Mount Pulag in Summer

Was able to climb Mt. Pulag this April with my dad and friends. We took the Victory Liner bus in Cubao and left Manila at around 8:30am since none of us were able to catch up on the 6am sched. We had to gather the group but some of us were late so yeah. 

So the journey begins, 6hr bus ride to Baguio. Fortunately, we have a relative who lives in the states have their family house for rent in Baguio. That's where we stayed overnight so we can rest for a while and start the Pulag journey at dawn. We cooked dinner, took a bath since we won't be able to at the campsite and of course slept.

At 3am, the jeep bringing us to the DENR office came to pick us up. This is how it usually goes if one wants to climb Mount Pulag. Everyone should pass by the DENR office first for the briefing on how to preserve and observe proper environmental etiquette when climbing the well preserved mountain. The jeepney ride to the DENR office took about 4hrs. 

After the briefing, we we're brought to the Ranger Station, this is where the hike starts. Mind you, our way to the ranger station from the DENR office was an unexpected adventure, the usual road they take going up there was in construction so we had to take a detour route and boy were we in for a rough ride! The jeepney was literally hanging by a cliff through muddy uneven roads.

Reached the ranger station alive, this is where we settle and get our tour guide and porters. We hired two porters for our heavy luggages and a tour guide whom we call Ate Nievera. From the ranger station, we hiked/walked a total of 51/2hrs via the Ambangeg trail to get to camp 3 which was the nearest campsite to the summit. It was a fun experience since most of it didn't really involve climbing but pretty much tested our endurance against long walks. Good thing we we're in a group so it was hardly ever tiring considering all the chit chats during the trip. 

Quick snap shot while on the trail. I believe this was after passing camp 2.

Here's the group posing for a wacky shot at the summit. That's me on the left with the red bonnet! 

We weren't able to witness the "sea of clouds" coz it was summertime but nonetheless, the view was breathtaking.

Here we are at camp 3 right before we left and return to the base camp.
Fun experience ya'll!

Photo credits to my friend Ley since we were skeptic to bring our dslr, thought it might get all the moist coz of the cold weather.
                                                                       

An Enchanted MisAdventure

My office friends and I planned a getaway to Enchanted Kingdom in one of our days off. So we searched how to get there weeks before and got all too excited with it that out of all the people we invited, only four of us went on with it. That’s me and my boyfriend Steve, then Ley and Nor (my office friends).

In the van on the way to Sta. Rosa, I was already imagining myself getting on all those free rides (inclusive in the entrance), getting wet and having fun! The last time I ever went to Enchanted Kingdom was summer vacay before starting college (that was also the last) and here I am 8yrs later wondering what changed and how to spend enjoying every bit of it. Little did I know that my friends are thinking the same (Excited much?). We even brought extra shirts coz we were sure we’d all get wet from the rides.

Anyway, we arrived at Waltermart Sta.Rosa and were told that the shuttle to Enchanted Kingdom is just around the corner. On our way there, the tricycle drivers were already telling us not to go anymore because Enchanted Kingdom is closed. We ignored them at first, thinking they were just trying to ruin our excitement but when we got to the place where the shuttle was supposed to be, the security guard  in that area told us the info. Enchanted Kingdom is closed for outsiders and  is rented by a private company on that very day. That is, the Yuchengco Group of Companies. WHAT?!? ARE YOU SURE?! !@#$#@!

Look at our faces, we seem so happy as if this was what we planned. ^_^

We didn’t want to waste the time and effort that caused us to get there so we decided to go somewhere else. We ended up going to Nuvali, one of the closest pasyalan in Sta.Rosa. Though the ambiance gave us a Serendra/UP Techno Hub/IT Park feel, we managed to have little fun watching the hundreds of Koi fishes fed by other visitors under the scorching heat of the sun!

The little child in Steve, enjoying the Kois. :)

It was lunchtime and our stomachs were already growling its way to our throats, there weren’t much choice of restaurants we could pig out on (though we saw a resto called Pig Out but would also pig out the funds in our wallets, hehe!), we ended up eating at ClawDaddy.

Since Tagaytay is nearby (yeah, NEARBY), we thought of going there so as not to waste our get ups and excitement. We thought of eating BULALO (the food best known in Tagaytay) there and go sight-seeing. 

Picnic Grove, Tagaytay

We played Kokology in between our trips and while waiting for the scrumptious BULALO feast!

Though our original plan did not push through, we still enjoyed the day and made the most out it. 

A perfect example for time well spent.

Know how to live the time that is given to you.

Dario Fo 

because

Lost time is never found again.
Benjamin Franklin 

Hot Air Balloon Festival

We went to the much talked and much awaited festival this love month which is the Hot Air Balloon Festival held at Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga. We were accompanied by 2 other couple friends Kat&Eric and Marianne&JR. It was such a superb experience!

First, we all met in Eastwood at 11pm Friday coz we all planned to play bowling first then straight to the bus terminal to Pampanga at dawn coz the schedule of the Hot Air Balloon starts at 5am. We wouldn't wanna be late for the launch of them balloons!

Played bowling at 12am, finished around 1:30am then ate buffet breakfast for 150pesos at Somethin' Fishy then straight to the bus terminal at Victory Liner, EDSA, Cubao.

