Silventure: Cebu 2025

 

    It has been a while since I have traveled "alone". The last one I talked about here was my trip to Bacolod in 2017.  This trip to Cebu was one grand vacation for me. I stayed for 7 days. Traveled from February 22-28. Also, not really alone, I was with the ladies of TravelAlleys‬.

    The flight was at 5pm and was in Cebu by 7pm. It was hard being alone in a new place, because Aya and Lime were at 7pm from Manila. So I booked Grab to get to the Condo I have booked for the stay. It felt weird to be alone, but it was fun. Getting to the room felt like it was getting home if I were living alone.

    I got to try new things in Cebu, being more open to new food, using sunblock, and trying my best not to just stay in the condo. The girls and I joined a city tour, and we got to hit up most of the places that are known tourist attractions. 

    For a week, I was alone and enjoying it. I didn't have to think about whether I would be asked to do anything coz I'm the eldest. I felt at peace for a bit. I was worried that I wouldn't have enough money to survive, but at least I was only thinking about myself at that time. 

    It was funny that I had a bike accident while I was there. Nothing major, just a big ass bruise on my left leg. It was fun traveling on the bike in an unfamiliar place. It gave me a sense of freedom. I would do it again if given the chance.

     What are my takeaways from this trip?   

• New experiences will not happen if you don't ask
• I like Lato
• I need to learn to take more useful videos for Vlogs
• Some things will never happen, no matter how much you want them to happen
• I would like to do this more often

If you want to see some videos, they are here: Youtube

Silventure: ELYUnNaNga

La Union is located in the Ilocos Region in the island of Luzon. It is known waves that are great for surfing. No, I did not surf. This is a blog is about things you can do if you are not going to surf. The first thing you need to do is to book a ticket to ElYu. We got ours from https://biyaheroes.com.

We stayed at Charlie's Hangar Surf Hostel, We stayed in a 4-dorm room. As this is a hostel, please noted that the bathrooms are shared with the other guests on your floor. Best to plan ahead when reserving for a hostel. Since we have no plans to surf it was nice to be there when Charlie's had an event called Sunset Series.

Let's go to the things most people love... Food! Since Charlie's is main for lodging, you will need to find a place to get food.  There are a lot of options in the area. I'm sure you have seen other recommendations. There are the ones I got to try, El Union Coffee, Amare La Cucina, Saboroso Elyu, and NakNak. The price range is pretty okay too.

sausage, pepperoni, mushroom pizza from Amare La Cucina

Chicken Skewer with Orzo

Saboroso's Pecho w/ Rice

If you want to take photos and timelapse videos best to do it in the morning. When other people are still asleep. You will have a view to yourself.

It was a fun weekend! I will try to do this again in the future, I do still want to try the chicken from Sabong Fried Chicken and surf as well. 

Silventure: Color Manila Blacklight Run

So last July 20 Color Manila had the Blacklight run in Laguna! In that light, I would like to talk about my Blacklight experience las May 25 ni Alabang. Yes, I think that was a back segway.

JBL freebie

Ever since I have heard of this fun run, I wanted to try it even just once. Good thing Sherome is game to go this. We have tried fun runs before but with zombies and we had to stay "alive". This one was a lot more simple we just have blacklight headlamps and we get to play with colored powder.

Reason for joining to see my hair glow in blackligh

It was fun as it was done at night you don't have to wake up early. You get to finish it on your own phase as the event was not timed. It was weird to see some people really trying to finish it quickly and that was not even interested in the colored powder.

This is the run for you if you do not like the sun and waking up early. The event opened at 5pm and the assembly time was supposed to be at 8pm. Although the crowd started building up at around 9pm so yes the Gun Start for the people taking the 10K route was late.

We have done the runners pledge. Plus there were warm-ups from different sponsors like Anytime Fitness and Pinoy Fitness (not too sure about this one). When it was our time (5K runners) to start, I thought it will just be one surge of runners. They let people run in batches, I guess to make sure that there are enough time and space for everyone.

Our batch started to run around 9:45pm. Sherome and I got back around 11pm. Yap that was long, we were just brisk walking. We took our time with the color stations. Overall it was fun. I wish we had more friends with us though.

After crossing the finish line we got our colored powder and medal as well as the free water. We did not stay for the after-party or the group photo where you can throw the powder in the air for a great photo op. Once we had our freebies, we changed clothes and went back to the hotel.

Yap I still have the powder at home

Silventures: Puzzle Mansion

Puzzle Mansion is the place where you can see the completed puzzles done by Georgina Gil-Lacuna. Guinness in 2012 awarded the collection as the largest Jigsaw Puzzle collection in the world.

Located in Barangay Asisan, Tagaytay. It is a bit of a trip if you do not have your own car. The area is quiet and far from the noise of the city proper. 

The puzzles are arranged according to their design and type. There is a section for a soda brand, classical paintings, landscapes and more. They also have 3D, wood, and ball puzzles.

They also have 3 large puzzles on the second floor. They also have a lot of puzzles for sale. There is a pool in the area and some rooms. I just not sure if they are for rent.

