Snapshots And A Cup of T

How to satisfy...
One Bibimbap craving person who's saving money for Christmas. She comes with a friend...
who's capacity for eating is that of a kid and also craving for Bibimbap.
Both were too lazy to go around the Malate area...
Walking around the mall that has gotten so new as the years kept piling up
But still familiarly known to the two as they have been going there throughout the piling years
They remembered there was MARU...
Expensive, yes it is, the food in Maru
They realized while Scanning the menu
But they still ended up going inside that Korean food stall
You must think poor Money Saver one
But no because they only ordered Bibimbap and nothing else...


I'm stopping with the creativeness (sorry, but yes, I am already creative that way, poor me). Anyway...


So me and my friend ordered our favorite korean dish, Bibimbap, and since I'm a bit broke, and my friend doesn't have a big appetite, we just sticked to ordering that only. Oh yeah, I forgot, we also ordered bottomless Iced Tea. It has to be bottomless due to the fact that most Korean dishes would taste really hot and spicy! We love that, GREAT!


For those who are not familiar with Korean Cuisine. I guess, I'll try to give preview if you'll allow me even if I'm not Korean.


Korean Eating Utensils: Chopsticks and Spoon; Based from my observations, Korean spoons have longer handles, and their chopsticks are usually thinner compared to the wooden chopsticks you get from buying Chinese take-outs and they are stainless.

Spoon and Chopsticks

Before our most awaited bibimbap, the waitress served Banchan. Most korean restaurants will serve free Banchan even if it's not one of the food you ordered. It's typical for a Korean Meal to have Banchan. 
Banchan or 반찬 - Side dishes served in small portions


We were given 9 varieties of side dishes:

Kimchi - fermented baechu (Napa cabbage), seasoned with chili peppers and salt. (Wikipedia, 2010)

I think this is Kkakdugi but I'm not sure. Kkagduki - Kimchi made with daikon radish

I don't know what this is. But I call it Korean Kwek-Kwek. Kwek-kwek in the Philippines is quail eggs coated with orange batter and deep fried until crispy. The korean kwek kwek is not orange.

Pajeon - Spring Onion Pancake

I have no idea what this is. I'm not even sure if these seashell is called clams.

Namul made with long beans. Namul - steamed, marinated, or stir-fried vegetables usually seasoned with sesame oil, salt, vinegar, minced garlic, chopped green onions, dried chili peppers, and soy sauce.(Wikipedia, 2010)

Gaji Namul - Eggplant Namul

Dubu-jorim - Tofu simmered in diluted soy sauce, a little bit of sesame oil, minced garlic, and chopped green onion

Fried Anchovies

 Among the Banchan served in Maru, the only not spicy one is the Korean "kwek-kwek". Their kimchi is fine, tastes like kimchi, sour and spicy, but theirs is not bitter unlike the one in bottled kimchi, which is good for me.   I love the Korean Kwek-kwek. The clams were also nice. I love their Namul! There's little sweetness in it and the vegetables are not overcooked. The tofu was alright, not really something to look forward in my opinion. The fried anchovies, I would prefer it if it was sweet.


The Bibimbap!

Bibimbap

Bibimbap - The word literally means "mixed rice." Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. (Wikipedia, 2010)


Maru's bibimbap is meatless and served hot. (bibimbap can be served cold) 


How to eat bibimbap:
1. Add the chili pepper paste depending to your taste whether you like spicy or not. (The chili paste is usually served separately from the Bibimbap bowl.

Chili Pepper Paste

2. Mix everything thorougly. Until it looks like this:

Bibimbap (Mixed Thoroughly)

Bibimbap = Love. Maru's bibimbap was satisfying. It is usually served with soup. In our case, we were served Miso Soup. I'm not a miso lover so I won't comment on that.


Maru Iced Tea - powdered. I have to mention this because of a terrible experience. When we were through with our glass of iced tea, we asked for a refill. They took our glasses and after a long time, our iced tea was still out of sight. We called the waitress' attention for the matter and suddenly, there were some commotion between the waiters. I heard from one of them "Akala ko sa kanila yun" ("I thought its theirs") pointing to the table in front of us. 


The end.

