Enamored with Waterton Lakes National Park

There has been one thing that's influencing my travel decisions for the past few years: the item on my bucket list that requires me to visit 50 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This interest started around 10 years ago when I was an exchange student in Japan. We'd visited a number of these sites then, and I was intrigued by their how special they were. Thankfully, my husband fully supports me in this quest, and because of it, I have discovered a new favorite--Waterton Lakes National Park.

Waterton is a Canadian national park in the southwest corner of Alberta, just a few kilometers from the US border. In fact, along with Glacier National Park in Montana, USA it forms the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site designated in 1995 because of its distinctive climate, physiographic setting, mountain-prairie interface, and tri-ocean hydrographical divide. It is an area of significant scenic values with abundant and diverse flora and fauna.

Waterton is quite a long drive from Red Deer. Four and a half hours, to be exact, so we spent the night at Pincher Creek before going to Waterton. It is its closest city, just around 40 minutes from the park. In hindsight, that might have been a bad decision. We should have just driven directly to Waterton and spent the night there. It would have given us more time to enjoy the place. Still, the day that we spent at the park was nothing short of amazing.

There are many breathtaking parks in Alberta, but Waterton is special because its centerpiece, the magnificent Upper Waterton Lake is right there--right by Waterton village. You don't have to drive away from the town to enjoy its splendour. And because of the park's distance to the big cities, it is also not as busy as the other parks in the province. You can enjoy the area in relative peace.

Another highlight of the park is the Prince of Wales Hotel. It was constructed between 1926 and 1927, and named after the Prince of Wales who later became King Edward VII. It is a massive Swiss-chalet style building, oozing with charm and character. The best part: it has a parlour with an amazing view of the lake.

We were also able to visit Red Rock Canyon while at Waterton. A 16-km drive from the town, it is a must-see because of it's gorgeous red and green bedrock layers. If you like hiking, or wildlife, this is the place to be. We didn't see any bears that time, but there are many of them around this area.

We capped our tour of Waterton with a meal at the posh Bayshore Lakeside Chophouse. It was wonderful to be able to dine and relax right beside the lake. I had Braised Short Ribs. It was tender, succulent, and perfect.

It is not very often that I want to go back to a place I've only very recently visited. But I do wanna go back to Waterton. It is truly breathtaking. I could probably live there forever. For a self-described city girl like me, that's saying something.

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Beautiful Sylvan Lake

Every time I watch a movie or TV show that's set in a quaint little European-looking (but actually North American) town I always go, "I wanna live there!" I get even more excited when, in said fictional town, I see a body of water with a few small boats or yachts docked here and there. Unfortunately, I don't think such a place exists in this part of Canada. I'd probably have to go to Nova Scotia, or maybe Newfoundland and Labrador to find such a charming place. Or so I thought, until I visited Sylvan Lake.

Sylvan Lake is a fast-growing town of around 11,000 people in Central Alberta. It is approximately 20 minutes west of Red Deer and is named after the 15 kilometer long freshwater lake in the area. Being in a land-locked province, Albertans get pretty excited about water. So you can imagine how Sylvan Lake becomes so popular in the summer. It is said that the lake gets over 1.5 million visitors each year. Because of its popularity, Sylvan Lake has been beautified and maintained. It has an esplanade with a marina, and quaint shops and restaurants lining the street. It apparently even has a lighthouse, that I have yet to see!

I love living in Red Deer. With its population of around 100,000 people, it is the perfect size for me. But visiting Sylvan Lake has put thoughts in my head. Wouldn't it be cool to live there? Maybe buy a small boat and turn the lake into my playground? When the time comes for us to buy our forever home, the question will definitely arise: Red Deer or Sylvan Lake? The good thing is, they're really close to each other.

Right now, the lake is frozen. I did take a few pictures when we visited the other day. It's beautiful, but I'm sure it will be more beautiful and super fun in the summer. And for that I cannot wait!

