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Coconut Waffles

In a bowl, combine: 1 cup whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup white flour, 2 Tbsp coconut sugar, 1 Tbsp baking powder.

In the blender: add 3 large eggs, 1 can (400ml) coconut milk, 6 Tbsp butter, 1 cup freshly shredded coconut. Blend on medium speed for 10 seconds.

Add the blender contents to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir altogether.

Cook in preheated waffle-maker according to waffle-maker instructions.

Makes 7 waffles.

Modified from the Vitamix G-series recipe book.

Mount Makiling Trail with kids

The main trail to Mount Makiling (Marian Makiling trail) in Laguna starts at University of the Philippines- Los Banos campus. It takes just over an hour from Makati. Once in UP Los Banos, follow roads that go uphill toward the College of Forestry. Pass the Botanic Gardens on your right and Natural History Museum on your left (both are great places to visit). The start to Mount Makiling trail is a few hundred meters past the Natural History Museum on the main road. Park to the left before the gate.

Main gate to Makiling Trail

Register and pay the php20 fee and you're on your way. The trail to the summit of Mount Makiling is 8km long, so 4-5 hours to get to the top. If you plan to go to the top, you need to enter the trail by 9am (they have a cut-off time). If you plan to just go to Flat Rocks or Mud Springs (the two main destinations if you aren't going to the top, 45 min and 2.5 hour hikes, respectively), cut-off times are 2pm and 1pm respectively. 

We walked the first 4km of the trail before turning around with our kids. It was all paved and really well shaded by tall trees. The only thing we had to worry about were cyclists zipping back down the hill and some motorcyclists and a few cars going up the hill. The shade made this a very pleasant walk, and we even had the treat of a vendor walking down the trail with ice candy. Note however, that he is the only vendor on the trail. Unlike other trails in the Philippines, there are no sari-sari stores along the trail, so pack enough water and food! 

Lots to see and hear on the trail (birds, bugs and butterflies)

Shade! 

Along Makiling Trail

Had we continued two more kms (so around km 6), we would have reached Mud Springs, which are: 

mud pots, a type of hot spring where volcanic heat and sulphuric acid break down surrounding rocks into clay (from mountmakiling.org). 

We did however go to Flat Rocks, which are slabs of rock that the Molawin Creek flows over, forming natural pools and little waterfalls. The kids LOVED this! 

To get here there are two ways to do it. 

1)  Just 20 meters away from the start (gate), you veer off the main trail (to the right) and take the hike to flat rocks uphill for about an hour. This trail is very adventurous (spider webs in your face, ducking under fallen trees) but a lot of fun and very pretty as it is alongside the river.  I wouldn't recommend this way on a rainy day bc it wouldn't be fun in the mud. 

                                         

Where you turn off to go to Flat Rocks, just 20 meters away from main gate

                               

On the trail hiking to Flat Rocks

2) Hike for a longer time up the Makiling trail about 30 min and then take the path that veers off to your right to Flat Rocks. This is about a 30-min level, slightly downhill walk to Flat Rocks. It's called an easy trail, but the roots of the trees to trip over and the branches in your face, make it a little challenging- it's not flat ground. 

                                          

Where you leave further up Makiling Trail to go to Flat Rocks

  

Watch out for roots!

                               

                                         

On the trail leaving from further up Makiling Trail

We played and had a picnic lunch at Flat Rocks, the water is nice and cool. The depth of the pools is about knee-deep on an adult, enough to make us wish we brought the kids' swimsuits as they did more than just dip their toes in. It is clean and there's no garbage here, thanks to the area being managed by the UP College of Forestry. Other websites warn of flash floods if it's raining, as well as leeches so watch out for these- luckily we didn't encounter any. 

                             

You'll know you are in the right place when you see this poster explaining how Flat Rocks was formed

 Playing and Picnicking at Flat Rocks

After playing at Flat Rocks, you can choose which of the two trails to go back on. I recommend choosing one trail to go to Flat Rocks and choosing the other trail to come back. To go there we did the trail that starts from higher up on the main Makiling trail, and then came back by taking the trail along the river. 

Websites that were useful: 

Mount Makiling Forest Reserve website

Mount Makiling Forest Reserve Facebook Page

Pinoy Mountaineer guide 

After the hike, go visit the dairy store on the university campus and enjoy a treat from their agriculture department. Fresh milk, chocolate milk, flavored yoghurt, kesong puti (white cheese) and more! 

All Filipino Stovetop Granola

In a large pot over medium heat, stir 1/4 cup coconut oil, 3/4 cup coconut sugar and 6 cups whole oats (I use Quaker Oats brand). Continue for 5 minutes, constantly stirring. Oats will become toasted and light brown. Remove from heat and spread out the oats on a large cookie sheet or surface to cool.

