Around Clark: Mt. Pinatubo Sky Tour at Omni Aviation

We all know about the trek to Mount Pinatubo via Capas, Tarlac. But have you ever wondered how Mount Pinatubo looks from the sky? Thanks to the Mount Pinatubo Sky Tour of Omni Aviation in Clark Freeport, you can now do that at a very reasonable price.

It's PHP4,500 per head, regardless of the number of people who'll fly. That's because they have different sizes of planes. So if you're just alone, they can send you up on a two-seater Cessna 152 plane which I took.

The best time to take the flight is early in the morning (at 7 or 8 a.m.) or late in the afternoon. Omni Aviation usually operates from sunrise to sunset so you won't have a problem being too early. You should avoid taking the flight close to noontime since the sun's heat creates pockets of air turbulence that make the ride bumpy. And that is something you'd like to avoid.

But rest assured, the view above the crater is magnificent! Make sure it's also a clear day since you wouldn't want to get disappointed when you're above the crater. While they accept walk-ins, it's best to call to find out if a flight is possible.

Mt. Pinatubo Sky Tour
Omni Aviation (Clark)
+63 (45) 8926664
+63 (45) 5995524

Around Clark: Kambingan in Bayanihan Park

Only the Pampanga locals knew that right beside Bayanihan Park in Angeles City is a small row of restaurants which serve different dishes of goat meat. But now, these kambingans have become very popular after Anthony Bourdain visited them when he was in Pampanga.

They serve kalderetang kambing, pinapaitan, sinigang na kambing and kilawin among other things. Craving for goat meat? Then Pampanga is the place. And there are more food choices in Pampanga than visitors could ever imagine!

Pampanga: C' Italian Dining serves breakfast for the first time!

C' Italian Dining usually opens in time for lunch. But for our Ultimate Philippines tour, we requested Chef Chris Locher to serve breakfast for us. Chef Chris mentioned this was the first time he was serving breakfast. And he sure did not fail to impress.

One the menu was (1) assorted home made freshly baked breads, banana and chocolate muffin, assorted imported jams, honey, muesli and juices, coffee, tea, fresh milk and chocolate milk, fresh fruit platter, (2) fritata with three kinds of cheese, (3) slowly wood fire baked fresh giant white mushrooms, baby white onions and sun ripe tomatoes, (4) home made Italian sausages, honey baked ham and herb smoked pork loin roasted in olive oil, (5) smoked salmon and (6) butcher steak (U.S. Angus beef) char-grilled with fresh rosemary served with Florentine style white bean stew. Everything was as expected, unbelievably good!

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Pampanga: Visita iglesia to Pampanga churches

When I was still City Tourism Officer of San Fernando, Pampanga, I lamented the fact that the beautiful churches of Pampanga were not given the attention they truly deserve during the Holy Thursday visita iglesia tours. Well, I can say that today that Pampanga is hot on the visita iglesia map!

On top of the list is the Betis Church in Guagua. A National Cultural Treasure, the church is called the Sistine Chapel of the Philippines because of its wall to ceiling mural paintings and its ornate wooden retablo.

You can start your visita iglesia in Lubao Church, the oldest church in Pampanga. From the San Fernando Exit of the NLEX, just drive westward to Lubao. After Lubao, drive eastward along the Jose Abad Santos Highway (Gapan-Olongapo Road) and look for the junction to Sta. Rita town on the left to visit the Sta. Rita Church. After there, you can drive to the Guagua Church, and then to Betis Church.

After Betis, drive along the old National Highway until you reach Bacolor Church. Once the biggest church in Pampanga, it is now half-buried under lahar. But that did not damped the pride of the town in their heritage since they dug up the wonderful retablos and restored them.

After Bacolor, continue your drive along the old National Highway until you reach San Fernando. You'll know you're in San Fernando when you see the chimneys of PASUDECO, the Pampanga Provincial Capitol, and the wonderful ancestral mansions along Consunji Street. Since Holy Thursday is also Araw ng Kagitingan, you might want to make a stopover at the San Fernando Train Station, an important Death March landmark.

Anyway, you'll be able to find the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando really easily. The current interior of the Cathedral was designed by Architect Fernando Ocampo after the church burned down a second time in 1939.

Since you are already in San Fernando, you can have your lunch stop there and try out the great restaurants that serve some of the best Kapampangan fare.

From San Fernando, drive south along MacArthur Highway to the Minalin Church and Apalit Church. Then at the San Simon Interchange, cross above the NLEX eastward to get to the San Luis Church and further on, the Arayat Church. Along the way, you'll see the old facade of the Sta. Ana Church. However, its interior is heavily renovated.

