TravelTales, Inc. will still offer the same tours and will add even more! So, we hope to still see you there and join us in our upcoming tours! Visit us at http:/traveltalesinc.wordpress.com.

Thanks!

Tracey Santiago

I just want to inform you that there will be some changes in the schedules for the summer trail this May. I hope you can take the time to check this out and share it with your friends and family. The heat has just started and summer is still on for those exciting local tour getaways!

May 1, 2009  Friday – SAPANG BATO Off-Road Adventure!  Tour Fee: Php2,700.00

May 9, 2009 Saturday – LAGUNA Heritage and Culinary Tour! Tour Fee: Php2,300.00

May 15-18, 2009 Thurs pm-Sun pm – SAGADA Backpacking Tour! Tour Fee: 4,800.00

May 15, 2009 Friday – Pahiyas ng Lukban at Sariaya sa Quezon! Tour Fee: Php2,000.00

May 23, 2009 Saturday  – VIAJENG CUSINANG MATUA (Old Kitchen Tours in Pampanga) Tour Fee: Php2,500.00

May 29-June 1, 2009 Fri pm – Mon am – MAKAN TI AMIANAN or Food from the North tour Fee: 5,500.00

June 5-8, 2009 Fri pm – Mon am – BATAD Trekking Adventure! Tour Fee: Php3,300.00

June 13, 2009 Saturday – LAGUNA Heritage and Culinary Tour! Tour Fee: Php2,300

June 20, 2009 Saturday – VIAJENG CUSINANG MATUA Tour Fee: Php2,500

For inquiries or reservations, please call us at 09209235615 or email us at alquimistatrails@yahoo.com. Hope to hear from you very soon! We’d be very happy to travel with you this summer!

Tracey Santiago

San Nicolas cookies of Mexico, Pampanga

Alquimista Trails is inviting everyone to go on a Visita Iglesia in Pampanga this Thursday, April 9, 2009. This trip was supposedly scheduled for  April 8, 2009 but there were more people available to join the trip on Maundy Thursday so we moved it.

For this tour, we will be visiting some of Pampanga’s old churches as part of the Lenten season’s yearly practice of devotion of  Roman Catholics. The seven (7) churches are as follows: Mexico, Arayat, San Fernando, Bacolor, Betis, Guagua, and Sta. Rita. 

We will also be including some Pasalubong Stops and Kapampangan food stops along the way. Witness how old families prepare their carrozas for the lenten processions and taste what Kapampangans serve on their tables during the holy week.

The tour fee per person is Two Thousand Pesos (Php2,000.00) and includes chartered airconditioned van, breakfast, lunch, halo-halo snack, and facilitation of the tour proper.  Let me know right away if you’re joining so i can reserve a slot for you.

Pick-up points are the following:

a.) McDonald’s Greenbelt – 6:ooam      b.) McDonald’s El Pueblo – 6:15am       

c.) McDonald’s MRT Q. Ave – 6:30am

For reservations, please call Alquimista Trails at 09209235615 or email us at alquimistatrails@yahoo.com

I will be sharing stories tonight about my solo backpacking trips around the country for the past 15 years, particularly the ones in Bicol, Sagada, Cagayan Valley, and Ilocos. I hope to inspire a lot of women to conquer their fears and take courage with lots of joy when traveling alone.

My bottomline share for tonight will be…regardless of gender, we all deserve a beautiful and wonderful life that’s well celebrated!

See you all tonight!

Tracey Santiago

Let me know if you have questions about the tour and I’d be glad to answer all of them. You can also reach me thru my mobile number 09209235615.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Tracey Santiago

APRIL    4-5            BATAD RICE TERRACES TREK   

             8             VISITA IGLESIA SA PAMPANGA     

            9-10          VISITA IGLESIA SA RIZAL-LAGUNA-QUEZON

17-20         SAGADA BACKPACKING TOUR

18              LAGUNA FOOD TOUR

            19              VIAJENG CUSINANG MATUA         

MAY      2-4            MAKAN TI AMIANAN! (Ilocos Food Tour)

            9                LAGUNA HERITAGE TOUR

            15              PAHIYAS NG SARIYAYA AT LUKBAN

            15-18         SAGADA BACKPACKING TOUR

            23              VIAJENG CUSINANG MATUA

JUNE     6-7            BATAD RICE TERRACES TREK

            13              LAGUNA FOOD TOUR

            20              VIAJENG CUSINANG MATUA

ALQUIMISTA SUMMER TRAIL Package Inclusions

Local Cuisine

VIAJENG CUSINANG MATUA (Old Kitchen Tours)                                     

Php2,500.00

Day trip to Pampanga and includes chartered bus or van, personal accident insurance, breakfast, lunch, dinner, 2 snacks, baking demonstrations, side trips to pasalubong shops and old churches of Pampanga.

