[Throwback (Travel) Thursday 05.16.2013] Caramoan...Before all the Survivor hullabaloo

Caramoan's Matukad Island. Simply beautiful, don't you think?

By this time Caramoan is already on everyone's radar, especially since the French edition of the hit reality series Survivor filmed its 8th season there in 2008. Since then, around ten other seasons from different editions of the show have been shot there, the latest of which was the "Fans vs Favorites" season of the U.S. edition. The Caramoan Peninsula is home to at least ten main islands and a host of other small islets, making it a great place for island-hopping with white-sand beaches and limestone rock formations.

However, ever since the place became Survivor capital, I've both heard and read stories from disappointed visitors who have gone to the peninsula at such inopportune times when some filming is ongoing. Call it an ill-timed visit because a lot of these islands that make up the Caramoan Peninsula are off-limits to tourists when filming is underway and hence, the disappointment.

Once a sleepy town
My Bibe and I, however, were lucky to have visited Caramoan long before all this on April 2006. I don't know about the Caramoan municipality today but back then it was a sleepy town with no malls, no banks, and no gasoline stations. There were no hotels or resorts either, so lodging houses were our only bet. Nonetheless, it had its own charm.

[Throwback (Travel) Thursday 05.09.2013] The Mt Natib climb

Ooh la la! Haha! Following last week's throwback post about having my hair shaved off, I'm going back a day right after that trip to the barber in April 2004, when I joined a climb to Mt Natib in Bataan.

We boarded a ferry at 6:30am to the town of Orion (or-YON), from where we hired a jeepney to take us to Bgy. Tala. After a quick rest, we began our trek at 10:15am (Oh yes, I was the designated climb scribe, so I have all the notes.). Mt Natib (1,253 MASL) used to be a mining area, so a big part of our trail was an overgrown winding road with very little to no shade at all.

Questions I want to ask the 2013 senatorial candidates

It's just five days to go before the 2013 Midterm Elections. Just some of the questions I want to ask those aspiring for one of the 12 seats in the Senate:

Collage from thepoc.net

Samson Alcantara - What is equitable distribution of economic wealth to you and what are you going to do to make this happen? How will you deal with hardworking individuals who've made a fortune against those who are poor and jobless and who can't even care to lift a finger?

Sonny Angara - How will you reconcile your platform of making education accessible to more Filipinos with that "No late payment policy" enforced in U.P. where you sat in its Board of Regents? And oh, did you really pay Coco Martin Php 35M to endorse you?

Bam Aquino - How, as a legislator, will you be able to provide employment opportunities for fresh graduates? Also, have you tried other eyeglass frames? Or contact lenses, perhaps?

Impetus Beachwear 2013: Mostly boxers on the beach

Last year I posted about Portuguese brand Impetus and its 2012 Beachwear Collection, which I liked a lot. So I looked up what they have in store this year and was a tad underwhelmed. Last year's collection was just wow while this year had me thinking about boxer shorts. Maybe it's just me but a lot of their pieces this year look like boxers to me more than swim shorts. To be fair, I still love that they're cut short, way above the knee.

This one I kinda like although it may resemble gym shorts if you really look at it.

H&M Swimwear 2013

My mind is on some beach right now and I thought of looking up some swim shorts. It frustrates me that in spite of all those rumors before, Swedish retail giant H&M still hasn't opened up a store here in the Philippines. It's frustrating for me because their new 2013 swim shorts are just so nice, cut short the way I like it. And of course, with prices that start at just $ 9.95, they're fairly affordable.

This one's my favorite, even if it wouldn't be flattering on my pudgy body. Also available in black. ($17.95)

Swimwear 2013: Topman and Zara

I'm loving all the short shorts I see from British top retail brand Topman and Spanish label Zara for their 2013 swimwear offerings. There's a good mix of color, conservative, and bold prints from both of them. So could you blame me?

Topman

When Topman opts for color, then it's color -- and neon at that! Also loving the bold tropical print in the other piece here.

Restaurant Verbena: Cozy, underwhelming, and overpriced

We once again found ourselves in Tagaytay about a fortnight ago and were wondering where to have dinner. We consulted TripAdvisor and found Discovery Country Suites' Restaurant Verbena (Cafe Verbena in the site) high atop the site's ranking. So we decided on giving it a try.

The restaurant interiors. (Photo from Restaurant Verbena's Facebook page)

Interiors and ambiance
The place wasn't too big, just about right in size, and I liked the warm and cozy country ambiance accentuated with high ceilings and lots of wood and stone. We sat at the terrace section where we could feel more of the cool Tagaytay breeze.

The food
With appetizers that start at Php 395 and main courses that can go as high as Php 1,200 and Php 2,200 (plus 10% service charge), Restaurant Verbena is no cheap place to dine. That said, we expected much from the food. Maybe too much.

[Throwback Thursday 05.02.2013] Skinhead

Even when I have very little - not to mention very fine - hair, I obsess over it for the most part. I guess it's because I'm frustrated with it and I just envy guys with thick crowns. I once sported long hair (which I've shown here) and after growing tired of it, went for this:

Focus through the bright sunlight - online

It's stifling hot and horrendously humid. Summer is the season when I just can't stand driving without wearing sunglasses, or even when going out to buy lunch. Even if I don't get to wear them often as I am indoors for the most part of the day, I love wearing sunnies whenever I can. They instantly add that cool factor and make almost anyone look better than they really are, myself included. Ha!

I just found a place on the web, Focus Online, that's a one-stop shop for all things sunglasses. It carries a number of well-known brands like Tom Ford, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Persol, Carrera, and Ray Ban, to name but a few.

One Tagaytay Place: Not the one place to be in Tagaytay

We recently tried One Tagaytay Place for a brief overnight stay. We didn't want to spend much and got a good deal from Asia Travel. Because Php 5,000 for a one-bedroom suite doesn't sound bad, we got it despite some of the negative reviews I've read.

Reservation and check-in
We booked via Asia Travel so I can't say much about the hotel's reservation experience other than that they have an online booking facility. Check-in, on the other hand, proceeded without a hitch while we sipped on our welcome drinks. I was, however, slightly miffed when they wouldn't give me an extra key card. There were three of us together who may not all be going out of the room at the same time, which was why an extra key was needed. They just said they can't and that any staff could help me get in if the need be anyway. Really?

The hotel lobby. The ceiling is very low that I can touch that overhead lamp over there.