Here’s my dilemma. For one , my hair is very thick in texture and slightly wavy. In fact it doubles its volume in the morning after waking up. I’ve tried every treatment formula available in the market in the event that it would do some miracle of taming my hair.

And then there’s rebonding which worked out perfectly for me until your true hair sprouts at the top of your crown resulting in a horrible sight. Half wavy and half straight ughhh. Although a trip to my hairstylist for a rebond retouch would do the trick but the thought of another 2 to 3 hours sitting in the parlor makes me cringe. Well, that’s the price i have to pay in the name of beauty. But then again, i thought i couldn’t do it anymore. It’s not practical anymore. I’ve been doing more damage than good to my hair .

An then i saw a picture of Katie Holmes so cute with her new pixie hairstyle.

Saw Michelle Williams’ pixie cut style and i know i could sport something like this.

I also like this pixie cut of Bianca Valerio, a Filipina model. . . It definitely brought out her eyes.

After careful researching on which type of pixie cut would go for a round faced girl like me, i finally decided to do it. My hairstylist really did a great job. Iam so loving my new hair cut.

Btw, my hairstylist Rose is from Alcutraz (formerly Azta Urban Salon) located in Metrowalk. Their haircut is P 450 a little on the expensive side but totally worth it. If you want them to copy a certain hairstyle it’s best to bring a picture of it.

Here’s their complete address:

Alcutraz  Hair Studio (AZTA Urban salon before)

Unit 12, 2nd level Metrowalk Meralco Ave Pasig City

Call to set an appointment: 631-7915

Mobile: 0908-9086085 ; 0922-8557673

This is the cheapest way to get around town. Fares start around P 8 ($ 0.20) per person with an increase rate for every kilometer. Most of them have tariff rates pasted in its interior. It can accomodate up to 5 person in one sitting. How’s that? 2 may backride the driver , 3 may sit inside. Other far flung provinces which relies on tricycle as their mode of transportation has even 2-3  passengers on top.

I’m sure you’ve seen this one time or another. But have you really tried riding one ?

My partner , who is 5’9″ in height , 200 lbs in weight, always complain riding the tricycle. He was never comfortable. For one, he feels that the hunchback of Notre Dame has taken over him. Upon entering the carriage automatically he hunches his back to be able to fit his form cramp style. Once it’s in motion he wishes he had brought his helmet to protect his skull from scraping the interior roof.

As he curse throughout the ride while struggling to keep upright whenever there are road bumps and humps, i keep my mouth shut trying to stifle some giggles.

But why in the world they have made the tricycles so painfully cramped and small? Is it because it is limited to carrying x number of persons? But how can you explain this?

Well, you see this only in the Philippines.

We took PAL flight going to Dumaguete for this trip to Siquijor. We had to be at the airport at around 5am for our 7am flight. And so 3 nights in a row didn’t get enough sleep because i finished all my work before leaving for a vacation. And besides, don’t want to be thinking of pending work whilst im on vacation.

Aboard the flight , something strange happened to me. Twenty minutes on air and i started feeling nauseaus, tense, tired, palms and feet cold, heart beating so fast (almost as if it was about to explode), dizzy. I called the attention of the PAL stewards and they gave me bonamine. But still my palpitaions didn’t stop. A medical practitioner onboard took my blood pressure and announced that once we land in Dumaguete airport i should go straight to the nearest hospital and have an ECG. Thinking that must be bad. Never felt this tired before. Maybe it was the lack of sleep (for 3 straight days) that’s making my body weak.

Alas, we arrive at Dumaguete Airport but as what the PAL people promised i would get an ambulance to transport me immediately to the hospital, it was a broken promise. I could’ve died there and then. Poor service . Although they’ve provided a wheelchair for me ; no ambulance came. We had to get our own taxi. Imagine that!

Anyway, upon arrival at the hospital , nurses said my blood pressure returned to normal. What a relief. Maybe the witches of Siquijor are awaitiing my arrival and cast a spell on my tired body to heal immediately so i can visit them.

We rode a 1 hour ferry going to Siquijor from Dumaguete. It was uneventful and spent mostly sleeping on board.

Upon arrival at Larena Port in Siquijor we were met by our long time friend Rose and her husband ready to show us the beauty of the island. I was stunned by the  beauty of Siquijor with its quiet town, friendly townsfolk, lush greenery, clean beaches. How can the mangkukulams live in this peaceful place. The serenity of it would drive any evil minded supernatural being out of its wits.

I instantly fell in love with Rose’s house overlooking the beach. All day you here the waves crashing near their front steps. It is way too relaxing.

