vegan in davao city at the vegan dinosaur

SUPER LATE POST...as usual.

It's easier now to be vegan when in Davao City. I think. On my work friend and my last day there before going back to Cagayan de Oro City by bus around August last year, I finally got to meet a friend I've been talking with for a while now on the bird app for lunch at the Vegan Dinosaur. I've forgotten what these are but definitely, they're salads and you can check em out on the menu on the Vegan Dinosaur's site. Anyway, yep, I'd come back here in heartbeat. But first, I might have to try that one in Ayala Centrio that's similar first. That and this one seems to have the same price on the stuff they serve, yes. Me thinks the Vegan Dinosaur is mid-priced compared to the one I've been meaning to try in Centrio...or they have the same pricing. I'm not sure. But I'm definitely looking forward to trying the latter. 

one october 6 night with Pentagon at Prism World Tour at the TICC in Taipei

photos by yours truly

The reason I was in Taipei from October 5-7 last year, 2019, was this: Pentagon's Prism World Tour in Taipei. They had three set schedules for it in South East Asia and none of it is the Philippines so it was this, Taiwan, Hongkong or Singapore for me. I thought Taipei, Taiwan would be the cheapest and easiest so in about a couple months' time before the trip...maybe three, I'd already booked my plane tickets via Philippine Airlines, booked my accommodations a month or two weeks before the trip, and bought the concert ticket a couple days or so before I left Cagayan de Oro City for Taipei. Admittedly, it wasn't very easy and I felt my budget for Taipei was pretty short (I only used a 100 USD of 200 USD I'd brought with me, as pocket money) but everything worked well. Somehow.

This was my first kpop concert and it was just a bit outside the Philippines so yes, it was very memorable and precious to me. 

I'd worried about going to the concert on my own for a time because most of those in fandoms I know were going to Johnny and Associates' Hey! Say! Jump!'s 2-day concert at the Taipei Arena also near the area I was in. Yes, I was once a hardcore Jpop fan but not enough to go on and fangirl HSJ. Hah. But yeah, I knew some people that went there. HSJ's 2nd day concert was around the same night and time as Pentagon's only date there, at the TICC. Luckily, I didn't have to feel so alone there because some Filipino Universes had found out I'd gotten a Pentagon concert ticket and was headed to Taipei the day before the concert. I got to meet them after the concert. Though we were around each other for a while, hunting for a restaurant we could eat dinner in and just have fun chatting, bonding or so...we weren't able to find a restaurant to sit and eat and chat in. We decided to go our separate ways instead because some of us were headed home the next day. Others were going to other places like Jiufen to continue their Taiwan tour with. I was in the former group. My flight back home was at around 7 or 8 in the evening of the 7th. I SO wish I could've stayed longer because there's SO MUCH to see and do in Taipei and the vast country of Taiwan in general. Hmn...I'm hatching another plan of this kind in my head with some really good friends for next time. I'm getting the hang of budgeting and planning trips everywhere as of late. Maybe it's a sign that I keep on going even if I'm running myself broke (but let's hope not? It's tough being broke). Well, I can somehow get used to this sort of or partly nomadic lifestyle.

Anyway, I won't go in depth with the concert. Doing a part by part recount of what'd happened at the concert, what I'd seen and insanely dance to can be quite...tiring. Yes. So yes, let's not. I'll just go through the highlights of the concert along with pictures.

Above is my concert ticket. It's 4280 NTD, yes. This is Less than 150 USD which was, I thought, a good price already for such a good concert, by one of my favorite boy groups. This is actually why I'd decided to go. The concert ticket was quite...affordable. I'd already bought the ticket days before I left for Taipei so I just went to the 7-11 at the first floor of my accommodation there and got the help of the store attendant/cashier in printing this one out. Yep, it was quick! I hung around family mart next door, thereafter, to eat a lunch of an assortment of sliced fruit. Ugh. I so wish our 7-11 had these kinds of fresh eats. I'd gobble those up in a heartbeat...on a daily basis.

