crichton_fan

Today, I took a dump and my shit smelled like somebody else’s manure. It was weird. It felt as if somebody else was shitting for me inside me and it was so surreal. You know how the smell of your own shit doesn’t generally bother you? In fact, it usually brings with it some feeling of comfort in the familiarity of its stink. This morning, I had to cover my nose while in the toilet and had to rush myself to get out.

The whole scenario made me reflect about my diet yesterday. And it also made me think about the effect of the medication that the doctor prescribed for my wound. I checked the side effects online but it does not have “may change the usual odor of excrements.”

Am I the same person? Am I mutating? Is the world coming to an end? Is something cool about to happen?

I am a born skeptic. When people say that this place is beautiful or that restaurant serves great food, I normally do not buy it, particularly if the person’s taste does not have that many entries in my database. I am the type of person who’s got to see and experience things for himself. So when I hear people say that Coron, or Palawan in general, has the best beaches and sights in the Philippines, I place those feedback nicely tucked into my bucket list of things to verify.

Just last weekend, I visited Coron with my friend, Kakay, and a couple of her contacts. I was the fifth wheel in a party of five. Since my decision to join the group came after they have already booked their flights, I had to fly to Coron alone. Flying by yourself makes you fully aware of things around you because of the absence of a chat partner. Like how fragile and vulnerable the airframe of a turboprop seems to be and how inexpensive airplanes have really cheap seats that look almost like pimped-up monoblock chairs. I just diverted my attention to my mp3 player and got lost in the music.

Busuanga’s airport was no different from other small island airports in the country. It was simple and just has the basic necessities: a runway, a covered wait area where food can be bought and travel agency stalls for those who flew to the island without an itinerary. Coron town which is basically the destination of most people who go to the island is barely in the outskirt of the airport. It’s a good 45-minute drive across grasslands, scattered trees, cow herds and small mountain ranges. The fact that van trips cost 150 per head and that they can take you anywhere in Coron town is definitely something to appreciate. Plus, they do not fill the entire van with people. It left with only two people in our row and I definitely appreciated the extra space for movement.

Coron town shares its name with the Palawan municipality it is in and a nearby island that made the place popular to tourist. The main road of the town separates a mountain side from the Busuanga Island seashore. Some houses sit right at the foot of the mountain on different height levels while the others are situated at the other side of the road by the sea. In fact, some residences and lodging houses were actually built on docks that are on top of the clean water that surround Busuanga.

We stayed at Viring Birang Guest House which only offers air-conditioned rooms. Ours was priced at PhP 1600 per night for three people. Apart from having Wi-Fi, Birang has their own dock so it is very convenient for guests to get picked up by the boats that will bring them to their island hopping destinations.

Coron, the island, is one of the prime tourist spots on this side of Palawan. I first saw a glimpse of Coron when we did an exhausting 720-steps hike to Mount Tapyas (a quick trip to the Maquinit Hot Spring is highly recommended after doing this high-altitude, leg-burning endeavor). I barely noticed its beauty because of the waning sun and my then burning thighs.

“A view of Coron from Mount Tapyas”

It was not until the following day when I saw Coron Island up close.

The boat ride to Coron was sort of like an unveiling. The veil being the distance of it from the town and the slightly misty morning. As the boat moved closer to the island, the details of its magnificence started to unravel before us.

The whole island of Coron is primarily made of huge rocks. Nature put together these rocks to form some sort of impenetrable mountain around it. It reminded me of a fortress- like structure similar to Helm’s Deep but only less gloomy but rather refreshing to see. The crevices of the walls of Coron are occasionally studded with foliage. The water that surrounds it was blue – indicating depth despite being close to a landmass.

I uttered “Wow…” in disbelief as we got nearer and nearer. Every detail of the island was an eye candy to someone who has been living in a city like Metro Manila. I immediately started snapping photos and the sheer beauty of the island made it easy to get picturesque shots. I heard someone behind me say “The Last Frontier” and he was right. This is clearly an island that deserves such titles like “The Scenic Fortress” or “Nature’s Refuge.” I have never seen any island like this in the country.

After docking the boat, you can follow the path that lead to one of several astonishing lakes inside the island. The rocky mountain structure of Coron seems to run not only outside but also inside the island. My educated guess is that after several thousands of years of precipitation, the lowest points inside the island has formed the lakes. The first one we went to was Barracuda Lake which is a popular dive site in Coron along with several Japanese shipwrecks around the area.

