My Travels

The Best Pastillas in the Philippines

2008-10-28T21:50:00.001+08:00

The best pastillas in the Philippines is found in San Nicolas 1, Magalang, Pampanga. Its unique taste is because of the carabao milk.

Is it worth going to Magalang, Pampanga to just buy pastillas? Not really. But if you're going up north (to Pangasinan, Baguio or Ilocos) anyway, it's on the way and definitely worth the side trip. You can never have enough snacks on the long journey! :)

Terrazas de Punta Fuego

2008-09-20T06:31:00.001+08:00

"Touted to have the best swimming beach in Batangas, Terrazas is the newest enclave of the exclusive Punta Fuego lifestyle communities - and is the perfect setting for afternoon interludes with the sea, a soothing massage at the cabañas, frolic in the pool or merely a sip of the famed Terrazas Sunset by the Juice Bar." -link

How to get to Terrazas de Punta Fuego?
1. Take the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and exit at Sta. Rosa.
2. Follow the road all the way to Tagaytay.
3. Once in Tagaytay, make your way to Nasugbu, Batangas.

Terrazas de Punta Fuego is located at Barangay Natipuan, Nasugbu, Batangas, Philippines. Telephone (+6343) 7290180 to 82.

punta fuego

coy pond

lobby

pool

Terrazas de Punta Fuego is an exclusive residential resort that is NOT open to the public. Guests, accompanied by members, are charged a guest fee of 150 pesos.

restaurant

cabanas

bar

Terrazas de Punta Fuego only has 1 restaurant. They serve both local and western food to suite all tastes. If you're hungry, do order in a advance because it takes a while for the food to be prepared. Cabanas are available for rent and are reserved on a first come first served basis.

At the middle of the row of cabanas, you can find the juice bar where you can order both alcoholic and non-alcoholic refreshments.

Terrazas de Punta Fuego has one of the best shower rooms for a beach resort. It's an air-conditioned, luxurious bathroom. There's hardly any sand on the floor because it's always kept nice and clean by the staff. It's a welcome departure from the icky shower rooms in most Philippine beach resorts.

Terrazas de Punta Fuego, in my opinion, is the best swimming beach that you can visit from Metro Manila for a day trip. The best part about a Punta Fuego day trip is you can have dinner in Tagaytay on your way back to Metro Manila.

Tips while in Terrazas de Punta Fuego:

1. If you can, go on a weekday. You'll be the only guests in the resort where you'll feel like you own the beach resort. It's closed on Mondays though.
2. If you're hungry, go to the restaurant early because it takes a while for the food to be prepared.
3. If you do go on a busy week, make sure you finish early. Otherwise, there'll be a long line in the shower room.
4. You can ask for a plastic bag from the front desk of shower room for your wet clothes.
5. You can't bring outside food or drinks.
6. If you're on a budget and don't want to spend on renting a beach-side cabana, the pool-side cabanas are free to use.

Bethel Guest House

2008-08-25T13:29:00.002+08:00

"Bethel Guest House is situated directly along the Boulevard in Dumaguete City, the capital of Oriental Negros. It is only an hour and fifteen minutes flight from the country’s capital of Manila. It is a fifteen-minute drive from the airport and three minutes to the seaport. Located at the heart of the city, the hotel is within walking distance from business establishments, universities, churches, parks, theaters, tourist spots, and other entertainment centers. It also offers a refreshing view of the sea and of Dumaguete against the backdrop of Mt. Talinis and the neighboring provinces of Oriental Negros. Also, available in nearby Bais are the Popular Dolphin Watching Tours plus other refreshing sights in the City of Gentle people." -link (http://www.bethelguesthouse.com/)

hotel facade

hotel lobby

My sister's friend recommended Bethel House as the best place to stay in Dumaguete. There are only a handful of buildings in Dumaguate, and Bethel House is one of the tallest structures in the city.

satellite view

sunrise

Boulevard (left)

Boulevard (right)

What makes Bethel Guest House the ideal place to stay is its proximity to everything and the fact that it's right across the sea. In the morning, there are lots of people walking and jogging by the beach. This evokes images of an unpolluted Manila Bay. This makes me really wonder how glorious and magnificent Manily Bay was in the past.

Watch out for the street vendors selling pearls. They wait along the Boulevard waiting for tourists to come out from Bethel House. They can get annoying and persistent.

elevator advertisements

4th floor lobby

room corridor

There are a lot of ads posted in the walls of the elevator. Some ads are for properties while the others are four local tours. The ad that got my attention was the home service massage. :)

Once we arrived at the fourth level, I couldn't help but feel like I was in a hospital - and it smelled like one too! The lobby looks like a nurse station and the tiles and colors of the wall are all white - again, another common interior look of a hospital.

family room

view from room

dual faucet

bathroom

We stayed in the family room (Php 1,800) that's good for 4 people. You can squeeze a fifth person by requesting for an extra bed. The family room also reminds you of a hospital room again. The white floor tiles, white venetian blinds and white walls all support that image. Was Bethel House a hospital in the past?

Why are there two faucets? Both faucets deliver cold water. But even if one faucet was for hot water and the other was for cold water, what's the point? you still need to mix both hot and cold water to get the desired moderate temperate for bathing. Or maybe I'm just ignorant?

There's also a cafe at the ground level that looks more like a cafeteria. You get a tray, fall in line, and point at the dishes you want to eat. There's a wide selection of food available. You only pay at the cashier after your meal.

I've been to Bethel House twice already. The rooms are very clean and neat. It just reminds me too much of a hospital - and it smells like one too! Still... I'll most likely stay there again in my next visit to Dumaguete.

Bugwas Festival - San Juan, Siquijor

2008-08-24T18:20:00.004+08:00

"Bugwas Festival every last week of August in San Juan town. BugwasFestival is San Juan's way of celebrating a bountiful and abundant harvest in honor of its patron saint, St. Augustine. Bugwas represents the abundant supply of spring water in the town which in turn gives the inhabitants an abundant harvest for farmers and abundant catch for the fishermen."

Capilay Spring

stage

resort stall

coco grove

We booked our flights months in advance without realizing that we actually scheduled our Siquijor trip during the Bugwas festival in San Juan, Siquijor. It was a pleasent surprise to be informed that there was going to be a fiesta and lots of events and activities in the town center near Capilay Spring. Unfortunately, we only had time to attend the first night of the 3 day fiesta. We were able to eat a lot of grilled (sinugba) food that was served and prepared by the local resorts in San Juan. The food and drinks were a lot cheaper too than the food in the Coral Cay Resort.

Luckily, we were able to watch the fireworks which was only scheduled for the first night. It was the first time I experienced a shower of spent fireworks dust. Though the fireworks were exploding far from us, the strong winds were blowing the fireworks dust towards us like rain. We had to cover our eyes with our hands to protect them. Unfortunately, I had to throw away my mango shake which was starting to get contaminated with small black, round pellets.

Coral Cay Resort (Again!)

2008-08-24T17:34:00.008+08:00

For my second trip to Siquijor this year, we once again stayed in CoralCay resort. The resort is located at Solangon, San Juan, Siquijor 6227 Philippines. Their contact numbers are (63) 035-481-5024 and (63) 919-269-1269.

Habagat Room (outside)

Habagat Room (inside)

For our first night, we stayed in the Sinugdanan rooms which were poolside. "SINUGDANAN - (which means beginning) is a Garden Duplex. A family room with 2 queen size beds, ceiling fan, hot and cold shower, and a veranda facing the swimming pool." -link

habagat room

1st floor

2nd floor

terrace

For the next two nights we stayed in the Habagat Room which was facing the bar and restaurant. "Amihan/Habagat - (which means Northeast wind/Southwest wind) is a two-story duplex. Habagat is available and will accommodate up to 6 persons with it's single and double beds downstairs, and a queen size bed upstairs. Features include a covered terra-cotta veranda upstairs and down, views of the sea and garden, a spacious marble bathroom, and efficient ceiling fans." It's as close to staying in a house without the kitchen. The safe is located behind the painting in the second floor.

white-sand beach

Siquijor is famous for its white sand beaches. Unfortunately, the water and the beach is full of seaweed at this time of the year because the winds are blowing in-land. My friends spent most of their time swimming in the pool instead because the sea is only clear and white until your knees. It's best to go to Siquijor during the summer.

path to pool

pool

night swimming

I love beach resorts with their own swimming pool. It allows you to cool off in an environment without sand or any other living creatures swimming around you. The pool is also open in the evening if you want to go night swimming.

library

playground

gym

The library has its own books you can borrow ONLY while you're in the resort. They have a TV with cable or satellite television. They also have a pool table. The playground is just behind the bar and restaurant. The gym is beside the library.

bar and restaurant staff

bar and restaurant

The bar and restaurant is the only place to eat in the resort. Unfortunately, it is also the only option because there are no restaurants or other resorts nearby. They have a good selection of both local and international cuisine. It does take at least 30 minutes before your food arrives so do plan ahead. Their food is also quite expensive.

Still, I'll probably be booking another room in Coral Cay on my next visit to Siquijor :)

NAIA Terminal 3

2008-08-23T13:40:00.004+08:00

"The third terminal of the airport, Terminal 3 or NAIA-3, is the newestand biggest terminal in the NAIA complex, wherein construction started in 1997. It was one of the most controversial projects the Philippine government has gotten involved with. Legal battles and red tape, especially international arbitration cases in both the United States and Singapore as a result of mismanagement of the project by the Estrada government, as well as technical and safety concerns, have delayed the opening several times. [10] The terminal officially opened to selected domestic flights from 22 July 2008 (initially Cebu Pacific only, then Philippine Airlines' subsidiaries Air Philippines and PAL Express), with Cebu Pacific international flights using it from 1 August 2008 and other international airlines (excluding PAL) to relocate there within the year. PAL will continue to operate from Terminal 2." - wiki

picture taken from here

I booked my flight a few months back thinking that I'd be boarding from the old and dilapidated domestic airport. But before my scheduled flight to Dumaguete, NAIA Terminal 3 was just opened for business. This was actually my first time to visit the new airport. So here are my first impressions:

The check-in counter area is huge and cavernous! It's such a big difference from the crowded and cramped old domestic airport.

