to access the main viewpoints. Unlike in the Philippines where you must risk your life hiking through rough terrain to get to see a view above the clouds, here you need only ride a vehicle up the mountain! Ride up the mountain… get down from the vehicle… viola! View above the clouds without taking a single hiking step! The place also has two temples built on the peak of the mountain. Escalators are available to access these temples and the gardens beside them.

escalators to the two temples

My PiPho friend Regie flew his drone for a bit but we got into a scare when a military personnel riding a motorcycle approached us. However, he was very courteous and just explained nicely how drone flying is not allowed because a facility nearby might be affected. Such is the hospitality and kindness of the Thai people!

drones not allowed!

The day tour also includes a short stop at a market where you can get Thai goodies and souvenirs to bring home. The last stop is the Wachirathan Waterfall where the mist from the waterfall constantly makes a rainbow.

An excellent day tour and I envy the people who live nearby as Doi Inthanon is only a short vehicle trip away and is really a great place to relax and enjoy nature.

for the main blog entry Pipho11: Chiang Mai click here

for more photos of Doi Inthanon click here

Pipho11: Loi Krathong Festival

2019-07-25T13:30:00.000+08:00

Pipho11: Loi Krathong Festival

Chiang Mai, Thailand

November 13-18, 2016

Pinoy Photography Organization’s main objective for the Chiang Mai trip was to experience and take photos of the Loi Krathong Festival. The festival is held every year in November; the exact date varies every year because it is based on the Thai Lunar Calendar and falls on the evening of the full moon of the 12^th month.

Loi Krathong is usually very festive but when we went, the King of Thailand recently passed away and thus a more somber feel was implemented. The festival almost did not push through because of the king’s passing but good thing for us it did as our itinerary and flights were already set.

Loi Krathong Festival is best known for the floating lanterns but the word “Loi Krathong” actually means “floating leaf container”. On the night of the festival, these floating leaf containers holding incense sticks and candles are released unto the river as offerings to the river spirits.

The sky lanterns are mostly released on the bridges or along the river bay. However, since these lanterns are privately purchased and released, they are not released all at the same time. You will see the night sky peppered with sky lanterns but of varying height and distance. For high picture quality photos, you will need to find a ticketed event where monks would prepare and release lanterns in a synchronized system. We were lucky to chance upon a prayer ceremony at the Wan Phan Tao. The prayer ceremony itself was a beauty to photograph as the reflection on the fountain water was simply beautiful. We were able to get frontmost spots for the prayer ceremony; however, we had to wait hours for the ceremony to start and even more hours until the ceremony ended because of the promise of sky lanterns being released by the monks at the end.

The sky lantern and float releasing will actually take you only less than an hour. Spending the remainder of the night eating and drinking at open dining restaurants or partaking in street dining options is the normal touristy task at hand. Given that we were on a photo trip though, we just kept shooting and ate street food while on the go.

Loi Krathong was really enjoyable because Chiang Mai itself was a beauty to explore and to just be in. A festival is only as great as the place and the people that are celebrating it.

for the main blog entry Pipho 11: Chiang Mai click here

for more photos of the Loi Krathong Festival click here

Nami Island, Garden of Morning Calm and Alpaca World Day Tour

2019-07-22T13:36:00.003+08:00

Nami Island, Garden of Morning Calm and Alpaca World Day Tour

May 20, 2019

South Korea

The Nami Island, Garden of Morning Calm and Alpaca World Day Tour is an excellent option for those who want to venture outside the city of Seoul. The tour is relaxed, comfortable and gives you a decent amount of time in each location. The Nami Island portion could have been better if afforded an extra hour or two but it was a good enough primer to help you decide if staying longer is what you want on a future trip or maybe even staying overnight for a night or two.

The tour starts at around 7am, depending on which pickup point you choose. We chose the McDonald’s near Myeong-dong and our pickup time was 730am. You are given a piece of bread with yummy red beans and cream inside together with a bottle of water. Alex, the tour guide assigned to us, is fluent in Korean, English and Chinese. She is informative, organized and very helpful.

THE GARDEN OF MORNING CALM

Our first stop is the Garden of Morning Calm; the trip from Myeong-dong took about 2 hours. The garden is vast and beautiful. More importantly, the garden is very well maintained! There were plenty of different areas with a variety of themes such as the Dropping Tree Garden, Sunken Garden, Herb Garden and the MorningCalm Walk. There are plenty of places to sit, relax or walk around in and also plenty of places to get scenery photos or selfies. The Sunken Garden was the tour guide recommended “must see” and it did not disappoint. The hanging pedestrian bridge was also impressive and thrilling to walk on (it was not that scary really but I am afraid of heights). Coffee shops and souvenir stores are also available inside the park area and just outside near the ticketing booth.

for more photos of The Garden of Morning Calm click here

NAMI ISLAND

It took an hour to get to Nami Island from the garden. We had a nice Galbi Rice lunch (pre-ordered at a restaurant near the pier by the tour guide) before riding the ferry to Nami Island. The ferry leaves every 20-30 minutes. Roundtrip ferry tickets are the only ones available for purchase as there is no other way to get back to the mainland.

Nami Island is a wonderful place especially during excellent weather (16 to 23 degrees). A great place to relax and just enjoy nature with various family friendly activities. There are parks, playgrounds, walking paths, an ostrich farm, a small museum, restaurants and cafes. You can rent a bike and go biking along the various paths. You can also ride the train that travels across the island.

There is a hotel on the island for those who want to enjoy the island for a longer period of time. Staying overnight is not necessary to experience all the activities but Nami Island is a great place to just lounge around so I understand why the hotel option might also be popular.

