Old and new confessions, travels, adventures, wishes and dreams of a nomad, a bookworm, a Wiccan, a fashionista, and alas, a super sexy mommy wannabe! Into my world I welcome you, come take a peek.
Hey gais! I'm still here in Cebu, in Oslob in particular. I've been traveling non-stop so to speak since last year and now that I'n resting a bit here at my bessy's place (my flight back to Manila is early tomorrow at 3am), I decided to make time for another blog post, this time about Baler. I was just there last Jan. 11-12 when I joined Barefoot Travels in their surfing adventure. I'm going back there for a longer vacation this time, from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, for a surfcation as they call it. Two more slots are still available so if you want to join, contact Barefoot now at +63923-5610062; +63917-3589716. So yeah, as soon as I go home tomorrow, I'll have to pack again for another surfing trip. Just look at some of the surfing videos my new friends took last time. Who wouldn't want to go back there, right? Whew! What a life! ^_^
Finally, at past 3 in the afternoon on April 11, we arrived at Potipot island. We were both surprised by the number of people camping and swimming in the area. We didn't expect this and it made us both feel a bit down. It was only later in the aftenoon that we found out about Potipot Island having recently been featured on TV, no wonder people were so gung ho to explore it.
We surveyed the beach for a little while hoping to find a nice place to set up our tent. Unfortunately, there was no better spot than the first one we saw, which was between a big group of friends lounging under the tree on our right, and another huge group of friends camping on our left. So that's that. As cramped as it felt, I didn't allow it to ruin our weekend together.
It
was supposed to be a day spent in Tagaytay with some of my friends
(Ninette, Vangie, Ate Rose, Dodgie, Vina, & Francis) which I didn’t
confirm until last weekend. However, with everything happening — Peter’s
work, my plans of seeing a doctor, going to Alabang to check the
carpenters’ work on the cabinets, packing our stuff, our partying last
weekend, our usual laziness, and the fact that we’ve been to Tagaytay
several times already (we’re even scheduled to go there again next month
c/o our Club Panoly membership), the thought of going there on a
holiday just didn’t appeal to us so much. But the thought of seeing our
friends excited us a bit so we said yes, we’ll go.
During
the weekend, Vina told me she wouldn’t be able to come with us coz she
has to attend Francis’ sister’s wedding. Then early Monday morning, Ate
Rose texted & said that she’s sick. I felt sorry for her but at the
same time, I was beginning to think that perhaps this wasn’t such a good
idea after all. And Peter didn’t want to drive that far lately coz he’s
been tired most of the time. So I thought that perhaps, while waiting
for the others at Bluewave along Diosdado Macapagal, Roxas Blvd. (ourmeeting place that morning), I could check out Sun Cruises
near CCP and see if they have a couple of boat slots for Corregidor
that day. Well, it turned out that they had almost a hundred slots
waiting to be filled. I got excited! I texted my friends and asked and
begged them if we could go to Corregidor instead! They wanted to… but
sad to say that Dodgie already made reservations at one of the
restaurants in Tagaytay plus they also have plans of visiting the wake
of Dodgie’s boss’ dad. Well, we didn’t want to spend our time eating all
day and visiting a dead guy we don’t know so it’s a good thing they let
us pursue our new and sudden plan. I love my friends! They’re so
forgiving. And Peter & I couldn’t be any happier! Blame it on my
impulsiveness! Hahaha! So off they went to Tagytay and off we went to
Corregidor! (We’ve been planning to go here for two years now. We can’t believe that it finally happened and as spontaneously as that! Weee!)
~~~oOo~~~
Now, let me take you on a trip back to history… We took tons of photos with both our Olympus and Pentax digital cameras that at the end of the trip, both of their batteries were exhausted. Here’s a film I made especially for you. Enjoy!
*(text taken from Sun Cruises, Inc.’s pamphlet)
One of the most celebrated battles of World War II
took place in this tadpole-shaped island more than 60 years ago, but
the thunderous roar of the guns reverberates as a whole new adventure
unfolds in Corregidor.
It
is the largest of the five islands in between the shores of the
legendary provinces of Bataan and Cavite, both homes to the country’s
beloved heroes. The reminiscence of the Pacific War, however, is one
educational attraction of a trip to the island, the best part is to
experience life here amidst luscious green hills and pristine blue
waters.
MILE LONG BARRACKS
The
most photographed area in Corregidor, this 1,520-foot barracks served
as headquarters of some 2,000 US offcials, including Gen. Douglas
MacArthur. What was once a recreational indoor pool can still be seen
today.
MALINTA TUNNEL The
highlight of the visit would be the 30-minute light-and-sound show at
the tunnel, which chronicles the significance of the place as it served
as center of American operations during WWII. Former President Manuel L.
Quezon and Vice-President Sergio Osmena took their oath on December 30,
1941 under this hideaway to begin their second term in office. This
passage was converted into a hospital, arsenal, and fuel reservoir,
where thousands of Filipinos, Americans and Japanese died.
