Davao 2019 | Malagos Chocolate Farm and Puentespina Farm

No regrets.

We spent a day at Puentespina Farm: stopped by at Bird Sanctuary and ended the tour at Malagos Chocolate Museum.

We availed their Tree-to-Bar experience package and were provided with towels and cold drinks to freshen up.

Interestingly, the first leg of the tour was about the cacao farm. Overview of the process was mentioned before we went to see the cacao trees.

There are two types of cacao trees cultivated and used for chocolate production at Puentespina Farm. They demonstrated how they open each cacao fruit and we even tasted a lot 😁 The fleshy part needs to be removed before the real process begins.

The beans needs to be dried for some time before they sort it out and made into chocolate.

Our guide peeled one dried cacao bean for tasting and told us that its 'cacao nibs.' It tasted bitter-sweet but more on the bitter side 😄

After the farm visit, we went to Malagos Chocolate Museum.

The museum speaks volumes of information mainly on chocolate! (Obviously!)

We stayed there for a bit before finally having a cup of hot tsokolate and suman. Happy tummy prior the chocolate workshop activity.

For me the fun part was the chocolate workshop session. 

We were allowed to choose what to put in the chocolate mold. I chose almonds, mint leaves, chili, cranberries and a lot.

We were given melted chocolates and two boxes for packaging. You may check our video to see what we did. I think I had about 20pieces per box.

Malagos chocolate bars/nibs have a wine aftertaste (or was it just me?) And I really like it!

I bought chocolate bars for pasalubong 😊 My family and friends like them too.

Are you fond of chocolates too? 😉

♡,
Mari

Davao 2019 | Samal Island and Davao City

When was the last time I've been to the beach? 🤔

I think this was my second time in Davao City and Samal Island.

Samal Island:

We've spent a day in Samal Island. We visited few tourist spots and had a bit of 'water' fun! The memorable part was when our photos were taken with 'effects' 🤣

Real leaves and water were used as props 😁

 

I also like the night market because of food 😄
The price is okay and BBQs won't let you down!

 

We also spent a day at Malagos Chocolate Farm and visited a coffee shop, Bramble.

Have you been to Davao and Samal?

♡,
Mari

Davao Cafe | Bramble

 

Who would have thought that we'll be seeing a lot of pink in a cafe 😄 

Not that it wasn't normal 🤣 I guess most cafes have this vibe now. 

Bramble was TAPped!

Taste - 3/5 (overall)
They don't have much options, but coffee was decent.

I like their food but I can't say its 'wow'

Ambiance - 3/5
The place is small, and there were a lot of tables.

It was noisy, I felt that I had a headache afterwards because voices were echoing around us 🤣

But if there's not much customers, you'll had a great time taking photos inside and outside the cafe.

Price - 3/5

Can you let me know other laidback or chill cafes in Davao?

♡,

Mari

2021 Coffeeshops/Cafes prior Manila ECQ v.1

Met few close friends prior ECQ version 1.

In my opinion: 

Best coffee: % Arabica and Wildflour Cafe+Bakery

Best dessert/pastry: %Arabica

Check out below cafes/coffeeshops:


Waffle Waffee

Taste - 3/5 (overall)
Coffee - 3.5/5

Waffle - 3/5

Ambiance - 4/5
Not crowded (depends), and great place to meet up with friends.

Price - 3/5
Almost same with any other coffeeshops.


Cafe Moka

Lunch at Nono's is 😊

Taste - 3/5 (overall)
Coffee - 4/5
Cheesecake was average

Ambiance - 3/5
Small place, we sat outside.

Price - 3/5
Almost same with any other coffeeshops.


Wildflour Cafe +Bakery

I had kimchi rice meal too! 😁
 

Taste - 4/5 (overall)
Coffee - 5/5
Hazelnut Bomboloni - 3/5

Ambiance - 3/5
Dine-out set up, office buildings nearby

Price - 3/5
Pricey than the usual cafes.


% Arabica

We had lunch at Fireside first 🙂 
  

Taste - 5/5 (overall)
Coffee - 5/5
Pastry (apple) - 5/5

Ambiance - 4/5
Have you ever been into a class where the seats are elevated? 😅
Felt like I'm attending a class, but I'm giving it a 4 because I think its refreshing 🤣

Price - 3/5
Rates same with other cafes.


♡,
Mari

Coffee Tales in Japan | Starbucks Reserve, Hoshino Cafe, Blue Bottle Cafe, Amanoya Bakery, FaSoLa Cafe and MOS Burger

Here's the cafes/coffeeshops we've tried, aside from the usual cofffee sold at convenience stores.

1. Starbucks Reserve

By far, second to my most unforgettable SB brand experience. 

They partnered with Fukusaya, a well known brand that sells castella cakes (and other baked goods). I really like their cakes! ♡

If only I live there, I'd definitely try each coffee in the menu! ☕♡

Here's my review:

Taste - 4.5/5

Great coffee and dessert choices 💯

Ambiance - 4/5

Although I like the location and ambiance, I recommend to visit this branch during lax hours. 

Price - 3/5

It is a bit pricey than the usual. 

