Tourism

Our Lady Of Manaoag In Tagaytay

If I wasn’t mistaken, the last time I’ve been to the Shrine of Our Lady Of Manaoag in Dagupan was year 1990. That was 17 years ago. I didn’t know that there is also a replica of Our Lady Of Manaog in Tierra de Maria, Home Of Meditation And Enrichment in Tagaytay near The Japanese Garden. More pictures after the jump.

This is the majestic 50 foot image of Mary, Mother Of God, Queen Of Heaven And Earth

At the foot of the giant Mama Mary, a wishing well and a place for lighting your candles

The life size replica of Our Lady Of Manaoag


My bestfriend always telling me how solemn Tierra De Maria is. She never been in The Shrine Of Our Lady Of Manaoag in Dagupan. I agree with her. If you’re on your way to catch a good view of Taal Volcano, don’t forget to drop by Tierra De Maria.

Baywalk At SM Mall Of Asia

After Philippines local election last 2007, when Honorable Alfredo Lim won the mayoralty race, the famous Baywalk along Roxas Boulevard within Manila jurisdiction, all the establishments along the baywalk were gone because of the Manila City ordinance implemented again by Mayor Alfredo Lim. Many got sad including me because what was left now was the beautiful lamp posts that were installed during Mayor Lito Atienza’s term. All the establishments in Plaza Raha Sulayman were also gone, including my favorite coffee shop where my friends and I stayed after a night out ordering kapeng barako or chocolat-eh, best combined with an order of pandesal with kesong puti. Well, those were the happy days of Baywalk in Malate.

A close relative who worked as a manager in Dampa informed me that they will open a branch to the “new” baywalk. My kids and I had a chance to see how it looked.


It is located at the back of SM Mall Of Asia where you can enjoy strolling around the baywalk, the sea air breeze and the convenience of the MOA’s security guards roving around. Take note: vendors and beggars are no where in sight.

This is the perfect place to watch the fireworks display every Fridays, Saturdays and special occasions at 7:00pm.

Night out with your friends or family? Many restaurants and bars are open already and there are some more establishments opening soon. Goodbye to the disposable cups, plates, spoons and forks used by mostly all establishments at the old baywalk. I supposed many couples will celebrate their Valentine’s Day here next month.

philippine places pinoy

Shrine Of Jesus The Way, The Truth And The Life

The best thing to do on the first day of the year is to attend mass with our family. To make this day special, we decided to attend mass at the Shrine of Jesus The Way, The Truth And The Life, its in the reclamation area, Pasay City near SM Mall of Asia. It was our first time to visit the shrine.

The church was built in 1999. From Roxas Boulevard, you could catch a glimpse of the shrine. Years ago, I didn’t know that there was a church in that reclamation area until I’ve received a wedding invitation which I didn’t attended because of my work schedule. At that time, the only way to get there was by private vehicles. When SM Mall Of Asia was totally operational, its possible now to go to the church easier. I grew up in Baclaran and I still remember that it used to be the bay where my dad and I watch the sunset.

My 7 year old son told me while we were inside the church that as far as he remembered, this was the most beautiful church he saw. I agree. Pictures were taken at 6pm.

church pinoy rambling

Pastel From Camiguin, Anyone?

Food trip! A friend came from Camiguin…

CAMIGUIN is a pear-shaped volcanic island with a total land area of 238 sq. kilometers. It lies 10 kilometers off the coast of the Province of Misamis Oriental. Along with the Provinces of Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental, CAMIGUIN forms part of a geopolitical grouping of provinces comprising Region X or Northern Mindanao.

Camiguin is one of the best destination for scuba divers from different parts of the world. That’s why my friend came from there, his hobby is scuba diving and his second time to Camiguin. And look what he gave me as “pasalubong“. Two boxes of Pastel.

Pastel is soft, sweet bun with varied fillings. They were bought from VJANDEP Bakeshop. The pastel is a native delicacy and can also be categorized as dessert because of its sweetness, it is now identified with Camiguin Island that every tourist never goes home without tasting the famous bun. The filling choices are cheese, langka, macapuno, mango, pineapple, ube, and regular yema. I believed, the pastel I got was yema, it was really delicious, I just don’t know if it was special or the regular yema. They also have other filling “by order”: durian, guava, strawberry, chocolate and special yema. If I wasn’t mistaken, Korina Sanchez of Rated K featured the famous pastel bun of Camiguin.

Update: (10.22.08) Pastel is now available at SM Mall of Asia Hypermarket, bread section.

Halo Halo in Tiwi

Isn’t it mouth watering? In the Philippines, we call it halo-halo (from tagalog word halo which means “mix”). It is the popular native dessert among Filipinos specially on summer season. Why? Because Philippines is a tropical country and we have lots of fruits in season all year round. There’s no specific recipe for halo-halo, its a mixture of boiled sweet beans and fruits in season with crushed ice and milk. There’s a wide variety of ingredients Filipino entrepreneurs used. You can buy them anywhere in the Philippines. I happened to be the kind of person who wanted to try specialty food from every place I’ve been.

I could say that the best halo-halo I’ve tasted in my life is the picture above. The ingredients are red gelatin, boiled sweet bananas, sweet corn kernels, tapioca (sago) topped with crushed ice, leche flan, ube jam and lots of grated cheese. It looked simple and few ingredients but after tasting it, you’ll crave for another order. I don’t know if I could have another taste of it since the cafeteria is in Tiwi, Albay, Bicol. I’m in Manila now. Whew! Imagine, my mom who lives in Bicol almost all her life haven’t try the halo-halo in Tiwi. I am lucky!