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Moraine Lake

If you google images of Canada, there's a popular picture that is sure to grab your attention. In fact, if you do that right now, I'm 100% positive your eyes will hone in on a picture of a lake, with trees around it, and with the Rocky Mountains in the background.

That, my friends, is Moraine Lake at the Banff National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the oldest national park in Canada, right here in Alberta. That image, because of its astonishing beauty, has haunted me for years, even before I knew I was coming to Canada, even before I knew I was marrying a Canadian. A few weeks ago, after being in the country for 8 months, I was finally able to behold it with my own eyes.

It's funny because my husband didn't even know Moraine Lake existed. But I insisted, and googled, and thankfully, GPS led us there. Although still inside Banff National Park boundaries, it's actually not anywhere near the Banff town center, but some 60 km away in the town of Lake Louise (74 km if you consider the drive up to the lake itself). It was almost sunset when we drove there, and I was freaking out, because we were in a narrow, winding mountain road in the middle of nowhere and we didn't exactly know where we were going. When we arrived at the lake area though, I was relieved to see a lot of people, and when I saw the lake itself, I actually had tears come to my eyes.

Moraine Lake was breathtaking! It was every bit as beautiful as in the pictures, maybe even more so. And it was very humbling, actually being there, a place I never imagined I would be able to visit...

It was definitely a dream come true.

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The Landing

When you come to Canada as a permanent resident, you're often referred to as a "landed immigrant". It doesn't matter if you've visited the country before on a tourist or work visa, you're only "landed" when you enter the country as a permanent resident. This status is coveted by a lot of people, especially Filipinos.

Because my husband is Canadian, acquiring the permanent resident visa for me was relatively easy. I say relatively because all I needed to do was prove to the immigration officials that our relationship is real. I didn't need to speak French, have amazing work experience, or come up with "show money" to get my visa. Despite that, the application was not without difficulty. It was still a long and painful process.

It took exactly 9 months  from the time Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) received my application to the time I received my visa. This time frame excluded the more or less five months I needed beforehand to come up with all the required documents. When your life is on hold and you're away from a loved one for this amount of time, it isn't easy. It was probably one of the most stressful times in my life.

When I received my visa on November 29, 2012, the stress wasn't over. My medicals were set to expire on December 19, and as per Canadian immigration regulations, your visa expires when your medicals do. That only meant one thing--I had to land in Canada on or before December 19! My husband quickly purchased a ticket for December 11.

I crossed the Pacific on Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight PR 106, flying direct from Manila to Vancouver. It took all of eleven and a half hours. Holy crap! I thought that flight would never end. It wasn't really bad, it was just boring. The plane was an older Airbus A340 that didn't have Audio/Video On Demand, so I basically just sat there, trying my damnedest to sleep because that seemed to be what everyone was doing. Of course, I came ready with a netbook + movies and books, but when the cabin is dark and everyone seems to be asleep... let's just say I didn't have the heart to turn my reading lights on.

Thankfully, despite some major turbulence over Alaska (hello, Sarah Palin), we arrived in Vancouver safe and sound, and even twenty minutes ahead of schedule. When the airplane's wheels touched the runway, I had tears of joy. It was only then that I finally allowed myself to breathe a sigh of relief.

The Vancouver International Airport is beautiful. It's new, not crowded, and well laid out. After I got my luggage, I had to go through the border guards. This was the most important step of all--these guys had the power to allow or deny my entry into Canada. Fortunately, it was a breeze. There were no lines, the immigration officer got impressed with my English, and even spoke to me in Japanese when he learned I once lived in Japan. It took all of five minutes. I was finally landed!

My husband was right there, waiting at the greeting area. Finally, we were together! And then, for my first meal in Canada, I had a sub from an airport branch of the Canadian icon, Tim Hortons--a very, very fitting welcome meal, I say.