October 27, 2010 (Wednesday) - Last day in Puerto Princesa (T.T) Since we'll be ending the trip tonight, we still the time to do something that will leave us MORE good memories. And tuhdaa (*.*), we decided to do the famous Honda Bay Island hopping on the first half of the day and before we step on the plane back to Manila, we need to stop by the city for some "Pasalubong" (Souvenir bought for family and friends). !Shopping! :)))

Time	What?	Price	Additional Notes
6:00am	Breakfast at De Loro Inn + Prepare for Island Hopping
7:00am	Depart for Sta. Lourdes Wharf (Honda Bay)	Tricycle: P500/2 way	Don’t forget to ask Manong tricycle driver to come back at 1:00pm
7:30am	ETA in Sta. Lourdes Wharf + Rent a boat	Boat: P1300/boat [good for 4 persons] Sta. Lourdes Wharf Terminal Fee: P21/person
	ISLAND HOPPING: Pandan Island Snake Island + Lunch Pambato Coral Reef	Island Entrance Fees:  Pandan Island – P25  Snake Island – Free  Pambato Coral Reef (not an island XP) – P50 [Other islands: Starfish Island – P50 Cowrie Island – P25 Luli island – P50 (Lulubog-Lilitaw) Dos Palmas – P500 (30 mins.) Senorita Island (Lapu-Lapu) Meara Marina Bat Island]	Bring Snorkelling Gadgets
1:00pm	ETD for De Loro Inn
1:30pm	ETA in De Loro inn + Prepare for check-out
3:00pm	Check-out in De Loro Inn + Pasalubong Shopping + Visit the Palawan Museum and Immaculate Conception Church + Buy Take-out dinner  + Go to the airport	Tricycle: P200 (arrangement made with the Tricycle Driver)	If you choose to arrange with the driver, the driver will wait for you guys in every stop so you can leave your baggage with him. (The crime rate in Puerto Princesa is very low so no worries needed when leaving things with the driver =))
5:00pm	Check in at Puerto Princesa International Airport
7:00pm	ETD for Manila
8:15pm	ETA in Manila

The Honda Bay Island Tour costs P1,200/person if you got it arranged by a travel agency or your accommodation.

We did a DYI tour since it's cheaper. The night before the Honda Bay Island Hopping Trip, we made an arrangement with the tricycle we rode on our way home from Kalui. We asked him if he does arrangements and how much will he charge us. According to Eric, the tricycle driver, it will cost P500. I actually thought that it's only P300 (from some a blog I read beforehand) but since we were all tired to find another tricycle, we all agreed to have the arrangement with him. We asked him to fetch us at 7 in the morning. It's also advisable to get his cellphone number.

Kuya Eric was on time but we got off from the inn at 7:15am in the morning wearing our swimming attire. The travel time from the city to the Honda Bay Wharf is around 30 minutes, so we got there at around 7:45am. We reminded Kuya Eric to get back at 1PM and headed at the terminal desk where you can arrange your boat and rent snorkeling things in case you weren't able to bring one.

The boat costs P1300 (good for 4 person) or P1500 (good for 5 - 6 person). I think its P200 per additional person, I'm not sure though. There's also a terminal fee of P21/person.

Beside the desk, there are stores selling snacks. You can buy bread there for fish feeding in the islands. One store sells underwater camera packs which I think is a must especially when you're planning to go to Pambato Reef.

After the booking of the boat, the boatmen will lead you to the boat. Since we are limited with time, the boatman recommended that we go to 3 islands: Pandan, Snake and Starfish. But since me and my brother loves snorkeling, instead of the starfish island, we asked the boatmen for Pambato Reef.

PANDAN ISLAND - 30 minutes from the Wharf

Isla Pandan Resort

I don't know why it was named Pandan. There are no Pandan Trees there. But the island sure is beautiful. There is a small community who lives there and takes good care of the island. Some of them sells freshly caught seafood in the island, and some can broil them for you so you can eat it in the island. There are also changing rooms, and cottages for rent in the island.

There are lots of trees in the island. The sand in there is fine. The water is clear and clean. You can start your fish feeding here, there are small fishes swimming around the island.
However, we only stayed in the island for 30 minutes to take some pictures.

