Pampanga: Ultimate Pampanga Culinary and Heritage Tour on November 7

We have a few slots left for our Ultimate Pampanga Culinary and Heritage Tour on November 7. As always, we'll be visiting Claude Tayag and savor his 5-ways of eating lechon. To read more about the tour, check out Claude Tayag's Bale Dutung, Everybody's Cafe and more from Pampanga.

It's Php4,000 per head inclusive of all meals, transportation and surprises. To reserve for the tour, please e-mail reservations@ultimatephilippines.com or contact Ivan Man Dy at +63 917 3291622.

Also check out the Ultimate Tours 2010 Calendar. Those who reserve for the Ultimate Batanes Culinary and Heritage Tours on or before December 31, 2009 get a Php2,000 discount from the Php34,000 tour price. Remember, the earlier you pay, the better your room at Fundacion Pacita.

Manila: White Hat Yogurt serves great frozen yogurt!

I've secretly been craving for a lot of yogurt lately. And The White Hat Italian Frozen Yogurt has satisfied my appetite the past few weeks. I've been finding time to write about the great yogurt they serve. And since they have a Celebrity for Charity event this Saturday, it's about time I did.

The first time I tried their yogurt was when I was doing research about healthy food for a TV guesting on QTV. And I've been a fan ever since because of the deliciously sour taste of their yogurt. Aside from the plain yogurt, they also serve strawberry and green tea flavored yogurt in some of their branches which is really good. They also have take home pints in various flavors. Ask if the store has black berry because that one is really good too.

And there are plenty toppings to choose from from the usual suspects to some unique selections. Have you ever tried yogurt with mochi, kiwi and granola?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to that Celebrity for Charity event on Saturday, October 31, 2009 since the beneficiary is UP Sagip Isko. Sagip Isko started out as a response to victims of Typhoon Ondoy, but which is shaping up to become a permanent disaster response program of the University Student Council. The celebrity this weekend is my brod Nico Ibaviosa (thanks for volunteering). So I'm inviting you to buy yogurt at White Hat SM North EDSA this Saturday, October 31, 2009 since a percentage of the sales for the day in that branch will go to UP Sagip Isko. If you come in a Halloween costume between 1 to 5 p.m., you can get a chance to win a two-month supply of White Hat yogurt!

Palawan: Great food at Bistro Coron & Seadive Resort

Coron has its own food surprises. And Bistro Coron most definitely tops the list. It has a really extensive menu which includes pizza, pasta, beef, chicken, pork, seafood, soups, salads, sandwiches and dessert, plus a bar list that includes close to seventy drinks and cocktails.

As always, pizza was one of the choices. They have nine kinds including one called a Panizza which is pizza on bread. We got the one called Bistro which has tomato, onion, garlic, mushrooms and ground beef toppings. They usually come in three sizes and cost Php179, Php249 and Php389 respectively. They served the pizza on a tray which reminded me of another really good pizza I had at the Romblon Deli.

The beef dishes are quite popular among the foreigners. And I'm sure you'll find something there that will suit your taste.

Since we stayed at Seadive Resort, many of our meals were at the restaurant. I was told one of their best sellers was steak. Of course, pizza and pasta was in our selection. One of their pasta has a ginger and coconut milk sauce. Unusual for pasta but it was quite good. You can also check out their blackboard for the special for the day.

Coron pasalubong
Cashew nuts or casuy is one of the things you bring home from Coron. And the place to get casuy is from Coron Harvest. It's close to the port area which a few minutes away from the town proper. Aside from the usual toasted or garlic cashew, the best buys would be Bandi, that is cashew with caramelized brown sugar; and Brittle which has both caramelized sugar and honey!

Palawan: Banol Beach, Twin Lagoon, Kayangan Lake and Siete Pecados Marine Park in Coron

Coron is simply stunning. Since we only had a day to go around, we decided to do both Culion and the Coron in one day. Remember that Coron Town is on Busuanga Island while most of the popular attractions are on Coron Island. Coron Island is characterized by massive limestone karst rock formations, lakes and lagoons and is part of the ancestral domain of the Tagbanua.

We left Culion after lunch and began our trip around Coron Island. The first stop was an hour and 30 minutes away. It was a bit cloudy on the way to Coron Island but once we got to Banol Beach, the sun was out and perfect for a swim.