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A Taste of Opulence at the Heritage Hotel

I've wanted to stay at the Heritage Hotel during my visits to Metro Manila, just to see what it's like. The place seems to be an icon, after all. During a quick trip last month, I was finally able to do so.

It was perfect timing. I'd known only two days prior that I had to make the trip, and upon perusing Agoda, found out that the Heritage Hotel was having a last minute sale. I jumped at the opportunity, especially because my destination was the Japanese Embassy, just two buildings away from the Heritage. It was still more expensive than average, but it was 25% less than their regular rate.

My first impression of the hotel was that it's old. The hotel makes me think of a book with frayed edges. I was assigned a twin room, and although it had all the little things I needed (toiletries, slippers, robes, a well-stocked mini bar, etc.), the room was just okay, and my TV was old... it was a CRT! I've definitely been to better and cheaper hotel rooms.

My disappointment did not end there. The hotel does not have a lot of items on their room service menu. Is it because they have a casino, and they'd rather people went there than hang out in their rooms? Food in general at the hotel was okay, but was nothing special. What I found incredulous was the P300 per hour internet connectivity. In this day and age, that just feels to me like an abomination, even in a 5-star hotel!

The one good thing about Heritage Hotel: it's location. Other than that, there's really nothing special about it at all. No wonder it's not that highly rated on Agoda. If you want that real taste of opulence, you might want to look somewhere else.

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A Pilgrimage to Simala

After being stagnant for months, I'm finally able to cross out another item on my bucket list: go on a religious pilgrimage.

The Monastery of the Holy Eucharist in sitio Lindogon, barangay Simala, in the town of Sibonga, Cebu was our destination. It is there that the Virgin Mary has been performing miracles since 1998. Over the years, the Birhen sa Simala (Virgin of Simala) has either shed blood or tears, with most of the miracles taking place during her birthday, September 8, which is also the feast day of Simala. Once, while her statue was on procession, the forehead hit an electric wire, which resulted to its bleeding. Because of these miracles, people have started going to Simala in droves, and what started as a small chapel run by the Marian Monks of the Eucharistic Adoration, has veritably become a castle that is starting to look like popular pilgrimage sites in Europe.

It was my first time to go to Simala. My mom and I went with the Diocesan Dumaguete Pilgrims, whom a number of family friends are members. The pilgrims of Dumaguete have been going to Simala for 12 years, and recently, the group has become a very important part of Mama Mary's birthday celebration. The group is now in-charge of feeding 500-1000 police personnel and security guards who maintain peace and order during the three days leading and up to September 8. It is a difficult task, but the group is able to do it through donations.

We were in Simala from September 6 to 9. We attended a lot of masses, a couple of them celebrated by Cardinal Jose Palma, Archbishop of Cebu, and Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, Archbishop emeritus. We were also able to witness a miracle. Yes, Mama Mary cried again during her birthday. It happened during the coronation mass in the afternoon of September 8. I was in front of the church, literally just a couple of feet from her statue when it took place. If you can see from this video I took, the monk has to keep on wiping her tears, and people were crying and sobbing in the background.

Simala has truly become a wondrous miracle site. The hills of Lindogon, once barren and desolate, is now lush and beautiful. Being there gives you a sense of serenity, and the presence of the Virgin Mary makes you feel that you are in heaven. Devotees go there to ask for favors, and of course to give thanksgiving, as evident in the seemingly thousands of testimonials sent by people.

On September 9, the Dumaguete pilgrims were given the chance to get close to the statue of the Virgin that shed tears the day before. Below is her picture. She was no longer crying openly then, but as you can see from the image, her eyes were watery. We were not allowed to touch her face because the monks were still waiting for a bishop to verify the recent miracle. It was a very humbling and touching experience.

Simala is approximately one and a half hours by bus from the city of Cebu, 

and a 20-minute ferry and 2-hour bus ride from the city of Dumaguete (via the port of Sibulan). 

