OUR AWESOME PLANET

Caluit, Palawan - My Childish Dream Come True

Ever since I heard of the Caluit Game Preserve Sanctuary in Palawan, I always dream of visiting this Philippines' version of a Safari. I would like to believe that the Caluit Game Preserve was created as a zoo playground for Bong Bong Marcos. But nobody really knows the story behind the creation of this sanctuary in Palawan (Would you know?). I actually admire Marcos for such an ambitious vision of creating our own safari in the 70's.

With childlike excitement, I patiently endured the 2-hour boat trip from El Rio Y Mar resort in Busuanga, Palawan to Caluit Island. I can't believe that my dream of seeing the Giraffes and Zebras with my own eyes is about to come true.
The problem with Caluit is you have to go with a group so that you can enjoy the safari-like trip with other people and to make the trip cost effective.

The beauty of Caluit Island is that all the animals are free to roam around in their natural habitat. So, they need to ensure that there are no predators like lions and tigers in the island. It was super hot and dry in Caluit when we got to the island. The first moment we saw the animals, all of us started taking pictures. I forgot for a moment the teachings of Master George that the enemy of the photographer is the excitement of pressing the shutter button too soon.
This trip was a dream come true.

My only disappointment was the entire island was not developed ever since the first couple of animals were transported in 1975 from Naomi, Kenya. The zebras and giraffes were already from the third generation. Most of them are "filipino" animals already because they were born here.

The best time to go to Caluit is early in the morning before 9am where most of the animals come out.

Coron, Palawan - 8 Awesome Experiences in Coron, Palawan

1. Kayangan Lake - one of the top 100 awesome places to go to in the Philippines!
The photo above is the most photographed scene that represents Coron in the travel magazines. This scene is halfway up the mountain trail leading to the cleanest lake in the Philippines. Swimming in the cleanest fresh water lake (with a bit of salt water) in the Philippines is an experience that every Filipino should have. The entire area is perfect for taking portrait shots with limestone cliffs in the background and clean lake in the middleground.


2. Twin Lagoons - A dare awaits the brave tourist
These twin lagoons are separated by limestone cliffs with a small underwater tunnel where a brave tourist could swim underneath. It is dangerous which adds to the appeal and challenge to tourist who dare to go to both lagoons. You need to take a deep breath and do a deep swim to avoid the jagged edges of the limestone cliffs. I tried to swim underneath but I came out with a deep wound on my left big toe. Lesson learned the *ouch* way.


3. Siete Picados - 7 Islands Snorkeling area.
Most of the corals around Coron are dead except for the Siete Picados area. This spot is perfect for Snorkeling without being disappointed with the scene the underwater scene that you will see.


4. Maquinit Hot Springs and its therapeutic properties.
Don't miss on the therapeutic properties of this natural hot spring in Coron. Don 't be discouraged with its super hot temperature. You will be rewarded after with a revitalizing feeling after dipping in this hot springs for a few minutes.

SCTex Run

I ended my back-to-back travel last week with a 10k run along the soon-to-be-opened Subic - Clark - Tarlac Expressway (SCT-Ex). I'm one of the few runners who can claim to have run along the longest super highway in the Philippines! The SCTex is 93.77 km long with the Subic-Clark section measuring 50.5 km long and the Clark-Tarlac section at 43.27 km long. This is a major development backbone in the Central Luzon Area that connects Subic Freeport and Special Economic Zone, Clark Special Economic Zone, and the Central Techno Park in Tarlac. It cuts the travel time from Clark to Subic to only 30 minutes! Simply amazing! They say it will open end of April (28th tentatively).

I attended the awesome Colors Travel Photography Workshop by Master Photographer Wig Tysmans last April 11-14 weekend. Due to the storm, we were extended for two more days in Busuanga enjoying the El Rio Y Mar resort. Right after, I went to a scheduled 3-day road trip with my family and parents to 100 Islands and Bolinao, Pangasinan. We stayed overnight in Clark last Saturday night so that I can ran the 10k during the 94k SCTex Weekend.

I was dying to update the blog. My inquirer article on Awesome Family Destinations was published when I was in Palawan. I'm planning to do a detailed post on all the destinations I featured in that article within the week.

