Bolinao, Pangasinan DIY Budget, Accommodation, Itinerary and Spots to Visit!

Right after our summer trip last 2013, we already decided Bolinao, Pangasinan to be our next destination. One of our friends is from the town of Bani near Bolinao and he suggested this place for our 2014 getaway. I've already heard a lot of good reviews about Patar Beach as well, so I knew this is a good choice. There were a total of 17 of us in the group, 13 adults and 4 kids :D the more the merrier!

I love everything about this trip. We stayed for 3 days and 2 nights and were able to explore not just the beach but also the nearby tourist spots in the area such as the Enchanted Cave and Bolinao Falls. Sulit na sulit!

HOW TO GET THERE
WHERE TO STAY
ITINERARY
RATES/EXPENSES


PATAR BEACH:

Aside from the hundred islands in Pangasinan, Patar beach is also one of the more popular beaches in Pangasinan. It is surrounded by several resorts and accommodations. The clear blue sea gently rolls over it's creamy white sand that glitter spectacularly when the sun hits. It is stunningly creamy gold, not white but still fine and smooth.

Though the place was crowded when we went there since it was a Black Friday ( we already expected this), we still enjoyed and had a superb experience.

The downside is there are lots of seaferns even in the shoreline. Especially during low tides, you'll find this "nature's trash" everywhere, even sea urchins! My friend and a few other people got stung by these spiny little creatures. Good thing they werent poisonous?(or atleast the ones in patar) The locals seem to be very used to seeing people with their hands attacked by these urchins. They were okay with it and told us, "calamansi o suka lang yan, wala yan"and even "ihian mo lang yan, mawawala lang agad yan". WTH. haha. It was funny but looks like it was a normal scene in the area. We first squeezed some calamansi to his hands, added soysauce, garlic and onions. char! haha. We gently removed them with a tweezer and it was all good. He felt numb at first but he said it wasn't too painful, and he was still able to enjoy the day. But still, you should be very careful, you don't want this to happen to you.  

We stayed at Nelly's Beach Resort. Read my post about the accommodation here. 

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

• There is no signal at the beach for all networks.
• Seaferns and sea urchins at the sea
• A bottle of beer costs Php40 here
• A quarter block of ice is Php100
• There is a mini store at the area but they only sell a few things
• Videoke rental for 1 day is Php800 and is only allowed until 10pm
• The resort is about 1hour ride from the town proper, about 30mins away from Bolinao Falls, about 15mins away from Enchanted Cave, about 7 mins away from the lighthouse.

THE LIGHTHOUSE:

The Cape Bolinao Lighthouse rises 351 feet (107 m) above sea level atop Punta Piedra Point, a towering hill of solid rock which is the sharp point of Cape Bolinao itself and the lighthouse still sends signals to vessels passing by the area. We were amazed by the panoramic view of the Patar Beach and the South China Sea at the viewdeck of the lighthouse. You shouldnt miss this picturesque view when you visit Bolinao!

BOLINAO FALLS:


Another place you shouldn't miss during your Bolinao tour. We visited the falls on our 2nd day, it's about 20-25 mins ride of rough roads from Bolinao Market at the town proper (we had to go back to the market to buy food, etc.) The moment we arrived the falls, we were all looking groggy.haha! Our hairs and feet were all white because of the dust from the path leading to the falls. But it was worth all the dirt. lol. There was a man made stairs leading down to the waterfalls. Be careful,it can be steep in some parts.

There is no entrance fee to the falls, but we had to pay Php150 each for a cottage, we rented 2. It was already crowded when we arrived at around 9am, (again it was because it was a holiday). We could have enjoyed it even more if there were not a lot of people. But still it was okay, the water was so refreshing and colder than the waters in Patar. The water's so clear one is able to see the bottom rocks. There was also a store selling halohalo in the area for Php30 which taste okay but not great. i wasn't able to take pictures of the falls itself since were at the top. 

THE ENCHANTED CAVE:

 Everyone would agree that this is the best part of the trip. It is the most popular of a couple caves in Bolinao and really is a must-see spot in the area. for it's mystifying view. Entrance fee is Php150, but if you're not going for a dip you only pay Php100. Vests are available for rent at Php50, the Php20 is refundable upon return. There were a lot of remains of giant clams and huge coral rocks. These were evidences that the beach in Patar has been extended up to this part. The guides are also very friendly and courteous and they were able to maintain cleanliness the place.

