Pampanga: Betis Church

The travel from Clark in Angeles Pampanga to Betis Church was a long ride. It took us around an hour or two if I'm not mistaken. We traveled on the sides of Pampanga's very own Mega Dike which was made to save several towns from lahar and pyroplastic flows during the Mount Pinatubo eruption in the 90's. 

The government spent millions on this project and I guess it served its purpose. 

Arriving at the Betis Churchbwe were greeted by a really neat facade which dates up to the year 1700. 

This is one of two churches in the Philippines that still have hard wood flooring. Most churches have cement or marble.

Outside the church, they have several structures all made for their patron saints and for a miraculous fountain which is a little dirty now.

I wasn't really prepared to see what was inside, but I'm telling you... It was really breathtaking!

This is Jesus ascending into heaven, it was at the center of the church ceiling.

The church was a mix if rustic, shabby chic. It was restored in the 60's so you can really see the details above. 

The central part where the priest officiates the mass was equally gorgeous. It was full of cherubs, saints and a couple of angels here and there. 

The altar had a multitude of hand carved saints showing how much this area has grown to be the furniture capital of Luzon. It might even have Cebu a run for its money.

On the left side of the church is this mural of Christ and Mama Mary when he was brought down from the cross.

On the right side, they had a portrait of the holy family. I must say I have visited Betis Church before but I've never seen it this close or paid attention that much. There are also a few more statues outside that you should see. Thanks to the City Government of San Fernando and Association of Travel Agencies in Pampanga (ATAP) for arranging our trip. This part was definitely awesome. 

More updates in a bit!

Kumagcow.com

Pampanga: YU FU IN Yakiniku and Japanese Restaurant

It was lunch time and we had to rest a bit after walking a lot in Clark grounds. A family owned spot called YU FU IN Yakiniku and Japanese Restaurant was our next destination. It boasts of authentic real deal Japanese dishes since it is owned by one. Mitch Otsuru the owner's daughter told us about how long they have been in the business and why this has been put up. They have Japanese patrons from Clark Airbase and the corporations around the area. The place would ultimately remind them of home and how its made them one of the few places to find authentic char grilled yakiniku in the country. 

YU FU IN is found in First Street, Balibago Angeles City Pampanga. 

The place is grand, has three floors where the two floors above is intended for Function Rooms and Yakiniku Grills. They use real Charcoal which makes meat juicier and tastier.

Their bar has some of the best Sake bottles and wine choices in town so if you have a longing for booze, this place is heaven! 

They have several cabinets containing bottles with names on it, so if you don't finish the whole thing.. They can keep it! 

The owner also has 3 huge libraries like these containing Manga which he collects. You can borrow em while in store.

The private Yakiniku rooms can be reserved for around 10 people. I think they allow smoking anywhere because I saw some Japanese folks doing so while dining.

Then they served us their set meals which costs a measly 185 and they call it service lunch. This is Gyu Sara Set. Quite nice.

Tombo Ramen was nice, this one has roasted pork and isn't too spicy. It's just right.

I ordered my favorite Zaru Soba which is cold buckwheat flour noodles. 

Dip this in sweet soy and spring onions and its a done deal. They make this from scratch so this is really authentic.

The California and Spicy Tuna Maki was really good too, they have the staples and specials. They are definitely one on the few places you should visit when in Pampanga because it's not expensive at all and totally worth it.

For more information

Call them at the Otsuru Group for reservations

09175433322

0456240517

Kumagcow.com

Touchdown Pampanga (Live Blog)

Today we just decided to venture out into the north so we could get to know the province of Pampanga a little better. Thanks to Adventour Asia Magazine, Global Access Travel an Tours Inc. and the Tourism Office of the City of San Fernando for accomodating us during this tour. We just got to SM Clark and we're waiting for a couple more people to arrive before we check in our hotel Euro Asia. 

We rode a Genesis bus from Trinoma mall which costs around 200 bucks.

Had a latte at a coffee shop in SM CLARK while waiting for more people.

You can even see Mount Arayat from here. 

There's the famous Golden Salakot in the middle of the park :) 

Gonna tell you about the places we're gonna go to in a bit. The next one is FOOD of course! :) 

I'm sick but I wanted to go with these guys on this tour to visit Pampanga again.

Kumagcow.com

Blogopolis Into The Wild: Chuckie and Yen Dreyfus on Social Media Accounts Management

I've met Chuckie and Yen Dreyfus last month I think when Patti Austin was around. I thought we were going to Malaysia a few months back but ended up in different cities instead. I find these guys really nice; and this short talk they're having in blogopolis is all about managing social media accounts. 

Being consistent in the space is tops. Making sure the correct social media account is connected and merged with the same brand would give more integrity to the presence you are trying to make. They gave practical tips and said that the right way is not to concentrate too much on the number of followers, as he said you won't be able to interact and make that connection if you only look at those numbers. Quality over quantity, never sacrifice that if you plan to succeed. Be silly but be personal because sincerity matters. After all, "your social media accounts reflect who you are" he adds.

In a nutshell, they want you to inculcate a couple of things: Integration, consistency in content, honesty, being considerate, keeping the approach personal, put  importance of engagement with your audience and reciprocate if needed. 

Chuckie and Yen are good people and I think that part is pretty unquestionable. What they present in public is a reflection of who they are in real life. That's a pretty great thing to share with the online community.. I'm so glad i attended Blogopolis :) teehee!

Kumagcow.com