2. Hoshino Cafe

Went here for lunch + snack. So I had pasta and coffee 😁

Taste - 4/5

Ambiance - 4/5

Price - 3/5

3. Blue Bottle Cafe

Located inside a mall.

Taste - 4/5

Good cup ☕💯

Ambiance - 3/5

As it is inside the mall, seats are limited.

Price - 3/5

Typical rates with other cafes. 

4. Amanoya Bakery

Located at the 5th Station in Mt. Fuji. Best for quick 'recovery' if you feel tired of the long travel time. 

Taste - 3/5

Coffee tastes like your usual brewed coffee. 

The bread they sell tastes okay, nothing special. 

Ambiance - 3/5

Don'r expect much as this place seemed to be made for really a very quick rest only. 

They do have chairs and tables. 

Price - 3/5

Same with other regular cafes.

5. FaSoLa Cafe

Located at the Narita Airport. 

Taste - 3/5

Typical americano/brewed coffee. 

Ambiance - 3/5

Few tables and chairs available, space was not enclosed.

Price - 3/5

Expect to be pricey than usual because it is inside the airport area. 

6. MOS Burger

Thumbs up for selling coffee😁

Taste - 3/5

Usual brewed coffee taste

Ambiance - 3/5

Typical fastfood ambiance

Price - 3/5

Same rates with other shops. 

Tara, ☕? 

♡,

Mari

My Everyday Crisis (perhaps)

Hmmmmn 'quarter life crisis?'

What about 'mid life crisis?' 

Maybe 'everyday life crisis' 

Or at some point, you just feel 'lost.'

Well, I do, I did, and I think I will always be a person who seemed lost(?), who seemed to be always in the so called 'quarter life crisis' issue.  

In every partial decision/s that ended not so well, I pacify myself that this is part of the so called 'quarter life crisis.' 

I kept using the same lame excuse, until finally, I told myself that I need to accept the fact that I'm just too lazy to do better 😅

Like I wanted something bigger, but I easily hold back since I'm fine with things being 'simple.'

Yes, I shouldn't be satisfied with just doing 'simple.'

But I am fine to just give what is due, instead of giving my best.

And the cycle continues.

Hmmn, so what? Every person has their own timeline and despite a lot of setbacks along the way, I go with the flow with an open mind and heart. 

Then my usual scenario...

Have you ever been in a situation where you opted to start all over again? 

I DO. I ALWAYS DO. 

And I keep on asking why I put myself again into something that I am not sure of when I can actually 'upgrade.'

It's like whenever there is an option to upgrade vs a chance to start a new path, I somehow choose the latter, maybe because I am a person who likes challenges (?).

Few friends would/will ask why shift into a different path again? 

I couldn't find the right words but all I know is that I have to, like I need to find more of my purpose (cliché). 

Is this part of a post-quarter life crisis phase? I don't think so. Maybe more like an everyday life crisis scenario 😅

Am I the type of person who do not care about my future? 

Certainly not. 

There were days when I felt lonely, sad, disappointed, depressed, and whatever 🤷‍♀️ (I try not to dwell on these now)

At some point, I still use the same excuses. 

But hey, one thing will never change. 

For everything was/is just a redirection (and will always be that way). 

Who knows, maybe just around the corner, I will find something that makes living more meaningful.

Don't you think so? 

 

♡,

Mari

Japan 2019 | Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival, DisneySea, teamLab Borderless, Mt. Fuji etc.

Finally! Travel with my coffeemates again 😊

Although we have different plans, we surely made sure to have time to visit few places together!

Not much plans on the day of arrival due to lack of sleep.

  

So we just went to the observatory and ended the day eating edamame and bbq.

The next few days were spent at shrines and parks.

 

One of the highlights of our trip was to see the Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival. 

It was one of the biggest fireworks festival held in Japan. We didn't booked a ticket at the Tokyo Skytree since it was a bit pricey.

We watched near the river. As you can see in the video, the view wasn't that okay. However, we still had fun even if our legs were in pain. 

We did a lot of walking 😅 So the street foods and snacks that we ate prior the event, were justified.

By the way, I really love Suzukien's premium matcha gelato! Totally worth your money!

We've visited two shrines and part of my prayers were actually answered (after the trip!).

We also spent a day at the Tokyo Disney Sea and another day at teamLab Borderless.

 

Trully amazed how teamLab Borderless made it (not sure what their theme now is). Although the moving designs all over the place made me dizzy, I still enjoyed our time there. There's this sense of being one with nature and I guess, the background music also helped.

As for DisneySea - more on Disney characters related to water! (Very obvious 😁). It was summertime, so the weather was nice and good to walk around. We watched a musical play by Ariel and the 'effects' were great! 

Amusement parks brings out the 'child' in me.

Last, we availed a day tour trip to Mount Fuji.
 

I like the scenery around Fuji. Happy to see Mount Fuji from afar. We stopped at the 5th station and it was cloudy, we saw a glimpse of the alps, but hooray! You can still see the mountain if you're at Oshino Hakai.

The fruits that they sell seemed sweet and fresh, but we didn't buy any. (I regret not buying!)

Other videos:

 

Check my other Japan travel posts! 

Nikko, Japan
Tokyo, Japan

Day Tour in Kimono

Sashimi, teamLab Planets etc.