A month ago, my family and I went to Alaminos, Pangasinan to visit one of Philippines' most famous destination-- the Hundred Islands National Park. I was so excited for this trip for its many firsts. It's the first trip I have ever planned, first trip I have ever planned for the family, and our family's first time to go out of town and ride a boat off to somewhere. It wasn't easy planning though. It turns out it's harder to plan a trip with your family than with friends especially with setting a date.

This will not be a detailed travel guide since we traveled on our own car to get there and we did a few stop-overs along the way. Allowing yourself to stop over whenever and wherever you like is what I love most about traveling on your own vehicle. It was still quite a long trip considering we were already coming from Pampanga. It still took us five hours. (Okay, maybe it IS because of the stop-overs. Teehee.)

We arrived in Alaminos around 11.30 a.m. and checked in at our hotel, Casa del Camba. You can read more about my Casa del Camba accommodation review here. It was quite comfortable for our group of 7 and had plenty more space if we're more than that. Casa del Camba already has a go-to person who will assist us in securing a boat and other necessities for the tour. I thought he was already our boatman but he wasn't. He's just a middleman from the hotel. We rested for a few minutes while preparing for things to bring for the tour while we were waiting for kuya. Good thing the hotel is just around 2-3 minutes from the hotel by car.

We immediately left after he arrived and we did a convoy following him in his tricycle. You see it's easy to do a Hundred Islands tour because they are so organized and there is plenty of parking space if you bring your own car. The rates of the boats are also standardized and you'll have to pay at their Tourism Office.

Here is a list of fees:



I did not encounter the Garbage fee from other blogs on my research but it is required when we went there. You'll also have to pay this fee on the same cashier where you have to pay the other fees and they will give you a typical black garbage bag. Here's tip no. 1: You can return the bag (with trash or not) and refund your Php 200 back. In the midst of preparing for the tour and renting additional equipment such as goggles and snorkeling gear, we forgot that kuya (sorry I forgot his name by now) has our trash bag, therefore, we can't refund the fee. We still have a balance from the gears we rented, so we just subtracted the Php 200 from our balance.

Tip no. 2: Lifevests are for free throughout your travel between the islands, but the moment you use them while roaming around the islands, there is already a fee of Php 50.00 per person. If you are a confident swimmer, you no longer have to rent a lifevest especially if you're not diving or snorkeling and just going to enjoy the beaches of the islands. Snorkeling gear also has an additional fee. Good thing I brought my own and the rest of the family have their own swimming goggles as well.

However, if you are planning to go jump in the pool inside Imelda Cave, then you will need a life vest because it is required before diving.

Tip no. 3: When you rent a boat, you can rent it for one whole day of day tour. It is best for you to research which islands you'd like to visit because some boatmen, like ours, just told us we can go anywhere we like, only offering a few tips on which islands are best to visit. Fortunately, I researched a little bit. Even though we started around 12 p.m., we were able to go to the must-see sites.

I hope you enjoy some of the photos I took. Here they are:

Lucap Wharf--the gateway to the Hundred Islands

Long way to the top of the view deck

View from Governor's Island

There's a sari-sari store which sells halo-halo for refreshment after the hike Next is Marcos Island. Marcos Island is a site famed for the Imelda Cave where you can experience cliff diving. I wasn't able to take a photo though because no one would carry the camera for me since my siblings and I want to do the dive. Again, let me remind you that you cannot dive without a life vest. I recommend cliff diving here. It was an exhilarating experience especially because it's my first time to experience it.  After Marcos Island, we went and "parked" our boat in an area between Old Scout Island and Virgin Island where we swam and snorkel some more. I wasn't able to take a picture of the islands itself because I was busy making friends with the fishes below. I really love snorkeling and seeing lots of corals and schools of fish. Plus, I really got good use of my new snorkeling gear which I will write more about soon.  Then after a few more enjoyable moments of snorkeling and swimming, off we went to our next destination, the Pilgrimage Island. Of all the islands I have seen and visited during our tour, this is my favorite because of the most spectacular view. The view here is even better than on Governor's Island in my opinion. It even showcased a great sunset. Truly a sight to behold! With the family These flowers around the island certainly added to the island's charm. I was in awe after reaching the top and seeing this huge statue of Jesus Christ. By that time, we were the only ones at the top which gave us the chance to take in the view of the other islands, pray and witness the glorious sunset. Doesn't it look glorious? I love me a good view of a sunset. It's a calming sight indeed.  Lastly, we dropped by Quezon Island. We literally just dropped by to check out the sights because the tour ends at 5 p.m. and we wanted to make the most of our tour. Finally, tip no. 4: Arrive early. Tour ends at 5 and you can rent a boat for a whole day and you can visit any islands that are open for the tour. Since we started a little after 12 p.m., we weren't able to visit other islands. Don't expect much though. Having been to Coron, Palawan has raised my expectations a bit for beaches. But let me remind you though that each place has its own unique charm and can offer a different experience. After the island hopping, we went back to the hotel for dinner and a restful sleep. We went back to Lucap Wharf the next day to go souvenir-shopping. You can buy ref magnets for 3 for Php 100, shirts for Php 150, sandos for Php 200 (the quality of fabric is better, they said.) and keychains for 5 for Php 100. There are plenty of other souvenir options to choose from with varying prices.  I still enjoyed our tour. Albeit short, my family and I still got to explore the main islands and got to enjoy swimming and snorkeling. Visiting the Hundred Islands is a great bonding experience for the entire family. I recommend for you to visit this Philippine treasure even just once in your lifetime. Bring your family, too.