If there's not enough time, you can go straight to Angeles Church north of San Fernando. From there, you could drive to Porac which has two old chapels worth visiting, the Pio Chapel and Hacienda Dolores Chapel. Pio is a bit more accessible. But it's quite a drive to Hacienda Dolores.

You can end your day with dinner in the Clark Freeport area which has a wonderful selection of international cuisine for all. Well, if your stomach is up to it, you can keep on eating in between churches since every town has its own specialty! A visita iglesia in Pampanga is definitely a feast for mind, body and soul!

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Around Clark: C' Italian Dining and Azur Bistro & Bar

When in Clark Freeport, make sure to try out the many wonderful restaurants that offer a fine selection of international cuisine. After our visits to El Kabayo and Puning Hot Spring, I brought the Qtube crew to C' Italian Dining for lunch. No doubt, this is the best Italian restaurant, if not the best restaurant in town!

Of course, Chef Chris Locher served us their world famous panizza (these are pizza strips you roll with alfalfa and arugula), their homemade sausages, wood fire roasted chicken and pasta. Great selection indeed! If you want to taste the best of C' Italian Dining, join our Mothers' Day tour on May 9!

Anyway, for dinner we trooped to Azur Bistro and Bar, an up and coming restaurant and bar at Enclave along Friendship Highway. With me was Claude Tayag and Meng Tayag-McTavish who also wanted to try it out. Pampanga is really home to so many good restaurants!

Each of us had something different. We ordered (1) Meat Pie Salad, (2) 6-hour Slow Cooked Pork, (3) U.S. Certified Angus Beef Onglet, (4) Lamb Sausage, Mushroom and Tomato Pasta, (5) Corned Pork, Sausage, Black Pudding and Cannellini Beans, (6) Chilean Sea Bass, and (7) Braised Ox Tongue, Mushrooms a Jillo. What a feast!

Part 1: Around Clark: El Kabayo & Puning Hot Spring

Around Clark: El Kabayo & Puning Hot Spring

Who said Clark Freeport was all about leisure estates, duty free shopping and golf? Well, aside from eating, and eating, and eating, there's more to Clark than most people know. Today I got to try two recreational activities one can do while in Clark. And Andy Smith and Andi Manzano of Qtube were there to join me as I explored Clark.

One of those activities is horseback riding at El Kabayo Riding Stables. While you can take the horse around the area, if you are adventurous and up to the task, why not go for a ride down to the Sacobia River and enjoy the lahar canyons created by the Mt. Pinatubo eruption?

The trek can last for hours. But for those who love the outdoors, it's worth it. Well, we got to ride on the horses around Clark. But since we didn't have much time, we decided to save the Sacobia River for another day. I'm definitely coming back!

For the second activity, we moved to another side of Clark to board 4x4 vehicles that would take us to the Puning Hot Spring. It's in the ancestral domain of the Aetas so you'll get to meet a lot of them as you make your way to the hot spring. In fact, the employees of the Puning Hot Spring are mostly indigenous Aetas.

The ride is an attraction in itself, passing through lahar canyons and small streams in Sapang Bato. In fact, some canyons were so narrow, we were driving on the water. The ride from Station 1 to 3 was about 30 minutes, bumpy but exciting!

Station 1 is the Base Camp and has a garden restaurant. Station 2 is the spa and massage area. While Station 3 is the hot spring itself. As we neared Puning Hot Spring, we could feel the water of the stream warming up as we splashed our way through.

At the Puning Hot Spring, we got to go near the source which was a steaming hot waterfall. The water in the stream was close to 90 degrees Celsius. They divert some of the water into various pools with different temperatures ranging from 40 to 70 degrees Celsius. There are eight hot pools and one cold pool. So if one pool is too hot for you, you can take a dip in the next one.

The Puning package costs PHP3,000. And that includes buffet meals, the 4x4 ride from Garden Restaurant to the hot spring and back, entrance fees to the hot spring and use of the facilities, sand steam (that's where they bury you up to the neck under volcanic sand), body mud pack, and a foot massage.

Next up is eating, eating, and eating at C' Italian Dining and Azur.