This is the 2nd biggest puzzle they have

The one on the right is the biggest

The current record for the biggest puzzle collection is in Brazil with 1,047 puzzles completed. I have been looking at blogs about the Puzzle Mansion and there are some that say that there are a total of 1500 puzzles in the collection. I do hope they try and get the record back.

Silventures: Tabby Town Cat Cafe & Corgi Club

Check Klea's photos click here

Talk about a late post. So I finally got to visit Tabby Town Cat and Dog Cafe last April 30. They have month promos so watch for those.

Currently, they are located along Santa Rosa-Tagaytay road. It's about 10 kilometers away from Tagaytay Rotonda. You can enjoy playing with the cats and dogs in 30 to an hour. Depending on the set up you will choose. Let's check the Cats first!

We were the only ones there around their opening time. I was free to enjoy the cats and the dog as it was my birth month. Sherome had to pay for his entrance bwahaha! I guess that was the reason why the cats were around him more

this one was staring at the birds outside

obligatory photo with the logo hehe

I love her eyes

We did have our drinks with us. I got a strawberry milkshake and Sherom got iced tea. Don't leave your drinks unattended as the cats will try to get a taste of it and from what I was told they are not allowed to do that. I know they do sell treats for you to share with the cats. I was not able to ask about it. Let's move to the dogs now.

The dogs were located on the 3rd floor of the building. Unlike the cats that were in an air-conditioned room. The canines were in an open-air floor. The caretaker asked us to wait before seeing the dogs. When they saw us they were rowdy but when we were asked to come in they were so tame and were not barking at all.

I'm starting to think it's his bday, not mine.

They have different breeds. Most of them were really big and playful. A complete opposite to the cats. They love running around and jumping at you. There is one Corgi in the area but she's in a cage as the according to the caretaker is a bully.

There was a Pomeranian that stayed with me after she was air dried. It was so cute that I want to bag her and take her home but the price... Also, people at home has asthma. If you do like cats and dogs this is a great place to visit if you are from Laguna, Cavite or Tagaytay.

They are still looking for a new place, so check their FB Page and support! They are open from Daily except for Thursday. From 10:30 am to 7:00 pm Weekdays and 10:30 am to 8:00 pm weekends! Bring your fam and friends! The more the merrier!

Silventures: Acienda Designer Outlet

Okay, I'm not sure how long this place has been open but it is a fun place to visit if you like shoes and nice locations for photo ops. This place is a mix of Mexican Acienda and a modern mall with a windmill at the center.

We visited during early January, so the decors are still Christmas related. There are a lot of spots you can take photos of and they are IG worthy depending on how you take photos. See samples below:

This place is big but some of the stores are still close. I got to see the store of Vans, Nike and Converse. The prices are pretty low compared to the ones at the mall. Converse won as their's are below 1000Php. My faves are below:

I did not buy though. Still saving for my phone. If you are looking for shoes and you have a budget, I suggest going to Acienda Designer Outlet located at Km 48 Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, Corner Balubad Road, Silang, Cavite.

Check their website: https://www.aciendadesigneroutlet.com/

Backride Diaries: Windmill Farm Pililla, Rizal

Do you want to see windmills with our going to Ilocos? Now you can! Located in Pililla, Rizal the Windmill Farm is the place you need! There are a total of 5 windmill farms in the country at the moment, 3 in Ilocos, 1 in Mindoro and this one.

The construction of this area started in 2013 and was complete in 2016. It has 27 windmills that can generate 54MW of wind power per year which can support 66,000 households in the Metro.

Since its opening, it has been reported that 130,000 visitors come per week. It is turning into a proper tourist destination with the Visitors' Center helping people learn more about wind-generated energy and enjoying the view of the sea and the windmills.

Here is a map from the Antipolo Cathedral to the Windmill Farm. I hope you will be able to visit sometime. Plus, it is free!

Silventures: National Museum of Natural History

The National Museum for Natural History opened last May 18, 2018. It has been almost 2 months now since it open and I finally got to visit it. 

What can you see inside? Most are displays of animals found in the Philippines. You can also find the bones of the largest saltwater crocodile that lived in the Philippines. 

Lolong's bones with a photo bomber

The galleries are themed according to the environment or a group of animals. Mangroves, rainforest and beaches.

I did not know we had a deer in the Ph

There is a room dedicated for the Naturalist, people of science that helped us learn more things about nature and the creatures living in it.

At the center of the building is the "Tree of Life" which is suppose to look like DNA or the building block of life, does the name. However, the center does not look like DNA. To be honest it looks like a big coil that can generate electricity to me.

He is wondering about the name too.

Read the captions... I think they are funny:

"Ate kunan mo nga ako ng pic!"

"ano ba naman tong shared Airbnb na to ang daming ng rent"

"Parang hang out lang daw yun trabaho. Literal pala yun hang" 

"Buti pa si Lolong hindi na iiwan mag isa"

"Mas na kakatawa kaya yun mukha mo!"

"Hu! Nakakagulat ka!"