“Snokeling at Barracuda Lake”

Another lake that can be visited is Kayangan Lake which is accessible on a different yet close side of Coron. It requires a bit of a hike and descent before you reach the lake. The following photos show the rewarding views you will see when you do the quick journey.

“A view from a cliff in Coron Island”

“Kayangan Lake”

Coron Island is not popular for a long white beach like Boracay but it has several small beaches that serve as lunch rest stops for island hoppers. We went to Banua-Atwayan where you can rent nipa huts for PhP 100. A group of locals sell junk food, cup noodles, softdrinks and beer at Atwayan beach but they are a bit pricy (as one should expect) so bringing your own snacks from the town would be wise. Also, you can buy raw fish, other seafood, meat and rice from the market and have your boatman cook the food for you.

Whole day boat rental costs around PhP 1500-2500 depending on the size of the boat and the number of people in your party.

Below were the lunches which were prepared by our boatmen for two day’s worth of going into the sea.

“Inihaw na tulingan, inihaw na liempo, eggplant, diced onion and tomatoes, pineapple and banana”

“Inihaw na liempo, chicken and fish”

“Seaweed!”

If you are looking for a beach bumming experience, you would have to go on a 1.5-hour boat ride to fully embrace the activity. Still in the Coron municipality and very near Culion Island (the former leper colony) is the hidden treasure, Malcapuya Island. Its main beach is always likened to that of Boracay minus the crowd. It is perfect for a chill out experience under the sun. We were told that the owner of the island bought it for only PhP 3000 back in the 70s. I wish I could go back in time and buy it for myself. Check it out:

“Malcapuya’s main beach”

“A view of the main beach from a cliff”

Near Malcapuya is another island called Banana Island. The place also has a white beach (it seems like most islands in Palawan have it anyway). It was particularly windy when we came there and there were a few tourist doing kite surfing (wakeboard plus a big study kite and you are flying above pristine water).

 

This is the itinerary we followed for the 4d3n trip to Coron which puts tiring stuff first in Day 1 (hike) and Day 2 (island hopping and snorkeling) and puts laid back stuff in Day 3 (beach bumming). It is a good flow to follow which was prepared by our contact Zaide Uy: 09198950016. You may get in touch with her for trips to Coron, Palawan. I spent roughly around PhP 10,000-PhP 10,500 for the entire trip inclusive of the tours, food, lodging and airfare. You can spend less than that if you are not too picky about accommodation or if you think you can reply on your people skills to find out the cheapest deals in Coron on your own.

Suggested Itinerary:
Day 1
12:15 PM / 01:10 PM      Departure Manila to Busuanga
01:20 PM / 02:15 PM      Arrival in Busuanga
03:00 PM / 04:00 PM      Settle down at Lodging House / Take some snacks nearby                       
05:00 PM                       Head to Mt Tapyas for Sunset Viewing and Pictorial
07:00 PM                       Head to Maquinit Hot Spring
08:00 PM                       ETD Maquinit Hot Spring
09:00 PM                       Dinner (Suggestion: Sea Dive Resort / Kawayanan)

Day 2
07:00 AM                      Wake up / Breakfast
08:00 AM                      ETD for Coron Island Hopping
                                    -- Siete Pecados

-- Kayangan Lake

-- Twin Lagoon

-- Barracuda Lake

-- Skeleton Wreck

-- Banol Beach or Attuwayan Beach

05:00 PM                       Souvenir Shopping / Cashew Factory
07:00 PM                       Dinner (Suggestion: Kawayanan Grill)

Day 3
07:00 AM                      Wake up / Breakfast
08:00 AM                      ETD Beach Hopping (Malcapuya and Banana Island)
07:00 PM                       Dinner Out / Night Life at Coron (Suggestion: Subasco)

Day 4
09:00 AM / 11:00 AM     ETD Lodging House
10:45 AM / 12:35 PM      Departure Busuanga to Manila

Inclusions:

4D3N Lodging (Room for 3; Room for 2)
Boat Rental for 2 Days with Lifevest and First Aid Kit
Licensed Tour Guide
Lunch during Island Tours
Entrance Fees

Exclusions:

Kayak, Fins, Snorkel (for Rental)
Airport Transfers (150 per pax per way)
Tricycle Rides (roughly 200 per head for whole trip)
Breakfast
Dinner
Day 1 / Day 4 Lunch

Recommendations for trip:

Aqua Shoes
Waterproof Camera / Dicapack
Ziplocks for Gadgets
Snacks
Snorkeling Gears

I have never been victimized by a “holdap” before so the events of last night were definitely something that I did not foresee. I always tell my friends cockily that it has never happened to me and that “kapag oras mo na, oras mo na” (if it’s your time, it’s your time). Last night was my dreaded turn.

