Enter the Surviving Sagada Contest

Enter the Surviving Sagada Contest and get a chance to go on trip to Sagada and Baguio for free! Kindly check the Contest Mechanics. Know more by reading the Contest Guidelines.  Contest starts on March 1, 2013 and ends on May 31, 2013. Winners will be announced in the Surviving Sagada blog and also via @survivingsagada's Twitter account.

The New Surviving Sagada Video HD

It has been a long while since I created and posted my first Surviving Sagada video. Five years later after I made that short film, I came back with my Surviving Sagada HD video.  This may not be as good as the first one, but I still liked how it turned out.  For best viewing, we highly recommend that you watch the 720p version of this video.

Cafe Bodega: A Cafe Literally on the Rocks

Once upon a time, there was an enchanted mountain.  And on top of that enchanted mountain is a big rock.  And on top of that big rock is a cafe where all their staff were polite and courteous.  And the food that they serve are all fresh and glorious.  Well enough of that story.  You might start to think that I'm only telling you a fairy tale.  Well, the good news is I'm not.

Cafe Bodega had their soft opening in 2005 and been cooking good food in their kitchen ever since.  I should tell you, when I first heard of them, I was actually skeptical and thought that the place was purely overrated.  Until I've made my first visit.  I got really excited when we received our invitation from Wanda, who is the owner/manager of the place.  We immediately set a date for our visit.

Going to Cafe Bodega was quite an adventure really.  The road that leads to the place was not yet developed and to be honesty, it was  a really shaky ride.  Me and my friend were already getting out of our car on the parking lot, still wondering what's so special about this place.  "This better be good," I've told myself.  The moment we stepped infront of the entrance, my eyes went big.  The front door was all covered with vines and yellow and red flowers called Lady's Shoes.  It was like a scene from the movie The Secret Garden.   Suddenly, I felt like a kid getting all excited to open up a nicely wrapped present.  I had to rip it open; I had to go in.

An Incident: Writing From The Lemon Pie House (English)

Reminder:  The letter that you are about to read was a letter I wrote for my good friend, Oly.  I was just telling him what happened tonight because it involved his friends and his friends' friends.   I found this letter to be very accurate and that is why I'm posting it in my blog.  We've decided to write this post in English so that other non-Tagalog visitors can also understand.  If you would like to read this post in Tagalog, click here.  We encourage all our readers to comment on this matter.  So if you are against business staff cruelty by stupid and arrogant tourists/guests, then you'd better sit and read my story.  Because this might happen to you or your loved ones.  This is a real story and I think you should take the time to read it.  Thank you so much.

Hi Oly, I'm so sorry for not writing to you for so long.  Something happened here at the Lemon Pie House and I thought that you should know about it.  Your friends came here tonight together wth their other friends as well.  One of their friends who I called "the Witch" because of her really big curly hair and with a really bad attitude, went to the bathroom only to find that there was somebody else inside taking a shower. She also heard that there was a washing machine running inside the bathroom.  So the witch came to me and asked me "Is there somebody taking a shower in the bathroom?" I said yes.  Then she asked me another question: "Is that a washing machine that I'm hearing?" I said yes.  Impatiently, she sat on a nearby chair and suddenly yelled to her friends and said "Someone is taking a shower inside the bathroom!!!"  She was so thoughtless of others, not even thinking that that person inside could be the owner or someone that works in the shop.  I got really upset but I've decided to hold back my anger and just let the incident pass.  Until they came back that night.

An Incident: Writing From The Lemon Pie House (Tagalog)

Reminder:  The letter that you are about to read was a letter I wrote for my good friend, Oly.  I was just telling him what happened tonight because it involved his friends and his friends' friends.   I found this letter to be very accurate and that is why I'm posting it in my blog.  We've decided that we should post the letter in Tagalog since I find it to be more effective.  If you would like to read this post in English, click here.  We encourage all our readers to comment on it this matter.  So if you are against business staff cruelty by stupid and arrogant tourists/guests, then you'd better sit and read my story.  Because this might happen to you or your loved ones.  This is a real story and I think you should take the time to read it.  Maraming salamat.

