Trekking to Mt. Pinatubo - 05/2012

It started as a proposed team building activity, but after the team backed out and chose to go to Puerto Galera, I knew that it won't be long before I step foot to the majestic crater of Mt. Pinatubo. 

Mt. Pinatubo is an active volcano near the provinces of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga. Just like the coves of Anawangin and Nagsasa, the crater is also a wonderful after effect of its destructive eruption in 1991.

Mt. Pinatubo crater. WOW!

The journey began dawn of May 13, 2012. We went to the terminal of Five Star Bus and got on a bus en route to Capas, Tarlac. We got off at Capas Junction in front of McDonald's and had a very early breakfast with a cup of hot coffee. We waited until 6am for our contact to pick us up and traveled for another 20 minutes to get to the tourism office. After the registration, we were introduced to our guide, to another group of 3 persons and to our 4x4 ride.

That's not a mountain. That's dried lahar.

The 4x4 ride started started at around 7am along the wide valley of dried lahar. There were several stops where we would take photos of the "mountain-like" lahar. After a little more than an hour,t. we got off the vehicle and started the 2-3 hours trek. It was a relatively easy trek. The trail was not steep except for the last 5-10 minutes to the crater itself. We passed by boulders of dried lahar as well as water with sulfur content. 

Welcome! The majestic crater of Mt. Pinatubo.

When we finally reached the top, our first word was, "WOW!". The view was amazing! It was just like how I imagined it to be. The green and blue water, the hills of the volcano - it was picture perfect! I could not find the words to describe it. 

Getting closer to the water.

After having our lunch, we stayed for another hour or so and though we wanted to stay longer, we had to start our trek back to town. The weather could be so unpredictable and rain usually pours in the afternoon. It could easily cause flood or landslide and we wouldn't want to get trapped.

Dark clouds forming behind us.

It was a very tiring day. But I would go back just to see that beauty beyond words.

Trip to Puerto Galera - 04/2012

I was still in my maternity leave when a teammate informed me of their plan to go to Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro for our summer team building. A team member has a family in the area and she knows a place where we could stay. She quoted an all-in expense of Php 1,800.00 inclusive of 3 days and 2 nights accommodation in an air conditioned room, 2-way boat fare and 1 meal.

Other passengers waiting in Batangas Port

I was excited for this trip having heard good things about Puerto Galera being a Boracay of Mindoro. The team left early while I and hubby followed in the afternoon. We took a bus to Batangas Port and hopped in to a large motorized banca that could carry up to a 100 persons. It took us almost 2 hours to reach White Beach, Puerto Galera.

My first impression of the place was not perfect. The beach was so crowded with people with tables of the resorts extending to the shore. This is not my type of beach! I could not even  almost see the white sand because of the crowd, which I would understand because it's summer. (But this was not the case when we went to Palawan in the same season)

Peaceful and quiet morning

We immediately looked for the resort and checked in to our assigned room. We shared the room with my other teammates who were temporarily out on an island hopping. Since it was very hot outside, we enjoyed the cool air coming from the air conditioning unit. We chose to stay in the room and waited for dinner, went back to the room and called it a day. I know, such a boring start.

We woke up early in the morning wanting to see the sunrise. But we were late. Good thing though we experienced the beach in such a quiet place. The crowd was gone (probably still sleeping after the night party) and I felt peace at last! Sad thing was the litter they left behind.

A remnant of the night's party

After breakfast, we took a tricycle to Tamaraw Falls. And I was in awe! It was such a tall waterfalls with powerful falling waters! I could stare at it the entire day. It was my first real waterfalls experience. Near the falls is a statue of a Tamaraw. Locals said it was where the first Tamaraw in Oriental Mindoro was spotted and so they named the place after the animal.

Tamaraw Waterfalls

On the other side of the road was a pool of the water coming from the falls. After lunch, we found ourselves on our way to the foot of the falls and had a first-hand experience of the cold falling waters. It was a very wonderful experience, made more fun by the friends who were with me.

