Paradise is not Lost. Phuket, Thailand

L and I graduated last April 15, 2010 and the following day we immediately flew to Phuket, Thailand for a long awaited vacation. With us is his NY based sister who came back to Manila just to see him graduate. Achi's husband together with his brother will follow in a few days. Their cousin together with her friend will also be flying in from SG where they were based.

We opted for Tiger Airways since they offer very reasonable fares (more or less 13,000php RT) We headed to Clark DMIA early morning to catch our flight to SG then  from there, transfer flights for Phuket. At the Changi airport, Achi was questioned since her PH passport will be expiring in less than 6mos. She explained that when she comes back to the US, she will be getting her US passport that's why she didn't see the need to renew. They let us through after about an hour of phone calls.

For our first night, we chose to dine in an in-the-hole Korean restaurant (sorry wasn't able to get the name) on the way from the airport to our hotel that as we have observed, Koreans frequent. There were about 2 groups of Koreans drinking there that night.

Our DIY food

We asked the man who greeted us coming in, which he can recommend and he pointed out to a set menu. We went with his suggestion and this was what came. The proper way to eat this as they say is to cook the meat, put toppings and roll with the lettuce.

We were in awe when we saw the resort Achi got for us to stay in. Marriott Beach Club was stunningly beautiful! No doubt, the best resort I have been to so far. There were 3 huge pools to choose from which were all fronting the beach. We statyed in a villa with 2 huge bedrooms and bathrooms, kitchen, pantry, balcony and a sofa. It was like home, the beds were made everyday and the beddings were so so soft! 

One of the 3 infinity pools

Achi and L

Beyond the sun beds is the beach. Waves are huge!

L and I on another one of the pools

L have always wanted to go scuba diving and though hesitant at first, I finally gave in. Although achi has gone diving before, we opted to avail the introductory program since it was both L and I's first time. We were to dive at Racha Noi and Racha Yai. These two islands were 18km south of Phuket and were known to the locals as Raya Islands. "Yai" in Thai means big and "Noi" means small.

First time divers. We promise to avail an open water course soon!

Getting into the suits was no easy task. It was so hard! A lot of tugging, pulling and stretching after, we were finally all set for our very first dive.

Some weird fish we saw. My sister said we must have blinded him due to the flash. Haha!

Those spikes must be sharp! We have no idea what this was. 

This one looked like an underwater caterpillar. We had no idea there were so much creatures underwater we haven't even heard of.

One of the most popular beaches in Phuket is Patong. This was where the night life is! There were also a lot of tourists in the area. The beach was okay, still prefer Boracay's white sand Patong's. 

See those 2 girls from a distance? They were both topless!

The Ph Phi island tour was definitely the highlight of this trip. Snorkeling on open water was amazing! You can see a lot of fishes even before you go underwater. Phi Phi was the island's superstar. It has been on movies, the go to place for travelers and for some, may be the only reason to visit Phuket.

On the way to different islands, we keep on seeing these man-made stilts. 

First stop was this island where in we swam for less than an hour

More fishes

Maya Bay. The most beautiful beach I've been to, hands down.

Maya Bay the  is surrounded by 100m high cliffs on all 3 sides. Several beaches inside the bay exist but only on low tide, the main one is 200m long and has a powdery, silky white sand. If this looks familiar, it is because this is the setting for Leonardo Di Caprio's Movie, The Beach back in 1999.

Paradise is not lost. Maya Bay, and Phuket for that matter has resurrected from the devastating effects of the Tsunami back in 2004. Locals have moved on and everything seems to be back to how they were before

For more infromation on Marriott Phuket Beach Club you may visit: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/hktpb-marriotts-phuket-beach-club/

Balai sa Laiya

It has been 2 years since we visited this place and I can still feel the warmth of the sun! A few months in our relationship, we have decided to go on a trip. We were incoming PT interns then and decided to have a quick getaway before heading to the very stressful and tiring intern life. We had many places in mind but thought of Laiya in Batangas since both of us had never been there before. Looking for a place to stay was a breeze, we opted for Balai since the place had good feedbacks from our friends. Paid reservation through UCPB and  then we're set.

