Leticia by the Sea

Sup.

Hey.

Lemme tell you about Leticia by the sea.

This was my review on Trip Advisor:

"Exquisite, relaxing and fun spent time at Leticia by the Sea. Far away from busy streets, buildings, and factories; truly private and eco-friendly. A must visit resort to unwind, to think clearly, to enjoy nature and to eat good food. The staff are nice, the Chef cooks delicious food, and the rooms are clean and awesome. Excellent accommodation and a lot of things to do - like sports activities, so it's not just for couples but also for friends and family! We definitely enjoyed our stay in Leticia by the Sea." 

This has been truly a great experience. I had never even tried stepping on corals but I did it and faced my fear. Why? We went there to shoot a promotional video for the resort. I was one of the cast, and I had a role to swim, ride a sort of inflatable boat (where you just sit and grab the handle) while the jetski is dragging us and jump on the floating trampoline, it was super fun!

The resort also offers scuba diving. Snorkeling must be so cool since the marine life is so abundant, you can see a lot of school of fishes, and many life forms. If I could spend my day off again, I would totally go for at least a day in Leticia by the Sea.

You can check their website for full information: http://leticiabythesearesort.com/

Please watch the PV first, you will not regret checking this out:

The resort's inclusion is this MV Leticia to take you privately in the resort. They also have packages where you can go on an island hopping and have your meals prepared on board. Amazeballs!

The beautiful crystal clear water of the resort.

Inside the room where me & my roomie slept. We didn't even have to use the air condition, we just opened the windows (screened), and turned on the fan and we felt like a baby sleeping. I prefer natural wind than the ice cold air.

Me, Arnee, Pao and Cj.

Here's the inflatable boat tied on the jetski. It was so intense and accelerating. We loved the rush!

Wanna try this? Trampoline by the beach! We didn't put life vests on because we can swim. For those who can't swim I highly recommend you wear one, the trampoline was placed more than 10 feet above sea level.

How about kayaking? By the way, this was my first time to use the kayak because I was just not into water sports before (even though I've graduated from swimming lessons), but now it's time to step up my game and try everything! be a daredevil!

After a long day out in the sun. You can relax or read a book in this comfy space outdoor, maybe listen to some good music while drinking coconut juice, or cuddle up with your loved one.

This is a video still from the PV. My role here was I stayed in the seaside villa. The villa is the most beautiful room you can rent on the beach. It has a private toilet & bath, a maximum of 4 persons in the room, and a view you can never forget. This villa is excellent for honeymooners, you have to check their website to inquire about their packages: http://leticiabythesearesort.com/

A sneak peek in the seaside villa. You can watch the PV above to see how beautiful their rooms are.

Since most of the photos above were not taken by me, now I will share the pictures I took in the resort:

MV Leticia. Private boat to your destination.

Sungka game. You can ask the staff about this.

It's a traditional Filipino game.

View from our room in the morning.

Toilet & Bath Room, super clean and fantastic.

Gate to go inside the twin rooms.

You might want to stay here with your family and friends. There were at least three beds in each room.

This is where we stayed. I used the hammock when I was reading a book and drinking coffee.

Seaside Villas

Trampoline by the beach.

Relaxing outdoors. Have a picnic here maybe?

If you bring your own long board, you might wanna try a downhill on this spot.

Like these guys.

This room is for big groups, either a family trip or a business trip, with specific toilet & bath for men and women so you won't have to wait in line.

This is the Pavilion. It's sort of a laid back outdoor living room with comfy beds and pillows, and a flat-screen TV too! We listened to loud busting music, and I tell you, no one cared because this resort is totally private.

You must go to this place and visit the wonders of Talicud Island.

To get here, you should visit their website and call their hotline http://leticiabythesearesort.com/ or visit their official hotel at Casa Leticia hotel just in front of People's Park, Davao City. Welp! enjoy! :)

Old Way: Traveling Kitty to Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat, Indonesia

Hey guise.
I am now updating for the nth time my travelogue to Indonesia.
Before, I wasn't focused on maximizing the context of my travels because I was a hectic busy-bee lol but from now on, I will definitely finish the journey. It may take a lot of time because seriously guise I am not a good blogger, nor a smart person using english (so that everyone can understand).

I want to share my experiences in Indonesia, not only pictures but also with words which that time I just can't express through candid shots. Y'know that feeling? when I saw that gigantic elephant for the first time, that was the moment when I felt "BOOM! BANG!" because it was really surprising! I guess if I wrote them in words rather than the collection of photos in my Facebook, you would instantly know the true meaning of it.