Though I've always been hearing about the new mall within the airport, it was still empty when I was there. It does have a lot of potential though in my opinion. But let’s wait until all the stores are occupied before passing judgement.

Cinnabon

GoNuts Donuts

DeliFrance

National Bookstore

Grocery Store

There are a few food stalls if you get hungry. If you get bored, there’s a newsstand provided by National Bookstore that sells the latest magazines and some books. Being an airport, everything is a lot more expensive!

The Departure Area is vast - so vast that it has its own horizontal escalators. The ramps that connect the departure area to the airplanes are NOT operational. You do get on the ramp. But when you get to the end of it, you take the stairs down the ramp, then take a short walk in the open air. Finally, you take the stairs up to board the plane. It's the same procedure when you arrive. I hope this isn't a permanent!

The Arrival Area is also vast. Again, so vast that it has its own horizontal escalators. There are also a number of luggage carousels in operation. The walk to the large carousel was so long that my luggage was already there when I arrived.

All in all, I'm impressed with our new NAIA Terminal 3 airport. We finally have a domestic airport we can be proud of! This is very important because an airport is the first thing foreign tourists and potentional investors see when they arrive in the Philippines.

Getting to Siquijor

2008-08-23T10:27:00.003+08:00

I went back to Siquijor! This is how much I enjoyed my last trip there back in March 2008 :)

To get to Siquijor from Manila, you need to take a flight to Dumaguete first then take a ferry to Siquijor. The flight is only 40 minutes and the airport where it lands is only 15 minutes away from the port where you can take the ferry to Siquijor.

satellite view of the airport

There are tricycles and vans waiting outside the airport that can take you to the port. They charged me 100 pesos for the tricycle for myself, 2 other people and our luggage. I'm not sure whether this is the actual rate though. Bethel Guest House charges 200 pesos for a van to the airport. So it does sound reasonable.

Delta Fast ticketing counter

departure terminal

At the Dumaguete Port, there are two fast craft options: Delta Fast and Weesam. Unfortunately, the Weesam fast crafts are currently under maintenance for a month - so Delta Fast is your only option. I suggest you call ahead of time to reserve tickets because they do run out fast while Weesam is out of commission.

Ticket costs 160 pesos for one-way tickets. Unfortunately, the Delta Fast ticketing counter lacks a sign board so it's a bit hard to find. Tip: The Weesam ticketing counter is right beside one gate of the port while the Delta Fast ticketing counter is right beside the other gate.

Like an airport, you also need to pay for the terminal fee.

Tip: Watch-out for the porters! They can be annoying and persistent - especially when they swarm around you and rudely grab your bags in the pretence of assisting you. In fact, they're just trying to get ahead of their fellow porters. I had to say "No thank you!" several times to shoo them all away.

satellite view of the sea port

There's a huge billboard in the port warning against human trafficking. To display a huge billboard like this means that human trafficking is quite a problem. I talked to a Dutch anthropologist in Siquijor who works for a Dumaguete NGO providing legal services to abused women. As an anthropologist, she was studying and documenting the human trafficking and abuse of women - sometimes even by her fellow Westerners who are dirty old men. She actually looked at them with disdain and sees entire Western families as a more welcome sight in Dumaguate and Siquijor.

interior of Delta Fast

I was able to track the entire ferry journey using my GPS. It's roughly 30km away and the fast craft travels at approximately 30km/hour. The sea can get rough so take your bonamine if you are prone to motion sickness. The seats are perfect for the average Filipino height and weight while the entire cabin is sealed and air-conditioned.

Here's a screenshot of the journey from Dumaguete to Siquijor which was logged by my N82's Nokia Sports Tracker.
There is an airport in Siquijor but it's only for private planes. I was told you can charter a 5 passenger plane from Dumaguete to Siquijor for 3,500 pesos. The plane ride will only take you 7 minutes.

La Cocina de Tita Moning Tour

2008-08-03T12:32:00.018+08:00

La Cocina de Tita Moning is located at #315 San Rafael Street, SanMiguel District, Manila. Along with an early 1900's aristocratic dining experience, you also get a tour of the Legarda mansion by their well-trained staff. I've blogged about my dining experience here.

The Mansion

Staircase at the Main Entrance

Alejandro Legarda Sr., M.D (1902 -1993) and Ramona Hernandez Legarda "Tita Moning" (1904 -1999)

I'm always fascinated with old houses and antiques. And I truly appreciated the care they put into preserving the look and feel of the house as it was in its glory days.

The Library

Antique Camera Equipment

Clinic where Dr. Alejandro Legarda received his patients

Antique sink and toilet fixtures

Antique Gadgets (I love viewing these!)

Living Room and Dressing Room

Dining Room

For more information about the Legarda Mansion you can visit their website at: http://www.lacocinadetitamoning.com/legarda_mansion1.html and http://www.lacocinadetitamoning.com/legarda_mansion2.html

Leslie's

2008-08-02T17:10:00.043+08:00

A trip to Tagaytay is never complete without a visit to Leslie's restaurant. It is located at Aguinaldo Highway Crossing, Silang West Tagaytay and it is almost always packed. Hence, the service can get really slow at times.

Leslie's Bar & Grill has one of the best locations for a grand view of Taal Volcano and Taal Lake.

"Taal Volcano is an active volcano on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is situated between the towns of Talisay and San Nicolas in Batangas. It consists of an island in Lake Taal, which is situated within a caldera formed by an earlier, very powerful eruption. It is located about 50 km from the capital, Manila. It also has the distinction of being home to the "Largest island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island". This is referring to Vulcan point, an island in crater lake. The volcano has erupted violently several times, causing loss of life in the populated areas surrounding the lake, the current death toll standing at around 5,000 - 6,000. Because of its proximity to populated areas and eruptive history, the volcano has been designated a Decade Volcano worthy of close study to prevent future natural disasters. It was thought to be named as "a volcano inside a volcano" because many believed that the lake that circles the volcano was once a crater or mouth of a volcano." -wiki

Dining Area

Picture Taking Area

A lot of people go to Below are pictures of Leslie's bestsellers. This is almost always what we order at Leslie's every time. Note: There's a free unlimited refill of the Bulalo soup.

pork sisig	adobong kangkong
tangigue	bulalo
chicken barbecue

It can get cold and windy in Leslie's so I highly encourage you to bring a jacket if you're the type who gets cold easily.

A lot of people go to Leslie's for the picture opportunity and the food. Here's a picture of us waiting for food with the Taal volcano as a background while another group in the background was having their picture taken with the same volcano.

Carlos Celdran - the One-Man Theatrical Tour of Intramuros

2008-08-02T16:43:00.006+08:00

I've been to Intramuros several times. And every time, I was taking itfor granted. I was completely clueless about the historical and cultural significance of Intramuros. It took one person to change all of that… and he's Carlos Celdran.

Originally, my tour should have started at Fort Santiago. Due to bad weather, we started at San Agustin Church and Museum instead. Carlos Celdran was kind enough to pay for our horse-drawn cart ride to the church from Fort Santiago. Apparently, everyone in Intramuros knew him because they were addressing him as Sir Carlos.

Carlos Celdran, more or less, talks about the colonial history of the Philippines starting from the Spanish period. One amazing skill he displayed is his 1 minute history of Jose Rizal in one breath. I’ve studied about Rizal my entire academic life. I can say for certain that he gave an accurate, comprehensive, and concise summary of Jose Rizal.

San Agustin Museum (front)

San Agustin Museum (back)

Inside the air-conditioned San Agustin Museum, Carlos Celdran gives you a history of the Spanish colonial period. It's an ideal setting because the museum is filled with a lot of religious artifacts. One historical tidbit that fascinated me was how he explained the Spanish colonial rule as a theocracy. I was always under the impression that the Philippines was governed directly by the King of Spain or his appointed governors. He went as far as humorously comparing Spanish colonial rule to the Taliban. Basically, he was positing that the Spanish friars ruled the country like their own kingdom – exactly what Jose Rizal immortalized in his two books (e.g. Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo).

crypt

father blanco's garden

hallway of museum

There are quite a number of impressive structures within the San Agustin compound. I always got left behind by the tour group because I always lingered to take pictures.

Carlos Celdran does give you a break half-way through the 3 hour tour for a toilet and water break. Thankfully, he provides you with free iced tea. It's a welcome surprise since we've been drenched in sweat because of the humidity.

The tour ends at Casa Manila –a turn of the 20th century house completely re-built by Imelda Marcos. It's located right across the San Agustin Church. Here he gives you how the elite and rich lived their aristocratic lives - especially how they followed the European craze of bathing once every few months. It’s extremely gross given the tropical climate in the Philippines.

Carlos Celdran is quite a character. Who else would walk around Intramuros wearing shorts, a long sleeved barong, and a top hat?

Nevertheless, his most endearing trait is his passion about Old Manila and its history. It’s quite infectious because you can clearly see how much he loves Manila and how much he loves what he’s doing. I prefer calling his tour a one-man theatrical show – complete with props, hats, pictures and even music!

It's a wonderful tour that I highly recommend to everyone - especially to those who are new to Philippine culture and history or for those who want to learn what it means to be a Filipino. I am definitely scheduling another theatrical tour with Carlos Celdran for his other tours. You can schedule a tour with him through his blog.

TIPS:
1. If you bring a car, you can park at San Agustin Church itself.
2. Do bring an umbrella. Even if it's not raining, you'll need it to protect yourself from the sun.
3. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. You'll be doing a lot of walking and you'll most certainly be drenched in sweat.