El Kabayo Riding Stables
Gil Puyat Avenue cor. Panday Pira, Clark Freeport Zone
(045) 4990920, (02) 8523117

Puning Hot Spring
Sitio Target, Sapang Bato, Angeles City
(045) 4990629, (0920) 8664246 & (0919) 3392795
(0917) 5360618 - Korean

Part 2: Around Clark: C' Italian Dining and Azur Bistro & Bar

Pampanga: 14th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (Day 3)

We found ourselves up and about early in the morning in time to catch the lift-off of the the hot air balloons at the 14th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark Freeport. Our tour group left Manila at 3 a.m. and got there before the crowds arrived.

Anyway, it wasn't as sunny as the first time I got to watch this event. But there were more unique balloons this year including one in the shape of an elephant and another in the shape of a Coke bottle.

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Pampanga: 14th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

The 14th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta will be held in Clark, Pampanga from February 12 to 15, 2009. Our Valentine's Day tour to the festival is fully-booked already but you can e-mail us at info@ivanhenares.com if you want to be included in the waiting list.

Anyway, you can catch the hot air balloon flights from 5:30 to 7 a.m. daily during the festival. That means leaving Manila by 4 a.m. to be sure you make it on time. Take into consideration that the later you arrive, the harder to find parking.

The schedule also mentions flights late in the afternoon but I'm not quite sure about this since the evenings are usually for the night glow event which you should not miss. Night glow is scheduled for Saturday, 6:45 to 7:30 p.m. The full schedule of the festival is here.

Pampanga: Hot Air Balloon Fiesta tour on Valentine's Day! Book now!

After last year's successful run of Up, up and away! Huffing, puffing and pumping in Pampanga, we're at it again. It's another ultimate experience on February 14, 2009 as we romance up for Valentine's Day and be amazed by the high and mighty in Pampanga!

Gawk at the giant hot air balloons of the 14th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival! Savor the delights of an authentic Italian breakfast at the best cafe this side of Clark. Finally, we'll while away the afternoon in a soothing retreat while stuffing ourselves silly over a sumptuous Kapampangan feast at rustic farm setting! A feast for the body, mind and soul!

This tour leaves Makati at 3 a.m. and includes entrance to the 14th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, a sumptuous breakfast by Chef Chris Locher at C' Italian Dining (they don't usually open for breakfast but made an exception for this tour), and a hearty Kapampangan lunch at Abe's Farm owned by the LJC Group of Cafe Adriatico. Package price is PHP4,500 all inclusive. Only 30 slots are available on the tour on a first-come first-served basis. E-mail info@ivanhenares.com for bookings.

Spa treatments at Nurture Spa Pampanga are optional but highly-recommended! We'll e-mail you the Nurture Spa menu of services and price list if you are interested. Treatments have to be pre-booked due to the number of tour participants.

Speaking of tours, you all might be interested in this...

The BIG Binondo food WOK! Nibbling our way through Chinatown
(Special Chinese New Year Weekend Edition)
Oh yes, its that time of the year again when we BINGE ourselves silly as we welcome the Lunar New Year with a BIG, BIG BITE! It's the BEST time of the year to do the BIG Binondo Food WOK as we say goodbye to a RATTY year and welcome the YEAR of the OX! COWabunga!

Take a WOK with us! Tour dates are on January 24, 2009, Saturday (8 a.m. & 2 p.m.) and January 25, 2009, Sunday (8 a.m. & 2 p.m.). Chinese New Year this year falls on January 26, 2009. Rate is P999.00 per head inclusive of tasting menu. Limited slots and reservations required. Details at (0917) 3291622 or fun@oldmanilawalks.com. I joined the tour in 2007.

Pampanga: Claude Tayag's Bale Dutung, Everybody's Cafe and more from Pampanga

We had a really great Pampanga food tour today. Breakfast was at Everybody's Cafe where we were served a genuine Kapampangan breakfast composed of tsokolate batirul, pandesal, tamales from Cabalatian and rebuelto. Panghimagas included sweetened saba with ice, and plantanilla (sweet egg crepes with latik filling) from the kitchens of Imang Salud. The group laughed in amusement when we said that breakfast was light.

We passed by the Bacolor and Betis churches before proceeding to Bale Dutung in Angeles City, Claude Tayag's famous residence. On the bus, we served the group five gallons of buko sherbet which you can buy in Brgy. San Jose in San Fernando in a wooden vat!

At Bale Dutung, aside from the usual appetizers which included crackers with buro, taba ng talangka and pesto dips, pako salad, lumpiang ubod and chicken inasal, we were served five ways of eating lechon!

The first way was eating the skin with liver sauce. And they did it fiesta style, allowing the guests to skin the lechon on their own. The second way was Claude's own pritchon. The lechon meat and skin was fried to a crisp and served with soft tortillas and a choice of tomato, onion, basil, kinchay, kimchi and oriental sauce for the filling. It was really good!

