J's Keyboard Strokes: 04/01/2012

April 28, 2012

Cheap way to get a tan and have fun in the Sun

Today is a great day to have fun! I don't have much money to spare for a long trip just to get some tan. I made a promise to the kids (nephew and nieces) and being an Aunt I'm not the type who enjoyed giving them disappointments. So I decided to push through with my plan the practical way!

How much fun will my 500.00 pesos be able to buy? Not much.... But it's up to me and my sister to do something for the kids .

I checked the fridge... Ideas started flowing....

I made pancit bihon , lumpiang shanghai, indian mango slices with bagoong. Bought bread, coke and took out some chips in our grocery cabinet.
Packed our swimsuits, towels,toiletries, cameras and went to the Village pool! Paid 60.00 per head and we are 7. That's 420.00! How's that for fun? Actually the fun part for me were the photo sessions! It was hard getting them off the water! Plus it was just me and my angels today at the pool. That made it feel exclusively ours for today! Here's my 500.00 worth of fun but felt like several thousand for the kids .

April 27, 2012

Kamayan Sa Palaisdaan Bay, Laguna

Hello Readers!
My family and I went to this place in Bay, Laguna called Kamayan sa Palaisdaan. Its a floating restaurant that serves delicious Filipino foods that surely fits the budget. We know how hard it is to earn money these days so we wanted to go some places but not go broke because of it. Floating restaurants are now getting famous... I think so many people are craving for that dining experience these kind of restaurants were offering.

How we got there? Here's the exact map

Going there took us about 2 hours and 30 minutes and all 9 of us inside the car, a ride that started at 10:30 A.M. made us hungry and sleepy but the goal is to reach the first 100 km using our brand new Montero Sports 2012 model.

We arrived there feeling thirsty and some of us had to pee, so the first question we asked the receptionist at the lobby was "where is the CR?" :))

We had our reservation and had phoned them few minutes before we arrived so we were informed about our table number and we went there straight and ordered water, "ice cold water please" before anything else.
Then, as I looked at the menu I found out that their pricing was quite reasonable. And their menu were pretty much appealing! Since it was a Black Saturday, NO MEAT for us. Its our way of "fasting" and observing our religious practices. Food photos below were what we actually ordered.

Grilled Eggplant

Grilled Tilapia

Buco Shake

Seafood Kare- Kare

Ensaladang Manga

Laing

Ginataang Hito

Sizzling Squid

My personal favorites were Ginataang Hito and Laing. Both dishes has a coconut cream based.They were so tasty and creamy and the fish melts in your mouth!I just love it! And the Buco shake was totally refreshing! I ordered 3 times! I can't seem to get enough!

Down to my "UNLIKE" stuff.... I wasn't impressed with the sizzling squid and the Seafood Kare- Kare at all. I was kinda expecting a little thickness with their Seafood Kare Kare sauce and a nutty flavor to it but it didn't passed my taste bud. While the squid felt like I was chewing on a rubber band. I don't know what happened ... maybe because we arrived past lunchtime that's why their cook was maybe tired already or maybe sick? I don't know.

So, if you are the type of person who wants to get their money's worth you'd probably go there and ask for a refund.
And when you arrived there hungry and tired you'd probably won't notice the difference between a great tasting food and the not so good. But not with me... I always take my time chewing and savoring each dishes. Pointing out what was lacking and comparing the food from other restaurants I've been to.

I may not be so impressed with some of their dishes but the place was a HIT! They have statues there (Mariang Makiling, treasures, caves and folks from the old tales) and was worth taking pictures.