The management held contests for ticket holders to win in. I was told by the new friends that I'd won a signed poster. It now sits inside my closet of some everyday bottoms and dresses, still unrolled. I would love to have a lot of the posters I got from buying pre-ordered stuff framed. Yes. But moolah for it isn't enough, yet. Lucky are the others that won photos with Pentagon. One of my friends did. I may get lucky in another time...I hope.

Going back much, much earlier before the day of the concert, I'd arrived around 8 in the morning at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. I had to rush to the accommodation to see if I could check in sooo much earlier than the scheduled check in at 3 p.m. but I wasn't allowed by the person-in-charge so. Apparently a lot of things like hotel/accommodations check-ins are often set at a certain mid-afternoon time. Even a lot of the businesses like malls and more in Taipei start out late. I found it difficult the next day to find a good place to have breakfast in...hmn... Basically, only McDonalds was open and accepting breakfast-searching customers (like me) at around 7 or so in the morning. I had to wait for my check-in time before I prepared for the concert wearing the dress that I wore from the previous blog post...and my VERY handy, super over sized that it makes me sooo happy and warm and cozy and fuzzy, every time I have it, denim jacket. It's a men's jacket, by the way. Anyway, back on topic...so because I had to wait until 3 p.m. to get into my room and check in so I could begin preparing for the concert about to happen that night, I just wandered around the neighborhood and chanced upon a tea and coffee house that allows people to make their own beverages all over their super cute pantry or kitchen. They also allowed food bought from outside. And...best of all? They allowed you to stay AS LONG as you'd liked in their cafe. You can basically do so much there like homework, work projects and more, undisturbed. It was such a cozy place. And because I was waiting for the time I can get into the room I'd booked, I missed the fans event that went on the time I was at the said tea and coffee shop. I could've gotten some freebie banners and more. Hardly matters now, I met wonderful people at the tea and coffee shop I was in and I enjoyed much of my time there. One of the highlights of my Taipei trip so far. I'll recount this again on my Taipei food post later.

Even if I'd missed the said fan gathering prior to the concert proper, a new friend was kind enough to send me off with a Yuto banner! Yay! He is my Pentagon bias and the reason why I got into Pentagon in the first place. But yeah, as with Da-iCE, I'd ended up liking all of 'em in the end. The fan organizers also had a balloon and unibong/mobile phone light event in some songs and some where we had to hold out the white banner and later, the blue and black one so all in all, IT WAS SOOO MUCH FUN! I'd so like to do it again. Yes! Needless to say, when I got home, I contemplated a second Pentagon Prism Tour date in Singapore but I'd already depleted my travel and concert money saved up so nope. Next time.

Highlights of the concert for me: Jo Jinho in Havana. So smexy for someone so small...he's their shortest and funnily, their eldest member. I mostly like Jinho because he's cute but he's giving me Yang Yoseob-vibes lately. I think he's trying to grow out his gyeopta phase now. All of Summ(:er)'s tracks performed was HEAVEN! And lastly...THE ENCORE. The encore had all my favorite songs: Thumbs Up! and Spectacular (스펙터클 해), to name a few. Of course, Fantasystic (판타지스틱) is my favorite from Summ(:er) and it was realllyyy rad to see and hear live.

It was a fun night of singing and dancing to what I could at the concert, all in all. 11/10, I'd do it all over again. Hopefully one day soon. (Or I may go to a Da-iCE concert soon, should all go well with something I'm doing at the moment, applying for another job tat pays better than my current job...somehow).

Up next in this Taipei trip series? Food. I'll be highlight vegan/vegetarian food there so wait for it! I already have the photos ready. Unfortunately didn't take much photos of the restaurants and stalls I went to. I'm an idiot, apparently. I plan to go back to Taipei again one day to do a proper food trip and some sight seeing or activities-filled one so yeah...one day soon. 

