Desserts at Sage, Baguio City

Sage is a new restaurant in Baguio. Up for trying something new, I said yes to my friend when she said we should have our desserts there after our lunch.

When we arrived at the place, I was stunned because I never expected such a relaxing place in the middle of Military cut-off. We were greeted warmly by one of the staff. We took our seats and we seated there comfortably until the staff gave us their menu and their "service water" or complimentary drink or whatever they call it. One thing I have to say, who needs flavored drink/soft drinks/cocktails if the restaurant would serve you this:

service water

We placed our order, waited for a few minutes, told each other stories then our food was served.

Before we had desserts, we shared a salad first.

 Their salad is really good. It's crunchy and really sumptuous. It's my first time to have a salad with pomelo and I was not really thrilled at first but when I tasted it, I loved it. The juicyness of the pomelo adds flavor to the salad. I just didn't like the cucumber because I am not really a cucumber lover so perhaps next time I'll ask them to not add cucumber on my salad. hehe

Smores Cake

I baked smores brownies before and it became one of my favorites so when we were there, it is what I ordered. To be honest, I didn't like it because the cake is not that moist and is actually not that soft either. It tastes okay but for people who likes moist/chewy/sweet/fluffy, this is not the cake I'd recommend.

I love using lemons for cakes and pastries because the sourness of the lemon is just enough for sweet, yummy treats. My friend ordered this and she was generous enough to share this with me. I loved it because you can still taste the essence of the lemon and still get the sweetness you want from having a cake. The icing complements the cake as well. The cake tastes really great!

The plating is great and the it really looked delicious. We tasted it and we were not disappointed. This is by far, their best cake(out of all the 5 I tasted) for me. nuff said :)

green mango sorbet

Since my friend wanted to try their sorbet, we got one. There are different flavor available like watermelon, melon, and I forgot the others but we chose this one.

Several things I have to say about this sorbet, it's for sharing, it's delicious, it's all natural and you can really see it, it's affordable and it's something you'll always want to have whenever you go to Sage so yes, I had that the second time and third time I went there :)

Overall, Sage became one of the restaurants I love to go to whenever I am in Baguio. The ambiance is nice, the staff are very accommodating, pleasant and friendly, the food is great and the prices are reasonable :)

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Boracay 2013 Day 3: Jonah's Fruitshake and Ariel's Point

We woke up early on the third day because we wanted to roam around the island and buy some stuff for our friends back home. We also had to look for a pharmacy because my hand was inflamed and my friend is aching all over because of the water activities we did the day before.

We looked around but no store was open as we were too early. We then walked around D' Mall instead. We enjoyed our morning walk there because it was only us two in the place. 

at D'Mall, looking at that Pharmacy that is still not open

We then had breakfast at McDonald's. The food there are at least around P10 higher than the "real" price so there's no McSaver Meal and that broke our heart. haha

Since our trip to Ariel's Point is at 10:30, we went back to our hotel after our breakfast and after buying some meds. We rested for a while, prepared our stuff and we went to Jonah's Fruitshake and Snackbar. Our friend recommended the place because he said they served the best fruitshake he has ever had. I though he's just exaggerating but I gave it the benefit of the doubt. :)

my mango avocado shake

We then walked to Ariel's Place(the meeting place) and waited for the time(and the boat that will take us to Ariel's point.

the baller and our "ID" pass

The travel to Ariel's Point was roughly 30-45minutes. Quite long but thankfully, with the high energy of everyone in the boat and the overflowing drinks, the trip didn't feel very long.

yes. I was wearing a skirt!haha

watching the ones already jumping/diving

We had buffet lunch, overflowing drinks(softdrinks, beer, water, vodka, rhum and rhum coke) and banana cue for dessert. The thing I loved so much during that trip to Ariel's Point aside from the sumptuous food and the drinks are the people we went there with. They're all very friendly and energetic and very supportive to the people who are scared of jumping(and I'm one of them).

after standing at the cliff for 30minutes, I finally jumped! weehaa!

that 15m board!will try that next time I go back :)

We left Ariel's Point right after I jumped. That jump I just did was a last minute one, actually.haha!

We got back to Boracay at 5 in the afternoon. Tired, exhausted and sore, we didn't join the pub crawl anymore. We just had dinner when we woke up at 9 in the evening and slept after we had dinner.