Hi Oly, sorry at ngayon lang ako nag-message sa iyo at sa ganitong situation mo pa ako madadatnan. Something happened here sa Lemon Pie House house na dapat mong malaman. Pumunta kasi dito yung dalawa mong friends na tumulong kasama ninyo last holy week. Isinama din nila kanina yung mga friends din nila. Yung isa nilang kasamang babaeng kulot na ang tawag namin ng friend ko ay si "Witch," na kamukha ni Anna Fegi dahil sa laki ng buhok na super sama ng ugali. Gagamit kasi siya ng bathroom at nandoon sa loob yung anak ng may-ari at naliligo. Narinig syempre niya na may naliligo sa loob at parang meron pang washing machine na umiikot. So tinanong ako ni Anna Fegi (not her real name) kung may tao sa loob. Chineck ko, meron nga.  So sinabi ko na meron ngang tao at naliligo. Tinanong nya kung merong washing machine sa loob ng bathroom, sabi ko meron. Tapos yung babae, parang baliw na umupo malapit sa banyo tapos sumigaw sa kaibigan niya ng "meron pang taong naliligo sa loob ng banyo!!!"  Kapag may naliligo, dapat naisip niya na baka owner or anak ng nakatira sa Lemon Pie House yung naliligo.  Pero hindi eh, hindi siya nahiya at isinigaw pa na merong taong naliligo. So, pinalagpas lang namin. Until they came back that night.  

the hidden korean place

the hidden korean place is run by two young individuals both sharing the same passions and dreams. they're just amateur cooks that never studied the art of cooking. all they know was that they both loved to cook and eat. sharing the same interest, they've decided to open up a small business where guests can taste authentic home style korean food.

the place's actually a house that was turned into a food place. It was the peace and silence that they loved mostly about it. Why Hidden? It's basically because the place is hidden beneath the mango trees.  It would be hard for you to find it without their sketch.  Check our their food.  

johnny rockets eastwood

unlimited fries and ketchup with smiles by vena samson

the philippines has finally welcomed another internationally acclaimed hamburger chain that's been loved by the land and seafarers. since 1986, johnny rockets, the home of the "original hamburger".


after its first branch opened at melrose avenue in los angeles, succeeding branches almost everywhere in north america came followed by their worldwide branches in europe and middle east, not to mention their roving branches in the luxurious cruise ships of royal caribbean international. now, their first restaurant in asia is now serving here in the philippines at eastwood mall, libis, quezon city. so if you're craving for a hefty meal, on a hefty payday that's truly worth it, you must visit here. although their meals come in upscale prices, their food is good enough for sharing up to three persons making it just right for its price. 

doña lydia's cafe lidia

doña lydia never had imagined, not even in her wildest dreams that she would be getting herself into food business. she used to run an old shoe factory business, managing over a hundred eighty of her workers. hard to admit, shoe-making's a dying industry in marikina city. most of the small-time shoemakers in the city had stopped operating. not to mention the skyrocketing prices of shoe materials they imported from china.

so lydia, being this very optimistic and strong-willed person, she decided to venture on food business. she believed that when a door shuts, a window opens. so having zero-knowledge on how she would run it, she decided to ask her long-time friend, nelson tolentino, for his professional advice. so on 8th september, 2009, cafe lidia opened its doors to the public. they had only two chefs, one barista, and seven other workers. but it wasn't a happy ending yet. instead, it was just the beginning of this great story.

kopi kopi cafe and kitchen

are you looking for a new and exciting place to eat and meet in rizal province? do you want to visit antipolo city but is too lazy to drive up to the mountains? you don't have to go far. try kopi kopi cafe and kitchen in cainta, rizal.

kopi kopi cafe and kitchen opened to the public on 18th july, 2010. it is located in the quiet suburbanized village called executive village. the lovely owner/manager, agnes francia, was so kind to invite biyaheng pinoy to visit her ever exquisite coffee shop. we didn't waste time and immediately planned our visit. we were really surprised upon knowing that it wasn't just your usual coffee shop; they also serve great foods.  here are just some of the foods that we've tried:

potipot island

discovering the dreamer's island by vena samson

get·a·away:  [géttə wày]   noun:  a short vacation or break,  like a weekend trip.

a getaway isn't just about leaving; it is also an escape to a distant place from your usual activities. a short pause from your daily routine. for a working individual like me, a getaway is truly a marvel. that's why i called the place of my recent getaway, "the dreamer's island."


potipot island in zambales is probably one of the most beautiful island beaches in the philippines. we've chosen potipot island instead of puerto galera as the venue for our department's team building. it was a very long and tiring 6 hour drive from manila. normally, it should only take 5 hours to travel but even with maps, we still all got lost and so was our driver. we drove via sctex, then from sbma exit, it was still an estimated 2.5 to 3 hours of travel.

