Tawi-Tawi: Overnight in Bongao

Tawi-Tawi is the southernmost province of the Philippines. Although the impression is that it is unsafe, that is far from the truth since Tawi-Tawi is a relatively peaceful place. I was told that it has wonderful white sand beaches and rich cultural communities. So I decided to check it out even just for two days.

I was in Zamboanga City to attend a conference so I decided to fly over and found myself on a SEAIR flight to Bongao. The flight took a little over an hour and I was in Bongao in no time. As soon as I arrived, I went to my brod's place to get some rest first. I hadn't had any sleep the night before so I decided to start exploring after lunch.

There are a lot of places to stay in Bongao but one of the better lodges is Beachside Inn where I decided to have lunch. Accomodations start at PHP900 for air-conditioned rooms. There's nothing much to see in Bongao and you could easily cover it in a day.

A friend took me around to the different areas of interest including some beaches, the Tawi-Tawi Provincial Capitol which is on top of a hill, offering a great panoramic view of Bongao and beyond, and the market area where you'll see a lot of seaweed being dried up (seaweed is a major product of Tawi-Tawi).

I wish I had an extra day so that I could have taken a ferry boat to Simunul, the neighboring island, which hosts the oldest mosque in the country, the Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque, and some of the best beaches of Tawi-Tawi. You'll have to stay overnight at least though so you'll need some friends there if you want to visit the place. But you haven't been to Tawi-Tawi if you haven't visited Simunul!

Sitangkai, called the Venice of the Orient, is another option but that would take a longer ferry ride. And I heard the waves are rough. So be ready for a real adventure!

The next day, I had to catch my SEAIR flight back to Zamboanga City. On the way to Bongao Airport in Sanga-Sanga are great views of Bud Bongao. If you're into climbing mountains, trekking up Bud Bongao is a great option. Just don't forget to bring bananas for the monkeys.

At the airport, I had some local food at the nearby carinderia which included pastil, a fried empanada filled with bihon noodles, and sindol, which is the local ginataan (warm coconut milk dessert). It was really cheap! Anyway, the stay was too short to experience Tawi-Tawi. So I'm definitely going back to explore some more!

Beachside Inn & Restaurant
(068) 2681446

Imang Salud ensaimadas are perfect Christmas presents!

Imang Salud ensaimadas and plantanillas (sweet egg crepes with latik filling) were recently featured in the November 2008 issue of Food Magazine as gift ideas for Christmas. The six-inch traditional Kapampangan ensaimadas are P165/box of 1, P320/box of 2, P480/box of 3 and P640/box of 4. While the plantanillas are P180/box of 12. They are available every Sunday at the Legazpi Sunday Market. Just look for the Imang Salud stall. Text (0920) 9478819 for orders or more information.

Laguna: Enchanted Kingdom celebrates Halloween too!

It's been years since I last visited Enchanted Kingdom. I remember our high school batch went there shortly after it opened on a science field trip to do physics experiments. It was funny seeing us with all those measuring instruments while on the rides. What I could not forget is the Jungle Log Jam since everyone splashed water at each other while on the logs (there was a joke circulating that everyone had to bring extra clothes) and we'd exit the ride literally drenched with water. During my freshman year in college, we brought our entire dorm there in UP's first official dorm field trip. Those were the days!

So when I found out about the extended Halloween activities, I made sure to bring my niece over to join in the fun. There was a costume parade late in the afternoon which she participated in. But before that, we went for the rides.

The first ride you see when you enter is the Grand Carousel. I could not remember the last time I rode a carousel. But it sure was fun. Haha! The place brought back a lot of memories since the rides we used to frequent were still there! It's a really great place to bring kids and kids at heart since who wouldn't enjoy the rides? I'm highly-recommending it for a family day trip every once in a while, perfect bonding with kids. Looks like we'll be in Enchanted Kingdom more often. It's closer to home than Hong Kong Disneyland. Here's their website for more information.

Boracay: Halloween in Boracay

I didn't realize Boracay was a really cool place to celebrate Halloween. The entire island was so into the celebration with hotels, restaurants and bars churning up the spookiest and coolest of decor and great Halloween events to boot. Many partygoers also came in the craziest costumes. There were really funny groups too like the "101 Dalmatians" hoping around the sands of Boracay.

I was with my cousins and I took them party-hopping tonight. SEAIR sponsored really cool parties including a concert at Pearl of the Pacific, a party at Hey Jude, and an event with Cinema One at Summer Place.

Boracay: SEAIR means convenience to Boracay all the way!

I found myself on my way to Boracay again. The island does not have its own airport so you have to ride a ferry boat to get there. But flying on SEAIR is the most convenient option since they transfer you from the airport straight to Cagban Port in Boracay and back!

But the convenience starts from the time you get off your vehicle at the Manila Domestic Airport. Now that most of the flights have moved to T3, there are less passengers crowding the place. Gone are the lines to show your ticket and ID to the guard, as well as the line at the x-ray machines. And there were no lines at the check-in counter as well. So I immediately got my boarding pass. It took me 15 minutes to get from the entrance, check-in and sit down in the passengers' waiting area!

Since the Dornier planes are smaller than others, time to board passengers is also much shorter. So we were in the air in no time! Like in most domestic flights, I was expecting nothing much on board. In other local airlines, you have to buy your food and it's so pricey! While the rest, they give you a small snack and a glass of softdrinks, juice or water. So when the flight stewardess was going around, I was surprised when she asked, "How many packs of peanuts do you want?" instead of giving me just one small pack. I can't remember how many I got. For the Halloween trips, they also gave us a bottle of Gatorade.

The flight was super smooth and we were in Caticlan in no time! At 35 minutes, these flights are the fastest in town! Less time lining up, less time flying, more time to relax and enjoy Boracay! And since it's the preferred airline of many celebrities, you just don't know who might be with you on the flight.

As soon as I got out of the Caticlan Airport, the SEAIR ground staff were waiting to assist me. Buses and vans wait outside to bring you to the Caticlan Jetty Port. SEAIR pays for your boat ride and you only have to pay for the Terminal and Environmental Fees. The staff are so accommodating in fact, they accompanied me all the way to the boat! On Boracay, my SEAIR boarding pass also served as a discount and perks card. So if you do take SEAIR, make sure you check what promos are available.

Going back to the Caticlan Airport was a breeze as well. At the Cagban Port, all I had to do was look for the SEAIR table and I was taken care of until I got to the airport. Indeed, SEAIR has positioned itself as the premiere airline to Caticlan/Boracay, where you get great service and really fast flights!

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"It's one of the smoothest flights I've ever had to Boracay" - Chris Tiu on his SEAIR flight last Halloween. Thanks to Choi Eliciario for the photos of the Ateneo Blue Eagles!