What's in a (Business) Name? Cuatro

Care for some reggae music food?

Spotted at Park Mall, Mandaue City

For more amusing business names, please visit Go Random.

fudge

What do you do when your sweet tooth starts throbbing?

What did we do when our sweet teeth did throb?

We headed to fudge to see taste what the fudge is all about.

The Ultimate Combo

Oreo crust, cheesecake, frozen mango float, and tiramisu

Chocolate French Macaron
(only three flavors available that time: chocolate, vanilla, and pandan)

 

fudge doesn't just offer sweets, they also have soups, salads, sandwiches, pasta, etc. One cheese lover couldn't resist but order the Army Navy sandwich.

Army Navy

Club sandwich smothered with melted cheese

Their food (well, as far as those three we tried) were pretty good and very light on the pocket (yes, your pocket feels much lighter after paying). Php 190 for a club sandwich? Hmmm...I think I'll make half a dozen of that in my own kitchen. Their macaron was a decent size compared to other macarons I've tried but of course must cost more... 

Oh, you be the fudge judge.

fudge

No 888 AS Fortuna St. Mandaue City

(032) 416 1727

How the hunt for something sweet bore a hole thru Mustachio's friend's pocket:
The Ultimate Combo Php 110
Chocolate French Macaron Php 50
Army Navy Php 190
And don't forget the 10% service charge!

Where 2 Next Hostel

Where 2 Next Hostel
1776 M Adriatico St.
Malate, Manila
(02) 354 3533

What brought me here? Not reviews on the web or friends' recommendations... it was because it was the first hostel I came to and finding I still had money for their bed, settled in.

Where 2 Next Hostel has different room types: twin rooms, all male or all female 8 person rooms, and 6 person and 14 person mixed dorms. Rooms have their own toilet and bath. In the mixed dorm, there were two T&Bs --- male and female.

Inside the 14 person mixed dorm. Fully occupied, thus the clutter.

Large and small lockers are also available. If memory serves me right, the large one costs about Php 150 a day. About four 30 liter backpacks can fit in one large locker.

The hostel also has a small pantry where you can store your food in the refrigerator, heat your food in the microwave, and a sink to wash your dishes in.

For Php 465 (as of November 2011) a night with free breakfast, I stayed at their mixed dorm. The place was quite new and the rooms and t&b were clean. Breakfast consists of bread (sliced bread and pandesal), an assortment of spreads (peanut butter, strawberry jam, mayonnaise, Chiz Wiz, butter), fruits (banana, pineapple, and papaya), coffee, tea, water.

Before you head on home, leave your mark on their wall :-)

Binondo Binge

No map.

No clear destination.

One goal: try as many food in Binondo as our stomachs and wallets will allow.

How did we pick our stops?

By following our nose and gut.

David's Tea House

#561 and # 536 Tomas Mapua St.

(02) 733 9240

Assorted dimsum platter Php 185

New Eastern Garden Restaurant

#954 Ongpin St.

(02) 733 6226

Large fresh lumpia with seaweed Php 50

Above two photos by Mike Libby

Almost every street corner in Binondo at Christmas season

Roasted chestnuts Php 40 (Php 200/kilo)

Photo by Mike Libby (left) and Ayin Ersando (right)

Shanghai Fried Siopao

Ongpin St.

Fried Siopao Php 16

Lemon ice tea Php 25

Sa Lido Restaurant

#839 - # 843 Ongpin St.

(02) 516 5436 / 736 4569 / 664 1533 / 733 7144

Black and white gulaman Php 55

1/4 kilo pork asado Php 210

Mango float Php 75

Center and right photos by Ayin Ersando

Dong Bei Dumpling

#642 Yuchengco St.

Fried stuffed pancakes (4 pcs) Php 100

Dumplings (14 pcs) Php 100

Six stops and a bazillion calories after, we had to call it quits.

We were filled to the brim!

Good job!

(And nope, not one made me say yuck!)

PS Spotted dragon fruits, persimmons, grapes, pomegranates, plums, cherries, etc. on the sidewalk.

Wanted to buy cherries but couldn't afford it... Php 900 per kilo! Oh boo.