30 most affordable foods in marikina (part 1)

marikina city is very popular for its shoe industry, clean streets, and orderly residents. but do you know that marikina city is also a food haven? so if you're from this city or living somewhere around the area, make sure you check this list as we take you to a grand food tour in search of the 30 most affordable food places in marikina city.

so here's the catch. we had to look for restaurants, bars, grills, cafes, canteens, and even turo-turos within the city just to find very affordable meals or dishes that you will surely like with prices ranging from php20 up to php100 only. anything that will exceed the suggested price range will not be included on our list. now this will be a very long list so we're going to divide this post in three parts. please keep on reading. you might find the food that you've been longing for.

30 most affordable foods in marikina (part 2)

we would like to thank each and everyone of you for your overwhelming response to this feature. we never thought that a lot of you would be interested to this. we're so glad that you like it. please keep emailing to us your comments and recommendations so we can check other food places in this city. we 've also been featuring all these foods in our facebook fan page. you may click here to follow us, so you may participate in our discussions.

so without further ado, here is the 2nd part of this feature. we're featuring 10 more food places as part of our feature, 30 most affordable foods in marikina city. we hope that you will support these establishments as you support our website. you may click here to read the first part of this feature.

30 most affordable foods in marikina (part 3)

doing this comprehensive list of 30 most affordable foods in marikina city was something we have never imagined doing. it was no easy task. we never thought that it would be possible for us to visit all of them. we were skeptic at first but because of our determination and the persuasive powers of our readers, we were able to pull it off. the result was so great and overwhelming. so before we give you the last part of our list, let me also inform you all that we are currently planning on organizing a food tour in marikina city. our aim is to promote the city's food industry and to help boost its tourism. we hope that you will support this event. please regularly check our invitation for more updates and information. this event is an open invitation to all your food lovers.

again, we would like to thank our avid readers for giving us your suggestions. we also thank the following food establishments for helping us accomplish this enormous feat: 3 bears restaurant, bacolod chicken parilla, bite resto bar, boy yoghurt, boyong's buffet, cafe arabiscato, cafe lidia, casa feliz cakes, dee coffee house, estela's goto, johnny's fried chicken, jojie's barbeque, kaypee indian restaurant, krung thai, locupleto cafe, lovellitos chicken inasal, lunchbox, luyong's restaurant, macky's eatery, mama chit's, marikeños fried chicken, mexiquina's bar and restaurant, oggo and jullz grill, pan de amerikana, pap's diner, pic a pie bakeshop, pot-ling, qizia cafe, red paint bar, and sweet maddies avenue. let's all supporting these wonderful entrepreneurs. i dedicate this article to my loving grandmother.

the adarna food and culture restaurant

when business partners chef giney villar and beth angsioco decided to open up a business in 2007, they knew right from the start that it's going to be a filipino restaurant, but what kind of filipino food they will serve, they hadn't decided yet. they thought it should be historical, regional, and heirloom.  but why is that? traditional ingredients are hard to be sourced, methods are laborious, and most young people prefer american, japanese and european food.

"some people say that filipino food cannot compete globally. it's not thai, vietnamese, or japanese food," said chef giney. she thought that filipino food is very interesting because of our colorful history: 300 years of spanish influences. she thought that our rich history, culture, and even the political changes had molded and changed on how we prepare our food. "filipino food cannot be anything but interesting," she continued.

usapan with jimmy bondoc

jimmy bondoc is one of today's premiere philippine musical artists.  he's quite notable for his smash hit song "let me be the one."  he's a singer,  composer, and also a producer, rolled into one single stardom.  at an early age of 35, he had already recorded six albums, which contained mostly original compositions.  he is currently promoting his newest album called "ang mahiwagang bisikleta at ang huling makata" which to him, is his most personal album to date.

meeting jimmy for the first time was something i've never imagined.  i would have to thank my friend, paolo santos (a fellow sabado four) and his wife jiji, for being so nice in introducing me to jimmy.  paolo invited me to come to one of his gigs along timog avenue in quezon city for a short meeting about our interview.  he said jimmy's coming over to watch the show, so he might as well introduce me to him to be interviewed.  no one knew that it was the start of a good friendship.

