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I’ve been working in Timog for 4 years and I must say, this area in Quezon City is home to diverse restaurants.

I recently spotted a newly opened restaurant at the corner of Scout Reyes called Earth Origins. 


Earth Origins (Quezon City) is a 2-story vegan-friendly cafe and marketplace that offers affordable organic dishes, products and produce. 

If you’re far from this location, worry not. They also have branches located in San Juan, Alabang, and Mandaluyong. 

     

Quezon City is nearest to where I usually am, so I decided to give it a try. During my visit, their menu was still limited since they were on soft launch.


So far, here’s what I’ve tried:

Blue Cheese Burger (PHP 258)


Serving Size
Good for 1

Taste
Blue cheese dressing was enough for my palette, not overpowering the dish and sauce wasn’t dripping once the burger was held. Condiments were on the side, another plus for me since I get to control the amount. The meat was tender, properly cooked and seasoned plus it wasn’t greasy.






Mushroom Paella (PHP 270)


Serving Size
Good For 1

Taste
Aside from the main ingredient (mushroom), other spices were also included. Honestly speaking (or should i say typing? haha), i was hesitant to try this. 
Being explorative in food, I had 1 spoonful and then 2… 3 and next thing I knew, I was devouring half of it. 


Turon Cheesecake


Serving Size
Good for 1

Taste
The flavor of langka (jackfruit) and turon can be tasted but it was a bit sugary for my palette.


Can’t wait to revisit and try their other dishes soon!🍴


Earth Origins
www.earthoriginsmarketplace.com
www.facebook.com/earthoriginsmarketplace










If you're looking for a beach destination near Manila where you can tag your fur kids along, Stilts Calatagan Resort is definitely a good spot.

On average, Manila to Calatagan (Batangas) should only take around 3 hours, but we got caught in the weekend traffic causing us to have a total travel time of almost 5 hours.


By 2pm, we were already at the gates of Stilts Calatagan Beach Resort. An officer carrying a guest manifesto welcomed us and double-checked the number of expected guests.

Complimentary drinks were served right after checking-in, a courteous staff escorted us to our assigned cottage.



Here's a quick tour of our cottage at Stilts, The Simplicity Bungalow. (view the updated rates here)


Cooking inside the cottage is strictly prohibited. However, guests can bring their own food and beverages subject to corresponding corkage fees.





There are no nearby food establishments aside from their in-house restaurant. To avoid the inconvenience, we decided to have our lunch at Stilts. We ended up ordering grilled meat and seafood platter and bulalo soup (enough for 4 hungry elephants).



After savoring our first decent meal for the day, we opted to explore the 2 beach areas: Serenity and Harmony Beach.

The Maldive-like villas, as well as the other beachfront villas and picnic tables (for daytime visitors), can be viewed from the Harmony Beach. Recreational activities are also available in the said area to cater the needs of adrenaline junkies.

      

For sunset and solitude, head over to Serenity Beach.

   
   

The following day, we had our free breakfast at the resort restaurant, The Sweet Spot. Food selection and flavor was average. (Apologies, I wasn't able to capture the breakfast selection.)

   

Since we still had ample time after breakfast, we strolled along harmony beach to maximize our last few hours at the resort.

    

Our weekend escapade at Stilts Calatagan Resort was definitely unforgettable. Hats off to all resort personnel of Stilts Calatagan Beach Resort for ensuring the satisfaction and safety of their resort guests (and furbabies). 😃

Stilts Calatagan Beach Resort
Barangay Sta. Ana, Calatagan, Batangas
https://www.stiltscalataganbeachresort.net



Aside from traveling, my family and I enjoy staycations.





My sister was browsing Booking.com app and saw a great deal from Discovery Primea. We booked an overnight stay for Christmas Day at their Business Suite which includes a breakfast buffet for 2.