Rogin E Challenge Update
Despite the hectic back-to-back travel, I feel alive and not really exhausted. I was able to do a 10k run despite my tiring schedule. I've been drinking Rogin E with my Vitamin C supplements and I would like to think that Rogin E is making a difference. I'm going back to the gym this week and hopefully progress more towards my weight goals. I must admit I've been enjoying the food at El Rio Y Mar in Busuanga, Palawan.

Text and Photos by Anton Diaz. Copyright 2008.

ro8kbsmag.txt

Banaue & Batad Expedition

I decided to join Michelle Morelos in her Battad and Banaue Expedition versus joining the Camiguin Travel Workshop. The Banaue expedition costs P9,000 inclusive of transportation (via Bus) and 3 days and 2 nights food, lodging, and local guide fees. I've been dreaming of visiting the Banaue Rice Terraces and I will finally visit it on Labor Day Weekend 2008. Watch out for my Banaue Rice Terraces photos... Any tips and things I should not miss?

For more info about the Photo Expedition...

Paul Calvin's Deli, Fort Bonifacio

Serendra and Boni High Street are getting crowded these days. We would usually drive around the area hoping to find a hidden resto gem that is not busting with people but provides a good ambiance and would serve good food. One of such places in the Fort Boni area is Paul Calvin’s Deli. The yellow and orange color motif is warm and inviting that lured me into going inside and check it out.

Chef Jonnathan Paul Em has a passion for making great food with no gimmicks. He was one of the pioneer chefs of Gramercy Park Hotel in Manhattan and got his culinary studies degree at the Institute of Culinary Education. I always celebrate stories of Filipinos who decided to go back to the Philippines and live to share their learnings here. I prefer to promote establishments with personality.

The meats and cheeses selections are very good while the bread needs improvement.

Old World Kopitiam, Banaue

Old Chinatown Kopitiam


If you are in Banaue and craving for Chinese, Singaporean or Malaysian dishes, then you should definitely go to Old Chinatown Kopitiam (OCK). While waiting for your dishes to arrive, you can enjoy watching the NBA games like I did. You can even have your car washed at the nearby Tazza Cafe and walk to OCK.

I always like to know the story behind the name of the restaurant. I asked Darren, one of the owners, about the origin of Old World Kopitiam via email and he said,
"Actually, we thought of the name Old Chinatown because we wanted a place with nostalgia and rustic ambiance. We serve mostly Malaysian Chinese food inspired by the hawker stalls in Penang. The kopitiam concept is inspired from my Singapore trip. Kopi is Malay word for coffee and 'tiam' is Chinese word for 'shop'. So we just did a hybrid of a resto and coffeeshop concept. Our food are all Short orders.. good for sharing."


The place can only accommodate limited seats so it quickly fills up during lunch/ dinner time. Usually, the people who eats at OCK are repeat customers and you can tell by the way they make their orders. We would usually give the menu to Aidan and ask him to order what he likes. He would look at the menu and pretend to read it and he would shout hakaw. He loves shrimp dumplings and the closest that we can order is the jumbo siomai.

Our Traditional Dishes | Hawker's Classic | Hawker's Best | Noodles, Rice and Soup | Veggies and Beancurd/Tofu | Classic Conconctions

No More Excuses...

Rogin E Blogger Challenge Update:

I'm already tired of making excuses to myself on why I'm still far away from my 6-pack abs goal in 2008. My strategy is to do it the right way with a determined mindset, regular workout and eating the right kind of food. I already did it once in the 90s and I will do it again. No more excuses that I cannot exercise because of travel. No more excuses that I need to taste a little bit of that tempting dessert. No more excuses that I have to try this restaurant to blog about it (my favorite excuse). No more excuses of eating chocolates.

I finally got back to the gym last week with Jopet to help me out with my workout. I went to the gym 3x last week and I do hope to keep the momentum up this April! I can start to feel the impact of Rogin E because it is giving me the energy to survive my hectic schedule nowadays. I'm excited to go back to the gym and eat the right stuff. I had a minor setback with eating the dessert tarts plate in My Mother's Garden (Garden Room) last Monday night. So now, I will eat clean from today onwards.

If I’m personally successful in meeting my goals, I will thank Rogin-E forever for it... To Carlos Celdran, keep up the great progress on your weight goal!

I'm taking personal accountability... No More excuses!