So there we were, on our first day in Boracay.  We strolled along the shores of Station 1 hoping to get our hands on this heavenly shake.  It was the afternoon and we saw people kite surfing (wind surfing).  It was fun looking at them and I would have wanted to try it myself but I conditioned myself to just chill in Boracay for the rest of our stay.

Just in case you don’t know yet, it’s pretty windy in Boracay from July to October.  Some people even surf here if the waves get bigger.

Anyway, we walked along the shore for a long time and we almost reached the “grotto” (rock).  I remember that Jonah’s never is after the grotto and we were like… “WHERE IS JONAH’S?”

We strolled again for a while hoping to find it… But it just wasn’t there!

And so we asked the locals…  they said that there’s no more Jonanh’s by the beach.  But they gave us instructions to their branch along Boracay Highway.  It was just a couple of minutes walk from our hotel – Astoria Boracay.

Apparently, their contract there on the land was over… That’s what they said… but I hope it’s not politics.  Business politics could get crazy here in Boracay.  Anyway, they will be back soon by October on the White Beach in Station 1 (but not exactly the exact location).

But as for now, visit their boutique restaurant near Crown Regency Boracay.

Jonah’s Shake Boracay (by the highway)

Outside the Jonah’s Fruit Shake and Restaurant Highway Branch (near Crown Regency)

Avocado Shake

Price ranges from P75 to P100++ depending on the mix of fruits

Mango Avocado shake

You can also have it “to-go”

Though it doesn’t look as nice as the one in glass 😛

A peek on Jonah’s shake menu

They also serve rice meals, pasta, burgers & fries, crepes, pancakes and others.

I tried ordering their mango crepe

Mango Crepe P90

It was just okay 😛

Now you know where to find Jonah’s

🙂

Thank you to Astoria Boracay for sponsoring our stay in Boracay 🙂

xoxo,

Candy

We just arrived in Astoria Boracay now and it improved A LOT! Check out the photo below (taken by my BB Curve).

Love it!

It’s off season now at Boracay and there are less people here than usual. The weather is gloomy! But, for some reasone, I love it more! I can’t wait to just chill, enjoy the beach, the ocean, the waves (if it gets bigger I’ll surf here) :P. Check out my post about surfing in Boracay. It’s probably in one of the related posts linked down below 😀

As og the moment, I am on a budget. I am just going to enjoy anything that is free as much as possible. That means, I’ll just enjoy the pure shores of this island, take photos, capture the sunrise and the sunset. And maybe capture the moon by the horizon if I can. 🙂

The last time I went here, I saw the moon almost hitting the horizon. It was 2am at that time. I was just supposed to nap for 30 minutes then go out and capture it near the horizon… But I failed to wake up T_T

I hope I would have that second chance tonight. We’ll see 🙂

TAFN,
Candy

Right…

Me, and butterfly photography!

I know I’m not really a hardcore photographer but I have patience… If you would have seen me inside that butterfly garden, you would see sweat dripping down my back and everywhere… Now, that sounds disgusting!  But I am a very determined woman!

I did not really have macro lenses or what not… so I just used my defective kit lens (18-55mm Nikkor) with my Nikon D40 and my Panasonic Lumix LZ10.

Leh, no grabbing the photos and using it without my permission okay?

la la la…

Here we go 😀

General Information

Open daily from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

General Admission: P 20

Senior Citizens and Students (with ID): P10

Children below 5 years old: Free

The La Union Botanical Garden was initially maintained and operated through the countrywide development fund (1995-1998) of the  then Congressman Victor F. Ortega representative, first district of La Union.Â. To maintain the garden they have specialized people and use the best Outdoor tips for gardening. Presently, The garden is being managed by the La Union Botanical Garden Foundation and being subsidized by the city government led by the then Hon,  Mayor Mary Jane C. Ortega and now presently by the Hon. Mayor Pablo C. Ortega.

By the Entrance

La Union Botanical Garden, Cadaclan, San Fernando, La Union Map

You need patience to capture them beautifully… this one isn’t even as beautiful as I hoped it would be

Pink Frame

Purple Gray

Spider ant

eh? monkey! why that pose leh?