MAKAN TI AMIANAN! (Food from the North)

Php5,500.00

Weekend trip to the Ilocos Provinces and includes chartered bus or van, overnight hotel accommodation, personal accident insurance, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, 4 snacks, side trips to local markets Pagudpud beach, and heritage sites such as churches, old houses, and lighthouses.

LAGUNA FOOD TOUR                                                                         

Php2,300.00

Day trip and includes chartered van, personal accident insurance, breakfast, lunch, 2 snacks, side trips to lambanog farm in Liliw, salted eggs processing in Victoria, churches of Pakil and Paete, underground cemetery in Nagcarlan, and woodcarving and paper mache shops in Paete.

Art and Architecture

LAGUNA HERITAGE TOUR                                                            

Php1,700.00

Day trip and includes chartered van, personal accident insurance, lunch , visit to the churches of Pakil and Paete, old houses of Pila, art gallery of Danny Dalena and wood shaving in Pakil, paper mache making in Paete, underground cemetery of Nagcarlan, and the slippers industry of Liliw.

RIZAL-LAGUNA HERITAGE TOUR                                                   

Php2,000.00

Day trip and includes chartered van, personal accident insurance, lunch, visit to the churches of Morong, Tanay, Paete, art gallery of Danny Dalena and wood shaving in Pakil, paper mache making in Paete, underground cemetery of Nagcarlan, and slippers industry of Liliw.

VISITA IGLESIA SA RIZAL-LAGUNA-QUEZON                                             

Php3,500.00

2-day trip during the Holy Week and includes chartered van, personal accident insurance, overnight accommodation at National Arts Center, 1 breakfast, 2 lunches, 1 dinner, 4 snacks, visit to the churches of Morong, Tanay, Pakil, Paete, Liliw, Majayjay, Nagcarlan, Sariyaya, Tayabas, and Lukban.

VISITA IGLESIA SA PAMPANGA                                                     

Php2,000.00

Day trip and includes chartered van, personal accident insurance,  1 lunch, 1 snack, visit to the churches of Apalit, Minalin, San Fernando, Bacolor, Betis, Sta. Rita, and Lubao.

PAHIYAS NG SARIYAYA AT LUKBAN                                                        

Php2,000.00

Day trip and includes chartered van, personal accident insurance, lunch, visit to the art deco old houses of Sariyaya and San Isidro Labrador festivities.

Nature & Adventure

BATAD RICE TERRACES TREK                                                       

Php3,300.00

Weekend trip and includes reserved seating for Manila-Banaue-Manila, chartered jeepneys for Banaue-Batad-Banaue, overnight hostel accommodation, personal accident insurance, local guiding fees, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners.

SAGADA BACKPACKING TOUR                                                      

Php4,800.00

3-day trip and includes reserved seating for Manila-Baguio-Sagada-Baguio-Manila, chartered jeepneys within Sagada, local guiding fees for cave spelunking and waterfalls trek, 3D/2N hostel accommodation, personal accident insurance, 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners.

PAMPANGA LAHAR OFF-ROAD ADVENTURE                                            

Php2,700.00

Day trip and includes chartered van Manila-Clark-Manila, use of 4×4 vehicles within Sapang Bato in Pampanga, personal accident insurance, picnic lunch, local guiding fees, environmental fees.

**For Reservations and Inquiries, you may contact:

TRACEY SANTIAGO

09209235615

alquimistatrails@yahoo.com

http://alquimistatrails.wordpress.com

*Alquimista Trails can arrange exclusive tours for groups with a minimum number of 10 people . If you wish to travel on your own, we would gladly design an itinerary that will fit your traveling lifestyle and needs.

And so, to continue my story…we were on our way to Clark one Saturday in October of 2007 and very typical of excursionistas, we had to pass by Makro to buy all sorts of food and drinks. We arrived at the parking lot of Holiday Inn Clark and met up with our friends Tan-tan and Lalaine. We were advised to change in shorts and slippers or in clothes that’s more appropriate for getting wet and dirty. We had no idea of where we were going! I was asking myself, is there a falls somewhere in Angeles or a long river for white water rafting? I became curious and a bit afraid coz i knew 1 wasn’t prepared to do anything physically active! I’ve done a lot of trekking, spelunking, and mountain climbing but i did a lot of preparations for all that! This one is a surprise! Oh well, this surprise best describes my feeling of SURRENDER.

