Furniture And Light Shopping @ Mandaue Foam

As our house is slowly nearing its completion, we have officially started searching for affordable yet classy furniture.  I recently read Jenni Epperson's blog post on furniture shopping in Mandaue foam for her daughter's room.  I was intrigued and googled the place.  To my delight, there was a branch near our place.  Mandaue Foam got its name from where the company started, Mandaue, Cebu and its specialized product, foam.  Due to its dedication to make quality foam products, the business naturally clicked and soon ventured into pillows, sofas, and furniture for the home.  The store setup was like a showroom of different rooms of the house on the first floor, all of which were from sale from the rugs to the lights.  The second floor was more of dining and living room furniture while the third floor featured bedrooms and dressers.  Basically everything was proudly Pinoy-made and workmanship was impressively export quality.  (Photos taken from my Instagram account @sherimontana)

Customer service was also a major plus.  They had a lot of salesmen on standby to answer your queries but would gladly let you roam around at your own pacing.  This is major plus for me because pushy salesmen irk me.  Bigtime.

If you're furniture shopping, this is definitely a place that's worth visiting.  Check their online catalog here and head to the many branches strategically located in different cities of the Philippines.

Happy furniture shopping!

Jared's First Summer Part 2

We arrived at Romblon port at around 7am.  Just like the ride form Batangas to Odiongan, the sea was calm and serene.

Romblon, Romblon: View from the ferry

The ferry we rode from San Agustin Port to Romblon Port (Taken from San Andres Fort, Romblon, Romblon)

We have officially arrived at Dada's hometown! :)  Jared looking in amazement towards the ferry we rode

I loved the vibe of Romblon port.  It was very laid back and Spanish era.  Like all ports, it was a busy place but somehow cleaner, friendlier, and had marble.

Gates are only open when a ship arrives or is to depart

Tidy stalls neatly lined outside the port

The tricycle trip to J's home took about ten minutes and once we finally arrived at the home where J grew up, he excitedly showed us to their receiving area where Jared finally saw his paternal great grandmother. :)  It was a meeting that was seven months overdue!

Jared and his great grandma :)

Define love

Jared with Yaya Biring, J's yaya and before that, my mom-in-law's yaya :)

We settled in our room, got the needed sleep, and ate freshly caught fish.  The next few days were dedicated to enjoying the beautiful beaches (and fort) of Romblon.

1.  Tiamban Beach Resort  - Just pay an entrance fee of 40php then you're good to swim until 6pm.  They used to have hotel rooms to accommodate those want to spend the night but they stopped that part of the business and made it a day-only beach.  You have the beach all to yourself on weekdays (yes, even during the summer, something unheard of in Boracay)  because most locals flock this white sandy beach on weekends.

The beach is pristine, virgin, and the sand is fine. 

Tiamban Beach Resort:  Panoramic View

If you walk along the shoreline, you'll arrive at Bonbon Beach which has a sandbar and sand comparable to that of Boracay

See my foot? That's how clear the water is :) 

2.  San Andres Fort

Eerie fort with all its Spanish Era glory

Colored Mosaic Marble

Romblon, Romblon:  Panoramic view

3.  San Pedro Beach Resort, Talipasak, Romblon

San Pedro Beach Resort is a 30-45 minute tricycle (yes, that's the mode of transportation in Romblon) ride from Romblon Port.  Most foreigners flock this resort due to its diving and snorkeling spots and sheer privacy.  A standard room per night here is only 800php! But the stay is exceedingly worth more than that.

Panoramic View of San Pedro Beach Shoreline

San Pedro has more grainy sand but is a better snorkeling beach.  It's swimmable even at low tide.

Jared's epic (and first) underwater shot.  I am in love with this photo!

Married bliss :)

Mom, I think I drank too much saltwater, hic!

Corals 30 feet deep (zoomed in)

San Pedro in the morning

San Pedro at noon:  Look at those corals underwater.  That's why it's a perfect snorkeling and scuba diving sanctuary.

San Pedro at sunset

Jared exploring a coconut

Marble benches (and marble anything for that matter) are a common site here in Romblon.   That's one big slab of marble right there!

Hammocks free for daydreaming

Resort Lobby |  Miss Mina, the owner well traveled and displays her foreign finds in the lobby. That's authentic African tribal art displayed all over.

