Bohol's Simplicity: Enjoying a Cup of Coffee in the Heart of Alona

Since our day 1 at Alona, I already noticed this establishment that gave me a thought: 'baka mahal' because of its 'sosy-looking' exterior. I proved myself wrong when my friend and I were looking for a place to stay while having a cup of coffee.

Our search for a cup of coffee in the island was quite a challenge because there was no Starbucks and there were less establishments compared to Boracay. We passed by Karl's Coffee while looking for a place to stay but we found the prices too expensive. Karl's was just a kiosk, so there were no seats available.

My friend and I decided to go along the road and ended up going at Tarsier Botanika.

There was no price list when we got inside. We just asked the barista about the menu and the price. I ordered latte which was only priced at 110.00, They also have pastries that looked appetizing at a very affordable price (ranges from 40+ to 120+)

Aside from the coffee shop, Tarsier Botanika also sells imported goods, wine and etc.

We really loved the interior of the coffee shop.  They have this country-ish ambiance and we easily got cozy while waiting for our orders.

When our respective cups were served..TADAH! There was coffee art! We were able to appreciate the place more when we saw that. We didn't expect that it was part of their service since we got used to just enjoying our coffee served in cups with cover. Masarap ang coffee nila!

Readers, if you happened to stay or visit Alona Beach, take a short visit to Tarsier Botanika. It wasn't so hard to see as it was located along the road and they have a signage big enough for everyone to notice.


Tarsier Botanika Alona
Alona Beach Road, Panglao 

Coffee after Novena

Weeks ago, my friend, Chai told me about this cafe located at Taft Avenue. She asked me if I've heard about Cafe Noriter, I said it sounded new to me, maybe it was not there yet during the time I was at La Salle. She said the place looked cool and it would be a perfect place for us to take our pictures. So I checked the place via google and results said it was located at the 2nd Floor of Tapa King. Now, I know, and now my answer was right, it wasn't there before I graduated. 

 From the cafe's website:
Noriter(Korean Term) meant Playground. 
From the name itself, Cafe Noriter would be a good place to chill and have fun. 


After attending the 11 am novena at St.Jude, Chai and I had our lunch at KFC and then later on headed to Quiapo to look for something. After battling the heat at Quiapo, we're all set to check out Cafe Noriter. 


As expected, I had some sort of reminiscing my La Salle days. I missed my alma mater and would definitely miss it now that I'm back home. The traffic situation at Taft Avenue was just the same as before, there had also been some changes like Cafe Noriter, California Berry, Deco's etc., and I would like to mention the renovation of University Mall (U.M.). 


Cafe Noriter, like what I've mentioned was at the 2nd Floor of Tapa King (Estrada cor.), across DLSU and if via Estrada St, it would be across Tropical Hut. You wouldn't miss Tapa King. It was the company's second branch, first was at Dumaguete.


The place was not  jam packed when we arrived, well, less than what I expected. Before we ordered, we took photos first then photos again while waiting for our blended Frappucino. By the way, they also had smoothies, so if you're not into coffee, better try fruit drinks. Starbucks had more varieties and a little cheaper. They also had pastries but I would still crave for Cinnamon Roll and Cinnanmon Swirl. 

Although I'm already 22, I'm still a kid by heart :) 
I appreciate the express-yourself-cups near their "kitchen". 

You could design your cups, just ask for assistance:

Unlike all other coffee shops, Cafe Noriter, was and I think, the only place where I saw students sleeping. Yeah, literally. Anyway, I still appreaciate the place giving a carefree, free spirited, cozy and playful aura. The white walls reminded me of the Korean TV Series, Coffee Prince.  

wall design

 This was actually a table:

 We could not help but notice the tables. I like the idea of putting pictures of some landmarks, random photos and drawings of whatever. Pouring out your creative juices would not be so bad!

another table

In a way, the place looked like a classroom / laboratory too with the rectangular black board on the side and a long table.