PACIFIC WAR MEMORIAL
Located
at the highest point of the island, it was completed at the cost of
$1.23 million in 1968, and one of the only two memorials built by the US
government to mark the war, the other is in Pearl Harbor.
SPANISH LIGHTHOUSE
This
lighthouse used to be a checkpoint, which alerts Manila of an
approaching galleon. This spot offers a spectacular view of the Manila
Bay, South China Sea, and the whole island.
BATTERIES
The
gallant guns of the Pacific are distributed in different parts of the
island. Battery Way is armed with four 12-inch mortars that can fire in
any direction. It has the last gun to fire out before the fall to the
Japanese. Battery Hearn’s seacoast gun is the longest in the island with
a firing range of 17 miles. Battery Geary contains the most effective
guns in Corregidor. Battery Crocket has two 12-inch seacoast guns
mounted on carriages that move the guns that disappear behind a parapet.
The Americans built a total of 20 batteries in the island.
FILIPINO HEROES MEMORIAL
This
landmark contains sculptor Manuel Casal’s 14 murals depicting some of
the country’s historic battles from the Battle of Mactan in 1521 to the
Edsa People Power Revolution in 1986.
~~~oOo~~~
The
tickets cost us P1,690 each, iclusive of boat transfers via Sun Cruiser
II, tour of the island via Tram and buffet lunch. For an additional
P150 each, we were able to watch the Malinta Tunnel Lights & Sound
show. It surely was a day we thoroughly enjoyed! As what Gen. Douglas
MacArthur said, we too, shall return. Come see Corregidor!
It started out as a story-telling of a funny cartoon I saw over the internet, which I told Peter one morning when he drove me off to work. This story is something which I can very much relate with coz it has a sensible message to it. So I shared it with Peter that fateful morning. It goes like this:
"There's this balut that was accidentally thrown with the rest of the penoys. As time passed by, he kept on wondering why he always feels different from his friends and peers to think that he looks exactly like everyone else.. He tried his best to fit in, to do what they do, play what they play, but there's always this uneasiness and restlessness inside of him that he can't place. He feels like he's destined to do other things. Things which are very much different from how his friends live their lives. Then one day, he began to crack... and he realized that all this time, he wasn't a chick after all. Duck pala siya. I feel the same way. Baby,balut yata ako..."
After a dramatic pause, waiting for Peter to say something profound, he burst into fits of laughter! He found my story soooo funny to think that I wasn't even making patawiwi (patawa). And he said: "Awwww baby, you're my patoling (duckling)." And I joined him in his laughter. Anyway, I'm sure you get the point of the balut-penoy story. And since then, Peter calls me his patoling, if only to make me laugh. And what do you know... while I was fixing my pictures for my next supposed blog post, I found a video of myself looking and acting like a duckling. This was taken during the Zambapalooza with Brownman Revival (BMR) last August 2006, when I jumped off the Pundaquit falls, followed by most of the other band members. It's been an hour since Jao (BMR's bass guitarist) swore he'd jump off the damned thing. I got impatient that I went up to the cliff myself to show him how easy it was. But I got scared when I reached the top coz the cliff had very rocky edges. But it was then or never. And when I finally jumped, the whole band, locals included, couldn't contain their excited glee! See and hear for yourself...
The next series of travelogues that I will be sharing with you consist of three weeks worth of vacation, touring parts of Visayas and Mindanao two summers ago. This was the time when both of us were able to scrimp the P40,000 we saved up for this adventure and learned the art of backpacking by experience. I've already posted the first leg of our trip (Cebu). Now, let's check out Dumaguete. Come, join us on our journey and explore the beauty of our country. Maybe next time, we can do a backpack tour of Asia and Europe as well. *crossing our fingers now*
~~~oOo~~~
Waiting to board our Ocean Ferry ride to Dumaguete...
It was due to pure luck that Dumaguete became part of our vacation itinerary. Have you ever been invited to one of those seminars for time sharing? That was how we got to be members of Club Panoly Boracay by the way. Anyway, one day, Vacation Club , Inc. (VCI) called us saying we have won a free accommodation. But in order to get the prize, we need to come to their office and witness a 90 minute presentation about their product and services, emphasizing that there was no obligation to buy on our part and that we'd get to pick up a free vacation after the show. So that's what we did.
We just arrived at Dumaguete. We then explored Rizal Blvd. nearby...
One evening after work, we went to their office and listened to them talk and market their time sharing scheme. They did a hard sell on us but since we already spent tons on our 10-year membership at Club Panoly, we no longer have budget for this. Nevertheless, after 2 hours of their sales pitch, they let us pick from a fish bowl a free accommodation at one of their resorts and we picked up Bahia de Bais at Dumaguete. I immediately rearranged our schedule and before we knew it, we were already on our way there.
