Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie, Coffee Crumble Cookie, Nutella Cookie (PhP15 each)

I love the cookies because they are sweet enough that you'll want to take a few more.

Cozy Interior perfect for nice chats and hearty laughter

Keepsakes Corner (look at all those notes)

Interior

Garlic Chicken PhP95 (comes with free ice tea)

The food is good and affordable. The place is cozy and comfy and most especially not very crowded during the morning. A very nice place to eat and celebrate friendship.

They are open as early as 7:30 am during weekdays and 10:00 am during weekends.

I'll definitely be back here to try their deserts and other dishes and more friendship celebrations.

Have you ever heard of a beach full of pebbles instead of sand? I had never seen one before so when I first saw it online I was like "is this for real?" I only really thought that beaches were all sand and sea water. I never thought I'd see huge pebbles in the beach, especially not the size of pebbles you would usually see in lakes. Boy, was I so surprised when I finally laid my eyes on an actual pebble beach.

I have always loved beaches and whenever I had the opportunity to  explore new beaches, I just get ecstatic. I was even more excited when the gang and I decided to visit Mabua Pebble Beach in Surigao del Norte. It was my first time knowing of such kind of beach and I was very intrigued. So, fresh from our Sohoton Cove Tour, our group headed straight to Mabua Pebble Beach in barangay Ipil, Surigao City.

Mt. Bagarabon Resort

I booked an overnight stay at Mt. Bagarabon Beach Hotel. We chose this resort because it was the nearest to the Mt. Bagarabon trail going to Looc Beach on the other side of the mountain/hill. Also their room rates were affordable and came with free breakfast plus they offer special promos too.

Room rates as of May 30, 2016

Here's the choices for the free breakfast that comes with your room accommodation

Clean and spacious room. Perfect for a good night sleep

TV is missing. According to the staff, the TV was broken but it wasn't a deal breaker since we were exhausted from the tour we didn't have time to watch TV.

Clean bathroom

 Exhausted and tired, hubby and I retired to bed early. We started the following day with a hike up and down the Bagarabon mountain going to Looc beach. The hike up the hill was excruciatingly tiring especially that I wasn't built for any kind of uphill treks. I never had any training and I was certainly not the hiking type of girl. I could endure walking on a plain terrain but I could never survive a long hike up a hill or mountain. So halfway through the hike I was already catching my breath and all sweating out.

Looc Beach

Panorama view of Looc Beach found on the other side of the Bagarabon mountain/hill.

Panorama view of the Looc Beach shoreline

Another view of the Looc Beach

The pebbles are smaller in this side of the beach.

The tiring hike was all worth it though because what greeted us on the other side of the hill was just as breathtaking. The place was very serene and looked like it was uninhabited. There was a nearby resort but there were no other people apart from the four of us. So it was really a paradise for us. We were able to swim to our hearts desires because there were no other people there. Since it was still very early in the morning, the water was super cold, but it didn't stop us from enjoying the early morning swim.

The pebbles in Looc beach were a lot smaller compared to that of Mabua beach but the quality of the water was just as clear. It was such a delight swimming in the cold morning water. After an hour of swimming, we decided to head back to the resort for our breakfast.

Toast with butter and strawberry jam

Generous serving: scrambled eggs, garlic rice, beef tapa, and orange juice

After breakfast we head back to the beach to continue the fun. We headed straight to the hotel's beach front and we found the pebbles were a lot bigger. The water was just as clear and it was still surprisingly cool even though the sun was already up. It was already around a quarter past eight but the water was still cool which was totally refreshing.

Look how big those pebbles are.

Just pebbles and crystal clear waters

No sand here. Just pebbles.

Beautiful view of the open sea ahead and crystal clear waters below. Spell PARADISE!

The hubby, enjoying the great view

At 10 am, our group checked out of the resort but we stayed at the beach shoreline to take more photos and pass the time. After an hour we headed back to the bus terminal to catch a bus ride back home. And that wrapped our 2 days/1 night Surigao del Norte summer escapade. (For the total expenses per person, please read my previous post)


Thanks for reading and I hope this post convinced you to include Surigao Del Norte in your must visit places in the Philippines.


God bless,

PAGASA has declared the start of the rainy season but I haven't experienced the 2016 Summer yet. Though the Philippines has been experiencing El Nino since late last year, getting under the sun for fun is still a different story. That's why my friends and I decided to make our last hurrah for summer at the beautiful Surigao del Norte.

This year, my friends and I decided to spend our huling hirit sa tag-init at Surigao del Norte.

Here is a simple guide on how to get there (this is the route that my group and I took). Our group is coming from Davao City.

credits to http://www.philtravelcenter.com/philippines/maps/surigao-norte-map.php

Going to Surigao:
Starting point will be at Davao City Overland Terminal (Ecoland bus terminal). Once inside the terminal, look for a bus bound to Surigao.

