Here we are at the airport. It was only after this photo that we noticed that blue was the color of the day.

Cams doing her thing.

We stayed at Jim's Castle Inn. We had to go uphill and downhill to reach the place that by our fourth day, I think our muscles already got used to it already. We're also no longer catching our breaths as well. 

Here it is. Our home for 5 days. We stayed in Coron from November 16-20, 2016. Service was okay for the price. For PHP 2,000 for 4 nights, we weren't exactly expecting a butler or anything. Breakfast is also not included for that rate but they do serve them. You have to place an order the night before with their receptionist so they have time to prepare it for you in the morning. The most important thing was that it was airconditioned. It was also hot in Coron when we visited. We're not complaining though. Full-on sunshine is way better than rain which we don't want for our island-hopping. For inquiries, you may visit Jim's Castle Inn's Facebook page here.

We got a room for three. 1 Queen-sized bed for Camille and me and another twin-sized bed for Gilbert (who we fondly call--and shall refer to as Gibbo for the rest of this post). Jim's only has 2 floors. Unfortunately, the wifi signal is already too low in our room. We either have to go down to the lobby to access the internet or stay at the stairs. It is a little inconvenient but good thing I bought my Smartbro LTE Pocket Wifi which has been very reliable during the trip. But even if I didn't, we can still live without the internet--for you know, just five days. 

The comfort room is pretty regular but there's no shower curtain between the toilet bowl and the shower area so the floor can get pretty wet. We appreciate the water heater which worked well during our stay. 

We didn't join any city tour because from our research, the town was small and we figured we can do a tour ourselves and it will definitely lessen our expenses. Plus, we can go around and stay in places for however long as we want to because we don't have other people to think about. 

Commuting around town is very easy. Tricycles are the primary mode of transportation. The fare is Php 10.00-12.00 per head. We arrived at 7:30 am, walked around town and ate lunch. Then we went back to the inn, checked-in and slept again. Around 2 or 3 p.m., we rode a tricycle to Lualhati Park. It is also a dock for boats to ride for the island-hopping tours.

Here is a panoramic view of the park. Nice view eh?

Of course, I had to take a (semi)selfie. Teehee.

From the park, we met a tricycle driver and rented his services to take us to Mount Tapyas and Maquinit Hot Springs after. Please excuse the noise in some of the photos. I only used my phone to take photos. By the way, there is no entrance fee for the hike.

This is a lame excuse but since moving to Manila because of work, I have no time and safe place to run which is why we practically crawled going up Mount Tapyas and its 700+ steps. I appreciate that the government allotted budget for concrete steps going up the mountain which made the climb easier.

We stopped at every chance we get to sit, breathe and drink. Just look at our faces! Oh yeah, bring water for hydration when you climb. There are also vendors who sell snacks and drinks below Mount Tapyas. 

Going down. Next stop, Maquinit Hot Springs.

We initially wanted to go to Maquinit at daytime so we'll have a natural lighting for better photos but our driver warned us that the water is hotter during the day. Thank God we heed his warning! I know it's a hot spring but I did not expect it to be THAT hot. It's not even lukewarm, it may be the same as the normal body temperature. Imagine if we went during the day or at noon. I don't think we'll enjoy it that much. 

It took a while for my body to adjust to the hot water but it does help soothe tired muscles from the Mt. Tapyas climb. No wonder the locals highly suggest to do the hot spring right after.

Also another nice-to-know information, Maquinit Hot Springs is approximately 30-40 minutes away from the city. The roads going there are not yet concrete so expect a bumpy ride. If it's raining, expect it to be a bit muddy, too.

Please take note that Maquinit Hot Springs do not have shower rooms. They only have cubicles for you to pee and change clothes. You can't even rinse your body because the water in the comfort/changing rooms is also salt water. I suggest you bring your own towels to dry yourself after soaking in the hot springs. 

Finally, here are some shots I took during our walk around town during our last day in Coron. Our flight for Manila is in the afternoon so we walked around town to eat lunch and buy souvenirs. I just want to give you a glimpse of this beautiful town. It is quiet and has a really chill vibe even at night. People here go to sleep early and it can get quiet at around 8 p.m. 

