A quick look at Bataan Tourism Center

People flock to Bataan due to the province’s natural beauty and rich history. In return, Bataaenos are very friendly and hospitable to their guests. When you are in the province of Bataan, don’t forget to drop by at the Bataan Tourism Center found on Balanga City. The tourism center showcases the province’s history and promotes items and products that are “Galing Bataan“.

The Bataan Tourism Center sells souvenir items, such as mini-replicas of the Death March marker…

… souvenir shirts, keychain replicas of a small banga (where the name of Balanga City originated) , Uraro cookies, peanut empanaditas, native handicrafts, and many more Bataan products. 🙂

There is also an exhibit hall where a diorama depicted the “Battle of Bataan”.

A depiction of how the Bataan was greatly affected during the Japanese invasion.

This was taken at the back of the Tourism Center. Surely there are significant plans for this wide space. So refreshing in here.

We really enjoyed our quick stop here. It was as if we had our own mini-educational trip. 🙂

 

Crown Royale Hotel: A haven near Bataan’s Capitolio

Crown Royale Hotel at Capitol Drive, Balanga City

 

I have been visiting and staying at this lovely hotel in Balanga City, Bataan since 2007. Crown Royale Hotel is located at Capitol Drive, Balanga City, near the Bataan’s Provincial Capitol.

I was then a paralegal in 2007 and our legal team stayed at Crown Royale Hotel for a week, during the 2007 elections. It was an unforgettable one week of living in a hotel, courtesy of our clients. Of course, we barely had time to relax as we were busy with the canvassing at the Balanga City Hall. But it’s such a nice place to crash after an eventful day with the Board of Canvassers.

In 2010, I stayed here again with my best friend from law school. We were then newbie lawyers and eager to represent our client for the local elections. We stayed at Crown Royale Hotel for a night, but we were assigned to different municipalities on election day. After the election madness, we’re back at Crown Royale, and we had a hearty breakfast at The Silver Room (the hotel’s restaurant) before going back to Manila.

with my law school best friend, Atty. Michael William Diokno. Taken during the year 2010 at The Silver Room

Last year, specifically on May 2013, I was able to come back at Crown Royale for a more special reason. I was assigned to the municipality of Dinalupihan so I was not billeted at Crown Royale before and during election day. However, our team was sent back to Balanga City before going back to Manila in order to coordinate with the other legal teams. Since our team was the last one to finish the canvassing, (but with sweet victory), we were last ones to come back to Balanga City. The other teams had already left for Manila when we arrived. Since it was already nighttime, our coordinator suggested that we stay at the hotel for the night, and to leave the next day. My hubby was also in Balanga City that day so that we can go back to Manila together.

And what a pleasant surprise. A hotel suite was booked especially for us. 🙂

Queen-size bed.

The suite is huge, homey, and everything else nice. It’s the perfect place to stay after two days of election madness.

Hubby at the couch.

I love having breakfast at The Silver Room, the hotel’s restaurant. A stay at Crown Royale comes with free breakfast plate at The Silver Room. I always order daing na bangus with fried rice and egg. After all, daing na bangus is among Bataan’s specialty dishes.

Daing na bangus breakfast plate

On the other hand, hubby ordered the classic tapsilog.

You would surely leave with a pang of sadness…

Hubby by the magnificent staircase

…But with the excitement of coming back again, and again. 🙂

At the grand lobby

The Bataan Provincial Capitol is just a few meters away from the hotel. 🙂

Capitolio

I sorely miss Bataan, and I miss staying at Crown Royale Hotel. Hoping to come back soon!! 😉

 

Java Jam Cafe at Balanga City

From the bustling city of Balanga in Bataan, there exists a snug coffee shop along Capitol Drive.

For me, coffee shop is not just about good coffee: it’s also about the ambiance of the place which would make me stay and forget the hours for awhile as I indulge in drinking coffee and relax, while reading magazines or scrolling down my Blackberry to read the latest on social media.