The place really gives justice to it's name. It gives a magical ambiance and felt surreal. The rock formation and coral reefs is really astonishing. It's quite eerie at first, but the crystal clear waters were enticing.

The water is about 5feet-deep to the right of the rope in the photo and could go about 10-20feet deep in the middle part as per the guides.There were also a lot of shallow areas in many sections of the pool. The cavern was well lit as well it lessened my fear of cavernous places. lol.

I would really recommend visiting the place and exploring the wonders of nature there. If you are searching for a place of endless fun in the North, visit BOLINAO!

More posts about our Bolinao Trip here:

HOW TO GET THERE
WHERE TO STAY
ITINERARY
RATES/EXPENSES

Baked eggplant Parmigiana

Oh how I Love cheeeeese. who doesnt? My fiance admires how I bake lasagna - or atleast he acts like he does.lol- and I wanted to try something different. I've been thinking of what comfort food to make on a lazy day while watching movies at home except from the overused nachos. And so i thought of this food we ate at a resto in Timog. I first tasted this dish at Alba's -i don't know why they serve an italian dish in a spanish restaurant-or maybe it's a differnt dish. But it looks and tastes the same to me. Anyway, of all the dishes in that restaurant, that one really pleased me that I took time to reasearch on how to cook it. haha. I don't know the name of the dish by that time, and I all i remember was It was a delicious baked eggplant that has a taste similar to lasagna, or a lasagna with eggplant istead of pasta? haha. So i did my research and found about these- EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA, Sounds cool, and taste good! I am not sure if this is the same thing I ate at Alba's but this looks the same so I gave it a try,

Most eggplant parmigiana don't have meat. Just eggplants, some basils, others add spinach too. For my version, I added some ground beef to it.

1.Slice each eggplant about 1 inches thick. ADd some salt to each disk and let the eggplants sit for about 20 mins.

2. While waiting for the salt to remove the moisture from the eggplants. I made my tomato sauce. Just simply sautee the ground beef with onion, garlic and add the tomato sauce, let is simmer for about 10mins then add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Damp a paper towel to remove the excess water, then season each disk with salt and pepper then put it in the oven for about 20 mins, Often, they fry the egpplants before baking. I bake rather than fry mine for less mess and less fat?

 

4. Remove the eggplants from the oven. In a baking pan, place the eggplant slices evenly spaced apart. Over each slice, spread some tomato sauce. Place one slice of mozzarella over each and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon grated parmersan. Place slices of eggplant over each of the disks and repeat with tomato sauce and 2 cheeses. Repeat the layering again until all the ingredients are used. Sprinkle parsley on top(optional)

 .

 5. Bake uncovered until the cheese melts and the tops turn light brown, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

DIY Mother's Day Card- Easy and Simple

Hooray It's Saturday! And tomorrow is Mother's Day!

Every year I spend hours and hours thinking, searching what better gift to give my mama for this special day, But I always find my self doing the same thing. PERSONALIZED DIY MOTHER's DAY CARD, with my hand-written letter. It doesn't cost anything to show how much you care.It sometimes come with a cake, a chocolate, some flowers, or dine out with the family. And though words are not enough to let her know how much she means to me, I still would like to do something for her every mother's day, and write her a letter from the bottom of my heart.

 I started making letters of love since I was 4, if i'm not mistaken. I would make paper heart cut outs from red art papers and paste them into folded sheets of bond papers. My mom is a keeper- of cards too! She keeps important love letters and pictures of us when we were still young and they always make me smile when I see them now.

 Here is one of the first cards I made:


My mama is a big fan of chocolates and any other chocolate-flavored stuff. LOL . So Im planning on bringing her to LOVE DESSERTS. An unlimited desserts restaurant in Banawe, Quezon City. I'm writing a separate post about them after our visit. They have a Mother's Day Promo too! for moms coming on May 10. We can't do it on Sunday so we're going there on Monday. I made my own stub for the restaurant to add a little cuteness to the card. Details below.

Now, to the card. If you have different kinds of papers, craft tools and designs then you can use those. Purchased mine at National Bookstore.

