PNKY Travel Cafe Baguio: A Travel Back In Time

I slogged up the driveway of PNKY (pronounced as pinky) Home Bed and Breakfast. My hubby Shervin, laboriously carrying our heavier than normal 5-month old daughter, panted as he tried to keep up with my already slow pace. It wasn't even a steep climb, nor a long walk. We're just so darn unfit.

A non-manic Monday.Or old.

And how befitting it is to mention that because today is Shervin's Big 3-0 today. No big celebration though. I'd love to say we have gone past the stage of having insane I-dunno-how-I-got-home-last-night parties... but the truth is, we're just far from our friends. There's no one to party with.

Plus with an infant around, heading to a smoky bar is out of the question.

I have been eyeing PNKY Travel Cafe for ages. Four months of residing in Baguio, we only went this noon because I was saving it for a special occasion.

Back in early 2000, it was still Q Bar. A quaint watering hole which hosted folk performances every weekend. Its interior showcased interesting pieces from chairs to lamps, made by Baguio artists. Some of it were for sale. We never dined there so I don't have an idea if they served good food, but we did sample their to die for chocolate cake.

Top: Old dining area of PNKY Home. Bottom: One of the spacious, sparsely furnished rooms. Click here to see how the house looks like now!
PNKY Home Bed and Breakfast on the other hand, was just another house with rooms rented by vacationers. We frequented this place during that time, three to four times a year in fact. I remember the rooms were very basic and rates varied according to size. Guests can cook in the kitchen, something our family mostly did because we were too cheap to eat out.

Our fave spot in the house was by the fireplace... Where my aunts, cousins and I would catch up on each other's love life (or lack of) and future plans. Slurry at that, due to the booze treat by whoever had the highest paying job.

There were times we braved the arctic outdoors and lit bonfires beside Q Bar. And once one of us accepted the dare of entering the Laperal House's gates, across the property. The caretaker caught her and said she was trespassing. We laughed our arses off. In case you haven't heard, this house is known to be haunted. Some members of the family who lived here were brutally murdered by Japanese soldiers during World War II.

It's uninhabited now, and hasn't changed ever since. Unlike PNKY Home whose face and interiors have been revamped (the original structure still intact). I miss the old house with the chipping white paint. But hey, it has turned into one of the loveliest acommodations in the city, designed by owner Pynky Magsino and her daughters. How can I complain?

Left: Cozy corner. Right: Travel depicted everywhere.
I smiled as I entered the cafe. No one was there except for the staff who warmly welcomed us. My eyes excitedly shifted from one decor to another. From old suitcases, to framed postcards, to lomo photos. All of which were collected by the Magsino family.

Left: Homey dining area. Right: Cute camera tissue holder!
Pynky opened her daughters' eyes to the world of traveling when they were young. Something I know I'll be doing to Luna as she grows. And boy, I imagined our future house (wherever it will be) looking like the cafe - with trinkets gathered across the globe!

The menu, looking like a coffee table book.
Okay, so the ambiance rocks, but how about the food?

Our selection: Le Louvre P120 (spinach, mushrooms and tofu on rice) for me and El Prado P240 (pork ribs with tomato and pineapple sauce with rice and veggies). I'm pretty sure my dish will score a thumbs up from vegetarians (meat-eaters won't find it outstanding), while Shervin's ribs were uber tender and tasty. What made me jump up and down was dessert. We ordered Message in a Bottle P75, PNKY's homemade ube crepe. It's filled with grated kamoteng ube and cream. We also ordered Organic Lemon Grass Juice P60 (yum!) and Strawberry Smoothie P95.

Clockwise: La Tomatina Soup, Le Louvre, Message in a Bottle and El Prado.
By the way, you may dine al fresco. Food will get cold however in a couple of minutes. So better gobble it down quick.

Perfect nook for reading and sipping a piping hot cup of Chocolate de Tablea.
It was an awesome, hearty lunch. I am no food critic, so pardon my puny adjectives. Hopefully, the photos are enough to entice. Too bad our baby's not taking solid food yet. She would have gone nuts over the dessert list.


PNKY Travel Café
13 Leonard Wood (a short stroll from Session Road)
Baguio City
Visit their website at: www.pnkyhome.com



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Snapshot Saturday: Pink Summer

Pink Beach, Zamboanga
A beautiful marriage of pulverized Red Organ-Pipe Corals and white sand.


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Thank You, India

"Thank you India
Thank you providence
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you nothingness
Thank you clarity
Thank you, thank you silence."
- Thank U, Alanis Morissette

I now dig Alanis, and why she was singing nude in that music video. You'd have to experience India to find out yourself. When we left the country, I felt like I was born again.

