Regina RICA: Rizal's Hidden Sanctuary

Being a Rizaleño by birth, I can't tell you just how much pride I have of my home province. You see, I live in Angono, Rizal; it is actually the third town that you will reach if you are coming from the pasig area. My friends would usually say that I live very far, and I would consistently answer: "hindi ah! 30 minutes away nga lang ako from ortigas", which is true, actually! You see, Rizal is a very good location because in here, you get to have a laid-back-town-vibes without having to feel much away from the hustle and bustle of the city. 

There are many places that you can go to in Rizal. In my hometown, Angono (the Art Capital of the Philippines) for one, has its own attractions that draw tourist very often. But I'll post about that soon. In this post, I will share with you a place that you can go to if you just want to meditate and clear your mind, without travelling that far: 

The Regina Rosarii Institute for Contemplation in Asia in Tanay, Rizal (better known as Regina RICA)

Not far from Angono is Tanay, Rizal. In just about an hour or less (if you have your own car), you can reach this town. You will just pass by the towns of: Binangonan, Cardona, Morong, and Baras..then voila! You're in Tanay already. So if you're coming from Ortigas you'll have about 2 hours to get there. 

If you have your own car, you just have to take the manila east road,keep going straight ahead, pass by the towns that I've mentioned, and once you get to Tanay, there are many signs that are put up in there so you will definitely not get lost. 

Regina RICA is open everyday except Tuesdays. Visiting time is from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. You have to take note that there is a dress code inside the premises. Girls are not allowed to wear shorts; however,if you still wore shorts, they will provide you with skirts that you can wear on top of your shorts (I knew this because me and my friends were wearing shorts the first time that we went there since it's summer hehe). Sleeveless clothes are also prohibited for both men and women. Upon arriving you will first be given a short orientation about the place, and then after that, you are free to roam around already.

I was lucky because for the two times that I've been here, the place was not too crowded. During holy week, the traffic is just unbelievable! Well, this is because of the fact that Regina RICA has its own set of devotees already. Also, it is also part of many religious pilgrimage in the country, and I believe even in Asia.

So let me now share you the pictures from my two trips combined! Hehe:

   

( The Mary's Sacred Trail: this leads to the statue of Mama Mary on top of the hill. There's only one way up and you cannot go down this path; you would have to go down on the other designated path)

  

(The view while going to the top)

( Mama Mary!)

This is the huge statue of Mama Mary on top of the hill. There is actually a prayer room inside her mantle; and you have to remove your shoes if you want to go inside.

  

(This view! Love!)

(My panoramic shot of the place) 

After praying inside the mantle, there is a candle offering area where you can buy candles in different colors; each color representing your different intentions. My friend bought all the colors, by the way. Hehe. Now, in the usual Filipino tradition, you have to say a prayer first before you light your candle.  You can also sign up your loved ones so that they will be prayed for for the rest of their lives. You would just give a donation, and then list down the names of the people you love in the prayer list. 

    

(The Mangrove trail. Each is sponsored by different people. Amazing right?)

  

(Our candles!)

(This is the church inside the Regina RICA. They also celebrate the Holy Mass in here. The Regina RICA Mass Schedules:

 

 ( from http://reginarica.org )

   

(The side view of the chapel)

So there you have it! I hope you got to experience Regina RICA in Tanay by just looking through my pictures! I would really suggest that you go here if you have the time in order to nourish your spirituality. It is indeed a beautiful place; and it is very well-maintained not just because it is new, but because you can feel the sincerity of the people who are working thereat. 

For more info visit their website:

http://reginarica.org

8 Cuts Burger Blends

Before anything else, let me first give you guys a heads-up that when it comes to burgers, I really don't have anything negative to say.  "Just give me a burger"..that's my mantra. So anyway, there are lots of newly-opened burger joints here in the PhIlippines. I don't know if it is a trend or it's just because of the inherent love of Filipinos for meat. 

One of the popular ones nowadays is 8 cuts burger blends.It is a customize-your-own-burger-burger-joint, and they specialize in different kinds of meat.  Now, I have to be honest that I am really not good in remembering the name of the food that I eat; I am not a picky eater but I know what's good and what's not. I have never customized my burger and I don't think that I can ever do so! Haha! 

So here it is; I will just post the pics of the food that I ordered and then you be the judge hahaha! But I can assure you that this restaurant is worth every peso! 

Here are the pics:

   

  

    

8 cuts burger blends is located at the Third Floor of the SM Mega Fashion Hall in SM Megamall, Mandaluyong. Now, some would say that it is a bit over-priced; but as for me, I think that it is reasonably priced. It is one of those restaurants where you would think that the serving is not that big, but still, you would still end up feeling more than satisfied! Check out their facebook page and zomato page for more details:

8 cuts burger blends on fb

8 cuts burger blends on zomato

Snapshots from Seoul

I've been to Seoul three times already.  The first time that I went here was Spring 2011, then followed by Spring 2012, and then the the last one was Last Spring 2014. This is the perfect season for me because there is a certain lightness in the mood of everybody around. Winter has just ended. The flowers are beginning to bloom. There are many colors around. And the weather is just so perfect! Here are the shots that I took from my phone:

(  Cherry Blossoms at Everland )  

(Gyeongbokgung Palace)

  

(Seoul Tower at night)  

  

  

  (Gwanghwamun Square)

  (Seoul Tower Observatory)

  ( Lotte World)

  (Dongdaemun at night)

@thecouchpatatas

I have always been looking for an outlet where I can share my pictures to the world. I believe that I express myself better through pictures; and also, I know that it is through my experiences where I gain true adventures! I love travelling, I love discovering good food, and music soothes my every mood! So here's to all the couch potatoes out there who are also wanderers! (No matter how ironic that may sound hahaha!) Let's Explore! Let's Experience! Let's Share! Live. Laugh. Love

xoxo,

@thecouchpatatas

Fairways and Bluewaters Boracay

It has been my family's third time staying here in fairways and bluewaters, and I must say that every stay had been such a breeze!

I must admit though that we used to say that going to Boracay is not worth it unless it's free (sorry, Philippines ha? haha!). However, we were really blessed that one of the perks of my mom's job is an all-expense paid trip to Boracay every three years (I know! Cool, right?). So since 2007, we have been going here in Fairways and Bluewaters because my mom's company have bought a share here. 

Being a pre-arranged trip, going to Boracay had always been an ease for us. Our tickets are booked in advance, and our transportation have been arranged ahead of time as well. So let me share you something about our trip.

We left at about 5 in the morning from our house in order to get to the airport on time for our 8am flight. Our house is just 40 minutes away from the airport, but because we had to leave our car at Park 'n Fly near NAIA 2, we had to leave a bit earlier that usual (I'll post my review about that later on)

( The Park 'N Fly Building)

So we were brought by the park 'n fly van to NAIA 3; and in there, the process had been smooth.

(Our PAL boarding passes)

(One of the perks if you fly PAL?free snacks! Pwede narin di ba? Hehe)

The flight to Kalibo (the one that we chose because we did not like the small airplanes bound for Caticlan) took about an hour to an hour and a half. Others prefer to go to Caticlan because it would only take a short boat ride from there going to Boracay. As for us, it has always been Kalibo.

( arrival at Kalibo airport)

Upon arrival in Kalibo airport, we already have our own driver waiting for us, who is going to take us to the Caticlan welcome center of Fairways and Bluewaters.

( you'll see many men holding signs like these in Kalibo haha!)

The land trip going to Kalibo took about 2 hours. It was a snooze-fest, but most of it was amusing because of the sceneries that we got to see! (Ang ganda nga pala talaga ng Pilipinas!)

Welcome Drinks upon arrival at Fairways and Bluewaters members' welcome center. As you can see, they have lots of golf magazines; well it's mainly because Fairways is a golf club. Haha! So anyway, from the welcome center, we had a boat ride which took about 15 minutes,across the sea, going to the main island of  Boracay

 (Our boat hahaha!)

   

Upon arrival on the island, we had another van (from fairways) which picked us up. The resort is about 10 minutes away from the Boracay port as it is located in Station 1. Btw, station 1 in Boracay houses the big resorts; it is also quite peaceful there as compared to stations 2 and 3.

( Fairways finally! Take note: we arrived at the resort at around 12:30pm..so all in all, we had a 5-hour trip; including transfers and all)

In the members area, you will be given free drinks again..unending free drinks, I must say haha! Since our room was already prepared, it did not take us too long to check-in into the resort. 

Fairways is a huge resort, so there is a roaming van inside the resort which can take you around the premises; and there is a scheduled trip every hour going to D*Mall in station 2, which is about 10 minutes away. Back in 2007 and 2010, we can call a van anytime from our villa; however they changed the set-up recently. 

( Our Villa)

We were assigned with three rooms located in the same villa, but they are not connected. One room was for my mom and dad (the biggest room) and then the other room for my brother, my sister-in-law, and their son, and the last room was assigned to my sister and I. It was so fun! Haha!

These are the pics of my mom and dad's suite. It has a kitchen,a dining area, a living room, a walk-in closet, and two bathrooms. 

Our room has the same bed, however it has no living room, etc. But even if we did not have those, we still had the same view for four days:

(Stunning, right?)

So going back, fairways has its own beach, it has its own pool (back in 2007 and 2010, there was only one, but recently they opened 2 more), it has its own golf course as i've said, it also has its own activities area such as the zipline, zorb ball, and segway. So basically there would be no more reason for you to go out and force yourself in the crowded areas of Boracay (although that's the point of going right? Haha!), because everything that you can possibly think of in order to relax are already here in Fairways and Bluewater! 

( their own beach)

( the pool. Although this is the old one; we did not get to swim in the new ones because they were a bit crowded)

(The Maris Spa)

Oh and have I mentioned that they also have their own chapel inside a cave? It still looked just as amazing as the last time we were here

So that's it! I hope you also got to experience fairways even by just looking at the pics. So far, I've heard that fairways are already accepting non-member accommodations as well. There are even deals available online already. So if you want to experience Boracay in the most fancy way possible, consider booking here now! It's summer! 

For more info visit their website here:

http://www.fairwaysandbluewater.com.ph