Materials:
-colored papers (i chose pastel colors) my mama's favorite color is green so more green :D
-colored folder
-scissors
-printer
-glue
-pen

1. I searched the web and printed out details I want to put on my card. Texts, images, patterns, tags that says happy mother's day, etc. You may also print out a picture with your mom and add it to your card.

 Cut them out.

2. Lay my folder on the table. Instead of the plain smooth folders, I chose the one with some texture to it. I positioned the pattern and the writing paper template and estimate the size I wanted. I used about 3/4 of the folder for the length.

 3. I then cut the folder to my desired size and start pasting the patterns and some little details. This is how mine turned out,

 

The outside.              The inside, where I can write my message

3. For the "stubs". I searched for a sample ticket stub on the web and did some editing on photoshop.

I put the love desserts logo on the right so she gets the idea of our "date", though i'm not sure of she knows about the place, hahaha :P You can also do this for a movie marathon, or a spa date with her. Anything that you think will make her smile :)

4. For the envelope. I chose a different color than green, peach :)I made a "pocket" to put the stubs in. Then put one of the printouts and added a small heart in the middle.

DONE!

Don't forget to add your own message. You don't need to be poetic, as long as it comes from your heart. That's all that matters . Enjoy your mother's day!

Potipot Island, Candelaria Zambales DIY

It has been a year. But since it's time for beach nourishment again, i decided to write about Potipot. Hope this helps for those who are wanting to enjoy summer in a budget :)

The first time I went to Potipot was in 2009 with my teammates from my previous job. I really enjoyed we almost had the island to ourselves. it wasn't summer when we went there. This time, I went with bf (now my fiance ♥)and our friends. Though it was a little crowded, I still really enjoyed the trip because of the people I was with.

 POTIPOT ISLAND is included in the TOP 10 Most Googled destinations in 2013 in the category "top domestic travel destination searches, by search volume" by CNN. No wonder. It is undeniably one of the great beaches near Metro Manila that's very budget friendly.

It is a small island – about 7.5 hectare- which you can explore in about 20 minutes :) It boasts of a clean beach front, pristine blue waters, lush array of mango, coconut trees and coral shells.

DIRECTIONS:

From Manila, take the North Expressway and exit at San Fernando. From San Fernando, head southwestward all the way toward Olongapo City. Right before the city boundary of Olongapo, there is a bypass way via the Subic Base Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) which you may want to take to avoid passing through the city. Take this bypass road through SBMA and exit at its Kalaklan gate then head northwestward to Subic town, Castillejos, Sn Marcelino, up to the T-junction near San Narciso.

At the T-junction near San Narciso, turn right and head north through the towns of San Narciso, San Felipe, Cabangan, Botolan, up to Iba. From Iba, head for Masinloc then towards Candelaria. Do not enter Candelaria town proper. Instead, head straight, and continue along the National Road while keeping an eye for the signs that lead to Dawal Beach Resort in Uacon. Head for Dawal Beach resort.

Source:
Angelfire.com
Waypoints.ph

Potipot Island boasts of a clean beach front and natural caves.

BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:

 1. Take a bus at Victory Liner, Monumento. You may check bus schedules here.
     I suggest you buy tickets ahead of time specially if you're planning to go on peak season.
     Travel time from Manila to Uacon is about 6 hours. What to do while travelling? ofcourse, sleep :D
     

 2.  Get off at Brgy Uacon, Advise the bus driver to drop you off at SUNBLOOM RESORT :) We made a reservation a week before to avoid hassle and to estimate the budget, since I have to give the group a rough estimation of the whole trip :) #accountantangpeg

 3. 10-min boatride to Potipot Island.

Here is the exact itinerary I made for the group a year ago. We werent able to follow the exact thing listed here since we had to leave at 9pm because the next departure schedule was midnight, which would be too late for us (we want to arrive at Uacon before the sunrise). Also, there were a few changes on food and miscellaneous too :) But it was still roughly around 2k per person budget. Sulit! Good job! :D

Here are more pictures from our trip.

 The island from the mainland.

One of our rooms. We stayed at Sunbloom Resort. Their rooms are clean, nice and very affordable too! A room with two twin beds is only Php1400 (4 persons). 

Had to take a picture agad the moment we reached the island. haha!

View of our kubo from the beach.

MMMmmmmm. Yum!

My soulmate and I ♥

*kilig*

Goodbye Potipot! It was a nice seeing you again! :)