struck by zambales

a visit to capones island, anawangin cove and nagsasa cove

by: carlo morales

the beauty of traveling is that you get to experience a whole different thing from what you normally do and bask in the afterglow that follows a most memorable journey. every once in a while, you are likely to visit a place that does not only bring out the goodness in a friendship but also provides a wonderful moment to discover god's artistic design of nature. when a friend invited us on a trip to zambales, i didn't hesitate knowing that part of my bucket list is to explore the whole world around. he mentioned the place's name, anawangin but the name didn't really stick to my head simply because it didn't even ring a bell.  

i was half-excited knowing it would be my 2nd trip this summer after spending holy week in bukidnon. it was carefully planned by my friends, all we needed was to contribute php1500 each, which covers pretty much everything (food, transportation back and forth, entrance fee, boat ride, etc). we were a group of 12 so maybe that explains why it sounded cheap.


since i wasn't really hands on with the preparations and its sort, I did a little research to give myself something to expect.  anawangin cove is by far one of the most popular destinations for campers and beach-goers alike. the cove faces the south china sea and surrounded by mountains of rocks theoretically known to be formed by ages of volcanic activities in the past. what really got stuck on my head was the fact that the cove was still not covered by electricity and cellular networks as well. no hotel rooms, no spas and gimiks, no rides such as parasailing and zorbings. it's simply a hidden cove.  upon knowing this, i knew it would be an adventure in the making.

the san isidro pahiyas festival

i've been planning to visit lucban, quezon for its annual celebration called the san isidro pahiyas festival for years. twelve months ago, me and my family visited real, quezon for a swim but totally forgot about the fiesta after a very disappointing occurrence. however, i was having itchy feet again and felt that i really shouldn't miss one of the country's biggest festivals in the historic and humble town of lucban, quezon.

the pahiyas festival is held every 15th of may. it is a day of vibrancy, creativity, color, and bounty. it is the only time of the year when locals try to outshine their neighbors in a friendly yet competitive way by putting up colorful decorations onto their houses with their abundant produce like vegetables, fruits, and local delicacies. about a month ago before our lucban trip, a good friend and elementary buddy, aldwin, invited us to visit his hometown. he said he will be visiting lucban during fiesta as part of his month-long vacation from his work in singapore, and said that he's quite willing to become the host in our stay. me and vena didn't waste time and started to prepare for our trip. we've also invited some old friends from elementary to join us.

usapan with vehnee saturno

vehnee saturno (aka venancio saturno) is now on his 30th year in the music business as a very successful songwriter. he had composed over 500 songs, and brought countless artists to stardom with his monster hit songs. he had helped singers like martin nievera, randy santiago, jaya, sarah geronimo, and others to attain their biggest dreams. he is very much respected and a mentor to all aspiring filipino songwriters and music arrangers.

i had been a fan of vehnee since i was a kid. i used to be one of those musical kids in the 80's dreaming to become a singer. i would always be so thrilled when friday comes and i would buy a copy of a songhits magazine (a local song magazine) at a nearby newspaper stand and sing all of its songs thru the weekend. i'd often see vehnee's name on the song credits and admire his great distinctive talent. that's why i was quite static upon receiving his email telling me about his interest to meet for a personal interview.  me and delia were invited to visit vehnee's fully refurbished office.  they've moved from their old office in balete drive, to their current office in new manila, quezon city.  we were so delighted to get a glimpse of his workplace.

casa feliz cakes

a sweet place in marikina by vena samson

chef jv of casa feliz is the brain of their pastry and menu list. he finished his course on culinary arts at the university of cebu. his favorite chef's anthony bourdain of the travel program called "no reservation." though he became popular in this restaurant, being praised for his creations, he's generous enough to even extend his assistance by also being a waiter that served the meals to the customer's table. in spite of this, he didn't want his face to be the first image to get recognized in their restaurant. he wanted it to be known without needing his name to be associated to it. after our great meal at casa feliz, we could say that whether you're a spanish or a filipino, it is guaranteed that a visit to this place would be a happy eating experience.

the adarna house publishing

the adarna house publishing is the country's leading publisher for children's storybooks. they have helped inspire us and our kids by encouraging us to think big, be creative, and use our imaginations to the fullest extent. they have published about 400 book titles in a span of more than 30 years since they've started. in addition to their publishing, their advocacy is to give support to non-goverment organizations, groups, and volunteers that give books to less fortunate children.