We left our cars at Clark and rode all the way to Sapang Bato in 4×4 vehicles. I remember joining the group of Marco in his 4-wheel drive Pajero. Along the way, we stopped when Tan-tan advised him by radio to shift the vehicle to 4-wheel drive. Marco innocently replied…”Tan-tan, pano ko i-shishift ito? di ko pa kasi namaneho to na naka 4-wheel drive eh”…hmmm…Karlo and I had the panic look at the backseat but still said…”trust and surrender”. Tan-tan gave Marco a 2-minuite instructional guide to driving a 4-wheel drive and next thing we knew, we were already traversing Sapang Bato with a barely new but very courageous and trusting 4-wheel driver.

I was at awe with what nature has created after the Mt. Pinatubo erruption. There were mountains of hardened lahar, natural streams, curtain-like falls, and lahar just all over the place. We passed by a spa that used volcanic rocks and mud for their treatments, this one i think is owned by a group of Koreans. We never bothered to stop and check because we were there for the adventure!

Ding and Karlo enjoying the water

Tan-tan brought us to a refreshing spot with a natural spring on the side of the mountain. He pulled out a table and placed it by the stream. We had our picnic lunch in “binalot style”! Our legs were dipped in water while eating with our bare hands. All looking good gone but our faces and excitement spelled FUN! There was a stream of water like a small pool and we took turns of dipping our bodies  into the running water while sitting on a rock. Where else in Manila can you do this? Or how many times in a week or a month can you just possibly do this spontaneously? With today’s busy schedules, even a short walk in a park is so hard to do.

After eating, we packed up all our mess to move to the other side of the place. All the while, i thought that the whole activity was just a picnic…i was happy with it! But i didn’t realize the picnic was just part of the activity. Tan-tan brought us to the other side and there we saw curtain-like small falls. We brought down a cooler of beer and our bags of chips from Makro and drank there. In a few mins, he asked some people from the group to ride the jeep then he drove through the lahar ROUGHLY! The 4×4 jeep was tumbling up and down and sideways. And everyone was just laughing ang screaming their lungs out with excitement! He drove through streams of water and falls. At that moment, i was waiting for the jeep to actually transform to optimus prime or any of the characters from the movie Transformers! hahaha! Good thing it was just a thought in my mind. But we all shouted when we suddenly saw Ding jump from the jeep! We all thought he was thrown out during the rough and crazy tumbling ride. What happened was he actually jumped ahead because he thought he was going to fall from the ride. He had minor scratches and thank God no major injuries. I t was a case of ANTICIPATED SURRENDER if there’s such a thing, hehehe!

The Sapang Bato 4×4 Off-road Lahar Adventure may remind you of the off-road desert adventure in Dubai or in Ilocos but this one is very unique. You have the various elements of sand, rocks, water, and the mountains. Nature at its richest. The tragedy brought by Mt. Pinatubo more than 20 years ago has given a new pride for the people in Pampanga. Nature took its course then but nature still provided a new road for tourism in Pampanga.

It was starting to drizzle that late afternoon when we all packed up and called it a day. We were all driving out of Sapang Bato with much amazement on our experience. We did bond very well and enjoyed eachothers crazy company. I wondered if we went to a different place or did a different activity, will it still give us the same sense of fun and excitement?  I don’t think it will. Sapang Bato also led new roads for new and better friendships.

The crazy bunch of Leapers slash adventure seekers

*For inquiries on the 4×4 Off-Road Lahar Adventure, you may get in touch with me at 09209235615 or email me at alquimistatrails@yahoo.com. There is a scheduled trip on March 21, Saturday. Hope you can join!

**Photos courtesy of Rus Recina and my ever reliable Sony Ericsson K770 phone camera which is now in the hands of  a snatcher or probably sold to a new owner.

Atching Lilian's Banggerahan Breakfast

I came across PROBE TV on the net and found Robert Alejandro’s feature on Viajeng Cusinang Matua! This was 2 years ago when we were still starting with the Pampanga food tour. Credits go to my 2 partners, Willy Carpio or better known as Kongwi who’s now based in the US and Karlo De Leon who’s now teaching Photography at the College of St. Benilde.

Viajeng Cusinang Matua started when i was taking my coaching program with OCCI in 2007. I was doing my tours for schools then and Karlo, who frequently joins my tours with the UP College of Architecture, asked me if I wanted to do a Pampanga Food Tour. I was open to the idea because I was already thinking of new concepts for my tours at that time. Then I met Kongwi as one of our coaches for Leap 32! Kongwi was also one of Pampanga’s local chefs/ Kapampangan “slow food ” advocates.

