Random Thoughts

Thanks to Ensogo, I was able to avail a discounted ticket to Fuerza Bruta last Saturday!

Fuerza Bruta is the interactive show created and directed by Diqui James, originated in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2005 and went on a run for six years in Broadway.

I didn't have plans of watching it since it was not part of the budget this year, but the 52% discounted offer of Ensogo was simply irresistible!

I didn't read any reviews about the show so that there is still an element of surprise. With that, I didn't know what to expect too!

The entire show was just OK for me. But without the "water show" where dancers wade on a small puddle of water on a hanging pool, it wouldn't be the same. It was the highlight of Fuerza Bruta and I loved it.

Yes, cameras inside were allowed but no flash photographies. So that explains the blurry and dark photos I got through my phone.

There was supposed to be techno dance party AFTER the show, but the people just went out of the area right after. So we just continued on our "party mode" at the Fuerza Bruta Lounge.

The Fuerza Bruta show was definitely worth the discounted tickets! ♥♥♥

Our last stop in our island hopping in Surigao was the famous Sohoton Cave. I didn't know what to expect since I haven't read a lot of reviews about this place. But I knew that the place was "enchanting".

Called by the locals as "sohoton" which means "to go under" because of its cave entrance. Gated by sea water, you can only enter the lagoon during low tides.The area boast 7 islets inside where you can do caving and cliff jumping.

True enough, as soon as we entered the cave, we were mesmerized by the view that we saw. Green was all over the place - trees, mountains, leaves. Every plant was healthy and so nice to look at.




I would say it was a virgin forest out there! I hope and pray that they preserved this so that it would last for years.

Our first stop in Sohoton Cave was Hagokan Cave. It was called "hagokan" because its snoring sound brought by the tides. This is inside a spacious cathedral with stalagmites and stalactites.

We were allowed to swim inside the cave. It wasn't scary. My 6 year old even agreed to swim inside. It was a nice experience!

Our next stop and the most unforgettable was another cave where we went inside then climbed the wall to go to the top and then there was no way for exit except to JUMP!


Yes, I did it! The 15 feet jump. I tried backing out but I changed my mind. After all, it happens only once in my life, right?

So I released all my fears and jump right into the water...You want proof!?

Ok here are our jump shots...




We all did it - my brother went first, my turn, my sister, another brother, then the Hubby. I'm so proud, we ALL did it!

It definitely made our island hopping complete. Right after that, off we went back to Club Tara Resort, our temporary home for the weekend.

After exploring an island for almost an hour, we were brought by our boatmen to another island for our lunch.

Our lunch wasn't ready yet since they had to pick it up from another island so we just explored the area and rest. (It was too hot to swim!)

The kids on the other hand continued playing with the sand and castles.

After waiting for almost an hour, finally our boatmen were back and our seafood lunch is finally here!

It was our best lunch in Surigao, we had prawns, crabs, fresh fish, pork adobo, and cornshells, Boy oh boy, I forgot about my diet for an hour there! I ate a lot of rice, seafoods and COKE! It was a good lunch!

After our sumptuous lunch and a couple of minutes of rest, on to our next adventure which is Sohoton Cave.

But since it was very low tide, our boat couldn't float so the boys had to push it to the deep. It was quite an adventure!

Would you also believe when I tell you that it rained really hard while we were on the small boat? The wind was unbelievable too! Oh yes, another adventure to remember!

But all of these were became nothing when we saw our next stop - Sohoton Cave.

It was B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L.!

Will post more about it tomorrow! (*wink*)

Happiness is...

1. Hunger Games!
2. Pasta and Pizza Dinner with Hubby
3. Nap for a couple of hours
4. Magnum Classic
5. A Relaxing Weekend
6. Fuerza Bruta!
7. Nora Roberts' Key of Light
8. FREE ebooks
9. Planning another trip soon
10. Rufus Taposilog

To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.

Our little girl turned 6 a couple of weeks ago and it's been months since I prepared her gifts.

We initially thought of giving her something expensive like the jeux xbox so she can play video games at home, but I don't think she will appreciate it as of the moment. I noticed that she loves playing in my phone but she still prefers to do her artworks and crafts if she was asked to choose. I guess giving her an xbox will have to wait.

So we decided to give her a sturdy study table/art table instead. She was so happy when she saw it!