Despite the hurricane warning of CNN and PAGASA, we still pushed through with our plan. Like I said, "Let God's will be done!" Hehehe. For some reason, all of us were feeling very brave that dawn, without a care in the world. But of course, I still checked out the weather forecast on the internet when we got home. And it says that it's signal # 2 in Iba while it's signal # 1 for the rest of Zambales. We won't be reaching Iba. Our destination is only up to Pundaquit, San Antonio. So meaning, we'll only encounter signal # 1 of the storm. Very easy. Hahahaha!
Peter is bald again and trying out the waters of Pundaquit.
So we all met up at 7-11 near Quezon Ave. MRT station. While waiting for Dino, us girls did some food shopping for our trip.When he got there, we also tried withdrawing some cash at a nearby ATM to no avail. Oh well!
Watching Dino surf for the first time...
By 5am, we were already on the road to pick up Ode at Meycauayan, Bulacan. Then off we headed to San Antonio, Zambales.
Night of drinking, dancing and singing... The Human Walrus and Sexy Nomad doing a 70's dance step...
more of our drunken state as Dino sings MY WAY...
We reached Megan's Resort at around 8am. Just as we predicted, there was no wind at all. The sky was overcast and to our disappointment, no waves for surfing too. On the other hand, it will be very easy to cross the sea and go to Capones and Camara Islands. Boat rental is only P600 good for 5 persons and it will only take around 25 minutes to cross the sea. BUT, Ate Rose texted Peter urging us all NOT to venture seaward. She's very concerned that the typhoon might hit our area any time and we might be left stranded on an island. Point taken.
The other boat on the way to Capones
After checking-in, we rested a bit. We got this room that already has 2 king-sized beds and hot & cold shower. It's priced at P2800 less 20%. The seven of us divided the cost and voila! It came out very cheap. Not bad! Not bad at all!
So near...yet so far...
On our first day, we explored the beach, tried the water, went to the estuary and in the afternoon, I was able to rent a surfboard from a local for P800 for 24-30 hours. Cool! The boys surfed until their bodies ached while us girls just watched by the beach.
How was your long weekend? Were you able to do the things you've been wanting to do but just didn't have the time? I hope so.
As for me, the break wasn't as relaxing as I imagined it would be. I even ended up having a terrible body ache after 3 days and 2 nights of extreme adventure which I haven't experienced in a loooong while. But I'm not complaining...
After 3 and a half hours of travel from Manila via the North Expressway, we finally arrived at Pundaquit, San Antonio, Zambales a little before 9 am. We rented an aircon room at Megan's Resort (P1440/night for 3 pax) and didn't waste time exploring the beach, checking out the gorgeous surfers and signing up for a free surfing clinic.
After the competition, Zambales and Manila Surfers had a tug-of-war competition. Too bad for us Manileños, Zambales surfers won. I also noticed that there were several soldiers in the area, probably to ward off local NPAs. I took that chance to have my picture taken with them. Hehehe. Afterwards, I did some skim boarding by the beach. It was perfect! Way off better for this kind of sport than that of La Union. And I really had so much fun!
On our first night, after having dinner and playing some videoke, despite the drizzle, we went to a nearby resort where three bands were going to play including Brownman Revival (BMR). There were also some fire stunts performed by fellow surfers. Unfortunately, after the 2nd band, the drizzle turned into full blown rain and due to previous electrocution (don't worry, he's fine now) of the first band's vocalist, the organizers cancelled the last band and decided for BMR to play the following night instead. Thus, we stayed another night. Besides, there were news of flood in Pampanga which made it difficult for us to travel back home. Therefore, to the delight of most of my friends, we stayed. Yipee!
Another
long weekend is coming up. I’m hoping that the stormy weather would
die down a bit so you can enjoy it with a trip up north. As for me,
I’ll be busy this entire week for my project in school. So I’m just
gonna share with you an itinerary that you can use for this long
weekend. What do you say? Interested? I’m talking about August 21,
Ninoy Aquino’s death anniversary which is officially declared a
non-working holiday. And since the 21st falls on a Monday, “hurrah!” for us hardworking folks.
Here’s an itinerary that you can use: At
around 1:20am of Saturday, start heading up north. Count around 6
hours and you would’ve reached La Union by then. Nope, no surfing this
time but you can drop by Patio del Sol, a scenic restaurant /resort
with a view of the sea. They also offer cozy rooms made of native
materials at very affordable rates. You can ask the owner himself,
known as Mr. Bert, and he will be the most accommodating and candid
host you’ll ever meet. He might even have a few stories to tell on how
he started and what his future plans are. Just enjoy your moment with
him.
After
an hour, you’re ready to head further up north. You will be passing
by several scenic views so just have your cameras handy.
Come noon, you should be in Vigan
already. Have lunch at one of their restaurants along the cobblestone
path. Try their Vigan specialty like pinakbet, bagnet, empanada,
longganisa, and other Iloco delicacies. Once your tummies are filled,
you can join a Vigan Heritage tour. The ancient Kalesa will be your mode
of transportation and the kutsero will tour you to the following
places:
