Socially distance yourself from the hustle and bustle of Manila by taking a 3-hour drive to this part of Nueva Ecija where one can wake up to a sea of clouds and the humming of birds. Nestled on the slopes of the Sierra Madre mountains and overlooking the calm waters of Pantabangan lake are a set of cabins that gorgeously blends with the surrounding nature.

Constructed on a vast farm land rolling on the tips of successive hills, Farm Ridge by Desmond Farm’s hilltop cabins dishes breathtaking outdoor views and a country vibe stamped with mother nature's serenity. Part agricultural and farm tourism site, visitors can enjoy a much-needed Zen-and-chill experience while regaling at the spectacular scenery in between spreads of healthy farm-to-table meals.

Together with three other travel writer friends Anne, Karla, and Tina, we experienced the 3 days and 2 nights "Break Free" itinerary curated by Pico Sands Hotel. Taking advantage of the magnificent set of nature that surrounds the Hamilo Coast area in Batangas, we beach-bummed, sunset cruised, and fancy dined our way for a much-needed nature break.

Dotting over the hilltop property are six cabins of varying layouts but sharing the ambiance of a calm bucolic lifestyle, and a main farmhouse called Matahum. Each cottage was named from different words taken from Tagalog, Cebuano and Hiligaynon languages, such as Amihan, Hiraya, Bahaghari, Maharlika, Malipayon and Marahuyo.

Half of the cabins comes with small private pools while the rest comes with added fabulous views by being perched on grounds with elevated viewpoints.

The cabin’s interiors are lavished with mostly wooden materials, finished with floor to ceiling sliding glass doors, and covered with nipa thatched roofs. Other features include a private bath, a loft and a veranda that opens to the majestic views of the mountains and the lake.

The property is managed and owned by Desmond Farm and Partners Inc (DFPI). It is a corporation composed of farmers and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who pooled together an investment in developing an organic farm that produces high-quality cacao beans.

"Since the management saw the need for a guest house to accommodate our various stakeholders who want to visit the farm, few have been carefully constructed," said Desmond Farm's Corporate Secretary Kaiselle C. Atun. "After experiencing themselves, the beauty of the nature surrounding the farm, and recognizing the importance of promoting sound agricultural practices, DFPI started offering the cabins and opening its farm gates to the public,” Atun adds.

Guests of Farm Ridge by Desmond Farm can also enjoy the farm’s fresh produce that are available upon visitor’s request ranging from vegan and keto-friendly meals, to cacao-based sweets and pastries.

A small shop is also located on the ground floor of the Matahum farmhouse where you can buy fresh vegetables and fruits, pigeon peas, assorted peanuts, Choco nutri nibs, chocolate peanut spread, and different flavors of chocolate bars made from the cacao harvested in the farm.

Farm Ridge also offers farming activities to its guests particularly in learning how to plant and harvest cacao by taking them to the farm’s cacao plantation located a few distances away from the hilltop cabins.

Plans for the immediate future include the construction of a café where diners can relish the 360-degree view of the striking waving tips of the Sierra Madre and its adjacent rolling hills down to the calm waters of Pantabangan Lake.

These are the standard baseline rates compiled directly from their digital platform Farm Ridge PH. Please keep in mind that seasonal updates, weekend packages, or promotional events can shift pricing scales. Make it a point to survey their Facebook page for active discounts or special package releases.

A memorable time, pleasant weather—like Baguio or Sagada feels—good food, friendly staff (most are former farmers trained by the management to learn hospitality housekeeping and kitchen skills) and a satisfying hot cup of hot tsokolate.

Our trip to Farm Ridge by Desmond Farms was made possible by NLEX Corporation who recently organized a mini Lakbay Norte trip to Nueva Ecija. Participated by travel writers from both the print and digital media, the journey to the province known as the “rice granary of the Philippines” aims to promote other budding destinations worth visiting.

Looking for where to eat in Zamboanga City? One restaurant has become almost synonymous with the city's culinary identity: Alavar Seafood Restaurant. Best known for its legendary Curacha con Salsa Alavar, the restaurant has been welcoming travelers for decades and remains one of the first stops for food lovers visiting Zamboanga.

No visit to Zamboanga City is complete without sampling Alavar Seafood Restaurant's Curacha — a giant deep-sea spanner crab half the size of a human face — drowning with the restaurant’s signature Alavar sauce. Eating it can be both satisfying and messy at the same time. Using your bare hands, crack the shell open to expose the thick and juicy meat inside, then glaze it with Zamboanga’s famous culinary sauce and viola. You’ll be surprised at how many crabs you have licked and sucked clean in the end.

Fortunately for me, in the three instances I visited Zamboanga, I experienced dining at Alavar Seafood Restaurant on two occasions. The first one was during the 2017 Savores culinary festival and the most recent was during our Zamboanga Peninsula media trip just last month (September 2021).