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Hong Kong Honeymoon

My husband and I don't exactly have all the time in the world to spend with each other because of our current living arrangements, but we wanted to squeeze in a honeymoon after our civil wedding. We decided on Hong Kong because it was close to the Philippines thus we'd need less travel time, it had a Disneyland, and we thought it would be, well... cheap. It wasn't. Hong Kong is about as expensive the West, or Japan; at least the Japan of seven years ago. But it's beautiful. And clean. Yup, it's the cleanest and most beautiful city I've visited so far.

Their airport was lovely. And it was huge! Just imagine having to take a train from the arrival area to other parts of the airport. That's how big it was. And the shops--they were awesome! That is one airport I wouldn't mind being stuck in. It's divided into two terminals, but both are connected. We found this restaurant called Hung's Delicacies at one of the terminals and had our first taste of Hong Kong food. We had roasted chicken with garlic, and roasted pork with goose meat. My husband hated his chicken, and even though I am very adventurous when it comes to food, I can't say I enjoyed my pork and goose meal, either. They were just sort of, icky. They seemed to have this weird-tasting seasoning we've never tried before. The funny thing is, we were forced to eat the same kind of food the next day, and the day after that, in Disneyland and Ocean Park! It seemed to be the only food widely available. Whereabouts were the world-famous dim sum?!?

We checked in at the Regal Riverside Hotel in Sha Tin, New Territories. My husband and I go by the motto, "The most stars for the least price" when picking a hotel. We chose Regal Riverside because it was the best one we could get for its price. We knew it was a little out of the way, but we opted for comfort over location. And we weren't disappointed. The hotel was located in a quiet area relatively close to a train station and it had a number of restaurants. The staff were friendly and room service was good. It didn't have free WiFi, though. (Which should not be a surprise, as free WiFi in Hong Kong was hard to come by.)

I was in my element when we were going around Hong Kong! We took my most favored form of transportation--the trains--their MTR or Mass Transit Railway system. It was like Japan all over again, but even better, because for every Chinese instruction or announcement, there was an English counterpart. It was such a relief! The entire city of Hong Kong is connected by trains, so it's fairly cheap and really easy to go everywhere.

Of course, you can't visit Hong Kong without going to Disneyland and Ocean Park. Disneyland was so-so. If you've been to another Disneyland park before, I'll have to warn you that you'll be disappointed with the one they have in Hong Kong. Kids, of course, will still have fun, but adults might find it boring, like we did. It didn't help that Space Mountain was closed when we were there. Ocean Park was great, though. We loved the Raging River log ride and the Grand Rapids. We really got wet! The best experience of all was the cable car ride. It's something you should definitely not miss if you find yourself in Hong Kong!

The highlight of our Hong Kong trip was Victoria Peak. Known locally as The Peak, it's a popular tourist attraction of a mountain that offers great views of the the city and Victoria Harbour. At the summit is the Peak Tower, a building that has shops, restaurants, the Madame Tussauds wax museum, and an observatory. Getting there was extremely fun: we took the Peak Tram, an old train that goes at an incline up the mountain.

We had dinner at a restaurant called Pearl of the Peak at The Peak Tower. We were seated overlooking the city and harbor. The view was amazing, but the dinner was ridiculously expensive! We charged it to a once-in-a-lifetime experience, though. In all fairness, it was an extremely lovely experience and we had the best food that night. Ever. And I'm not exaggerating.

We only had a weekend to spend in Hong Kong, and that was very short. There were other spots we wanted to visit, such as the Tian Tin Buddha and Po Lin Monastery, but we just didn't have the time. We wanted to go to Macau, too, but that was impossible. Still, our Hong Kong trip, albeit short, was a lovely experience. It's one that we will cherish for a lifetime.

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They're Real

You know the "secretaries of Juliet" who answer letters in the movie Letters to Juliet? Well, they're real.

