Yackie Pastries & Bus Cafe: a review

this is your ticket to the bus cafe in Sox.

so i heard you're a low-key traveller who doesn't have the "budget" yet so for the mean time, you just chill?

say no more, fam!

consider this very cozy and fine place to be your next must-go-to-eat place.

my friend happened to scroll past this post about a newly-opened unique cafe in a municipality 30min van ride away from our place which has been screened-shot right its way to our chat room.

i also asked my friends who were with me about their (unbiased) thoughts about our over-all experience so i'll just quote them anywhere in this post.

yackie's pastries and bus cafe is located at malvar street zone 6, surallah, south cotabato. once you arrive at the place, you will be welcomed by a lounge area where orders are taken. it looks like a ticketing office and they used actual bus seats. so, the meeting will start at 5:30pm and shall be adjourned by 9:00pm. the dining place, by which i mean is the bus, is behind it. upon arrival, you can already feel a riverdale-vibe.

"it's like I'm inside riverdale's popps choc'lit diner" -- hazel

aside from the uniqueness of the place, it is also acknowledged because of their super affordable food. i highly recommend baked spag especially when you're a cheese lover. it's so tasty, christian says it's taste is so 'home-made', you know, like how our moms cook spaghetti for our birthday? as of the moment, they don't have a lot in their menu, but what's on it are enough for what you have paid for. their specialty is of course their personalized cakes (see their fb page for photos)

we got more excited when we saw the prices! :D

--it's so affordable that with just 25 pesos in your pocket, you can fill your stomach with a cake. 

you can treat your barkada with their P60 nachos! legit. -- says my friend hazel, the one ordering in the photo below, a business owner)

the place is so laid back and little bit cold, which for me is a good thing especially with the view of raindrops on the glass window. it's like being in the film "comet". cafe junkies would love the ambiance when combined with an edm playlist (or not).  just a tip: go with the friends you can talk about anything because they do not have wi-fi.

in christian's words, the place is to dive for! "it exceeded my expectations — from what I saw from the pictures and posts. however, the front part of the bus(the driver's seat) is not that properly fixed(not dirty, just messy), not that of a big thing, but kinda bothered me."

the part i also loved about it is that they have linya-linya's posters (segue: i love that clothing line!!)

the spot: pillows and reads. the most comfortable part.

(sorry, i've been practicing to avoid single-use plastics but i do not have a reusable straw with me and our drinks were frappe ;c )

 hazel recommends their matcha frappe. christian, the pastry enthusiast, says red velvet cake is good as per taste but not that much in terms of texture-it's lumpy in a way that the cake was porous that made it clumsy to look at BUT! the saving grace was the frosting for it covered the flaw of the cake.

we all agree that taking of order should be done like how it is done in an actual bus. nonetheless, it was a unique place to visit in the south.

place is instagram-worthy. food is so-so. price is great!

tell me about your visit too!

xx, gayle

Asik-Asik Falls: Gem of Sox

Some things, you know, will only happen once.

After this beaut made its way to tourism on 2011, Asik-Asik Falls has never been quiet, but once you're there, either you can't shut up about how beautiful it is or you can't speak for the same reason.

Asik-Asik or Dulao falls, as what the locals call it, existed long before it became a tourist destination. Residents used to do their laundry by the stream despite the exhaust of long trek. I jokingly asked the Ales there, "paano po pag nakalimutan nyo ang sabon?" and they responded "ay babalikan talaga namin ma'am". I can't even imagine. I don't even want to go back there because I might get asthma attack or collapse--why I know this experience will only happen once, but I don't regret anything. You won't too, I promise. 

[deleted]...From Midsayap proper, we headed to Alamada via Libungan, we were riding a van so it took us only about an hour to get there. Some blogs would warn that the trip to the spot is bouncy-ful but that was then, now the road is clear, making it accessible to any vehicle. 

