why i cannot not live/work in the city Unknown 11:22 PM

That already states "city wins!" in the topic "country vs city"

But I can't say that I live in the city because Taytay probably is not a city, but I think it's getting there, maybe in 10 years?  It's near the city.. like 30 minutes near.. and no, there are no farms, although a little bit mountain, yeah.  But I do work in the city, and I've been working in the city for years.  And I can not imagine working somewhere with no tall buildings, uber hot environment because less trees, and the traffic, I learned to live with it.. but not love it.

the most terrible boat ride i've had Unknown 11:01 PM

What can you do when the sea is so mean to you?

Nothing.. there's nothing you can do when you're in the middle of the sea while its huge waves are hitting you and your boat.  There's nothing you can do but to hold tight and pray that everyone lands safely.  

This is the story of our trip from the Calaguas Island -- we left the island as early as 11am because we have a loooong journey going back home; 10 hours including the boat ride.  The sun was scorching hot on the first hour of crossing the sea, but it rained really hard which resulted the huge waves.  We didn't expect that or maybe the boatmen did, that's why they were in a bit hurry to get us back to the mainland.  

mostly stolen Unknown 9:41 PM

I think everyone would agree if I say stolen shots are the best and the most interesting shots you could see in a photo album.. except maybe if they made you look like a monster in it.  But no monster you would see in this list, for the people in Baguio are all pretty inside and out.  

This shot was taken at Tam-awan Village where everything is artsy..

strolling, trekking, climbing, swimming, walking under the heat of beautiful iLocandia Unknown 7:44 PM

Exploring Ilocos is one of our best trips; there's a lot of places we visited in the beautiful Ilocandia and there's still a lot more we missed, and I do hope we could go back and continue what we started.  But for now, let me tell you what happened during those all-fun, but I remember there were also down times which is inevitable for a group of people who were just starting to get to know each other.

It's not that we almost killed each other, or if words could kill, we could all have been dead by now.  Nah, I'm just me being exaggerated.. I can't think of anything interesting to say, forgive me.

Vigan was our last stop if I remember if correctly, I can't find our itinerary though.. and our driver who was also our tour guide only gave us a few hours to stroll the city.. or was it only just an hour?  That sucked because I've waited that long to finally see how Vigan looks like in person and I wasn't able to explore it thoroughly.  If only he gave us an hour more, I could say that that trip was our best trip.. next to El Nido and Baguio.

Below are the shots I have for Vigan, including the kalesa which I mentioned on the last photo about posing in the camera.

how do you pose for the camera? Unknown 9:01 PM

You would always make sure that you look good before facing the camera and that smile which you've already perfected and the best side of your face is always on.

But here in our trip in Ilocos Norte, I found a good amount of photos of us I could share which showed our every sides..

Starting from where the trip started:

At Sta. Ana Bridge where we waited for the sun to rise.. it was quite cold I'm glad we brought our jackets.

when an uninvited guest insisted Unknown 9:38 PM

I mentioned on my last post about the goodness of travel hassles (what? goodness?? what goodness?) we were joined by a typhoon during this trip.  Ambo, whose intention was to ruin our lives and put us in grave danger (no, nothing bad happened.. I just wanted to say "grave danger" and imagine Prof. Trelawney's voice in it).. he's not that strong, but strong enough not to let us drop by Corrigidor Island.. the highlight of our trip in Bataan.  So we decided to look for another place to visit, and our hostess, Arnie, suggested that we visit this falls nearby.. and we were like, "falls?! alright, let's go!"  But that too wasn't in good shape..? condition? because the nonstop rain made it look like a chocolate falls.. but not the kind of chocolate falls you'd wish to get into.

a long trek to Mount Pinatubo's crater lake Unknown 7:44 PM

This has been one of the longest walk I've had, although it's not difficult, it's the long stairs that made me almost pass out.. that's when you reach the end of the trail.  I guess it's always like that; long stairs after a long walk.. is it to test your strength?  Can't we just settle for a long walk?

I was crawling up to the last steps in Mount Pinatubo's crater, not knowing that I'm facing another moooooooore steps down to the crater lake.  But of course we were rewarded with a glorious view and a very fine weather.

The sun was up, shining bright, but we never felt the heat because the cool breeze absorbs it in an instant.  We admired it for a long and almost nonstop photo shoots before we settle down for lunch.