What makes the "curacha con salsa Alavar" an unforgettable dish, other than the sheer size of the curacha crabs, is the Alavar sauce. Unique only to this restaurant, the Alavar sauce is a family heirloom recipe originally concocted by Maria Teresa Camins Alavar —the matriarch founder of this now iconic culinary establishment — in the early 1970s. The Alavar sauce is a blend of crab roe paste, coconut milk and various secret spices.

Due to the popularity of the Alavar sauce, the restaurant sells it in packets and can be paired deliciously with other dishes like steamed prawns and lobsters as well as other sautéed proteins.

During my first time to Alavar’s, we fine dined over platters of prawn curry, grilled tuna jaw, dinuguan cooked Chavacano style, paella and pinakbet Chavacano and the main star, the curacha con salsa Alavar. It was indeed an epicurean joy that made my first visit to Zamboanga City more memorable. 

I recall that same gastronomic delight when I stepped foot inside the restaurant for the second time. This time around, a buffet set-up awaited us. With a selection consisting of baked imbao, grilled tuna, beef rendang, fried shrimp, vegetable salad and their signature dish of course, I immediately filled my plate and ate with gusto. Let’s just say, I returned for another serving. And another.

Maria Teresa Camins Alavar and her husband Jun soon handed the secret recipe to their daughter Marissa Alavar Alfaro before she took over managing the restaurant. So, it came as no surprise when after our satisfying lunch, Teresa's grandson Jomari Alfaro, who is a chef himself, demoed to us the procedure of preparing the famous Alavar sauce but without revealing the secret ingredients.

After we finished our plates, we bid goodbyes to the staff of Alavar’s. Walking out of the restaurant, I felt like my hunger is already satisfied for the rest of the day. I also took with me another savoring experience of feasting on one of Zamboanga’s culinary icons: the Curacha con Salsa Alavar”. I wouldn't mind coming back for the third, fourth, fifth time and so on, when I visit Zamboanga City again and again in the future. It would be my pleasure leaving a mountain of curacha crab shells on my plate and on the table again.

“Naka hain na ang pagkain sa hapag kainan”. Most of us 80's kids will attest that these words are enough to get us running into the dining room from playing games on the street. "Hapag Kainan," is the Tagalog word for "dining table," which is probably the most significant fixture in a Filipino household. It is the place where family members come together to talk about the day's events while enjoying a delicious homecooked meal.

I never had a big family. Usually, it's just my sister and mom because my father worked abroad as an OFW. Despite being incomplete most of the time, I had fond memories of those meal times together. Much so when we would visit my grandmother’s home in Bulacan where a long hapag kainan always be surrounded by myself and my cousins — enjoying my Auntie Carol’s delightful cooking.

Those were the good ole memories that cross my mind each time I hear the words Hapag Kainan. When one utters these words, they better be describing a dinner table from our childhood memories and not the smaller Ikea-inspired dining tables we’ve gotten used to when we start living independently. When I learned that we’re headed to a place called Hapag Vicentico’s in Cabanatuan for dinner, I instantly expected a throwback vibe.

Upon entering Hapag Vicentico’s, I was immediately drawn to its homey ambiance. Rustic and oozing with heritage feels. Even though it is way bigger than my late grandmother’s house in Bulacan, it still created a connection to my growing up years when we come to visit and dine together with cousins and other relatives.

Hapag Vicentico's gives off a certain vibe that lends itself to a place where friends and families can enjoy a fine meal - and because of the dishes they serve - the Novo Ecijano way.

Vicentico’s, which was named after the patriarch of the family that owns the restaurant, Engineer Jose Vicente Salazar Jr., was once an abandoned house. In light of its location in the bustling part of Cabanatuan City and just across Freedom Park, the Salazar family renovated it "bit by bit, piece by piece" so that it not only looked like a home, but also served as a place where diners could eat together as if they are in the comforts of their own hapag kainans.

Fashioned out from the traditional "bahay na bato" (stone house) prevalent in the 19th century, the restaurant provides charming and photogenic corners where the mostly old wooden furniture creates an antiquated atmosphere made more pleasing by the smell of local cuisines being served.

Our #LakbayNorte hosts ordered us a feast of "Putok Batok" platter which consist of sinful dishes of crispy pata, adobong alige, chicharon bulaklak, and lechon kawali to go along with their famous deconstructed kare-kare and a few appetizers. For our dessert, we were each given a pint of Puno's Ice Cream and Sherbet, a local ice cream maker in Nueva Ecija.

As I savor every spoonful of my macapuno-flavored Puno’s Ice Cream, a slideshow of images of bygone years flashed before my mind. The huge wooden table, the Capiz windows, the cold stone floors of my mother’s ancestral home in Bulacan (which has since been demolished and replaced now by commercial stores) came back to life as the chatters of other diners sounded like conversations from my childhood — of happier times when my Lola, Auntie Carol and other elderly relatives were still alive, and us brood of cousins were still kids all waiting to be called to gather around the hapag kainan.

The joy of eating at Hapag Vicentico's goes beyond delicious food. It’s also about reliving the bliss of familial get-togethers around a hapag kainan.