We walked from the ferry port to near the end of the island and then we rode the train back. You can opt to do the same, or do it the opposite way. On the other hand, you can also rent a bike to go back and forth instead.

for more photos of Nami Island click here

ALPACA WORLD

One hour from Nami Island and you get to Alpaca World! Alpaca World is a big area of land with up and down terrain and functions mainly as a zoo. They have house a variety of animals with a focus on interaction by feeding them. Their main selling point are the cute and super adorable alpacas! You can pay to have them for a short time on a leash. You are given some food to feed them but you will eventually run out as they are veracious eaters. To get more food for them, you can use a vending machine located nearby.

cute and super adorable alpacas

Alpaca food vending machine

Alpaca Kiss!

for more photos of Alpaca World click here

Everland

2019-07-19T13:14:00.000+08:00

Everland

May 21, 2019

South Korea

Everland is a giant theme park located about an hour drive from Seoul. The setup is pretty much like a standard theme park with various attractions within various themed locations (like American Adventure, Magic Land and Zootopia).

Everland is the next best thing South Korea has to a giant “Disneyland” type theme park. Though they don’t have popular characters like Mickey Mouse, they make up for it by adding special attractions like the impressive animals featured in animal friendly displays and wonderful gardens featuring a big variety of flowers.

The parade was underwhelming… the floats were all designed nicely and all but the lack of recognizable figures really makes the parade less enticing. The rides were okay but most felt like a knock off of popular rides in Disneyland.

Everland is a suitable replacement for the “theme park” portion of the travel itinerary of a family with young kids. However, I still think South Korea can do a better job bidding for a strong and big internationally known theme park to help make their tourism stronger. For East Asia, Japan already has Disneyland, Universal Studios and Legoland. South Korea can maybe go and try to get Six Flags or maybe one of the lesser known ones.

for more photos of Everland click here

Pipho11: Chiang Mai

2019-07-19T10:30:00.003+08:00

Pinoy Photography Organization at Karen Long Neck Village

Pipho11: Chiang Mai

November 13-18, 2016

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Pinoy Photography Organization went to Chiang Mai, Thailand for our 11^th year international photo trip! Chiang Mai is an excellent place to get great photos of the customs, traditions, temples and other historical structures in this amazing country. We stayed within the historic walled area of the Chiang Mai Old City where there are countless things to see and experience.

Chiang Mai Old City Walls

Wat Pan On

Wat Phan Tao

Wat Chedi Luang

hand-painted walls of the temple

We went there during the Loi Krathong Festival to maximize our photo opportunities. It was quite a challenge to get from the airport to the hotel because of the sheer number of tourists visiting! For my blog entry on the Loi Krathong Festival click here.

thousands of lanterns released that night of the festival

monks releasing lanterns after their prayer ceremony at Wat Phan Tao

Chiang Mai is a good jumping off point to more northern places in Thailand such as Chiang Rai. We took a day tour to Chiang Rai and saw the beautiful and popular Wat Rong Khun (White Temple), the interesting Golden Triangle, the forgettable boat trip on the Mekong River and lastly to the Karen Long Neck Village. For my blog entry on our Chiang Rai Day Tour click here.

White Temple (Wat Rong Khun)

Karen Long Neck Village

The Doi Inthanon day tour is another activity we opted to do in Chiang Mai. Doi Inthanon is the highest peak in Thailand. By getting there very early in the morning, we were blessed to see the wonderful sunrise while being above the clouds! The best thing about this peak is the ease at getting there; a vehicle can literally drive you up to the peak to enjoy the view! No hiking required! For my blog entry on our Doi Inthanon Day Tour click here.

We had our meals at various restaurants in the area but the most memorable one was the dinner at the night market in the Wat Pan On Complex! There were so many types of food to choose from and although this is considered “street food”, the quality is definitely good, clean and safe to eat! During the trip I was able to try a variety of Local beers like Leo, Chang and Singha.

A great place to visit, even during non-festival season. So much things to experience and culture to absorb in the well maintained and wonderful city of Chiang Mai.

for more photos of Chiang Mai Old City click here

for more photos of Food in Thailand click here

Things to Do in Nagoya

2019-01-25T12:02:00.000+08:00

Things to Do in Nagoya

May 17-22, 2018

Nagoya, Japan

LEGOLAND JAPAN

We ended up choosing Nagoya for the family’s summer trip due to the recent opening of Legoland Japan! The kids (and myself) love Lego and it is wonderful that there is a Legoland in an Asian country with a colder climate. The Legoland in Malaysia (being so near the equator) was hot and tiring to visit. This Legoland in Nagoya is a big full-on theme park and is different from the smaller indoor Lego Discovery Centers like those found in Tokyo and Osaka.

You can access Legoland from Central Nagoya via train or bus. We intentionally went on a Friday to avoid the weekend crowd. The place didn’t have many visitors unlike our crowded experience at Universal Studios in Osaka or Disneyland in Tokyo.

There were plenty of rides and activities most of which are catered to a younger market (around age 2 to 12?). I expect teenagers to enjoy Legoland less compared to younger kids. A whole day is definitely enough to go around and enjoy the park.

We opted not to book and stay at the Legoland Japan Hotel because we felt that there weren’t many things to do in the area aside from Legoland. They opened an aquarium attraction called Nagoya Sea Life in the vicinity most likely to bolster the area with more activities and to entice people to stay at the Legoland Japan Hotel.

Legoland Hotel

Legoland x Nagoya Sea Life ride

for more photos of Legoland Japan click here

NAGOYA CASTLE

Traditional or cultural structures are usually found in each city in Japan. Nagoya Castle is the most popular one in Nagoya. A Shinobi show was performed for the crowd on the day we were there. The area is vast and well maintained as expected.

The newly renovated Hommaru Palace is open to the public but with strict rules against anything that could possibly damage the palace. You must remove your shoes and leave big bags at the front counter. You can see expert personnel cleaning the palace with utmost detail using small brushes and soft strokes.

SAKAE AREA

The Sakae area is the downtown district; here you can find a bunch of malls connected or adjacent to each other. We were only able to visit Oasis 21 (mall?) described as a multi-level park complex. Oasis 21 is beautiful architecturally and structurally. They used a lot of steel supports to keep the middle area (basement) called the Galaxy Platform clear from any posts or support beams. The ramps (to access the various floors) that are built around the Galaxy Platform are quite interesting as well. The roof deck called the Spaceship Aqua has a shallow pool of water in the middle and a walking path around it.