Madurai's Thirumalai Nayak Palace
It seemed odd choosing Tamil Nadu over its more popular siblings like Uttar Pradesh (where Taj Mahal is), Goa and West Bengal. Thing is, Shervin and I planned this trip last year when I was still six months pregnant. We were contemplating then whether we'll take our baby with us or not. And so we researched on cities with the least malaria risk. Hence, we bought cheap tickets to India to its southern region.

Thanjavur's Brihadeeswarar Temple
We ended up not bringing Luna though. She's still fragile at five months, and she won't remember such trip anyway. We'd only be punishing ourselves and exposing her to several risks had we lugged her around.

Tiruchirappalli's Rock Fort.
Our six-day stint took us to three cities, and we wandered around these sites:

Madurai
1. Meenakshi temple
2. Madurai's Thirumalai Nayak Palace
3. Mariamman Theppakulam
4. Gandhi Museum
5. St. Mary's Cathedral

Thanjavur
1. Brihadeeswarar Temple
2. Thanjavur Palace

Tiruchirappalli
1. Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple
2. Our Lady of Lourdes Church
3. Rock Fort

With the exception of Indonesia, our budget in India was much less than elsewhere in Asia. We only spent P2,590 ($60) each for accommodation, food, internet usage, and admission/camera fees for temples and museums. At such cost, it was even a splurge trip (because I'm a huge fan of their food and I adore Indian trinkets!).

Coming soon are stories about Shervin's fans day, Sudanese Couchsurfers, paparazzi moments, almost losing an iPhone and iPod, conversations with locals, and a lot more misadventures.


Trip's Nitty Gritty

1. We spent P10,928 each for 5 flights. Clark-SG, SG-KL, KL-Trichy, Trichy-KL, KL-Clark. Our tickets for KL-Trichy-KL-Clark were purchased during a zero ringgit Air Asia sale. But then we spent loads for Clark-SG-KL because we totally forgot we didn't have a flight to KL yet and ended up buying regular-priced tickets with Tiger Airways.

2. At the time of our travel, 1 Indian rupee is equivalent to .96 centavos.

3. Their electric sockets/plugs have three round prongs, adaptors can be bought for Rs 20 from a hardware store.

4. Budget accommodations are at Rs 400, midrange at Rs 700 and posh at Rs 1,200.

5. Most of the temples we visited don't ask for admission fee but they do charge for camera/videocam. Rs 30 each.

6. Vegetarian meals in small canteens are only Rs 30-50, Rs 60-80 if with meat like chicken or bits of mutton. Locals eat with their hands. You'll be given spoons, but hey... when in India, do what the Indians do. Bring hand soap though cause some canteens/restos don't have 'em.

Piping hot milk tea's Rs 5-13.

7. Internet's Rs 10 half hour, Rs 15-20 1 hour. Internet shops are also called "browsing centres".

8. Tamil Nadu is well networked by bus. Short distance rides are only Rs 3-4.50. During rush hour, be prepared for a sardine-packed/overflowing bus. At such time 2 conductors attend to passengers, one at the front and one at the rear.

Buses are numbered so don't worry about trying to reading Indian alphabets! You'll also find a lot of locals speaking English, it's very easy to go around.


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Snapshot Saturday: The Rock

Gorgeous view from the bus.
This afternoon, we did a three-hour ride from Madurai back to Tiruchirappalli. Can't wait to visit Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple (repeat three times, let's see if you pronounce it right) tomorrow!


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The Raging Bus And The Ten-Peso Pancit

By this time, we'd probably be checking in for our flight to Tiruchirappalli at Kuala Lumpur's Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) already. For sure it will take some time before I get to write about my "Incredible India" experience, so for the moment, here's something from the Voyaging Visayas series which I assume has a resemblance to a typical Tamil Nadu street scene: A maniacal bus driver and cheap food.

Shervin and I had been backpacking for a week. From Manila we flew to Cebu, then took a bus and roro to Dumaguete, then a ferry to Siquijor, then another ferry back to Dumaguete.

Our last destination, Bacolod. To get there, we were to take the Ceres bus. From our accommodation, Vintage Inn, we paid a mere P16 to get to the terminal. We arrived just in time for the trip, a little over noon.