Fascinating

Close-up

Ferdz (ironwulf.net) taking photos of Lam-ang (a hero in Philippine Literature – Biag ni Lam-ang)

Just used my digicam Panasonic Lumix LZ10 to do macro shots

The world is beautiful

Close Up 😛

busy Butterfly

Poor flower, all eaten by grasshopper

still using digicam… quality not as good as SLR… which made me think of buying a new one *faints*

Serpent Eagle

They probably feed on serpentsssss 😛

Philippine Sea Eagle “the suplado”

Eagles have really strong features.  I got intimidated just by looking at it resting on top of a rock… good thing there’s a cage, if not I… *faints*

Hawk Eagle “The Pirate”

I called him that because his other eye is injured 🙁

Unlike the other eagles above, I can say that this Eagle is more like a “rockstar”

he’s a goofy kinda eagle…

Rofus Night Heron

I named him “Spock”

because he looks like spock 😛

what a show off lol

O_o mushroom growing on top of the mini fountain

La Union Botanical Garden’s mission is to establish a garden for environmental education, scientific research, biodiversity conservation, aesthetic recreation and public service potentials.  It also aims to bring together as complete a collection of all Philippine native plants and all ornamental plants suited to the climatic zone of the lowland areas of Northern Luzon.

more photos here.

Hope you enjoyed reading and viewing my photos hehe 😛

I only used my digicam Panasonic Lumix LZ10 in almost all pictures because my Nikon D40 kit lens’ auto-focusing is broken 🙁

Up next on my Thunderbird Resort Series of Adventures,

the MACHO Temple!

That’s right

Temple of MACHO!

I LOVE bread!!! Like breakfast won’t be complete without it…

Jam and butter is also a must…

Sometimes, with one sitting, I can eat 5 mini buns of bread *faints*

Anyway, I love cheese too so there you go 😀

Toasted bread with jam and butter inside *drools*

They have a Medley of Home Made Breads and Rolls

Heaven!!!

How do you like your eggs?

For me, I love my eggs cooked soft boiled for 8 minutes.

The 8 minutes thing was something my mom taught me.

Sunny side up is okay as well but the soft boiled egg is the best because there’s no oil needed 😀

And so, here you go.  The usual breakfast items.

No. 1 on the list BACON

YUM!!! Especially if it is cooked with butter!

They also had the Chicken and Pork Adobo (CPA)

Vince’s favorite – Tocino.

I also had my Malaysian friends try this 😀

I didn’t know how to describe it or translate it to English at first 😀

I just said, it’s like sweetened pork…

Do you have any other English terms for this?

Let me know and comment love below 😉

Of course, you wouldn’t feel you’re near a beach without some fish or seafood.

I skipped the soup because I knew I would be eating a lot of bread.

They had Wonton Noodle Soup and Lomi Soup on our second day.

To all who loves dairy products… that would be me 😀

I didn’t get the milk though… and the yogurt, I forgot to get one *plak*

The fruit juices were nice (especially the Melon Juice) but at that time, I was craving for chocolate so bad so I had Cold Milo 😀

Vince got a lot of Tocino 😛

Chow time!  Don’t be deceived, that’s just my first plate 😛

Ta-da… I forgot to mention about eating fruits before anything else.

Nice view of the restaurant… <3

Next up on my series of Thunderbird Resorts Vacation is the different places we went to during the city tour… Love churches?  That’s up next 😉

Till next time foodies,

FlairCandy

Thunderbird Resorts is inspired by Mediterranean architecture.  It is like being in Santorini Greece and you just need to drive 5 to 6 hours away from the city. When we went there, it was sunny by day and but it rained during the afternoons.  I didn’t mind though, the weather just made me want to chill and relax more.  It made me want to sleep and forget the city buzz.  For what its worth, just looking outside the veranda overlooking the sea and the pool is just therapeutic enough.

I can’t really say enough how I loved being there.  You have to experience it for yourself.  The rooms are around Php 5,000 a night which is really not bad for a relaxing luxurious getaway.  It includes breakfast for two (which is also lovely to blog about it next).

*All photos are copyrighted.  Ask permission before grabbing 🙂 photos taken by Nikon D40 and Panasonic Lumix LZ10.  For more details of the pictures, click image 😀

View from the third floor

View at night 🙂

view beside the hallways

Golf cars that you can rent to roam around the compound.  They also have bikes you can borrow for free 🙂

Just some nice view with the blue skies

The Beach where you can swim… Be careful though don’t swim here alone, make sure there’s a lifeguard or something.

View from the lobby / veranda

Some place I find romantic 🙂 😛

beach front 🙂

The dome

Surround Sound System

The really lovely cozy comfy rooms.

Digital Media System.  I played music through my USB.  You can play your iPods here 🙂

HD LCD TV

Really spacious bathroom ^_^ love it!

Rain shower 😛

Clean toilet

Robes, regular towels and beach towel

Lovely room lovely bed! Very comfy!!!