OSU SHOPPING STREET / OSU KANNON TEMPLE

Osu Shopping Street is comparable to pedestrianized shopping streets in other cities of Japan. This Shopping Street is smaller in scale and options compared to counterparts in Osaka and Tokyo. There are also few branded stores on this shopping street; the branded stores can be found near Nagoya Station instead.

The Osu Kannon Temple is found at the end of the Osu Shopping Street. A nice quaint temple complex where you can enjoy some quiet time. A lot of pigeons roam the temple area as well.

CONCLUSION

Nagoya is a nice city and is pretty much what you would expect from a city in Japan. It is nice that there are not too many people or crowds (Nagoya is only the 4^th most populous city in Japan). However, I think Nagoya has nothing extra to offer compared to Osaka or Tokyo. If not for Legoland I don’t think I would get an urge to go back and visit the city itself but I can definitely go back to use Nagoya as a jumping off point to very nice places outside the city maybe in the Gifu or the Aichi area.

for more photos of Nagoya click here

Things to Do in Scotland!

2018-11-10T14:00:00.000+08:00

Things to Do in Scotland!

September 14-23, 2017

Scotland

Scotland is a wonderful place to visit because they have the whole package! They have culture, history, tradition, beautiful cities and breathtaking landscapes; and icing on the cake is the whisky! Scotch whisky tastes wonderful in Scotland… I promise.

Edinburgh

Isle of Skye

Scotch Whisky!

Edinburgh is the must go to city in Scotland especially if your time there is limited. Edinburgh is also a good starting point from where you can take a land journey to other places such as Glasgow to the west or Inverness in the highlands to the north. From Inverness, you can then travel to the Isle of Skye found on the northwest portion of Scotland.

For the full blog entries of the various things to do in Scotland click the links below:

Exploring Edinburgh

Scottish Highlands: Inverness & Isle of Skye

Savoring Scotch in Scotland

A Day in Glasgow

Exploring Edinburgh

2018-07-18T13:44:00.000+08:00

Exploring Edinburgh

Edinburgh, Scotland

September 2017

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and is the must-see city during a Scotland trip. It is a hilly place with the medieval Old Town on top of the hill and the New Town found downhill. The Old Town is basically the popular Royal Mile with Edinburgh Castle on one end, St. Giles Cathedral in the middle and Holyrood Palace on the other end.

Staying and exploring Edinburgh is the best option if you have limited time in Scotland. Edinburgh may not encompass all of Scotland’s beauty, but it gives you a taste of Scotland’s history, culture and of course the ever-popular scotch whisky. Edinburgh is also a good starting point or home base to branch out to other cities and places in Scotland via train or bus. What we did was spend a day in Glasgow (back and forth by train from Edinburgh) and then spent 2 nights in Inverness (back and forth by bus from Edinburgh).

For my blog entry on Glasgow click here

For my blog entry on Inverness click here

I suggest that you find a place to stay along or near the Royal Mile to experience most of the historical and cultural places. You can easily walk to the New Town for shopping and more modern architecture but staying along the Royal Mile is truly an experience with the medieval ambiance of the area.

The Royal Mile

view of New Town from Edinburgh Castle

THE ROYAL MILE

Walking from one end of the Royal Mile to the other is easily doable especially with all the nice shops, coffee shops, restaurants and architecture along the way. St. Giles Cathedral will take you about 30 minutes to an hour to check out and the Edinburgh Castle will take you about 2-3 hours to explore. The castle is a big place with a lot of levels. The Edinburgh Castle has the traditional firing of the One o’clock Gun at exactly 1 PM. The firing of the gun dates back to 1861 and it is for ships nearby to set their maritime clocks which they needed for navigation. The gun is fired every day except on Sunday, Christmas Day and Good Friday.

St. Giles Cathedral

Entrance to Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle

view of Edinburgh Castle from New Town

Firing of the One o’clock Gun

REAL MARY KING'S CLOSE TOUR

I highly suggest joining the Real Mary King’s Close Tour; my appreciation of Edinburgh increased ten-fold after experiencing this tour. Real Mary King’s Close Tour brings you in and around a restored part of the old city underneath a new building. The tour is truly fun and interesting because the tour guides are actors in full historical outfit and character! They will give you a glimpse of how life was in the medieval times for the common folk unlike the usual fantastical tours about kings, queens, knights and castles. Do book in advance or get an advance ticket at their shop along the Royal Mile in front of the Cathedral. No photography or video recording is allowed during the tour.

SCOTCH WHISKY EXPERIENCE

Scotch Whisky Experience is a visitor attraction found right along the Royal Mile near the Edinburgh Castle. Their shop offers a ton of whisky options from single malt to blended whisky, from the cheap ones to the super expensive ones. They also have a bar upstairs offering a lot of types whisky for those who want to try out certain whisky that they might be interested in. They also offer various packages such as introductory tours and also master classes for those who want more in depth knowledge about whisky. This place also houses The World's Largest Collection of Scotch Whisky which you can view when you join a tour or a master class. Lastly there is a Whisky Barrel Ride, a short theme park style attraction where you ride inside a barrel which moves on a rail and lets you watch videos and see displays about the process of making whisky.

The World's Largest Collection of Scotch Whisky

For those who have limited time in Scotland or for those who plan to stay only in Edinburgh for their Scotland visit, the Scotch Whisky Experience is the best option for a couple of hours immersion in the world of Scotch whisky.

For my blog entry “Savoring Scotch in Scotland” click here

CONCLUSION

Edinburgh is really a teaser or a nutshell of the Scotland experience. A wonderful city with both medieval and modern blended together perfectly. Scotland is not the usual target for a European tour but it is truly a beautiful place to visit. Many European cities would have similarly strong history and culture but one big advantage of Scotland versus these cities is the Scotch (whisky)! Everyone loves their whisky, am I right?