There are bars where you can enjoy the rest of the night too if you want. I'm just saying the place is so chill, I noticed that there are no police patrolling the area unlike in some other "normal" towns or cities. They still have a police station of course. Our tricycle driver from Mount Tapyas and Maquinit Hot Springs told us that people there are scared to commit crimes because the prison is too far. It's in an island near Puerto Princesa called Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm which is hours away from Coron by boat. It is so far that they're afraid their families won't get to visit them often. Some prisoners don't get visitors at all.

There are banks in Coron but it's often offline. It's better if you bring cash because rarely are there restaurants and shops that can take payments via credit or debit cards. Even souvenir shops don't have them so remember to save money if you're planning to buy souvenirs and pasalubongs for your loved ones and bosses (kasi alam mo na yan, bes).

We did not have a chance to do a food trip around Coron. They say Carl's Barbecue is good but we'll never know because it was always full. We always go back to Lolo Nonoy's. The food is so good. I don't recommend Big Mama's Hot Pot and Grill though. We had an unpleasant experience that one time we ate there. We think the food was prepared in an unsanitary condition because our bulalo had an insect when it was served. We were too tired from the island hopping to complain so we just asked them to replace it. The servers were also talking so loud that we didn't get to enjoy our meal in peace. But that's just us. I know, I know. I always like giving people a benefit of a doubt. But still, Lolo Nonoy's food tasted way better if you ask us.  

I hope you enjoyed part 1 of my Coron Palawan escapade. Watch out for my next posts with more information about our island-hopping. I'll also share a breakdown of our budget then. Please visit my blog again when I do upload it because I know you'll enjoy the photos. 

Coron is worth the wait and the best parts are yet to come.

Update: Check out part 2 of my Coron, Palawan Escapade here.

Hey guys! I know I owe you a post or two (or maybe three) about my trip to Coron, Palawan together with my best friends and I am sorry but I haven't gotten around doing it because I've been busy with work and all, and writing a well-organized travel blog can take a chunk of your time. But I promise you that I will find a time to tell you about our amazing trip.

Meanwhile, here's a video I made from all of the clips I've taken during our trip. I am so sorry for the quality though. This is my first time to try doing a video and I decided to try it this time because sometimes pictures just can't capture the real beauty of a place and taking a video is the closest thing of taking you there, if you know what I mean. This is my first video about anything actually. It is far from perfect but you know what, I enjoyed watching it and I decided I'm going to do more of this on my future posts, travel related or not. I only used my Samsung S7 Edge phone. I am such a videography newbie that I shot most of the videos in an upright angle and not landscape. I know, I know. Lesson learned. I'll do better next time, I promise.

Now I also want to tell you about how I'm happy about the phone's performance. It got splashed on with sea water loads of times during the trip and it is still doing A-okay! It has become our official camera during the trip aside from my best friend, Camille's Xiaomi Yi Camera. We love the quality and the fast shutter speed. We even got great jump shots which you have to watch out for in my actual Coron blog. 

But for now, I hope you enjoy this video! 

WARNING: There may be a few spoilers ahead.

I found out about Apocalypse Child movie through Facebook shares from art-related/connected people or pages but I don't remember from whom or which specifically because I follow too many of them. I did not read any reviews nor even watch the trailer and you know what? I'm thankful that I didn't. Spoiler-free. It took a while for me to write about my thoughts about the film because in all honesty, I don't think I'm a reliable reviewer. I have yet to establish myself as a movie reviewer since I've only written about a few movies because yes, watching IS the easier part. I salute film critiques who get to watch and observe at the same time because whenever I get critical about a movie, it just messes with the whole experience and I don't get to enjoy the film. In the end, I've settled for writing just the first impressions and not go all in depth about it. 

Apocalypse Child's story revolves around Ford (Sid Lucero), a surfing instructor in the idyllic town of Baler, Aurora who's famous around town for his ways with women and the story of how he was born. He is known around town as Francis Ford Coppola's son who came to Baler to film Apocalypse Now. At least that's what his mother, Chona (Ana Abad Santos) happily (over)shares with everyone--even with people she just met. Annicka Dolonius plays Fiona, the balik-bayan who only came home to be on her dying grandmother's bedside, RK Bagatsing as Ford's best friend who replaced his late father as the town congressman, Gwen Zamora as Rich's fiancee Serena and Archie Alemania as Ford and Rich's other childhood friend Jordan. 

