Dinner at Iguana's in Clark to cap off our Baguio Trip

28 September 2016


We knew that when we left Baguio around lunchtime, it would probably be dinner time when we reached Clark.  That meant having the opportunity to dine at our favorite restaurant in Clark - Iguana's Authentic Mexican Food.

16th Philippines Hot Air Balloon Fiesta - Part 2 (Feb 12)

February 12, 2011


The next day dawned bright and early for us.  We all headed straight to the buffet breakfast that was being served, excited to start the day.  Dana had toast and coffee.  Patrick and I had Spam, hotdogs and omelet with rice. I went back for some Korean veggies and Kimchi which Dylan and I shared.  For some reason, Dylan loves Kimchi! hahaha








After breakfast, We took some pictures around and along the corridor of the hotel.  That hallway was supposed to be empty since I asked Dana to go ahead.  I just liked the way the lights lit up the hallway, unfortunately, Patrick came out at the last moment looking for me haha He sorta looks like a ghost hahaha

After resting a while, we donned our swimming suits and went for an early morning dip.  Dana was progressing with her swimming skills and was able to swim farther than before.  She was already working on her arm movements this time.  Dylan was content floating in the water although he can maneuver himself quite well on his floatie :)

Around lunchtime, we headed back to SM Clark and had lunch at the Reyes Barbecue restaurant.  Patrick and I were laughing because even when we were out of town, we still ate Manila food hahaha We actually wanted to try other types of native dishes but we didn't really know where to go.   So, we went with the safe bets.

We bought our tickets to the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta from SM although it took some time to connect with the servers of TicketNet.  It was no bother since there were a lot of things to see around the mall.  Once we got the tickets, we headed straight to the site.







Apparently, there were a number of people headed the same way and we encountered quite a bit of traffic on the way.  We had to park a long way from the entrance due to the crowd.  But once inside, there was so much to see!




There were kites of all shapes and sizes everywhere!

 I don't know what this plane is called (Sorry!)

These gliders were fun to watch too!





Balloons getting inflated, and the green one was in flight!

At first, the balloons were having a hard time being inflated because of the strong cold winds.  Their owners were trying so hard to inflate them and it was actually Darth Vader who, through the Force, actually became the first balloon to get inflated!

 As you can see, it was already dark by the time the other balloons were fully inflated but they didn't get to fly anymore.  It was still fun to see them, especially in this light!

It was such an exciting thing to see this big pirate barrel balloon getting inflated right in front of us.  It was really huge and it made such a huge hissing sound, it was awesome!!

Because it was already late and it was rather dark, the balloons weren't allowed to take flight that night, which was a kind of disappointment.  So we were thinking of coming back again the next day.

16th Philippines Hot Air Balloon Fiesta - Part 1 (Feb 11)

February 10-13, 2011


When we heard that a Darth Vader Hot Air Balloon will be participating in the 16th Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark, Pampanga this February, Patrick and I decided that we won't be missing it no matter what.  It was just a stroke of luck that the event coincided with Patrick's birthday and Valentine's day so it was a kind of multi-celebration trip that we were planning.

At first, we couldn't get a booking at our favorite hotel and we were becoming discouraged.  We even considered looking for a different hotel but in the end, we got lucky and there was a cancellation and we ended up getting a booking at our favorite New Well Being Spa Resort.  It turned out that they had a new hotel built up and we became even more excited to try out this new building.  You may ask why we like it there.  It's simply value for money.  They have large rooms, big comfortable beds (which is very important if you have kids with you), buffet breakfast, a great restaurant, a Korean sauna and spa, a huge swimming pool and great hospitable service.  Here are some pictures of the new building and what the room looks like.  We were in the Superior room that has 1 Queen bed, 1 Twin bed, a huge LCD TV, a veranda, a hair dryer (it's extremely useful for me haha), coffee-making facilities, a ref, a in-room safety deposit box.  Here are pictures if you're interested:

We didn't really make plans for our trip this time.  All we knew was that we were going to the Hot Air Balloon.  But we did arrive early, having lunch that Friday (Feb 11) at the Original Savory restaurant in SM Clark.  We had Hot and Sour soup, Kikiam, Fried Chicken and Lechon with Tofu.  Needless to say, we were so full by the time we checked-in at the hotel.