Going there was pretty easy. We rode Jam from Manila to Lucena (+/- 2 hrs.) and got off at Chowking after the town proper of Candelaria. At the nearest intersection, there are jeeps waiting to take you to the town of San Juan, Batangas (+/- 30 mins.) We got off at San Juan Market and rode a jeep to Barrio Hugom where Balai is located (+/- 30 mins.) It was a pleasant trip over all. I enjoy riding buses because I don't get to ride them often. I only get to ride them during fieldtrips or if there are school activities.

Balai sa Laiya

Our Cottage

An extra fee is charged if you want to turn on the A/C but we didn't have to. It was cold at night!

Cabanas at the Shore
We didn't intend to, but during afternoon, we lie on these cabanas and instantly doze off to sleep! We were afraid we'll wake up losing our things but that didn't happen. We also had a relaxing massage by the beach in these cabanas which was arranged by the resort.

Buffet everyday. (Spot L)
You have to purchase their meals when you book in this resort because bringing in of food is not permitted. Food was good but not great. During our first day of stay, we were the only ones at the resort so instead of a buffet like this, they had all sorts of food prepared at our table

At the top of the tower, enjoying the wonderful view.

We are saddened to find out that our beloved Balai sa Laiya had closed and a new one will be opening under the same management and also on San Juan, Batangas. The new one is called, Balai sa San Juan. I am looking forward on visiting this new place soon as we have truly enjoyed our stay on the old Balai. We enjoyed so much that we decided to extend our stay one night!

For further information on Balai and their resorts, they can be reached at http://www.balai-resort.com/

From Cibo with love and my 3rd attempt on blogging.

This is my third attempt on blogging. I have had 2 blogs that were both down the drain in a little over a year after I have first started writing. I just basically had nothing to write about and was too lazy to keep the blog up and running. L, the love of my life have always wanted me to put up a blog. He had no idea I already had one which was dating back 2006! We've been together a little over 2 years and I regret not being able to blog about all our sweet getaways. Expect flashbacks every now and then, flashbacks of our past travels (I tell you, there are not a lot!) that deserve a place in this cyberspace.

Travel, Fashion, Food,and the Sweet Deals we get of the internet ---Now I hope I have found something to write about.

L has been addicted to "Deals" found on the internet for quite sometime now, I have always thought that it was just a phase but NO, still going on as I write. Imagine, for Christmas exchange gift, he actually had "a good deal" on his wishlist! And now, all the sites offering these are bookmarked on his computer. No, this will not go away.

So what are deals you ask? These are coupons bought off the internet for a bargain all over the metro. (More and more websites are dedicated for these I have noticed) Last one we claimed was for Cibo, 250php for 500php. That is 50% off! we got 2. And here are what we ordered.

Mozarella Tegameno (230php).

We used to always order Spinaci Zola for our appetizer but thought of giving this one a try. We loved this more but thought that serving was too little. Mozarella and Tomato really go well together.

Linguine La Foresta (Single-240php , Family-425php)

Family isn't really for a family because it only serves 2. We were disappointed when we saw this in person because it looked more appetizing on the menu but we shouldn't have because it was good! So good, I had eaten the olives when I don't usually do.

Prosciutto Di Parma/Porchetta Bianca Pizza (358php)

 We asked the server if we could mix 2 flavors together because we cannot decide and they gladly obliged. I loved Prosciutto Di Parma, tomato mozarella, and parma ham taste so good together but L liked Porchetta Bianca better. This had roast pig, spinach, mozarella and... chicharon!

Overall, cibo is a decent italian go to place and is definitely worth the price. Especially if you are able to catch a good deal like we did.

For more deals like this, visit http://pakyaw.com.ph/