Resort Bar

Hanging plants

To top it all off are the coastal roads around the beautiful island of Romblon.  Everytime we drive by to our destination, we are faced with the mountains on the left and the sun and sea on the right.  I get awestruck every single time and that's considering I stayed there for a month.

I had to ask our driver to stop even if it was a blind curve because it was simply breathtaking.

How awesome is that!

We left Romblon with a heavy heart.  It's a paradise within a paradise that a typical Manileño doesn't know about. I honestly hope the local government keeps it that way so that its natural resources stay untouched.  The people, the food, and the views made Summer 2013 a summer to beat. I can't wait to build sandcastles with Jared when we go back next year :)

Jared's First Summer

While I still figure out how to move my wordpress blog posts to this blog, I might as well tell you about Jared's first summer in Romblon.

We left Manila via 2GO from Batangas Port at around 8PM.    My mom-in-law got us a private cabin so that Jared won't get all worked up with people walking and talking around him.  Each cabin had four bunk beds (complete with curtains for privacy), a private bathroom with a shower heater, a flat screen TV, a vanity table and free dinner.

Batangas Port pre-departure

Here's Jared in his Giraffe onsie comfortably sleeping in his own bed. :)

The sea was quite calm, according to my in-laws, it's typical during summer.  We slept through the whole trip, waking up to the intercom saying that we had arrived at Odiongan, Romblon.  

Before I babble on, let me just give you a quick geographical lecture on Romblon.  Romblon is an archipelago and part of the MIMAROPA region (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan).  It has three major islands, Romblon (which is also where is the capital of the province is located), Tablas (the bigggest and where Odiongan is), and Sibuyan.  Most Filipinos would associate Romblon with marble and the province did not disappoint! (More on that later.)

We arrived at Odiongan port at 4am.  I wasn't able to get any pictures because I was half asleep and I was carrying Jared and his many bags. We ate breakfast at my tito-in-law's home and slept for awhile in their guest room.  The next day we went to Ferrol, a town in Odiongan to see the beach.  The last time I saw a beach was back in 2003! So imagine my super excited self to see the beach again.  Too bad it was not taob (local term for high tide).  But nonetheless, I was still happy to see the sand, sun, and water.  

Jared in his sun protection hat ala Pocoyo.  This is actually his first EVER beach he went to but was too sleepy to enjoy it haha! (Ferrol, Romblon)

Jared, confused with what was happening. You're in Ferrol Beach sweetie :) Notice the moss-covered rocks. That's how low, the low tide is.  We brought swimming gear but decided not to swim.

The next day Jared and I were both knocked out with the flu.  The family went back to Ferrol without the two "turistas" My little partner in crime slept the whole afternoon and so did I.  

Day 3 was a little bit better for us.  We were brought to a town that was celebrating it's fiesta and was quite excited about it.  I've been here in the Philippines for more than a decade but I've never been to a full-blown fiesta. So this was a first, not just for Jared, but for me too :) 

 A fiesta is never complete without Lechon! 

 Bad photog skills as manifested by the arm. harhar!

 Fried Chicken, Afritada, and Dory fish 

Siyempre, hindi mawawala ang kanin!

After that calorie-laden meal,  J's cousin took us to Odiongan town proper.  He also showed us the beach where their resort was situated.  Below is  a panoramic shot J took of the beach.

Odiongan Sunset

The resort's time to get a panoramic shot with Jared's cousin, Matt, his parents, and me.

Family Photo-op with Jared looking elsewhere.

Jared's cousin, Matt introducing us to his dog.

I just realized I gained so much weight since having my little boy!  Here's Jared looking straight towards the setting sun.  This was taken from little Matt's home.  You can actually see the Odiongan port from their place.

Our three day stay in Odiongan was definitely a memorable one. J's extended family was so accommodating and were the perfect tourist guides.   We left for Romblon, Romblon, early the next morning at the San Agustin Port via Montenegro Shipping Line.  J said the beaches in his hometown Romblon, Romblon, were faaar better so I was really excited about that. 

 Romblon, Romblon is an hour ship ride from San Agustin Port, Tablas.  This was taken at around 6am inside a Montenegro ship.

On the way to Romblon, Romblon, we came across a pod of dolphins! I was so happy and excited that I forgot to get a picture.  Besides, dolphins swim really fast so it was almost impossible to catch them on camera.

Romblon, Romblon from the ship.  See the lighthouse on the left? 

At that point, I was very excited for Jared to see where his dada grew up. More on that in another post.  

Love, j&s