Club Balai Isabel is one of a kind and I'm not complaining

I wish I was able to take more pictures of the beautiful Club Balai Isabel in Talisay, Batangas but the experience was nevertheless beautiful.

I did not stay here, but an out of the blue offer of a day tour is something you can't say NO. 

A golf cart takes you around Club Balai Isabel where you can visit some of its beautiful amenities like the large infinity pool facing the Taal lake, The Kumintang Boardwalk and the Kumintang Grass Area.

The chapel located within Club Balai Isabel is a newly built structure that replaces a century old church ruins. The ruins, interestingly is located just beside the new Spousal or Joseph and Mary chapel.

Club Balai Isabel also features a pool bar overlooking of course, the pool and the lake itself. The open area is accesible to visitors strolling the skirts of Club Balai.

Club Balai Isabel's contribution in the ecotourism:

An Ecotourism Resort

Lush vegetation welcomes guests as soon as they enter Club Balai Isabel. The resort was built around a century-old coconut and mango plantation, a lot of which are still standing in the premises.

Within the resort are six varieties of mangoes, over a dozen varieties of bamboo, hardwood trees, several varieties of macopa, as well as cacao, mabolo, tiesa, chico, caimito, santol, duhat, pomelo, oranges, balimbing, langka, banana and papaya.

Club Balai Isabel is built along an ecological wonder, the famous Taal Lake and Volcano: an island within a lake within an island within a lake. The smallest volcano in volcano in the world is surrounded by a lake teeming with unique varieties of fish such as tawilis and maliputo.

The resort is the best jump-off point to get to the volcano island. With our accredited boatmen, guests are ensured that they are paying the right price for well-maintained boats with appropriate safety gear.

This is Batanes...

Imagine the next time you need to park your..... "airplanes" ☺☺☺

These images were taken in the island of Batanes. The small airplanes travel from mainland to the island of Itbayat. Although you can reach Itbayat by ferry, another option is to ride these parked airplanes. Interesting isn't it?

These airplanes normally cater up to 8 passengers and it takes about 10-15 minutes to reach the island of Itbayat. Airfare cost around 2k per passenger so if you're not up to taking the boat and spend 4 hours in the water, this is your other option.

Visit 'The Papier Tole Shop' in Intramuros and see why people keep on coming back

I don't know where my fascination for thrift shops started, but I do know, my youngest sister and I share the same interest. We are bound by our crazy interest on small bookstores like really small ones packed with maybe second hand books ranging from romance to travel and even DIYs. While we can spend hours on bigger bookstores like National and Powerbooks, it's different when we're at "Booksale," say... double the amount of time we spend on it.

Needless to say, we're both enchanted by stores that are more personalized (handcrafted items, old novels that has seen the times, journals etc...). I personally collect organizers and yes! pens! but on this particular day, I was greeted by a thrift shop with an impeccable feature.

The Papier Tole Shop
Address: General Luna St, Intramuros, Manila, Metro Manila

Handmade crafts from post-its to small journals, pens, table top notepad, notebooks that can be counted as collectibles and the list could go on. A locally made wrapping paper is also available and hundred more paper products that if you compare it to food, it's gastronomic as it is pleasing to the eyes. WOW the description :D

Inventory? yup! I wonder too... The knickknacks are endless and the variety of items were too many; it actually makes the place very interesting.

The store keeper was kind enough to offer me to take a look at the backyard. This is the path within the store leading to the back where the view is equally enchanting.

From a self confessed pluviophile here are 5 signs I think you could be one too

pluviophile  

(n) a lover of rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days

Even before I knew the meaning of pluviophile, I have always loved the rain. I don't know, but something tells me it's ok to love the rain. I delight on a rainy day and I love the sound of the windshield wiper during short travels. But what's most amazing about it is that I totally see myself as a different person when it rains (alright that's a bit creepy, but it's the truth). There are stages of being a pluviophile, but mine goes straight to the "person who can accomplish anything" when it's raining.

But I don't wish for it to rain every day because it defies its essence. Truly, the subtle feeling of being close to anything you want is just on the other side of your rain drenched window.
Emotions are high during the rainy season. But it's nothing near anger, hatred or violence. Rather, rain serves as a medium to draw me near my passion and understand and devote my time to something that means so much to me. It's weird, but I'm not scared of it. I embrace it like it's the only good thing left in this world.
That being said, here are the 10 things I think you're also a pluviophile.

1. You realize, you can be comforted by the rain. Regardless of how much you think the problem is, your inner self has a totally different approach to it on rainy days. And suddenly you realize, it isn't as much a burden as you think it is (was).
2. You love the smell of the rain. Maybe not the soaking asphalt, but have you ever smelled the minty, tangy smell of grass after the rain? It's heaven as well as refreshing.
3. You choose to be outside when it rains. Ever noticed how rain draws you near to a window? It's a subtle effect that is not known to us.
4. The sound of the rain calms you. I remember staring through the window of a taxi. From inside, I can hear the sound of the rain accompanied by the soft thudding of the wiper sends distinct calmness.
   
5. You don't mind getting soaked. Ever felt the cold rain water on your skin? or that time you ran through the rain and the nagging cold wind is also after you and when it finally catches up, you can't seem to control your chattering teeth? ahhh!

The many times I laid on the seat of my car and this the view

So this year and if I can help it, I will try to travel and reach farther destinations during the rainy season. Not that I'm inviting a perilous journey, but it will be a milestone (on the life of a pluviophile). 

Plan your trip this year and ditch your procrastinating issues!

Plan your trip this year and check these cool destinations this 2017.
I'm a cheapskate traveler and as much as I want to travel, I am also grounded by the fact that, funds are meager and I have to choose between traveling and paying bills. Once in while, great offers come and I have to close my eyes and just make that deposit, that way I'll have something to look forward to in a week or two.

I'm fortunate, I have friends who love to travel. That being said, I'm more of the "saling pusa" member. The one that is included after all slots are taken. When things are tight and there's really no more slot, then I can be very persuasive, "just give me a slot para wala nang gulo" type of person :D (kidding!)

If you haven't finalized any plans yet, these schedules may help you get going... :D

• January 14 - 15   
•  Fortune Island (Batangas)
• January 28 - 29  
•   Mt. Ulap (Benguet)
• February 17 - 19 
•  Sagada (Mountain Province)
• February 25 - 26  
• Mt. Kupapey / Banaue
• March 2 - 3          
• Mt. Pulag (Benguet)
• March 11 - 12     
•  Calaguas Island (Camarines Norte)
• March 18 OR 19  
• Pinatubo Adventure 
• March 25 - 26      
• Crystal Beach
• March 30 - 31     
•  Mt. Pulag
• April 7-9            
•  Jomalig Island (Quezon)
• April 14-16         
• Apo Reef Island
• May 10-15         
•  BATANES ISLAND

Not your chosen destination? Make sure to check us back for more summer trips this 2017. Ciao!