Barefoot Travels Magdalena Whitewater Rafting Adventure

 This white water rafting photo above was taken at Ayung River in Indonesia back in 2009.

Bebeko will be here soon and we're joining Barefoot Travels in their white water rafting adventure. Weee!!! This will be my third time to do such an adventurous thing. The first time I did whitewater rafting was back in 2006 in Padas River in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The second was in Ayung, River, Bali, Indonesia in 2009. 

Bebeko and I wanted to try this before in Cagayan de Oro when we visited my grandparents and at another time when we went to Dahilayan in Bukidnon but we always ran out of time. I guess now, the universe has conspired for us to get what we want because I was personally invited by Rons Nebre, the founder of Barefoot Travels and I'm going to bring my bebe with me. Yipeee!

Another Windsurfing Trip to Caliraya

Usually, when we go windsurfing at Caliraya Lake, we'd find a bunch of windsurfers and kiteboarders / kitesurfers milling about and camping in Surf Kamp with their trailer campers and cars. Most of them are the same people I've worked with during the 2008 FunBoard Cup in Boracay although I rarely interact with them when I go there. I'm the loner type if you must know and I rarely interact with people unless they talk to me first. 

We had the lake all to ourselves! 

So anyway, this particular weekend that we went to Surf Kamp, my husband and I were surprised to see that no one was around. The caretaker of the property actually told us that  the windsurfers are now camping somewhere else. This new campsite doesn't have a name, but it's just right across Surf Camp's Lakeside. Going by car, we'd have to exit Surf Camp and turn left. We followed the road until we saw another narrow road on our left where there is a big house with red roof. There's a small parking area there but we'd still have to ride a barge to cross the lake until we reach this new campsite allegedly owned by Michael Palacios according to the person we came across with while parking in the second location. The wind and kitesurfers now go here since they're like an exclusive club and they like to come together every weekend.

In Nuvali and Paseo de Sta. Rosa One Saturday Afternoon

Having lived in the south for almost 5 years now, life can be very laid back. Before, when we were still living in Quezon City, it's so easy to just go out and bar hop at night (which was why we frequently watched Brownman Revival then) or visit the various malls all the way to Makati. Now, going out of Alabang can be such a hassle in terms of traffic, distance, time spent and money spent on gas and toll fees. So if we wanna go shopping, we just go to Festival Mall most of the time since it's just 5 minutes from our house, or to Alabang Town Center if we want a different vibe. We rarely even go to SM Southmall because though it's still quite near, traffic in that area can be horrendous! We find it more valuable to go out of town (like Batangas or Caliraya) than go to SM Southmall. LOL!

NUVALI

Anyway, one Saturday afternoon, our original plan was to check if the wakeboarding faclity in Nuvali is already open. I heard that it's supposed to open last year, Oct. 26 to be exact, but unfortunately, that is not yet the case. We still went to Nuvali one Saturday afternoon just to see if there's anything new. Last time I visited this place was in 2010 when houses were still being built in this still new ecopolis. 

Enchanted Kingdom Coca-Cola Partnership

Last Chinese New Year, on Jan. 22 to be exact, I was invited to go to Enchanted Kingdom not just to witness the celebration of Coca-Cola's 100th year, but also to celebrate its new partnership with Enchanted Kingdom. I remember when I attended all the other EK events before, Pepsi products were the ones being sold in the food stands. Now, it's all Coca-Cola. I find it awesome because I am a Coca-Cola fan myself. Even if it's one of those things that I am not allowed to drink by my doctor anymore, I still do so from time to time. Hihihi.

Caliraya Windsurfing, Japanese Garden, Isdaan Trip

What happens during a Caliraya Windsurfing Trip?

Driving from Alabang to Caliraya Laguna takes about 4 hours so we usually head out early on a Saturday or Sunday morning to avoid traffic, hoping to reach Surf Camp between 10-11 am.