Closer look at the falls

As much as we wanted to stay longer, we had to bid goodbye to Tamaraw Falls. We went back to the resort and rested. After sunset, we went out for dinner and had little of the night party. We then called it a night. We left Puerto Galera early the next morning.

Road Trip to Seagull Mountain Resort - 03/2012

Seagull Mountain Resort is located along Bukidnon-Davao Road (popularly known as Buda road). It is 4,200 feet above sea level and is part of the Davao Seagull Resorts group. The place, with its elevation, has a natural cold weather which can be compared to that of Baguio City in Luzon. It also has a small waterfalls which water goes to the man-made pools. And yes, it's also very cold - freezing cold.

The waterfalls

As we celebrated our first wedding anniversary, we embarked on a road trip to Seagull Mountain Resort. From Toril, we got off the public transport at Ulas Crossing and waited for almost 2 hours for a bus bound to Cagayan de Oro City. With no luck, we decided to get on a passenger jeep going to Calinan, had our lunch and waited for a bus. Finally, a full non-air conditioned bus came after an hour. 

Seagull Mountain Resort

After an almost 2-hour bus ride, we got off the bus at the gates of the resort. We immediately went to their office and got a room for 2 for Php 1,700.00 with hot and cold shower, but no television set. Since it was a Wednesday, we were the lone visitors of the resort. After checking in, we were on our way to the waterfalls.

Peace and quiet

After some walking, we finally found the waterfalls which was almost dried up for the summer. But this did not hinder us to experience the very cold water of the falls and to dip in the swimming pool. Brrr.... It was almost 4pm when we decided to explore the other areas of the resort.

The way to the cross

We enjoyed the pine trees planted all over the place. We ran and jumped at the middle of the quiet place as if we were little children. It was still past 5pm although it was already a little dark when we headed to the steak house just outside the gates for dinner. It was when we realized that we haven't changed our wet clothes yet, which was not really a good thing given the cold air. We went back to our room after dinner and put into use their hot shower. 

Suman and hot tsokolate

The following morning, we had suman and hot tsokolate for breakfast. After some photo ops, we checked out and started the 4-hour wait for the bus going back to Davao City. We will surely visit this place again, and hopefully we already have our own transportation when that time comes. :)

Trip to Passig Islet - 03/2012

Bridge to the jump-off point

Passig Islet is a small man-made white sand islet in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur. From Toril in Davao City, we took a passenger jeepney bound to Digos City and asked to be dropped off in Barangay Bato, near the barangay gym. Since we rented the whole jeepney, we got off at the jump off point, at their mini-port going to the islet.

Sunset at the islet

We paid Php 20.00 each for the pump boat. That already includes going to and from the islet. The closed cottages were for rent for Php 500.00 per night. There was no corkage fee, even for a lechon. An entrance fee of Php 10.00 was also asked per person.

The closed cottages

Since it was a Monday, we had the whole islet all to ourselves. We intended to rent 2 cottages only, but as the night came and the cold became unbearable, we sneaked into the other cottages, which was fine with the caretakers. :)

The islet all to ourselves

The islet was clean and well-maintained. It has a wide space in the middle, which could be used to play volleyball. The water was clean, with green and blue colors. The sand though was a little coarse, so I would advise the use of slippers when roaming around.

The green and blue beach

Although they did not have complete set of facilities, we still enjoyed our stay in the islet. As they say, it's not about the place, it's about who you're with. And for me, nothing beats a getaway with the family.

Trip to Cebu - Day 4

Being the last day in our trip to Cebu, we didn't want to exhaust ourselves with lots of activities. So we only planned to visit the Taoist Temple, of course that's after we eat Cebu's famous lechon.

A trip to Cebu won't be complete without tasting

their famous lechon.