For more photos of Edinburgh click here

For the main blog entry on Scotland click here

Bueno Tapas & Wine Restaurant

2018-06-04T11:28:00.000+08:00

Bueno Tapas & Wine Restaurant

The Grove by Rockwell

May 15, 2018

Bueno Tapas & Wine is a foodie’s dream restaurant where everything is just perfect. Chef Alfonso and his team did a masterful job in the interiors, design, food menu options, pricing and quality!

The restaurant is just the right cozy size with both indoor and al fresco dining options. The interiors are designed such that the place is intimate but not too formal. The design is a perfect mix of a classy feel and yet comfortable relaxed dining. The setup is suitable for intimate dates, family gatherings or even just a small group of friends.

Now to review the food! The most important part of any restaurant review. To summarize, the overall reaction to the food is WOW. Everything was very nicely presented, carefully prepared and the taste is just perfect! Each dish that was served, one after the other, was a surprise and a treat!

STARTERS

Croquetas de Queso y Pimiento –unlike other croquetas with a lot of heavy starch potato taste, this one was melt in your mouth excellent!

Croquetas de Calamares

Croquetas de Gambas –yummy. Just order it and try it for yourself. Looking at the photo alone makes you want to take a bite.

Gambas –Sizzlin’!!! A video is also attached as a photo does not do it justice. Perfectly sized shrimps in sizzling garlic.

MAIN DISHES

Arroz Negro (squid ink) –the squid ink can be tasted well in the rice and the Japanese mayo makes the squid ink rice less heavy on the palate.

Paella de Marisco y Pollo (shellfish & chicken) –a good paella for me is won by the level of stickiness and flavor of the rice. Bueno does Paella justice and look at the viands on this one!

Arroz Meloso de Rabo de Buey (oxtail rice)

Chicharrón (crispy pork belly) –sinfully beautiful! They can chop this for you for easier portioning but the presentation is pretty awesome.

Salmon al Horno (baked salmon)

Now to review the drinks… any wine place must have good drinks; even their non-alcoholic ones. The Sangria was nicely formulated with not too much fruits and just the right alcoholic punch. The other shakes were refreshing and with just a good amount of sweetness. The refreshing (and quite healthy) drinks are an excellent match with the heavy Spanish cuisine that has a plethora of rice and meat options.

What else is there to say? A perfect restaurant indeed! I have nothing but praise for the team that created Bueno Tapas and I hope they are able to maintain their level of quality and service. Take the time to go to Bueno Tapas and enjoy a good meal with family or friends, I promise you it is worth the trip!

for more photos of Buenos Tapas click here

Pipho12: Autumn in Kyoto!

2018-02-09T14:22:00.002+08:00

Pipho12: Autumn in Kyoto!

Kyoto,

Japan

November 19-21, 2017

Pinoy Photography Organization (PiPho) held it's 2017 international photo trip at Kyoto! We first passed by Osaka for a couple of nights and from there we took the train to Kyoto.

Dotonbori, Osaka

photo by EdwinK

Osaka

Kyoto is formerly the imperial capital of

Japan

for more than a thousand years. It is one of the best preserved cities in

Japan

. Kyoto has over 2000 religious places (Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines) as well as gardens, palaces and other cultural and historical structures. Imagine all of that with the autumn colors in the background!

On our first night we walked around Gion, a popular commercial area that is best known as Kyoto's most popular Geisha district. Although we weren't able to take photos of Geishas, we were able to visit the Hokan-ji Temple (Yasaka Pagoda), walk along Pontocho Alley and enjoy good Japanese beer and whisky at Beer Jive bar. The warmth of the whisky was perfect for the bone-chilling night cold (I am from a tropical country so anything below 12 degrees is too cold).

Hokan-ji Temple (Yasaka Pagoda)

Pontocho Alley

Beer Jive!

We started early the next day and focused in the Arashiyama area of Kyoto. There are just too many places to see in Kyoto so we focused on the most important places and the areas where there are multiple points of interest (so as not to waste time traveling from place to place). Upon arriving in Arashiyama, we immediately went to Arashiyama Bamboo Walk to take photos before the big tourist crowds arrive. After that we spent time at Okochi Sanso Garden were we had some matcha tea and dessert (included in the ticket price). We spent a lot of time at Okochi Sanso Garden because it was surprisingly vast with so much fauna and colors to enjoy. We then went to Jojakko-ji Temple and then after lunch to Tenryu-ji Temple. On our route back to the Airbnb, we took some shots of the Katsura River as well.

Arashiyama Bamboo Walk

Okochi Sanso Garden

Matcha tea and dessert at Okochi Sanso Garden

Jojakko-ji Temple

Tenryu-ji Temple

Katsura River

The third day of our photo trip started at Fushimi Inari Taisha where we took photos of the Torii gates. There are over 10,000 of these Torii gates that are donated by various businesses in

Japan

. Next stop is the Philosopher's Walk where we enjoyed coffee at Pomme and visited Honen-in temple (one of the temples in the area). Afterwards we traveled to see the Kinkakuji, the most inconic place in Kyoto with their Golden Temple.

Torii gates at Fushimi Inari Taisha

Philosopher's Walk

Honen-in temple

Kinkakuji Golden Temple

Another successful international photo trip by Pipho! Kyoto is truly a paradise for photographers and a city that photographers would want to visit multiple times due to it having so many areas and places to see and because of how Kyoto changes during each season. Imagine all your beautiful photos but this time instead of colorful autumn leaves they are with snow or with cherry blossoms... beautiful right? Kyoto has all the things photographers love such as historical places, cultural places, beautiful landscapes, portrait shots (people in kimono and other traditional garb) and then add to those the variety of colors that the different seasons bring.

for more photos click the links below:

Arashiyama, Kyoto

Kyoto, Japan (except Arashiyama)

A Day in Glasgow

2018-01-12T14:43:00.000+08:00

A Day in Glasgow

Scotland

United Kingdom

September 16, 2017

We took the ScotRail train from Edinburgh to Glasgow for a day tour. Upon getting there we bought tickets for the hop-on/hop-off bus tour by CitySightseeing. Glasgow is a large city and the places of interest are quite far from each other making the hop-on/hop-off bus a good choice for transport.