Before moving on to number three, we were served begukan (made of pig's ears) and eggplant boats. For number three, it was sinigang na lechon. We were told the lechon bones were thrown into the broth to give it more flavor. They then brought out grilled lechon ribs marinated in inasal sauce. That was really good! The last dish was inasadong lechon pata!

To end our five hour lunch at Claude's, we were served halo-halo with the different Kapampangan ingredients which includes pastillas, leche flan, mais, saging and beans. The day did not end without our pasalubong for the group which included Imang Salud's ensaimadas and the inverted brazo de mercedes bites from Aurely's. Everyone told us to stop feeding them!

Our next tour is on December 20 which is the day of the Giant Lantern Festival. So book now at info@ivanhenares.com if you want to join. It's PHP4,800 per head and this tour will extend up to the evening to watch the Giant Lantern Festival.

Pampanga: C' Italian Dining, another sumptuous dinner!

After so many months of waiting and all those mouth-watering text messages from Chef Chris about their new dishes, I finally got the chance to have dinner again at C' Italian Dining! And indeed, it was filling as always.

We were first given one serving of panizza, the restaurant specialty, and a glass of Carménère red wine to go with it. Then we were served C' sausages, a selection of fennel, garlic and herb, and calabrese. Chef Chris also brough out oriecchette with pomodoro, and onion roasted potatoes with rapini, a kind of brocolli. We could hardly finish everything when Chef Chris came out and asked us, "Are you ready for the main course?"

It was just too much to handle and we had to politely decline whatever that dish was. So we were given some sweet endings, a serving of crème brulée and tiramisu! Yummy!

It's a mystery how we were able to drive up to Baguio with a full stomach. Yup, were staying overnight in Baguio since we have a meeting here early tomorrow. Today was day 1 of our road trip around North Philippines. We're visiting the different convention and visitors bureaus to check how they're doing.

After our regular morning meeting in MNTC, we joined the Pampanga Convention and Visitors Bureau (PCVB) for their courtesy call to Governor Ed Panlilio in the afternoon. In the evening, we met with the Greater Clark Visitors Bureau (GCVB). And in between, we had a staff meeting in Clark. Now, we're here in Baguio to meet with the Baguio Convention and Visitors Bureau (BCVB) tomorrow morning.

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C' Italian Dining is simply superb!

Pampanga: Cold Spoon serves the best frozen yogurt!

I was told that the best frozen yogurt in the country can be found in Angeles City. And Cold Spoon did not disappoint. It's along Friendship Highway at the corner of the Carmenville Gate 3 access road.

There were just so many toppings to choose from. For my pick, it was Butterfinger bits. If I only could have another one, I would have tried out Comstock blueberry, Oreo, Maltesers or muesli! Yummy! And hear this, they have a drive-thru window for those on the run!

Pampanga: Last day at the 12th Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

It was the last day of the 12th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta last Sunday and we were hoping that today wouldn't be like the previous day. We got our wish! At least our waking up in the wee hours of the morning paid off. Although it was a bit cloudy, the winds weren't strong so the hot air balloons were able to inflate and take-off.

We were lucky to get photographer's passes for the group (they only sell 100 passes a day) which allowed us to come close and literally touch the hot air balloons! By 7:30 a.m., most of the hot air balloon had taken off for their hare and hound race. And we were off for breakfast at VFW. I took these photos using my Sony Ericsson K850i.

Pampanga: C' Italian Dining is simply superb!

We went to the 12th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta late Saturday afternoon hoping to see the night glow. But just like the hot air balloon events that morning, it did not push through since the winds were just too strong. People were joking it was all hot air but no balloons.

But that wasn't much of a setback since the highlight for the night was dinner at a by-reservation restaurant called C' Italian Dining, one of the best Italian restaurants not just in Angeles City but in the entire country. It was twice named Best Restaurant by the Philippine Tatler. We had a four-hour, 10-course dinner that night!

Chef Chris Locher prepared for us a special menu with the theme, "Chris, I'm hungry! Feed me!" And here is what we got: (1) panizza selection, served with arugula and alfalfa sprouts; (2) fine carved goose salami and tripo fino from the Piedmont presented with our special ricotta cheese enticed with lemon and virgin olive oil; (3) assorted garden green with balsamic cream; (4) spaghetti bottarga di tonno (a true gift from the gods)

(5) grouper fillet baked with virgin olive oil, tomatoes and fresh basil presented on white truffle oil enriched polenta and Italian broccoli; (6) wood fire roasted chicken with green baby asparagus; (7) pork shoulder braised with black olives and fennel served on butter whipped potatoes; (8) grilled Angus flank steak "the C' classic" served with whole artichokes; (9) lemon cheese cake and (10) chocolate panna cotta.