Hawkers selling fresh seafood, not snacks, to passengers.
It was a non-aircon bus. Cheap, but such long ride because of the many stops to load and unload passengers. Less than an hour into the trip, we were zooming across small towns. You know that feeling when you think the vehicle runs well over the speed limit just because the windows are down and the wind's causing everything to fly all over the place? We were under that stress, except, the bus was really beyond the speed limit.

I kinda feared for my life. I was two and a half months pregnant, and we had no other choice but to sit through it. As if the driver would slow down if I asked him to do so.

There was one stopover for meals. It took us a long time to find my sandals which oddly reached the last row (we were running that fast!) before we got off the bus to stretch a bit. Although I wasn't feeling too hungry, I felt like eating the moment I saw a canteen selling pancit (sauteed noodles).

Ten pesos never tasted this good!
We sat on a bench, and was served a small plate of it. We ordered beans on the side. Both dishes were equally yummy. More so, the pancit was only ten pesos. I think the beans too.

They made my day. I momentarily felt better... until the waitress told us the bus was about to leave! When we turned around, we saw the bus almost on the road. Conductors are supposed to check on their passengers right? And to think, Shervin was the only "white" person on board. He could have easily remembered us. Lastly, we left our bags on our seats, so surely that means we're coming back.

Shervin sprinted and I brisk walked. When we boarded, I was flushed with anger. But I kept my cool. I didn't want to make a scene again like I did at Hagnaya Port. Besides, I didn't want him to drive any more faster out of rage.

Anything worth ten pesos that made you happy?


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A Backpacker Mum's Batanes Break

South East Asian Airlines (SEAir) made it happen. This backpacker mum finally had a break from house chores and parenting duties! It felt a bit odd not carrying a heavy bag full of milk bottles, not changing nappies every so often, and being able to chew my food well (because I didn't have to attend to a baby who wants to be constantly carried around)... but it sure was fun taking a breather.

In case you missed the announcement, I was one of SEAir's Batanes Winter Bloggers' Tour seven uber lucky winners.

Morong Beach, Sabtang. Missing my baby Luna.

Three days may be too short a time, but the head of our group Engr. Joseph Dy gave us an action-packed itinerary. We breezed through everything we wanted to see and experience. I had my much anticipated controversial flashback, Izah climbed up a lighthouse, Bless garnered enough info for her online travel agency, James kissed the ground (or was it a boulder?), Leon is no longer an armchair traveler, and... Michael? Well he ate, prayed and L.O.V.E.d!

No minute was wasted idling. We only slept when we were about to pass out.

The epic trip ended yesterday. The whole group headed back to Manila for V-Day shenanigans. I'm itching to write about the silly things cultural pseudo-immersion we've done and been raving about, but that would have to wait. I still got a major vacation hangover plus a connecting flight to another dream destination of mine tomorrow.

I'm kinda spaced out, life's just awesome. So until then folks. For today, I momentarily drown in the abyss of mummyhood.

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Snapshot Saturday: Out On A Limb

A two-month preggy backpacker up on a limb along the coast of Pulau Mamutik.
It's almost Valentine's Day folks! Last year we spent it camping on Pulau Mamutik, Kota Kinabalu. Where will you be spending yours? This year I'll be romancing Batanes with fellow bloggers, thanks to Seair for the free winter tour!

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San Sebastian Church, Manila: Swept Off My Feet!

Faces were a blur as I fleeted past them. I was running late. I criss-crossed my way from Quiapo Church to an unfamiliar destination via an underpass and a hectic street, bumping into pedestrians and devotees and medicinal herb hawkers.

I was on my way to Illuminati Travel and Tours' grand launch. Co-owner Joel Aldor, who I met through the Pinoy Travel Bloggers FB group, sent me an invite (after I invited myself). The launch was scheduled on the 29th of January, fortunately we were in Manila then to take care of a few documents.

Basilica Minore de San Sebastián's facade.
As for the venue, well, I saw on the e-invite that it will take place in a certain church in Quiapo. I lived in nearby Malate for almost nine years and I've never been to, I read, San Sebastian Church. Neither have I Googled it. Hence, I didn't set any expectations. I was attending with a clean slate.

Jeep drivers and bystanders directed me to the church. When it came to view, about more than a hundred meters away, I swear my eyes must have seemed they were about to pop out of my lids! I was completely astounded. How could something this grandiose just be... be here and I was never aware of it?!

Just outside the church doors was an unmanned registration booth. I took a colored flyer, wrote my name on the logbook, and stepped in.

I was swept off my feet.

