Let's try NSG

one time, my friends and i gave National Sports Grill in Greenbelt a try.

this resto is one of a kind as it gives its customers the sporty environment. the place is designed as if you're in an arena or any basketball court watching your favorite game. several screens are displayed where basketball game is being shown - PBA and NBA.

crews are all dressed like players. cool. just so relaxing to be in this place. the menu and how they name their combos is also designed with a sporty-like theme. nice one.

time to feed the hungry stomach.

chicken caesar sandwich and fries on the side

our orders were chicken caesar sandwich with fries on the side, their national pick - seafood pasta and hall-of-fame chicken parmesan pasta.

i was disappointed by the seafood pasta. or i was just expecting a different taste or i just did not like the 'oily sauce'. it can be shared by two but the pasta weren't all consumed as we did not like how it tasted. the other pasta was just so-so. enough to eat when you're hungry.

the sandwich has nothing extraordinary, too. well, it's a big one and can be shared by three people but as i said, nothing special except for the fries! that's what we like best. so we ordered another plate of the fries!

so when you're in NSG, don't miss to try their fries. yummy and you won't get disappointed. worth the money. :)

bicol tour part 3: albay day tour

march 14. it's the last day of my bicol tour and this day was the albay day, just to see the perfect cone - Mayon volcano!

at 6am, from naga, camarines sur, we were fetched by a van going to Albay. it was a two hour drive without traffic and with a driving speed of 120kph. yeah, i know. that was fast for me! and that speed kept me awake and praying the whole time. hahahah.

first stop was the cagsawa ruins, we arrived at around 8AM. the mayon volcano's crater is not visible due to the clouds but it was a beautiful view.

little did i know, this perfect cone is very visible anywhere albay. hahaha. i thought we can just see it from the cagsawa ruins. hahahahaha. cagsawa ruins is the only place i know when i was in elementary where i can see the mayon in person.



we didn't stay too long as we have only limited time. second stop was the lignon hills/mayon skyline adventure.

during the time we had our tour, vehicles were not allowed to go to the top so we have to walk up hill. woah. very tiring. walking up hill seems forever and it was very windy! from the top you can see the whole legaspi and even some parts of albay. cool. you can also see the legaspi airport and the runway. so relaxing up there. aside from the view, there's the mayon skyline adventure where you'll do zipline across the mayon volcano. i think, it's worth Php300 - zipline plus a photo of you and the mayon as the background. other activities such as going through the tunnel and the kapit tuko trail is available. but we didn't try those as walking up the hill is just so tiring. all we wanted was to relax. hahaha.

after an hour, we went downhill and dropped by in daraga church.

we weren't able to get inside as this church is under renovation. after sometime, we dropped by again to another church, i just forgot the name. i was too tired by this time and was unable to enjoy the spot.

it's almost lunchtime and we were heading to embarcadero. a new establishment in legaspi. going there makes me feel like i'm in Manila. kinda traffic and lots of vehicles on the road. embarcadero is not fully developed yet but it was like ayala malls where high-end boutiques can be found.

there are still lots to see in legaspi - one i can remember is the misibis bay but we only have limited time since our flight back to manila is from naga, camarines sur at 4pm the same day. so after having lunch, we need to go back to naga.

for the people who by any chance read this, when you're in legaspi, you may opt to book a flight going to manila from legaspi. that would be easier and less time consuming.

woohooo. this bicol trip will be remembered. a very tiring one! i was able to travel by air, water and land, all in this trip. it was all adventure plus the tsunami story. :)

bicol tour part 2: caramoan islands and naga city experience

march 12. good news. tsunami alert number 2 has been lifted in camarines sur which means we can now cross the ocean!

we were fetched by a van from Naga to Sabang port, it was almost a 1 1/2 hour travel without traffic. for those who want to see the island, you have to be in the port before 11AM. 8AM is the first public trip and 11AM for the last boat ride or else you'll rent a boat which costs way higher than the public fare. we rented one as we did not catch the last trip. At the port, there were dedicated guys who will carry you on the shoulder just to get you in the boat as there are big waves, bigger than you are, that you will encounter and for you not to get wet, too.