Large Trees

Great Scene at Pandan Island

Star Fish

Tiny Fishes

 SNAKE ISLAND
The island is not infested with snakes. It's called snake island because it is a sand bar shaped like a snake. A must do things here are definitely Fish Feeding and Snorkeling. The entrance in the island is free.

LOTS OF FISHES IN HERE! The moment you throw your pieces of bread, school of fishes will rapidly attack the bread. I really had fun here because it was the first time seeing so many fishes swim around me.

If you're not a good swimmer, make sure to wear a life vest because the sea floor is steep (?) Just a few step from the shore and you'll find the water high. Got it? I sure hope you do.

Snorkeling is also fun in here especially when you go a little far from the shore, you'll find different kinds of fishes, no corals though. Try to bring bread during snorkeling to have a closer look on the fishes.
After making ourselves tired from swimming, we bought fresh fish (Samaral) and our nice boatmen broiled it for us. You can also buy cooked rice there. And if you're not a fan of seafood, they also sell pork chops there.

Fish Feeding

Fish Feeding

FISH!

FISHES!

We got off the island at 11:30am and head to Pambato Reef which is 15 minutes near the wharf.

PAMBATO REEF
Yeah! Coral Reefs! The entrance fee is P50 but it's worth it! However, the people who manages the reef is kind of strict but it's for the maintenance of the reef. Some rules they have include: Everyone is required to wear a life vest when snorkeling, no one should step on the corals, and the reef is closed during low tides (because you won't be able to swim without hitting the corals).

We were lucky that when we got there it wasn't low tide. It was my first time to snorkel in a coral reef so I was really amazed when I saw the life under the water. There are harmless jelly fish that almost made me panicked, hehe, but as mentioned, they're harmless, thank god. I don't know how to explain what I saw in there but I highly recommend that you see it for yourself! The corals were alive! Though the higher ones are dead, maybe because during low tide, they are exposed to the sun. There are also different life forms in there. Really cool. But according to the boatmen, it's better to go there on a summer because the water is clearer.

CORALS @ Pambato Reef

CORALS @ Pambato Reef

CORALS @ Pambato Reef

CORALS @ Pambato Reef

Floating Cottage at Pambato Reef

At 12.45pm, we were on our way back to the wharf with wet clothes because there are no changing rooms in the reef (obviously). There are changing rooms at the wharf but my brother doesn't recommend it so we decided to go home without changing which was not a problem. But before anything else, I have to give praise to the boatmen who did a great job. They were gentlemen who would help you with almost anything. If you want a snorkeling buddy, they would even help you with that. And like what I said, they would even cook lunch for you, haha! Thank You So Much guys! :)))))

We arrived at the wharf at 1pm and it started raining, and there was Kuya Eric waiting. He brought us to our inn and we paid him the P500 upon arrival at our accommodation. We also made another arrangement with him so that we still go buy Pasalubong with our baggage in hand (after checking out at the hotel). He agreed to stop by at the De Loro inn at 3pm to fetch us.



TIP: Bargain or Ask for discounts when buying at the Tiannge especially when your bulk buying. :)

Manunggul Jar

Tabon Man Skull Cap

Staying overnight at the resort would only mean "Ang yaman mo teh!" (You're rich sister!). But if you don't have the money, you can choose the day tour in the Island Resort. 


Unfortunately there's no D-I-Y (Do it yourself) for this tour since the resort is owned privately. Therefore, if you want to stay at the island, either book for a day tour for P1800 (Filipino Citizen), P2500 (Foreigners), or P1,200 (child - 6-11 y/o) or an overnight stay (Check the Dos Palmas website for rates).


The Honda Bay Tour can offer a 30 minute stay at the island but it would cost P500 for that 30 minutes. It's more practical to choose the day tour because the day tour includes:
• Scheduled roundtrip land and boat transfers (city-resort-city)
• Buffet Lunch
• Use of the following facilities and equipment:
- Children’s playground
- Ocean kayaks
- Snorkeling equipment (mask, snorkel, fins)
- Courts and equipment (tennis, basketball, beach volleyball, beach badminton)
- Recreation center (darts, billiards, table tennis, videoke and mini-library)
- Resort bikes
• Speedboat transfers to nearby snorkeling and sites
• Complimentary coffee and/or hot tea throughout the day
• Welcome drink 
• Service charge and applicable government tax at time of booking


