As if we weren’t gut-bustingly full yet, after another sumptuous dinner at Taal Vista Hotel’s Lobby Lounge, we went out into the chilly Tagaytay evening and off to another food place. We weren’t just going to any old restaurant, we’re going to a full blown food park, the Barracks Food Camp.

FRESH BIBINGKA AT BARRACKS FOOD CAMP, WE CAN’T EAT NO MORE

Alright, we really didn’t go here to eat. Heck, with our shirts bursting from the seams from non-stop eating in Tagaytay—we can’t eat even if you treat us and force it down our throats. What we were here for was to drink. Yes, Taal Vista Hotel has beer, but the ones at The Barracks Food Camp was a third of the price from those at the hotel; an easier, and far cheaper, way to get inebriated.

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A spread of eight sumptuous dishes were laid on our table for what was supposed to be a simple brunch. Yes, there were also eight of us—one for each—but the problem was each serving was almost good enough for three persons. We’re stumped on how we’d finish everything! We definitely have one deliciously huge problem on our table.

WEEKEND OF NOTHING BUT FOOD AT TAAL VISTA TAGAYTAY

With traveler friends in tow, we headed off to the highlands for the long weekend. While we have only the vaguest Tagaytay itinerary, what’s clear was that we’re gonna eat. A lot. Billeted on one of the three Lakeside rooms of Taal Vista Hotel, we did nothing that weekend but cram our tummies full—a food binge worthy of the seven deadly sins. And we didn’t even have to go out of the hotel to commit it too.

It was thirty minutes to midnight when we arrived at Taal Vista Hotel’s front porch and there’s a chill in the weather, typical of evenings in Tagaytay. Tired from dodging the weekend traffic and the long drive from Manila, we mightily slumped ourselves on the comfy couches littering the lounge. A singer was crooning out sonnets for long lost loves and a fire was quietly smoldering at the fireplace. Some minutes later, a menagerie of food were slid on our table. Welcome to Tagaytay, it said.

TAAL VISTA TAGAYTAY’S ICONIC FACADE

Taal Vista Hotel is one of the pioneer Tagaytay City accommodations. Its history dates all the way back to the end of the thirties when then President Quezon expressed his desire to develop the area as a tourist destination. Eventually, the same guys that did Manila Hotel constructed a Tudor-inspired lodging on a ridge overlooking Taal Volcano.

“It’s like a never ending swimming pool!” One of my friends exclaimed. With a tinge of green, the water, indeed, was unbelievably azure. We were still moving, our boatman steering the vessel towards the shore, but everyone on the boat can’t help but stand to admire the water surrounding us. Most of our companions work at Boracay, it was definitely something to be impressed by another beach, even with their home island’s beauty.

The weather wasn’t as sunny, it was actually drizzling, the morning we left Boracay Island to visit its neighbor, Romblon’s Carabao Island. From Ferra Hotel, it was just a few minute’s walk towards Bulabog Beach where a motorized outrigger boat from Boracay West Cove awaited us.

“That’s expensive.” The lady hovering around for our orders said when I told one of my friends what I wanted to eat. I looked at her, then back at my friends, and we all chuckled. We knew we weren’t the best dressed tourists in Boracay, but that’s no way to treat customers. We let the slight pass. We were supremely famished and we were ready to eat anything. Even her. Kidding.

WALKING FROM THE FAR END OF STATION THREE

Coming all the way from the end of White Beach’s Station 3, one of not-so-popular things to do in Boracay, we walked ourselves silly right to the happenings at Station 2 just to find a place to have lunch. We were hungry and we could’ve jumped on the first eatery we passed, but no, we wanted to eat on a restaurant unique to Boracay.

J was screaming for Shakey’s, but even though he’s gonna be treating us, we dragged him away from the popular pizza parlor. “We can have that when we get back to Manila,” we chorused.

From a lackluster afternoon sky, the heavens slowly flared into deep reds and fiery oranges, the waters reflecting the fire above. We watched from a rock outcrop near Balinghai Beach, elevated fifteen feet from the waters, bottles of beer in hand temporarily forgotten as the lightshow commenced; Boracay’s famous sunset has never failed us yet.

