Bumbungan River Eco Park

Bumbungan Eco Park is the spillway of Bumbungan River where the road is literally covered with the overflowing water thus creating a dramatic cascade of a man made falls known as the Bumbungan Falls. Picnic huts were built beside the river ideal for picnics and outing.

The water is quite murky, where it originates from the Sierra Madre Mountains then flows through the town of Pagsanjan and ends in Lumban where it drains to Laguna de Bay which is the largest lake in the country.

It is a nice sidetrip whenever you visit Pagsanjan Falls or Hulugan Falls which is located right after Cavinti Poblacion.

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 bound to Cavinti. From Cavinti Junction you can then ride a trike to Bumbungan Eco Park (ideal only for sidetrip, not the main trip)

Dalcielo Bakeshop & Restaurant

According to the restaurant owner "Dalcielo" means heaven sent or sent from the sky, And the word heaven sent is providential, fortunate, and blessed in other terms dalcielo is a blessing from God.

I visited one of their stores which is located in Lopez Ave., Los Banos, according to their waiter their specialties includes Fried Dinuguan, Pinakbet, Bagnet etc., but since I am not really into vegetables and I am more of a Carnivore, I ordered different foods that I usually prefer to eat like Pasta, Salads, Cakes & Pastries, Sandwiches and other meat/fish menu.

Some of the foods that I've ordered are: fettucini alfredo - the taste is okay though I would love it better if there are no basil and oregano included. The strawberry shake - it's like a diluted strawberry jam. The pepperoni pizza - it's like im eating a piece of rubber, too oily I might get a large dose of cholesterol. Their chocolate moist cake, it's suppose to be moist yet it's too dry it's a good thing the icing tastes good and their NYC Strawberry cheesecake which is the only thing that Im satisfied. However, they should at least cut down the sweetness of the strawberry syrup- not ideal for those with serious insulin problem.

Rating:

5 out of 10

UPLB Campus

Considered to be one of the most famous landmark in Laguna, UPLB is located beside the foot of Mt Makiling in Los Banos about 64 km. away from Manila. Originally established in 1909 as University of Philippines College of Agriculture (UPCA), it was then changed to it's current name.

During WWII, UPLB served as a an interment camp for allied nationals and a headquarters of the Japanese army. Most of the establishments were demolished during the war,  the current buildings and establishments were restored and renovated with visible influence of American architecture.

How to Get There:

1.) Take a bus bound to Sta. Cruz, Laguna (DLTB), their terminal is in LRT Buendia.

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

3.) You can then ride a Jeepney bound to UPLB

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.