We were also given a wonderful white wine called Corvo Glicine right before the grouper fillet was served. I also got some kiwi and apricot-flavored Italian soda. It was no surprise that after dinner, we simply could not move!!! Indeed C' Italian Dining is worth the visit!

C' Italian Dining
Don Juico Avenue (Perimeter Road)
Brgy. Malabanas, Angeles City
+63 45 8924059
+63 45 8926993

Pampanga: Armando's Pizza at the Historic Camalig Restaurant

Now have you ever heard of Kapampangan pizza? If not, then you must visit Armando's Pizza at the Historic Camalig Restaurant, the old Nepomuceno rice granary in Angeles City, that had been converted into a restaurant. And what toppings might one find in Doy's Kapampangan? Longganiza, ebun buru (salted duck eggs), onions and pickle relish! It sounds nasty, but tastes heavenly!

I've always been a fan of pizza at the Camalig. The crusts are baked to a perfect crisp with a generous serving of toppings. And if you choose to bring some home to your friends and family, the packaging is a novelty as well since the pizza is placed in a bilao and wrapped in Manila paper like pansit. Well, we're passing by the Camalig after our tour on Sunday. Yum!

Historic Camalig Restaurant
292 Sto. Rosario Street, Angeles City
+63 45 3225641
+63 45 8881077

Pampanga: Up, up and away in Pampanga!

After the success of the Ultimate Kapampangan Show-off, we now bring you our second tour offering: Up, Up and Away!!! Huffing, Puffing and Pumping in Pampanga on Sunday, 10 February 2008.

Really, another way to pump up your boring weekend and get your spirits soaring as we conquer the high and mighty in Pampanga! Gawk at the giant hot air balloons at 12th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta! Conquer and hike up the mystic and majestic Mount Arayat! Finally, we'll rest our weary feet over a sumptuous Kapampangan feast by one the country's most artistic restaurateurs, while soothing the afternoon away at a rustic, relaxing retreat! A feast for the body, mind and soul.

This tour leaves Makati at 3 a.m. and includes the 12th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, breakfast at the VFW Outpost, a five-hour hike up mystic and majestic Mount Arayat (optional), lunch at Abe's Farm owned by Larry Cruz of Cafe Adriatico, a massage at Nurture Spa Pampanga plus more surprises. Package price for the day-trip is PHP4,800 all inclusive.

Overnight Package
Go the extra mile by taking our overnight package from 9 to 10 February. We leave Manila at 2 p.m. and as the sun sets, you'll get to watch the colorful hot air balloons illuminate like giant light bulbs during the night glow. If you choose the overnight package, you won't miss out on the dinner we planned for you. We'll be hosted by Chef Cris Locher at C' Italian Dining, one of the Philippines' best Italian restaurants. We'll spend midnight at the Oasis Hotel, Angeles City's serene garden hotel. For bookings or more information, e-mail me at info@ivanhenares.com.

Pampanga: Ultimate show-off in Pampanga and Giant Lantern Festival 2007

We had a great show-off today! I won't go into detail anymore since I've said so much about Pampanga already in this blog. So I invite you to visit Our Awesome Planet's detailed account of the trip: Part 1 - 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Part 2 - 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.; and Part 3 - 4:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

There were a lot of surprises we did not mention in our announcements. Aside from lunch at Claude Tayag's Bale Dutung, we gave each participant a bayong with our favorite Kapampangan goodies such as Imang Salud's ensaymadas, turrones de casoy from Santa Rita, Aurely's Special which is an inverted brazo de mercedes, Junjun's barbecue and puto pao from Nathaniel's. On the bus, we also served five gallons of the legendary buko sherbet of Brgy. San Jose in San Fernando!

I guess the biggest surprise for the group was that Among Ed Panlilio joined us for lunch at Claude's! The Giant Lantern Festival was as spectacular as always. And it was a great thing they returned the marching band tradition. Watch out for our upcoming tours. We don't plan on repeating tours so the next one will definitely be different. It was all smiles for everyone after 16 hours in flamboyant Pampanga.


Thanks to Bikoy and Anton for the photos! The video of Giant Lantern Festival 2007 was taken by Bikoy too.