Pagsanjan Falls

2008-08-02T12:10:00.012+08:00

"While popularly known as the Pagsanjan Falls, locally they are "Magdapio Falls" since their actual location is not in Pagsanjan at all but in the adjacent town of Cavinti.

The Pagsanjan Falls has a strong flow of tourists visiting the area, tourists are ferried to the famed falls with a traditional Filipino Banca Boat for a small fee. The only passable route to it is the Bumbungan River of Pagsanjan. To reach Pagsanjan Falls, tourists or visitors have to ride these boats, manned by skilled Pagsanjeño boatmen (bankeros).

The base of the Pansanjan falls is a natural pool, allowing great swimming and diving. There are some caves to explore around the area which are known for their acoustics. Behind the waterfalls there is also a small cave which you can enter. The falls are also famous for its massage, where people get 'massaged' under the falls." -wiki

SG-JJJ Resort	resort from the river	cushions
shower and toilet 1	shower and toilet 2	info hut

Without any specific plans (more on this later), we ended up in SG-JJJ resort. The resort has shower facilities so you can take a shower after the Pagsanjan trip. This was a big plus! The boat ride with cushion and life vests costs 660 pesos. The resort charges an extra 40 pesos for the use of their shower facilities. All in all, the entire trip would cost 700 pesos. However, this does not include the tips your two boatman would be asking from you. We gave each boatman 100 pesos each - though they were requesting for more. Granted that their job was difficult, strenuous and dangerous, it's called a "tip" - and it's not required! I guess I wasn't happy that they were asking 200 pesos each. Yeesh! Anyway, we stuck to our guns and just gave them 100 pesos each.

tug boat

last turn

From SG-JJJ resort, your canoe will be tugged until the last turn where the rapids will start.

laundry 1

resort

resthouse

laundry 2

It was a good 20-25 minute tug where you can absorb the sights and sounds of riverside life. There were a number of resorts, homes and resthouses lining the river. There were also people doing their laundry along the shore. I also saw a boy crossing the river while pulling a horse. If elephants can swim, horses can swim too!

Part of the adventure is watching our boatmen manuever the canoe upstream. Aside from their wooden paddles, they were also using their whole body to push and pull the canoe upstream! It was an amazing display of skill and dexterity.

Since it was the rainy season, there were also a number of smaller water falls along the way. It was amazing! Furthermore, I never thought that there is still thick jungle in the Philippines.

Talahib Falls

canoe carpark

pay toilets

You know you have arrived when you see the canoe parking lot. You have to keep your hands inside the canoe because it can get smashed between the canoes. We were also disappointed to discover that we weren't looking at Pagsanjan Falls (i.e. Magdapio Falls). Instead, we were at the mini-falls before Pagsanjan Falls called Talahib Falls. We couldn't proceed to Pagsanjan Falls due to the high water level caused by the continuous rain.

"Another waterfalls, Talahib Falls, situated about 900 meters downstream of Magdapio Falls serves a first stop for the upstream boat ride. Talahib is a sitio of Brgy. Caliraya, hence, the town of Lumban hosts this waterfalls. This waterfalls is also called First Falls while the Magdapio Falls is called Main Falls. The Talahib Falls area has a souvenir shop, barbeque stand and most important, a pay-toilet for PhP10 per pee." -continued http://www.waypoints.ph/detail_gen.html?wpt=pgsnjf

It looks like I'll be coming back to see Pagsanjan Falls.

group picture

The group picture was taken while we were on the raft that was taking us directly under the water falls. It was a very painful massage! But hey, we were in the same raft with other school children so we needed to show some courage hehehe. The raft ride costs 90 pesos each. Again, this does not include the tips for the men who were pulling the rafts towards the waterfalls.

travel advisory

travelling shoe

Tips:
1. We went to Pagsanjan without any specific plans. A persistent and annoying motorcycle rider stopped us and showed us the way to SG-JJJ Resort. All this time I was thinking that the motorcycle rider was employed by the resort. But the resort staff informed me to just go directly to their resort next time and to avoid any of these annoyances along the road because all they're doing is asking for commissions from both the resort owners and the tourists. Please take note of the travel advisory picture above!
2. Be prepared to give a lot of tips for both your boatmen and the raft men! If you're unlucky enough (like me) to encounter #1, then you have to give them a tip as well.

Fontana Leisure Parks & Casino - Villa

2008-07-19T13:46:00.007+08:00

Fontana Villas are fully-furnished 2 to 3 bedroom duplex houses with the following amenities:

Centralized air-conditioning!
Two to three full toilet and bathroom with hairdryers
Centralized air-conditioning!
Hot and cold water
Centralized air-conditioning!
Electronic Locks
Centralized air-conditioning!
Cable television
Centralized air-conditioning!
Auxiliary room with toilet and bathroom
Centralized air-conditioning!
Refrigerator
Centralized air-conditioning!
Kitchen and Dining Areas
Centralized air-conditioning!
Living Room
Centralized air-conditioning!
Carport
Centralized air-conditioning!
Lanai
Centralized air-conditioning!
Electrical Outlets – 200V
Centralized air-conditioning!
Operator-assisted NDD/IDD Facilities
Centralized air-conditioning!

It's a great place to hang-out with family and friends because the entire villa is centrally air-conditioned. To save money, you can even bring food and beverages. Actually, you can even cook inside the villas. All the villas look identical. This is mainly because the villas used to be the homes of the US military officers who were stationed in Clark Air Base. To my surprise, there's even free WiFi access and the signal even reaches the villas. The connection speed is quite fast! Behind the counter is the fully-furnished kitchen. The door to the right, leads to driver's and maid's quarters - which has been converted into another luxurious 3rd bedroom. However, this was at the expense of the living room which became smaller.Though the kitchen does have a large dual sink, a stove with an exhaust and a refrigerator with a freezer, it is missing a microwave oven!For the rooms, you can choose between two twin beds or a queen-sized bed. Our 3 bedroom villa was equipped with a 3 queen-sized beds. Each bedroom has its own closet. Unfortunately, only the master bedroom has its own toilet and bath.

"NOTE: Fontana is mainly for Fontana Club Members. Non-members requesting villas will be required to have a member as a sponsor prior to booking. During peak season, Fontana is mostly booked in advance for members-only. If you’d like a great alternative, try Montevista Villas Resort in the beautiful Mimosa Leisure Park/Country Club. The villas at Montevista are similar to the Fontana villas. As a non-member of Fontana, you can still avail yourself of the Fontana Water Park for a small entrance fee of Php 300." - link

Fontana Leisure Parks & Casino - Main Lobby

2008-07-19T13:43:00.004+08:00

Fontana resort is located within the Clark Freeport Zone (formerly Clark Air Base). For a history of Clark Air Base, which used to be the largest and most urbanized overseas military installation of the United States of America, please visit the wiki here. This is the main facade of the newly constructed front-desk and main lobby of Fontana Leisure Parks & Casino. It's a huge structure that adds class and elegance to the entire resort. When you enter, you feel like you're in a grand casino in Macau or Las Vegas. Actually, there really is a casino in the 2nd floor. The lobby is very luxurious and elegant with tall windows, doors and a high ceiling. The lobby borrows heavily from Las Vegas because of the architecture. Notice that there are 2nd floor balconies which are there only for aesthetics. There is no way to get up there. To the right of the counter, is the spa. It's rather expensive, as you can see from the prices in the picture above. At the back of the main building is an olympic-size swimming pool. It costs about 300 pesos to swim. For that amount of money, I would prefer to go to the water park where there is a wave pool, a water slide and an artificial river. You can visit Fontana's website here.

Golden Pavilion

2008-07-19T13:39:00.001+08:00

The Golden Pavilion is a Chinese fine dining restaurant at the main building where the front desk and main lobby is located. Unfortunately, it is also the only restaurant in Fontana Leisure Resort & Casino. It's a fancy restaurant with high ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, and a stage where performers sing both English and Chinese music. They've actually hired mainland Chinese waitresses to wait on the tables. In fact, I've also noticed Chinese managers and front-desk people. Sometimes, there are more foreign Chinese tourists than local guests.

Twin Lagoon

2008-05-19T20:04:00.000+08:00

This has got to be one of the most beautiful places in Coron. The cliffs are spectacular! All you need here are your snorkeling gear. If you have fins, I highly encourage you to use them because this will be a long swim! Even if you're a strong swimmer, I recommend bringing a life jacket. To get to the "other twin" lagoon, you will have to go through this small cave that's only visible during low tide. There's a sea urchin in there so watch out! There's also a lot of fish in the cave. Unfortunately, that's the only place where you'll see any underwater life. When you get in the secluded lagoon, there's nothing to see underwater and you can't even tell how deep the water is. It's just limitless blue! It's rather scarey because you really have no idea what lies beneath the water. The water is brackish again and the sea water does not mix with the fresh water. You can feel thermocline even when you're swimming at the surface. You can even see the thermocline underwater because the visibility changes between hazy to clear as you swim along. Above water, the sheer cliff is even more spectacular inside than outside. It feels so secluded and untouched. It was quite the adventure! If ever you go to Coron, you absotively posolutely must go here!

Malcapuya Island

2008-05-19T20:02:00.000+08:00

This is a private island with a white sand beach. You need to hire a boat to take you there. It's a rather expensive trip because the island is an hour away from SeaDive. We were able to hire a boat for the entire day for 2,500 pesos - though we were able to go to other places of interest as well using the same boat.

The entrance fee is 100 pesos.

You have to bring your own food though because there are no stores or restaurants on the island. We purchased cooked rice, fresh fish and other condiments from the public market. Our boatman was kind enough to grill our fresh fish on the island itself. Voila! We had an instant picnic.

The island also has a resident pet pig. His name is DingDong. He's named after the famous local actor who has the same skin tone!

In my opinion, I wouldn't go to Coron just to go to Malcapuya. There are so many other places of interest in Coron that you can't see anywhere else. So we just stayed for lunch and left soon after. We actually spent more time on the boat going to Malcapuya and back than on the island itself.

