Changing imprints

Bet you when I say the word Baler, the first thing that comes to most people's mind is surfing. Yes? Yes? Since I haven't been to the place, I usually think of 2 things: surfing, and Anne Curtis' movie. Yep. I wasn't able to see that but I remember it creating a buzz (i think because Anne Curtis won an award for her performance?), so those two are what stuck with the place name.

Last May, however, I finally got to go to the province of Aurora! One of our friends is from Baler so we stayed at his place, cooked our own food and made our own itinerary. We drove (my friend, i mean) for about 8 hours and the roads felt endless! What kept us from going crazy over the long trip though were the beautiful sights! Trees, lakes, mountains, all picturesque. In my head I really wanted to stop and take photos after every few kilometers but the idea of ze friends killing me for prolonging the trip the drive turned tiring at one point sooooo nope.

We didn't surf! (I hear gasps!) 'Tis my group of friends that like beach bumming (yey!) more than the adventures of surfing, so we were all for white sand over the waves of Sabang - the more popular surf beach of Baler. Our friend then decided to bring us to Dicasalarin Cove for our white sand beach fix, which is probably now my all-time favorite beach! It's secluded (there were just 2 other small groups besides us, so we practically had the beach to ourselves), has fine sand, clear waters, and was just overall a perfect place to relax!

We also went to Ditumabo Falls, also known as the Mother Falls. We trekked a few kilometers before reaching the cold cold cooold waters of the falls. There were a lot of people when we went there, most probably because we went late in the afternoon. I'm guessing the best time would be before sunrise, although that may mean even colder water. Hmm, i think that would still be a good gamble; nothing beats being alone with nature. I imagine hearing just the sound of the falls and witnessing the break of dawn. Okay I think I want to do that the next time I go back! The trek was some needed exercise for my pretty much sedentary lifestyle too, so yey for that!

We stopped by Sabang beach also for some food trip, and to just absorb the active vibe of this beach and the people -- very un-Dicasalarin Cove where everything feels slow. Both are good though, fit for whatever side of mood you're in! Hopefully I get to gather enough courage and energy (and well, interest haha) to try out surfing next time! 

I'm in love with this province and I'm really hoping I can go back to Dicasalarin Cove. My memory box of Baler now is that it's crazy fun and beautiful especially that I spent it with awezam friends. It may change by the next time I go back, but for now, Baler's my ultimate beach bum place.

Here are plenty of photos because choosing favorites is impossible! Enjoy!

P.S. 2 of our friends do not want their faces on any social media for this trip, including this blog (even though our circle doesn't read this anyway!), so not anybody else from the group made it in this lot of shots neither! Prepare for just my solos everywhere hahaha! Demmet people shouldn't hide from friends/parents trips that are this far! Lulz.

 

Snaps of Baguio

I had all the intentions of just ~photoblogging~ my not so recent Baguio trip because you know, less words less.. words. Then I realized that most of the photos I have are food shots (and I have to say we did good research aka they were all delish!), so paying it forward by sharing the trip with you!

Went to Baguio with my super friend Flo, part of the trio that I mentioned here and here. Their family has a unit in Burnham View Condominium (free accommodations, yey!), and they plan on renting it out for transient customers now. They used to rent it out for long term tenants, contracts lasting from months to years, but they decided to shift to short term renting. Her dad asked her to head it, and she asked if I could help her do. The trip then was sort of a ~biznez trip hellerrr~ because we thought of (and did the actual shopping of) items that were needed to update the room, its inclusions, brainstorm on operational issues, and just overall look at the place and make it fit for rent.

This is why we mostly just ate, because half the time were spent on shopping and talking about plans. All we had, afterall, were experience from renting in other hotels, so we only had that as basis. Difficult but so far, it's exciting! Will blog about the place when it is ready for renting!

For now, a dose of cold Baguio (in photos)?

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Cafe by the Ruins

Aside from the condo being a 2minute walk from Burnham Park (it is called Burnham View Condominium), I love that it's only about 8-10 minutes of walk from Cafe by the Ruins! I've heard (and seen) a lot about this place so we tried it out for breakfast!

Have to say, google maps was our bestfriend in this trip. Cafe by the Ruins was a little pushed back from the road, but google was pretty spot on so it was not difficult at all to locate.

We ordered Champorado and the Farmer's Morning Feast, and requested for the champorado to be split into 2 bowls. We were served with a bowl each of fresh fruits as appetizer.

Both are good! The Champorado is served with dried fish (i'm guessing daing?) which wasn't too salty, making it just right to balance the tablea. In ordering the Farmer's Morning Feast, you have a choice of having it served either with rice of with pandesal. THANK GOODNESS WE WENT FOR RICE BECAUSE IT WAS SOOO GALIC-Y and really good!

