Okay, let's try to do this. My body clock's sooo messed up these days. Woke up at 3pm yesterday and did literally nothing productive. Slept at 5am this morning but I forced myself to be up by 10am to try to make things right. Try being the operative word. Haha! Kaya 'ko to!

Anyway, next item on the back burner is my Boracay trip last July. It was my birthday trip and my friend, Jhov, accompanied me. This was actually my second time in Boracay. The first time was in 2012. It was a very memorable one because we were forced to stay there for a week! Yep, a week! We got stranded due to the weather but looking at the bright side, we were able to try a lot of activities when the weather finally permitted. I'm linking up my old blog 'cause as usual.. shameless plugging! Hahaha!

day1: let's fly to boracay

day2: banana boat and atv

day3: got inked xD

day4: beach boom booms

day5: helmet diving and parasailing ♥

day6: fishing and snorkeling

day7: some good things never last

Going back to last year's trip, we booked our flight via Air Asia -- seat sale of course! For our accommodation, I made Jhov decide whether to splurge or to save. She chose 'save' and her friend recommended Bamboo Beach Resort. So I went ahead and booked a Standard Aircon room via Agoda. We paid P4200 for 3 nights. So that's P2100 each, divided by 3 nights.. P700/night with complimentary breakfast pa!

So, will I recommend Bamboo Beach Resort? For budget travelers, definitely yes! For one, beach front! Need I say more? Next, even if it's actually in Station 3 already, it's still so close to Station 2. Station 2 being the center of the activities in White Beach. It's where D'Mall and D'Talipapa are located so shopping happens in this station. There are lots of restaurants and bars too! If we're going to put it simply, Station 1 is like the luxurious district, Station 2 is for the mid-range and Station 3 is for the budget travelers and backpackers. So it just felt right to be between Stations 2 and 3 -- affordable and accessible!

Basically, we got what we paid for. Nothing fancy but nothing to complain about either. The staff were accommodating and very courteous. I specifically remember a guard greeting me cheerfully every time he sees me. Nahihiya na tuloy ako dumaan. Haha! Thumbs up with the cleanliness too! And then there's wi-fi, so yayy! Although for the food, we chose to ate somewhere else for lunch and dinner. But of course we consumed our free breakfast. Aba'y sayang yun. Hahaha! Again, nothing fancy. We had different kinds of silog  each morning plus coffee, hot chocolate or juice.

See, I really don't do this review thingy 'cause I blog solely to entertain myself and to stay sane but at least today I tried. Word for the day talaga is TRY.  *Yawnss* Kaya 'ko to!

Among the restaurants that we tried is Cha Cha's Beach Cafe. It is Coast Boracay's cafe situated in Station 2. I actually considered Coast for our accommodation too along with Hennan. But they're 'splurge' so.. nevermind! The friend said 'save' daw kami. Haha!

One thing about Cha Cha is it's very laid-back setting. Nice interiors, beach-themed, tropical. Perfect for sunny days in Boracay. And.. it's Instagrammable! And we all know how important for a cafe to be Instagrammable. Jusko, ang superficial na talaga ng mundo. Hahaha! But to be fair, they serve good food too. We had nachos and two servings of their chicken. It's that good! We had to order another serving. Checkout their menu here -- Cha Cha's Menu.

Another restaurant that was recommended to us was Spider House. It's not in White Beach anymore but in Diniwid Beach. I read somewhere that Boracay has a total of 12 beautiful beaches but I've only been to White Beach (the main one) and this, Diniwid Beach. We got there via tricycle for P100 pesos yata.

It was a secluded beach and the waves were strong! And as you can see in the photos, walang tao. Medyo nakakatakot! We only took photos but we didn't dare swim in this area. After all, yung Spider House naman ang sadya namin. To be honest, we almost didn't swim our entire stay. We just ate and ate. Oops!

In Spider House, we had Marinara and Margherita Pizza with Seafood toppings. They're fairly priced. Cheaper compared to Cha Cha's Cafe. The food's good too although we weren't able to finish our pizza. 

For me though, the best thing about Spider House is that you get a nice view of the beach. It's a good place to watch the sunset actually. But we were there during lunch so it was too early to wait for the precious sunset. 

And one last thing, can I just say that the place is a little creepy? From the entrance, to the long alley, to the stairs. And most of all, there were real spiders!!! I have arachnophobia! Can you imagine how I felt? I had to hold my pee because the washroom is really giving me goosebumps. Nakakaloka! Anyway, you can check out Spider House here -- Spider House Resort.

DAY FOURRR! STRAWBERRY FARM! This is actually not in Baguio anymore but in La Trinidad. Still in the province of Benguet but a different municipality. I just had to mention this. Nakakatawa kasi how I thought before that "Baguio" is the province itself. Hehe! Pasensya na, mahina lang sa geography. :P

So for our last day, we headed to Strawberry Farm to.. guess what?? Pick strawberries!!! Hahaha! You can actually just buy strawberries outside for P250 per small basket but where's the fun in that, right? So we decided to pick the berries ourselves. The twist? It will become P400 per basket if you're going to pick them yourself. The strawberries kasi are very delicate and they have to consider the wastage from casual pickers. And come on, a difference of P150 for the experience? Definitely not bad!

