last day in india

On 26 September 2012, our last day in India, I started to feel like I needed a vacation from my vacation.

The day started out well enough with a nice breakfast at our hotel, The Grand New Delhi. I had a bottle of cold pistachio milk, a crispy dosa, and for the first time in five days, we got bacon!

india: day four

The only thing I remember about our fourth day in India was dinner at Bukhara. It took a very long time to get from Jaipur to that restaurant in Delhi-- it felt like we were trapped inside the bus the whole day. But oh, was it worth it.

When I saw our itinerary weeks before our trip, I knew that the only way I would survive all those mediocre buffets without cracking up was to have something to look forward to. After consulting The Miele Guide and reading the reviews on Tripadvisor, I sent an email to the ITC Maurya Hotel to book a table for six people at Bukhara.

To say that this was my best meal in India might not mean much, given the quality of all our other meals, but it was really good. It made me feel bad for the rest of our group who didn't join us, because 1) they missed out on an authentic Northern Indian cuisine experience, and 2) that same evening they had the worst pseudo-Chinese food-- part of the itinerary-- that they ever had in their lives.

As soon as we sat down at our table, our friendly and efficient waiter gave us some light and crispy papadums to munch on. The green chutney was OK, but the sliced onions sprinkled with spice were wonderful. Good start. 4/5

Apparently, Bukhara is the most popular restaurant in New Delhi right now and they are always, always busy, but during the two hours that we were there, we never felt rushed or ignored by the staff. In fact, all the diners seemed happy and comfortable, never mind that we had to wear bibs.

Bukhara's Sikandari Raan, a whole leg of baby lamb, is famous and rightfully so. It was tender, smoky, moist and packed with flavor. Very slightly gamey, just enough for us to know that we weren't eating beef or pork, with distinct whiffs of cinnamon and cumin. Steph took the leftovers home and ate them in Manila. 4.25/5

second day in india: lunch & dinner

When we arrived at Hotel Laxmi Vilas (yez, that's how it's spelled) in Bharatpur City for lunch on 23 September 2012, it was already 330PM.

It's actually a palace that was built by the maharajah's brother in 1887 and converted into a hotel in 1994. So interesting! Too bad we didn't stay there. We could have, since it's only one hour away from Agra i.e. Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri. Plus Bharatpur has its own attractions such as the Iron Fort and the bird sanctuary. Ah, well.

india: day one

Our Philippine Airlines flight left Manila at 6:40PM on 21 September 2012. With a stopover midway in Bangkok where we had to stay inside the plane while the clean-up crew did their business, we arrived at our hotel in Delhi, The Claridges Surajkund, about ten hours later, which to us was 5AM the next day.

We had to have breakfast, check out and board the coach by 9AM, Delhi time. Since Manila time is actually 2.5 hours ahead, it wasn't so bad because we still managed five hours of sleep. That didn't give me enough time to take decent pictures of our hotel, though. Suffice it to say that The Claridges had the nicest beds, bathrooms and toiletries of the five hotels that we stayed in. You'd think that it's not worth paying for five-star accommodations for such a short stay, but I really appreciated it after being contorted inside a plane for so long.

I was quite apprehensive when I saw our itinerary because all our meals would be at hotel coffee shop buffets, but our first breakfast was not bad at all. Half of the spread was Western or continental food, while the other section featured local eats. All of our meals turned out to be like that. Of course, I avoided the non-Indian dishes as much as possible.

A hearty and somewhat spicy breakfast put a smile on my face and prepared me for the five-hour drive to the city of Agra. All we saw of Delhi was the airport and our hotel, but it was fine because our flight back home would be from Delhi anyway and a city tour was included in our package.

Our tour guide said that we came to India at the right time because they had just completed the Yamuna Expressway which significantly cut travel time.

best chocolate soufflé ever

A couple of months ago, I bought a discount coupon for a three-course meal at Prince Albert Rotisserie at the InterContinental Manila. (The price was 1,250 pesos, knocked down from 2,500 pesos supposedly, but who knows really?) I had a specific goal in mind-- to eat a hunk of beef after my trip to India.

Oh yes, I went to India. More about that soon.

The Intercon opened in 1969 and is the oldest chain hotel in the Philippines. In the Manila of my youth, Prince Albert had always been synonymous with "fine dining". Nowadays,  it's typically called "old-fashioned".

Well, sometimes old-fashioned is good. Sometimes it's a blessed relief.

Bread basket and a hockey puck-sized portion of French butter, all for me. 4.25/5

Every major city in the world has at least one restaurant like Prince Albert. It's very, very civilized and it positively reeks of old money. Within its walls, nothing ever really changes. Not the food, not the staff. The furniture and decor, sometimes yes, but nothing too modern.