View outside our room… ahh, looking at this picture makes me want to go back.

Another side of the hotel up front 🙂

Anyway, there’s more to love about this resort.  If you want a day trip you can also ask for them to tour you around the city for P 850 net per person on the weekdays and P 950 net per person on weekends.  This is also good for day trips I believe and in this case, the package includes the use of the pool and food and beverage consumables worth P500.  I’m like “OMG cheap and good!”  This promo is only happening from April 5 to September 30, 2010 though and reservations are recommended. City trip includes the Pindangan Ruins, La Union Botanical Gardens and the Ma Cho Temple which is next in my blog post queue so do come back and subscribe 🙂

Resort Facts

Rooms

22 Deluxe Rooms

10 Deluxe VO Rooms

4 Deluxe Suites

Room Features and Amenities

HD LCD Television with Home Theatre Surround Sound System

Ipod Docking Station with Speakers

In-room Electronic Safety Box

Pantry with Coffee and Tea-making facilities

Free Wi-Fi Access

Jacuzzi bath tub and microwave oven (Deluxe VO Rooms)

Furnished living room, kitchenette and dining  areas (Deluxe Suites)

With hair dryer Daily Newspaper! 😀

Sports Facilities

The Cliffs Golf and Beach Club

Santorini Swimming Pool

Half Court Basketball Area

Water Sports

Jogging Path at the Boardwalk

Volleyball Area

And of course, don’t forget the Beach Area

Other Facilities

Meeting & Banquet Facilities (Patio Santorini, Lobby Meeting Room, Amphitheater)

Hotel Food and Beverage Outlets (Olives Restaurant, Patio Santorini, Pool Bar)

Gaming Facilities (Fiesta that’s open 24 hours)

Food and Beverage Outlets (Vegas Cafe and Cabana Bar)

25 hour Shuttle Service (drives within the compound)

Contact Details

Resort Address: Poro point Freeport Zone, San Fernando City, La Union

Telephone no.: +63.72.888.7777

Makati Office:  24 F Salcedo Towers, 169 H.V. Dela Costa St., Salcedo Village, Makati City

Telephone no.: +63.2.886.5555

Fax no.: +63.2.894.3333

Email: pororeservations@thunderbird-asia.com

www.thunderbird-asia.com

What: Meg’s 12th Year Anniversary

Where: Amber

Hosted by: The Boys Night Out

Maris of Meg and me 🙂

Vince and me

Inside Amber

I want this in my room lol

Yassi Pressman and me 🙂

with Jackie and Yassi – the new PLDT Watchpad Crew

The Kiss Contest!

Maybelline sponsored the Kissing contest.  They were looking for couples who were game to join the contest.  We didn’t know it was a kissing contest yet :P  As much as Vince and I were trying our best not to be seen by the organizers, they still found us for some reason… So there we are, we found ourselves on the stage with another couple and with the 3 boys of BNO.

They gave us Maybelline lipsticks and asked us to apply it on our lips…

Then the contest follows… whoever gives the most creative kiss will win Maybelline makeup!

We really didn’t know how to be creative but whatever we did, it worked 😛

So here you go guys… Our winning prize… Too bad only I could benefit from the price.  Poor V, didn’t get any… at least he’ll have a prettier girlfriend with these Maybelline products… Review soon!

xoxo,

FlairCandy

I had many realizations while we were on the trip:

1. The Philippines is amazing!

I’m lucky to be a citizen.  I wish more Filipinos would be proud of this.  During the trip, I have seen the vast shoreline and the beautiful beaches.  In contrast, I also witnessed the overwhelming view from the mountains which is spectacular.  The trip was like a time capsule and it brought me to a different date when I visited different churches and towns.  There is so much to see in the Philippines!  My only wish is that these tourist spots would be more accessible to travelers.  It’s about time the government would think of more trains to and fro the provinces.

 

2.  Now I know how it feels to be a celebrity [ish] (well sort-of).

I always thought being up on TV and shooting for the camera was fun.  You can see the lives of celebrities on TV and how cool their jobs are.  Having a TV show myself (Tek Tok TV), I also felt how draining a single shoot can be.  But don’t get me wrong, it’s still one of the most fun jobs in the world, especially if you love cam-whoring – having a video camera follow you is not much different.

We also experienced walking on the streets with cameras following us.  The people around stare at us as if we’re celebrities.  There was even one guy who took pictures with us.  He honestly thought we were celebrities.

I certainly would miss this day.