It happened while I was on board a jeepney going to Baclaran. I boarded it in Vito Cruz and as the vehicle turned right to Buendia, in a dark area after the bus stations, it commenced.

Contrary to what the Tagalog movies depict, they do not say “Holdap to!” to initiate the crime. One of them will flip out a gun and will start pointing it to the person he was next to. The rest of the people who will notice this will be commanded to bow their heads and put their hands together in front of them.

Holdaper: Usog kayo dun sa unahan! (He said this in a military tone but not too loudly to not attract attention from people outside the jeepney.  He pushed us away from the vehicle’s exit and nearer to the driver. ) Yuko! Wag kayong titingin sa kin! Pikit mata! Kamay sa harap ng katawan! Pre, patayin niyo yung ilaw.

I had no choice. By instinct, I looked at the guy barking orders. He did fit the profile of someone who would rob you off of your valuables. He had a lot of facial hair, looking exactly like one of those people in wanted posters and he had a bag on his lap where he concealed his gun and a wooden rod that had some sort of pointed sharp blade at the end. He saw me looking at him so he hit me in the head with the wooden rod at least thrice.

Holdaper: Sinabi ng pikit eh!

I half closed my eyes and bowed down. Then we were plunged into darkness as they turned off the lights inside the vehicle. Then he commanded the girl to my right who was also looking straight at her too.

Holdaper: Di ba sabi ko pikit?

The girl started to answer back in some sort of hysterical way.

Girl: Kuya, natatakot po ako eh. HINDI PO AKO MAKAGALAW. (She started to wail at this point while uttering her words)

Holdaper: Wag kang maingay. Babarilin kita! Tabi dyan. Lumipat ka dun sa unahan. (He instructed one of his guys beside the girl to move in front. He then sat beside the hysterical girl)

Girl: KUYA, NATATAKOT PO AKO. NANGINGINIG NA PO AKO. HAWAKAN NIYO PO KAMAY KO.

I think he actually held her hand because the girl stopped speaking nervously but just cried beside me.

Holdaper: Mga pre! Trabaho na. Kunin niyo na mga gamit nyan.

I willingly gave my coin purse which then contained PhP 400 then I left my Windows Phone in my left pocket. I have no idea why I did that. I love my phone and I didn’t think much about what they would do if they discover it to be there.

While this was happening, I was cool. I find that extremely weird. I thought I would shake out of fear too like the girl beside me.  But I didn’t. I still knew what I want so bad. I want to keep my phone. Never mind the PhP 400 in my coin purse and never mind the danger that might come when he discovers that my phone is still in my pocket. Then the leader started to frisk me.

Me: Wala na. Binigay ko na sa kanya

But he found my phone.

He hit me at least four times this time on my head with the wooden rod then stuck the knife at the end of it at my throat. He then took my phone and emptied all the contents of my pockets just to be sure that nothing valuable was in them.

All this happened around 5-10 minutes. He let go of the hand of the girl.

Girl: Kuya, hawakan niyo po kamay ko.

Then I volunteered to hold the hand of the girl beside me.

Holdaper: Sige, hawakan mo kamay niya.

The girl still was crying hysterically. It was on and off.

Me: Wag ka ng umiyak ate. Patapos na.

I was not sure if it was over to be honest. But in situations like this, all you can do is hope for the better. The driver drove the jeepney really fast and stopped somewhere in Roxas Boulevard, in front of the DFA building near Cuneta Astrodome. He then told us to get out of the jeepney. It was over. We were all safe.

Som’s Noodle House

Food Trip Entry # 2

The goal is not to hit two restaurants in two consecutive nights but I guess our spontaneity got the best of us. It was the end of the shift and Julie’s hungry (of course). She is the only girl I know who is not obese yet has the appetite of a man in steroids. So while I was wrapping up a day’s work tonight, she asked if I’m hungry. The original plan was to find a nearby tapsilogan. Nothing fancy but somewhere we can satiate our stomachs without going above the PhP 50 budget. I suggested a better option that offers more viands which is Dell’s Food Hall along Pasong Tamo extension with a subtle homeward-route advantage against Julie.