Amuse bouche: smoked salmon, prawn mousse, pesto, toast. Fork not necessary. 4/5

balinsasayaw vs. kinabuchs

The best thing about our B&B, One Rover's Place, is its location. There are over a hundred hotels and inns in Puerto Princesa, but for exploring the city, I don't think any of them can beat One Rover's Place as home base.

I mean, all the restaurants I wanted to try were within spitting distance. Isn't that what's most important?

Our receptionist recommended Balinsasayaw's grilled chicken for lunch. Not bad for a quick, wallet-friendly meal. It wasn't as tasty as Bacolod's heart-stopping cholesterol-injected inasal but it was much better than Davao's disturbingly sweet and dry version.

Chicken barbeque with rice set, 79 pesos. 4/5

We didn't know that balinsasayaw meant "bird's nest" until our waiter, Renger, told us. So then of course we had to order it. For fans of bird saliva, at that price it was practically a steal. And it was obviously very fresh.

Bird's nest soup half order, 200 pesos. 4.25/5

puerto princesa city tour, part 1

The last time I was in Puerto Princesa was probably a decade ago, and only for an hour or so. I had joined a week-long liveaboard diving trip to Tubbataha Reef and when it ended, it was a ten-minute van ride from the pier to the airport. And that was all I saw of Puerto Princesa.

This time, I stayed for three nights. The first thing I saw at the airport when I arrived on 8 October 2012 was this 'Wanted" poster.

Welcome to Puerto Princesa?

OK, seriously? Dear mamang pulis, do you really expect tourists to encounter these guys while island hopping at Honda Bay or visiting the Underground River? Four million pesos is a lot of money, though. Hmm...

After checking in at our little B&B, One Rover's Place on Rizal Avenue, we walked to Noki Nocs Savory House, just five minutes away, for lunch. The food was served hot and fast, tasted like home and was quite cheap.

Smiley happy people about to tuck in. A very good sign.

Nilagang baka, lumpiang ubod and rice, P130. 4/5

I thought about trying their famous halo-halo for dessert, but I really wasn't in the mood. Maybe next time.

best creme brulée ever

I'd been wanting to try the Creme Brulée at Paul Lafayet Patisserie Française since last year, but somehow I couldn't fit it into my eating itinerary. This trip, I just couldn't NOT have it!

When I got to Paul Lafayet at K11 Mall in Tsim Sha Tsui, the prettiful macarons were calling my name.

A box of 12 French macarons for HK$180 (US$23).

But I didn't forget my mission and got my Creme Brulée. Freshly blowtorched and meant to be eaten within 40 minutes. Good thing our hotel Holiday Inn Golden Mile was right next door to K11.

Had to hurry back to the hotel room to take a picture before digging in.

how to get to camiguin

Last November, two local airlines declared a seat sale. I just couldn't resist the rock-bottom prices and bought a whole bunch of plane tickets. That's how I ended up going to Cagayan de Oro in June for only 1,300 pesos round trip from Manila.

But Cagayan de Oro was not the objective. It just so happens that Lumbia Airport in CDO is the closest airport to the island province of Camiguin, a place I last visited in the early 1990s.

We arrived at Lumbia around 830AM, too late to catch the Ocean Jet ferry at the CDO pier which, um, jets to Camiguin only once a day. The alternative is to take the bus to Balingoan port where the RORO (roll on, roll off) ferries are scheduled every hour throughout the day.

From the airport, it was about 50 minutes by taxi to Agora Bus Terminal in the city. We paid the driver 200 pesos for two people, which is what we agreed on when we got into the cab. He let the meter run and it read PHP197.50 at the end of the ride, so it wasn't a bad deal at all.

After a quick and cheap breakfast outside the terminal, we paid the 2 peso "usage fee" to enter and luckily an air-conditioned bus was just about to leave. The bus fare was PHP128 and it took us a slightly grueling 2.5 hours to get from Agora to Balingoan.

When we alighted from the bus, it was lunchtime. There were a couple of clean-looking eateries right across from where the buses were parked. We had a very tasty meal at Agnus Lechon Baboy for only 60 pesos per head. So cheap, and they had an impressive array of pre-cooked dishes. There wasn't any lechon, though.

interlude: ma's birthday

Yesterday was Ma's birthday!

Baby cheesecake compliments of the Oakroom.

chalet in the tropics

The reason I chose Villa Chitdara Guesthouse in Luang Prabang? Because the monks pass right in front of it every morning. And of course, it helped that it's gotten very good reviews.

