the Pink Line

Kumusta naman na hindi pa rin ako nakakapagpost ng Coron trip. I need a secretary yung mabilis at masipag magtype. Ang init kasi ng panahon nakakatamad magtype (may maidahilan lang). Ang haba pa naman ng gusto ko ikwento regarding our Coron trip. Hay naku masimulan na nga!

March 10 when we leave Manila for our Coron trip. Im with my mom and two brothers. Kasama din dapat si dad kaya lang mas pinili nyang maiwan. Masyado daw kasing matagal ang 5 days baka daw pagbalik namen eh lugi negosyo na.

Yep, it's my second time in Coron. The first was 2 years ago with 2 of my friends and my ex boyfriend.

May itinerary na kami pagdating pa lang. Aakyat sa 700+ steps ng Mt. Tapyas at pagbaba deretso sa Maquinit Hotspring. Kaya lang pagdating namen sa airport, actually sa plane pa lang hilong hilo na ko. Sabi ko nga sa twitter status ko, "worst landing ever". Sama talaga sa pakiramdam muntik na ko masuka. My mom and my brother Marlon felt the same kaya ayun pagdating sa lodge cancel na muna ang itinerary for that day at nagpahinga na lang.

Nakuha ko yung ticket namen ng promo which costs 1,013 pesos each lang via Cebu Pacific.

Hindi rin ako masyado matyaga mag DIY kaya nagsearch ako ng mga murang package tours for Coron at kay Aaron Tams ako napadpad. This is his contact number 09103626507 and email address aaron@coronpackagetour.com. Unlike others, mabilis syang magreply. He offered us a good tour package for a price of 5,550 pesos only per person for 5 days and 4 nights.

Package inclusions are:
-breakfast at the lodge
-lunch during boat tours
-roundtrip transfers via van from Busuanga airport to lodge and vise versa
-accommodation (private toilet and bath, hot and cold shower, airconditioned rooms, tv, wifi access)
-boat rental and tours
-tour guide on boat tours

The places and islands included on our itinerary for five days are:
-Mt. Tapyas -Banana island
-Maquinit Hotspring -Malcapuya island
-Siete Pecados -Twin Lagoon
-Kalachuchi beach -Sunshine beach
-Kayangan Lake -Barracuda Lake
-Twin Peaks Reef -Skeleton shipwreck
-Banol beach -Diwata beach
-CYC beach -Atuayan beach
-Caliwantay beach

Unfortunately hindi namen napuntahan lahat ng nasa list. Currently there's a dispute going on between the natives of Coron islands. According to our tour guide napagkasunduan ng mga may-ari ng islands na i-centralized ang pagbabayad ng entrance fee sa bawat islands or attraction and then ika-cut na yung 10% para sa Tagbanua (natives of Coron islands) communities. Kaya lang yung ibang may-ari daw ng islands ayaw pumayag na may cut na 10%. They want the whole entrace fee na sa kanila mapunta. So ngayon yung pinakamataas daw na Tagbanua leader who owns the Kayangan lake, prohibited boats to dock on the islands of those who disagree on the 10% arrangement. And those prohibited areas includes Banol beach, Caliwantay (a.k.a. Smith) beach, Twin Lagoon and Kalachuchi beach. May mga prohibited beaches pa na hindi naman included sa itinerary namen kaya hindi ko na natandaan kung ano.

It was strictly implemented as I observed kasi may mga guns talaga yung mga guards na nagbabantay sa mga prohibited areas at hindi talaga nila pinapapasok yung mga bangka. Ganyan daw ang set up sa Coron islands hanggat hindi pumapayag yung ibang Tagbanua sa 10% cut arrangement. It was kind a disappointing cause Banol, Caliwantay and Twin Lagoon were on my top list of beautiful islands in Coron. Although napuntahan ko na sila before gusto ko rin kasi na makita ng family ko ang ganda ng mga lugar na yun, tsaka kaya nga ginusto ko na bumalik sa Coron eh.

