Luzon 2016: Baguio, Tanay, and Morong

Long time no see again!

October has been extremely busy on my end, from meeting several groups of friends to taking the civil service exam. Between that and the onslaught of storms coming in, it has been very difficult to take some product pictures for the blog. I'm very keen on using natural light and there simply isn't any!

Given this, I thought I'd do a local travel diary this time. August and September had a total of three local destinations, which is a lot more than my family usually travels in that period of time. It's been a really taxing year (am I the only one thinking this year is terrible?) so a few vacations are always welcome.

Now, these aren't going to be as extensive as my Europe travel diary but I hope you appreciate them just the same.

Baguio August 2016 - Amare La Cucina

I've been to Baguio more times than I can count, and I'm sure you're sick of the same old views. I thought I'd do a tiny feature on one of my favourite pizza restaurants ever, called Amare. Bold statement, but pizza is probably my favourite food and they make the type that makes me want to eat three whole ones by myself. 

Its a small restaurant located inside Albergo Hotel along Villamor Street. It's about 40 to sometimes 1 hour and 30 minutes wait for a table, but I assure you the wait is worth it. My personal favourite pizzas are the Ragu Bolognese, Alvin's Pizza, and Pizza Con Prosciutto. Their pastas are amazing as well, and I would highly recommend adding some mint iced tea to the order.

Highly recommended if you want to try something other than what is at Ketchup!

Tanay, Rizal September 2016

My aunt and uncle came home from Sydney, and we took them around Tanay for a bit of a new experience. The views were amazing and I've honestly never seen so much forest in such a big expanse of land. I'm honestly curious to know if there are Philippine Eagles hiding around here. We were supposed to see the windmills but got lost too many times to count. Ah, all part of the adventure, right?

Morong, Bataan September 2016

We went to the beach the next day and stayed overnight. I've actually visited this resort previously in June, but it was a lot better now that the rains weren't as intermittent. I didn't wade in the water but I did a lot of walking around and listening to some of the stories my relatives shared. A lot of these pictures are sunsets and of the beach, because I'm still working on my sunset and beach photography. If you have any tips, I'd love to hear them!

What about you guys - have you been anywhere recently? I'd love to hear about it and even see pictures if you have any!

Tuesday, November 01, 2016

Luzon 2016: Baguio, Tanay, and Morong

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Subic and Morong (June 2016)

I'm honestly not a beach person, despite living in a country where the nearest beach is probably two to three hours away. Biggest issue: heat from the sun. I'm more comfortable in cold, windy places where I could aimlessly walk around, so the idea of sweating profusely is very unappealing to me.

Despite this, I found that I loved being at the beach last weekend. There's something about reading a book my the beach and walking around with sand between your toes as a cool breeze passes by that's very refreshing. I must say I prefer being at the beach during rainy season because not only is it not as hot as it would have been in the summer, but seeing the contrast between rain and sun is really startling in the best way. Also, less people! Having the beach to yourself is something people should try once in a while.

We stayed at the Kamana Sanctuary Resort and Spa for a day and a night. Its further away from Subic Freeport, tucked away near the entrance to Morong, Bataan. Highly recommended if you want a place far from the cluster of resorts, has good service, and a pretty decent breakfast buffet (a rare find, to be honest). 

View of the place from the infinity pool. Weather was perfect - still sunny, but windy enough that it doesn't feel too hot and sticky. Skies were also a bright blue, which was a big change compared to the rainy city.

Exploring beyond the casitas with my mom. It was such a beautiful morning, great for taking pictures! In all honesty I miss travel photography the most, because being able to capture the beauty of a place at a particular time is really magical.

We then spent two days and a night at Anvaya Cove. We visited this place previously with my mother's side of the family and easy to say, everyone loved it! This was less than an hour away from Kamana, also tucked away in a cove (hence the name) in Morong. Its a huge place that does require a shuttle or a car to get around, but the Beach and Nature Club is worth it!

The views you get from this place at any time during the day are something I will never tire of.

Oops, the kid caught me taking pictures. Sorry!

Amazing contrast of a thunderstorm from a distance and the sunset. Not something you get to see everyday. Makes you appreciate that nature still has a lot of wonders to offer. 

That's it from me! I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed being at the beach. Will this mean more trips to the seaside in the future? We shall see!

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Subic and Morong (June 2016)

By Pauline Read More