SeaDive

2008-05-19T15:09:00.001+08:00

During my whole stay in Coron, we stayed at Sea Dive Resort. You can visit their website here. The non-aircon rooms were cheap. But we opted to stay in the air-conditioned rooms, which, unfortunately were in the 3rd floor. The steps going to the 2nd floor were huge and quite a challenge to climb. Going to the 2nd to the 3rd floor was equally challenging with a steel spiral staircase where you can quite literally see the ground floor with every step you take. If you're afraid of heights, you may find it difficult to get to the 3rd floor - especially when you're carrying a lot of things. Have I mentioned that I'm afraid of heights? You can actually see the steel spiral staircase at the upper-left hand corner of the picture above. If it isn't obvious yet, I got a lot of aerobic exercise going up and down the stairs when I forgot something in my room :) And I always do forget something! If you'll be doing a lot of site-seeing, Sea Dive is actually the best place to stay even if you're a non-diver. The whole hotel is resting on stilts in the sea. All the boats for scuba-diving, snorkeling or travelling are either already docked beside Sea Dive or can easily pick you up from there. For me, this means that I don't have to wake up extra early so that I don't miss the departure of the boat. Also, when the boat arrives you can immediately go up to your room to freshen up or rest - no need to travel by land anymore!

Every morning though I was awakend by the ear-piercing squeals and cries of a pig that was being slaughtered in the nearby public market. It's enough to make you want to become a vegetarian - but the guilty feeling only lasts as long as the pig's cries. hehehe! The whole place feels so cramped. The roads are narrow and the houses are so close to each other. It's such a quaint but charming fishing village. Before I go further off-topic, I would just like to say that I highly recommend Sea Dive. Our air-conditioning unit was brand new and it was actually working so well that it was freezing cold at night. The toilet and bath is clean and nice. There's even a hot shower available! There are a few minor gripes though: the cleaning lady left a (1) Zesto tetra pack and an empty Fita wrapper in the terrace and (2) the refrigerator still had a blue plastic bag filled with trash. I blame the cleaning lady for that miss and no one else! The prices in the restaurant are reasonable. The food selection is also wide-ranging - from local cuisine to continental dishes. But if you're looking to save on lunch or dinner, you can opt to go to the public market and buy the freshest catch of the day. Then, have your fish cooked in nearby restaurants for only a small fee! Did I mention that they provided free WiFi access? No password required! Still... SeaDive is the best Coron has to offer and I would choose to go back there the next time I visit Coron.

Scuba Diving - Sieta Pecados

2008-05-18T17:43:00.000+08:00

Sieta Pecados. My Spanish is poor, but I think it translates to Seven Sins. You can count 7 islands - though I don't know why the place was called seven sins.

I found it interesting to see a sign where our boat was anchored. And I was even more pleased to learn that they're very careful in preserving this marine sanctuary by not using their "tikin" (long bamboo pole) to navigate the boat.

This place is a good sight to see a lot of corals and fish. This is good for snorkeling because the corals and fish can be seen even from shallow depths.

For divers, this is just a standard dive. But hey, it's one of the closest dive spots from SeaDive. So if you're in a rush (like we were), then Sieta Pecaodos is a must-dive. The wreck dives are 2 hours away.

If you hate currents, you'll love this dive.

Scuba Diving - Barracuda Lake

2008-05-18T17:42:00.000+08:00

This is one of the best places to visit in Coron - only if you're a licensed scuba diver. Though the view is spectacular, it's actually the scuba diving experience that sets it apart from other destinations. You get here by boat. It takes around 15-20 minutes to get there. When you arrive you are greeted by the sign above.

The lake is actually secluded and you have to climb up a sharp rocky cliff then climb back down again the other side. Thankfully, the locals hammered together makeshifts stairs and railings to help you with the climb. Be very careful here, or you'll end up with broken bones and lots of deep gashes. The rocks are razor sharp! What awaits you on the other side is breathtaking. The sheer cliffs and rock formations are spectacular. For non-divers, you can snorkel in the lake. The water is brackish. Unfortunately, there is nothing really to see underwater - though you do feel like you're swimming in a bowl. Actually, the lake may actually have been a now extinct volcano. But I'm no scientist, so don't quote me on this!

If you are a scuba diver, then you’ll have an out-of-this-world experience. Like snorkeling, there is nothing to see underwater. The water is cool. But when you hit 40 feet, you hit what you think is thermocline. As you descend deeper and deeper, the water becomes warmer until it becomes uncomfortably hot. Then after 70 feet, the water becomes cool again. Talk about a weird experience! You’ll reach a maximum depth of 100 feet. Any further down, and it’s just total darkness. Maybe it’s because the soil beyond 100 feet is much darker.

Speaking of soil… The ground wasn’t made of sand. The ground was this soil that was both yucky and mushy. It felt so gross that I tried to avoid touching it. But then I couldn’t resist sticking my hand in. My arm went all the way in until my elbow. Our dive master was even brave enough to stick his head into the muck. Afterwards, we were all embraced by a brown cloud because of all the disturbances we were making on the ground.

The ascent back to the surface was the reverse of the descent. It was cool, hot, warm, and finally cool again. This actually lends credence to my hypothesis that this was indeed an extinct volcano because the hot part of the dive feels like you were in a hot spring. But how can the hot part be in the middle only?

Here's a link with a nice diagram of Barracuda Lake.

If you hate currents, you'll love this dive. Be careful with your weights though, because your bouyancy will be different than in the salt water.

SuperFerry - Our Lady of Good Voyage

2008-05-17T15:30:00.000+08:00

I booked a roundtrip ticket for a ship voyage from Manila to Coron, Palawan at SuperFerry. Though there are direct flights to Coron via SeaAir or Asian Spirit, my friends and I decided to take a ship for two reasons: (1) it had a sense of adventure and (2) it was much cheaper :) The SuperFerry ship leaves for Coron every Friday at 4:00PM. The ship returns to Manila every Sunday night. Our plan was to have a quick Coron getaway where we slept two nights on the ship and only one night in Coron. I was scheduled to leave Manila at 4:00pm. But due to the low-pressure area that developed into a tropical cyclone, the departure time was delayed by 6 hours. We ended up leaving Manila at 10:00pm. Though we still expected to arrive in Coron in the morning. I went to bed right after dinner because I was planning to sleep through the night. If it's your first time in SuperFerry, don't forget to avail of the free bedsheet and pillow cases from the counter. The thicker blankets cost 30 pesos. You do have to return all the linens before the ship docks. Once the ship hit the open sea, the ship started to move like the Anchor's Away ride in Enchanted Kingdom. My stomach was churning in all directions and my head started throbbing in synchronization with the up and down motion of the ship. Nausea and a headache, with a slight flu, made the entire voyage unbearable. I closed my eyes, prayed and imagined an island at the horizon. I managed to survive the evening without vomiting in spite of all the sounds and smell of people around you vomiting. I'm proud because I'm notorious for being extremely sensitive to motion sickness. The ship took the longer route to avoid the rough seas caused by typhoon Cosme. Unfortunately, this added several hours to the voyage. The ship captain informed us that the expected time of arrival in Coron would be 8:00pm. Typhoon Cosme was so powerful that it killed a number of people in Northern Luzon and it even caused a blackout that lasted for days! How powerful was it? You can check this article out from the Manila Times. I guess we're lucky for surviving the ordeal in spite of our stubbornness :) After 12 hours in the ship, you could see Batangas to your left and Mindoro to your right. The frustrating thing is you can get to Batangas in 3 hours, at most, by land! I spent the rest of the hours in bed trying to sleep and fighting off the effects of motion sickness. Finally, at 8:00PM in the evening we arrived at the Coron port. We alighted from our ship with wobbly legs. Unfortunately, the wobbly legs would linger in the succeeding days. It was signal number 1 in Mindoro and I went through it in a ship. Will I do it again? Yes, but not anytime soon AND only if I'm guaranteed good weather and smooth sailing.

Day 1 - Malapascua, Cebu

2008-05-05T15:30:00.000+08:00

The goal on this trip was to spot Thresher sharks. There are a number of resorts along the beach. We opted for the services of Dan's Dives. His dive shop is in the back. So it's a bit tiresome having to go all the way back. But they do have the cheapest prices.

Getting Around

2008-03-09T20:23:00.000+08:00

View Larger Map From the map above, Siquijor is a small island. In fact, you can tour the entire island in one day!

We hired a small colorful tourist jeepney. The driver picked us up from our Coral Cay Resort and even brought us back home in the evening. In one of our stops along the road, our guide (in red) filled up his water bottle with spring water coming from the mountain. Nice!

Throughout our tour, I was wondering how our jeepney re-fueled because I only saw one gas station which was already closed early in the evening. My question was answered when the jeepney stopped beside a small store and purchased two liters of Coke which contains gasoline. So there we were, parked at the side of the road getting re-fueled by the store owner who's pouring 2 bottles of gasoline-filled Coke into the fuel tank of the jeepney. Too bad my camera ran out of juice at that moment.

Getting to Siquijor

2008-03-09T20:15:00.000+08:00

View Larger Map The fastest way to get to Siquijor from Manila is to (1) book a flight to Dumaguete and (2) take a ferry from Dumaguete to Siquijor. There are frequent flights to Dumaguete and daily ferries to Siquijor. So getting there isn't really a problem. We chose the cheapest seats on the way to Siquijor so we ended up in the back near the engine mufflers. It was noisy and hot but we had a great rear view. You can see the port of Dumaguete in the background.

There are two companies currently plying the route between Dumaguete and Siquijor. Their prices are almost the same. We chose Weesam mainly because of the schedule.

The photo above shows a picture of the port of Siquijor.