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Amare La Cucina

After we went all trouristy at the Botanical Garden, we were tired and hot and just wanted some comfort food. When we exited the garden, we saw a sign that said "Amare La Cucina, wood fire brick oven pizza, 650m away". Something like that. And being the pizza kinda girls, and the place being walking distance, we decided to check it out! Google maps was a big help, as usual.

We got to the place and there were no people except for a couple. I would have preferred brighter lights, maybe because it had hard yellow lighting in there. Anyway, that little comment can in no way trump the fact that THEY MAKE REAAAALLYYYY GOOOOOOD PIZZZAAAAA. Hmm, I can declare it as my favorite pizza now, i guess. And it's inexpensive!

We took our time in deciding which pizza and pasta to get, and the ate (the server) was kind enough to help us. We got the Con Funghi Pizza and the Ala Gamberi Pasta, and ate told us that we can watch our pizza be prepared.

We sat down and after just a few minutes, the pizza was already served! So fast!

The burnt edges gave that distinct smell and flavor, and the soft dough was heavenly. I like my pizzas soft and a little chewy (so you'd imagine i am NOT a fan of thin crust and crispy pizza *am looking at you greenwich*), and Amare La Cucina got it spot on. It was a 13inch pizza and there was just the two of us. I finished all my four, and ate more than half of the pasta. I was that hungry, it was that good!!

Halfway through the pizza, the pasta came in. There was a generous serving, definitely good for sharing. This pasta was supposed to be spicy, but it wasn't. At all. There was maybe a faint kick, but if you like yours hot, then you may be a little underwhelmed. But it's also good! Would love to try other kinds, next time.

I am definitely going to eat here again every time I go to Baguio. Every. Time.

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Chil Cheon Gak

Flo was craving for some Korean food so we googled for a good one. We found Chil Cheon Gak, and is also of walking distance from the condo. We followed the wrong route from google maps though, because we ended up hiking like crazy. There's a much easier way but we just told ourselves that it was preparation for some solid eating that we'll be doing.

And yes, that was some needed preparation. We ordered the Samgyeopsal (a minimum of 2 orders was required for this), and this bowl of half Jjampong and half Jajang Myeon. Flo was craving for some Jjampong and I read up somewhere online about their good Jajang Myeon.

It's my first time to taste this so can't compare it with anything, but I like it nonetheless! The Jjampong was good! I am not a fan of soups but this one had generous servings of seafood, and when we asked for extra soup, they gave us bowls that even had more seafood! Definitely a big plus!

We cooked our own samgyeopsal, and our a-little-crispy kind of frying was the secret in finishing the whole bunch! Haha! But with all the food that were in front of us, we weren't able to finish all the Jjampong and Jajang Myeon. :( We were so full!

We finished the meal with their house tea, this one's calamansi tea (?) and was a little sweet. We were first served its cold version but we requested for the warm tea in an attempt to feel like we ~flushed out~ all that we ate.

Lol. Nice try.

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Hillstation

Since Flo was feeling generous and thankful for my help in arranging the condo, lunch at Hillstation was on her! Wooot!

We were first served with a basket of complimentary bread, soft and light and perfect with the olive oil and dip that it came with. Sooo good I wanted another basket! We ordered Hill Station Green Garden, Calamares, Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip, and the Cambodian Coriander and Garlic Chicken, and the Ice Cream Palette for dessert.

All were reaaaally good, the salad was fresh and the dressing was delicious! The Spinach and Artichoke Dip was crazy yummy, and i loooove cheese so it was easy for me to finish this immediately. The Chicken was really good also, and we requested for some extra sauce which smelled heavenly and had that mix of herbs that made my palate so excited! I really wish I were a food blogger so I could explain how good all of these were, but for now, i'll stick with "soooo good, delicious, and heavenly". They're pretty accurate adjectives anyway!

The ice cream palette is a must try! They make their own ice cream, and we ordered the palette to sample everything.

The flavors were: Dark Chocolate with Cayenne, Salted Caramel, Very Strawberry, Benguet Coffee with Choco Chips, and Vanilla Cinnamon. We were expecting the Avocado Jalapeno but too bad it wasn't available. My favorites are the Dark Chocolate with Cayenne and the Vanilla Cinnamon. The chocolate ice cream wasn't smooth nor creamy, which made me feel like I was eating legit tablea and homemade ice cream. I really like it! The Vanilla Cinnamon was also good, the cinnamon making a nice twist to the staple vanilla. Flo's favorite are the salted caramel and dark chocolate with cayenne also!

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Whew! That was some solid food tripping that we did. Hope to be back in Baguio soon, especially that the accommodations are so cheap and accessible! Will blog about it soon!