We started the day late and simply went to the nearest mall to try Cebu's lechon. I know this was not the best way to really get the taste of their lechon, but I guess we were plain lazy to look around. After lunch, we then went to the Taoist Temple.

Main Entrance

Built in 1972, the Cebu Taoist Temple is located in Beverly Hills Subdivision in Cebu City, Philippines. The temple was built by Cebu's substantial Chinese community. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cebu_Taoist_Temple)

Pagoda

There was no entrance fee to the place. You can freely roam around and take photos. But be mindful that this is a temple and so it's a no-no to make noise. You can also enter the main temple and pray, but picture taking is not allowed inside. And I understand as it's supposed to be a holy place.

Picture with the dragon

Tip: If you don't have your own transportation, you might find it difficult to find a taxi to pick you up back to the city proper. It would be better if you ask the driver to wait for you until you're done. That's basically what we forgot to do. As a result, we had to walk several blocks into the subdivision's entrance just to get a taxi.

Trip to Cebu - Day3 - Kawasan Falls

After checking Moalboal, we finally headed to the other popular destination in Cebu City - the Kawasan Falls. It is located 130 kilometers southwest of Cebu City and about 3 hours bus ride, inside the mountains of Barangay Matutinao, Cebu (source: http://www.kawasanfalls.net/).

Kawasan Falls

From the entrance/parking area, we walked an easy uphill path to reach the waterfalls. We were informed that we could climb uphill to reach the second falls, but we decided to stay and enjoy the "first" waterfalls. We rented a table that's very close to the pool for Php 500.00 and my parents immediately prepared kinilaw na bulinao. We immediately feasted on the food and had our stomachs full.

Our table near the pool

For those who can't swim, life vests are available for rent for Php 100.00. There were also rooms/cottages for those who want to stay overnight. As expected, food prices sold in the falls premises are higher compared to their prices outside. So it's better to bring your own food.

On our way to the falling waters

Finally, we tested the water. It was indeed very cold and very refreshing. Some areas are good for children while adults can go deeper closer to the falling waters. Our best experience was when we rented their bamboo raft and went closer to the falling water. Actually, it's more than that. The raft maneuvered around the falling waters and we had to lie down to fit into the low ceiling of rocks. It was indeed very fun! Highly recommended for groups/families.

We made it!

We left Kawasan Falls before dark and had fallen asleep on our way back to Cebu City. It was indeed very memorable!

Trip to Cebu - Day 3 - Moalboal

Moalboal is a 2-hour drive from Cebu City. Through the different travel blogs I've read, I've learned that this is a popular tourist spot especially for divers for it's abundant marine life. It also has white sand beaches that are not so commercialized yet. And because I love to be in the beach (not to swim because I can't, but to take pictures and breathe the relaxing air), I made sure we get to visit Moalboal.

We, enjoying our brunch!

Since there's plenty of us including some relatives, we decided to rent a whole jeepney for the entire day, my cousin taking charge to make sure we had the transportation to and from Moalboal. Before getting to the beach, we stopped by the nearby wet market and bought some fish and other food for our brunch.

Beach in Moalboal

I probably expected too much for the beach, that I was not very enthralled when we got there. I was expecting it to have fine white sand. Although the sand was still white, it was not fine. In fact, if you're not careful enough, you might hurt your foot. I love the fact though that the shore was clean - no human litter or plastic garbage. I would have loved it better had they cleaned the beach from seaweeds. Not that it's bad, it's just not so swimming-friendly.

Enjoying the marine life

Nonetheless, we still had fun! And that's what's important. After having our brunch, when we thought there's nothing we could do in the beach (since my family did not feel like swimming in there), a boatman approached us and offered to take us to the Marine Sanctuary, around 15 minutes boat ride for a fee of Php 1,500.00. I initially declined the offer, but realizing that it would be my parents' first, we gave it a try.

Jump shot before we left

And great we did! Being good swimmers, my parents enjoyed looking at all the marine life in the sanctuary. And so my brother and sister! That's when we finally appreciated the beauty of Moalboal. You have to go there and see the marine life. For me, that would remind me of Moalboal - it's abundant marine life!