Verona, the "City of Love," is the setting of Romeo and Juliet. And while the star-crossed lovers are just a figment of the author's imagination, on Via Capello in this city, there actually exists a house with a balcony... said to be the house of the Capulets, the powerful Veronese family that inspired the Shakespearean play. This house is Juliet's House, the Casa di Giulietta.

Juliet's balcony

Juliet's House is a huge tourist attraction in Verona. It is a place where people can place love notes or graffiti on the walls. A statue of Juliet also stands in the courtyard, whose right boob visitors rub for good luck.

The story of Juliet is indeed an important part of Verona's charm, which is why the city has commissioned the secretaries of Juliet, a group of volunteers to promote the legend of Romeo and Juliet. They are known as The Juliet Club or Il Club di Giulietta. Just like in the movie Letters to Juliet, they answer letters addressed to the ill-fated heroine from all over the world. They give advice, support, or just listen to those who need to talk about love. Yes, they really do exist, and you really can write to them at The Juliet Club, via Galilei 3 - 37100 Verona, Italy. 

I think I will send them a note one of these days.

Photo taken from flickr.

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Kookoo's Nest

There is a hidden treasure in the Tambobo Bay area of Siaton, Negros Oriental, approximately one and a half hours away from the provincial capital of Dumaguete. It's called Kookoo's Nest. I've heard of this place long before, but I never got to check it out until last Friday. It was a holiday in the Philippines because of Eid'l Fit'r, the end of Ramadan (our population is 20% Muslim, after all), so a couple of friends and I decided to go on a road trip to make the most of the no-work day.

Kookoo's Nest is a beach resort tucked away beside a cliff. It is adjacent to the more posh and popular Antulang Beach Resort. It is a little out of the way, and one might consider it to be in the middle of nowhere, but it is such a charming and relaxing place that I would recommend it to anyone.

The resort has a white sand beach, clear waters, a quaint restaurant right by the water and bamboo cottages. It's perfect for a relaxing weekend getaway because it's quiet and private. You can sit by the beach admiring the view, or read a book or magazine from their ample collection.

Kookoo's Nest is also a place you can come to if you want to dive. If you want to go kayaking, you can do that there as well. But since my friends and I do not dive (yet!), and we didn't bring extra clothes so we couldn't swim, we contented ourselves with taking pictures and enjoying what I think is the best of Kookoo's Nest: the food!

Food at Kookoo's Nest is truly to die for! We had Pork Schnitzel, Filipino Coconut Chicken Curry, and Pork Kebab with Sate. All were amazingly delicious! They were pretty affordable, too, ranging from P150 to 200. For the food alone, I would go back there. If you plan to check it out, though, make sure you order the food immediately upon arriving, as it can take some time for them to prepare it. 

Needless to say, I'm quite happy to have made the trip to Kookoo's Nest. It's definitely a good road trip destination in this part of the Philippines. 

This entry is also posted at Everything Dumaguete.

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I ♥ Negros

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Bohol Bee Farm

After living for 26 years on the island next to it, I was finally able to visit Bohol last weekend.

I'm crazy, I know. Bohol is an amazing tourist destination, but since it's just less than 2 hours away by fast ferry from Dumaguete, I guess I took it for granted. If not for my boss's wedding, I probably would not have made it there yet. But visit the island I did, and even though I was not able to see most of the touristy places, I loved it. Along with Siquijor, it has quickly become one of my favorite destinations in the Philippines.

One of the sites we visited on the island was the Bohol Bee Farm. Before getting there, I was unaware this place even existed. Thankfully, my colleague's husband took us there, and I fell in love with it immediately.

Bohol Bee Farm is a farm cum resort tucked away in the town of Dauis on Panglao Island (a beautiful, tiny island near Bohol's capital, Tagbilaran) and it is a place you must not miss. When we got there, a tour guide immediately showed us around the place to tell us about their bees and organic farming.