ScotRail train station

hop-on/hop-off bus

view of Glasgow Cathedral from the Glasgow Necropolis

Buchanan Street Shopping

Glasgow is the largest city in

Scotland

. It is formerly a major seaport (biggest in

Britain

for a long period of time) and a world center for chemical, textiles and engineering especially in the shipbuilding and marine industry.

The old Finnieston Crane along the River Clyde

The main focus in many of Glasgow's points of interest is Charles Rennie Mackintosh. His architecture work in Glasgow as well as his furniture design is quite impressive and very modern. It is so modern that they still look modern even today (around 200 years later)! I am no art expert but I am definitely impressed with his work. One of his architectural works is the Lighthouse and it was recently retrofitted with modern amenities like escalators and air-conditioning but what the Scots did was they built a modern structure beside the building and incorporated this structure to merge with the old one. Isn't that beautiful? Modernizing and conserving at the same time!

The Mackintosh House

The Lighthouse: modernizing and conserving at the same time!

We had lunch at the Willow Tea Rooms featuring the furniture and interior design of Charles Mackintosh. The tea was lovely and a very relaxing warmth versus the cold (and some rain) outside.

Willow Tea Rooms

Glasgow has a lot of beautiful modern architecture featuring many prominent architects such as the Riverside Museum by Zaha Hadid and the SSE Hydro by Foster + Partners.

Riverside Museum

The Tall Ship (behind the Riverside Museum)

SSE Hydro by Foster + Partners

Our day ended up quite tight and we sadly didn't have enough time to go around and explore as much as we wanted to. I really suggest at least a two day tour of Glasgow if you have the time. Glasgow is a beautiful city with history, art and it's own charm that's incomparable to other cities around the world.

George Square

Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum

for more photos of A Day in Glasgow click here

for the main blog entry on Scotland click here

Savoring Scotch in Scotland

2017-12-07T17:52:00.000+08:00

Savoring Scotch in

Scotland

United Kingdom

September 2017

No trip to Scotland is complete without some exposure to Scotch Whisky whether it be a simple visit to a bar or a store, a tour in a whisky distillery or a full on master class. To casual tourists, a trip to the various European countries might feel similar to each other; going around old cities, looking at old structures or displays in big giant museums. An elderly person once told me she regretted traveling all the way to Rome just to look at some old rocks! A tour of

Scotland

can easily be differentiated from other European tours because of their Scotch. The craft and art of making Scotch is such a beautiful thing and will surely be appreciated by non-drinkers, casual drinkers and master drinkers alike.

There are a variety of options for you to experience Scotch in

Scotland

. If your trip only involves staying in the main city of Edinburgh, the Scotch Whisky Experience visitor attraction is easily accessible right along the Royal Mile near Edinburgh Castle. There are also distilleries near Edinburgh that you can go visit but not as many as in other parts of

Scotland

. If part of your trip involves some Scottish Highland sightseeing, then a visit to Speyside distilleries is a good idea. Getting a dram from various restaurants and bars is also a good option since whisky tastes better when in Scotland (promise) most likely because of their Scottish weather (even the summers are cold!!!).

SCOTCH WHISKY EXPERIENCE

The World's Largest Collection of Scotch Whisky

Master Class

Barrel Ride

BENROMACH DISTILLERY

We went on a whisky day tour (coming from Inverness) and our first stop was at Benromach Distillery. Benromach is a small distillery and was just recently revived when it was acquired by a big retail group that decided to go into whisky distilling. The scale of production is definitely smaller than the giants in the market but they have etched their place in the industry. They have a nice visitor center and a tour starting off with a video and then an actual walk inside the facility. The end of the tour is the whisky tasting session and I eventually decided to get a bottle of the Benromach 15 Year Old Distillery Exclusive (can only be purchased at their distillery).

Benromach 15 Year Old Distillery Exclusive

GLENFIDDICH DISTILLERY

The second distillery we went to on our whisky day tour is the internationally popular Glenfiddich distillery. The whole facility including the land area was quite big. Water from the Robbie Dhu Spring is used in the entire process of production to maintain. To protect this water source, they went as far as purchasing all the property along it!

A lot of people visit Glenfiddich distillery and they have a good number of daily scheduled tours (1.5 hours each) to accommodate them. They also have a longer and more extensive 2.5 hour tour about the Solera process that costs more but for certain gives you more knowledge and most likely better whisky to try.

SPEYSIDE COOPERAGE

The most important place I went to on our whisky day tour was the Speyside Cooperage. Speyside Cooperage is the barrel making company that supplies barrels to distilleries in the Speyside region and in other parts of

Scotland

. Every good whisky requires a good barrel and a cooperage is where it all begins.

A barrel is amazingly (at least for me) water-tight despite not having glue or any form of chemical compound. Many factors ensure a good barrel and these are the proper shape and arrangement of the wood pieces (called staves), the tightness of the rings (called hoops), the charring of the inside of the barrel.

These barrels in the past came in different sizes and were used for many things (not just for making spirits) that required storing and/or transporting including oil products, fish (with ice), other types of meat, vegetables and even eggs (with straw).