Standard Room (for 2 pax) – Php 1,800 

Deluxe Room (for 4 pax) – Php 2,500 

Family Room (for 6-8 pax) – Php 3,200 

Barkada Room (for 8-10 pax) – Php 3,700

This is their deluxe room which is good for 4 persons.

Hello guys! It's been so long that I don't even know if there are still readers to say hi to. As you can see, I've reverted back to my old blog URL. I just found it hard to maintain a domain name so I'll stick to this for a while. Oh, how I've missed writing here! But I am just the type who would write more when I'm feeling blue so I guess so far, things are all rosy. I've also missed the typical way of how I write before--diary style. I figured I should be doing that more often so let me start now.

I've probably mentioned that I moved here in Pampanga. I can say that the move has been good for me and my mental health. I actually still cringe a little when say "mental" like it's something abnormal. I wasn't officially diagnosed with anything. But a part of me is saying that I should have. I have those what I call "dark days" when everything seems pointless and I feel so hopeless. I don't want to dig deeper into that right now but all I can say is that since moving here, I'm happy to say that the dark days are getting lesser and it has become easier to snap out of it.

So what else is new? Well, I am turning thirty in a few days! The big 3-0. Hmmm.. How do I feel about it? Let me be as real as I can be. I was more terrified of turning 30 when I turned 29 actually. But as it nears, it has become less daunting a thought for me. I am actually excited. Why? Maybe because I am just beginning to really love myself more. I feel like I've finally matured enough to call myself a woman. (Yes, girls. It can take THAT long.) I have been feeling more secure, grounded and confident.

For more than I decade, I was feeling really lost and that life itself was pointless. I look at friends' posts on my Facebook page and it always made me feel inadequate. I questioned myself about why I'm still here when everybody's being somebodies and going everywhere. I am always looking far into the future that I forgot to cherish the moment that I am living in. I was living, but I do not feel alive. Now, I am consciously trying to change that perspective.

Here is something I am more brave enough to talk about. I have also gained a noticeable amount of weight over the last few years which made me feel a little insecure and depressed. Surprisingly, as I near 30, I have become more accepting of my body, and all of my curves and imperfection. I am a little more confident as can be. And I know naman that I can lose all the weight if I want to because I've done that before (through exercise and healthy eating of course). But right now, I am just enjoying life.

If you've only come across this blog of mine, especially if you are younger, I hope you learn from my mistakes. I hope you feel that you are enough. Honey, you are always, always more beautiful, smarter, braver and kinder than you think you are. And please stop comparing your life to someone else's. It's okay if you're just not adventurous enough or sociable enough. It is okay for you to feel as if you're stuck there because there will come a time where all doors will open and every light will turn green and life is a one big YES. You will get there. It's okay for you to want to be alone sometimes. It's also okay to be single and happy because alone isn't equal to lonely. Oh heck, it is even okay to NOT be okay sometimes. Loneliness is a spectrum of emotion that you need to feel to appreciate happiness even more. I know that sometimes things are not just black and white or happiness is not always a choice or maybe you've been struggling to even choose to stay alive. I hope you always choose to live, every single day, every single time. Don't look far into the future and just live in the moment. Love yourself and you will radiate love into the world and life will love you right back.

With this post I say, bring it on big 3-0!

The Food Stalls

Grandma's Homestyle Ribs & BBQ

Boneless Spare Ribs

BBQ Spare Ribs

Cone Culture

Sweet Maven Desserts

Salted Caramel Bubble Waffle

Milkshake Lab

S'mores milkshake for your sweet tooth. 🐜

A post shared by Yella ❤🌙 (@loveadriella) on Sep 1, 2017 at 8:10am PDT

I didn't get to try every stall here in Muceno but I really enjoyed the ones I did. Muceno Food Park's management did a great job in handpicking their concessionaires and I am excited to try what the other food stalls have to offer on my next visit.

Muceno Food Park is located at 2009 Richtofen St. corner Hensonville, Malabanias, Angeles City, Pampanga. Operating hours are from 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.