The film had such a talented cast. There were several extras but you'll only ever hear the story and voices of the six main characters. 

Ford is living the typical, carefree surfer's life. He's a Peter Pan--essentially a boy in a man's body who lives day by day without any real plans or dreams for the future and partly, he owes that to his equally carefree mother, Chona who had him at such a young age and treats him like a younger brother or a friend. Ana Abad Santos just shined in her role as Chona. I particularly loved the scene where she brought some joint and got high with the "kids". 

The other casts were not to be outshined and that's one of the most beautiful things about the film. Simply put, walang tapon sa cast. Each actors' performances are great in their own right. 

I loved Annicka since my all-time favorite, Ang Nawawala. It's only the second movie I've ever seen of her and my darlings, she did not disappoint. Annicka has really matured as an actress. Initially, I was hesitant if she can pull it off since it has been years since Ang Nawawala but halfway through the movie she convinced me that she IS Fiona. Fiona and Ford's story is a typical summer fling which starts with a blazing fire and ends in... well you know how it ends. The scene where she snaps and confronts Ford about their break up was especially brilliant for me because the scene could easily be so dramatic especially with Fiona crying in Serena's arms right after but the director showed much restraint and just let the characters be.

Rich is the most level headed of all characters. Yes, even more than Chona. He's so open-minded, he even let his gorgeous fiancee do surfing lessons with Ford the lover boy. Rich also puzzles me the most. He is just so mysterious and chill. How can you not be psychologically disturbed after being abused as a child? But in the end, that's when I found out his flaws and how and which parts of him were broken--literally and figuratively. 

Gwen as Serena injected a different kind of sensuality to the story. She's the mature kind of sexy who thinks before she leaps while Fiona is the young and wild kind of sexy. 

All the characters are broken for different reasons. You'd think with everyone's backstory there'll be a lot of drama within the film but there isn't. There's not much crying here. It's almost like they would rather get high and bask under the warm sunlight and surf than face their issues. You'll also find the locals such as Ford and Jordan telling Fiona and Serena stories about the town. It will remind you of how people tell stories on Facebook and you'll wonder about the truth and you'll wonder about the things they are not telling because sometimes, the stories we tell are not the truth in its entirety but we tell them anyway as a consolation for the things we are not. That's what made the characters believable. I must also note the music within the film courtesy of Armi Millare of Up Dharma Down giving you the melancholic, beach feels. 

I have never been to Baler but the director, Mario Cornejo did a great job of showcasing what the province has to offer. If you are a child of the sea and a surfing fanatic, those alone will make you want to see this movie. 

To be honest, coming in without any idea of what the film is all about, I also came out not knowing how I feel about the entire film. I think mainly, it made me think about my own unresolved issues in life because Apocalypse Child is a film that is a lot like life, you may not always understand it no matter how mature you think you are, but you live it anyway. The movie will let you feel a tiny bit of pain--the kind where you don't know where, how and why it started, but you feel it--it's there. 

If there are indies about to be shown with a mainstream movie with much promotion, please watch the indie films first because sometimes it only screens for a day or two. You still have time to watch this gem of a movie. For the list of cinemas and more information about the movie, check out Apocalypse Child's Facebook account here.

Work week's almost over! Well, for most of us who works in a typical, Filipino office hours. If you're having a tough day (or week), here's one of Stewie's golden moments for you. It sure got me laughing out loud. Enjoy! 

According to Mr. Co, out of all the National Artists for Cinema, Conde has the least number of films archived. Unfortunately, film archiving came late to our country. Almost all prints of his movies were already lost. Those are part of Philippine cinema's history and culture we can never get back. SOFIA's advocacy is to preserve our country's cinematic heritage. To know more about SOFIA, check out their Facebook page and site here.

This is a late post obvs because I'm me. But I think it will always be relevant for people who are looking for new places to have fun with family and friends so I am sharing our new favorite place to go when a family member celebrates their birthday. We found out about Fontana Hot Spring when I celebrated my birthday. Our family is big on swimming. No, not just lounging beside the beach and taking selfies--we actually love swimming. We tried looking for a resort near our home in Angeles, Pampanga. But I don't like Subic beaches and Bataan is a bit far. And knowing our family, we are not morning people so our day usually starts at around 9 or 10 a.m. 