I was delighted that we got the room with the best view.

The room itself was not huge, but not cramped either. The AC, fan, ref and TV worked fine. We got free bottled water everday, and all the coffee and tea we could drink.

random singapore

Things I'll remember from my trip to Singapore on 8 December 2011 to 12 December 2011:

1. Wonder Full, the light and water spectacular at Marina Bay Sands. I swear, as soon as I have access to something faster than my pathetic Third World internet connection, I will upload my video.

2. For our first two nights in Singapore, we stayed at Royal Plaza on Scotts. It's a little gem of a hotel with lovely old-world service, an excellent location (right in the middle of Orchard Road), free wifi and a Nespresso machine in every room.

3. The entire hotel was a no smoking zone, but never mind, the McDonald's right outside the hotel lobby took care of that.

if it quacks like a duck

Sometimes I just want to be a tourist and do touristy things. I'd been wanting to go on a DUCKtour for the longest time.

From the brochure (unedited): "Ride the Wacky DUCK. There are 2 amphibious tours in Singapore, but there is only 1 DUCKtours. Nothing comes close to the Original. The 1st amphibious themed attraction in Asia, this Tourism Award Winning DUCK is rated number 1 in Singapore. 800,000 passengers! 8 years of perfect safety record! Best in tour experience! Ride the only Wacky DUCKtours and embark on a unique combined City & Harbour tour adventure in Singapore."

Now tell me, doesn't that sound like fun?

"More than a tour, it is 60 minutes of land and sea adventure on a genuine Vietnam War machine."

"Hold on to your seat as it waddles away and be prepared for a splashing good time!" 

Our "WackyDUCKtainer" was a Filipino, as well as the ladies who collected my payment at Orchard Road and issued my boarding pass at Suntec City.

pizza and burgers

I like Mario Batali because Anthony Bourdain respects him. And he kicks ass on Iron Chef America. His food's not bad, either.

Hello, Pizzeria Mozza at Marina Bay Sands Singapore!

Mozza Caprese, with whole roasted tomatoes, basil pesto and burrata. S$15++

disneyland for adults

Yez, I had kopi, eggs and kaya toast two days in a row, cholesterol levels be damned. I was on holiday, OK?

But for my last two mornings in Singapore, our hotel package included the buffet breakfast at Rise.

Rise: six food stations serve Asian and Western favorites from 6AM to 11AM.

First plate, West: French toast, scrambled eggs, bacon and chicken sausage.

Second plate, East: vegetarian roti prata, vegetable curry, fried noodles, har gow, siomai and chee cheong fun.

Third plate, East-West: madeleine, melon, jackfruit and almond croissant.

'tis the season

Conan O'Brien tweeted: 'Tis the season when we get to use the word 'tis.

Marina Bay Sands lobby, 11 Dec 2011, 10:22PM.

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 11 December 2011, 11:06AM.

almost paris, la troisieme partie

The reason we were in Singapore in the first place was to watch Wicked at Marina Bay Sands on 10 December 2011. Ma was so gung ho that she actually thought about going alone, but I can never say no to Singapore. It's like an addiction.

I asked her where she wanted to have dinner before the show: Restaurant Guy Savoy or CUT by Wolfgang Puck. She chose Guy Savoy, and that's where I ate the most expensive meal I've ever had in my life.

(Most expensive to date. I'm not done yet.)  

good morning, orchard road!

Recently, while I was watching my friend Hamton cure some hams, he remarked that Orchard Road wasn't so nice anymore.

I beg to disagree. Really, it's still the best street for taking a walk. There's greenery everywhere, the sidewalks are mega-wide, and there's always something interesting going on.

Who were they? Why were they half-naked? Why were they hanging out in front of Grand Park Orchard Hotel? I dunno.

Another "I dunno" moment for me.

good evening, orchard road!

My mother and I arrived in Singapore on 8 December 2011 in the evening. We had just enough time to drop our bags off at our hotel, Royal Plaza on Scotts, before Ion Orchard closed its doors.

I was elated that Ginza Bairin in the basement was still open. And there were no queues.

The Japanese make plastic food displays so well, jeje.

Pork Loin Katsu Set, S$14.49 + 7% GST. I'd been craving this for over a year.

pigging out in cebu

Dizizit! Marketman's Zubuchon is the primary reason I went to Cebu on 10 October 2011. Really.

Because he said so.

I was astonished that the hotel concierge and the front office staff of Crowne Regency Cebu had no idea what Zubuchon was or where it was located. This is the most famous pig in the world we're talking about here-- endlessly touted and feted on the World Wide Web-- and they had never heard of it.