BORACAY WEST COVE’S UNUSUAL GAUDI-ESQUE FACADE

It was an unexpected invitation. We were lounging at the White Beach, our tummies full from the feast at Obama Grill, when we were told a sunset cocktail awaited us at Boracay West Cove. We’re all too familiar with the resort, with its white Gaudi-esque facade, from our numerous Boracay island hopping escapades, but we can only afford to have a passing glimpse of the exclusive resort from tour boats.

With no Boracay itinerary, we simply ambled along the island’s beaches, swimming when the urge hit us, but most of the time, we just lounged on the sand and eat when our tummies beckoned. On one of these instances, we went inside Obama Grill. We heard they have one of the best tuna panga in Boracay, and my friends were rarin’ to sample it.

First things first, Obama Grill isn’t really Obama Grill. It’s actually Bama Grill, but since the restaurant decided to put in their circular logo—which, by the way, is very similar to Barack Obama’s sigil—people assumed that it reads as Obama. And now, they’re more known as Obama Grill, lol.

Up more than a hundred meters above the emerald waters of Boracay, we spied three small beaches lined with the island’s celebrated white powdery sand. These, unfortunately, falls near a land owned by a big resort and are usually off limits to the public. It was something we wouldn’t have seen if not for the vantage point we were in. No, we’re not on a helicopter tour of Boracay, we’re somewhere a lot cheaper but with relatively the same view sans the mobility, Mount Luho.

HOW ABOUT A VISIT TO MOUNT LUHO?

It was almost lunchtime but we were still waiting for one of our friends to arrive in Boracay. With nothing to do, one of the staff at Ferra Hotel Boracay suggested we visit the nearby Mount Luho. Well, we’re still full from their breakfast buffet anyways, so why not.

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It was an hour before midnight when we arrived on the island. Tired but excited, we went straight to our appointed lodging in Ferra Premier Boracay to rest a bit before heading to the White Beach to party our first night away. Or that was supposedly the plan.

FERRA HOTEL’S TASTEFULLY DECORATED LOBBY

It has always been like this for our Boracay weekend getaways; take the Friday afternoon flight from Manila, arrive early evening at the Kalibo Airport, then take the two-hour ride to Boracay. It is tiring, but heck, with very cheap flight tickets, who could say no to Boracay!

I’m holding five Starbucks mugs on two hands and my credit card is not freakin’ working. ”Can you try again?” I asked politely as I start to lose hope of bringing these souvenirs back home. ”It doesn’t work. Next!” We were at Beijing Road, the shopping district in Guangzhou and it was a Sunday. And apparently, Sundays here mean that the forex shops are closed. And I have zero Yuan on my wallet. And my credit card just wasn’t working. And this cannot be happening.

Even though I wasn’t too keen on visiting Hong Kong, you can’t put it on me for not trying. I’ve already booked two tickets to this world city northwest of the Philippines twice before in previous years but was thwarted by circumstances each time. I gave up afterwards, thinking it really wasn’t worth it. But somehow, this year, my feet, or more precisely, the cruise ship I was on—Star Cruises’ SuperStar Virgo, docked right in the middle on two of its main islands—right in the center of where it’s all happening.

Lights blazed from the horizon. Pulsating. Alive. Vibrant. It washed the waters of the channel below in neon and pierced the low soft clouds hovering just above the tallest skyscrapers. I was standing on the top deck of a cruise ship as it slowly pushed its massive hull across the waters of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor. I took a sip of a Blue Girl beer straight from its bottle and stared at the shimmering skyline.

I was totally mesmerized.

From the alley leading to my villa at the Siripanna Villa Resort, I spied a swimming pool hidden behind green hedges. Without dropping my bag, I immediately went looking for its entrance. Going through it, an elevated pool, mazelike in its unique design, greeted me. It also made me want to drop my backpack and strip. I wanted to swim through the pool’s meandering pathways right there and then.

Siripanna Villa Resort & Spa is our home for two nights in Chiang Mai. From the lobby, I can already see that this is no ordinary resort; its architecture and interior design is fashioned after the Lanna tradition of northern Thailand and it looked awesome—and not to mention, expensive.