Capilay Spring

2008-03-09T20:12:00.000+08:00

The Capilay Spring is a free swimming pool that is naturally fed by a spring. It's a nice gift from the city goverment because it doesn't cost anything to swim there and it's situated right in the heart of San Juan, Siquijor. I'm sure it's a great way to beat the summer heat.From the bridge above, you can see that the sea coast is just a short walk away. The water is cool but a bit murky. We started our tour late so we didn't bother swimming. In fact, we only stayed long enough to take this picture. We wanted to have more time to spare for the other tourist attractions of Siquijor.

Bell Tower of St. Francis of Assisi

2008-03-09T20:00:00.000+08:00

The Bell Tower of St. Francis of Assisi is the first landmark that will greet you when you arrive in the port of Siquijor. Again, I don't claim to know the history of the bell tower. But the following text is quoted from this site for your convenience

"Built in the year 1870, another century – old religious heritage is the St. Francis of Assisi Bell Tower and Church. Made up mostly of corals, the church is located in the town of Siquijor, Siquijor near the local pier. It was intentionally positioned there to give the guests and travelers a grand Siquijodnon welcome with blessings and goodwill upon arrival at the Siquijor Pier. The church has its own watch tower or bell tower built to protect and forewarn the island folks of approaching pirates and other adversaries.

The St. Francis of Assisi Church has just undergone extensive restoration and repairs for the purpose of preserving its historical value and significance, and for maximum appreciation of its breathtaking beauty by all who come to visit the Church today and in the years to come. The Bell Tower is tagged next for repair and restoration immediately after constructive work on the Church."

This is a photo of the wooden staircase that leads to the top of the bell tower.

Lazi Convent

2008-03-09T19:15:00.001+08:00

Lazi Convent is huge! I was lucky enough to still tour the inside even though it was late in the afternoon and it was already closed to the public. I was able to get in because one of my companions was able to small talk a lady who just finished hearing mass from St. Isidore Labradore Church which was just across the street. This is the main entrance of the Lazi Convent. The car of the parish priest is parked there and behind it is a large wooden staircase to the 2nd floor of the convent where the museum is housed. This is the close-up picture of the sign that is near the entrance of the convent. If you didn't notice, it's almost as big as me!

St. Isidore Labradore Church

2008-03-09T19:11:00.000+08:00

I won't pretend that I know the history of St. Isidore Labradore Church. Instead, I'll just refer you to a site which explains the history of the church. When we arrived, people were pouring out of the church because the mass just ended. One of my companions was able to small talk with one of the people. It turned out that the lady was a resident of the convent right across the church. She was kind enough to let us in the convent even though it was already closed to visitors :)

Cambugahay Falls

2008-03-09T18:57:00.000+08:00

To get to Cambugahay Falls you actually have to go down the side of a cliff. Thankfully there are concrete stairs all the way down. However, the steps down to Cambugahay falls are huge! And, there are over 100 steps! My legs cramped ... on the way down! All the brochures I've seen Cambugahay Falls make you think that the falls are huge. The falls are actually small. The tallest is roughly the height of a person, as you can see in the photo above. What makes Cambugahay Falls distinctive is the number of falls - there are several! As soon as you reach the bottom of the stairs, you'll be greeted by the first one. This is where most of the visitors go swimming. We opted to go upstream to see the other falls. It was a nice walk where you crossed the rushing water a few times. Some of the rocks are slippery so be careful. You don't want to end up like my sister who lost her slipper! hahaha! Fortunately, our guide ran after it and was able to retrieve it before it disappeared downstream. As you go upstream, the view becomes less and less interesting because the falls get smaller as you go along. The best thing to do then is to find a nice spot to go swimming. The water is clean and cool. It was a wonderful swimming experience. I wasn't looking forward to the return up the stairs though. Again, my legs cramped on the way up.

Mt. Bandilaan National Park

2008-03-09T18:52:00.000+08:00

Mt. Bandilaan is the highest point in Siquijor. It's a long and tiring journey up. You can tell how far you are from the summit because you visit the Stations of the Cross along the way! So when you reach the 10th station, you know that you're almost there. Mt. Bandilaan is also home to the grotto above called the Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine. When you reach the summit, you are greeted by 3 large iron crosses that represent where Jesus Christ was crucified. Behind the crosses is an iron structure which you can continue climbing for a spectacular view of Siquijor. It was rather cloudy and windy that day so we couldn't see anything. Though our guide did tell us you can see Dumaguate and other provinces from there. You go down the other side where our jeep was waiting for us. It was a much shorter walk! If I knew that beforehand I wouldn't have bothered going through the Stations of the Cross! hehehe.

Coral Cay Beach Resort

2008-03-09T18:43:00.000+08:00

When we booked our hotel in Siquijor, my only requirements were that (1) it should be affordable and (2) there should be running water. We searched for a cheap hotel in the Internet and booked ourselves at Coral Cay Beach Resort. After roughing it without running water in Apo Island Resort Hotel, I wasn't expecting much about Coral Cay Beach Resort. But... we were surprised to what awaited us. The entire resort was far, far better than what I expected. I'm not sure if it's because I was roughing it in Apo Island the previous day or if it's the cheap prices that blew me away about Coral Cay. Maybe it's a combination of both. Anyway, here's my glowing review of Coral Cay Beach Resort. What I love about our stay was that the white sand beach was right at the doorstep. The water is only about 40-50 feet away from our cottage. There's wash basin for your feet beside the steps. It's a nice touch because it minimizes the amount of sand that you bring into the cottage Behind our cottage, is the swimming pool. And right beside the swimming is a spa! We stayed in a cottage with one bedroom but two beds. Unfortunately, only the bedroom was air-conditioned. There's a ceiling fan though in the living room right above the bed. Though you can't see it in the picture above, there is a refrigerator in the living room which is to the right of the sofa. The bathroom was clean and nice. And, it has a hot shower! The restaurant serves a wide selection of both international and local cuisine. Unfortunately, the prices border on the expensive side. However, the servings are relatively large and the food was full of taste. They didn't skimp on the ingredients! The entire staff were always smiling and happy to serve you. They had a lot of kind words to say about the foreigner who owned the resort. While having dinner, the owner even asked us if we were happy with our dinner and the service. I highly recommend the resort and would not hesitate in staying in Coral Cay Beach resort again. Though I haven't stayed in any other hotel in Siquijor, I wouldn't bother searching for alternatives. What for?!

Apo Island Beach Resort

2008-03-08T21:37:00.000+08:00

You can visit their official website here. This is a picture of the lower triton. To the right is the dive shop of the resort. Behind the lower triton is the stone steps up a hill to the upper triton. I stayed in the upper Triton cottage. It's a long way up. And as usual, I found myself going up and down the stairs often because I always forget something in my room. Oh yeah, the doors nor the windows have a lock - so always keep your valuables with you. You get two large buckets of water. The red bucket contains fresh water which is used for bathing. The green bucket contains salt water and is used for the toilet. You fill the smaller green bucket with salt water and you pour its contents very rapidly in the toilet bowl. The rush of water then forces the toilet to flush. Be careful though, you might end up splattering yourself with your own human waste if you do it too forcefully! If you pour the water too carefully, the toilet will not even flush. It's a delicate balance and it requires skill! hahaha! If you need more fresh water, you'll have to purchase more from the front desk by the bucket. Fresh water is a scarce resource on the island. In fact, fresh water is imported and transported by boat from Dumaguete. But... sea water is free! Notice the bottled water on top of the water closet? I recommending purchasing bottled water for brushing your teeth. The whole island only has electricity at night for a few hours from its own power generator. However, Apo Island Beach Resort has its own generator so there's electricty for much longer - from 6:00pm to 12 midnight to be exact. You should pack your own flashlight if you plan on staying here. This is the best hotel the island has to offer. Nevertheless, the next time I go there will probably be just a day trip. I can only stay there for one night maximum. I can survive without electricity for one night - but I have problems when there's no running water!

Apo Island - What You Need to Know

2008-03-08T21:27:00.000+08:00

This site has everything you need to know about Apo Island. It has information on costs, where to stay, how to get there, what to do there, etc. http://www.dumagueteinfo.com/apo-island-day-trip.php

Apo Island Scuba Diving Experience

2008-03-08T18:16:00.000+08:00

The foreground where there are two people with a net is the beach front of Apo Island Beach Resort. We went diving somewhere in t he background where you can see a few boats docked. There were strong waves at the surface. But as we descended, there was only a very slight current. I don't have jet fins but the current was very manageable. Our first encounter was with a frog fish. It's amazing how our dive master was able to spot it. I would have thought I was looking at a coral. I could only tell it was alive when the dive master prodded it a bit with his stick. Otherwise, it would have been totally motionless. Is this a lion fish? We found this huge fish hiding under a coral. This sighting made me hungry. I was imagining sweat and sour fish for lunch hehehe. We had a close encounter with a sea snake. You can see our dive master and the sea snake having a stand-off! Isn't the sea snake the most poisonous snake in the world? Is that a gecko? Good thing I spotted it and I was able to shoo it away. Otherwise, I would have inadvertently brought home a new pet. There's no place to rinse our dive gear after the dive. This makes me wonder how the Apo Island dive shop rinses and maintains its equipment.

Apo Island Marine Sanctuary

2008-03-08T17:06:00.000+08:00

The marine sanctuary is at the other side of the island and is just a 10-15 minute walk from the Apo Island Beach resort. You'll have to pass through the small fishing village on the way to the marine sanctuary. It's a great way to mingle with the locals :) We brought our snorkeling gear with us because we intended to go snorkeling. However, we were greated by strong waves smashing against the rocky shore of the marine sanctuary. Obviously, we didn't go diving there either. Why is there an entrance and exit? Those rocks are slippery and razor sharp! The waves were smashing against the shore so it was easy to lose your balance and fall. At one end of the marine sanctuary near the entrance, you can find the Apo Island High School Annex. In my opinion, this is the ideal school for me :) I can imagine just spending my recess and lunch breaks swimming in the ocean! On the way back, I was looking for a place to eat dinner. Most of the shops were closed because they did not have any food to serve. The sea was rough and I guess it was difficult to bring supplies from Dumaguete. Also, there weren't even any fish to serve because the local fishermen weren't able to go fishing that day because of the weather. In fact, even our hotel had a limited selection available in their menu because their supplies were running low.

