summer 2013 review

So, summer is about to end and my family decided to do our annual summer getaway. Sadly, Manang Ayek was not able to join us due to her OJT in Manila and our summer outing was a bit late because of the election. Also, our budget was very limited due to new expenses in our ever growing family. I now have Tuka to think about, Ayek was in Manila for her OJT, Josh will be starting college soon, Pugak will start her kindergarten classes as well and of course we have GM and Ila whose school expenses seem to grow bigger & bigger each year. At the same time, this outing was planned in a rush so our time was limited as well. All of us were not able to ask permission to leave work in advance so we were only able haggle a few days for vacation then back to the city to work.

We decided to go somewhere near and cheap so we went to Siraan Hot Springs in Antique first. Bus fare from Molo Terminal to Siraan is Php95.00/person only. Travel time - around 2 hours. Once there, you'll have to pay Php20.00/person for the entrance fee unless you're a local then you'll pay Php15.00 only.

We booked an air-conditioned room, good for 6 people, Php1500.00 but we had to pay an additional Php150.00/person for every additional member of our group. The room had 4 beds, 2 beds - good for 2 people, the other 2 beds - good for 1 person only.

Good side: the beds were clean. They provided fresh sheets when we arrive and they also cleaned the room before we came in. They also provided a complimentary roll of toilet paper and a mini safeguard soap. The room was wide despite it having only 4 beds so there's a lot of space for others to sleep "roughing it out" style. The water from the bathroom was clear and did not smell bad. The flow of water was also good, so people, like me for example, who use a gazzilion buckets of water every bath time, would be happy.

Bad side: the bathroom stinks every time you flush the toilet. The ventilation system was not working properly so naturally our room smelled bad as well. The air-conditioner, all though turned up in full was not able to cool down the room enough. They should consider either cleaning the air-conditioner or buying a new one. Also, the water did not work at first so we were forced to get our water on our own from a nearby faucet. It did not help that the receptionist in charge at that time was a bit bitchy. When informed that the water was still not working, a few hours after checking in, she responded:

"Hulat-hulat lang ma'am. Gina hulat pa namun nga mapuno ang pool. Indi man na to mag saka ang tubig kung indi mapuno ang pool."

I mean, come on. Your pool is big and deep, it would probably take all night to fill up that pool. What the hell are we suppose to do until then? That receptionist should take 'how-to-be-a-decent-receptionist' classes. (sigh) Also, the place was not kept clean by the personnel. There were stray dogs pooping around, garbage here and there, even chickens pooping around as well.

Awesome side: the hot spring. There were 5 pools available. The hot spring water flows nonstop. You have an awesome view of the ocean while soaking in hot water. You can close your eyes and listen to the waves while the hot water does its magic to your sore "momma muscles". You can soak and soak and soak and soak and soak and never feel cold unlike the beach. At night, you can star gaze, again while soaking in hot water. Soak, soak, soak. Hehehehe.. ^_^

Then of course we went to Nogas Island by pump boat. Php500.00, good for 10 people only, including children above 5 years old. You can only stay in the island from 6AM-6PM. Picnic cottages at the island cost Php300.00 and snorkel gear costs Php100.00/set You can borrow the life jackets from the pump boat people and when you arrive at the island, there's a mini-tiyangge owned by a local fisherman. You can buy chips, water, sodas etc.

The reef was awesome. Less colorful than Boracay since it is dying already but still awesome. There were still a lot of fish and some fishes there, I did not see in Bora or Guam. The reef area was wide so it looked like a real forest only underwater. So, even though the snorkel equipment was a bit expensive (yes, Php100/set is pricey!), it was worth it. ^_^

Antique in general - I like the people. They were nice. The local fisherman who owned the tiyangge looked after our stuff when we went around the island to sight see. He even insisted that we don't pay for the water that we took. When we went home, we left all our food to the fisherman as thanks. We left them grilled fishes, grilled pork, bihon, rice & chicken adobo. I hope they remember us the next time we visit. Also, while waiting for the bus to Iloilo, we made a deal with the fishermen around the area to climb some coconuts so we can drink coconut juice while waiting. They were more than happy to oblige. They gave us 10 coconuts. :) That is how tibaks roll while on vacation. We seem to hit it off with the masses really well, we make friends along the way. Nakz!  :)

Sadly, there were "evil spirits" at the hot springs resort. One evil spirit escorted us home. Well not really home, he got off in Miami, in Camp Monteclaro. Hahaha!!  ^_^  This is the 2nd family vacation where in there were evil spirits around. Hopefully, it's just a coincidence. If not, he probably reported in Monteclaro about our newest member. Tuka probably has his own picture in our family tree record there. Ngek!  ^_^

So, there you have it. Our Antique getaway. ^_^