The place,when it comes to the interior was really far from all other coffee shops that were of minimalists. Cafe Noriter would not be the best place for you to study. Different voices enveloped the place. You could never memorize even a single sentence from your lesson if you would want to stay there before your quiz. Stay at the library instead, or maybe at Starbucks, but not at Cafe Noriter. The place was not conducive for serious tasks or matters. :P If you just want to hang out or catch up with your long lost friends, they're open from Monday - Saturday,(9:00 am-11:00 pm from Mondays thru Fridays and 11:00 am - 10:00 pm every Saturday) .

*photos courtesy of Chai

At Random :)

1. I went to IPAMS this Morning to try again for Emirates Airlines. Mom and Dad dropped me off at IPAMS because they have to go to Marlow to check on the results of my father's medical.
I was at IPAMS for less than an hour. Same procedure as my first's, they checked my weight, height and my skin. I was asked to reach the 212 cm for the arm reach test. I was asked to introduce myself, and why I wanted to be a cabin crew. After a few minutes, Sir Noel called me to ask when was the last time I went there and what happened to my previous application. He also asked if I was able to talk to Ms. Rocel, I said I tried calling her but I was not able to talk to her because she was attending to other applicants (not for fa post). I was asked again to wait at the recruitment area, after calling to girls I was called again, Ms Rocel did not ask me things, instead, she discussed what happened to my previous application. She said my profile was put on 'reserved'. There were other things she told me that I decided not to put in here because there were a lot that I could not enumerate one by one. But if you still have questions or you may want to know everything, you can send me an email so I can try to put it in detail :P

2. Rode a cab to go to Marlow because my parents were there. I felt embarassed because I did not notice I have a smaller bill in my wallet. I called my mom and asked her to gey out of the building first so I can pay for the ride haha :p

3. I wanted to go to La Salle so I could ask for a copy of my transcript and a copy of my diploma for Oman Air application. However, I felt like my parents did not want it so I decided to just go there next week, maybe on Friday so I can also have another picture taken haha for 2 other applications: Oman Air and Qatar Air.

4. Asked my dad to stop at Starbucks Power Station. I want frappe to calm myself (I bought strawberries and cream for myself and chocolate cream chip for mom. Papa didn't want anything)! hahaha. Because tomorrow will be another day at work plus the practice for the General Assembly on Friday. how I hate it! I'd be singing and dancing! Shux! I don't dance!

5. I AM RESIGNING ON TUESDAY! Will inform my team leader tomorrow. I have long waited for this! It makes my heart skips because of happiness! I really wanted to quit but I did not have a choice then because I have to finish my bond, and now, the time bond would end on Monday :)

6. Thanks FWB for posting the Qatar Open Day on November 21st! Your blog was such a help! :)Goodluck to you! I'd be waiting for your multiply! :)

Comfort Foods

Lately, I'm into "sweet tooth" mode again. Haha.
I started to love STARBUCKS again. I was not a fan then, but I love their frappe and their white chocolate mocha. I've been to that coffee shop a few times when I was still in La Salle, but when I started working at Makati, I frequently visit Starbucks together with my (coffee) drinking buddy, Lars. We're both Starbucks addict and we usually express our disappointments and frustrations at their MSE (Makati Stock Exchange) Branch. One proof that I'm into Starbucks now, would be my latest credit card bill, 3 Starbucks Branches along Makati reflected in my statement of account.




Secondly, I am loving ROYCE also. Yes, the chocolate from Japan. It was also Lars who introduced Royce to me. She said it tasted good so when she asked me if I wanted one, I agreed and tried their almond chocolate flavor. If I to rate it from the scale of 1 to 5, I'd give a perfect score and their white chocolate a 2 or 3, haha. I love white chocolates, but their version of it was like the taste of goya.

Third: KRISPY KREME MANIA. I remember Dave, Kor and Reese during the Victory Party of La Salle 2 years ago. They were into Krispy Kreme. They loved it. Now I know why. The doughnuts were really good. Especially their original glazed.
Their new Chocolate Kreme Cakes made with Oreo relieved my stress. At first bite, I knew I did not waste my 42 bucks buying one. I guess, that was a prize for me after a stressful day at work.


pictures from:
http://www.biologydaily.com/biology/Starbucks
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2303/2245095683_3ba876cc0d.jpg?v=0
http://www.dealio.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/krispy_kreme.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2587/3807486804_71c908a7a2.jpg