Though visiting various distilleries is quite interesting, the process of making whisky is pretty much the same and the various tours in the distilleries will give you roughly the same knowledge. On the other hand, the history and process of making barrels is something special and can be considered an art. These craftsmen who make barrels are called coopers and their craft takes 4 years of apprenticeship to master!

for more photos of Savoring Scotch in Scotland on my flickr click here

for the main blog entry on Scotland click here

Scottish Highlands: Inverness & Isle of Skye

2017-12-04T12:59:00.001+08:00

Scottish Highlands: Inverness & Isle of Skye

Scotland

United Kingdom

September 17-19, 2017

The Scottish Highlands is the northern and north-western part of

Scotland

. The area is very cultural and historical complete with their own language called Gaelic. The Highlands is a very beautiful area and a trip to

Scotland

is not complete if you only stay in the lowlands (Edinburgh, Glasgow, etc). A big bonus as well is the presence of so many whisky distilleries in the Highlands! Hooray for scotch!

Inverness

The gateway and capital of the Scottish Highlands is no other than the city of Inverness. Inverness is a small quaint town with a population of 46,870 of the total 234,110 in the Highland region.

There are a good number of points of interest but it mainly revolves around the area of the castle that looms above a hill and the town just across the river. A half or whole day of walking around should be enough to cover the various places to see.

Inverness Castle

Greig St. Bridge

St Andrew's Cathedral

Old High Church, Inverness

I suggest staying at Inverness for at least 2 nights on your

Scotland

trip and use it as a jump off point to other places in the Highlands. We took a day tour to the Isle of Skye and another day tour to various Speyside Whisky Distilleries from Inverness.

for more photos of Inverness on my flickr click here

The Isle of Skye

An island west/northwest of Inverness where beautiful scenery awaits. We took a day van tour via Happy Tours

Scotland

. Don't fall asleep on your tour because the drive through the island is just as important as the various points of interest because the scenery is simply stunning with all the greens, mountains and even some bodies of water to accentuate the beauty.

From Inverness towards the Isle of Skye, we passed by some points of interest as well such as the Urquhart Castle and Eilean Donan Castle. In the Isle of Skye we had lunch at the city of Portree and stopped at two main points of interest: Quiraing and Kilt Rock/Mealt Falls. We were also give a chance to encounter the famous Heilan Coo (Highland Cattle), truly the cutest and most marketable cow in the world (most likely?).

Urquhart Castle

Eilean Donan Castle

Portree

Quiraing

Kilt Rock/Mealt Falls Bagpipes Player

Kilt Rock/Mealt Falls

Heilan Coo

Our tour guide John MacGillivray Coleman was loads of fun. He is quite knowledgeable with Gaelic history and keeps you up and awake with his stories, humor and Gaelic songs. He is actually part Gaelic with ancestry from the MacGillivray clan. The Scottish Highlands was very clannish during the olden times and lets just say they all didn't get along too well (battles and wars and such). The cultural and historical aspect of the tour lets you experience a deeper appreciation of the island and it's beauty.

Tour Guide John MacGillivray Coleman of Happy Tours Scotland

for more photos of The Isle of Skye on my flickr click here

Speyside Whisky Tour

There are soooooo many distilleries near Inverness and in the Highland region you'd think you were in heaven! I heard of a group who planned 7 days in the area just to go around the various distilleries! Definitely a must in

Scotland

, even for non-heavy drinkers of scotch. Making the whisky that people love and value is quite a craft and truly a form of art. We also went to the Speyside Cooperage that supplies most of the barrels that are used by the various distilleries. The coopers (barrel makers) are master craftsman and the whole process of making barrels is very interesting. For more information about the Speyside Whisky Tour please visit my blog entry "Savoring Scotch in Scotland" dedicated solely to Scottish Whisky in Scotland by clicking here.

for more photos of Savoring Scotch in Scotland on my flickr click here

for the main blog entry on Scotland click here

Museo Pambata

2017-11-04T23:45:00.001+08:00

Museo Pambata

Manila, Philippines

October 22, 2017

Museo Pambata is a government museum dedicated to children. Being a government establishment, I honestly did not expect much given my personal experience with government parks and facilities. I was happily proven wrong and was definitely surprised by Museo Pambata and what they had to offer. I was so impressed that I was at the point where I regretted not bringing a better camera!

There were a variety of themed rooms in both floors of the museum. The first room that you enter is about our Filipino heritage and culture. The second floor is mostly about learning and there is a story teller's nook, an illustrator's area and a science place about body parts with a cool entrance! Then there are 2 bigger play areas, one of which is most interesting because it was a Filipino style Kidzania/Kidzoona area where local shops like barbero, carinderias, sari-sari store and panaderias replace the more generic barbershop, restaurant, convenience store and bakery found in other play areas.

The museum was pretty big and definitely worth the entrance fee given the number of displays and activities. Some maintenance works on the displays is needed but it wasn't too bad (especially compared to other government facilities). It was sad to note that there were few guests... more marketing should definitely be done to promote this museum to families and some extra effort as well to break through the misconception about government facilities.

Overall a very nice afternoon spent and thus much appreciation and thanks to the management of Museo Pambata and all the donors and sponsors who help run and maintain the museum.

for more photos of Museo Pambata on my flickr click here

Things to Do in Osaka

2017-10-02T18:07:00.003+08:00

Things to Do in Osaka

Osaka,

Japan

March 21-28, 2017

Osaka is the third largest city in

Japan

. It is found in the Kansai Region and is actually the first capital of the country. When you think of

Japan

, the first city that would come to mind is Tokyo. However,

Japan

is a very developed country and Osaka pretty much has everything you need or would want from a

Japan

experience (tourist places, places for the kids, shopping and food). It pretty much has everything Tokyo has to offer with the added benefit of being less crowded!

TOURIST PLACES:

Osaka Castle -if you plan to just go to one cultural place during your visit to Osaka, this is the place to go! Osaka Castle is inside the huge Osaka Castle Park where you can enjoy the nice weather in a big open area. The castle itself is a museum and you can go to the top to view the park and the city below. for more photos of Osaka Castle click here.