12th hot Air Balloon Fiesta

2008-02-09T21:33:00.000+08:00

Crystal Blue

2008-01-26T21:06:00.000+08:00

Anilao, Batangas A nice new, clean dive resort.

Baguio

2007-12-27T21:52:00.001+08:00

Every time I go to Baguio, I never fail to take a picture of the lion's head. It's such an icon of Baguio. Back in the early 80's, I recall that it was painted yellow. Then in the 90's, it was painted all black. It's still black but the hair is now gold/yellow. If you take Kennon road to Baguio, the lion's head greets you and informs you that you are almost there.

Though Kennon Road is the shortest and fastest route to Baguio, it can also be the most treacherous - especially during the rainy season. I always took the road for granted until I learned how much history is part of the construction of the road. I couldn't imagine that the road was built with the help of 1500 Japanese migrant workers. Now, I can't even imagine the Japanese coming to the Philippines to find employment! Here's the wikipedia entry that details the history of Kennon road and who it was named after.

"Kennon Road connects Baguio City with the town of Rosario, La Union in the Philippines. Finished in 1903, it was originally called the Benguet Road and was later named in honor of its builder, Col. Lyman Kennon of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with the help of the industrious Cordilleras and foreign workers. Coming from Manila or the provinces in the central plains of Luzon, it is the shortest route up to Baguio. Although Kennon is the shortest of the three major access roads, travel time is just as long as through the other two because of poor road conditions.

It usually takes an experienced commuter from 50 minutes to an hour to negotiate the 41.2-kilometer steep and winding climb by car. The upward climb reveals a picturesque view of the mountains, lush vegetation, and pine trees as you get closer to Baguio. A mountain river flows along a rocky canyon from the lofty heights, and following this course the road was cut above the river bed.

Kennon is a toll road and the tollgate is located about 2.5 kilometers from the junction at Rosario. The original road was a macadam telford-type road which was in the following years constructed into an all-weather asphalt roadway. Lately, some portions of Kennon Road have been replaced with concrete pavements. There are small settlements along the road, known as Camp 1 to 8 which were originally established by the original builders of the road.

Unknown to many is the fact that its initial construction way back in 1903 was cutting across the mountains of Benguet with the combined efforts of Filipinos, Americans and Japanese nationals. Aside from Filipino engineers and U.S. Army Engineers headed by Col. Lyman Kennon, one thousand five hundred Japanese immigrant workers persevered to accomplish the difficult road project. The Japanese workers contributed substantially in the construction effort until its completion in 1905. To carve out the road against river canyon walls, five hundred Japanese workers died while engaged in the project. By ratio, the toll of one Japanese life was sacrificed for every ninety meters of the road length.

Kennon Road is also one of the most hazardous roads in the country especially during the rainy seasons when most of the road accidents occur."

- Wikipedia

Mt. Pinatubo... Again!

2007-12-22T21:49:00.006+08:00

Eight months later, I joined my family for another Mt. Pinatubo trek. The difference with this trip is that a new 4x4 path was created called SkyWay. The 4x4 ride now takes much longer but the trek/walking part now only takes almost one hour instead of the previous 3-4 hours.As for the landscape, the biggest difference I noticed is how much greener the landscape has become. Before there was hardly any vegetation in Crow Valley. Now, some of the grass are as high as the 4x4 jeep. What hasn't changed is the number of fees you have to pay before you can start your Pinatubo journey. My 4x4 driver mentioned that as long as money is concerned, everyone wants a piece of the pie. Some of the fees includes:

conservation fee
tour guide
4x4 rental
skyway toll fee

Along the way, you will encounter some local indigenous inhabitants, the Aetas. The drop-off point is where all the 4x4's park. There's also a shed and male and female toilets available. Don't expect them to be clean though because there is no running water.The journey starts with a climb down this incline which was bull-dozed from a sheer cliff. The climb down was extremely tricky because of the loose sand and rocks. The climb back up was even more difficult because the incline was more than 45 degrees in some parts. This was the most difficult part of the Pinatubo trek - the start and end! The SkyWay is actually short-cut. The trek will only take you less than 1 hour to get to the Pinatubo crator.As with my previous trek, when the path becomes greener, steeper and narrower, you are almost near the summit.Eight months has also made a difference in the color of the lake. It's now light blue instead of the darker bluish-black back in March 2007.The Pinatubo trek is now much easier. In fact, we even brought my 12 and 13 year old sisters along. It is no longer the punishing and gruelling 3-4 trek last March. The lake water is still freezing cold like it was back in March 2007. It doesn't get any better when you get out of the water because of the strong winds. Since it was December, we were not baking under the summer sun. Unfortunately, it did rain intermittently. My second trip was not as satisfying as my first trip to Pinatubo. The first trip was so grueling and punishing that it felt like I accomplished something after the trek. My second trip was so much easier in comparison.

Davao Crocodile Park

2007-10-07T13:04:00.007+08:00

"The DavaoCrocodile Park all started from the fascination of the owner, Mr. Philip Dizon, to Saltwater and Freshwater Crocodiles. He did not think of it as a lucrative business until he learned that crocodiles are raised in United States not just for public viewing but as well as for production of leather purposes. It was in November 1995 when the government has given the ownerthe accreditation and permit to operate the 1st Davao Crocodile Park. 10 years later , on August 18, 2005, the world-class Davao Crocodile Park was opened with the help of the consultant Dr. Gilbert Buenviaje. The Davao Crocodile Park Inc. is owned and operated by a group of businessmen headed by Mr. Sonny Dizon, a resident of Davao City." -http://www.davaocrocodilepark.com/index.php?sec=3&idpage=10&name=History

No, wasn't wrestling a real adult crocodile. I was handling a baby crocodile though in the picture to the right. It feels exactly like a leather crocodile wallet or belt, hehehe!

Pangil

Crocodile Pond

Small Croc

Pangil is the highlight of the visit because it is the largest crocodile in the park. It is also part of a show where a caretaker would go inside the cage and prod Pangil with a stick. This would irritate Pangil and cause him to lunge at the stick and kick his massive tail around in the water. Obviously, everyone around the cage watching is drenched. I got caught with my mouth open. It was so disgusting because that crocodile is living in its own excrement! It was still fun though and my mouth was open because I was laughing hahaha!

Boa Constrictor

albino python

The wildlife encounter was the highlight of the park for me. I had a chance to touch and pet the various reptiles - though with trepidation. It's quite obvious with the faces I was making in each of the photos below.

iguana

Philippine hawk eagle

The iguana was the scariest looking of them all. It also had the weirdest texture. With the Philippine hawk eagle, the caretaker instructed me not to move a muscle as not to scare the bird. I wouldn't want to touch it anyway with its sharp beak and sharp claws.

Marco Polo Hotel

2007-10-07T09:45:00.013+08:00

"The Marco Polo Davao has been rated as 2007 Hotel of the Year and the Guest Satisfaction Award for three consecutive years, which they attributed to a good team and their exemplary performance here in Davao." -continued

The originals can be found here.

The hotel is expensive. Fortunately, my bestfriend was able to secure a corporate rate for my 3-day weekend stay.

This photo was taken by Bob Martin.

I loved their swimming pool. It's located at the 4th floor of the hotel. They have 4 lanes for swimming and they have nice and clean lounge chairs. I could spend the entire day in the pool.

lobby

deluxe room

Ateneo de Davao

We stayed in a deluxe room where we had a view of Ateneo de Davao which was across the street. The ocean is also visible at the horizon. I've been to Davao a few times and Marco Polo Hotel is hands-down the best hotel in the city.

Iron Horse

2007-10-07T09:44:00.005+08:00

Davao seems to have a lot of buffet restaurants. Compared to Manila buffet rates, Davao buffets are very cheap! One of my favorite buffet restaurants in Davao is "Iron Horse".

For only a little over 100 pesos, the buffet is such a bargain - especially since they also serve a lot of seafood in the buffet. Do come early though because the place is always packed!

Eden Nature Park

2007-10-07T09:43:00.011+08:00

"A mountain resort located at 3,000 feet above sea level, Eden Nature Park is 95% human-made! It is a great model of how humans can re-create nature and rebuild a lost environment. Discovered sometime in 1971, the resort used to be a logged-over area covered only by a blanket of wild grass. Its potential was, however, readily seen by the owners as the property provided an imposing view of Davao City and the Davao Gulf. Not long after, terraces were carved out of the mountain slope, and thousands of pine tree seedlings were planted. As the pine trees grew it created canopies, allowing other trees and plants to grow and creating a secondary forest. Today, there are over 100,000 pine trees spread in about 80 hectares, providing a refreshing backdrop to the various attractions in Eden Nature Park." -link

"GUIDED SHUTTLE TOUR For those eager to get a glimpse and a quick orientation of the Park's 40-hectare attractions and amenities, take the 45-minute guided shuttle tour. Availability is on a first-come-first-served basis." -link

Eden Nature Park is overlooking both Davao City and the Davao Gulf (right-most photo).

You can take a nature walk or shuttle for great picture opportunities with your SLR. Here's a sample of some of the flowers we photographed.

At the end of our tour, we went on a ride on these cables. It was both fast and exhilirating!

For more information about Eden Nature Park, you can visit their website here.

Pearl Farm Beach Resort

2007-10-07T09:38:00.008+08:00

"Located in the southern part of the Philippines is the Samal group of Islands, an archipelago consisting of nine islands which stretch out over a land area of 28,000 hectares. Samal is a beautiful, tranquil and exotic island with a coastline adorned with white sand beaches, abundant marine life, rock formations, mangroves, and landscape elements of coconut palms, flowering plants and fruit-bearing trees."