Mountain bikers and motorcyclists alike are flocking to the rugged hills of Colosboa in Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija. This is because of the terrain's snaking dirt tracks that would delight any two-wheeled rider, as well as the beautiful countryside scenery. However, as the host of a TV shopping show would say, "but wait, there's more." Because Colosboa Hills is also home to a bike and souvenir shop, a rustic bar called Hill's View, and a foodie hangout place called Tambayan ni Berto.

Serving a cyclist's drink of choice — freshly brewed coffee — Tambayan ni Berto also offers various local cuisines such as pancit bihon and guisado, sinigang sa hipon, kaldereta, pinakbet, beef papaitan, and the silog and goto breakfast staple choices. You can order ala-carte or by platter if you are composed of a big group.

Inspired by the traditional Filipino Bahay Kubo, Tambayan ni Berto provides a comfortable outdoor dining experience thanks to the cool wind blowing throughout the Colosboa hills and the relaxing scenery surrounding it.

Guests can choose to sit on the main dining area under the nipa-thatched roof beside the counter or under one of the tables set up in the adjacent garden.

Though we were only there to have our breakfast before touring the rest of the Colosboa Hills — where a cycling dirt track is being developed — I was already able to visualize its appeal to cyclists and even outdoor lovers as an ideal place to unwind, fuel-up with good food, and hang out with friends.

In recommending this place, I guess I’ll have to repeat the words I uttered when I guested on a Travel, Food and Tech review show on GMA a few years ago, because Tambayan ni Berto is a definite “Pop na Pop”.

A few days removed from being graced by the presence of National Living Treasure awardee Apuh Ambalang — a Yakan master weaver who unfortunately passed away at age 78 in February 2022 — in Lamitan, Basilan, we continued our discovery of the 'Habi' (weaving) culture of Zamboanga Peninsula by making an educational stop at the Yakan Village in Zamboanga. Despite the fact that this was my second visit to this Yakan cultural hub, I was immediately captivated by the vibrant woven creations displayed in the rows of stalls that greeted us after we alighted from our vans.

Originally indigenous Muslim settlers of Basilan in the Sulu Archipelago, the Yakans — known for their vibrant geometric weaving creations and distinct traditional practices — began migrating to mainland Mindanao in the early 1970s, many of them compelled by political unrest. A significant number settled in Zamboanga City. The Yakan Village in Zamboanga was established to showcase their weaving art and other traditions in order to preserve their culture.

Around the village, colorful 'tennun' hangs in eye-catching fashion popping with rich colors and hypnotic patterns. "Tennun" in Yakan means any woven cloth used in weaving a Yakan dress. The Yakans eventually expanded their indigenous art creations by weaving other items such as trousers, table runners, aprons, brass buttons, sashes, scarfs, malongs, pillowcases, and even bags and shoes. They also introduced new designs such as the vine-patterned dawen-dawen, the diamond-shaped kabang buddi, and a few others inspired by everyday objects.

Yakan hand-loomed fabrics are well-known for their use of geometric patterns in complementary and contrasting colors. Each cloth's design, like that of other traditional woven creations from Mindanao, refers to a specific cultural and historical narrative.

When you’re finished buying some of their creations, you can watch some of the weavers at work, as several of them have a weaving machine set up inside their stores. This will give you a newfound appreciation for the amount of time, effort, and artistry that goes into each tennun creation, with most taking an average of 5 hours for a small piece and up to two weeks for a long tennun cloth.

Aside from woven fabrics, the village also sells a large collection of antiques and trinkets related to Mindanaoan culture, particularly that of the Zamboanga Peninsula region.

We met Apuh Jahlinan Ilul, a cousin of Apuh Ambalang Ausalin, after climbing the stairs to the upper level of the village. Despite the fact that we spoke different languages, we were able to communicate with each other thanks to her granddaughter, who served as our translator.

Apuh Jahlinan, it turns out, wanted to demonstrate the Yakan facial art of "Tanyak-Tanyak." A tradition unique to the Yakans, the Tanyak-Tanyak is worn by a bride on her wedding day.

This Yakan face painting tradition involves the use of bamboo implements and powder made from rice grains and then mixed with water. It is then painted in the shape of miniature patterns such as circles, crescents, and diamonds on the face of a young lady. They recently substituted talcum powder for rice grains to make the process easier.

Apuh Ilul's granddaughter enthusiastically agreed to be the model. Once the process of applying the tanyak-tanyak started, the young lady's tiny-shaped face blended beautifully with the intricate designs Apuh was drawing in tiny and steady strokes.

As we approach the tail-end of the pandemic, the Yakan Village in Zamboanga brightens up the cultural scene once more, thanks to the collective colorful culture that is preserved here.

What we visitors can do to help their weavers' community return to normalcy is to show our appreciation for their art and culture. What better way to assist the Yakans preserve their woven tradition than to obtain a piece or two — or more — so we can bring a piece of Yakan culture into our homes — not only for posterity and display purposes, but also to help the Yakans preserve their beautiful weaving tradition.