I had plenty of travels in Yogyakarta, and some of them were part of the Itinerary in the Batik Program; for us to learn the culture and heritage of Indonesia. Me and my classmates had the best moments shared, especially with teachers and officials.

Kraton or Keraton is the Javanese word for a royal palace. Its name is derived from ka-ratu-an which means the residence of ratu. Ratu is the traditional honorific title to refer the "ruler" (king or queen). In Java, the palace of a prince is called puro or dalem. The general word to designate a palace is istana, as in Indonesian and Malay.

- en.wikipedia.org

Kraton Yogyakarta is actually big. We went to the back part of this palace which was the introduction for it's royalty. Don't be too excited for the merchandise though, they are all over the area and that makes this spot full of surprises but don't purchase anything yet. Learn to understand the meaning of this place before buying souvenirs.

Here are just some of the merchants, and they are selling pretty things.

my ticket to the palace with an official english curator/guide.

Ancient and significant exteriors of the palace.

artistic and complicated details you want to see in real life :)

A very informative and detailed way to introduce the family tree.

my classmates Thida, Citra and Nabil

These stars represent a meaning, but I have forgotten what they were. You have to go there to find out! :)

This is where the Sultan and his family lived before.

This is where they hold royal occasions, like the wedding of the Princesses. Only with royal blood can step foot on the marbled floors. It's funny though that pigeons have infested the roof top, and well, smells like birdsh--- a blessing I guess :p

The Batik Program Scholars 2011

random driver on a modern Becak Takes you to your destination faster, maybe a lil' pricey compared to the slower ones (haven't tried it though).

A professional Batik artist. Mostly women are masters of this type of technique called canting.

Whenever you visit Kraton Yogyakarta, the guide/curator will always lead you to a narrow path to visit the Batik souvenir shop. This shop offers stunning intricate batik art and all of them are handmade, and they don't come cheap. Batik is a very delicate art form, or clothing which makes the piece expensive.

Although I rather not buy anything from this shop because I was just a student. This Jesus painting costs 100,000 Indonesian RP, and that already has a student discount which is 379.00 php. It was quite generous but I haven't received my scholarship allowance yet and I've already spent half of my supporting money. If you want to buy from this shop, politely ask for a discount, maybe a tourist discount :D

here are some of their works.

Photo by Nabil Fikri Haronli

Citra and the owner of this shop explaining to us why Batik is such a delicate art. You will know once you visit this place.

Next we visited the innermost of the Palace, which has various museums and the Royal Residence.

Creepy stuffed animals! hell naw!

Beautiful friends Putri and Citra near the entrance of the gate.

Puppet show being prepared.

This cute handsome boy left me in awww! xoxo

He is the son of a Royal Guard, and is usually passed on to generations,

 everybody was caught by his cutie patootie guard uniform.

Only with royal blood may step on to the floors of the actual Sultan Palace.

You can see the maintenance staff cleaning.

Dat mirror is shining.

me, Lala, Putri, Nabil, Thida, Nary, Tar and Citra.

Royal Guard and staff meeting. Why? The wedding of one of the Sultan's daughters was approaching and they need to have a plan for that, guarding and stuff.

I love this! I really love Indonesian art. Quite scary yet fascinating!

Wine House of the Sultan. Islam prohibits alcoholic beverages, such as wine. I don't know why they have this. Anyway royalty is royalty so no more questions.

Once you go in the official museum, you will see this magnificent ceiling and chandelier!

The present Sultan of Yogyakarta.

Some of the Sultan's collections in his younger years.

A gift from Thailand to the Sultan.

My name in ancient writing Javanese. I'm not sure though lol

but Sir guide was pretty sure of it.

Thida beside a big ass dough roller, it produces various gong sounds.

and the puppet show started. If you can't understand Bahasa Indonesia, be sure you appreciate shadow play because it was absolutely incredible!

After a long day at the palace and buzzing tourists everywhere, we went to the nearest restaurant (was part of our itinerary) - which I totally forgot the resto name, and our teachers ordered the traditional Gudeg. 

It was simply delicious! sweet and savory. I can honestly say now, I miss this food so much and I'm hoping to have a taste again :)

These guys are just awesome street performers! I requested Yogyakarta by Kla Project

yeah yeah I know, it's such a boring and cheesy song but nuh-uh for me, I love it! and they performed it so good, better than the original haha.

Yogyakarta has a rich culture and I wouldn't want to change anything about it. I love Indonesia!