 

during this time, i was really scared and hesitant to do so due to the tsunami alert but we still rode a pumped boat and traveled two hours just to get to the caramoan island. it was the longest two hours of my life! big waves and mountains to see while on the boat plus the thought of tsunami after shock may hit us, yikes, this is a life risking experience! hahaha.

 thank God we reached caramoan safely!!! :) we went to our hometel and it took 15minutes from Guijalo port to our hometel in the town proper. well, they don't really have hotels in caramoan. we just stayed in big house with a lady caretaker. it was a good accommodation though, three rooms and all airconditioned and the whole house is really yours.

after bringing down our baggages, we went straight to island hopping.

we only got to see the baguing island since we started late. it was a beautiful island. we've been informed that one of the survivor episode was taken at this island.

it was a beautiful view. never thought an island as wonderful as this is existing in the Philippines! the island is so serene and you can see great rock formations. there are parts where sands are fine as those in boracay and it feels good to walk barefooted.

it was like a two sided island. on the other side, you'll be able to see more rock formations and bigger than the once that we saw first.

 

the whole time we were here, all we did was to capture photos and a little bit of swimming! we went back to the hometel just before the sun goes down.

foods served to us from lunch till breakfast were all superb. all seafoods! there were fishes, squids, and lots of crabs for dinner, woot. my favorite!

march 13. before going back to naga, we dropped by at the caramoan church, just a few steps away from our house.

then finally, we need to go back to naga. another almost four hour land-water travel time. wooohooo.

in naga, we stayed in Villa Caceres hotel, one of the top hotels in Naga which is located in Magsaysay Rd where strips of entertainment and dining places can be found.

after an hour of rest, we went out to try BIGGS. it's a fastfood chain in Bicol and i think the most famous one. try this diner once you're in bicol and you'll realize how yummy their foods are! (maybe, i'll just have my review about their food on my other posts)

for those of you who want to buy some pasalubongs, you may go to the naga market, just a jeep away from the magsaysay road, where you can buy pili nuts. just be extra careful when buying. don't get fooled with the cheaper price as they aren't as tasty and crispy as the ones that are a bit expensive.

as i've mentioned, magsaysay road is the best place in naga for chill-outs and clubbings. so when the night comes and have nothing to do in your hotel, go out and chill!


****for those who want to see caramoan and is looking for travel agents, i recommend http://www.caramoanhaven.com/ . they provided us good service and their people are really nice.

bicol tour part 1: CWC experience

march 11, 2011  was a very memorable date to everyone especially to the Japanese. this was the date when high magnitude earthquake and big tsunami hit Japan that damaged almost everything. This was also the date when tsunami alert was raised to almost every country in the world including Philippines and it was the same date when i arrived in Camsur along with friends to have a vacation.

Just as the plane landed in Naga, i received calls/text messages from the people who cares informing that Camarines Sur is one of the places where tsunami alert number 2 is raised. It didn't bother me that much since day one would be a CWC day and Naga is far away from the pacific ocean. There were strong winds in the afternoon and you can feel the cool breeze all over the place. i'm not sure if it's because of the tsunami coming or Camsur is just blessed with a great weather. it was a nice day, though.

We stayed in one of the cabana's in Villa del Rey. It was just composed of beds, aircon and a cable tv. Wi-fi is also available.

they have a swimming pool but we're not allowed to use it as it is reserved for those who rented their villas but you can roam around in the pool area for picture taking.

The best part of Day One Bicol tour is the wakeboarding experience! wooohooo. It's just near Villa del Rey and if you don't want to walk, VdR has shuttles from the hotel to CWC.

Pro Wakeboarding Area

 

we were told to try wakeboarding on the beginners area where no large obstacles are displayed and water level is just 5ft deep.  Wake boards to be used are all designed for no-experience/beginners and the cable area is just a straight one. No curves like the ones for Pros.

Wakeboard rate is cheaper when it is daytime. You only have to pay Php165 for an hour of wakeboard plus a refundable deposit of Php500 for the gears. While on night time, it's Php215 per hour. One hour is not enough especially when there's a long line because, of course, you have to wait for your turn. Well, in my case, we're 12 and i got 4-5 tries, i think!

 

wakeboarding is love. it's nice to be pulled by the cable but you have to remember not to pull the handle or else you'll fall into the water. just be steady as what the instructor always reminds us. :) when you do wakeboard, you get a free pass to CWC's pool but we did not have a chance to dip into the water due to lack of time.

VdR has Mansion Suites, once a governor's home, where we had our breakfast and dinner. The food is good and delicious. :)

and this sums up the day one of my Bicol tour with friends.