Michi Photostory

Last June, we had our North Luzon Road Trip, and before heading home, we made a quick stop at Thunderbird Resort for lunch. My husband checked if we could do a day trip and mentioned that the entrance fee was supposedly PHP 300. But when I searched, I saw it was PHP 500. We relied solely on Google and didn’t bother calling the resort to confirm. So when we arrived, we were all shocked to find out that the entrance fee was actually PHP 1,000. Toink! 

We were already there and hungry, so backing out wasn’t really an option — “ginusto namin 'to,” hehehe! The guard gave us a parking ticket, which we had to present at the reception. The PHP 1,000 entrance fee was consumable, and since there are only a few restaurants inside the resort, we decided to eat at Olives Restaurant. 

We were a group of four, and at first, I wondered how we could possibly spend PHP 4,000 just for lunch. But when I saw the menu, I couldn’t help but laugh — the meals were quite pricey, so there was really nothing to worry about after all.

Here’s what we ordered: 

Grilled Pork Loin with Caramelized Apples – PHP 750 

Catch of the Day with Mango Pineapple Salsa – PHP 750 

Margherita Pizza – PHP 800 

Chicken Biryani – PHP 1,000 

Banoffee Pie – PHP 450 

While we were waiting, they served complimentary bread. 

The meals were pricey, but they all tasted great, so we had no complaints. However, the portions were too large for our appetites, so it took us a while to finish our food. We ended up sharing everything as a family, and in the end, take out na lang yung pizza.

After our hearty meal, we started exploring the resort. It was cloudy and windy, and it looked like it was about to rain, so we didn’t stay long. 

We still had some of our PHP 4,000 consumable credit left, so I bought some bread from the Pianosa Deli Shop. After that, we headed home. We only stayed at the resort for about two hours. 

Poro Point Freeport Zone, 

San Fernando, La Union, 2500, Philippines

Here are some of the birthday cake toppers I’ve gifted over the past few months: 

Font: Billion Dreams 

Anyway, I’m excited to share some of the Back-to-School Projects I’ve finished over the past few weeks!

The Back-to-School Truck and Flower Pot designs are by Craft with Sarah. I love cutting her truck and flower pot designs whenever I just feel like crafting or want to use up paper scraps. 

My Back-to-School Stickers blog post is now live on the Printable Cuttable Creatables website! In the post, I shared how I made these cute stickers using matte sticker paper and various photo top finishes. I used matte, glossy, leather, glitter, and broken glass photo tops—my personal favorite is the broken glass one! 

If you'd like to recreate this project, you can download the files from Printable Cuttable Creatables and use code MICHIPS15 for 15% off. 

This Backpack Favor Bag was designed by Dreaming Tree, and I made it as my entry for Bee Happy Weeklies – Week 32: Stripes. 

To match the theme, I printed striped paper using the Lisa Glanz Texture Pack and incorporated it into the design. I used my Cricut Maker, along with Cricut pens and cardstock.

This little backpack is perfect as a party favor or a fun back-to-school gift—both cute and practical!

Hotel Luna is the first museum hotel in the Philippines. Of course, we didn’t want to miss the chance to see the different masterpieces of renowned artists. 

After visiting the museum, we went out to explore Calle Crisologo again. So we could take pictures without the tourist crowd, we recreated our 2012 shots. 

Because of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake last July 27, 2022, some tourist spots were damaged, including the Vigan Cathedral, old century houses, and Bantay Bell Tower. 

The original structure was built in 1574. In 1641, it was replaced by a church, and in 1800, it became a cathedral.

In 1763, this was the site where Gabriela Silang was executed. 

It was built to remember Father Jos P. Burgos martyrdom

In 1999, Vigan City became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in 2014, it was named one of the New7Wonders Cities. It is one of the few remaining Spanish colonial towns in the Philippines. So it’s not surprising that even the restaurants adapt their designs to match the heritage village vibe.

I’m glad that some stores were already open, so we were able to buy souvenirs and pasalubong before heading home. 

We were debating whether to ride a kalesa or not. I felt like we wouldn’t all fit in one kalesa. When we tried this in 2012, our son was still a toddler, so we all fit. 

I had no idea that Hotel Luna offered a Vigan Kalesa Tour. I didn’t notice it when I was browsing their website because I was only focused on the Vigan Tour. Sayang! Their kalesa looks nice and is spacious enough for four people. 

 Anyway, we went back to the hotel to get our luggage. We checked out early because we planned to visit Thunderbird Resort in La Union on our way home.