On-the-go Summer Drinks by CoCo Fresh Tea and Juice

Summer is definitely here! Beat the summer heat by trying CoCo Fresh Tea and Juice's on-the-go summer drinks. CoCo Fresh Tea and Juice specializes in freshly made tea-and fruit-based drinks which originated in Tamsui, Taiwan. It has been operating globally for 18 years now with presence in China, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia and the United States. The company takes pride in innovating freshly made drinks such as fruit teas, milk teas, cream, latte and chocolate, fresh teas, fresh fruits, cool slush and some seasonal beverages.

Photos from Angono Higantes Festival 2013

Here are some photos from Higantes Festival 2013

Experience Angono Higantes Festival 2013

Higantes Festival of Angono, Rizal Province has become one of the most famous Philippine festivals because of its colorful and adorable paper-mâché giants locally called higantes. Angono's higantes, each towering at ten to twelve feet tall, will once again parade the streets of the town this coming November as Angono celebrates the Higantes Festival 2013 in honor of its patron saint, San Clemente.

Ang Tipulo Festival 2013 | Schedule of Activities

The City of Antipolo, best known as a pilgrimage site for the devotees of the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, celebrates during the first week of May the annual Ang Tipulo Festival. The festival features the rich culture and heritage of Antipolo and the city's various local delicacies such as kasuy, suman, manggo and balimbing (starfruit).

Highlight of this year's festivities is the Ang Tipulo Festival Grand Parade scheduled to take place in the afternoon of May 4, 2013. This has been confirmed by Antipolo City Tourism Officer Engr. Mendoza through a phone interview. Incidentally, Ang Tipulo Festival was a runner-up in the recently concluded Aliwan Fiesta 2013 held last April 13, 2013.

May 4, 2013 - Ang Tipulo Festival Grand Parade

Photography enthusiasts are also invited to join the Litrato ng Tipulo Photo Contest. Photos must be shot on location in Antipolo City between April 8 and May 4, 2013. Registration fee is PHP100.00 while deadline of submission of entries is on May 5, 2013. Interested individuals may contact the photo contest organizers at (02) 697-4269.

Bookmark this page and check for updates on other scheduled activities for Ang Tipulo Festival 2013.

Angono: Balaw-Balaw Specialty Restaurant

It was in 1999 when I first visited Balaw-Balaw as part of an educational trip organized by our Humanities professor in college. I am happy to revisit Balaw-Balaw for the second time after 12 years.

The restaurant has been serving exotic dishes, which include lizards, insects and frogs (to name a few), long before the terms "food adventure" and "food trips" started appearing online. We ordered adobong baboy sa gata and nilasing na palaka (fried ricefield frogs). As the saying goes, lasang manok lang (they tasted like chicken).

The restaurant also houses an art gallery showcasing paintings and sculptures by local Angono artists. Dominating the restaurant are miniature human figures made of papermache. The giant version, called higantes, are used during the street parade in Angono held every November 23 in celebration of the feast of San Clemente, patron saint of Angono.

From Angono Petroglyphs Museum, it only took us a 15-minute downhill drive to reach Balaw-Balaw. This concludes our day-trip to Angono, Rizal.

See complete photo album: Angono, Rizal: Balaw-Balaw Specialty Restaurant (July 16, 2011)

Binangonan: Angono Petroglyphs

This weekend, we had a rather different travel theme, which we fondly called an "educational trip." This time we visited a museum, the type which is not housed in a building, rather a museum on a rock shelter found on the portion of the Sierra Madre mountain range near the boundary between the towns of Angono and Binangonan, in the province of Rizal -- The Angono Petroglyphs Museum.

What are petroglyphs? The word comes from the combination of the Greek words petros meaning "stone" and glyphein meaning "to carve". Thus petroglyphs are basically rock engravings.^[*]

The Angono Petroglyphs were accidentally discovered by Filipino National Artist, Carlos "Botong" Francisco in 1965, while on a field trip with a group of boy scouts. Engraved are 127 figures of human, frogs and lizards which are said to date back to 3000 BC, making the Angono Petroglyphs our oldest link, as Filipinos, to our ancestors. At present time, there are no other petroglyphs yet discovered aside from the Angono Petroglyphs.

The museum is located very near the Thunderbird Resort Rizal. When entering the gates of Eastridge, just ask the security guards on duty for directions. To reach the museum, visitors will have to walk through a tunnel and the footpath (curving to the right) will lead you to the museum office. Vehicles are no longer allowed to pass through the tunnel as the vibrations may cause damage to the man-made structure. Viewing decks were constructed to protect the petroglyphs from vandals. No visitors are allowed beyond the viewing decks.

According to Ms. Esperanza T. Jacob, officer-in-charge of the museum, the Angono Petroglyphs Museum is open from Monday to Sunday (except holidays) from 8:00am to 5:00pm. Entrance fee is P20.00 for adults and P10.00 for students/senior citizens (with valid IDs).

See complete photo album: Binangonan, Rizal: Angono Petroglyphs (July 16, 2011)