Back in the large pot, add 2 Tbsp coconut oil, 2 cups freshly shredded coconut, 1 cup slivered almonds, 1 cup chopped cashew nuts, 1 cup sunflower, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir for 5 minutes on-medium heat. Add the cooked oats back in and cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and spread out on the large cookie sheet or surface again to cool.

Add 1 cup cut-up dried mango, 1 cup crushed dry banana, and 1 cup raisins. Let cool and then store in an airtight container.

Based the methods for this recipe on this Allrecipes stovetop granola recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/93132/stovetop-granola/


Substitutions for variety:

In place of coconut oil: canola oil

In place of coconut sugar: honey, maple syrup, coconut syrup

In place of nuts: walnuts, pecans, peanuts

In place of sunflower seeds: sesame seeds

Other grains you can add: ground flaxseed, puffed rice, wheat or kamut (available at Healthy Options)

In addition to salt, can add: 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger

Other dried fruits: cranberries, pineapple, papaya

For a real zing: add cacao nibs!

See also: recipe for making granola in the oven. 

El Nido, Palawan with Kids

This article helped me to get a better feel for what El Nido town is like (particularly in comparison to Coron). In a nutshell, El Nido is more a backpackers’ place versus a family destination just as far as what kind of visitors the town caters better to. But, a family vacation in El Nido can still be very nicely done (we were a family group of 23 people, 15 of which were kids).
Two ways to get to El Nido:

1) Fly direct to El Nido airport on Air Swift (for comparison purposes, about USD250 per person)
2) Fly to Puerto Princessa airport on Cebu Pacific Air (and probably other airlines) and then rent a van with driver to take you the 5 hours to El Nido. Flight is generally around USD150 per person, and then the van ride is PHP600 per person (this is the price that all van rentals quote). The road to El Nido is beautiful, which makes the 5 hours doable. Van drivers tend to drive fast, just tell them if you are more comfortable slowing down. When you reserve a van be sure to tell them how many seat belts you need to ensure that you have the right amount. We used, and were happy with, Rems Katar Van, owner Randy Madsam. Can be reached at 0905 432 5019. Or 0921 649 4111 (look for Che Madsam). We reserved before arriving so they picked us up at the airport. They also brought us back from El Nido to Puerto Princessa when we left.

Where to stay:

El Nido town and surroundings does not have any large, high-volume hotels/resorts yet.

There is El Nido resorts, composed of 3 different resorts owned by Ayala, which are scattered amongst the islands around El Nido (so boat ride needed to get to them). These are high-end, luxury resorts, see their website.

We stayed at Villa Dali, which is a small hotel with 3 villas each with 2 rooms (there is also 1 extra stand-along hotel room). If you rent both rooms of the villa, you have access to the lounge and kitchen and dining area at the top of the villa- this came in very useful. The resort has a small pool but we barely used it as we were out at the beach so much of the time. Villa Dali is located in Corong Corong, about an 8 min trike ride from El Nido town. It is quiet there and away from the busy-ness and noise of El Nido town, which is a small relatively quiet town, but it’s still where the concentration of the population and tourists are. Villa Dali is relatively new so the hotel rooms are in great condition and are kept clean. The staff were really nice and warm, and helped us to feel safe. They were also helpful with helping us with where to go. They also gave us our space, so the villas we stayed in felt more like rental villas. There is no restaurant at Villa Dali, but they do make breakfasts if you order the night before. We enjoyed Villa Dali very much and felt the price was right.

Hotel room

Dining Area upstairs

Kitchen area (not show is more of loung area)

View from the top of the villa

Beaches:

Closest beach to Villa Dali in Corong Corong is Maramegmeg beach about 5 min trike ride away.
At Maramegmeg Beach Bar, you can rent kayaks PHP100/hour and stand up paddle boards for PHP300/hour.The other desirable beaches are further away. Lio Beach is 30 min away by trike, and Nacpan beach is 45 min away by trike (also look for Duli Beach which is in the same area and apparently even more amazing than Nacpan beach). El Nido town itself has a beach which is more of a port for boats and is lined with restaurants and businesses. Trike rides were 50 pesos to El Nido town and to Maramegmeg beach. But 150 pesos to come back from Maramegmeg. To Lio Beach, we paid 300 pesos one way (note that there’s a shuttle from El Nido town that takes you to Lio Beach free of charge). For Nacpan beach, it was 1500 pesos for the whole day (to go to and from Nacpan).