My Tips:
1. Search the whole terminal and look at every bus liner to get the best bus that you prefer. Do not listen to the porter. In our case, we followed the porter and he led us to an old non-aircon bus that's bound to Pasay. He told us there were no other bus trip going to Surigao. After we paid for our tickets, we saw there were other bus trips to Surigao. (We felt like we were scammed).

2. If there is no more direct trip to Surigao, take the Pasay route because it will stop over at Surigao city bus terminal. I think the Tacloban route also has a stop over at Surigao (just to be very sure, just ask the driver or the konduktor).

You can also opt to take the Davao - Butuan - Surigao route. However, I'm not familiar with the schedule of the bus trips from Butuan to Surigao.

3. It is more convenient to travel at night because travel time from Davao to Surigao is approximately 9-10 hours. Travelling at night is better because you can sleep throughout the whole trip and when you arrive at Surigao the following day, you can immediately start your vacation itinerary.


Arrival at Surigao:
We arrive at 5:30 AM and eat breakfast at the terminal. After breakfast we headed to where the vans are parked (left side of the terminal) and catch a ride to Hayanggabon port.

My Tip: make sure to do all your bathroom necessities because the trip is approximately 1.5 - 2 hours. There is no place to stop over for bathroom break.


Arrival at Hayanggabon Port:
We arrive at the port at around 8 am and there are boatmen who approached us. Don't worry because the boatmen there are really friendly and accommodating. Our boatman (kuya Jonathan) even helped us catch a van ride going straight to the resort where we would stay at Mabua Pebble Beach after our tour.

The minimum boat rental costs Php3,500 for a small boat good for 8 passengers.

My Tip: you can buy cooked food at the nearby carenderia outside the port for your lunch. Or you can also eat lunch at Tiktikan Resort (Php350 for one kilo of seafood inclusive of cooking).


Sohoton Tour begins.
Tip: take lots of pics and ENJOY!!!



Going to Mabua Pebble Beach
If coming from Hayanggabon port (like in our case), there are vans outside the port just across the street going back to Surigao city bus terminal. Fare is Php120.

From the Surigao terminal, ride a motorcycle cab going to Mabua Pebble Beach. Fare is Php150 for the entire ride. Travel time is approximately 45 mins to 1 hour.

My Tip: ask the van driver if he is willing to drop you off directly to Mabua Pebble Beach. In our case the driver asked for additional Php50 on top of the Php120 fare. Since we are exhausted from the tour, we agreed.


Enjoy your Surigao del Norte Vacation and don't forget to take lots of pics!!!


Click links for the rest of my Surigao del Norte experience.

Sohoton (Bucas Grande) Tour
Mabua Pebble Beach

I recently had my hair colored. Therefore, I needed to go the extra mile to take care of my colored tresses. I know I previously shared here about my HG hair care product but just as other products out there, the effects didn't last that long.

I did love the "Happy Organics Gugo Shampoo and Conditioner " but just like other hair products, when the "hiyang" stage was over, my hair began looking frizzier and untamed. That's why the search for the perfect hair care product is back on.

Here are the products I have tried so far and my personal thoughts about them.

Tresemme Keratin Smooth Conditioner  PROS: For a month of daily use, I could say my hair loved it. Every after use, my hair always felt smooth with very minimal tangles. CONS: My hair started getting used to it for a while and the effects are not so fabulous as my first few washes. VERDICT: I will still use it but I think I will alternate it with another conditioner.

Tresemme Keratin Smooth Shampoo PROS: I feel like my hair is very clean every after wash. CONS: It has SLS so I don't use it often. I only use it when I think my scalp needs deep washing. VERDICT: I only use this like once a week or once every two weeks.

Nanny Rose's Gugo & Lawat Shampoo(**the HNH natural shampoo is my baby's shampoo) PROS: It's organic. No Parabens. No SLS. It helps reduce my hair fall. Less hair breakage. CONS: Quite drying and my hair feels a little stiff every after wash. VERDICT: I still use it because I am still in search of an organic shampoo that will improve my hair strength and will address my problem with breakage and hair fall.

Moringa O2 Herbal Shampoo PROS: Nice scent (reminds me of Clairol Herbal Essences Hydration). CONS: It did not deliver what it promised (based on my experience). I had more hair fall after washing and my hair has more tangles so it wasn't smooth. My scalp itches when I used this for a week. VERDICT: Won't use again (unless if I run out of shampoo and have no choice)

Moringa O2 Herbal Hair Relaxing Serum++ PROS: It's not sticky unlike other hair leave-on products I used. Even if it's oil based, it did not leave my hair limp like baby oil does. Made my hair less tangles and easy to finger comb. My sister love it too. CONS: I have oily face so it somehow adds to the oiliness of my face when I use too much product VERDICT: I will still use it on days when my hair is very frizzy and difficult to tame.

Here's how my hair looked like 2 months ago when I recently colored and blow dried. (I wish it was always like this)

I will update if I do find the perfect hair care for my hair. Thanks for dropping by.