[Guide from Midsayap to the spot]

Once you reach the destination, by which I mean the arrival area and the tourist desk, there will be shops that sell bottled water (and other drinks), cup noodles, pastil (rice topped with ground chicken meat), and RTWs all sold for surprisingly affordable prices so don't bother bargaining. The comfort rooms are not yet quite established though, you have to pay five pesos for using it (10 if you're going to take a bath). 

The entrance fee is just 30php/person which is more than worthy, lol except the hagu part. In order to reach the falls, you will be taking 776 steps down but I suggest you take it slow or else your legs will be shookt once you're there. The best time to be there is while the sun is just rising up, I just don't have any idea if they allow tourists to stay the night on the place, but I think they do because it would be draining to climb back up within just few hours like what we had experienced. 

To everyone who reads and plans to go there, imagine going down and climbing up the same path. If you think you can, go on. Asik Asik is not for the faint-hearted. This was the mistake I overlooked, so don't tell me I haven't reminded you enough. Anyway, I had a good time. Peace Out!

So this is how it looks like:

[the first few steps down to the main spot]

[view from above]

We haven't seen any form of water from here, but we can hear the splashing of the falls. It seemed like a quest to find the body of water to quench our thirsty souls except the fact that we brought bottled water with us.

After the 776 steps, you will be welcomed by a mossy forest for a short walk and the sound of the splash becomes stronger and stronger that excites you more (or is it just me?).

[the stream from nowhere. strong current, freezing water]

I can't possibly describe how cold the water was so I'll quote the guys lol. According to them, the moment they submerged themselves into the water, the first thing that came to their mind was "maka-kupos itlog ang kalamig". And I'm going to leave that there. lmao

[sneak peak: all the weariness has disappeared because of this view]

[mind blowing: Asik-Asik Falls]

Upon seeing it up close I felt like a kid inside, the same feeling I had when I first saw a real panda. Then I thought, "God, this will be the first and the last time I'm going to see this view", which I know is a fact because. Just because.

The water from the falls is safe for drinking so make sure you refill your water bottles to have something to energize you in going back up. 

If I'm going to describe the falls in just one word, there would be no other word than "magical".

While writing this, I came across a blog title about Asik-Asik falls adventure and I don't know how to react about it so to close this post, I'm going to quote it from lovemindanao(dot)com, once and for all, "Asik Asik Falls Is Not For The Virgins!". That's what 'they' wrote.


photos shot using iPhone 5
video to follow

xx, gayle

Vitamin Sea+

I can't believe this is my first time to post something about the beach.

I used to be a child of the sea, with sun-kissed skin and salty hair... What happened?

I can't even remember anymore when was the last time I enjoyed the sea water, or the sand dunes, even the beach waves, or just the natural sun of a beach... What happened?

I have always wanted to go back to the sea. And I did, but it wasn't as fun as before... What happened?

Maybe alot.

but this time, I came back for my first love.

I and the sea,

like the sun in the morning and the waves in the shore--

Always a good idea.

____

I cannot put into words how much I miss the sea and the tranquil feeling it gives. The big city may be full of the things that I want but what I need is in this place. It's always a strong feeling at the same time a peace of mind. I don't know. It's a pure paradise.

April 11, I and my college classmates went for an outing to Sarangani--where the beaches are.

The resort we were at wasn't all nice in terms of accommodation, anyhow, we had fun. My favorite parts are the sunset and the acoustic night, which don't have an account because I prefer to live the moment than to capture photographs of it.

Ode to the Sea

I.

Thy wind blew

And sun grew 

Beneath the shore

I am loving you more

Smooches of you

got me through

the scorches of heat

and spines in the sole of my feet

II.

Thy ripple, thy wave,

The splash of tide in the cave

bring symphony all at once

that all my catastrophe has danced

Romance with the sand

caught me while I stand

Those perfect white grains

felt like sunshine while it rains

III.

Thy sky and water is blue

But my heart is not of the same hue

It is of your depth in the sunrise

As deep when your sun dies

Over the horizon

When things are in concoction

Nothing really matters

My sorrow has all been drowned by your waters.

---

Also made a playlist for the beach vibe~

My bright place, always.

xx, gayle