While en route to Dell’s, Julie decided to just go home to her parent’s house in Sampaloc which opens a lot of opportunities for us to go elsewhere and to feed the habit of indecision again. Dell’s became an encore of 8065 Bagnet and then became our second destination: Som’s Noodle House.

So we rode the MRT to Boni and from there rode the jeep to Stop n Shop. Julie has passed by Som’s before on her way to Sampaloc but as always I’m doubtful that she actually knows how to get to the place. We are talking about a person who still has a chance of getting lost despite the aid of a GPS and detailed directions. So I’m not taking my chances. We sat on the passenger seat of the jeepney and I used the perpetually slow network of Sun to get legit directions to the restaurant. Somewhere along cursing Sun Cellular and bugging the jeepney driver who has no idea where Som’s was, a good Samaritan from the back said that she knows how to get to the place. Yay! (I was quicker to believe her than Julie. Haha!)

I cannot believe that she was willing to take a photo with us. How nice of her to show us the way and to participate in our craziness.

Eventually, we found it.

To our dismay, Som’s has actually become a legit restaurant. Which basically beats out initial goal of checking out food strips that are basically in the “hole in the wall” category. There’s parking, a serious ambiance and the mainstream feel (as opposed to 8065 Bagnet’s underground feel).

It’s spacious. It’s clean. It’s a typical restaurant. Nothing Thai to the design.

Outdoor/balcony for smoking customers.

Som’s serves Thai food. Thai basically rivals my penchant for Filipino cuisine. It’s that good. For anyone who has not tried it yet, I strongly recommend it. My love for Thai food started when I first tasted Tom Yam from a Thai canteen in Balara outside UP Diliman. Since then, I’ve always craved for it so this visit to Som’s can be considered as some sort of pilgrimage.

If you want a blown up picture of what’s on the menu, you can look at the pictures on the wall to get inspired.

Sweet and deadly. In a good way.

The best Bagoong Rice I’ve ever tasted in my life. Eat it with small portions of each component in one mouthful.

Tom Yam! It tasted good but it only had 3 pieces of shrimp, the usual mushrooms and the other components that you normally do not eat. I find it odd that it did not have the usual chicken bits that are normally served in other restaurants. For a dish served in this huge bowl, it felt a bit like a rip-off for only having that much edible content.

Never a fan of curry-based food but this one is the best curry-based dish I have ever tasted. Eating the eggplant bits with the sauce can stand alone. For something that claims to be moderately spicy, it was pretty week. Try the red curry – they have three: yellow for not spicy, green for moderately spicy and red for spicy.

The end result. Should I say more about how good the dishes were or is the last picture enough as an illustration?

Overall, food is 4.5/5 and service is 4.5/5. It was a slow night so I do not know how they would fare in service during peak hours.

DIRECTIONS: From the Boni MRT station, walk to the jeepney stop and ride the one that goes to Stop N Shop. When you enter what they call as “the circle” or the circular road where the Municipal Hall of Mandaluyong is, keep an eye out for the green Som’s sign.

MUST TRY: Tom Yam, curry dishes, Bagoong Rice, Thai tea. I bet the other dishes we did not try were also good.

TRY AT YOUR OWN RISK: n/a

CRITICISMS AND KUDOS: With what Som’s lack in Thai ambiance, they make up in great-tasting Thai cuisine. I have never been to Thailand and never tasted real Thai food so I would not know what authentic Thai food would be but the dishes in Som’s are very good. Presentation is not sloppy unlike in 8065 Bagnet and the prices are reasonable. Our pig out session above only amounted to PhP 560.

8065 Bagnet

Food Trip Entry #1

I rarely get lost. In fact, the few accounts that I do get lost is because of bad direction given to me or the sheer difficulty of finding the destination. But being lost can be sometimes frustrating especially when you are in a hurry, hungry, being ripped off by a cabbie and is on the brink of losing your patience. That was our status when one of us, Julie to be specific, decided to use her GPS for aid.

