Packing Day for Our Mini Vacation to Boracay

Aloha Everyone,

J.J. and I went to Boracay when it was just a sleepy Hippie colony. We are returning after 40 years. Conflicting reports from friends and family about the transformation of Boracay are sufficiently maintaining our curiosity.

Spoke with our sons this morning. Jeff was just a toddler, and we promised everyone to expect photos or at least our impressions of the island.

There are over 200 hotels listed for this tiny island. J.J. says that some have only one or two rooms. Our hotel booking is for 4 days/4 nights at one of the larger resorts.

We are taking a Philippine Airlines domestic flight. Our late booking means the two of us will have to experience economy class seats for one hour. The airline is recommending arriving at the airport 3 hours before departure. 

I am sure we will have so many adventures and fresh memories.

Aloha -- Cathi

Prince Garden Restaurant in the Makati Greenbelt 5

Aloha Everyone,

Yudoufu, a Japanese bean curd dish prepared using a Chinese recipe, was healthy and delicious. J.J. ordered a few other items for himself, but I was happy with just the Yudoufu.

We stood up with three plates still unfinished. Our server brought 3 containers to take away. J.J. told her that we are finished and not interested in taking the leftovers. She was surprised.

Most other patrons had their leftovers packed. One large group was seated nearby. Instructions given to their server was to pack everything up. The woman who was paying specifically told the server to be sure to pack up everything including sauces and the vegetables that were placed at the bottom of each bamboo steamer. Then she said, “Don’t forget to gather all the rice and put them in a new container."

Finished our two loads of laundry using our room’s washer/dryer which took about a total of 4 hours. 

Our dinner was at Fely-J’s. Not a good idea to have sour soup dish after 4:00 pm.

Aloha -- Cathi

Extensive Buffet Breakfast at Our Hotel

Aloha Everyone,

Our breakfast at Makati Diamond Residences is far more interesting with a wide variety of foods to choose from. 

Having green salads is not a good idea. Fruits and over easy eggs plus trying to make my dishes more interesting also didn’t work for me.

J.J. in the meantime loved his food choices including two cups of Cappuccino and an assortment of breakfast pastries, cheese and Greek yogurt.

Aloha -- Cathi

Moving Day to Makati Diamond Residences

Aloha Everyone,

I was concerned about our packing and how J.J. would be able to take them down the steps of the condo building. Things couldn’t have gone smoother. J.J. spoke with one of the friendly security guards who quickly secured Uber for us. The other guard simply lifted our suitcases and ran down the steps. J.J. gave them gratuity. The Uber driver had small electric fans for passengers. J.J. paid 300 pesos which included a generous tip.

Checking into Makati Diamond Residences made this moving day even more special.

We upgraded to a suite. Offer to upgrade was 1,000 peso or US$17 per day. Too good to pass up. Our room is on the 5th floor. We purchased our original booking with breakfast costing us $10 each. Yes, the upgraded unit has a washer & dryer!

Aloha -- Cathi

Big Feasts to Celebrate Our Coming Move

Aloha Everyone,

J.J.’s most memorable meal at Fely’s was a crab meal. Rather than repeating the same dish again, he asked for 2 smaller crabs prepared in different styles of cooking. Singaporean style was prepared in sweet and sour chili sauce. My preference was ginger and scallions. With side dish of fresh veggie lumpia, our lunch was very enjoyable.

Sen Ryo, a Japanese restaurant was my choice for dinner. Although I don’t normally eat sushi, this restaurant serves better sushi than what J.J. ate at MOGU. As you can see from the photo, J.J. was happy and satisfied.

I stayed with my tried and tested grilled unagi. Agedoufu was too greasy. Not even close to how it is prepared at MOGU.

Dessert of matcha ice cream was a perfect choice for our celebratory day. Both dining out totaled less than US$100.

Aloha -- Cathi