Experience dining at Sonya’s Garden in Alfonso, Cavite

Editor’s note: Ferdz Decena, graphic designer and travel writer, recaps 2007 in a “best of” list.

Best Eats: Sonya’s Garden, Cavite
I really had a hard time with this one: I actually was thinking of a tie with Bohol Bee Farm, but I haven’t really tried a full-course meal with the latter unlike Sonya’s Garden. If one is willing to drive a few hours from Manila to the slopes of Tagaytay, a full-course meal at Sonya’s is a must.

With ingredients freshly picked from their garden, with spices and sauces richly flavored, it’s hard not to like their food. Meals are served a la carte and it’s up to you how much you want to mix the flavors and the ingredients. And what’s a better deal here is that the full-course meal is only Php500 per person. There’s nothing like good food on a nice garden setting for the perfect dining experience.

A boatman delivering poultry smiles back: Sailing at Isabela Channel, Basilan.

Best Off-the-Beaten Path Destination: Basilan, Philippines
Just the mention of the place elicits a lot of fear to many. Even the locals there were surprised that we chose Basilan as a destination. Still, even tagging along a group of local policemen as guards, we were fortunate to be able to go around the area from their famed beach of Malamawi, seeing the stilt village of the Badjaos, and staying at an inland resort. It’s unfortunate that a few months after our visit, the region went back to its tumultuous state, making it harder for people to visit the place once more.

Adventure climb at Bukit Tabur, Malaysia

Best Adventure: Bukit Tabur, Malaysia
I would have chosen Danao in Bohol as adventurous, but that was a coordinated trip. When I say adventure, it is more venturing into the unknown and taking lots of risk in the process and such is what I experienced going to and climbing Bukit Tabur in Malaysia.

On my lonesome and in a foreign country at that, venturing into a place where not many Malaysians even know about, it was a challenge just finding the place and even climbing it as well. Dangerous, but somehow I pulled it off with the help of local strangers.

Unspoilt beach paradise at Anawangin, Zambales

Best Beach: Anawangin, Zambales
This came as a surprise to me as well. I never knew such a beach can be found a few hours’ drive from Manila. No resorts, no tourist crowds, no noisy bars–just pure unspoilt beauty. This is the place where you could really get close to nature with white sand powdery beach, scenic pine trees, sloping mountains, and crystal-clear waters. And if the atmosphere is just right, the full moon and the stars illuminating the sea. And best of all, I think I only spent around Php800 for the whole trip.

Scenic view abound at Lake Sebu, South Cotabato

Best Photographic Destination: Lake Sebu, South Cotabato
When photography is your main objective, Lake Sebu offers a lot of scenic views that would delight any landscape and nature photographers out there. Or maybe the timing is just right when we were there. It would rain at times but when we were out on the field, the weather would cooperate. I especially had fun taking sunrise photos at Lake Seloton there.

Patience of a fisherman on a mangrove, Bohol on the horizon

Best Photograph: Fishing on a Mangrove
Lake Sebu may have wondrous scenery but the photo that strongly appeals to me in many ways is my capture of a fisherman standing on a mangrove in Sandugan beach in Siquijor. I’ve always been a fan of minimalism, and there is so much in this picture for me despite its simplicity.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Best Destination: Siem Reap, Cambodia
I guess this won’t be a surprise to many since at the start of the year, this was listed as one of my ultimate destinations for 2007. It’s great that I was able to visit this famed UNESCO site and really enjoy the place.

From temple explorations at Angkor Archaeological Park and a visit to the floating village Tonle Sap, to tasting a variety of cuisines at Siem Reap and interacting with the most numbers of nationalities in one place, it was quite an experience. It was overall a fun destination and also offered a lot of photographic opportunities as well.

A photographer, travel writer, and graphic and Web designer, Ferdz Decena keeps a record of his travels in Ironwulf, which won as Best Photo Blog in the 2005 Philippine Blog Awards. The same site was a finalist in the Best Travel Blog and Best Designed Blog categories in this year’s Philippine Blog Awards.

Ferdz’s travel accounts have found their way in Qatar Airway’s Oryx inflight magazine, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay magazine, and Cebu Pacific’s Smile magazine, among many other publications.