The destination is dinner at 8065 Bagnet in Estrella Street (sic. We later found out that it’s actually in Estrella Avenue), Makati. Julie saw an article about the place online and we all agreed to check it out and ditch the original plan of eating buffalo wings at Bonchon. I like the sound of the name of the restaurant. It has an artistic swagger to it like most numbered novels with kickass titles; 1984 and Catch-22 to name a few.

Using the GPS only acerbated our frustration for when Julie clicked the address she saw on the website, it pulled up Bing maps to give us directions to a street somewhere in San Antonio, Texas. WTH?! My companions, Geoff and Julie, along with the cabbie knew where the short Estrella Street was so we decided to take our chances and go there to look for 8065. We circled the street from the Kalayaan side of EDSA to the other side near Rockwell to no avail. That was when we decided to phone the place and we found out that they were actually situated near the Pasong Tamo and Buendia intersection. From that information, going there was a walk in the park.

On the outside.

I nearly died at the thought of the possibility of a quiz night the night we went there.

WiFi Password:  8065bag.1? Better interact with the wait staff and ask for the password. Our menu was a photocopy and the last 3 characters of the password was cut out accidentally by the photocopier operator.

There’s a booth for the dessert. Take what you want but honestly declare the count to the waiters when you get the bill. I like that. Misplaced trust in the city.

Kare-kare bagnet and ensaladang talong.

Steamed fish in spicy coconut sauce and 20 minutes after. Probably less.

Plain rice is the way to go if you want to relish the flavored bagnet.

Julie picking for round 2.

Round 2: Bagnet Binagoongan. 

They were pretty generous with ice.

Lots of things on the wall to touch, read and play with.

Street art on the walls.

Second-floor gallery.

The shop upstairs. Is that a hat bearing the name of the local band Severo? 8065 also has a music studio so it’s not a far inference.

This is the type of hazing that guys get from girls while shopping. This and the looooooong wait.

They recognize the possibility of theft but nobody really mans this clothing shop. You have to find one of the wait staff to know how you can purchase the things that you like.

Overall, it was a very unique experience. Food is 4/5 and service is almost 4/5.

DIRECTIONS: From the famous intersection of Buendia (aka Gil Puyat) and Pasong Tamo Street in Makati (where Exportbank Plaza can be found), go along Pasong Tamo to the direction of PRC. The fourth street to the left is Estrella Avenue. Going deeper into Estella, you will not miss 8065 on the left. You know for sure that you are at the right place if you smell the aroma of coffee as there is a nearby coffee factory. 

MUST TRY: The bagnet dishes, cheap pastillas for dessert and the artwork around the place.

TRY AT YOUR OWN RISK: The steamed fish is not exactly a strong point.

CRITICISMS AND KUDOS: I am no professional food critic but it would really help if the concept of having height for aesthetics was implemented on the dishes. Although the place screams of art, food was served ironically in a cafeteria style wherein the bits were evenly spread on the plate perhaps to make the serving seem more than actual. I found that unnecessary as the serving is reasonably much for the price.  The restaurant has a smoking area for smokers and they play decent music like Dishwalla. I was told that the owner of the place is a relative of Kitchie Nadal (this needs verification).

More pictures of the experience on the Facebook album:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3124220268318.158178.1348974529&type=3

February 8, 2010

Mr. X

President, Globe Broadband

Globe Telecom Tower

Boni, Mandaluyong

Dear Mr. X,

If I were to rate the Globelines DSL Support line in a scale of one to ten with ten being the highest, I would give it a negative ten.

I have not been able to go online since January 17 which I reported to your support line two days after it went on. After talking immensely to your technicians for three straight weeks, I got nothing but empty promises to reconnect the line and up until now, the issue has not been resolved.

I use my internet for school and work so just imagine the amount of hassle I would have to go through as a result of your vaguely explained “network restorations” and poorly trained personnel who try and try to make the system work but have failed miserably based on the lack of progress that my case has incurred.

There are three things that I need your help with:

·         Reconnection of my internet (Job Order # 3762035)

·         Discounting the days (Jan 17 to present) that my internet was down from the next billing cycle.

·         Granting some sort of compensation for the hassle incurred for not having internet for three weeks.

I wrote this letter not to bite your head off but to inform you that not all Globe DSL customers are happy with what they get out of the money that they spend. I figured only one out of twenty unhappy customers would probably write you about the issues pertaining to the service that your company provides. So I decided to go for it as a reality check to you and as an opportunity to make things right.

Thanks,

Daniel Muñoz

Account #: xxxxxxxx