Erwin and Milas Canteen

"Erwin and Milas" Kainan was established in 1978 and they offer a great alternative to other restos and cafe in Pagsanjan a.k.a. the Tourist Capital of Laguna. We've been a regular "suki" to this resto every time we are in the said place. We ordered a jumbo serving of Halo Halo which is served with generous amount of ingredients, Buffalo Wings on a Chili Sauce and of course their house specialty which is "Sweet and Spicy Pancit Canton" - a must try on their menu, an affordable yet satisfying meal.

It's quite hard to find a nice parking space, so you just have to be patient or you can try other resto and cafe along the area.

Rating:
6 out of 10

The Baguio Botanical Garden

Also known as "Igorot Village" where one can find authentic Igorot Nipa huts set in a picturesque landscape adorned with well cultivated landscape of plants, trees and different species of highland flora and fauna. It is one of the most popular tourist spot in Baguio City which has several attractions that includes: Japanese Tunnel, Chinese/Korean friendship park and different stores that sell different items and "pasalubong"can be found inside the garden.

At the main entrance a group of Igorots are dressed in their authentic native attire and they are willing to pose with visitors for a souvenir picture. 

How to Get There:

1.) From Baguio City ride a jeep that passes Leonard Wood St. (Mines View, Pacdal and Itogon)

Kamayan sa Palaisdaan

We celebrated Chinese New Year in "Kamayan sa Palaisdaan" which is located in Bay, Laguna along the national highway. It is a floating restaurant that is consist of Nipa Huts set in a fish pond. The food is great at an affordable price and their main specialties are Seafood dishes and Crispy Pata.

We ordered Ginataang Tilapia (fish with coconut cream), nothing special since I don’t like Tilapia that much. On the other hand, the must-try dish in Kamayan is their Crispy Pata (deep fried pork leg) - the skin is very crispy while the meat is soft that melts in your mouth. We also ordered Seafood Kare Kare (it taste great but on a very small serving) and Pancit Bihon, which taste just ordinary. We also had Leche Plan for dessert which has a rich creamy goodness of milk blended with perfect sweetness of its syrup.

Rating:

7 out of 10

Mindoro Black Beach in Vigan

The not so familiar beach in Vigan is located in the coastline of Brgy. Mindoro of the said city. Playa de Oro Resort, is the only resort that caters to the Black Beach that is comprised of fine grain black sand which faces the West Philippine Sea and offers a picturesque sunset that can be best viewed here.

As Black Beach is not popular to Filipino beach goers, the opposite goes to foreign tourist who will die for a black beach sand. According to some locals that I've talked to, the beach was legally and illegally mined in the previous years before the locals protested and halted the quarrying. As it turned out the sand is rich in iron ore or magnetite, a precious mineral commodity. 

It's a nice place to visit when in Vigan, the place is not crowded - fresh air and calm waves from the sea will greet anyone who wishes to relax and be alone with nature.

How to Get There:

1. Once in Vigan, just tell the Trike driver that you are interested to visit the Mindoro Black Beach. It's way above the normal fare.