The table below was our itinerary:

Time	What?
5:30am	Breakfast at Puerto Pension + Prepare for Dos Palma Day Tour
6:30am	De Loro Inn Van Transfer to NCCC
7:00am	Pick-up at NCCC for Dos Palmas Tour
7:30am	Arrival at the Sta. Lourdes Wharf  (Honda Bay Boat Terminal)
8:00am	Boat Transfer to Arreceffi Island, Honda Bay
9:00am	Arrival at Areceffi Island + Welcome Drinks + Orientation
9:30am	Kayaking	This is a free time. You can make your own schedule. Reminders: 1. Speedboat goes back and forth to Snorkelling sites on an hourly basis 2. Lunch is only served from  11:00am to 2:00pm. Swimwear, and wet clothes are not allowed inside the restaurant. One must wear dry, decent clothes. 3. Day Tour in Dos Palmas is only up to 3:30pm or else you’ll have no choice but to book an overnight stay there.
11:00am	Snorkelling
12:00pm	Lunch
1:00pm	Biking around the island
1:30pm	Relaxing
4:00pm (supposedly 3:30pm but due to the heavy rain, we were able to depart at 4pm because we waited for the rain to stop)	Departure for Sta. Lourdes Wharf
5:00pm	Arrival at Sta. Lourdes Wharf
5:30pm	Bus Transfer to NCCC
6:00pm	Arrival at NCCC  -END OF DOS PALMAS DAY TOUR-
7:30pm	Dinner at Kalui Restaurant - 369 Rizal Avenue, Puerto Princesa City. Telephone: 6348.4332580 (Tip: Make a reservation before dining) Website: http://www.kaluirestaurant.com/ Review: *To Follow*

"You guys will be picked up at 6:30 in the morning" - De Loro Front Desk Personnel
"Awww men, that early?" I said to myself
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you need to be up by that time if you want to proceed with the Dos Palmas Day Tour and not put into waste P1,800. But it's worth the effort since the island resort will offer you a nice experiences.
At 6:30am, we were fetched by a De Loro Van. Mr. De Loro Van Driver dropped us at NCCC mall where you'll find the Dos Palmas bus. Before heading to Sabang Wharf, the bus will stop by in other pick up places: The Legend Hotel and Hotel Asturias.
During our trip to Sabang wharf which took 30 minutes or so, the bus was not completely filled by the day tour guests which only means that there are going to be few guests in the island, yay! I have always imagined paradise islands to have very little population and during this day, there's a chance that I'll get to see one paradise!
When we arrived at Sabang Wharf, we transfered to a large motorized boat. According to the Dos Palmas "sailors", the boat travel takes an hour or so because Arreceffi island is second to the farthest island in Honda Bay from the wharf. But I tell you, the boat ride is far from boring: passing through different islands in Honda Bay, the warm breeze, some flying fishes, and the roof deck of the boat will keep you entertained!

View from Dos Palmas Boat Roof Deck

Nearly approaching the island to the point that the Bay cottages are clearly seen, we started hearing some indigenous music. When the boat parked at the entrance of Dos Palmas, there they were, the musicians playing Kulintang (set of gongs) and some indigenous drums. The music they made was a great mood starter. At the reception desk of the resort where another band of musicians played some music, welcome drinks were given. We were also asked to head to the restaurant for a short orientation. We were reminded of some things to take in mind (see reminders in the table above) and we were left on our own.

Dos Palmas Bay Cottage

Welcoming Music

Welcome Drink?

Our Activities in Dos Palmas:

Mangroves

one-seater kayak

2. Snorkeling - Try to bring your own snorkeling equipments with you. If you don't have one, you can borrow the Dos Palmas Snorkelling equipments for free in the sports center. I was able to try using flippers for the first time in Dos Palmas :) For this experience, bring your equipments to the Dos Palmas Entrance. The speed boat leaves on an hourly basis to snorkeling sites.  An hour would be enough for this activity.

Snorkeling The water is a bit cloudy during October. The best time to see clear waters is during the summer time (March-May)

Wearing body board and flippers at the floating cottage (snorkeling site)

Scrumptious meal

Dos Palmas Map