Two The
This week, it's the opening of the
X-Men: The Last Stand. But sharing space in the theaters is last-week's
The Da Vinci Code.
Even on its second week, there are still a lot of people watching the movie (including me). Thanks to the much intrigue and hype accompanying the movie, expect people to line up to the cinema to see for themselves what it is all about.
From the novel of Dan Brown, it is about Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, who became a suspect on the murder of the Louvre curator. As he tries to clear up his name, with the help of Sophie Neveu, a police cryptologist and the granddaughter of the victim, clues and revelations are found in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci.
The movie tries to be faithful to the book; but in the end, the book provides a more fast-paced, intriguing and thrilling adventure.
After the movie, attended the anticipated Mass. Since we would be attending
Martin Nievera's The Greatest Hits concert at the newly opened
Mall of Asia, decided to have dinner there so that we would be near where the concert will be held. Thus, it was
Italianni's for us, but this time, in their Mall of Asia branch.
As expected of any Martin Nievera concert, the singer's wit and comic talent surfaces. Thus, his concert is never boring. This would be his last concert, for now, as he would be going to Las Vegas. He has a one-year contract in one of Las Vegas hotels.
Some sidelights of the concert:
* I keep on saying, he would surely be in the crowd when the concert starts. Alas, he is! He is standing along our row. Too bad, it took me sometime to get my camera and start shooting.
* Because of the heat, he was sweating too much, to the point he "tasted" or "drank" his hair spray. (All along, I was thinking, the bottle of hair spray is with the bottles of water on stage and he mistakenly took it and have a sip... LOL) And he was allergic to the hair spray. Good thing, somebody in the audience have a medicine for allergy.
* There's a lady in the audience he keeps on teasing. To his dismay (?), at the middle of the concert, he learned that the lady in question is the wife of Henry Sy, who happens to be the owner of the Mall of Asia.
* Included in the finale medley is my favorite--You Are My Song.
No movie for now...
This week is the opening of the
much-hyped movie,
The Da Vinci Code. Heard (and read) various reactions about the movie. The bottomline? The book is it!
Decided not to watch this week as there would surely be a long line to the theaters. So, decided to have my pictures in
Boracay developed. That would be an hour wait before I see in print my
much-hyped pictures.. hehehe! So, to fill-up at the time, bought photo paper for my stock, looked for photo album that would fit in one album all the pictures I took of my Boracay vacation. Unlike the
much-hyped movie, my printed pictures is definitely not a disappointment. LOL
Attended the anticipated Mass. And lo! the topic is also about the "Da Vinci" movie. But what the priest told in the sermon is similar to what
Discovery Channel presented in its
Da Vinci Declassified. Bottomline again? "The Da Vinci Code" is a work of fiction, and some of the things it pushes as "facts" have flaws in them and have no basis.
After the Mass, had dinner at
heaven 'n eggs.
Y! Silent Hill?
The movie
Poseidon opens this week. Never felt watching it as it would be of a drama genre.
So, it's either
Reincarnation,
Aquamarine or
Silent Hill. Decided to watch Silent Hill as it is already on its third week.
Upon entering the moviehouse, a lady approached me and gave a Yahoo! Messenger toy promo. Of course, took it, thank you! Now, my Yahoo! Messenger toy are twins...
Sharon was adopted by Rose and her husband. Whenever Sharon sleepwalks, it is with the intent of going to
Silent Hill, a ghost town. Against her husband's wishes, Rose takes Sharon to Silent Hill, hoping to "cure" her. Once there, the girl went missing. As Rose tries to look for her, it's as if she stepped into another dimension. Instead of night and day, it's fog and darkness... and it changes every few minutes. As she follows the trail of her daughter, she discovers the mystery, history and secrets of Silent Hill. The movie is fast-paced. I just wonder, why was that Rose's decision when she encountered Alyssa and, haven't she noticed, even if they left Silent Hill, the fog is still there..?
After the movie, attended the anticipated Mass and had dinner at
Italliani's. Then went to
Landmark Department Store who is having a sale from May 12 to 14.
Chocolate!
Went straight to The Manila Peninsula for the seminar we have with Microsoft. It is a rainy day and it did contribute for me to being late... among others. hehehe! Arrived just in time for the ending minutes of the ice-breaker. The ice-breaker actually is to describe yourself using the first letter of your name. So, it's G for GORGEOUS for me!!! LOL
While the seminar is going on, a box of chocolates is being passed from one table to another. Got two. Then, I remembered that a friend told me that there is a chocolate that is not yet available in the Philippine market--and it's delicious. She was supposed to give me some so I can taste it, but it was consumed before she can send me some. I wonder if this is the one she is mentioning. Took a picture of it and sent it to her via MMS. And yes, it is! According to her, one chocolate costs P20.00! Should have taken a dozen.. hehehe!
Boracay: Day Four
Check-out time is 12 noon. Aside from packing our things, decided to look around
The Panoly and take pictures as souvenir...