►LANNA WHAT?: LANNA FOLKLIFE MUSEUM

Who’s for shopping and who’s for massage? So goes our host’ usual line after all the activities of the day has been done and dealt with. Those two, however, only leads to a single place. For two consecutive nights, the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar was our go-to place to unwind and relax after busily running around the city.

The Chiang Mai Night Bazaar or night market is a kilometer-long stretch of road along the bustling Chang Khlan Road at the east side of the walled city. The place is already filled with shops during the mornings, but becomes even more alive at night with street vendors setting up makeshift stores along the sidewalk.

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I gazed, lost and fascinated at the mural painted on one of the walls of the Lanna Folklife Museum. It tells of lives past in the northern region of Thailand, all colorfully done with a few unfinished ones. It’s almost like hieroglyphs, although you won’t need an Egyptologist to translate it for you. Somehow, you can discern what’s going on throughout the massive painting—that is if you have the time to see to its every detail.

It was the last day of the Thailand Connect: Hip & Heritage Business Events tour, and for this day, we were free to choose where we want to go. We visited the Bo Sang Umbrella Village and a small temple, Wat Buak Krok Luang, earlier and after having one of the best Hainanese chicken at the Kiet Ocha Khao Man Gai, we requested if we could see a museum to complete our cultural experience.

Satay, khao man gai, khao man gai tod, khao, and a variety of dips, sauces and soups filled our tables at a hole-in-the-wall hawker eatery in Chiang Mai. We’ve been eating nothing but fine Thai cuisine on posh restaurants and hotels the past few days—this was actually a refreshing treat for us.

►LUNCH OUT: 137 PILLARS HOUSE

Well, okay I don’t know about my companions but I love eating on these kinds of places. I love having meals where the locals do. Not only do you get to taste the legit flavor of the place but you also got to save a bit on your travel funds. Food in these places are unbelievably cheap.

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One would think that since we’re in Thailand, we’d have loads of Thai temple pictures stuffed in our camera’s memory cards. Well, we could’ve done that, but our host for the Thailand Connect: Hip & Heritage Business Events tour tried to steer clear of the usual touristy areas.

It was only on the last day of the tour that we got to visit a temple, and it was in Chiang Mai.

Wat Buak Krok Luang was the chosen temple for that day. Located at Chiang Mai’s capital district, it sits on one of the quiet streets of the town near the massive Dhara Dhevi where we had dinner the previous night. There were hardly any tourists when we visited—it was just us, a single orange-robed monk and a faithful, offering prayers to a dark statue outside the temple.

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Tigers can swim?! I was flabbergasted to find out as I sat on an amphitheater with my mouth agape, staring at an unbelievably huge tiger making its way across the water.

We were at the Chiang Mai Night Safari and we were watching an animal show even though it wasn’t even dark yet.

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It was drizzling on and off the whole day, but after alighting at the main hall of the Chiang Mai Night Safari, the sky finally lightened up.

Situated ten kilometers from the city center, it is a sprawling park at 819 acres large. That’s twice the size of the more popular Singapore Night Safari. This zoo currently holds the title as being the largest of its kind in the world.

Close your eyes. Now imagine a whole Thai-inspired house fitting inside an exhibition hall. I opened my eyes and a whole Thai-inspired house showroom fitting inside an exhibition hall opened right before me. The structure is huge, but the hall is even bigger. Welcome to the Chiang Mai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

As part of the Thailand Connect: Hip & Heritage Business Events tour by TCEB, we get to visit Chiang Mai’s biggest convention center. Situated on a sprawling 53.6 hectares of land, it is by far the largest of its kind in the northern region of Thailand.

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Our hands were lathered with bright, colorful hues. Given only ten minutes to design our umbrellas, I was still undecided on what to paint. The clock ticked away, but I’m obsessive like that; always wanting things to be perfect, always wanting to do things the right way.

The clock ticked some more.

And finally, colors popped into my head and swirls imprinted itself on my mind. I have my design, but I don’t think I have the time to finish it.

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We were at the Thailand Creative & Design Centre, inspecting the first regional design center after Bangkok.

Like a spark plug, the center was put up to ignite passion for creative thinking in Chiang Mai. It was quite impressive, with modern libraries filled with nothing but books, DVDs (I saw a lot of classic anime) and all sorts of media about art.

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