Rizal Park (Luneta)

Rizal Park is also known as Luneta that comes from the word “lunette” which means crescent moon – because of the park's shape. It has a total land area of  58 hectares which is much bigger than that of Vatican City with only 44 hectares. Luneta Park was renamed in 1913 to Rizal Park, but to this day many still call it as  Luneta (myself included).

It once played a pivotal part in the Philippine history, where it witnessed the execution of notable patriots e.g. GOMBURZA (Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora) and of course Dr. Jose Rizal to which the park was renamed after. Rizal Monument was erected with an obelisk and is also known as Kilometer Zero (the zero mark or the starting point of every kilometer post in Luzon) and across is the tallest flagpole in the country which stands at 150ft tall. 

There are numerous places of interests inside the park's vicinity some of which are the Chinese Garden, Orchidarium, Artists Haven, Heroes Biography, Statue of Lapu Lapu, and of course the famous Rizal Monument which is securely guarded by Philippine Marine Corps’ Marine Security and Escort Group 24/7 around the perimeter of the monument. 

For me, it is a relaxing place to unwind when in the metro and my recollections would bring me back to my childhood memories of Rizal Park where we used to play and held picnic together with my family.  There are available Kalesa (horse-drawn chariots) to give a tour inside the park.

How to Get There:

1.) From LRT Buendia ride a jeepney bound to Quiapo (w/ Luneta) on the signboard

2.) Tell the driver to drop you off in Luneta

Pagsanjan Falls via Cavinti Trek

Popularly known as Pagsanjan Falls a.k.a. Cavinti Falls and Magdapio Falls, the falls itself is located in the municipality of Cavinti, Laguna. Surrounded by a well preserved forested environment that is still part of the Sierra Madre mountain ranges. It has an approximate of 70-80 feet cascade of water combined with a powerful volume of drop.

It was a decade ago when I first visited Pagsanjan Falls via "shooting the rapids", but now I've decided to revisit it through a much affordable and yet more challenging way via the Cavinti Eco Park popularly known as "El Salvador Del Mundo". The Cavinti route offers a different experience that includes trekking with a descent of more than 1000 ft. Then, one will also have to rapel and scale down a two 90 degrees ladder of more or less 70 feet that others call it "Buwis Buhay" (Take Chances) just to reach the tantalizing Pagsanjan Falls. A fee of 270 pesos also includes rafting into the falls' cave that let's you experience the powerful gush of water cascading from the falls.

How to Get There:

1.) Take a bus bound to Sta. Cruz  (DLTB), they have terminals in Cubao and LRT Buendia 

2.) Tell the conductor to drop you off in Pagsawitan.

3.) Once in Pagsawitan,  You can then ride a jeep to Cavinti.

4.) In Cavinti Junction you can ride a trike bound to El Pueblo Salvador

Bugong's Roasted Chicken and Bistro

From it's humble beginning which started by selling roasted chicken, Bugong has expanded to dine in resto and opened their business for franchise.

The place is small yet simple and vibrant. They now offer more, other than their bestselling roasted chicken and have expanded their line of  menu that includes: set meals of rice, chicken, pasta, salad, pastries, etc.

We ordered their mac & cheese, it’s straightforward mac & cheese, nothing special but my wife loved it. We also ordered Thai Curry Meatball, it was smothered with Thai sauce which has a rich and very distinct curry flavor. The Poori Bread is a must try,  a deep fried bread made of wheat. Basically a chicken salad inside a bread composed of chicken strips and veggies. And we also had Asian Salad Wrap which basically tastes like a Burrito. There are 3 kinds of rice that they serve: Thai rice, garlic and chive rice and kimchi rice. 

Price is affordable, chicken is generously served.

Rating:
7 out 10

Manila Auto Show

Last April a special event was held deep in the metro for car and automobile enthusiasts known as "The Manila Autoshow" at World Trade Center. Thousands were in attendance to witness the grandest display of cars and all sorts of automobiles. My friends and I paid a visit to the much anticipated event and were fascinated with the cars on display, not to mention the beautiful models as well. 

The fiercest looking, customized and retro cars was enough to complete our day, the exhibit also displayed trucks, jeepney,  that was customized to look like a "Transformer" - customized to suit the owner's artistic preferences.

The Mestizo River Cruise

The Mestizo River Cruise is operated by the City Geovernment of Vigan to reinforce the Heritage Conservation Program using the historical Mestizo River to trace the historical timeline of the said city. Through the 45 minute river tour, a voice over is played narrating the City's origin, historical background and other life sized tableaus. Classical and Ilocano folk music will be heard throughout the cruise, and the tour guide also explains more about the stories of the Mestizo River. The graphic representations serves as stopovers to depict the major historical events that shaped Vigan to what it has become today as a UNESCO World Heritage City in the Philippines.

The  recorded narration also  tells why Vigan was able to preserve it's vibrant past. During World War II, Fujihima Takayashi successfully convinced his fellow Japanese soldiers to spare this town from the ravages of war.

How to Get There:

1. Once in Vigan, tell the Trike driver that you are interested in Vigan Heritage River Cruise.

2. A fee of 100 pesos for per person will be charged for anyone who wants to experience the cruise, boat leaves even with a single passenger.

Caliraya Lake

Situated in the southernmost part of Sierra Madre mountain range, Caliraya Lake lies between the town of Cavinti, Lumban and Kalayaan in Laguna. It is a 2-3 hours drive from Manila with an elevation of 1200 feet above sea level. Caliraya Lake is a man made lake built by the Americans on 1937 for the purpose of generating hydro electric power.

Several resorts were built beside the lake with recreational activities that includes: largemouth bass fishing, wind surfing, kite boarding, wake boarding, jet skiing, water skiing, boating, golf, camping and other outdoor sporting activities.

How to Get There:
1.) Take a bus bound to Sta Cruz, Laguna (DLTB or Greenstar), their terminal is in LRT Buendia.
2.) Alight in Pagsawitan then ride a jeepney that passes Caliraya Lake (Lumot bound jeeps).

Venice - Home of the Authentic Italian Food in LB

My wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary and we were looking for a place that is cozy, yet somewhere that I haven't been into. So we've tried  "Venice", which claims to be the home of the authentic Italian food in Los Banos, true enough the owner/chef is an Italian national so the authenticity is unquestionable.

The place is cozy, which features several Italian inspired paintings. The background music is something that you don't usually hear in your FM radio - Italian songs and tune. The ambiance is great, well ventilated and properly lit.

I like Italian foods and it is actually on the top of my bucket list such as: Spaghetti, Lasagna, Pizza and Fettucini to name a few. But out of curiosity I ordered something that I haven't tried before, like the "Penne 4 Cheese". That was my first time to taste the menu, and im a little disappointed. Aside from the 4 cheese used, it has no other ingredients except for the white creamy saucy and the cheese was quite salty maybe that's how it's supposed to be. We also tried their "Pizza Venice Style", it is a 12 inch pizza with the right mixture of cheese and I can tell that they use tuna or salmon but the addition of oregano leaves is something that I don't really like. We also had Banana and Mango Shake which is good with it's milky delicious taste.

Rating:

6 out 10