Pool
Beach
Beach
Fishermen's store
At exactly 11:45AM, The Panoly staff went to our room to check and have our bags carried to the lobby, paid our bill and went to the boat that would ferry us back to Caticlan. On our way to the boat, the vendors we met during our stay even waved us goodbye.
We arrived at Caticlan around 12:40PM. Boarding time for the bus to Kalibo is 12:45PM. Left the terminal around 1:10PM. Bought some (food)
pasalubong at the terminal.
By 2:40PM, the bus reached the Kalibo Airport. Our 4PM flight back to Manila via
Cebu Pacific left Kalibo around 4:20PM.
5:30PM, touchdown, Manila.
There are many sides to Boracay, a small bone-shaped tropical paradise island, which enchant both tourists and natives alike: white beach, clear blue water, pristine landscape, wide assortment of restaurants carrying international flavors, vibrant nightlife and magnificent sunsets...
Boracay: Day Three
Our Saturday started early. The island hopping tour would start at 8:00AM. By 7:45AM, we are already on our way to Crystal Cove, Crocodile Island and Puka Beach. Our tour guide is Eli.
Crocodile Island
Crocodile Island is good for snorkeling. From afar, the island looks like a crocodile, thus, the name. Since my niece and I are not in our swmisuits, snorkeling is out of the question.
Crystal Cove
Our first stop is
Crystal Cove. This island has two caves which tourists can enter and see a big crystal formation sitting in the middle of the cave.
One has to go down a series of steps to enter the first cave. Once in, you'll be in awe by what you will see inside, as the waves splashes along the caves walls. In the middle of the cave is a formation of crystals, a small mound with a big oval made of crystals on top.
The second cave would require you to wade through the water to reach the mouth of the cave. Once there, you have to crawl on all fours to reach whatever it is at the end of the cave/tunnel. Started to do just that, then my muscles ached. Have to go back. According to the kids who were ahead of me, what they saw is a bridge made of crystals.
Puka Beach
Our next stop should have been Crocodile Island. Because of the waves and because we have no plans of snorkeling, agreed to proceed to
Puka Beach. Here, we would be having our lunch. Puka Beach is a good site for diving and snorkeling. We had crabs, prawns and chicken barbecue for lunch. While waiting for our food, several vendors are showing their wares. Mostly necklaces and bracelets made of shells and pearls. We got good price as we are their
buena mano. When another couple went inside the restaurant, the vendors are quoting them five or six times higher than what they gave us. (Guess, although they are Filipino, they don't know how to speak
Tagalog, making them a rich local tourist.)
Banana Boat
After the tour, dropped by again the fishermen's store so that my niece can buy a
pasalubong for her dad. We got another discount on our purchases! c",)
Rested for a while, watched Star Mandarin in cable TV and took a banana boat ride around 4:30PM. A couple joined us in this activity. All other banana boats we passed by tipped over their passengers. We must be good in balancing as we never fell in the water during the entire ride (or is it because we told the one driving the speed boat not do so..? hehehe!).
Since it would be the last sunset we would be experiencing at Boracay, stayed at the beach for a while, taking some shots of its awesome beauty...
Boracay: Day Two
The shuttle that would bring us to
Cocomangas (at the main beach) would leave at 1:00PM. We decided to take our lunch there. Thus, the first thing in our agenda is to look for a place where we can have our lunch. It is here where we stumbled into
Jonah's Fruit Shake House and Restaurant.
Jonah's Fruit Shake House and Restaurant
Remember the girl at the bus mentioning about the banana choco peanut shake? It is this restaurant's specialty. I bought one for myself and my niece chose mango milk shake. Spent sometime there, eating our late lunch while viewing the sparkling clear blue water and white sand. Then three guys passed by, rather good looking, with one standing out from the other two. That's when my niece told me that he is
AJ Dee. AJ Dee, who? Seems that he is an ABS-CBN star. Oh well, at least we can now say we saw at least one actor at Boracay... hehehehe!
Boracay sandcastle
While trying to cool off from the heat of the sun, saw a sandcastle nearby. Left my niece at Jonah's to take some shots of the sandcastle. There's a can nearby... Does that mean I should be giving some tip?
The guest relation at the resort, Julius, mentioned to us about
d*mall and
d*talipapa. A place to go to at the main beach for some souvenirs. Of course, he also told us how much to pay for the pedicab. Thus, from Cocomangas, took a tricycle ride to d*mall. Familiar stores and restaurants, like Rudy Project, Nothing But Water Shoppe, Mongkok and Andok's, can be found there. The sales ladies are also friendly, advising us how to get to d*talipapa (suggested that we walk instead of taking another ride) when we inquired from them. The nice thing about walking, there are a lot of things you can observe and see.