"The area is blessed with various natural attractions and flourishing flora and fauna. Nestled on the quiet side of Samal Island, The Pearl Farm Beach Resort is a mere 45-minute boat ride from the wharf. This fourteen (14) hectare spread was once a pearl farm, where thousands of white-lipped oysters transported from the Sulu Sea, were cultivated for their pink, white and gold pearls. Today, the resort beckons with the promise of a relaxing, private retreat, under the care of its friendly and charming staff." -link http://www.pearlfarmresort.com/home.shtml

I've been to Pearl Farm Beach Resort three times already. For my first and second trips, the jump off point for the boat to Pearl Farm used to be at the Waterfront Insular Hotel which is right beside the airport. Now they've created their own jump off point complete with a lobby, sofas, chairs and a swimming pool. The boat ride will take you 45 minutes.

Snorkeling Area	Infinity Pool
the other pool	white sand beach

Pearl Farm is a high-end beach resort where everything you'll ever need is there. There's also a watersports facility for kayaking, jet skiing and scuba diving. However, their prices are too high.

Furthermore, Pearl Farm is finally showing its age and it doesn't seem to be maintained well. I don't remember Pearl Farm ever looking so old in my previous trips. It's a good thing I only decided to go on a day trip because there are far more fun and interesting things to do in the city.

poor fishing village beside Pearl Farm

Pearl Farm

Pearl Farm is a very exclusive and luxurious beach resort. Unfortunately, it's sandwiched between two fishing communities where houses are built over the water using stilts. It reminds of Manila where the high-end homes and buildings are side-by-side with the poor Filipino communities.

For anyone going to Pearl Farm for the first time, I recommend just going there for the day and staying in Davao City.

Alona Beach

2007-05-28T09:58:00.000+08:00

Alona Beach is located in the south-western part of Panglao island. It was named after a sexy actress of the late 1970's, Alona Alegre, who was shooting a movie there. Allegedly, this is the first public display of a Filipina wearing a bikini during the conservative 70's. Have you read Dekada 70 by Lualhati Bautista? There's nothing conservative about the 70's hahaha! There are a lot of pump boats anchored along the shore of Alona Beach. These boats are ready to take you to nearby Balicasag island or to take you dolphin watching. Alona Beach is made of white fine sand - Boracay sand is still better though. Why is Boracay sand the gold standard? Well, I guess most people have gone to Boracay and it's easy to compare beach sand when you have a common ground to start from. One of my favorite things to do in the beach is to get a massage - this was no exception in Alona Beach. The sand does get everywhere and you do feel like you're having a body scrub instead of a massage at times. :)

There was a lot of seaweed though along Alona Beach. Every morning the locals would be cleaning the shore and would be burying the seaweed under the sand everyday. The locals informed us though that we just visited at the wrong season when the seaweed is more prominent. Maybe we should have gone to Bohol back in March?

The water in Alona Beach is crystal clear though - as evidenced by the underwater picture of the starfish I've taken. If you're after the night life, go to Boracay. In comparison, the nightlife in Alona Beach is rather tame. Personally, I prefer beaches with less nightlife.

Bilar Mahogany Forest

2007-05-28T09:57:00.000+08:00

The Bilar Mahogany Forest in Bohol is a sustainable man-made forest of densely packed mahogany trees. If you're coming from Loboc river, you'll pass through the Bilar Mahogany Forest on your way to the Chocolate Hills. Here's the picture of the car of our tour guide, Gilbert.

Baclayon Church

2007-05-28T09:55:00.000+08:00

"The Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Baclayon is considered to be one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. It is one of the best presevered Jesuit build churches in the region, although in the 19th century, the Augustinian Recollects added a modern facade and a number of stone buildings that now surround the church." full article This is the scale model of Baclayon Church. The building with the bell tower on the left is the church. The right buildings houses the musem and the convent.This is the inside of the church facing the altar. This is the inside of the church facing the entrance/exit. "Next to the church is the old convent, which also houses a small museum with centuries-old religious relics, artifacts and other antiquities, dating back to the 16th century. Included in the collection are an ivory statue of the crucified Christ looking towards heaven; a statue of the Blessed Virgin, said to be presented by Queen Catherine of Aragon; relics of St. Ignatius of Loyola, old gold embroidered ecclesiastical vestments, books with carabao skin covers, and librettos of church music written in Latin on sheep skins. Here you can also find the cuadro paintings made by the Filipino painter Liberato Gatchalian in 1859." full article According to this, Baclayon Church is the oldest Coral stone church in the region. Next to the museum is a high school. Picture of the bell tower of the Church. Gilbert is the guy wearing the greenshirt on the left. He's our local tour guide from Bohol.

Loboc River

2007-05-28T09:54:00.000+08:00

The Loboc River tour in Bohol can be described as lunch served in a floating buffet restaurant. There are actually a number of these restaurants that line the shores of Loboc river. Our guide, Gilbert, brought us to one of the newer floating restaurants. Even though there's a buffet table, there's only a limited amount. Since there's no on-board kitchen, there are no table refills. So you better line-up first and get the good stuff before it runs out. While you're eating, you'll be greeted by spectacular green views and a cool breeze. If you need to answer the call of nature, you'll need to do it by the side of the boat. Just kidding! The boat has its own toilet :) From time to time, you'll find locals swimming in the river trying to escape from the summer heat. Eventually, you'll end up at the start of the river that features two small waterfalls and a raft filled with singing kids picture to the right. I'm a person who easily gets seasick. It was an enjoyable experience. It's not something you'd look forward to doing again - but it's worth doing once :)

Tarsier

2007-05-28T09:52:00.000+08:00

"Tarsiers are small animals with enormous eyes and very long hind limbs. Their feet have extremely elongated tarsus bones, from which the animals get their name. The head and body range from 10 to 15 cm in length, but the hind limbs are about twice this long (including the feet), and they also have a slender tail from 20 to 25 cm long. Their fingers are also elongated, with the third finger being about the same length as the upper arm. Most of the digits have nails, but the second and third toes of the hind feet bear claws instead, which are used for grooming. Tarsiers have very soft, velvety fur, which is generally buff, beige, or ochre in color." - full article I really don't know what to make of them. They're tiny and maybe even the smallest monkeys in the world. But those huge eyes don't make them cute. These tarsiers were in a small zoo along Loboc river. The tarsiers can still be found in the wild. And I heard from our local guide that you can pay someone to capture one for you as a pet. However, he did say that these not-so-cute rat-looking monkeys with long tails commit suicide if they're caged. I don't even know why you'd want them as a pet. They look more like peSts than a cute adorable pet.

Chocolate Hills

2007-05-28T09:47:00.000+08:00

"The Chocolate Hills is an unusual geological formation in Bohol, Philippines. It is composed of around 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills of about the same size, spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometres (20 sq mi). They are covered in green grass that turns brown during the dry season, hence the name." -full article The only Chocolate Hill you'll climb happens to be the largest. The climb though is just a long stairway and concrete path up.

From the peak of this hill, you'll have a grand view of the entire landscape that is dotted with similar shaped and similar sized chocolate hills. Here I am with some funshots of the chocolate hills. This is one among many explanations of the origin of the chocolate hills. The bronze plaque describes the formation as follows: "The unique land form known as the Chocolate Hills of Bohol was formed ages ago by the uplift of coral deposits and the action of rain water and erosion." There's a bell with a dedication at the summit of the hill as well. I don't know why I even bothered having my picture taken beside it when you're surrounded by these hills.

Python Sanctuary - Alburquerque

2007-05-28T09:07:00.000+08:00

"The town's short name is "Albur". Alburquerque is reputed to have one of the longest (23 feet or 7 meters as of 2005) and heaviest (300 kg or 660 lbs) python in captivity. The python named Prony is Albur's star and has known to the people as "Live Anaconda of Bohol." Prony, a female python is owned by Mr. Sofronio Salibay. Prony captured the attention of media network GMA 7 who filmed the feeding. According to JingJing Salibay, the lady caretaker, Prony ate cats dogs which should be clean and free of bruises. This "illegal" kind of feeding according to animal welfare rights activists caught the attention of Animal Kingdom and ordered the caretaker to stop feeding Prony with dogs. Animal Kingdom also donated money to raise a sanctuary. ABS-CBN and other media networks, newspapers and magazines have featured Prony. In March 2006, Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho's stringer Leo Udtohan went to Albur to film Prony as an important element whereas snakes of its kind became a popular "dish" in other parts of the country." - full article Aside from the largest python, the place is actually a mini zoo with some mammals in captivity. They also have a number of birds. Curiously, they have roosters and eagles in the same cage. They all seem to get along even with smaller birds such, as those pictured below, in the same cage.

Sevilla Hanging Bridge

2007-05-28T09:03:00.000+08:00

The hanging bridge crosses over the Sipatan river. You have to take a slight detour from the main road to get here. The bridge is very strong - even if it's just made of bamboo and rope. It also flexes a lot. So expect to bounce up and down when crossing the bridge. Even if you're afraid of heights, don't be! You'll only land in water if you fall :)

Dolphin Watching

2007-05-28T08:53:00.000+08:00

I was looking forward to Dolphin watching - which can only be done very early in the morning. Apparently, so where many other tourists. As soon as you get to the sight, other boats are also there waiting for the dolphins to appear. There were hardly any dolphins. And the boat man tried to get their attention by whistling and tapping on the boat. Our boat man did inform us that the previous day that they were overwhelmed by the number of dolphin pods. I guess we just weren't lucky that day. Here's a video of what you can expect from dolphin watching. They're just mainly playing in the wake generated by the boat.