We took our time and rested for a while, Patrick immediately commandeering one of the beds and cocooning himself in the cozy blankets hehehe  Naturally, the kids were clamoring for the pool and we indulged them after a while :)  After about an hour or two, we got ready for dinner at Zapata's which was one of Dana's favorite places to eat :)  After dinner, we went back to the hotel and settled in for the night.

More to come in the next posts!

Gimmick in Clark with Senate friends

December 27, 2010

After many months of planning and the plans running awry, the day has finally arrived for the much-awaited reunion of Senate friends :)  Of all the places to meet, we had to go to Clark for a day, or a night, in this instance hahaha Martin was generous enough to host the meet at his V8 Resto Bar :)

Now, believe me I don't drink any alcoholic beverages but I felt I was old enough to try it (nyahahaha) and since Patrick was going to be the one driving anyway, well I figured I may as well indulge a little hahahaha Tequila, especially Patron, really tastes good.  I can get used to this hahaha 

For that day, Lily and I went together and it was nice being able to chat with her on the trip.  Jerry who was one of the original "instigators" of the meet was trapped in La Union to my surprise.  Luci was the first to arrive in V8  :) 

As you can see from these pictures, it was a night of much laughter and entertainment brought on by good company, great food and free-flowing drinks.  It was a time for catching up and reminiscing especially about great times during our stint as Senator's Staff.

One highlight of the evening was when Jimmy Santos of Eat Bulaga fame (and I'm sure many Filipinos will recognize) arrived.  Patrick and I were giggling (yes, even Patrick because he's such a fan) because it's like one step being closer to the legendary trio of TVJ (Titom Vic and Joey) :D  Naturally, I didn't let the opportunity pass and I posed for a picture (or two) with him hahaha Patrick was a little shy though :)

Jerry arrived late, as expected since he was traveling from a few provinces away and he was even trapped in several stops where there were fiestas occuring.  His shirt best says it, "Heinaku!" :) or "Hay naku" which translates to "Oh my gosh!"

The evening flew by so fast with a lot of singing (it was a videoke bar too).  Patrick and I didn't want to leave yet, but we already agreed that we would stay only until 12MN because we didn't want to leave the kids too long.  So, we left at midnight, like Cinderella and arrived home some 2 hours later.  It was a good night! May there be more to come! :D

Meet-up with Friends in Clark

July 24, 2010

Funny how Facebook can really bring people together.  I have been using Facebook (with all its simple applications) before it was even popular.  Most of the people I know used Friendster but for some reason, I steered clear of it.  Now, since there is a staggering number of people connected to one another on Facebook it surprised me that it took a long time for me to connect with my former officemates.  It's funny too that I got connected with them primarily through my favorite ManiPedi salon, Hotnails Spa LOL

(L-R):Dana, Me, Dylan, Jeff, Lily, Martin and Mang Rudy

 (Patrick was taking the picture)

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I got caught up with my former officemates - Martin, Jerry, John, Lily (she's one of my first friends on FB too) and a few others.  Martin then extended an invitation to treat us at one of his favorite restaurants in Clark, Angeles, Pampanga, C' Italian Dining.  Patrick already had the privilege of eating here during the coverage of one of his events and he swore that it's the best Italian food he's ever had :) So, naturally I also wanted to try it out.  Of course, Martin always posted pictures of the dishes he orders whenever he eats there so that always sets my mouth watering hahaha It was good timing though that Lily was also headed for some R and R time with her family and so we also decided to spend the weekend in Clark.

While in Clark, we couldn't pass up the opportunity of trying another of it's famous restaurants, Zapata's.  We're fans of Mexican food so we were all excited to try it out, although Dylan conked out from sheer trip exhaustion while we were there.  Here's a sampling of our orders:

Tacos and Iced Tea

Combo Platter for Patrick - Tacos, chili, bean soup

Bean soup

The Top Favorite: Quesadillas

It was weird though that from the outside you probably would think twice about going into the restaurant.  For one, it was like totally closed-off when you're coming in from the street.  But once you overcome your initial fear or doubt, and you step into the foyer, you'll be welcomed by the yellow and quaint interiors, the pleasant staff and the over-all charm of the place.

I know that a restaurant has made its mark on us when the kids request us to return :) Can't wait to go back :)