Okay, I'll tell you about the long walk., a long walk to remember? (lol)

what the Beatles could learn from Puerto Prinsesa? Unknown 12:08 AM

Tons.. or I don't know.  Honestly, I've been thinking if this is a good idea.  To use this fucking generator which is so crazy, yet brilliant, and I'm so puzzled if I have the right to drag the Beatles' name to this shitty blog.

Okay, maybe if they have heard of Palawan, of Puerto Prinsesa, or if they hear about how beautiful and wonderful and magnificent Puerto Prinsesa is, they will immediately ask their manager to get a ticket to ride.. and sing about it?  I can't imagine the Beatles being in a musical, but why not?  If they like it, then go.  I'll support them all the way.  #rockon.

So they have bought a ticket, and landed in Puerto Prinsesa airport in a very hot summer day.  John Lennon would first come out of the plane, appreciating the heat saying "here comes the sun" while putting his sun glasses on.  They later would be escorted to their hotel, and the lady-in-charged would ask them about the heat (about 40°C -- if they're still ok?) and Paul would say "it's getting better" while George would say "I feel fine" with a smile on his face, and Ringo would give her a pretty smile after saying "oh! darling, no worries".. well, they're all smiling and seems very happy and glad they did Palawan.

They were first toured around the city.. ok, there's nothing fancy about Puerto Prinsesa, but its simplicity and authenticity is what you'll appreciate more in life than any other cities on earth could offer, says John(?)  I'll take his word for it.

To the Baker's Hill, Mitra's Ranch and to the Crocodile Farm they were brought..

photo credit to En Route

They were also brought to the Baywalk by some good friends and rented bikes and had fun.. it was really fun!  Some kids joined them while biking because they were that excited, they looked like and acted like kids who saw/rode bikes for the first time.  :>

The next day they were taken to the Underground River, also known as the Puerto Prinsesa Subterranean River.  The excitement can be seen from all their faces, and a few minutes passed, they're entering the cave with zero visibility.. the huge flashlight was on and soon they will see the thousands of bats in the ceiling taking a pee or a poo on everyone.  They were advised not to open their mouths while admiring the scenery, but Paul kinda forgot about it, tasted it, and cried "this is something! whoa!"  The whole trip which lasted for about an hour went very smooth and they were greeted by a photographer (outside the cave) to capture their happy faces.

They were then brought to Honda Bay for some island hopping!  They were more excited than I was when I did it.  They got even more excited on fish feeding, and the people could hear them sing "come together, fishes! yeah!"

Fast forward to the last day of their trip.. they were getting on their plane singing "she loves you yeah! yeah! yeah!" as appreciation for the love they received while staying in Puerto Prinsesa.  They promised to be back to explore more of the island.

As for what they learned or what they could learn from Puerto Prinsesa? well..

spelunking in Sagada: the buwis-buhay adventure Unknown 8:49 PM

You know the first time I heard of the word "spelunking" is when my friends suggested that we must go to Sagada and try spelunking.. and I was like, what the hell is spelunking?  Apparently, they saw a video of Ramon Bautista, the internet action star about Sagada and spelunking, which is another word for caving.  Would you like to see the video?  Follow this link.. and that's exactly what we did.

The morning after, it felt like we couldn't move a muscle.. but it was all worth it; the experience, it was really awesome.  And also we're lucky for our tour guide; Ben, who took this awesome shot

and the rest of our photos inside the cave, and also who took good care of my camera and us of course.. but I suggest you bring a waterproof camera because you'd probably get wet for there are parts where you will use both your hands in climbing up and down, and crawling.. I did a lot of crawling.  Also, you can swim inside.. there are pools.

So here in the Sumaguing Cave is where the Sagada buwis-buhay adventure started, on this steep, slippery, dark entrance.. choose your slipper wisely.

share three places for travel Tuesday Unknown 11:16 PM

I think I've been talking about El Nido and Puerto Prinsesa since I started posting here.. that is because I love the place so much.  Everything about Palawan, I love it; the islands and other beautiful sceneries, the people, the food(?), I barely talk about food, but when we ate in an eatery in El Nido, we found just the same dishes we cook in Manila, and Taytay.. they were cooked a bit different but they taste good, just a bit expensive though for an eatery.  And we always go for the cheaper ones.. gotta save money as much as we could.. even when it comes to souvenirs: 3 for 100!