This cafe has a windowsill, which I am really crazy about.

It was late summer when we went there and I could just imagine if it’s already early June and there are raindrops falling on the windowsill. I am just a sucker for windowsills. 🙂

The mugs used by the cafe are customized to the coffee flavor which you ordered. My hubby and I enjoyed our Cafe Mocha and Cappuccino. While I browsed through the magazines, my hubby enjoyed the music being played inside the cafe. There are also outlets available for those who want to charge their electronic gadgets. 🙂

Price of coffee is reasonable, there are two mug sizes to choose from. There are also pastries offered to match their awesome coffee. 🙂

The Beanery at Balanga City, Bataan

During my election stint at Bataan, my hubby and I got to explore Balanga City before going back to Manila.

We immediately scoured for the local coffee shop, The Beanery. 🙂 It is found on Capitol Drive, Balanga City.

Inside, you will see that it is not your ordinary coffee shop. It’s not the usual beverage-and-pastries kind of coffee shop. The Beanery also offers rice meals and sandwiches.

We also adore their wide array of cheesecake flavors. 🙂

I forgot the exact name of this “white cheesecake”, but it’s really heavenly.

On the other hand, my hubby, being the Oreo addict, ordered the Oreo cheesecake. 🙂

The Beanery also offers its own blend of cappuccino, coffee mocha, lattes.

We really love the ambience of The Beanery. It’s cozy even though it’s not the typical “small cafe”. You can choose whether to settle on a booth or to be on a secluded corner with a small coffee table and your laptop.

The Beanery is the place to be in Balanga City if you want to have coffee with friends, or with your loved one, or if you want to hang around with yourself, either with a good book or your ever-reliable gadgets. 🙂

The Beanery has two branches in Balanga City, both found on the Capitol Drive. The other branch is smaller, but it’s the one originally built before the second branch featured on this blog entry.

Election Lawyer Stint at Bataan

During this 2013 national and local elections, I participated on the election in a different manner. Instead of exercising my right to vote, I served as the election  lawyer for some local candidates in the province of Bataan.

This legal stint allowed me to re-visit the beautiful city of Balanga, Bataan. I have been there during the past two elections and I was amazed with the huge developments.

This is now the Balanga City Hall.

And this is the Plaza Mayor de Balanga at night. 🙂

Every elections, legal opportunities await private lawyers as they are hired as the legal counsels for national and local candidates. An election lawyer’s job is basically to monitor the votes of the candidates by making sure that there are no irregularities in the conduct of the voting. The duty is extended until the canvassing, where the election lawyer is expected to make manifestations or objections regarding material defects on the election returns or inconsistencies between transmitted results and election return results.

This shot was taken inside the session hall of the municipal building, while I was clarifying something with the Board of Canvassers.

This is a scene while waiting for the transmittal of election results.

The canvassing lasted until the next day. I was still at the session hall at the municipal building during the wee hours of the morning.

The shot above was taken from the balcony of the municipal building, at about six ‘o clock in the morning.

Despite the exhausting job, there are perks for legal stints like this. Aside from the exposure that I gained from representing both incumbent and newbie candidates, I also got to travel and see more of the country.

During election day, we went from one polling center to another. This was taken at one of the elementary schools, with a great view of Mt. Malasimbo. 🙂

While waiting for the canvassing and proclamation, me and my legal team managed to squeeze in a side trip to Subic Bay Freeport Zone, which is near Dinalupihan, Bataan, the municipality where I was assigned.

This is the lighthouse at Marina Bay.

The best feeling during this legal stint is when I was watching the candidate that I represented being proclaimed as the new mayor. 🙂

And after that, the next best feeling is when I was checked in at a hotel suite, courtesy of very thankful clients. 🙂 It is nice to rest after two days of non-stop monitoring and 2 to 3 hours’ worth of sleep.

Truly, a well-deserved sleep. 🙂