Banol Beach is a small beach and is perfect for a picnic. You can actually buy fresh seafood or meat at the market before leaving Coron and request your boatman to grill it while at one of the beaches. Remember though not to venture too far from the shore since we were warned Banol has a lot of sea urchins if you explore too far from the beach. Entrance fee to the beach is Php100. We didn't stay too long in Banol since we wanted to see the other attractions.

Our next stop was Twin Lagoon which is two salt water lakes separated by a narrow opening. It's best to swim with your life vest on since it gets really deep in some parts. At low tide, you can swim across the narrow opening to get to the other lake. But when the tide is high, the opening is completely submerged and you'll have to swim through it.

One option would have been to visit Kayangan Lake which is really picturesque. The lake, which is nestled amidst spectacular limestone kasrt rock formations, is simply stunning. But that needs at least an hour: 15 minutes to hike to the lake, at least 30 minutes for a swim, and another 15 minutes to hike back to the boat. So we decided to reserve the lake for another trip. Entrance fee to Kayangan Lake is Php200.

Our last stop was the Siete Pecados Marine Park which is very popular for snorkeling. The boatmen usually refer to it as Seven Islands. Like Coron Island, the islets of Siete Pecados are also limestone karst formations. To make sure that the coral formations don't get damaged, boats anchor on buoys installed for the purpose.

A favorite activity when snorkeling in Siete Pecados would be feeding the fish with bread. So don't forget to bring your supply since the fish literally swarm around you as you gradually release the bread. Entrance fee to Siete Pecados Marine Park is Php100.

Since the sun was starting to set, we headed back to Coron Town. It would have been a good option to climb Mt. Tapyas to watch the sunset. But we got lazy and decided to just chill in our hotel room. Food adventures coming up next!

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Palawan: Culion Island, where the Philippines eliminated leprosy

Culion was called the Island of the Living Dead or the Island of No Return. Once the largest leper colony in the world, it stands today as a stark reminder of life in the Philippines when leprosy was still an incurable disease, and a testament to how leprosy was eradicated not just in the Philippines but in the entire world, and how technology and advances in medicine have improved and changed the way we live today.

Culion was selected as the containment area of all those with leprosy in the Philippines during the American Period. At that time, leprosy was still an incurable disease. And the only way to stop its spread was to isolate all those afflicted with it. People with leprosy were rounded up like criminals to be sent to the island, most certainly to die given that there was no cure. That is why it was called the Island of No Return.

The government apprehended lepers, detained them and sent them for isolation on Culion Island. Families knew that when a leprous member of the family was collected for segregation, that would be the last time they would see him or her. Ships brought patients to Culion every three months. And by its 25th year, there were 16,138 patients on Culion's roster making it the largest leper colony in the world.

Because of the large number of patients, Culion naturally became a laboratory for scientists around the world who had striven to look for a cure for leprosy. That's why Culion's legacy makes the Culion Museum worth visiting if you have both time and a budget for it.

Boats to Culion from Coron cost between Php3,000 to 3,500. But you could do visit Culion plus parts of the Coron Loop in one day. Or a Culion visit plus Banana and Malcapuya Islands. There are ferry services which leave at lunch and late in the afternoon. But that would mean sleeping overnight on the island.

We left Coron at 8:30 a.m and arrive in Culion at about 10 a.m. Culion Church, Fort Culion, the Culion Sanitarium and its museum are all in one area. From the port, it's a 10 minute walk up the hill where they're all located. But tricycles are available to bring you there.

Again, if only for the visit to the museum at the Culion Sanitarium, the trip is worth it since it ably tells the story of Culion and makes you appreciate life as it is today. Museum fees are Php250 for foreigners, Php100 for non-locals, Php50 for locals, and Php20 for students with IDs. To be sure the museum is open, it's best to call before hand.

Culion Museum and Archives
+63 928 2812276
+63 921 5787152
+63 919 3779757

Where to stay in Culion
The Tabing Dagat Lodging House & Restaurant is situated right beside the port. Fan rooms start at Php450; while aircon rooms start at Php900.

Tabing Dagat Lodging House & Restaurant
Brgy. Balala, Culion, Palawan
+63 928 6757473
+63 920 2779327
+63 920 4056659

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Coron hotels, transportation and more stuff to help you plan your trip