Siquijor in random photos

Steps to Cambugahay Falls

Fresh coconut/buko from a seller in Cambugahay Falls

Jump board/Diving platform (9 meters) in Salagdoong Beach

These are just a few random other photos from the Siquijor trip. I've shared a few others on my personal Instagram account as well. You can click on the links part of this page to see that one.

We only toured the island for a day so we had to pack in all the sites that are the closest and the easiest to access from our home base in Lazi. The first stop was Cambugahay Falls, right after a quick trip to Lazi Convent next door to our accommodations. The falls was full of tourists, foreign and local alike. I've met some that came from Dumaguete City, right across the pond as well so that was good. The upside of the falls being sooo crowded? There's Php 30 coconut, the freshest kind there is. I was able to secure one from a seller (and there are others that sell other things like barbecue, if you're into that...and buttered and grilled bananas, we call this one ginanggang here, and more...) nearby the area of the falls we sat at. I don't recall ever seeing Cambugahay Falls this busy way back in 2013 with the good friend and dorm mate. 

Funnest thing to do in Cambugahay Falls aside from eat? Pay the attendant at the swing thing 20 Php and you get unlimited go's at it and get to go like Tarzan and dive into the cold water. But because the water was cold---it is a waterfall---I never tried it nor would I dare because I prefer hotter water to this one. I've grown up swimming almost all the time in very cold springs so I've gotten sick of it, basically and wouldn't go near anywhere cold water is in...at all.

Diving or jumping in that platform in Salagdoong Beach comes with no-charge at all but there's a fee when you go in with your crew. I really wanted to jump but because my eyes were lasic-ed, that killed entirely my chances to do so. I'm not allowed to do any extreme sport that comes with pressure whether underwater as in scuba diving or from high up there, skydiving. Diving or jumping from high places like this is included, of course.

To be honest, I liked Kagusuan Beach better than this one, Salagdoong Beach. I prefer a quieter beach as this one was really crowded at the time we were there. Sadly, Kagusuan Beach has been closed for quite some time now. So much things happen there that everyone is now fearing for safety...of their things and money. My friend and I were among those who has had our money stolen there from way back 2013.

So in my next trip, I hope to be able to find a secluded beach all to myself and others who're going to come with me then. Also, I'll try the vegan offerings of the island from Lazi to other towns in it. Yep.  

so I was in the Greater Metro Manila over the last weekend and..

....all I can say it is it was a blast! I was there to see Years and Years on their Manila concert date at the Kia Theater, now called the New Frontier Theater the night of the 25th but they cancelled, so...yes... It ended up being just a day and night of chilling with friends I've been meaning to meet after such a loooong time of just chit chatting with them on Twitter, Instagram, LiveJournal (way back when LJ was a thing and it was huge among Japanese entertainment stans...) and tumblr.

It was a HUGE shame Years and Years had to cancel their remaining South East Asian concert tour dates after a gig in Indonesia because well, many people were anticipating this tour including me and the good friend I met up with in the National Capital Region. It's even more so a shame because they were even slated for LaLaLaFest which, I think, is kind of cool to attend next time. I read about this one in the in-flight magazine the Air Asia flight, I'd taken on the way to NCR, had. Maybe if I were richer... LOL, whenever that will be...I'd've gone to the one in Japan since they didn't cancel this one. I was sooo looking forward to a night of dancing and singing along with Olly Alexander on the mic all night of the 25th...but alas, it didn't happen. On the bright side, we didn't spend for the tickets in advance at all because we didn't buy it in advance, online on Ticketnet. We didn't have to go through the hassles of getting our money refunded for a cancelled concert.