Exploring the farm

The bees--yes, you can get close to them. Apparently, they only sting during the rainy season when they cannot find flowers to pollinate and are hungry

The main concept of the farm is to offer an alternative way of relaxation and enjoyment. When other resorts give you modern luxuries, Bohol Bee Farm takes you back to the basics--nature and fresh, healthy food.

The Cave Restaurant--named as such because it is nestled beside a cave

Aside from providing accommodations and good food, Bohol Bee Farm also has livelihood activities. They make all kinds of handicrafts, from bags, to slippers, hats, fans, cloths, and even paintings!

Making slippers

A woman on a traditional weaving machine

A painting

I've read a lot of bloggers raving about the food from Bohol Bee Farm. We went there in the afternoon, so we were not able to experience a full meal. But we did have their ice cream. The Buzzz Ice Cream--boy, was it lovely! It was definitely the best thing about that visit. They have these interesting flavors: malunggay, pandan, langka, avocado, buko, durian, spicy ginger, mango... I tried the malunggay and spicy ginger flavors and they were sooo good! I'm actually quite picky with ice cream. I only ever enjoy the Philippine Nestlé ice cream (uhhuh, no Selecta, Häagen-Dazs, or Baskin Robbins for me--although I would love to try Ben & Jerry's), but I loved The Buzzz ice cream!

Malunggay and spicy ginger ice cream on a cone made of cassava (called cab-cab, which was also incredible in itself)

The menu

We did not have enough time to spend at Bohol Bee Farm, but I'm so looking forward to going back and being able to actually have the experience of trying out their organic dishes. Good thing they have the Buzzz Cafe that sells goodies from the farm to take home to your family and friends. I love bringing home some pasalubong so the place was heaven for me! They had all kinds of honey, tea, and homemade spreads. I found pesto spread in that shop which got me totally excited. I love pesto so much and I've never seen anything like it before, so I was a happy girl leaving that farm!

All kinds of tea and homemade spreads at the Buzzz Cafe

Needless to say, I'd recommend Bohol Bee Farm to anyone who plans to visit Bohol. It really is quite an interesting place, and I'm looking forward to going back there--hopefully soon!

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Remembering Dapitan

In September last year, I stepped on the island of Mindanao for the first time. I was there with five friends to spend a weekend at Dakak Park Beach Resort in the city of Dapitan. Since I was on a blogging hiatus at that time, I was not able to blog about the experience. And what a shame, to not be able to write an entry about it! But since it is never too late to do anything, here is a recap of our weekend in Dapitan--in pictures!

The port of Dapitan

Kids waiting for us to drop coins from aboard the ship

BigJoes! in Dipolog City
Dipolog is the capital city of the province of Zamboanga del Norte and is approximately 15km from Dapitan

The specialty at BigJoes!, Baby Back Ribs

Dakak Park and Beach Resort

The white sand beach in Dakak

One of the swimming pools in Dakak

The bed of Jose Rizal at the Rizal Shrine in Dapitan
Jose Rizal is the national hero of the Philippines. A shrine in Dapitan City is dedicated to him, where he was exiled by the Spanish Government of the Philippines from 1892-1896

Fantasyland
Fantasyland is a theme park at Gloria de Dapitan, a commercial complex in Dapitan

The horror house at Fantasyland

In a nutshell, the Dapitan/Dipolog area in Mindanao is an interesting place to visit. Not only is it historical with the presence of the Rizal Shrine, it also has a lot of beaches that you can enjoy, the most popular of which is the Dakak Park and Beach Resort. I am amazed by the presence of Fantasyland, which is not something you would expect from a fairly small city in the Philippines. One thing I also noticed about the area is the abundance of restaurants that serve good, affordable food. Seafoods are especially cheap in this area. A place worth visiting is Kamayan ni Manay at Sunset Boulevard in Dapitan, and the DAMPA (Dapitan Aqua Marine Park) that boasts of native restaurants by a river.

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