Osaka Castle

view from the top of Osaka Castle (the park and the city)

Harukas 300 -whenever I go to a metropolitan city, I end up at one of the attractions where you can see the city below from way up high. On this trip we chose HARUKAS 300 and it gave a nice view of Osaka. I think there are 2 or 3 other options to view Osaka from up high which could possibly be better but this one has a shopping complex right below it for added convenience. For more photos of Harukas 300 click here.

best to arrive late afternoon so you can view before it goes dark and then after it goes dark

PLACES FOR THE KIDS (and young at heart):

Universal Studios Japan -a bit crowded as usual with theme parks in

Japan

but definitely something worthwhile doing while in Osaka. The place is pretty much setup like a standard Universal Studios park. The main feature would probably be The Wizarding World of Harry Potter especially for fans of this super franchise. A lot of people want to get in to this part of the park so it is best that you get timed entry tickets for WWoHP because they limit the number of people inside for safety reasons. Allocating one day for this theme park should be enough. If you have extra time you can go just outside the park to the Universal Citywalk Osaka for some shopping and food options. For more photos of Universal Studios Japan click here.

Universal Studios Japan

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Universal Citywalk Osaka

Legoland Discovery Center Osaka -Smaller than their counterpart in Tokyo but still a nice place to go for some indoor activities to hide a bit from the cold outside. 2-3 hours should be enough to fully enjoy Legoland Osaka. For more photos of Legoland Discovery Center Osaka click here.

Osaka Aquarium -One of the largest public aquariums in the world, Osaka Aquarium is a very nice place to visit with relatively healthy and happy sea creatures inside (good animal conditions). The place is designed such that you start from the very top and walk down a sloping path while viewing the various animals and displays all the way to the exit. For more photos of Osaka Aquarium click here.

SHOPPING IN OSAKA:

for more photos of Osaka Japan click here

Dotonbori/Shinsaibashi -a network of pedestrianized streets of restaurants and shops! The best area to stay in Osaka!

Nipponbashi -a place for anime, manga and toy lovers! There are so many small and big shops selling stuff that toy collectors would drool over! I personally got some transformers g1 (vintage 80's) for my own collection.

FOOD IN OSAKA:

for more photos of food in osaka click here

Kuromon Market -a very nice place to get excellent fresh food is the Kuromon Market! It is actually a raw food market place that also sells some cooked items. It is best to start your Kuromon Market walk in a state of hunger so that you maximize the experience!

Ichiran Ramen -personally my favorite among the popular ramen names in

Japan

! The broth, the noodles and everything about it is just perfect! Their booth/counter system is pretty cool as well. Everyone eats at a counter where there is a window that opens in front of you where the waiter serves your food. Each counter has all the amenities you might need including a faucet for water!

Taiyaki -a fish-shaped cake with red bean filling! I love red bean and this pastry (when freshly prepared and still hot) is just perfect for when walking around in the cold weather.

Chef Samurai

2017-06-21T16:02:00.001+08:00

Chef Samurai

Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Philippines

May 28, 2017

Chef Samurai is located at the heart (and stomach) of Subic Bay Freeport Zone where all the destination restaurants are found. They are relatively a new entrant to the Subic Bay food scene and has so far garnered good reviews.

These are the food that we tried:

Chirashi

Crispy Salmon Skin Maki

Spicy Tuna Maki

Salmon Sashimi

Ebi Tempura

Chicken Teriyaki Don

Soft Shell Crab Salad

Grilled Tuna Head

Tempura Bento Box

Overall a decent place to get good Japanese food in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. I wouldn't count them as mainstays and restaurant institutions like Meat Plus and Xtremely Xpresso but they could get there given time and consistency.

for more photos of Chef Samurai click here

Asakusa & Sensoji Temple

2017-02-18T14:23:00.000+08:00

Asakusa & Sensoji Temple

Tokyo,

Japan

November 5, 2016

Asakusa is the best place I was able to visit in Tokyo! That day was just perfect! The very nice weather also helped but really Asakusa is where I would choose to stay the next time I visit Tokyo.

We went there to visit the Sensoji Temple but was surprised at the very nice pedestrianized area around the temple. The area isn't as crowded as other tourist areas which is a nice change after experiencing heavy crowds at Disney, Shinjuku and Shibuya. We finally found some place in Tokyo where it wasn't difficult to maneuver the stroller and shepherd the kids (while carrying all the things families with small kids normally lug around). Although Asakusa doesn't match Shinjuku or Shibuya in terms of the number of shops and restaurants, most of Tokyo is pretty developed and Asakusa has more than enough to keep you happy and satisfied.

We got some stuff from Don Quijote, most important of which are the Japanese whisky bottles I took home with us (#whiskyjovi). We then rested at a small restaurant shop named Asakusa Takomaru whose specialty is Takoyaki and Karaage. There we had our afternoon coffee/tea and some Takoyaki while enjoying the weather at a table outside.

When the little one awoke from her afternoon nap, we went onward to Sensoji Temple. The place was quite packed because it is holiday season in

Japan

and the locals visiting their temples. Before entering the main temple, people would pass by this giant incense pot and use their hands to push the smoke towards themselves like a sort of cleansing or blessing. A lot of people were donating to get their fortune told via randomized sticks marked with numbers and their equivalent predictions found in numbered drawers with printed notes inside. Sensoji Temple is very nice and is a definite must see in Tokyo.

Before entering the main temple, people would pass by this giant incense pot and use their hands to push the smoke towards themselves like a sort of cleansing or blessing.

A lot of people were donating to get their fortune told via randomized sticks marked with numbers and their equivalent predictions found in numbered drawers with printed notes inside.

I love Asakusa and I am so glad we pushed to go there despite some delays in our itinerary. Our time there was the most memorable that we had in Tokyo.

for more photos of Asakusa click here

for more photos of Sensoji Temple click here

Crazy Tella

2017-02-13T15:38:00.001+08:00

Crazy Tella

The Yard Underground Food Park, Pasig City

January 20, 2017

For those who love Nutella (who doesn't?) there is only one place to be... at Crazy Tella in The Yard Underground food park! Food parks have popped up left and right in Metro Manila and people are loving it! The Yard Underground was packed and this was despite it being open for just a couple of days. The Yard Underground is designed with an underground subway train system feel like those found in New York or England.