At Maramegmeg beach

The shore at El Nido town

Sunset at Lio Beach

Island Hopping:

El Nido island tours are all the same: there are 4 that you can choose from. Tour A, B, C and D. Tour A is the most popular and includes the Big and Small Lagoon. Tour C is the second most popular. Tour B and D are the least common. In general the tours are 1100 or 1200 per person, there are a number of tour companies around in El Nido town where you can book at. All include a grilled lunch prepared by the boat staff at one of the beaches. The tour prices can also be negotiated. When you make a reservation, we found that the managers wanted to come visit at the hotel to meet and go over the details together, and get a deposit. It seems like this is just what they do, both tour companies we inquired at did this (so just be prepared). We used a company called Sea Crown Tours, which is run by a friendly Filipino wife (Che) and American husband couple. We were very happy with the service they gave us. They helped us choose which tours we wanted to do and gave us tips for what time we should leave etc, and accommodated our meal preferences by going over the meal options with us- this was helpful bc of all the kids we had with us. They also gave us a great group discount, so be sure to ask about that (we got as low as 600 per person the second tour we took with them). We were happy with the staff (they were all friendly and helpful with all the kids). They picked us up at the shore near Villa Dali, we just had to wade out to the boat. Definitely recommend Tour A, and after that, you really can’t go wrong with which other tours you choose, they are all gorgeous! Beautiful island after beautiful island.

Tour options

Wading out to our tour boat

First stop on Tour A 

Grilled lunch

 On Tour A (Secret Lagoon)

Floating through Big Lagoon

On Tour B

On Tour B we stopped at a sandbar before going to cathedral cave where sand dollars were plentiful! 

Where to eat: 

Restaurants in El Nido town  are not the best for big groups and families, but here’s what we found:

In town, we ate at La Salangane French Restaurant, they were able to accommodate our group and the tables were big enough for the kids to have plenty of room (you’ll see that other restaurants hardly have any sitting area!). The French food here is good quality and the grilled fish of the day dishes are very good. The view of El Nido beach is also very nice (watch the sunset from here).

Sunset view from La Salangane

In Corong Corong, La Plage is also owned by a French lady, Astrid, whose dishes are Provence, France-inspired. The food was very tasty and there was a wide selection to choose from. The atmosphere here is great. Low tables in the sand, plenty of space for the kids to be comfortable. It is on a beach. See below for one more restaurant in Corong Corong.

At Maramegmeg, we had the best luck with the first restaurant you walk past, Maramegmeg Beach Bar. Great selection of food (Salads, pastas, sandwiches. Our group loved the chicken wings, the French fries, beef salpicao, the salads and their delicious mango and buko shakes). This was also a good place to park and have the kids swim at (the staff were extremely helpful with getting us situated).

Food at Maramegmeg Beach Bar

If you walk down to the end of Maramegmeg beach, you will hit Las Cabanas resort, which is at the corner, you go around the corner and there is a gorgeous view of Inabuyatan Island, part of the Bacuit Archipelago (the beautiful islands that you island hop to). Be sure to see this! We didn’t have good luck with food at Las Cabanas, the majority of us got food poisoning after eating dinner here- which is a real shame bc the view at the restaurant is amazing.

View from Las Cabanas

At Lio Beach, which is owned by Ayala, there are various Filipino restaurants, one of them being the restaurant of the Casa Kalaw hotel. There are more restaurants close to the water, and also a pizza place, crepe place, and gelato place. Lio Beach is another beautiful beach to watch the sunset at. On the way to Lio Beach is Tambok's, a Filipino restaurant which my friend Monica of www.mylittleglobtrotters.com says is the best Filipino restaurant in El Nido. Shame we didn't get to eat here!

Monica also says there's a new Italian restaurant in Corong Corong that is family-friendly, called Trattoria Al Trove.

Other notes:
- There’s a bigger market at the El Nido Market center every Wednesday and Saturday
- The El Nido Bakery in town is delicious and has different breads available at different times of the day. Check out these doughnuts and cinnamon breads they made in the late afternoon:

 

- It’s fun to walk around El Nido town, by the water, and also on the small street where a lot of the souvenir shops and restaurants are, particularly in the evening.
-Be prepared for having to be super conservative about the water you drink there. When we all got sick, locals told us to not even drink out of the blue slim/filtered bottles, but only to drink bottled water, and to even brush your teeth with it. We’ve traveled to many parts of the Philippines and this is where I have had to be the most conscientious about the water we drink.
-El Nido also has a lot of mosquitoes and sand mites, be prepared with your mosquito repellent.

Things to do in Angono, Rizal with kids

i) The petroglyphs of Angono. Stone drawings that date back to 1000BC (the oldest stone drawings in the Philippines). They are preserved by the National Museum and the site is very well maintained making for an easy, short outing. You take a short walk up some stairs to a deck where you can view the petroglyphs.

ii) A trip to Angono can also include a visit to the Blanco art museum. The Blancos are a family with seven children, where all members were painters. There is a section for each member of the family. This is a great museum to take kids to because they have pieces from the different family members at different ages which kept things engaging. These are the childhood pieces of the youngest member of the Blanco family. 

iii) Angono Lake Eco-Park. Check out the gorgeous view of Laguna de Bay from here. There's a playground and you can even take a short 20 minutes boat ride for 20pesos/person on the bay.