For directions on how to go to Surf Kamp in Caliraya, please go to this link:
How to get to Surf Kamp

Entrance per person in Surf Kamp is Php75.00. Once inside the premises, you can check the place first, take some photo ops, and see if there's enough wind power in the air to help you windsurf later on. Well at least, that's what we usually do. We scout the area, see if there are already windsurfers and kite surfers enjoying the lake, or camping around, plus we test the water temperature. Usually, the lake water is quite freezing in the morning so instead of renting a windsurfing board out right, we schedule afternoon lessons instead with Noni (my instructor) and come back after lunch. You can contact him at this number: 09194999634

Windsurfing and my Journey to Better Fitness

Oh hi there dear travel blog. You've taken a backseat for so long and I'm sorry. I've just been so caught up in my own workaholic world coupled with some health issues (GERD and other emotional issues) which I needed to take care of, plus you know how much time it usually takes me to post a travelogue here --- 4 hours! Yes, and that's just the minimum. Perhaps, I must learn how to chunk my posts into bite-size pieces so I can update you more.

Windsurfing @ Surf Kamp, Lake Caliraya

Being on the surface of the water has always been very appealing for me. This is why I prefer snorkeling more than diving, why I swim with my head up all the time, why I did wakeboarding a couple of times, and why I got hooked into surfing.

It Snowed at Enchanted Kingdom

So, I'm trying to be on a roll here, blogging about those things I forgot to blog about, just so I'd feel much better and hopefully, stop crying coz my eyes are effing sore already. If you wanna know, HERE is why I'm crying.

Anyway, this is my third post for today, which is actually a feat, seeing that I've been on hibernation mode for a little while now. But when I saw some a batch of photos from our last visit at Enchanted Kingdom, plus this video I took when they made it "snow", they made me smile.

Nuvali Fun Activities

Whether you plan to buy one of the luxurious eco-friendly houses in Nuvali, or you plan to work at one of the business establishments there, or you simply want to visit this soon-to-be ecopolis in the country, you will have a ton of fun at Nuvali. I know I did. Here are the activities you can do:

Tour of the huge parcels of land being developed by Ayala Land for Abrio, Monetcito, Santierra, Venare, and Avida.

Bird Watching at the Gazebo - Currently, there are around 60+ species of birds found to be thriving here in Nuvali.

Nuvali - a First Look

I remember our best friend, John Aguilar, (owner of Street Park Productions, and is currently the producer of ANC’s Philippine Realty TV), telling us about Nuvali before… that it’s this eco-friendly village nestled right in the heart of Laguna, particularly in the cities of  Calamba, Cabuyao and Sta. Rosa, where he plans to build his next housing project, Project Green Home, which will surely become a hit after the successful construction of his Project First Home.

So when I got invited to attend the bloggers event for Nuvali Evoliving on October 20, I immediately sent my confirmation.

The organizers and bloggers met at Makati Stock Exchange early that morning. There was a bus waiting for us all, an exclusive Nuvali bus that indirectly and characteristically defined the kind of luxurious lifestyle that homeowners at Nuvali would definitely experience. I think this is the first time I’ve ever boarded this kind of bus — the one comes with a toilet similar to those on planes if I’m not mistaken. Anyway, the point of the matter is, I was immediately impressed.

 My Marc Jacobs sunglasses look and feel awsome. ^_^

We headed to Laguna at around 9:00 a.m. I haven’t slept yet from the day before since my shift at work ended at 5:00 a.m. I tried to take a nap on the way there.

After about an hour or so, I was greeted by lush greenery and fields all over. We were then approaching Nuvali. Our first stop was the Evoliving Center for some washroom break before we tour the fields and do some bird watching. Good thing that I was wearing comfortable clothes that day. I was prepared to do a lot of walking and touring for this event.

Nuvali consists of 1,840 hectares of land. It’s quite impossible to tour everything that morning so the organizers just showed us the stretches of land that are currently being developed by Ayala Land. Touring by bus, we passed by the following huge parcels of land:

Focaccia and EKstreme Tower Ride: Blog Events, Good for My Soul

I love to cook food and eat my own creations whenever I have the time. But since my VA work has been so hectic plus this emotional turmoil whose source shall not be named has been bugging me for weeks now, I decided to not let these things get me down. So whenever there are blog event invitations sent to me, which I feel would help me grow as a person, enjoy life, take my mind off the sordid little things in my head, and be more grateful to the universe, I say yes to them, not to all of them though, just a few events that are about things I am passionate about.