We're also hoping to visit Coron this year, and as our tour guides praised Coron as the most beautiful part of Palawan, and the ever controversial Culion island.. I haven't stopped thinking about it.  There's this strange excitement I feel about Palawan compared to our other trips.. maybe because I know I'd be surprised, and Palawan do have a lot of surprises.  Those islands were different in every form, they have different characteristics, and they're all stunning!  And I will never forget how difficult it was for most of us, especially me, to get into and out of the Secret Lagoon or Secret Beach.  Maybe if it wasn't for the strong waves (it's been raining), it could have been easier, and I don't know how to swim so that's a huge thing!  I know right!  I love beaches, I love water, but I can't fully enjoy it.  Yeah, I'm just so pathetic like that.  But I did enjoy every moment I spent in that lagoon even if that tiny entrance gave me/us a hard time because it was all worth it!

My camera also doesn't know how to swim so I just took one of my friend's photos.  I hope you don't mind.

photo credit to Vanessa

That is the entrance to the lagoon.  Aside from it's tiny, parts of it are sharp and the waves make it more difficult for us to go through.  And one of us got hurt on our way out.  That fucking wave!  I'm telling you, it's cruel.

There's a lot more places that I'd love to visit here in the Philippines, especially in the Visayans and Mindanao regions.  But if there's a chance that I could step into a foreign country, I'd totally grab it.  To explore the world is a huge dream, but to have a glance of even a few of it is enough for me.  Maybe I could start with Japan.  I've been seeing and hearing a lot of great things about them and I would like to see them myself.  There could be a chance that we, Filipinos, could enter Japan without a visa, and that would totally rock if they do lift it.. besides, we've been good friends since Rizal.

I was talking about Jose Rizal, our national hero, he fought everyone using his brain.  He's got a lot of Japanese girlfriends you know.  I don't know why I'm saying this, maybe because I just haven't had enough sleep since I started this shit.  Sorry.

But I live in Rizal.. Taytay, Rizal.  And there's one place here that is so cool, everyone wants a piece of it especially during summer: The Club Manila East in Taytay, Rizal.  But because one can not please everyone, you'd see a lot negative reviews; well they don't allow outsider foods and drinks, but there are restaurants.. a bit expensive, but what can you expect? that's business.  There are fast food chains around the area so you still have other options.  You'd be wearing a wristband anyway so you can get in and out of the resort anytime.  Just as long as you brought a car, that'd be no problem.

They've got at least 10 pools; 3 beach waves and each with different wave lengths, the 3rd used for surfing.  There is an adult pool with a giant 3-looped slide, kiddie pool with waterfalls and fountains,
bean-shaped pool, there's a lap pool, there's this buzzy river, there's a boating area for kayaking which is my favorite, and there's a 14-feet diving pool.  They also have a 320 meter zip line which costs Php150 a ride, but they could have made this a little cheaper because everything has already been expensive.. you know, just a thought.  They also hold surfing events there, I think every year, but we haven't seen it.  It can get crowded so make sure to be on the place really early so you could still enjoy the pools for long.

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travel Tuesday: share your thoughts! Unknown 11:18 PM

I've been looking for travel blogs to somewhat get some ideas and maybe get a chance to participate with them or link with them or whateverr, and I stumbled upon 'A Compass Rose' which authored by Bonnie Rose.  Not only this blog looks really nice, but the author is doing something epic (I can't believe I would use that word, but it is indeed) which answers all my prayers.

All I got to do is to be active, as much as I can.  Although some of them, actually all of them were sharing their experiences in visiting the different parts of the world, but I only got one country in mind; the Philippines.  Don't get me wrong, I love my country, and I'm doing the best I can to explore her full beauty.. before I go overseas.. that is the dream.

I started exploring the Philippines; my dear country, 3 years ago, and I've only been to 11 provinces.. all of which in Luzon.  I could have been to the Visayaz region last year specifically in Bohol and Cebu if it wasn't for Yolanda (that bitch ruined it all).  My friends have been to Boracay several times, they included me last year for another trip and bought me tickets, but I chose not to go..  I know, that's one of the most gorgeous parts of the Philippines, but I can't find the urge visiting it.