Trip to Cebu - Day 2

Our second day in Cebu was sort of uneventful. We went to my relatives' place in Lahug in the morning up until noon before going to Mactan Shrine. We intentionally skipped Magellan's Cross knowing that it's in a crowded place, according to my research.

A pose at Magellan's Shrine

Mactan Shrine is located in Mactan Island, Cebu and is dedicated in honor of Lapu-Lapu, Ferdinand Magellan, and the Battle of Mactan. The shrine was erected on the supposed spot where the battle took place. (source: http://explorephilippines.org/destination/mactan-shrine)

The monument of Lapu-Lapu

Although there were lots of vendors selling souvenir items (which was common in tourist spots), the shrine was organised and clean. I could see that the locals are really taking good care of the place. You would find monument dedicated to Magellan and another monument dedicated to Lapu-Lapu.

After looking at the whole place and taking some photos, we went to our next destination, which was in Cordova, Cebu to visit another relative. We had a sumptuous dinner after a short meet and greet and headed home. I was personally hoping our third day would be the fun I was looking for.

Trip to Cebu - 09/2011 - Day 1

Cebu has always been part of my bucket list for places to visit in the Philippines. And it was not because I was thrilled to explore the city, but because of the neighboring islands Malapascua and Bantayan. Not to mention Bohol is also very accessible from Cebu City.

It was one of those regular internet sessions when I stumbled upon the airfare sale of Cebu Pacific Air and was able to book a flight for 2 from Manila to Cebu for me and hubby, and a flight for 6 from Davao to Cebu for my family. We paid a total of more or less Php 6,000.00 for all 8 of us, two-way. It was indeed a great deal!

This was our first out of town trip after El Nido. Too bad for me, my camera broke down at the airport while we were waiting for boarding. I could not stand the thought of me travelling without my digital camera. It would be a waste of time not to capture and document the places we planned to visit. :( Good thing that my sister brought hers. :)

We arrived in Cebu City around noon while my family are estimated to arrive early in the evening. We immediately looked for a place to spend the night with, which was not easy because we did not make any reservations. After hours of searching for a decent place, we finally found Apple Tree Suites. We paid for Php 950.00 for a night for an air-conditioned room with a queen bed, which was not bad at all considering it's very close to Osmeña Circle.

Dinner with family and relatives

Time went by swiftly and before we knew it, my family just landed. We had them pick us up from Apple Tree Suites and proceeded to have dinner with my family and relatives living in Cebu. We had barbeque. It was not fancy, but it was fun. And we called it a day!

Backpost: Loleng's Mountain Resort

November 2010 - I and then boyfriend went home from Manila to Davao for vacation and to make our engagement formal to both our families. After the meeting, we also spent time with our own families. They went to Mergrande Beach Resort (but unfortunately their photos were deleted by accident) and we went to Loleng's Mountain Resort.

Doves in the park

Loleng's Mountain Resort is located in Eden, Bayabas, Toril, Davao City. According to their website, lolengs.com, the resort is 3, 000 feet above sea level and is 95% man-made with over 100, 000 pine trees spread throughout the 80-hectare land.

We rented a multicab going there and left around 7am. Though it was a cemented road going to the resort, the multicab had difficulty because of the elevation. The view was also very pleasant to the eyes.

The Lagoon

We paid a Php 50.00 entrance fee to have access to their open park and chapel. There's also a lagoon where you can rent a small boat, but it was not available while we were there. There were doves in the park and I could see that the place was well-maintained. It was clean and peaceful.

They also have a small pool whose water came from a nature spring. To swim in the pool, you have to pay another Php 50.00. The water was very cold and refreshing. It would be very nice to dip in their pool during a very hot day.

The Pool

Loleng's Mountain Resort also has a convention center and some cottages for visitors wishing to stay overnight. All in all, it was a nice experience for a family gathering.

