Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Life begins where WIFI is weak
Published on
With more than 30 degrees and a distance of totally roughly 8 km back and forth, where some stretches were pretty steep uphill, would probably be considered as a good exercise. Right? Yes, for sure! We went to Puncak Tanawan today. The purpose was to get some kilometers in our legs. A real bonus was that this place is incredible beautiful and quiet coz it's far from the bustling city of Dumaguete. I really enjoyed it here today. The technical details of hiking Puncak Tanawan is covered in an earlier post: Hike the Puncak Tanawan

​Hey! Don't forget to check the video clip at the end!
Puncak Tanawan, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Someone was obviously really enjoying every step she took! Or hm was it in pain...?

Puncak Tanawan, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

On rare occasion I can smile for the photographer hehe

Puncak Tanawan, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

In one moment it's clear and in the next it's cloudy

Carabao, Puncak Tanawan, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

One of the big guys was roaming around here

Puncak Tanawan, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

We were lucky this day, we hadn't any rain

Combo Meal, Puncak Tanawan, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

At the summit there is a kiosk where we bought the Combo Special Meal. Just 120 PHP for two.

Puncak Tanawan, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The view from here is breathtaking

Puncak Tanawan, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

A table for four

Puncak Tanawan, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Heading back downhill was worse for our legs than going uphill. But we had the sun in the back so we could really enjoy the scenery.

A short compilation of our exercise up to Puncak Tanawan
Published on
A little girl's own way to enjoy an ice cream, that's happiness to see. But for the mom in charge I guess the feeling is somewhat double-edged. The happiness is mixed with trying to avoid a total mess which is of course often is inevitable! But for me as a photographer, I could just sit, relax and observe.

​Hey! Don't forget to watch the short video clip at the end! 
Eating an ice cream © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Ube and vanilla ice cream... yummy!

Eating an ice cream © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Mom don't worry... I will not mess up

Eating an ice cream © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Ouch! Here we dropped the ice cream...

Eating an ice cream © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

But the help is never far away

Eating an ice cream © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Mom is always there with a great patience... most of the time

Eating an ice cream © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Now we are back on track again

Eating an ice cream © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Baby wipes every parent's best friend

Eating an ice cream © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

No baby wipes is necessary here!

Eating an ice cream © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

It could have been worse

Eating an ice cream © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Done!

Eating an ice cream © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Heey... I want more! I want...

Published on
Fruit vendor, Bananas, Sibulan, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

You should buy the fruits from the vendors on the streets instead of the supermarkets. It's cheaper, more fresh and you exercise your negotiating skills.

Veggie guy, Bananas, Sibulan, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

This is the Veggie guy and he has his fruit and veggie stand just outside Sibulan. You can buy fresh buko juice there, only 15 PHP each.

Bananas, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Did you know this? That red bananas help combat nicotine withdrawal by fighting off the side effects, and reducing nicotine cravings.

Fruit vendor, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

One of many fruit stands in downtown Dumaguete

Sunset with a plane, Panglao, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Can you see the plane?

Sunset with boats, Panglao, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Good night boats sweet dreams...

Me in the pool, Tierra Alta, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Someone said: Oh my, don't look like a crocodile! Ehh... what am I suppose to answer on that?!

Tambobo bay, Keep our beach clean, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

This is a concern for everybody everywhere!

Dauin, Guy jumps from a boat, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Imagine if you were able to fly... how fun that would be!

Dauin, Guy jumps from a boat, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Walking down the road

Picture

You know how girls can be sometimes, right? Yes moody, and then as a guy you better stand down hehe.

