A Close Encounter with the Majestic Kind

Lucky to be seated where the Mayon Volcano can be seen, I managed to capture her beauty with my phone on flight mode, (although the cabin crew still scolded me and asked me to turn my phone off). Without my trusty cam, how can I resist to capture such stunning site? Can they blame me???

Touchdown at the Legazpi Airport

At the top of ligñon hill, with the beautiful and hardworking souls of Albay. Lovely!! You can view Albay and Mayon Volcano from he top of this hill. So breath taking! I'd definitely comeback for more!!

Lessons from Innocence

I just wanna share with you guys one of the quirkiest pose of my favorite nieces, Eowyn and Darwin.

☺ Is there something wrong with the picture?? ☺

Lesson learned? Be yourself! Life is too short to complicate or be bothered with what others think. ASTEEG!

Makes me sometimes wish...that I could get back in time that no matter how innocent and silly I become, i'd still look cute.

Note: Darwin is the sweetest and most charming niece in the world!! Don't you agree?

Cagbalete Island, Quezon: 3rd Day

June 1: Wrap Up!

As much as we don't want to leave the place, we all have our own lives to get back to in Manila. So after breakfast, we had our final pictorials and packed our belongings. We'll definitely come back!

3 for Php10
Kuray, (known as Kalag in the Visayas) the local land crabs, are also called by the locals as coconut crabs as they live in burrows beneath coconut trees and are cooked in young coconut meat, coconut milk and spices

(The size of my fists and their legs are quite hairy)

look at the size of these clams! at Php80 per bucket


sand dunes at low tide

beautiful shells we've collected

one gorgeous mom


low tide



moment naman ng mga moms and dads

directed by: Dhorotz
photographer: Pachee


we have to walk way past Bonsai Island (800 meters from shore) to get to the boat,

low tide kc eh

Back at Mauban Port

A quick stop at Tenorio's in Bay, Laguna for the best, freshly-baked, hot-from-the-oven monay! Perfect for snacking while on the road. BURP!

For info about Cagbalete island and about Villa Cleofas, visit http://www.cagbalete.com/

Cagbalete Island will also be featured on Tablescapes... Life on a Plate this Monday, June 16, 11pm on Studio 23, Kabarkada Nyo! (wow plugging!)

Cagbalate Island, Quezon: 2nd Day

May 31

We woke up at around 8am, where the tide is really low, so low that the shore is almost dried up! 800 meters from the shoreline is a little islet called Bonsai Island (because of the single "bonsai-like" mangrove in the center of the islet) that disappears during high tide. The trek was quite tiring and the island is actually composed of dried up corals and rocks.

Bonsai Island (we are actually stepping on dried up corals, seashells, and rocks, good thing we're wearing beach shoes)

slippery when wet


Hermit Crab



Bonding with "Patrick"

playing around with the waves (Bonsai Island's border)

residents of Bonsai Island's rocky coast




Bonsai mangrove on the right side (the resort can be seen at the back)

Before lunch time, the tide was getting higher so we already head for the resort. We were really hungry! We had laing, adobo, coconut crabs, Mameng fish, and squid for lunch, flushed down with lots of softdrinks and buko juice!

Mess Hall with a nice view

After lunch, we chilled at the hammock and played at the boat while waiting for Paolo and Miggy to wash the dishes. Then went to the river (that meets the sea), where they say clams the size of my palms can be picked up. The water there was clear and the right combination of warm and cool.

Cagbalete River

again, we played with the waves
moms and dads

By noon, the dads head out to the sea to catch dinner. Look what we had for dinner!

Then lambanog over bonfire. The cool thing is there are lots of fireflies at night, plus may lightning show pa! We had a game of 123 pass before sleeping.

Cagbalete Island: 1st Day

May 30:

We left at 4 am and arrived at Mauban at around 9am. We parked the vehicle at an old house (the owner of Villa Cleofas' ancestral house) while waiting for the 45-minute boat ride. We went crazy and played tayaan, took pictures, the works. Kulet talaga! Hayzel, a new friend even thought that we were just highschool graduates!

Ancestral hobbies

Tsk tsk, dala lang cguro ng gutom lahat ng kalokohang ito. After waiting for an hour for the boat (the crew of Tablescapes were early to shoot, so we have to wait for the return of our boat), the boat finally arrived. Finally! We were really hungry!

Datu Uban of Mauban Port

Mauban Port

Cagbalete Island from afar

Finally! We arrived at Cagbalete Island! So beautiful, see the pictures for yourself!

No food yet...


Pristine sand...clear waters..

Dyesebel with abs

Villa Cleofas


Chef Bruce of Tablescapes (Watch on Ch 23, Mondays 10pm)

Cagbalete or "Cabalete" in some maps, is truly a rare jewel. It is home to a number of species of land animals and sea creatures. Kingfishers, parrots, eagles, and other uncommon birds can usually be seen flying over the area of the island. It is also the habitat of the coconut crab or “kuray” (the Cagbalete favorite), starfishes, “alimasag”, “umang”, etc., and a long time ago, the “pawikan” (giant sea turtle). For divers and snorkeling-fanatics, underwater exploration is a treat with the diverse and colorful marine life that can be discovered beneath the rocks and corals.

Words aren't enough to describe the beauty of the place and the fun we had, 1st day pa lang yan!! I'll post the 2nd day tomorrow, medyo gutom na e, hehe. Visit www.cagbalete.com for details. ☺