Clarin Ancestral Home

2007-05-28T08:46:00.000+08:00

This is the ancestral home of Aniceto Clarin and his family. Aniceto was the first governer of Bohol and, later, a member of the Philippine senate. Inside, you'll find a lot of antiques and family memorabilia. It was an interesting tour because it gives you an insight on how people lived and how houses were built near the 1900's during the Spanish and American eras.This is the master bedroom of the Clarin ancestral home where generations of the Clarin family were created :) hehehe! One of the trivia that stood out from our guide was her explanation of the length of the floor boards. They were almost 4-5 feet long and a foot wide. According to her, this was a symbol of the wealth of the family when the house was built. What's interesting about the master bedroom is the trap door under a small rug.The trap door leads to the first floor. This was used in the past to escape from the Spanish civil guards. The ground floor has a small restaurant/cafe where a member of the Clarin family, a former mayor, greeted us. What's also interesting about the house is that a member of the Clarin family still lives in one of the bedrooms. Obviously, this bedroom is closed to the public.

Church of San Pedro Apostol

2007-05-28T08:44:00.000+08:00

"Loboc was the second Jesuit mission established in Bohol, after Baclayon. In late 1596 Padre Juan de Torres began his ministry in a settlement by the banks of the Loboc River, about an hour’s banca ride from the sea. Eventually 11 barangays were convinced to form a single community; the residents cut wood from the forest to build its first church, which was dedicated to San Miguel Arcangel. Tradition locates this in a site called Calvario, Sawang, about 500 yards from the present church. According to an 1886 survey, the oldest books of the parish dated from 1602 (none of these have survived, victims of periodic floods as we shall see). " - full article The old church bell tower.

We were lucky enough to witness a church wedding when we visited the Church of San Pedro Apostol. Here, my lovely model is showing the flood levels in the Church of San Pedro Apostol in 1984 and in 1990. The lovely model's heigh is 5'6". Across the Church of San Pedro Apostol is an unfinished bridge that would have required the demolition of the church. There are so many locations along the Loboc riverbanks where they could have built the bridge. Why they built the bridge in that location is plain stupid because the historical church would have been in the way. Unless... their reason was to dig up treasure that was allegedly hidden under the church. Hmmmmm.....

Blood Compact

2007-05-28T08:25:00.000+08:00

This is a historical shrine that remembers the blood compact between Sikatuna and Legaspi of Spain. "About the middle of March, 1965, Captain General Miguel Lopez de Legaspi's Fleet anchored along the shore. Shortly thereafter, Legaspi, manifesting trust and confidence in the islanders, entered into a blood compact with Datu Sikatuna. For the purpose of insuring friendly relations between the Spaniards and the natives, a few drops of blood drawm from a small incision in the arm of each of the two chiefs were placed in separate cups containing wine. And in the presence of the followers of both, each chief drank the potion containing the blood of the other. Thus, during this period of colonization, a bond was sealed in accordance with native practice. The first treaty of friendship and alliance between Spaniards and Filipinos." -as written in the plaque We can't help it. We just had to be part of this historical moment. We just participated in the toast though and we didn't cut ourselves either :)

Balicasag Island

2007-05-28T08:20:00.000+08:00

"This low, flat island is situated four kilometers southwest of Duljo Point off Panglao Reef. Surrounded by a sandy shell coraline beach, the island is fringed by a narrow reef shelf 9 to 49.5 meters wide. The tops of the submarine cliffs are covered with hard coral while lower levels are covered with sponges and gorgonians. A thriving fish community is found around the cliff face area. Jacks, barracudas and mackerels also abound." - full article As mentioned in the description above, Balicasag sits on a shallow reef where there's a cliff and a sudden drop into the deep blue ocean. We spent our time going snorkeling in Balicasag Island. The boatman with us even instructed us to move closer to the bigger group of swimmers. It was only after the snorkeling activity did I learn that there was actually a shark nearby. Here's a video of how the fish go crazy when you feed them bread.

Trudi's Place

2007-05-27T20:37:00.000+08:00

We actually chose Trudi's Place because it was one of the more cheaper beach front resorts along Alona Beach. Trudi's doesn't have the best beach front. So you do have to walk down the beach though to get the best swimming areas. Trudi's also has the best and most affordable restaurant in Alona Beach. We tried restaurant hunting. However, we always went back to Trudi's because (1) either menu was not appealing enough to us or (2) the other restaurants were too expensive. In fact, all the locals would recommend eating at Trudi's. The rooms at Trudi's Place are nice and clean. The rooms are fully air-conditioned and the bathroom has a hot shower available. At Trudi's Place, you even get cable TV in your room which was a nice bonus because I was closely following the NBA 2007 Playoffs and I didn't want to miss any San Antonio Spurs games.

To book a room in Trudi's Place you can visit their website at http://www.trudis-place.com/.

Mt. Pinatubo

2007-03-03T21:35:00.007+08:00

"Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, at the intersection of the borders of the provinces of Zambales, Tarlac, and Pampanga. Ancestral Pinatubo was a stratovolcano made of andesite and dacite. Before 1991, the mountain was inconspicuous and heavily eroded. It was covered in dense forest which supported a population of several thousand indigenous people, the Aeta, who had fled to the mountains from the lowlands when the Spanish conquered the Philippines in 1565. The volcano's eruption in June 1991 produced the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century.[2] The 1991 eruption had a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 6, and came some 450-500 years after the volcano's last known eruptive activity (estimated as VEI 5, the level of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens), and some 500-1000 years after previous VEI 6 eruptive activity.[3] Successful predictions of the onset of the climactic eruption led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from the surrounding areas, saving many lives, but surrounding areas were severely damaged by pyroclastic flows, ash deposits, and later by lahars caused by rainwater remobilizing earlier volcanic deposits: thousands of houses and other buildings were destroyed.[2] The effects of the eruption were felt worldwide. It ejected roughly 10 billion metric tons of magma, and 20 million tons of SO2, bringing vast quantities of minerals and metals to the surface environment. It injected large amounts of aerosols into the stratosphere—more than any eruption since that of Krakatoa in 1883. Over the following months, the aerosols formed a global layer of sulfuric acid haze. Global temperatures dropped by about 0.5 °C (0.9 °F), and ozone depletion temporarily increased substantially." -wiki

The trek starts at Baranggay Sta. Juliana in Capas, Tarlac. You can park your car in the basketball court within the school compound beside the Baranggay Hall. The journey starts with an hour long 4x4 jeepney ride to the drop-off point.The 4x4 jeep crosses the same stream/river several times. The terrain is extremely sandy and rocky. Our driver was kind enough to allow me to drive the jeep in a few beginner streams. He was giving me instructions along the way. All I can say is that the driving experience is so much different from highway driving!The 4x4 jeep actually passes through what is known as the Crow Valley Range Complex. It was originally used by the American military in Clark Air Base for aerial combat training. You can find the history here. Currently, it is being used by as a practice facility by the Philippine Air Force. There are actually times when a Pinatubo trek is canceled because of military exercises. So please do plan accordingly. At the jump off point, the 4x4 could no longer go much further. This is where the trek begins. There's a very slight unnoticeable incline. But in general, the walk is almost flat. What makes the trek difficult is the uneven, rocky train and the stream that you need to cross several times. You just need to follow your guide who knows the easiest path up Mt. Pinatubo. Unfortunately, it's impossible to just walk on side of the stream because it snakes through the valley.The valley was carved by both rain and lahar. This cliff is just made of sand. It was extremely difficult to climb because your feet would sink into the sand until your ankles. The stream is mostly ankle deep. But there are some sections where the water can go as high as your knees. This was in the summer though - so it could get quite treacherous during the rainy season.You can actually hop and skip over rocks and boulders when crossing streams. Be careful though because some boulders are slippery and unstable. Hence, expect your shoes to be filled with sand, pebbles and water!The Pinatubo trek takes 3-4 hours total, one-way! The trek also gets greener and greener as you get closer to Mt. Pinatubo. When the path gets narrower and steeper, you're about 30 minutes away from the summit.It was a bit of a surprise to find a cement staircase that leads to the crater of Mt. Pinatabo. But once you see this man-made structure, you know you've already made it!This is a picture of Mt. Pinatubo before the 1991 eruption. This is a picture of Mt. Pinatubo early in its 1991 eruption. This is what Mt. Pinatubo looks like now after 16 years.After you climb the stairs up the side of the mountain, it's also a long way down the other side to get to the lake within the crater.It's safe to swim in the water. It's a great way to relax and unwind in preparation for the 3-4 hours trek back to Baranggay Sta. Juliana. There's a spa in the Baranggay Sta. Juliana - it is owned by Koreans. After the trek, we were all looking forward to the relaxing massage treatment. Of course after a whole day trek to Mt. Pinatubo, we rewarded ourselves with a feast in the only restaurant in the town which is also owned by the same Korean who owns the spa.

11th Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

2007-02-11T22:50:00.000+08:00

Kuala Lumpur

2007-01-20T22:53:00.000+08:00

Monkey!

2007-01-07T22:29:00.000+08:00

SBMA Fire Department

2007-01-07T22:05:00.000+08:00

Morong, Bataan

2007-01-06T23:03:00.000+08:00

Hundred Islands

2006-11-25T22:47:00.001+08:00

When I was younger, I alway read about the Hundred Islands in Pangasinan. It's only in the Philippines where you can see a cluster of islands this close together. They actually do number over a hundred islands.

White Water Rafting

2006-07-06T21:58:00.000+08:00

Sky Diving

2006-05-09T21:37:00.000+08:00

Whale Shark!

2006-04-01T22:35:00.000+08:00

JEST

2006-02-04T23:07:00.000+08:00

Ocean Adventure - Trainer for a Day

2005-08-14T21:42:00.000+08:00

Ocean Adventure

2005-07-23T21:40:00.000+08:00

Hoover Dam

2005-04-24T20:57:00.000+08:00

Wowee!

Edinburgh Castle

2004-10-02T22:19:00.000+08:00

Big Ben

2004-08-28T22:12:00.000+08:00

2004 Malaysian Grand Prix

2004-03-21T23:26:00.000+08:00