Girls and the motorbike, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The girls and our new space ship

Published on

A very affordable place 

GK Coffee Shop, Entrance, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Entrance to the coffee shop

GK Coffee Shop, The Lobby, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Lobby of the RM Guest House

GK Coffee Shop, Interior, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Nicely decorated

GK Coffee shop nicely decorated

GK Coffee Shop is located beside the lobby of RM Guest House. It's conveniently near the place where I am currently staying for the moment. So yesterday when it was raining, instead of taking the motorcycle to downtown I walked to The GK Coffee Shop  instead. The place is nicely decorated and has warm and inviting colors. 
GK Coffee Shop, The Menu, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The menu is nothing out of the ordinary

GK Coffee Shop, The Menu, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

But the prices are reasonably

Reasonably prices

They offer the usual stuff to reasonably prices. I ordered beef tapas with rice and a caffe latte. I specifically asked if they make the latte without sugar. Yes it should be without sugar. But when I got the latte it had a sweet taste as if they had added sugar despite all. My beef tapas turned out to be a small portion but the taste was good.
GK Coffee Shop, Caffe Latte, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

My caffee latte

GK Coffee Shop, Beef Tapas, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Beef tapas, small portion with a good taste

Conclusion

You get what you pay for I guess, so no complaining here. Since the prices were very affordable you might not expect miracles, right? But if I specifically ask for an unsweetened latte, then I expect to get that. So of course next time I will think twice before I order a latte or maybe I need to ask twice instead just to be sure... hehe.
Rating:
​1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
3 Food 
4 Service
4 Value
5 Atmosphere
Gk Coffee Shop
Crossing E Rovira Dr and National Highroad
Bantayan, Dumaguete
Negros Oriental, Philippines
Phone: +63 915 110 3114
Published on

Review of The Tres Bistro

Picture

The Tres Bistro

Picture

This particular day, a Sunday it was closed

Classy touch

I really don't know how to characterize The Tres Bistro, but I guess maybe a combination of Italian and Filipino food I would say. It's located not far from the Silliman University 5-10 min by motorcycle from Rizal Boulevard. The ambience here is nice and welcoming and the interior has a classy touch.
The Tres Bistro, Interior, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Classy touch

The Tres Bistro, Interior, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The decor is nice and stylish

The Tres Bistro, Menu, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog
The Tres Bistro, Menu, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

A mix of Italian and Filipino

Italian and Filipino style

The Tres Bistro offers different kind of meat, pastas, soups and salads in an Italian and Filipino style. They usually have many guest so obviously it's a popular place.

Pasta ​Tres Putanesca

When I was there a couple of days ago I ordered a Chicken Cordon Bleu but since it was not available I finally ended up with a pasta instead. It was the Tres Putanesca, spaghetti with meat sauce, anchovies, olives, mushrooms and capers. The portion was not really big for me, I could have eaten more since the pasta was very delicious. The spaghetti was "al dente" and the meat sauce had a rich and tasty flavor and had not the sweet taste which is so common here in the Philippines. On the other hand the two slices of garlic bread served together with the pasta had a rubbery and hard texture. 
The Tres Bistro, Complimentary, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

A complimentary starter

The Tres Bistro, Pasta, Dumaguete, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Pasta Tres Putanesca

Conclusion

The food was great aside from the two slices of bread. Despite the two slices, my impression was that they use good and genuine ingredients for the food. The service was ​meticulous and they had more stuff on their menu that I would like to try. So I will definitely come back. I would have given a 5 for the food if it hadn't been for the two slices of bread accompanying the pasta.
Rating:
​1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
4 Food 
5 Service
5 Value
5 Atmosphere
​The Tres Bistro
Tubod, Hibbard Ave.
6200 Dumaguete
Negros Oriental, Philippines
​Phone: +63 35 422 9507
Published on

Review of Dayview Tourist Home

Dayview Tourist Home, Bohol Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Dayview Tourist Home

Strategic location near the port and the airport

Dayview Tourist Home is an anonymous little pearl located just in between the Tagbilaran Ferry Terminal and the airport. Just a few minutes ride with tricycle from both which makes Dayview ideal as a starting point for Bohol.
Dayview Tourist Home, Front desk, Bohol Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The front desk

Dayview Tourist Home, Entrance to our room, Bohol Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Our room was nr 11

The best internet ever so far!