Realizations:

-cliff diving(or in my case,jumping) is fun. I realized that right after my jump. Since my jump was the last, I was not able to do it again. The next time I go there, I'll jump to my heart's content

-Traveling with a friend who is not the type of person who mingles with other people hinders me from establishing connection and friendship with other people. So there will no longer be a next travel for me and Dex. ;)

Boracay 2013 Day 2- The Fun Activities in Boracay

At 5:45 in the morning, my friend and I left our hotel for a morning leisurely walk near the beach and to the grotto as some of the locals there suggested. They said that it is better to go there early in the morning so that we can appreciate the beauty of the place because visiting it at around 7AM is not really that good already because there will be a lot of people.

that long, challenging road to Station 1.

early morning view :)

the grotto

After that long walk, we decided to take the main road route because the water current was strong. We had breakfast at Andok's, stayed there and planned what to do for the day before we went back to our hotel to pick our stuff.

We contacted the person who was offering a package of different activities in the island. We told him the things we want to do then he told us how much it would cost us for the different activities. We met him in front of Starbucks then he led us to the place where they do the water activities. We took a tricycle and we paid him P50.

We did the Flying Fish first. 

after our first fall

that third round. faster, crazier, scarier.haha

 Although during my first fall, I honestly thought I was going to die because I don't know how to swim but,it was actually fun. We held on for dear life because we didn't want to fall again but I guess, sometimes, it's the aim of the guys on the speedboat to really make us fall. hehe

After the Flyfish, we went to the Station for the helmet diving. Sad thing though that we were not able to get the CD of our pictures underwater and at the boat while preparing because we immediately left for our next activity.

When we left the helmet diving station, we went to the lake to wait for the shuttle ride that would bring us to the ATV/buggy ride. We originally opted for the ATV ride but my friend got scared so he said we should take the buggy and I drive. As the kind, loving friend that I am, I said yes. haha!

buggy! :)

I'm such an excellent driver ;)

 There's this option of taking gazillion steps to the main view where you'll truly see the beauty of Boracay from the top but, since we were already tired because of the Flying Fish and the Helmet Diving, we opted not to go.

the breathtaking view :)

After the three activities, we went back to Station 1 and walked all the way to Station 2 as we looked for a place where we could have lunch

after the water activities, we're darker, hungrier and happier :)

It was around 4PM when we got back to our hotel. We took a bath, slept and woke up for dinner and some fun fun night. :)

with his singapore sling, my zombie and our emptied plate of tempura :)

Realizations:

-I discovered that I am not that fit. Just those water activities made me really tired.

-A glass(or a plastic cup of cocktail) is already good for me. Back in college, I can drink up to 5 glasses. An improvement! :D

-I just appreciated Boracay even more :)

Boracay 2013 Day 1

Last July, I went to Boracay with my dear college friend, Dexter.

Boracay isn't the place that I'd exactly want to go to here in the Philippines. I guess it's because it is more known for it being an island where most people go because of it's night life rather than it's magnificent beauty(and it's popular white sands).

Since I'd like to travel with my friend and that's the place he wanted to go to, I agreed. We had our travel booked 3 months earlier and thankfully, that time when we booked our flight, they're on sale. Our roundtrip was only P892. 

We left NAIA Terminal 4 at 6:50 in the morning. It was a 45-minute flight to Kalibo Airport. When we arrived at the airport, we saw a lot of information booth about Boracay and how to get there. We just walked straight to the exit and there we saw a lot of vans and some buses going to Boracay. We opted for the van ride because we were offered the front seat ^^

We paid 250 and that amount included the boat fare to the island. From the airport to Caticlan Jetty Port,it was roughly 1hr30min-2hours ride. 30 minutes of it is like the road going to Baguio, long and winding. ^^

At Jetty Port,we paid some fees first before they allowed us to go to our boat. When we reached the island, we took a tricycle to Frendz Resort(where we stayed) and we paid P100 for it.

inside the boat while reading the Boracay Guide booklet

We reached Frendz Resort at around noon.

The owner and their staff greeted us warmly and they even gave us welcome drinks. They also allowed us to go to our room even if the check-in should be at 2PM.

For an airconditioned room with two queen sized beds, a television, a balcony and a spacious and clean bathroom(with hot shower) for 1000/night, it's quite cheap. :)

inside our room

Since we didn't plan anything for this trip, we just went at the seaside, took a little dip then we went around. We walked from Station 1 to Station 3. Quite a long walk but it was fun walking around.

After that very long walk, we went back to our hotel and we took a nap. At 8 in the evening, we went out for dinner and we had a few drinks at OJ's Roast Bake and Grill. We enjoyed it there because of the live music and the fun atmosphere created by the customers.

at OJ's :)

Day 1! :)

Realizations:
-it really is better to plan a vacation ahead of time so that you know what you'll do once you're there. It saves time and energy. teehee!
-things in Boracay are pricey. Before you go to the island, buy the things you might need for the duration of your stay there(even snacks and water)
-Boracay is truly beautiful :)