Trip to El Nido, Palawan - Day 4

Still tired from the previous day's island hopping, we decided to just rest and explore the rest of the town of El Nido. We started the day late. It was almost noon when we left La Casa Teresa. We had lunch at El Nido Boutique, tried their yummy and fresh homemade pizza and bought some souvenirs after that.

El Nido Boutique's fresh pizza

After walking a couple of blocks, we decided to rent a motorcycle and headed north. The bike rental store was so kind to give us a map to a nice beach in the north. We were also told that we'll pass by a small waterfalls on our way there.

Clean beach of El Nido town

El Nido's office of the government

We carefully looked at each of the road signs to make sure we won't miss the falls. And from the jump-off point, we walked for almost an hour before we reached the falls. It was not so great as it was really just a small waterfalls. Plus the fact that it was summer, so it was almost dried up as well. After some photo-ops, we decided to leave.

The waterfalls

After around 30 minutes, we finally found the beach. It has long and wide shoreline. The sand was cream in color, but almost white. It was very peaceful as no other tourists were there. If you are a good swimmer, I think you would also enjoy the beach. If we could only stay there a little bit longer, but we needed to go back as it was past 4PM.

The long and peaceful El Nido beach up north

It may have been our last day in El Nido, but it was also very memorable. We left early morning the following day for Puerto Princesa and left for Manila. If given a chance, I would love to go back with my family. We also thank the staff of La Casa Teresa for a wonderful accommodation.

w/La Casa Teresa staff

Trip to El Nido, Palawan - Day 3

On our official second day in El Nido, we wanted to have Tour B. But since there was only the two of us, the tour coordinator asked us to join a bigger group for Tour C - with Carlos and Christian (Argentinian), a couple from Poland, another couple (German and Malaysian) and one from London - and we gladly agreed. Little did we know that we were about to experience the biggest thrill and heart pounding experience in our lives.

The group

The winds were strong that day. No wonder the waves were also huge and even bigger in the open sea. Our first stop should have been the Hidden beach, a beach hidden from the human view as it is enclosed by towering cliffs, accessible only by swimming into a small passage fully covered by seawater. But our banca couldn’t dock near the passage because the huge waves may pound it toward the cliffs. Our tour guide decided that we visit the Matinloc Shrine first and go back to the beach on our way home.

The platform at Matinloc Shrine

For us to get to the shrine, we needed to go farther to the open sea as the shrine was on the other side of the island of cliffs. And I tell you, it was my most terrifying experience by far. There were some occasions when I felt like the banca was about to sink. I had the life jacket on, but it was still terrifying. Even my hubby, who can swim, got terrified.

The view from Matinloc Shrine

The shrine proved to be worth the experience. The view on top of the cliffs was amazing! It would make you really appreciate the wonders made by the Lord. Nothing can really compare to it. It was breath-taking! The turquoise green and blue waters, the sight of the nearby island – just awesome!

Star Beach

But no matter how beautiful it was, we had to move on to our next destination: the Star Beach. It was a small beach, but with waters good for snorkeling. This was where our friend, Christian, spotted a green turtle. This was also where we had our lunch – grilled chicken with fresh fruits.

Our lunch - grilled chicken

After a short rest, we went to the Secret beach. I initially had the courage to jump into the sea wearing a life vest, but the waves proved to be bigger than my courage, and my fear bigger than the waves. J And while staying in the banca waiting for the group, I nauseated and vomited. Gross! So let’s not get into details and let’s move to the next destination, the Helicopter Island.

Sunset at Helicopter Island

The island had long and wide stretch of white/cream sand. As usual, the beach was very clean. While the others were swimming/snorkeling, I made myself busy in taking pictures. It may be another 10 or 20 years before I could come back to this place.

The group before going back to the main land

Before going home, we visited yet another bonus island to experience the sunset. The day was tiring, but unforgettable.