Last hurrah for 2012

So, it was supposed to be a BBF trip to La Union since Jona will be coming home for the holidays. Change of plans and all that was left was me and Jap who's still up for a roadtrip and to see the beach. So off we go, well, with last minute plans to Anilao, with his friend Ken.

It was an easy drive from Cavite, where we met Ken, until we got to Bauan, Batangas which was in one hell of a traffic jam mess. Thanks to Ken and her sort of GPS app, we never got lost! Good thing as well that Jap and Ken both have very good playlists in their ipods so we have rocking sounds plus wifi in the car! Haha! And finally after hours of traveling we arrive to this...

This was so worth the trip. Casita Ysabel is a Balinese type haven which is perfect for a very relaxing weekend for those who just wants to chill and also for those who wants to snorkel. You can just swim a few meters and you can see spectacular corals and really a wide variety of fish, plus the water is crystal clear so you'll definitely be seduced to take a dip and explore the underwater. Too bad I don't have an underwater camera, so no pictures underwater here.

The place is so tranquil. With the sea breeze constantly blowing, it makes you just want to lie down on one of their outdoor casitas or their lounge beds with so many fluffy pillows and doze off. But, we didn't. When we have already settled in our room, we changed into our swim clothes and brought out the snorkeling gears and off we went snorkeling. I was in awe, with the rich marine life that Anilao has to offer. This is my second time in Anilao, but the first time I was in this place, we didn't snorkel, so this was a surprise for me. So that is why this is a very good diving spot. Really, God has blessed this side of Batangas with a rich marine life that hopefully we maintain and take care so we can still enjoy it in the future.

When we got tired from snorkeling and when my knee got injured in one of the rocks and won't stop bleeding, we headed back to the resort. Ken and I each brought a bottle of wine and Jap also brought the leftover cans of beer and chips. Popped a bottle of wine, my Cabernet Sauvignon and sliced some cheese and enjoyed pansit as merienda provided by the resort, while enjoying the cool sea breeze and watching the sunset on the veranda of our room. Dinner was a surprise, as the resort doesn't have a menu for you to choose from. So whatever the chef plans to cook for every meal of the day, that's going to be your meal. Even the staff has no idea of what they will serve. During this time,we're already on our second bottle of wine, sliced more cheese and ate dessert. After we've all freshened up, we moved to the lounge area near the sea, fluffed up pillows and the lounge beds, set a table, brought the booze and food down and continued with the bonding session. The experience is so chill, literally. You get to lounge on big pillows, while you hear the water lapping underneath you and the breeze blowing your hair gently while you sip wine and eat cheese, share stories and a lot of laughs.

Casita Ysabel has very good taste in their amenities. A bit on the pricey side, but totally worth it because you will enjoy personalized service. If you are really looking for a resort that is hard core in diving, this is not the place for you, since the vibe and what they can offer is really more on the relaxed side. They have snorkeling gears and a kayak that you can rent for a fee. They have a very good site for snorkeling. Testament is that Jap and Ken literally spent an hour or so exploring all possible sites near the resort, this morning while I bask under the sun, reading my current book hoping to have a tan. :) But overall, we loved the place. You sleep comfortably, the food is great and its a surprise every meal, and who doesn't want a very personalized service. The staff is very accomodating. You can check out their website for more info - Casita Ysabel

The photo below is what my knee looks after snorkeling. Ouch!!!

 

After Batangas, it's off to Tagaytay! Bag of Beans!! Its a Sunday, and as usual, traffic in Tagaytay can be a pain in the butt. We got there around 4pm, so we were starving!

Here we are sipping out milkshakes while waiting for the food we ordered. Cool smart phone of Ken! "Nauutusan!" Hahahaha! Then of course, bought pasalubong from Rowena's. Tarts galore!

I've enjoyed the last weekend of 2012. It seemed that almost everybody spent it with out of town, in a road trip with friends or family or in a party somewhere. Wherever and whoever you decided to spend the last weekend of the year with, I hope that it was a blast, an experience that is one for the books. Thanks Jap and Ken for the company! Here's to more beach trips! Cheers and don't forget to "Shine bright like a diamond!" Hahahaha!

Shopping Day in Jakarta

The original plan of going to Ancol didn't push through for this trip since we didn't want to go all the trouble of travelling and being in a sea of massive people in an amusement park. Plus, Jean and I are still tired from all the travelling and partying that we did the other day. So we just decided to walk around the city and explore what else, the malls!

Lunch at Pepper Lunch for brunch in Plaza Senayan, they give free mints!

Its already Christmas!

So we explored two malls, Plaza Senayan and also Senayan City. Two massive malls that are across each other. A lot of stores are on sale, but since the plan is to go hysterical in shopping at the outlet stores in fx Mall, we held back. We just window shopped and hopped from store to another.



No traffic?!

 We didn't want to be stuck in traffic and we also wanted to explore the city by foot, so we opted to walk in a very humid weather. Hahaha! Well, again, good thing, we're wearing sheer tops and shorts. That gave us comfort. But it was really humid and hot in Jakarta, but we still walked on.

Plaza Senayan

Asking for directions and asking questions are hard. People don't speak much English. So we rely on the little English they tell us and hand signs. And mind you, people also look at us weirdly (if there is such a word) since of course we look like them but, speak in English. They must think we're arrogant or something. Haha! 

Off to fx Mall after lunch to eat lunch and explore the mall. Chilled at this small cafe so we can have wi-fi access and rest. After having our batteries drained, we decided to see the mall and start shopping!