Tamales and Suman from Mexico, Pampanga

We planned our big project like a big goal and went around Pampanga searching for the best places to bring our food trippers. It was a hot summer in 2007 but we coursed through paksiw na bangus and longganisa at Everybody’s Cafe in San Fernando to the tamales and suman of Atching lilian in Mexico to the tocino del cielos of Magalang to the longganisa pizza in Angeles to the special ginataan at Mahogany Farms! By the end of the day, we were already having cold sisig in Sta. Rita specially prepared by Kongwi.

What struck us most that day was not just the taste of every dish but how capable we were of stuffing ourselves with so much food and still enjoy it! The experience was gastronomically spectacular! I had a new picture of Pampanga in my mind! When I try to look at the map of the province, i suddenly see food! hahaha! Which food was most popular in the north, the south, the west, and east. Each area best represents its rich natural and cultural resources, thus, having that dish or recipe most prominent in that area.

Food trippers of Viajeng Cusinang Matua watching a baking demo of the San Nicolas cookies

Viajeng Cusinang Matua is the Kapampangan term for “Old Kitchen Tours”. It was coined by Kongwi to signify that the best recipes in Pampanga is still specially made at home. And so, we decided that the final contenders for our itinerary will be Everybody’s Cafe in San Fernando, Atching Lilian Borromeo’s kitchen of Mexico, Kongwi’s Sisig in Sta. Rita, and the Gosioco Family’s old house in Sta. Rita. All of which are still cooking recipes passed on to them by their great grandparents and every dish had a story to tell.

We’ve been doing this tour for the past 2 years and we invite you to join us this summer and experience culture, history, people, and most of all…your own capacity to eat so much food! Hahahaha!

Please click on the link below and watch PROBE’S feature on Viajeng Cusinang Matua.

http://www.probetv.com/showspage_index.php?show_id=112&v_id=b77cbc83dde2b879e0db6ec6587e9016

If clicking the link above does not work, copy and paste the URL in a
new browser window instead.

 For reservations, you may reach us at 09209235615 or email us at alquimistatrails@ yahoo.com.

 See you!

 Tracey Santiago

Itinerary and Sample Menu

Breakfast – Cucina ng Atching Lillian Borromeo – Mexico

Breakfast at Atching Lilian's

 Lilian Borromeo or better known as Atching Lilian is Pampanga’s well-known food historian. Her knowledge on Kapampangan cuisine rooted from her family’s rich heritage in cooking and love for food. Breakfast will never be the same after you’ve tasted her dinuguan, galantina, sinangag, duhat with carabao’s milk, tamales and suman, and candied tomatoes. There will also be a baking demonstration of the famous San Nicolas cookies and a brief tour of her humble family culinary museum.

 

 Merienda – Kabigting’s Halo-halo – Arayat

 

 

Kabigting's halo-halo

 This typical small town halo-halo stop makes one of the most TO-DIE-FOR halo-halos. Made only with 3 major ingredients, namely corn, mashed red beans, and their homemade pastillas! This sweet thing will surely make it to your Top 10 favorite meriendas!

Pasalubong Shopping – Susie’s Cuisine – San Fernando

 

 Susie’s is famous for the tibok-tibok”, mochi, cassava, empanadas, and other kapampangan delicacies.It’s your 1-stop shopping of food, food, and FOOD!

Lunch -  Everybody’s Cafe – San Fernando

Morcon topped with drippings

 

 This restaurant is most famous for its camaro (crickets),betuteng tugak (stuffed frogs), morcon, and paksiw na bangus. A must try if you want to taste what the Jorolan Family has been serving their customers for more than 50 years.

 

 

Side Trip – Betis Church – Betis

 

Wedding at Betis Church

Pampanga is also known for its beautiful old churches. We will have a glimpse of one of the most famous baroque churches in the Philippines. Betis church is named as one of the most significant cultural landmarks by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

Merienda – Prado Farms – Lubao

Walk through a very charming and breathtaking farm of designer Reimon Gutierrez. Taste their family concoction of tsokolate pinipig perfectly matched with their homemade fried suman. Learn about organic farming and its health benefits for our bodies.

Dinner - Gosioco House - Sta. Rita

Experience having dinner al-fresco on the front yard of the oldest ancestral house in Sta. Rita Pampanga. The Gosioco family will serve their old family trademark pocherong manok, almondigas, tipe kamangyang.