Arrived at this scene, attendees looking up and around the beautiful interior.
From the entrance, I could hear Joel's voice faintly. The people were gathered near the altar. The tour obviously has begun. I didn't join straight away though. Instead, I roamed around by myself (which I usually do on tours) and closely studied the impressive walls, windows, posts and ceiling.

The Basilica Minore de San Sebastián or San Sebastian Church is a Neo-Gothic church completed in 1891, and is the only all-steel church in Asia. It's currently included on the tentative list of possible World heritage Sites. I reckon it really should be.

When I found out that the church's steel sections were prefabricated and shipped from Belgium, it got me thinking... For what purpose is this spectacular structure? For more followers? For prestige? Or to showcase artistry? Perhaps an intermarriage of all these.

Nevertheless I am hoping heritage conservators/experts find a solution to its corrosion, without tampering the painting on the walls by Lorenzo Rocha and his students.

About to climb up the choir loft.
The rest of the tour I spent listening to parts of the talk and chitchatting with fellow bloggers Mark of Nomadic Experiences and Anton of Pusang Kalye, both I met for the first time.

Day was concluded with hors d'oeuvres and drinks at the church yard (where I also met Bernie of Habagat Central and Edgar of Eazy Traveler - and I so wish I was introduced to AJ of The Transcendental Tourist!), and a raffle. Three lucky people won free tours.

For more info on Illuminati Travel and Tours' packages, visit their website.


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Snapshot Saturday: Java Street Art

I was about to take a snapshot of this wall in Yogyakarta when a becak entered the frame. I noticed just now that the girl's flashing a peace sign!

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How To Apply For An India Tourist Visa In The Philippines

The Government of India announced that effective 1 January 2011, visa on arrival can be granted to Philippine passport holders who wish to sightsee or visit relatives and friends. Sounds awesome, but it ain't for us. The tourist visa on arrival (valid for a maximum of 30 days with single entry) is only available at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai airports. Shervin and I are heading straight to Tiruchirappalli.


And so we went to the Embassy of India in Dasmariñas Village, Makati last Tuesday to apply. The embassy only accepts visa applicants from 8:00-11:00 AM. Afternoons are for visa/passport releasing only. The village guard won't let you enter past 12 noon if you don't present a document/receipt stating your date of pick up (we actually went Monday afternoon but were told to come back the next day for the application).

Although you could easily walk to the embassy (Paraiso Street is parallel to Edsa and is accessible via small alley near the guardhouse), the protocol is, you have to take the embassy shuttle. The shuttle picks up foreign nationals, visa applicants and travel agency L.O.s from the waiting area. Driver takes everyone to the village's association office first, and there you pay a whopping P150 each for the joyride. Yes, you'd have to pay another P150 when you come back 2-3 days later.

Highway roberry, ei? I guess that's the price to pay for a Dasma Village tour. It was quite an entertaining ride in fairness. Imagine the guard calling out "Libya", "Turkey" on designated stops - similar to a jeepney driver calling out "Buendia", "Vito Cruz". It's as if the village's the whole world (actually, there are more than 10 embassies located here).

Anyhoo, not to bore you with my random thoughts any further, here are the requirements (original documents must be submitted):

1. Passport with photocopy, valid for at least 6 months
2. Filled out application form, form can be asked from the counter
3. 2 passport size photos
4. Return ticket
5. Bank statement (we didn't know they ask for this and we had to rush to the nearest mall to print)
* For housewives like me, if you're traveling with your husband, they might ask for your marriage certificate (especially if you present a joint account bank statement).

When you arrive at the embassy, take a queue number from the counter. It wasn't so busy when we were there but since travel agency L.O.s submit a big bunch at a time, it can take a while before your turn. When you're called, all you have to do is submit your documents. Pay P2,100 and don't forget your receipt. You're done!

Then you can wait for the shuttle to take you back to the village gate or you can stroll your way out.

- Validity of the visa starts from the date it is issued, lasts up to 3 months.
- Visa fee is P4,200 for Americans and P3,150 for other nationalities.
- Processing time: 2-3 days for Filipinos and 6 days for other nationalities.
- Releasing day: Give your receipt to the same counter (there are only two, the other is solely for Indian nationals) and have a sit. They'll call you when it's ready.
- To get there, take the MRT and alight at Magallanes. Dasmariñas Village's gate is just a few meters from the station.

Just a short funny kwento, I sat beside an Indian on a siesta while waiting for the release of my passport. When he awoke, he turned to me and spoke in Hindi(?). I shook my head and told him, "Filipino". The whole room giggled. Must be the nose stud and my heavy eye make up that day. Or maybe he was just too sleepy to take a good look.


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