Some of the desserts are served in Nutella jars and are personalized with your name written very nice and pretty using some art paper and coloring pens. Here are some of the desserts that we tried that night:

Cookie Cone Ice Cream! genius!!!

Waffella (Oreo)

Waffela (Brownie Fudge)

Bombetted -like a fried donut with nutella inside!

For all visitors of The Yard Underground, don't forget to leave some space for dessert and head over to Crazy Tella for your mandatory daily dose of Nutella!

for more photos of The Yard Underground click here

Halal Kebab Express

2017-02-11T14:05:00.001+08:00

Halal Kebab Express

The Yard Underground Food Park, Pasig City

January 20, 2017

Food parks have popped up left and right in Metro Manila and people are loving it! The Yard Underground was packed and this was despite it being open for just a couple of days. The Yard Underground is designed with an underground subway train system feel like those found in New York or England.

One of the best restaurants and definitely value-for-money-and-taste in The Yard Underground is the Halal Kebab Express! This is their third branch and their second in a food park. The whole night people were continuously ordering from their store!

We were able to try a variety of their menu. Everything was excellent and if you match these dishes with their prices, you would think them not only excellent but even awesome! The servings are very generous and they actually specify exactly how many grams of protein (meat) you are getting for your money.

Chelo Kebab Kubideh (75 grams of protein) -so much protein for a very value for money price of Php179!

Chelo Jujeh Kabab (37.1 grams of protein) -two big pieces of chicken topped over so much heavenly rice... for just Php179! This dish can actually be good for 1.5-2 persons!

Kabab Kubideh Wrap (47.56 grams of protein) -Php99! the best value for any wrap I have tried in Metro Manila!

Keema Lasagna (36.81 grams of protein)

Mango, Strawberry and Plain Yoghurt drink -quite refreshing! We couldn't agree on which one was the better flavor but you can't go wrong choosing either of the three.

Value for money, healthy, fresh and delicious grilled food from Halal Kebab Express! Definitely a MUST a try at The Yard Underground!

For more photos of The Yard Underground click here

Sassas Chicharronia!

2017-02-11T12:48:00.000+08:00

Sassas Chicharronia!

The Yard Underground Food Park, Pasig City

January 20, 2017

One of the restaurants there that stands out is Sassas Chicharronia! The word chicaharronia just reverberates on your tongue... Chicharronia!!! Chicharon? yes please! Sassas is a hole-in-the-wall setup with a simple menu that is mostly a mix of Sisig, Crisply Lechon and Chicharon Bulaklak. Who needs anything more, right?

All of the dishes we tried are a perfect match for beer! The second most important activity in a food park is enjoying some booze and Sassas should be your first target once you get to the beer/liquor part of the night! Pulutan!!!

Sisig with Chicharon Bulaklak Platter

Sisig Longganisa with Chicharon Bulaklak

Crispy Lechon with Chicharon Bulaklak Platter

For your The Yard Underground pulutan needs... choose Sassas Chicharronia!

for more photos of The Yard Underground click here

Ogawa Traditional Japanese Restaurant

2017-01-14T12:28:00.003+08:00

Ogawa Traditional Japanese Restaurant

Fort Strip, BGC

December 24, 2016

Ogawa Traditional Japanese Restaurant is located at the Fort Strip in the Bonifacio Global City. It is part of the Tony Roma chain of restaurants which includes the various restaurants beside it like Modern Sichuan and Thai BBQ Original. This group has opted for higher priced quality food versus selling via mass expansion and I think it is paying off.

We celebrated Christmas with the extended family at an earlier date and so for the first time ever (I think), we had Christmas dinner just for our smaller family group. We were not used to this setup that we only remembered to reserve a restaurant 2 days before the 24th! We finalized with a reservation at Ogawa in BGC but we were required to take a private room with a minimum consumable fee of Php 6000 (which was quite alright).

The restaurant is nicely designed with a fake Japanese bridge and roofing at the entrance. The inside is very cozy with a bar in the middle and the side where they prepare sushi and other dishes and is also used as counter table seating. The interiors and decorations exude a very traditional Japanese ambiance. The private room is a bit small but we got the corner room with a very nice view.

private room with corner view!

The food quality and presentation is top notch for all the dishes. They are certainly living up to their focus on quality. Here are the dishes we tried and my comments on each:

Uni (Sea Urchin) -my sister wanted some uni but they only had the imported ones available. We ordered anyway just to try it out. It is actually less gamey (if that is the right term) than the local counterpart.

Tokusen Seven Sashimi Mori -assorted sushi! I tried them all but I am really not a sushi fan. My sister said they were good.

Chawan Mushi -I love chawan mushi and always order it when given a chance. Ogawa's is nice and even the tofu is tasty; definitely prepared in some broth.

Asari Miso Soup -very tasty and a lot of clams albeit not the small ones I tasted in Japan.

Dobin Mushi (Soup) -served in a teapot and poured out to a small cup for each sip! very interesting.

Kaki (Oyster) Teppanyaki -yummy! I rarely eat oysters and actually prefer the Japanese way of preparing it than the western style.

Gindara Terriyaki -very nice but a bit too much sauce. I love gindara!

Gyuniku Enokimaki -mushrooms wrapped in thinly sliced beef! very nicely grilled and tasty. A bit expensive though but definitely worth a taste.

Shriromi to Asparagus Tempura -interesting tempura asparagus wrapped in white fish meat.

Ebi Tempura Moriawase -very big prawns used in these!

Wakadori Karaage -for the kids! The meat was tender and not as oily as other karaage.

Hotate Kamameshi -scallop and assorted vegetables kamameshi. I think I should have chosen the ones with pork or beef so that it would be tastier.

Overall a successful Christmas dinner! I definitely agree with their quality over mass selling policy and look forward to trying out the other restaurants in their group.

for more photos of Ogawa Traditional Japanese Restaurant click here