Iloilo: Santa Barbara Church and Iloilo Golf and Country Club

Santa Barbara, Iloilo has a special place in our country's history. I was honored to celebrate our 115th Independence Day with the citizens of Santa Barbara. One of the town's heritage sites is the Santa Barbara Church, a National Historical Landmark. It was here that the Revolutionary Government of the Visayas led by Gen. Martin T. Delgado convened the junta that raised the first cry outside Luzon.

Another heritage site is the Iloilo Golf and Country Club, the first golf course in the Philippines, which was established by Scottish engineers in 1907. Unfortunately, the original club house was burned down by the Japanese during the Second World War. Except for the historical marker, there's no other structure that highlights that it is the country's oldest golf course. Maybe they could reconstruct the old club house to house the golf course's museum, an added attraction for Santa Barbara. There are many qualified restoration architects who can do that.

With Sta. Barbara Mayor Dennis Superficial, Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor & Cabatuan Mayor Ramon Yee during the 115th Independence Day ceremonies

Quezon City: Ma Mon Luk's Original Mami

For the longest time, I've always seen Ma Mon Luk Restaurant every time I drive along Quezon Avenue. I've always known it as an old restaurant founded in Manila in 1920, definitely part of our culinary heritage. Parking is usually full so I just drive along. 

A few days ago, I was craving for mami as we neared Ma Mon Luk. So I told myself, if parking was available, I'd stop. And it was!

Of course I had the Original Mami (Large) for Php105 which was quite heavy. There was just a Php10 difference between the small and large order, so might as well get the large one. I also tried the Siopao Special (Asado, Chicken and Salted Eggs) for Php60. Next time, I should try the Taw Sa Pao (Mongo) which they recommend.

Quezon City: Steak at Snackaroo Kamuning & Matalino

Snackaroo has been around for ages! I can't believe I only discovered this recently after all those years studying in U.P. For just Php140, you can have a T-bone Steak or Porterhouse Steak served with their signature gravy. The meat is tender (best cooked medium or medium rare) and the fat melts in your mouth! It was so good, I ate there for five consecutive days!

They have other dishes too but it's the steaks that really standout. I frequent the branch along Judge Jimenez cor. K-2nd Streets in Kamuning, QC. There's another branch at Maginoo cor. Matalino Streets in UP Village. Service can be improved though but what the heck, it's a hole in the wall. The steaks are definitely heaven!

Parañaque: Crispy Chili Garlic Bacon at The Burgery, BF Homes

BF Homes Parañaque is definitely a foodie haven. I was looking for something to eat late last night and went for a drive along Aguirre Avenue. That's one long stretch of restaurants, many of which you'll only find in BF.

We saw this new restaurant called The Burgery. Of course, the main attraction of their menu are the burgers and burger rice meals. But they have other dishes. A large poster actually caught my attention: Crispy Chili Garlic Bacon that was topped on herbed rice. I'll let the photo do the talking. I should explore more of BF during weekends!

Thailand: Beach hopping in Phuket (Rawai, Kata, Karon & Patong)

People don't realize that Phuket is actually a large island, a province of Thailand in fact. It took me an about an hour to get from the Phuket International Airport on the northern end of the island to my resort on Cape Panwa, the southwestern tip of Phuket. I stayed at what many consider to be among the best resorts on the island, Sri Panwa Phuket, an experience I will share in another post.

Phuket actually has quite a number of popular beaches. Unfortunately, I had a hire a car to take me to see all the beaches. It was a rainy September when I was in Phuket so the sun was not out. But I got to see Rawai, Kata, Karon and Patong Beaches, albeit under overcast skies.

My first beach stop was Rawai Beach which was closest to the resort, being on the south side of Phuket as well. It's not really popular for swimming but you'll find traditional fishing boats and long tail boats moored at the beach, which tourists hire for snorkeling and sightseeing trips to nearby islands.

Kata Beach (Kata Yai and Kata Noi) and neighboring Karon Beach are popular surfing beaches. Kata, with its village atmosphere, is more family-oriented, and a quieter version of party Patong. Kata Noi has the resorts, restaurants and tourist shops while Kata Yai is the less-developed beach.

Karon Beach is the second largest tourist beach of Phuket, with three kilometers of white sand. Most of the beach is public since a busy road separates the resorts form the beach itself. The beach is said to be the most upscale of the beaches of Phuket. 

Patong Beach is Phuket's party beach. It gets rowdy especially in the evening with numerous hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and bars to choose from. While accommodation here can get expensive, backpacker accommodation is also abundant in the area. It actually caters to everyone from budget to five-star.

At the time of my visit, winds were strong and waves were high. While it was surfer's paradise, swimming was not allowed in certain areas. So watch out for the red warning flags before you head for the beach. If these flags are up, please do heed them. Hopefully, I get to visit Phuket again now that there are direct flights from Manila.

We arrange tours to Phuket, Thailand. Contact us at tours@ivanhenares.com for more details.