Anyway, yes, all we did the whole time I was there was hang out and just chill. The first night was for walking around Mall of Asia after checking in at Kabayan Hotel. My dad suggested this to me as it's his favorite as well. Turns out, a close friend of mine in Davao City frequents this OFW budget-friendly hotel as well. Kabayan Hotel is situated in Pasay City where everything, especially transportation, is highly accessible from. You have the MRT 3 across the side of the hotel and there's also LRT Line 1 if you walk further along from there. Public transportation is highly abundant in the area, just make sure you have a map or, well...google maps help a ton, according to said Davao City-based bff/super close friend. February 25 was a holiday, EDSA or People Power Anniversary. I don't remember how many years has it been since...now. So this was perfectly timed on a long weekend and I just took a work leave for Tuesday, the next day, so I could make it home fine and get enough rest before work the next day, Wednesday.

Mall of Asia chilling and walking around was fine except there were a ton of people there. There seems to have been an event at the Mall of Asia Arena and we were caught in the rush of people coming out of it around 6-7 at Sunday night. It was also a weekend so, like, the amount of people there being more than overwhelming (especially for those with social anxiety and such) is quite understandable, I think. After walking around aimlessly and just catching up in personal on the most random of things, we just had a quick dinner at Yoshinoya after and hopped onto Kabayan's hourly or so shuttle. Yes, the hotel is very, VERY convenient to stay at if you're there for a concert like I was for Years and Years. It's also convenient for those who want to be there for other events and maybe, just running an errand around the great big...metropolitan region.

The next day, February 25, was a trip to Maginhawa in Quezon City via North EDSA/Trinoma MRT 3 station. The beep card I got from the dad prior to leaving for Manila the day before---he handed it to me when he came in from Manila in the Laguindingan Airport because it was timed to my leaving as well---came into good such good use that I had to get one for my own should I take another trip there one day soon (and I do plan to do so as well~). 

Maginhawa is a street in Quezon Avenue that's lined with dainty milk tea shops, cafes and about a handful of vegetarian, vegan and mixed restaurants that aren't at all as heavy on the pockets as I expected. The milk teas we had at Moonleaf however, were quite expensive however. In our local Chingkeetea here in Cagayan de Oro City, a Php 90 regular-sized milk tea at Moonleaf is already a large drink of any thing except maybe specials in their menu. This makes me thankful to be based in Cagayan de Oro City. Quite the comparison, I know but such things are infinitely more affordable outside of Manila or NCR. And yes, the above are polaroids friends and I took at Moonleaf before Kat had to leave for a family emergency.

After a quick chill out at Maginhawa---we ate a quick lunch of pasta at Trinoma's food court before proceeding here---with milk tea on hand, Pat and I headed to Pino's to meet with my little brother who's attending college at the Ateneo nearby. Ateneo de Manila, the University of the Philippines Dilliman Campus and the all girls' college, Miriam College have easy access to Maginhawa. This is why you'll see a ton of students here, studying and just hanging around...

Pino's is a bit pricey but they offer really good vegetarian and vegan food. The second floor, Pipino, is for vegans only. I'd go there with Pat next time I'm around the metro on my own again. I've been meaning to go vegan/vegetarian for a while again. Anyway, price-wise, Pino's okay. Then the second night there ends in Pino's. By the way, I had the vegetarian soba which was good. It comes with mango bits so...it was filling. Ugh, I want to try other things in their menu. :(

I wasn't able to shop much during this trip because we were hellbent on just chilling and food tripping so all I really got out of this trip was my cat's shiny new grey garterized ribbon collar with a tiny golden bell and a feather toy for her. Also, a couple of really cute notebooks from Landmark that only cost Php 19.something each. 

The next day, the last day of my long weekend there, was a quick trip to Cubao before going home. Luckily, they have a lounge and airport shuttle there called Ube Express so it was easy for me to get to the airport from there after half a day or so spent wandering around the area. This one started with a quick-ish breakfast at a McDonald's there of pancakes and hot chocolate. I missed eating that one since I hardly breakfast out here nowadays. Like, seriously? I really hardly do unless I have a trip to go out for again.

So I checked out super early from the hotel at around 15 minutes to 5 in the morning and promptly caught the first 5:30 a.m. MRT 3 train out to Araneta-Cubao station. 

The only city scape-ish photo I took that's a tad bit scenic is probably this one from the Araneta-Cubao MRT 3 station. I was waiting for Kat there and thought that the sunrise was pretty so this was the result of my phone photo adventure at the time. My phone's camera isn't exactly the best as it's just a J2 Prime but it works really well if the area is well lit like this one.

Cubao was all sorts of fun. We finally located the New Frontier Theater (formerly known as the Kia Theater) and we also time-hopped at the quaint little area around Cubao Expo. It's time travelling on there as they have everything weird and fun at the same time like collectibles of sorts from really old and rare books, records and more. I found a Pablo Neruda fresh from outside the country at the first shop we visited there and really wanted it but at 600 Php for such a tiny, soft-bound book, I decided otherwise. I'll just get some of his books from Amazon along with the Kate Moss ones that I really like. (insert me crying inside here as we left the shop to look around some more...)

After another stop at a shop of collectibles this time, we settled to eat at Bellini's. Their menu is pricey. LIKE SERIOUSLY PRICEY. It's an Italian restaurant and a very, very fancy one and the cheapest pasta on their menu is 300 Php. Yes, so those are the pastas we had here. It's easy to get orders veganized at this restaurant. Like, seriously easy despite the pricey-ness of most things on the menu. On the upside, despite the amount per person we'd racked up through individual orders, we were given dessert wine for free so it was all good. 


But yes, although expensive however, I WOULD DEFINITELY eat here again. YES!

Random insert #1: I don't know why the photos on here are upside down...I don't think I have time to fix them either but these are the pastas we had.

Random insert #2: Of course, I lost the Bench sunglasses with case I'd bought last year for a Camiguin trip in transit from Manila to Cagayan de Oro City at the end of the trip. Yay me. Something always gets lost when it comes to me transiting one airport to another. It happened in the US way back 2015 and 2016 with my prized scarf cum blanket made from the softest, prettiest cashmere my mum got me on their trip to Italy and France, err...around Europe so it's happened again this time with something I'd bought...this time. I hardly lose my passport and other important things on trips but I lose a lot of treasures I get for myself and other people get for me from all over the world so... Yeah, I'm not all too sure how to deal with disasters like this anymore so I just get used to it considering I am often jet setting or riding the ship and buses to somewhere within a year's time. I'll have to buy myself a new one and I've been eyeing the wayfarers from Sunnies that are only about 399 Php in the SM Store in SM Downtown. Hmn...

Despite not shopping or looking around and just eating and eating and drinking this whole weekend off around last week, it was sooooo much fun. I got to have long talks with friends I rarely meet in real life and I also got to meet with the brother while there. 

This is something I would do all over again and maybe, even just take a trip to the Greater Manila metro for the randomest things I have no idea what they are...it might come to me one day. By the time I got home, I was feeling the brunt of separation anxiety from friends there. Sad, I know. But I'm sure to meet them again one day soon.

For now, I'll get ready for my Davao trip! It's this coming August 9 because I'll be there for a very good friend from Dumaguete City's wedding. Her husband-to-be is also such a good friend so yes, this'll be another fun trip. I'll be meeting with another friend as well from Silliman University to catch up with stuff with. Yay! Also, Olive/@caramelmori on twitter. <3 Yep, another adventure! Now, if only I were able to take more outfit shots but I was hardly able to this time around. Not sure about the Davao trip however...

My calendar's pretty full this year. I hope to travel more next year on wards as well as I have some pretty big changes in life coming up soon. Hint: I'll be working seriously on actually moving abroad. Australia and/or New Zealand are my main targets. There'll be hiccups along the way but I hope everything will be fine. I expect those hiccups to happen anyway. Nothing in life is ever smooth either way.

Until the next post then!