Maybe next time when I am not stuffed and my wallet is fat.

How bingeing in Binondo bore a hole thru Mustachio's pocket:
I don't want to know! For sure this is the most I have spent on food in one afternoon!

Zambales: Anawangin Cove

Anawangin Cove transforms into a tent city over the weekend and that's where we spent our Saturday night.

It took half an hour to get here by boat from Nagsasa Cove.

Felt like a jamboree!

 

Fun things to do at Anawangin:

• Go bushwhacking
• Chuck your cellphone into the sea
• Catch falling stars
• Bugger the planktons at night
• Snatch a grill so you can do your cooking
• Buy softdrinks and junkfood for twice as much as the normal price at the campsite's only sari-sari store
• Exercise
• Queue to do number 1 and/or number 2 (four toilets are available but on a weekend tell your tummy to behave while you wait in line)
• Take a bath in plain view of other campers
• For a bird's eye view of the cove bathed in the glow of the setting sun, trudge up the foot of the mountain on the south end of the cove armed with nothing but your camera as the sun goes down. It will be fun to play step-no on a mountain in the dark. Not to mention dangerous.

Hey, do not be stupid, of course you have to:

• Get off your lazy butt and explore the surrounding area
• Turn off your cellphone, this is a vacation after all. Besides, you won't have any signal here.
• Stare at the stars and count the shooting stars
• Go for a night swim and say hello to the planktons
• Ask politely to borrow a grill (or whatever else you need to borrow) from your neighboring camper
• Bring your own food and drinks unless you have money to burn
• Build up those biceps by fetching your water from the pump
• Get in line if you want to use the toilet. No overtaking. 
• Take a bath in plain view of other campers with all your clothes on
• For a bird's eye view of the cove, trudge up the foot of the mountain on the south end of the cove armed with nothing but your camera making sure that the sun is a great distance from the horizon
• If you must get a bird's eye view of the cove at sunset, bring a flashlight. Unless you want to plunge over the side of the mountain into the... bushes, boulders, or the sea.

Go explore!

Be polite to your neighbors!

Catch the sunset!

How Zambales bore a hole thru Mustachio's pocket:
Pasay-Olongapo bus (Victory Liner) Php 223
Olongapo-San Antonio bus Php 44
Breakfast at San Antonio Php 74
Food and supplies for 2 days (6 meals) Php 250
Tour package including guide for Nagsasa falls Php 1250
Dinner at San Antonio Php 38
San Antonio-Caloocan bus Php 260


Zambales series:
Camara and Capones Islands
Nagsasa Cove
Anawangin Cove (you're here!)

Zambales: Nagsasa Cove

Two hours and some minutes past noon.

Nine hungry travelers.

One hundred and twenty minutes to reach our campsite.

Nagsasa Cove was one welcome sight.

We claimed our spot on the north end of the cove.

Nagsasa cove was deserted on a Friday save for us and another group who camped on the south side.

What will you find at Nagsasa Cove? Picnic tables under agoho trees. Toilet with running water. Gray sand. A great big blanket of stars. Strong winds over the mountains at night (depends on the time of year). Peace and quiet. 

What will you not find at Nagsasa Cove? No cellphone signal. No electricity. No resorts. No stores. No restaurants.

 Early morning at Nagsasa Cove

A perfect place for lazing about, huh?

But while there, give up some lazy time to explore the falls, an hour's walk away.

Go with a guide.

Above two photos by Mike Libby

The hour long hike thru tall grass, rocks, boulders, and rivers

will make you want to dive into the cold cold water and go for a swim.

 

On the way back don't lose sight of your guide, else this fork (below) will boggle your mind.
If you pick the left path, like my companions did, tough luck.

 

Just kidding. The left path will still take you to the cove though on a longer route.
If you hear ice cream bells when you get to the cove, you might be hearing things. Or not.
Mr Popsicle Guy was at the camp site when we got back from the hike!
Popsicles for Php25 each. Lucky us.
Nine thirsty and sweating customers. Luckier him!

How Zambales bore a hole thru Mustachio's pocket:
Details in the next post. I promise.


Zambales series:
Camara and Capones Islands
Nagsasa Cove (you're here!)
Anawangin Cove