Slippers
We were able to buy our
pasalubong plus a bag to put in the things we bought. (That, too, I was able to get a discount!) From d'talipapa, we decided to walk our way back to Cocomangas, stopping by
Budget Mart to buy bottles of water and snacks we can bring on our island hopping tour.
Beach volleyball
By the beach near d'mall, the semi-finals (or finals?) of the beach volleyball competition sponsored by Nestea is ongoing. Spent sometime there to rest. My niece is rather tired. I wonder why? Surely, when you're shopping, you never get tired?! hehehe!
A dog and his frisbee
As we proceeded back, we saw a dog trying to catch the frisbee being tossed by his master. Looks like he would be joining Alpo Frisbee Challenge this Sunday. He's a cute labrador. There was even a point that he was trying to bury the frisbee. Must have thought that his master keeps on loosing the frisbee, he might as well keep it, for he (the dog) has to catch it and give it back to his master... LOL.
Boracay sunset
Our shuttle back to The Panoly is 7:30PM. Decided to spend time at Jonah's up to the time we would be leaving the main beach. Here, we witnessed the sunset and how the main beach started to come alive with party-goers...
Back to
The Panoly, we again took at dip at the pool and jacuzzi to wash away the day's stress and heat.
Boracay: Day One
It is common to forward e-mails, be it jokes, inspirational messages, etc. One of the e-mails I received is about lessons to be learned from the Dalai Lama. Unfortunately, the instructions were to forward the e-mail to others, then, delete the e-mail. But what struck me most is the statement: At least once a year, visit a place you have never been to. This year, it would be Boracay for me.
Tagging along my niece, we we would be taking the 8:50AM (originally 9:00AM) flight of
Cebu Pacific. As early as 6:30AM, we are already on our way to the airport. I have read in the newspaper that passengers taking a Cebu Pacific flight should be at the airport at least two hours before the scheduled flight because the runway of the
Manila Domestic Airport is closed. The 8:50AM flight turned to 9:15AM, as flights before ours have been delayed.
The one-hour flight from Manila to Kalibo is uneventful, except that we were able to meet a new friend in the plane. Marifel is a resident of Kalibo. She just went to Manila for an interview at the embassies as she plans to travel around the world. Her family owns a resort in Boracay, which her sister currently manages. They also have a bakery (
English Bakery) where
Club Panoly, the resort where we would be staying, is buying their bread. Since she knows that it would be our first time in Boracay, she gave us tips: how much to pay for a fare (and the manner by which we will pay the fare... hehehe!), where to go and how to go there, etc. Upon reaching Kalibo airport, we exchanged mobile numbers, just in case... c",)
From Kalibo Airport, we took a bus to Caticlan. It is a one and a half hour travel. Aside from enjoying the scenery, can't help but listen to the two girls behind us who chatted incessantly. One of them would be going to Boracay for the first time; thus, the other one is keeping her (and me) abreast. Must remember to try the banana choco peanut fruit shake the girl keeps harping about... And my niece? She just slept all the way.
At the
Caticlan Jetty Port, we waited for a few minutes for the boat that would take us at Club Panoly in Boracay. When it arrived, our fellow passengers are mostly Japanese (with their female escorts) and a caucasian family. The boat trip took about 40 minutes.
Finally, we arrived at The Panoly Resort around 2:00PM. Welcome drinks awaited us. After freshing up a bit, my niece and I immediately went to the resort's Cafe Punta Bunga for our very late lunch.
An officemate who also spent their family's vacation at The Panoly advised me to try the fishermen's house where you order food in advance, as it would be cheaper. Marifel also mentioned that the food at The Panoly is a bit high, adding that The Panoly is the most expensive resort in Boracay. That would explain the cost of the food... hehehe!
But first, my niece and I planned our activities. On Friday, we would be going to the main beach. Thus, we have to book our slot in the shuttle to and from Cocomangas. On Saturday, it would be island hopping and banana boat ride. And our last day in Boracay, Sunday, we would just be preparing our things as we have to leave by 12 noon for our 4:00PM flight back to Manila.
Since my niece wanted to buy a pair of swimsuit (she doesn't like the one she brought with her), we decided to go to the store we saw by the beach. Aside from the swimsuit, she bought a set that she would be wearing during the island hopping tour. Definitely would look good in pictures... hehehe! Guess, we are good at haggling, I was able to get something for me for free! The vendor also pointed us to where we can order food (the one being mentioned by my officemate as the fishermen's house). Looked at the menu, and it does cost cheaper especially if you are a big group. Since it's just the two of us, decided to have our meals at The Panoly. Cost of the food is like eating at Pancake House.
Usually at night, they set-up at the beach for dinner with dinner show. It is always an acoustic night. But my niece and I still decided to have dinner at the Cafe. Besides, we can hear the music from where we are eating.
After dinner, we spent some time at the pool and the jacuzzi.
A good find at the resort, which my niece (and I) enjoyed, they have Star Mandarin in their cable TV! LOL