One of them is the Focaccia Food Tasting event I went to last week. Have you seen the 13 dishes served to us? My golly! I swear I gained a few pounds after that! Every pasta and pizza served on our table was so divine. My most favorite dishes from Focaccia are:

Pazzo Rollio and the Osso Buco pasta.

They gave me a gift certificate which I will use this weekend so Peter can have a taste of at least one of those dishes. Just thinking about them already makes my mouth water! Yum! Being with other bloggers who are also passionate about food that evening made me forget my troubles for a while. Peter has been very supportive and helpful about the entire thing and it really helps get my mind off my concerns when I am with other people and enjoying life. I did feel much better after that so when I received another invite to go to Enchanted Kingdom and experience their new EKstereme Tower Ride, I immediately said yes!

Me and my hubby, Peter! Wee!

Me and my fellow blogger friends
(L-R: Joriben, Flow, Montsch, Iris, Me)

Visit to Pandin and Yambo Lakes

The following is a post I drafted while we were staying in Casa San Pablo last Feb. 14, 2010. Can I just say that so far, this has been the best Valentine weekend celebration of my entire life?! ^_^

For those who want to read this Valentine travelogue from the beginning, please clickthe link below:

Valentine 2010

~~~oOo~~~

Several weeks prior to this trip, I was already thinking of places we can visit for this year's Valentine weekend. Then I happen to browse one of the travel magazines Peter brought home from his Ad Congress trip in Subic last year--- Sidetrip. This mini magazine is just so full of interesting information about places to visit in Luzon. One of the things that caught my attention was its feature on San Pablo's 7 lakes in Laguna. Since we were already in Casa San Pablo that weekend, we might as well check out these lakes to see if they're really as beautiful as Sidetrip prortrayed them to be. I've had my fair share of disappointing nature finds when traveling. But I admit, there have been nature discoveries which I found priceless. Guess which group did these lakes belong to? Guess! Anyway, I decided to not expect much and just enjoy where this trip would take us...

The staff at Casa San Pablo told us that of the 7 lakes, Pandin is the best. So that's where we decided to go. While looking for the road sign that was supposed to lead us to Pandin Lake (we just followed the directions given by the staff, as well as the map we had with us) we chanced upon this nice-looking cafe called Folcon Bakeshop & Coffeeshop. It's beside a quirky little boutique called Cheapangga along the main highway. Anyway, we still haven't had lunch by then and we were starting to get hungry. We didn't know how long we were from the lake, so we might as well stop, eat and ask for further direction just to make sure we won't get lost.

Casa San Pablo Valentine Stay

The following is a post I drafted while we were staying in Casa San Pablo last Feb. 14, 2010. Can I just say that so far, this has been the best Valentine weekend celebration of my entire life?! ^_^

For those who want to read this Valentine travelogue from the beginning, please clickthe link below:

Valentine 2010

~~~oOo~~~

Feb . 14, 2010... I now sit here, at Casa San Pablo, one of the nicest bed and breakfast places my hubby and I have ever been to, feeling so happy and content with my life. We checked in here last night (Feb. 13, 2010), right after our windsurfing activity. Well, not necessarily right after, coz we still had to drive for almost 2 hours just to get to San Pablo City from Caliraya. The moment we entered the resort, we were just so enamored by it's tranquility and beauty. We immediately checked-in so we can change into our swimming attire and enjoy the swimming pool under the stars.

The room we got was room # 7, formerly the guest room of a renowned Filipino poet, Rofel Brion, who is also a family friend of Casa San Pablo's owners. Some of his poems are framed and hanging on the walls of this room, showing tribute to his great talent.

Windsurfing at Lake Caliraya Surf Kamp

The following is a post I drafted while we were staying in Casa San Pablo last Feb. 14, 2010. Can I just say that so far, this has been the best Valentine weekend celebration of my entire life?! ^_^

For those who want to read this Valentine travelogue from the beginning, please clickthe link below:

Valentine 2010

~~~oOo~~~

While figuring out where next to go, we saw this cottage-like dining place. We remembered this was the same food stop we've been to some 4 years ago, when we first did our Laguna road trip with Ate Rose. The place was already much bigger but it has the same scenic view of the lake at the back. I wondered if the food is still the same --- scrumptious, affordable and comes in large servings. It is!