Kasalang Filipino sa Gensan 2013

So here are a few of the reasons why I love Kasalang Filipino 2013 at Gensan.

It was a wonderful experience being part of the Kasalang Filipino 2013. If only to support my hobbyist turned full time wedding photographer hubby - Omar S. Gallinero. 

Kasalang Filipino 2013 - Gensan Leg

Our official photographer (although he rarely shoots for the Pinay Travelogue nowadays), is also a full time wedding photographer. He has been doing a number of weddings for quite some time now. And for the first time, he is having a booth under his own name at Kasalang Filipino 2013. 

Mt. Sabrina Mountain View Resort (Jam's Garden Restaurant)

Mt. Sabrina at dusk

I've previously blogged about this beautiful resort on top of a hill, overlooking the picturesque Sarangani Bay. Quite frankly, I get confused whether it is really called Jam's Garden Resort or Mt. Sabrina Garden Resort. But forget the name since the mere mention of Mt. Sabrina to locals, they will readily point you to this wonderful resort.

Teriyaki Boy @ SM Gensan

Teriyaki Boy is one of our favorite restaurants in Davao, so when it opened one of its newest branch at SM General Santos, our family of three had to troop over for a meal. The restaurant serves Japanese cuisine at fairly reasonable prices. Their signature lemon yellow furnishings is a breath of fresh air from the usual reds or darkwood designs of traditional Japanese restaurants.

Dine Philippines Gensan

Gensan plays host to the national restaurant management conference, DINE PHILIPPINES on February 25, 2013, 1 to 5pm at the SM City Gensan Cinema.

Dolefil’s Surgical Mission 2013

Just recently, I have been lucky to be invited along with the Sox Bloggers to experience first-hand Dolefil’s Surgical Mission 2013. I have been in Polomolok for more than a decade now. I know for a fact that there are a number of impoverished communities  in the municipality, so the Surgical Mission is a welcome relief to the people of Polomolok and other communities in and around region 12.

First Glimpse of Mt. Sabrina Garden Resort

Up in the hills (Mt. Sabrina), hidden from view of the public's prying eyes sits Jam's Garden Resto-Bar. The handsome property started as a venue for countless prenup shoots done in the area, well mostly by Mr. OSG :).  Maybe due to the picturesque view in these hills, The owner Ms. Sol Mananquil, decided to invest in the property and put up a permanent structure which is perfect for garden weddings. 

I love the view from up here, where you can see all the way to Sarangani Bay. 

According to photographer extraordinaire -- Mr. OSG (excuse me for being biased :), sunsets here are breathtaking. So if you are planning on having a garden wedding, you might want to consider having it here at Jam's Garden Resto-Bar.

I remember MR. OSG telling me a story about the first garden wedding that was held here at Jam's Garden and Resto-bar, they had no covered areas yet, and the wedding party was constantly getting worried should the heavens shower them on their very special day. According to the owner, she will put up a permanent structure if the wedding goes well without a hitch. Well, I suppose the heavens wanted future brides to enjoy the place so true enough, we can see and enjoy the new buildings put up in the  area. Here are a few of the pictures from that wedding...

Their restaurant on the other hand, sits with pride in the highest peak of the entire establishment. 

From my visit there, I think, they can comfortably sit around 50 people inside the air conditioned hall and about 20 more in the restaurant's entrance. 

 This is of course just my guess-timate so you might want to see for yourself how many of your guests can be seated comfortably if you prefer the covered area.

For inquiries, you can get in touch with them through these numbers: (0917) 708-1693 or (083) 553-2763 .

Gala Builders Supply - Our Story

Gala Hardware at Mabuhay Rd. cor Nunez Sts., General Santos City

 Finally! Something to blog about (brag about actually - excuse the pun :) ) ... I've been blogging for almost three years now, raving about other people's business establishments and giving my honest opinion about their place, their food and etc. I've always been a bit shy to talk about our business, much less to blog about it here in Pinay Travelogue. But the time has come that I've finally have something to blog ("brag") about when Gala Builders Supply, our bread and butter, was recognized by the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) as a Bronze recipient of its Bagwis Awards 2012. 

The Bagwis Award is awarded to business establishments that adhere to strict consumer laws such as selling only items with PS/ICC marks for products with mandatory standards, having consumer welfare desks and giving quality customer care to clients. The Bagwis Program aims to give due recognition to business establishments, that are compliant with all trade laws implemented by the DTI. Apart from this, it also encourages establishments to participate in government programs to become socially responsible businesses and provide safe and quality products and services to consumers. Consequently, the interests and welfare of consumers are protected and they are guaranteed to get the best value for their money.

The Bagwis Award comes as a surprise for both Mr. OSG and me, since we are not even aware there was a business ethics standards, let alone an awards committee giving recognition to small businesses such as ours. As far as we were concerned, we try our best to conduct our business by being honest to our customers and providing them with the best service our people can offer. It is also a fact that we value our people as partners since they are after all part and parcel in whatever success we attain. We owe it to them for whatever accolades our store gets. (Is this famas speech material or what? hehe)

Gala Builders Supply has come a long way. From one store in Cannery site, Polomolok in the year 2000 when we started, we have now expanded to three stores in all. One in Poblacion, Polomolok and another newly opened in Purok Malakas, Gen. Santos city (photo above). I remember when we started, we only had around 20-30 bags of cement a few hardware materials for sale and P20,000 pesos in revolving capital. At the time we started, Mr. OSG is the designated delivery driver and manager and I was the saleslady and cashier. Our staff at the time is only three heads, when you buy something from them in the morning, they will be the same ones to deliver the orders in the afternoon hehe. We know and embody the meaning of "multi-tasking". You can ask our loyal staff, some of whom are still with us till this day. 

We had humble beginnings, and we have worked hard for more than a decade now, building what Gala Builders Supply is today. Of course, at the end of the day, we still have our own share of headaches and stress but when we look back at what we've accomplished, our business has given us a wonderful learning experience. We still continue to improve and rise up amidst all our mistakes businesswise. The Bagwis Awards is the cherry on top  of the cake and we are so proud to have been recognized. Thank you, this means a lot to us. 

Cafe Mita's All Day Comfort Food

Cafe Mita is the newest addition to Gensan's string of restaurants. Yep you heard me right, it is not just a cafe, but a restaurant. As its tagline suggests, Cafe Mita boasts of serving "All-day Comfort Food", so you get to enjoy your breakfast fares of choice anytime during the day!

Its intimate and cozy interiors remind me of home, so  eating at the restaurant was literally like having a meal at home. My family and I readily felt comfortable. I just feel that this will be my favorite hang-out place if I want to have chitchats with my girlfriends over a meal or over coffee.

The food was worth the wait when it was served to us. Hubby ordered the Pork Salpicao. It was delectable and very tasty. A hint of spiciness due to pepper I think but then, it was of no consequence since even my little girl loved it. Be prepared to shell out only P135 for this dish.

For me, I ordered the Roast Porkloin with Grilled Pineapple. The pork was cooked just right although I would've loved it even more if it comes with a sauce on the side since some portions of the meat when cut comes out as a bit bland but nevertheless, still an enticing dish for only P135 for a solo meal.

And for my daughter, she loves pasta so we ordered the Chicken Liver Bacon Pasta for her. It is a penne type of  pasta with red sauce coupled with bits of chicken liver and bacon, garnished with parmesan cheese (lots of it may I add) with garlic bread. It was an instant hit with my little girl. It was to my amazement that she cleaned her plate of pasta, we just had to stop her from eating else she decides to eat the plate as well! hehe. This particular dish will set you back for a measly P135.

The Lychee Iced Tea was also divine and it was a different twist to ordinary iced tea so we would definitely be ordering that again next visit.

They still have a number of scrumptious dishes on their menu which we intend to try on our future visits. And they also sell sugar-free peanut butter, cookies and other pastries. Hmm.. might have to try those too next time. :)

Cafe Mita is located at at the ground floor of PG Building, below M. Tanoy Showcase, National Highway – Roxas Avenue Junction (beside the entrance to Queenie’s Love Village, GenSan. For reservations or catering needs, you may contact them at 083 552-8338      Business hours is between 8AM till 10PM, and for more info on the restaurant's delectable dishes, visit the Bariles' blog here. 

Thailand Chronicles: Ayutthaya Elephant Kraal ...

Elephants! 

Clearly, they are one of God's gentlest creatures. 

They are highly revered by the Thais.

So, we couldn't pass up the chance of an elephant ride over at the 

Ayutthaya Elephant Kraal. 

Ayutthaya, Thailand's former capital, is an hour's drive from Bangkok. It is filled with historical architecture and home to a number of elephants, most of which are friendly as they are used to tourists. 

The Royal Elephant Kraal is one of the worlds oldest elephant kraal which dates back to the 1500s or so as we were told by our mahoot (elephant handler). 

For an Elephant ride around Ayutthaya Historical Park, be prepared to shell out 100 - 500 Baht depending on the route. Photos if taken by their official photographer is quite pricey at about 100-150 baht and up. But our mahoot was kind enough to ask a fellow mahoot to take our photo on the elephant using our camera (although we were  getting worried of him running away with our camera tee-hee!!) for a measly tip of 20 baht. :) 

This particular Elephant ride was included in the Ayutthaya tour. For more details on the Ayutthaya tour, be prepared to shell out 1,900 baht for a whole day tour including air conditioned coaches, tour guide, buffet lunch at a hotel and mineral waters and refreshing towels after every stop. :) or check out my other blogpost on the tour here.

For inquiries, contact World Travel Service Ltd at tel (662) 2335900-9 or email them at: kusa@mozart.inet.co.th or visit their website here.