We didn’t waste time and started our trip to the island. Went to the old Churches/Convent, Cambugahay Falls, 1oo yr old Balete tree, Capilay Spring park, salagdoong beach resort, Cantabon Caves. We missed Bandilaan National Park because of time constraint.

Then we visited Coco Grove Beach Resort where Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt stayed. Very nice resort.

Coco Grove

For group bookings/reservations call 632-7747876 or 0917-9955487 or 0908-8641572.

Go to website www.viajeroyale.com for further inquiries.

Anyway, paid Php 585 for a one way ticket. Bus conductor did not return the change of Php 15. What the heck, it’s the first tip he got for the day. I was wishing i could ride the Partas 28 seater bus for a more comfortable ride but then wasn’t able to reserve a seat.

It was an uneventful ride with short stop at the dau pampanga terminal, one i think in Tarlac, another loo stop somewhere in Pampanga and when we passed by Candon city i knew we were nearing Vigan.

Then it happened. When we were about to leave from a loo stop in a town before Vigan, Bus engine stopped working. Just like that. Driver doesn’t seem to make it start and so we are stuck at 800am in a town very near Vigan on a Friday the 13th. I think the ghosts of Vigan gave us a welcome scare.

Eventually we were able to move on. And at last at exactly 945am Friday the 13th my bus dropped me at the Partas bus station in Vigan City.

My friend who is working there took the time off to meet me at the bus stop and show me around. Vigan is not that big and 2 days would be enough to explore the city. First, need to try their famous Sininglaw. It’s a soup with ox tongue, innards, meat. You choose which part you want . Condiments for  this famous soup is the papaitan green thingy. it’s goat bile which can make any dish bitter in taste. It’s very famous in Ilocos and you can find it in a turo-turo anywhere. But for hygiene purposes we choose to eat at La Mirada.

Eat the famous Sininglaw here at La Mirada

I needed a room for the next 3 days. Although i called ahead of time at Casa Teofila (address: Pantay Daya), someone told me it’s kinda far from the center. So we decided to check out Grandpa’s Inn and Restaurant (add: #1 Bonifacio st.). Much after haggling with the rates , poor receptionist gave in . Got the room for Php 1,200 ($ 25) per night with breakfast for two.

Nice hotel, small but cozy, great food, rates good for the budget

Cafe Uno

Vigan is a  UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE site. It is a well preserved Hispanic town in the Phils. Vigan represents a unique fusion of Asian Building design and construction with European colonial architecture and planning. As you can see in my pics. . .

Vigan's proud achievement.

Here are some of Vigan’s hotels/tourist inns:

Cordillera Inn

La Feliza - currently under renovation as of writing (Nov 09)

El Juliana Hotel - newly renovated

Rooms here are newer than Grandpa's Inn

Villa Angela - truly a beauty

Tom Cruise occupied one room in Villa Angela

100 yr old beds in Villa Angela

Aniceto Mansion

Vigan Plaza Hotel - owned by the Singson Family

Mode of Transportation in Vigan – Horse drawn carriages or tricycle if you wanna go to one place to the other.

Kalesa as it is fondly called ; is the best way to tour Vigan City . P 150 is what you should pay per ride.

Calesa

When everybody's asleep, sneaked into Calle Crisologo to take this pic - creepy

Hotel Salcedo - newest hotel in Vigan

Must DO list in Vigan:

1. Visit Calle Crisologo.

2. Buy Vigan Longganisa.

3. Go to Empanadaan in Plaza Burgos and buy Vigan Empanada. Eat it there too like the locals (Php 35 each -special)

4. Buy Bibingka at Tiongson’s or Amianance. Very delicious!!!

5. Visit Baluarte and all other museums in Vigan. You’ll learn a little bit of Phil history.

Eat at:

1. Cafe Uno/Uno Grille/Kusina Felicitas – all located inside Grandpa’s Inn. Food reasonably priced.

2. Gaizel’s Carinderia – they have the best dinakdakan i’ve ever eaten . Cheap food.

3. Cafe Leona – Buffet.

4. La Mirada – for their sininglaw

I’d like to thank the hotel owners, managers, receptionists, caretakers who allowed me to take pictures of their rooms and facilities. They’ve been very kind and gracious to tour me around their property.

Should you want to know more about Vigan or inquire on tours to Laoag, Pagudpud contact 774-78-76 or email viajeroyale@gmail.com / viaje_royale@yahoo.com.ph. Check out my website at www.viajeroyale.com

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