Genna was not kidding when she said that we're going to enjoy ourselves here. We've really allotted our pocket money for shopping. :) Jean went home with 3 pairs of shoes, a bag and pasalubong for the family from Giordano. I also went home with a pair of shoes, a bag and pasalubong for the family as well, all from Giordano. But got two more pairs of shoes from Topshop the day after. Haha! Ang sarap mag-shopping!

White spiked shoes from Topshop.

We ended the night with our left over street foods from the night before plus 640ml of beer for each of us. Then Korean novela on cable TV with Jean in the living room.

Jakarta at night is so beautiful. Though you hear the praying all the time, its okay, it reminds you that you are in a different place. The above pictures are from the 10th floor veranda view of Genna's place. The city becomes quiet at night, unlike the chaos during the morning.

Djakarta Warehouse Project 2012

One of the highlights of our Jakarta trip is the DJakarta Warehouse Project 2012 that showcased the best DJs in the world and of course Indonesia. Its a dance music festival in short. When Genna told us about this and mentioned Calvin Harris being in the line up, we were sold and pretty much excited since Paul Vandyk and Avicii are also playing. Tickets were already bought a week before our travel, and it got us so pumped up when Genna sent the vouchers over.

Right after dinner and of course freshening up, we headed to the venue, Istora Senayan. This is I think, Jakarta's sports complex of some sort. The venue was huge. Good thing we just wore comfortable clothes and shoes. When we got to the venue, we needed to exchange our vouchers to actual tickets and since Genna changed her mind at the last minute to come with us to watch, we needed to wait for her to purchase her ticket. The crowd was huge! I didn't expect that it's going to be this big. Looks like Jakarta knows how to party!

The festival is divided in 3 stages - Neon Jungle, MLD Spot and Heineken Cosmic Station. Each stage or station has a set of artists that will perform. We hopped first on to the Heineken Station and we were able to see Porter Robinson already playing. 

The Heineken stage is inside a gym, and it is airconditioned. :) So off we go to buy drinks, and get this party started. Indonesions know how to party alright! As I said, "bisyo" mode!

The MLD Spot is outside. This is where Calvin Harris and Avicii are going to play.

Angger Dimas, a local DJ of Jakarta was already rocking the house down when we got to there. He was good, and the crowd is getting wild. :)  Then, it started drizzling! Yes, drizzling, then it rained! Oh it rained hard! And surprisingly, no one left. Haha! We are not waterproof, but thank God our bags are! When Calvin Harris went on stage it was still raining, but people stayed and partied the night away to his music.

Truly enjoyed this experience. This is a first for me to go to a dance music festival, a first as well to party with Genna and Jean, in Jakarta to say the least. :) A first to party in the rain. Didn't I say that this trip is going to be a trip of many firsts?

More of my Jakarta trip on the next posts. :)

Jakarta: A Trip with Long Time Friends

Finally, the day has arrived! December 7, 2012. This is the day that me and Jean, a long-time friend of more or less 17 years will embark on a trip that will have a lot of firsts. :) No judging, but this is my first time to go out of the country, and my first time to travel with Jean. ;p

Our flight was early with PAL, so I picked up Jean as early as 4AM and we were off to the airport. Checked in, then the waiting begins. The anticipation is building and also concern, since we weren't able to exchange our peso to dollar the last minute here in Manila. Okay, lesson learned there! Then, the waiting begins, which is a lot. Thankfully, our flight was on time, and off we go!

 

The flight was long, and there was a stop over at Changi in Singapore since the flight we were on is co-sharing with Garuda Indonesia. Another 45 minutes to 1 hour waiting time before finally landing in Jakarta. I've got my new book in tow, so reading while waiting - check! Of course, breakfast on the plane, sleep, watch TV, take a couple of pictures here and there, just to ease the boredom. Haha!

Thankfully, the flight was smooth and then we land in Jakarta which was 35 degrees!! Talk about hot and humid. Hahaha! First agenda is to get out of the airport, then go find a money changer, then find the DAMRI Bus going to BLOK M. Then get off to Plaza Senayan, a big mall to meet Genna! We didn't find Plaza Senayan, and we didn't have a constant means of communication with Genna, since we don't have constant wifi connection and I didn't choose to have my phone on roaming, since it will be very costly. Buti na lang, the DAMRI Bus has wifi, so we learned that we were way off our target location. Fortunately, before we left, Jean and I managed our expectations that we are going to treat this like an "Amazing Race" kind of thing. So no complaining, and just get on with it. So we got off at the terminal in BLOK M and hailed a cab going to Plaza Senayan. We were warned that traffic is bad in Jakarta, three times bad compared to EDSA, so we anticipated that already. Imagine, two girls carrying luggages around, haggard! To make the long story short, we got to the meeting place, and finally able to meet Genna! And off we go to her place!

Genna booked us 2 beds for the night in The Sunny Day Hostel since she still has her flatmates at that night. The Sudirman Park Apartments was - WOW! We got to use the pool and jacuzzi after dinner just to relax before we go the Djakarta Warehouse Project 2012 in Istora Senayan.

Dinner was wonderful. Obviously we were starving from travelling and Genna promised to take us out to try the streetfood. We scouted the back alleys of Genna's place for tahu (fried tofu), fried tempeh, sate, nasi goreng and fried ayam. We were so hungry that we were munching on tofu and buying again while walking and looking for other things to eat. Those and 2 liters of Coca-Cola, plus cable TV in a very luxurious living room, is the way to go after a long day of travelling. :)Yum!

More on the next posts!