I guess in time, we will be able to give her those gadgets like the xbox that I mentioned earlier or even an ipad, but for now, she will be happy with just simple things like pajama set, crayons, a cute notebook and a backpack. FOR NOW. (*grin*)

On our second day in Surigao, we explored the islands around and check out several tourist spots of Surigao.

Our boatmen fetched us as early as 9AM and for our first stop, we checked out "Tiktikan Lake".

It was a very beautiful lake. Seeing it for the first time took our breath away.

We stayed there for a couple of minutes to feel the fresh air, ate snacks and drank water and then off we went to our next stop which was a CAVE.

Unfortunately I couldn't remember what it's called. All I can remember is the the trek that we took on our way to the cave. The boat men promised that it's a short walk so we all went (including the kids!). Little did we know that it was a little steep, the boatmen ended up carrying the kids. LOL!

It was a different and unforgettable experience for all of us! But, entering inside the cave made it even more memorable!

Of course we didn't let the kids go down with us anymore. It was too dark!

Our next stop was a little island were we stayed for a couple of minutes to swim. We had the island to ourselves and it felt good. We savoured it for about 20 minutes until several people came.

It was such a perfect day!

Will be back with the next half of our island hopping. Watch out for it! (*wink*)

Yup, that's the ATE! This photo was taken when she was 2 years and 5 months old. How time flies right!? I feel sad when I browse over her baby photos. I just couldn't believe that she is now 6.

Ever since, she really loves to sing, dance and perform. The Ate is in love with music. There were times when she pretends to use either the Mini Acoustic-Electric Guitars or the violin, depending on her mood. This is her hobby, always pretending to be in stage in front of a LOT of people. This made us really proud of her.

I hope that she continue to be a performer until she grows up. ALthough I know that most of the kids outgrow these kind of talents but I hope it doesn't work that way with our Ate.

There are a lot of plans that she might do over the summer. We haven't decided which one she will learn yet but one thing for sure, she has outgrown ballet already.

Who wouldn't feel welcomed after seeing the wonderful view of Bucas Grande Island?

As soon as we arrived in Club Tara Resort, where we will stay for 3 days and 2 nights, they immediately provided us with welcome drinks!


One room wasn't available yet so we had to wait in the other room while they cleaned it. More bonding time for all of us!

And more time to take in all these beautiful view before we settle down and rest.

After a few minutes, they gave us our room key and finally we got to settle down, unpack and prepare for our adventures!

It's been months now since I was on a shopping mode. Now, I'm itching to shop AGAIN. Unfortunately, I'm on a tight budget. So will have to settle with window shopping for now. I'm saving up for a leather wallet that I want to buy hopefully before the year ends. I need something sturdy and of good quality because I will be bringing it wherever I go. May it be just around the metro or when I travel around.

I'm looking for a wallet for Hubby too but since he's looking at this hi tech wallter from Identity Stronghold that protect yourself from payment fraud and identity theft, I might as well get from there too! Imagine, with a secure wallet, there are RFID chips embedded in contactless credit and identification cards which will allow vendors to scan your card quickly. Definitely hi-TECH!

After 45 minutes of boat ride and you will see these, how would you feel?

If you answer, you would feel overwhelmed with gratefulness, we felt the same way!

Upon nearing the Club Tara Resort and seeing these wonderful view, we knew that it's going to be a special vacation for all of us!

♥♥♥

After our 2-hour flight, we finally touched down SURIGAO!

The flight was a breeze, thank you Lord! The kids were probably excited because they didn't fall asleep the entire flight! They knew that we were going to the beach so they were really looking forward to this trip.

We rented a van prior to this trip so the driver was already waiting for us when we arrived. We had another 2 hours of land trip until we finally arrived to the pier.

We decided to have lunch first before enduring a boat ride. There weren't much choice so we opted to eat at the karinderya that the driver recommended.

Surpisingly, the food was tasty or we were just probably hungry!?

We didn't wait long so right after lunch, we went straight to the boat and off we went to Bucas Grande Island!

How time flies! We've been planning for this vacation for months and finally March came and here we were at the Terminal 2, waiting to board the plane.

And we were so happy because we were almost complete!


My Mom arrived a couple of weeks ago and then my brother arrived from Singapore to join us in Surigao.

Our flight to Surigao was around 7AM. We got to Terminal 2 a little early so we were able to take a few photos before we boarded.




Thank God our flight wasn't delayed and it was a breeze! We knew that this vacation is going to be fun, fun, fun! (*wink*)