Took the 4am trip to Dau, Pampanga. Slept the whole trip since we were all full and needed to recharge for the festival. At Dau by 5am, rode a tricycle to the jeep terminal to Clark Freeport Zone then jeep to the freeport zone and VOILA! We're at the HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL!



We bought our tickets at the jeep terminal by the way, for the same price of P150. So when we arrived at the Freeport Zone, we didn't have to join the box office line to buy the tickets. We got in right away. Yay!

BUT, unfortunately, due to the jeep's long detour to get us there, we were only able to catch a few hot air balloons flown away. >__<

Tis okay, we enjoyed the other exciting things in store at the festival, like the kite flying, the car drifting, the sky diving, para-gliding and many more!

Check out them kites all over the sky!

Trip to my "HOMETOWN".... Bahrain!

After 7years ... I'm back HOME again! My beloved Bahrain!!!
I was only able to stay for a short period of time. Left the Philippines together with my Uncle Reuel on November 1 then came back With Uncle Reuel and my Dad on the 13th. Even if my stay was brief, I made the most out of it and I definitely wanna come back again. I guess I really will, since it's the place I first called HOME.

 Wasted no time in tasting the orginal SHAWARMAAAA!

 You'll never find jewelry displayed like this in the Philippines! I missed this!

Camels! They used to be free walking around the desert but they're now moved to a Camel farm because their original owner Mohammad passed away. 

The King Fahd Causeway, this is a tourist spot in Bahrain. It's the link between Saudi and Bahrain. When you enter Saudi, you'd find another one with the Saudi flag on top.


There's definitely no place like HOME.

S.M.B

Wondering why I thought of the title SMB? SMB is understood to be the acronym of a beer brand here in the Philippines called San Miguel Beer. This blog is not about the beer, it's about a place I went to with my office friends last weekend, San Miguel, Bulacan.

Our friend Jamie celebrated her birthday and she treated us on a weekend outing in their place and yeah, that's San Miguel, Bulacan. We spent the weekend in a private resort and toured around Biak na Bato, a national park built to commemorate the hideout of the revolutionary forces during the Spanish regime.

Travel Ramble

I guess I've had enough out of town trips this year that when I hear people scheduling a vacay, i don't get jealous anymore. What I need now is a good amount of sleep and more time with my family and friends.

By the way, here's the latest: My weekend trip to Cebu and Bohol... the most hectic travel ever... I'm proud of myself here coz I was able to travel by AIR all by myself for the first time. Good thing it was just a domestic flight. It was easy anyway and traveling alone isn't new to me. ^_^

Cebu with Henry Baba!

Bohol

I lived up to my tag name "Accident Prone and Careless", i got bit by a monkey at the Tarsier Sanctuary in Loboc, Bohol. ^_^

I embraced the beauty of nature once again by trying the ZIPLINE! I really love extreme sports that involve water and heights. ^_^

2010

This must be the my most enjoyed YEAR since I came here in the Philippines for GOOD...

I JUST LOVE 2010! WOW PHILIPPINES! WOW WORLD!

TAGAYTAY Getaway with OfficeFriends

VIGAN with my Bibe and a "couple" of F.R.I.E.N.D.S.


ANAWANGIN with OfficeMates


SIQUIJOR with my Bibe and his Family

INFANTA = COMPANY OUTING


Next on the list is CEBU and BOHOL this WEEK!!!

Does SERENDIPITY really exist?

After years of nudging, I was finally convinced to visit Steve's hometown, Vigan. It was my first time to travel by land that long, 9hours. Compared to airplane traveling, I'd usually sleep all through out, but that time I couldn't coz I had to accompany Steve while driving. Doesn't matter, I love traveling anyway. Upon arriving there, I didn't feel any different at all. In my mind I was like "wow, feels like i've been here before.."


I've come to discover so many things about him, from his childhood to his early youth from his family's stories and pictures they've shown me.

All sights, food and stories impressed me but there was one thing Steve showed that shocked me, it even gave me goosebumps when he was telling me about it.

On the day of Sept.2, 1998, a newly cemented wall on the side of the house caught the attention of the ever playful 16yr.old "Teban". He thought of drawing and writing on the wet cement. He wrote his name, drew a table tennis net and racket, an Adidas logo on the top corner, as well as the date "9298" on the middle part. Beside the date he thought of drawing more things, but the cement was drying up so he had to hurry. He thought of drawing a scoreboard or perhaps some other names of his favorite brands but he got it wrong so instead he continued writing until he came up with a decent or readable enough word... it was this:


He already forgot about this until last year, 2008, 10years later, he came across it while repainting the wall. He never thought it was there, he wasn't even aware it was still there, and it shocked him knowing he wrote it even before we met.

When he told me that story, indeed it gave me goosebumps but i was like "wth? you must be courting or crushing on someone named Kat or something!". In reality, who would believe that would actually happen right? Steve insisted there was no one and that it was really something extraordinary because if you compare it to the other things he drew and wrote on the wall, the name "KAT" was the word that seemed unintended coz of the way it was written.

I DON'T KNOW!!! that's what he said...