As a blogger, I always hold the camera and take pictures.  I’m so happy I did not have to bother much about capturing those memories because we had Jeck and Orange House! :)  And of course, this road trip wouldn’t be possible without the Vaseline team – THANK YOU so much!

 

3.  When Traveling, protecting your skin is a priority.

I’m not afraid of the sun so I freely go under it and do all of my outdoor activities.  But the thing is, I don’t wear sun protection.  I take my skin for granted and I’m lazy to moisturize and protect it from harmful UV layers.

The trip made me realize how important it is to moisturize and protect myself from Sun’s harmful rays.  The skin after all is our first line of clothing.  I do many photo shoots and it pains me to see uneven skin tone on pictures.  It’s a hassle for the photographer to Photoshop it *paisehhh*

Check out my review of the Vaseline Healthy White Lotion with SPF 24 here.

 

4.  My readers are very creative!

I had fun giving out questions on our daily contest.  I was happy to know that a lot of creative juices were squeezed.  I wish I could give more prizes but really, the answers you gave were very entertaining and creative.  Love it!

You are all winners guys… I’m so happy!

Jealous of our Northern Luzon road trip? Visit vaselineroadtrip.com to win a road trip for you and your friends!

xoxo,

Flair Candy

It just sank in… it’s our last day… I’m going to miss the girls and all who went with us.

Here are the memories captured of our last day in Baguio.

The day started with us girls walking along pine trees 🙂

From shorts, skirts and sleeveless tops we wore scarves and bonnets.

Here’s a quick tip for travelers:

When you travel to different places with different temperature, you need to consider bringing stuff you can use for both.  If not, just use lighter alternatives like bringing scarves instead of a bulky heavy jacket,  leggings instead of maong jeans and a cute cashmere hat or bonnet for style 😛

I pack light and bringing unnecessary stuff is a no-no to me.  I love traveling alone as well so that means I carry my own stuff… I need to be able to carry all of my luggage myself 🙂

We had breakfast at our hotel in Baguio – Bloomfields hotel.

We were a bit woozy from going out the other night to Nevada square.  We had fun bonding with everyone!

Our morning started in Camp John Hay were we had our last shoot for the trip.  Good location 🙂  We felt calm around Pine Trees.

Interesting Trivia:

Ada said that Baguio has the lowest suicidal rate in the Philippines.

It’s because of the Pine Trees around… It gives a calming effect to people and its surroundings.

True enough, all of us just felt relaxed.

Lol… a shade of pink for each of us 😛

Behind the scenes of our TV clips…

let me know if you see one of our clips on TV 🙂 soon!

After talking to the camera and wrapping up our entire trip with Vaseline, they took us to some special relax time.

This picture was taken in North Haven Spa.

This place is famous for its strawberry body scrub/massage.

See all rose petals? 🙂

Nikki and me… getting giddy and excited… finally, a chance to pause and relax 🙂

Ada, Nikki and me with a bowl of lovely Rose Petals

They served ginger ale tea when we arrived

Ahhh… so nice… look at how relaxed I am… Jeleesss??? 😛

Quick tip – Alternative for an Oily Massage:

If you don’t the oily feeling when you are having your massage, you can request for your masseuse to use cream or lotion.

I used to take a break for work and go to massage parlors.  I don’t like oil because I knew I need to go somewhere else… So a cream or lotion would be a perfect solution.

Plus, it moisturizes your skin!

aaaaaahhhh… jeless?

then join our final contest for a chance to win this road trip of a lifetime!

(just subscribe and I will upload the contest mechanics soon)

You will get to experience EVERYTHING and I mean EVERY activity we did!

To know what adventures we had that you might get to experience for yourselves, just roam around my blog and read the latest posts about our Vaseline Road Trip!

PINK!… See what we’re holding?  These patterns on the clothing gives you a hint that we’re in Baguio!

Ahh.. will miss these ladies.. I hope we have a reunion.

One more cam-whore shot before we have our therapy

We’re sitting on a bath tub. fyi.

Okay, stop taking pictures already… we want to have our massage now,

ktnxbai

Oooh yes.. after massage is chow time!

I ordered Beef Burger with a startling big patty and potato fries for only P150.

Ada and Nikki ordered the White Pasta with lots of sauce and meat for only P150 each.

I KNOW!!!

SO CHEAP!

Love the clear mountains with clouds/fog arround it 🙂

Cam-whore time 😛

VTR-ing stuff

behind the scenes of another shoot 🙂

It was so cold!!!

 

The perfect ingredients of this road trip:  friends, adventure, cam-whore galore, protection from sun and dry skin with Vaseline 🙂

We can’t get enough photos…

Lord of the rings?

ADA so CUTE we wanna KISS!!!

*photos courtesy of Jeck Simbulan and Vaseline

 

Here are more pictures from my Camera

[flickr album=72157624158175806 num=70 size=Square] ]]> https://flaircandy.com/baguio-camp-john-hay-north-haven-spa-bloomfields-hotel-marcos-highway-palaisdaan/feed/ 5 https://flaircandy.com/vigan-to-baguio-sta-maria-church-bauang-bridge-session-road-bencab-museum/ https://flaircandy.com/vigan-to-baguio-sta-maria-church-bauang-bridge-session-road-bencab-museum/#comments Thu, 27 May 2010 23:54:58 +0000 http://www.flaircandy.com/2010/05/vigan-to-baguio-sta-maria-church-bauang-bridge-session-road-bencab-museum/ I havent’t been here in ages.  Last time I was here was when I was 8 years old i think.

Anyway, it’s so nice here… So cool… and it’s just really a nice place to relax.

The weather is cool…

I was even surprised that a lot of people are living here.  There are houses everywhere.

Anyway, let the pictures tell the story 🙂

Started the day by applying Vaseline.

My skin is super dry and sensitive.  It needs to be moisturized, or else, my eczema might come out.

Also, I wouldn’t have to worry about getting dark while on tour and having photo shoots under the heat of the sun because it has SPF 24. Also, my mom would be happy because my mom wants me to be flawless white lol

See picture below 🙂 me and the girls love playing around different places.  We don’t need to worry about the sun ^_^

Playing along the stairs of Sta. Maria church in Sta. Maria.

 

But before that, we stopped over Bauang (or Bawang) Bridge :)  This is just right after Vigan.  The view is spectacular and it was so cold and windy!

Inserted portrait photo of me taken by Jeck… I love the green background! I’m one nature 🙂

This is outside the Bencab’s (Ben Cabrera) gallery in Baguio.

Nikki, me and Ada outside our hotel in Vigan – Hotel Salcedo de Vigan.

I was about to sneeze… then the shutter clicked LOL

Jump shot on Bauang bridge

Outside Sta. Maria church.  It was beautiful… The sky was perfect blue.

Lunch at Midway!!! I was so happy we dropped by here… I missed the baby back ribs ^_^…

I always eat here when I have surf trips in La Union

Really friendly dog outside the Bencab museum… He’s very friendly, I wanted to take him home.

I was WOW-ing :P  The individual paintings looked like Chinese characters.

We kissed Ada 😛

Trying to imitate the statues behind us 🙂

We love stairs for some reason lol

Bencab Museum / Gallery

Session Road – most famous road in Baguio

Time to kiss Nikki

Ukay-Ukay madness wee!

I will definitely miss this trip… I will miss the girls, the crew and everyone involved in this trip… it has been one great adventure 🙂

Wake up in the morning feeling like P.Diddy…

grabbed my glasses I’m out the door I’m gonna hit Vigan City.

Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of positivity

‘Coz when I leave for Vigan, I ain’t comin’ back (yet).

Applyin’ Vaseline on my skin, skin…

Getting ready for the road trip to Vigan!  Of course, I have to take care of my dry skin by applying Vaseline Healthy White lotion.  It has triple whitening effect with an SPF24 which is super enough to protect your skin from harmful sun rays while touring 🙂

Anyway, I woke up early to view the sun rise 🙂

I was the only one up at that time 😛

I love sun rise more than I love the sunset 😀

Road Trip from Pagudpod to Vigan

From Ilocos Norte (Region I), we headed for Ilocos Sur (Region 2).  It took about 2 – 3 hours of road time.  All is good and fun when you are with cool, happy awesome people!  All the time, in the car, we just talked about many random things.

Two places at the same time

When we saw the Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, we stopped by to take pictures!  Talkin’ bout being at two places at the same time :D  Also, Philippine soldiers were deployed on the border and they were in charge of watching over the boundery.

Pottery Making

I really had lots of first time here in this trip!  Another first I did today was Pottery Making!  When the store owner demonstrated how he shapes clay into pots, it was amazing.  It looked so simple, so peaceful, so elegant.  When I tried to shape my own pot though, I had a hard time.  You probably need steady hands, inspiration and probably some music to get in tune with what you are doing.

Vigan – Calle Crisologo

This area is a very famous tourist destination.  The old houses are preserved, thus, putting us in another awesome time capsule!

All we did was take pictures and more pictures :)  The city is so photogenic 😀