We are a big family so we always try to look for a place that's affordable, clean and fun. My birthday falls on a holiday so everywhere is full. Fontana was our last option because we were expecting it to be expensive. We found out that Fontana has 2 resorts, first is the Fontana Leisure Park with the slides, lazy river, wave pool and other kinds of pools children and kids-at-heart will surely enjoy. And then there's the Hot Spring if you just want to relax. We've taken note of the big difference between their rates. The Leisure Park's fee is PHP 450 per head while its just PHP 200 for the Hot Spring. Aside from the Hot Spring, you also get to enjoy the use of Fontana's Olympic pool.

There are few things to remember once you get there. You are allowed spaghetti straps but you're not allowed to wear shirts and shorts with zippers. You are not allowed to bring food inside but there's a picnic area beside the hot spring resort where you and your loved ones can enjoy your prepared meals. I think its better this way since food is quite expensive inside the resort when you order. 

Another thing, they won't charge you for the cottages (as there is none), well, there are a few picnic tables and gazebos inside but they are first come, first serve basis. You can leave your things on tables provided around the resort but its still safe to have someone watch over them while you're gone. I say with PHP 200, don't expect much. But it's a lot nicer than the other inland resorts we've been to that day. Most of all, it is not crowded considering its a holiday. I really appreciate being able to float around the pool without worrying about banging my head against someone. If you are interested to know more, check out Fontana's site here.

I've taken photos to give you a glimpse of how it looks like inside. I hope you enjoy this photo blog.  

I bet this man-made falls is beautiful but unfortunately we came on a Sunday when the falls is scheduled for cleaning. 

The two mini-pools (jacuzzi?) beside this larger cold pool actually have much colder water! It was so cold I had to get out. 

It was indeed a hot spring. It took a while before I can fully immerse my whole body in the pool. You can literally feel the increase in temperature. But like the cold pool, once your body adjusts to the temperature you'll find that it is relaxing. 

The sunken bar pool does not really have a "bar" but this is where the staff and lifeguards hang out. If you want to order from Fontana's restaurant, you may just approach the staff and they will just place the order for you.

Just to give you a heads up, their hot spring resort closes by 6 p.m. The good news is, you can hang around and swim some more in their olympic pool until 10 p.m.

Having fun don't have to be expensive. Have you been to Fontana resort? Are you planning to? Let me know on the comments below. Have fun!

Have you ever been to CCP's Dream Theater? The theater is named in honor of national artist for cinema, Manuel Conde. Manuel Urbano in real life, is an actor, writer, producer and director. He became a leading figure in Philippine cinema thanks to his fresh take in storytelling. He was one of the earliest Filipino filmmaker who straddled both worlds of mainstream and independent film cinema. His film Ghengis Khan became the first Filipino film distributed worldwide. 

Manuel Conde @ 100

The Cultural Center of the Philippines Arthouse Cinema, in cooperation with Society of Filipino Archivists for Film (SOFIA), the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the UP Los Baños Foundation Inc, present MANUEL CONDE@100 at the CCP Tanghalang Manuel Conde on Sept. 24, Oct. 1 and 8, 2016.

This special event is held to celebrate the birth centennial of the National Artist for Film, Manuel Conde who was born on October 9, 1915.

THREE FILMS

To commemorate his birth centennial and his contribution to the Philippine cinema, three of his films will be shown:

Doesn't he look familiar? Did you know that Manuel Conde is the father of Jun Urbano, more famously known as Mr. Shooli of the 90's hit show Mongolian Barbecue? What's more is that Jun Urbano himself will grace the showing of Genghis Khan on September 24 at 3pm.

Manuel Conde's renowned films will be shown in CCP Dream theater, free of charge. Please be advised that due to limited seating capacity, screening of the films are on a first come, first served basis. 

For more information, please call CCP Media Arts at tel. no. 832-1125 local 1704 and 1705. Know more about SOFIA and their advocacy to restore classic movies through their site and Facebook page.