Fee:  Php2,500.00 per person
Inclusions: lectures, chartered vans, set and buffet dishes (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Meriendas)

 Pick-up points:

a. Makati – Mc Donalds Greenbelt Paseo    5:45am

b. Ortigas – Mc Donalds El Pueblo                6:00am

c. Quezon City – Mc Donalds MRT-Q. Ave    6:15am

MARCH  14             VIAJENG CUSINANG MATUA

             21             PAMPANGA LAHAR OFF-ROAD ADVENTURE

APRIL    4-5            BATAD RICE TERRACES TREK

             8              VISITA IGLESIA SA PAMPANGA

             9-10          VISITA IGLESIA SA RIZAL-LAGUNA-QUEZON

 17-20         SAGADA BACKPACKING TOUR

 18              LAGUNA FOOD TOUR

            19              VIAJENG CUSINANG MATUA            

MAY      2-4            MAKAN TI AMIANAN! (Ilocos Food Tour)

            9                LAGUNA HERITAGE TOUR

            15              PAHIYAS NG SARIYAYA AT LUKBAN

            15-18         SAGADA BACKPACKING TOUR

            23              VIAJENG CUSINANG MATUA

JUNE    6-7            BATAD RICE TERRACES TREK

            13              LAGUNA FOOD TOUR

            20              VIAJENG CUSINANG MATUA

VIAJENG CUSINANG MATUA (Old Kitchen Tours)                                                  

Php2,500.00

Day trip to Pampanga and includes chartered bus or van, personal accident insurance, breakfast, lunch, dinner, 2 snacks, baking demonstrations, side trips to pasalubong shops and old churches of Pampanga.

MAKAN TI AMIANAN! (Food from the North)                                                         

Php5,500.00

Weekend trip to the Ilocos Provinces and includes chartered bus or van, overnight hotel accommodation, personal accident insurance, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, 4 snacks, side trips to local markets Pagudpud beach, and heritage sites such as churches, old houses, and lighthouses.

LAGUNA FOOD TOUR                                                                                          

Php2,300.00

Day trip and includes chartered van, personal accident insurance, breakfast, lunch, 2 snacks, side trips to lambanog farm in Liliw, salted eggs processing in Victoria, churches of Pakil and Paete, underground cemetery in Nagcarlan, and woodcarving and paper mache shops in Paete.

Art and Architecture

LAGUNA HERITAGE TOUR                                                                                    

Php1,700.00

Day trip and includes chartered van, personal accident insurance, lunch , visit to the churches of Pakil and Paete, old houses of Pila, art gallery of Danny Dalena and wood shaving in Pakil, paper mache making in Paete, underground cemetery of Nagcarlan, and the slippers industry of Liliw.

RIZAL-LAGUNA HERITAGE TOUR                                                                          

Php2,000.00

Day trip and includes chartered van, personal accident insurance, lunch, visit to the churches of Morong, Tanay, Paete, art gallery of Danny Dalena and wood shaving in Pakil, paper mache making in Paete, underground cemetery of Nagcarlan, and slippers industry of Liliw.

VISITA IGLESIA SA RIZAL-LAGUNA-QUEZON                                                          

Php3,500.00

2-day trip during the Holy Week and includes chartered van, personal accident insurance, overnight accommodation at National Arts Center, 1 breakfast, 2 lunches, 1 dinner, 4 snacks, visit to the churches of Morong, Tanay, Pakil, Paete, Liliw, Majayjay, Nagcarlan, Sariyaya, Tayabas, and Lukban.

VISITA IGLESIA SA PAMPANGA                                                                              

Php2,000.00

Day trip and includes chartered van, personal accident insurance,  1 lunch, 1 snack, visit to the churches of Apalit, Minalin, San Fernando, Bacolor, Betis, Sta. Rita, and Lubao.

PAHIYAS NG SARIYAYA AT LUKBAN                                                                       

Php2,000.00

Day trip and includes chartered van, personal accident insurance, lunch, visit to the art deco old houses of Sariyaya and San Isidro Labrador festivities.

Nature & Adventure

BATAD RICE TERRACES TREK                                                                                 

Php3,300.00

Weekend trip and includes reserved seating for Manila-Banaue-Manila, chartered jeepneys for Banaue-Batad-Banaue, overnight hostel accommodation, personal accident insurance, local guiding fees, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners.

SAGADA BACKPACKING TOUR                                                                               

Php4,800.00

3-day trip and includes reserved seating for Manila-Baguio-Sagada-Baguio-Manila, chartered jeepneys within Sagada, local guiding fees for cave spelunking and waterfalls trek, 3D/2N hostel accommodation, personal accident insurance, 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners.

PAMPANGA LAHAR OFF-ROAD ADVENTURE                                                           

Php2,700.00

Day trip and includes chartered van Manila-Clark-Manila, use of 4×4 vehicles within Sapang Bato in Pampanga, personal accident insurance, picnic lunch, local guiding fees, environmental fees.