More than anything, I loved seeing Mithy enjoy the experience. Feeling ko, hindi na ako nakapag-pick ng strawberries sa kakapicture ko sa kanya. Haha! But seriously, it's hard to explain. It just feels so good to be an instrument for the welfare of the kids. Just so you have an idea, I am the greatest aunt ever buying everything for the kids -- food, toiletries, books, clothes, shoes, toys, lahat! I bring them to places, I let them experience things. But the thing is, we have a little family drama going on. But I guess no matter how angry and disappointed I am right now, I'd always wish for the kids' well-being. Ano ba 'to! Enough of that. I'd probably write a life update in the coming days but for now, let's get this over and done with. Must work on the backloggsss! Hahaha! 

If I am going to elaborate more on the experience, it's not exactly easy 'cause first of all you have to walk on sticky mud. I repeat, sticky mudddd! Haha! You can opt to wrap your shoes in plastic (they're for free), but it doesn't make walking any easier. Eventually you'll let go of the plastic wrap 'cause sale-salengkwang na sya! Hahaha! Did I really just use that word on the blog? I did? Oops! 

And then there's the narrow aisle between the rows of strawberry forbs. Gusto ko nang maginarte ng, "ayoko ng masikip! ayoko ng maputik!" Hahaha! Yes, that was a Maricel Soriano line. Hehe! But anyway, there are thin bamboo arcs naman that you can hold on to. And of course, even if it wasn't easy-peasy, it's still worth experiencing. Although our mom and 6-month old Aya had to skip it. Understandable, right?

After the strawberry picking, we went back to Baguio to have lunch in Good Taste Cafe. And it didn't disappoint, the food tasted good indeed! Hahaha! We all agreed that if we're going to rank all the restos we ate in, Good Taste will come first, then Balajadia in Slaughter House, and lastly Rancho Norte in Ketchup Community. 

Also, papi got to see another good friend before we head home -- Councilor Peter Fianza. It was nice of him to actually drop by in Good Taste just to see my father. I felt like our Baguio trip was a success. We got to bring papi in the old places he's been to, and he met two old friends -- Tito Jun and Tito Peter. 

I actually plan to bring papi next to Ilocos 'cause it's where he was born. And then probably after that, Davao naman for my mom. But of course, I have to save first. Yun talaga yun eh. Hahaha! But honestly, it feels good na pinaghihirapan mo. You get to value every experience more. You can to celebrate each victory more. See? It's just a matter of perspective. So let's always choose to see the good. ♡

Anddd it's Baguio day 3 on the blog today! First stop was Baguio Dairy Farm. Another cousin happens to work and live there but aside from visiting the relatives, we were hoping to chance upon papi's old friend, Tito Jun. And boyyy, we were lucky! Personally, I was so happy to see my father reunite with an old pal. Nakakatuwa lang silang tignan. I'm a self-confessed father's girl so it's something big for me. I feel like kahit papano, nakabawi ako sa kanya by bringing him to Baguio. And with our entire family in tow! 

Did you watch the video? Mithril's playmate was Ridwan, ate Grace's baby boy. They clicked instantly 'cause our dear Mithy plays like a boy! Haha! We can only wish that the cousins get to play more often. Distance sucks, eh?

Next stop, Mines View Park! We made the most out of the perfect view by taking tons of photos by the observatory deck. I had fun taking snaps of the Bear Family (that's how we call my brother's family. Haha!) 'cause I made them wear matching outfits -- YET AGAIN. The kids are my real-life dolls and at times, nadadamay pati magulang nila. Haha! They can't do anything about it though 'cause I shop for their clothes too! Aren't they so lucky to have me? Hahaha! Kidding! But yeah, they're lucky. 

We made sure to have our photo taken with the famous St. Bernard too. Meanwhile, the craziest of them all a.k.a my sister Anit, rented Igorot clothing and started doing silly poses. After a while, Mariss got inggit and dressed herself in native clothing too. I skipped it 'cause I already did it back in 2011 when I went to Sagada with friends and had a short side trip in Baguio. And yes, I'm linking up my old blog as much as I can. Shameless plugging right hereee. :P

For lunch we went to the famous Ketchup Community and ate in Rancho. It's crazy how few months after, the food park had to close. Although, I don't get the fuss over this food place. We were honestly not happy with our dining experience. The food was mediocre and get this -- there were a lot of flies! Nakakaloka! They ended up teasing me about my restaurant of choice. Talo daw ng Slaughter House ni papi yung Ketchup Community ko. Papi - 1, Apple - 0.

It was a pretty long day 'cause after lunch, we then headed to Wright Park. Another park = More photo ops! Haha! Let's admit it, it really is inevitable now that everyone's hooked to social media. I actually just read an article reminding us to immerse ourselves more in nature; to connect and feel more deeply rather than to busy ourselves in documenting what we do for the purpose of posting in social media platforms for everyone to ogle at. So true. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon just chilling at the park. Before heading home, we dropped by Botanical Gardens but not everyone was game to explore the place. We were all tired by then so after a quick peek we decided to head home. It was another day well-spent with family in the beautiful place of Bagyoww.