Discovery Primea is a 5-star hotel located in the heart of Makati, it's location is close to Glorietta 3 which can be accessed via the Ayala - Glorietta underpass. Amenities also include an infinity pool, gym, chapel and a spa (all conveniently located at the 3rd level)

Like other hotels, check-in was at 2pm and check-out was at 12pm. (Our late check-out request was granted for free!😎)





A Handy smartphone is also provided. Guests can take "Handy" out for a walk, and enjoy unlimited local and international calls, free internet access, recommended places to visit, hotel promos and concierge service.


Our room view 😄



We also received a complimentary welcome chocolate, Mr. Snowman!


Buffet Spread (PS. I wasn't able to capture all of the food)



Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Discovery Primea! This place indeed is a home away from home. 😁

For other inquiries:
Discovery Primea
+632 955 8888
dp.rsvn@discovery.com.ph
Since my grandmother is Taiwanese, I've been back and forth to Taipei but never had the chance to explore the outskirts.

This is why I'm a bit excited about this trip. Something different than the usual.

Since we had a chartered car, after our visit at Yehliu Geopark, We headed straight to Shifen and Jiufen.

Shifen at PingXi District


I've heard and read stuff about this place, It's the popular place where you release sky lanterns on the side of the railroad. 




There are a few stalls in the area but there's nothing spectacular or anything else you can do besides the releasing of sky lanterns.


Another main attraction is the Shifen Waterfalls which is a 10 - 15min walk from the Shifen Old Street. My mom isn't really good at walking unless it involves food or mall. So we decided to skip the waterfall attraction. 


Jiufen at RuiFang District

It is said that Jiufen Old Street was the inspiration for Hayao Miyazaki's animated film, Spirited Away. Sorry fans, but he already denied this.

The place does feel like a real-life Spirited Away. Probably because Taiwan was Japan's first colony and its architecture in a lot of ways is reflected in the old town.



Aside from the pack of people, there is also a sloped night market where snacks and souvenirs are available.



Just a tad of advise, visit on a weekday. Walking path is a bit uneven and some paths are uphill/downhill. It may be a hassle bringing strollers or tagging people with difficulty in walking. On the plus side, definitely a good source of cardio. 

Yehliu Geopark is a renowned tourist destination located on the north coast of Taiwan at Wanli District that houses sedimentary rocks that were formed due to erosion.

ENTRANCE FEES

Upon arriving, tourists are greeted with a huge signage and a ticket booth. Tourists must purchase their tickets before entering the park.


Here are the corresponding park fees:
- 80NTD for adults
- 40NTD for Taiwan students (with ID) and children between 6 - 12y/o.
- 20% discount for group tours (30 pax and up)
- Free entrance for the disabled and children below 6 y/o.

After the booth lies the Visitor Center, where you can find information and souvenirs. Outside the center is the Park Map.



YEHLIU GEOPARK



Replicas are seen in different areas of the park. Its purpose is to preserve the original formations, some are damaged due to natural disasters or by unruly tourists.
Leopard Rock replica, the original formation was collapsed by a typhoon in 2010.

The rock formation names were inspired by their corresponding shapes. Aside from the famous Queen's Head, other famous formations include the Princess Head, Fairy Shoe, Elephant Rock, Ice Cream Rock, Kissing Rock, Beehive, Ginger Rocks, Sea Candles, and the Mushroom Rock.




Just a tip, avoid the overwhelming crowd by scheduling your visit on a weekday. We paid a visit on a Saturday afternoon, the crowd was really thick which discouraged us to explore the park further.



Food and item souvenirs are also available at the nearby market stalls, making it the perfect destination right after exploring the park.




For more information about Yehliu Geopark, you may visit their multilingual website

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Hello!

Aloha!

I'm Ella, an Experience Designer by day and a blog keeper by night.

Aside from traveling, I also enjoy photography as a hobby. Majority of photos seen on this site was shot by yours truly. ;)

I was introduced to traveling at an early age by my parents. It may be exhausting for some, but definitely therapeutic for me.

Welcome to Travella, a site dedicated to travel junkies, gastronomic adventurers, animal lovers or for people who simply want to see the world in my perspective. ;)

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