Dayview Tourist Home is not a fancy place, there is no beach, no pool and neither a fantastic view. But the place is new, fresh and very clean. The bed was equipped with a spring mattress. Our room had both AC and fan. Breakfast was not included but it didn't matter because you have the Cogon market around the corner where you could buy whatever you want. And last but definitely not least, according to my experience they had the best internet connection so far in the whole of Philippines! Yes you heard right. A stable and powerful connection where you could upload and download heavy files. For some that doesn't matter but if you are working online that's worth its weight in gold.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a fresh and very clean budget accommodation with a central location with good WiFi and if you don't mind taking the motorcycle going to the beach and other attractions this is the place for you. On the other hand, if you like to have the beach just outside the door, near to restaurants, bars and discos this is not the place for you.
Rating for the accommodation:
​1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
5 Location
5 Sleep Quality
4 Rooms
4 Service
5 Value for the money
5 Cleanliness 
​Dayview Tourist Home
269 Lamdagan Street, Barangay Cogon,
6300 Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines
Phone nr: +63 917 512 8163
Published on

A new café in Dumaguete

Review of Chapters Café, Entrance, Dumaguete, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Chapters Café

Review of Chapters Café, Entrance, Dumaguete, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The entrance

A world of childlike dreams

That's their motto according to the menu. In a way I agree because when you enter the place the ambience is very special. The walls are painted with motifs from foreign places like Venice in Italy, Taj Mahal in India, some place in France I think and Machu Picchu in Peru. The ceiling is like a starry sky ornate with books, playing cards, tea cups, cakes, dolls, chairs and a plane. There are sofas with different colors and chairs with different makes, well to make a long story short it's a mixture with a little bit of everything. But the redline is travel, books, coffee & tea and cakes in a cosy atmosphere created in a playful and creative way. So yes... a world of childlike dreams.
Review of Chapters Café, Interior, Dumaguete, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Creative and playful

Review of Chapters Café, Interior, Dumaguete, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

A plane in the ceiling

Review of Chapters Café, Interior, Dumaguete, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The entrance

A Cheese Sandwich and Latte

On their menu they had a variety of salads, pastas, burgers, soups and Filipino breakfasts. They had many beverages hot and cold. When I was here they unfortunately had ran out of beef patties for the burgers so I ended up order the Bill Chapters Cheese Sandwich and a Cafe Latte. 
Review of Chapters Café, Menu, Dumaguete, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

The menu

Review of Chapters Café, Menu, Dumaguete, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Entrees

Review of Chapters Café, Menu, Dumaguete, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Burgers and sandwiches

Review of Chapters Café, Menu, Dumaguete, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Soups and salads

Chapters Café approved by me

I was disappointed that they couldn't offer any burgers and the cheese sandwich wasn't really what I had been looking forward to. However the sandwich turned out to be delicious and the cafe latte was also approved. They offered iced service water without the need to ask for it. The WiFi was free and it worked good. I could work without any interruptions. They didn't have many electrical outlets to connect the laptop but the staff was very helpful and let me connect to one of the few outlets which were available. At lunch time Chapters Café quickly filled up with guests so obviously it's a popular place which I can understand. Chapters Café is approved by me and I will be back.

Finally the WiFi gave up

I did this review when I actually was sitting here in Chapters Café. At the end of my session the WiFi finally gave up. So I had to connect thru my 3G connection on the phone to finish this review. This is really a common problem, not just at the Chapters Café. Why is the infrastructure for internet so bad in the Philippines? Grrr!!
Review of Chapters Café, Cafe Latte, Dumaguete, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

I ordered a Cafe Latte

Review of Chapters Café, Cheese Sandwich, Dumaguete, Negros, Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Bill Chapters Cheese Sandwich

Rating:
​1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
4 Food 
5 Service
5 Value
5 Atmosphere
Chapters Café
Sta. Catalina Street, Dumaguete
Negros Oriental, Philippines
​Phone: +63 995 85 55 888