Anyways sana lang maayos na nila yung dispute kasi medyo nakakadiscourage sa mga tourists kapag may ganun. Although Coron has really a lot to offer at ipapakita ko ang iba sa susunod kong post kasi ang haba na nito. Kahit ako tinatamad ng basahin eh.

O sya see you next post na.

A sneak peek on Kayangan Lake.

P.S.

I had a friend who visited Coron last April and she said the feud was now over. Good thing!

And thank you guys for the comments on my last post I appreciate it much. Im starting to visit your blogs na. Yey medyo sinisipag na ulet ako (fingers crossed) haha!

Our first day’s first destination was Siete Pecados. Sabi ni kuyang tour guide na nakalimutan ko na ang pangalan dahil sa tagal bago ko nagawan ito ng post, once there was 7 pasaway sisters na sinumpa ng kanilang parents at naging small islands, the end. In short, Siete Pecados means Seven Sisters.

Siete Pecados entrance fee: Php 100

I love snorkelling but I hate the strong current. Hindi ko masyadong na-kabonding ang mga fishes sa Siete Pecados dahil super lakas ng current. Kapag nakabitaw ka sa lubid na nakatali sa mga bangka in no time nasa laot ka na. We didn’t stay long and move on to our next destination.

Our next stop was my favorite, Kayangan Lake. Entrance fee is Php 200.

Before we can reach Kayangan Lake we need to exhaust ourselves a little.

On the peak of the climb, just before descending the lake there was a cave.

Opposite the cave was a priceless scenery and the most photographed place in Coron, it was called the Blue Lagoon.

Excited akong makabalik sa Kayangan Lake. It was the most that I like among Coron Islands. The water was so clear. And for me, describing it as exquisite was an under statement.

school of baby sword fish

my brother Marlon, my mom, me and my youngest sib Morris

There was also a small cave on one side of the lake that we wasnt able to explore the first time I was here. Because we dont know that it was there.

After almost a couple of hours exploring Kayangan, we decided to take our lunch in Blue Lagoon. May mga cottages doon kung saan pwede mag-rest or kumain. Our package was, again inclusive of lunch, a picnic style one.

Sarap ng lunch namen, gusto ko matulog after. Pero sayang naman kung matutulog lang ako kaya after ng lunch gora na sa next destination, Diwata Beach and CYC Beach. But that would be on my next post na.

I hope you enjoyed the view kahit sa pictures lang. Next post ulit, bye for now!

We wasnt able to visit some of the beaches that was indicated on our package tour because of the said dispute. So we skipped Banol beach, Kalachuchi beach, Caliwantay beach and Twin Lagoon. We also skipped Twin Peeks Reef not because it was included on the prohibited places but because Im that afraid of sea urchins. Yes, there were overwhelming numbers of sea urchins on that part and so we go on to our next destination, Diwata Beach.

As the names implies, I was expecting a beach but when we arrive this is what we see. Steepy rocks! So I asked our guide where's the beach. Then he pointed an opening between the rocks.

this was taken when we're going out of the cove

We entered that periphery and what we see was a very small cove of sands surrounded by granite rocks.

The sand there was more powdery than Boracay's. My mom took a bottle of it to add to her collection. Let me tour you inside!

By the way it was called Diwata because, according to our guide, it was believed that there was a fairy living there and protecting the place. And I asked him if he believes it and he answered yes. What more can I say?

After containing the place for ourselves we leave and paid 100 pesos to the owner as entrance fee. Yes, a whooping hundred bucks for a very small cove that wasnt even a beach. Ok lets move on, there's more to see.

Our next stop was the CYC Beach which is free of entrance. I didnt got to enjoy this place the first time I was here. It was too crowded that time and we were already pleased by a more attractive beach we saw before it and we didnt bother to get off the boat. But this time I did enjoyed, as well as my mom and brothers. We even spent the longest time of our day's trip here. Now, let the pictures do the talking.

another "tingala" pose

the epic jump shot in CYC Beach

We enjoyed so much that we even climb on the other side of the beach and this is what we saw.

Im sorry for the long picture loaded post. I cant help it. I really just wanna share how beautiful these places were. There's more on my next post.

Thank you for reading and commenting on my last post. That's so much appreciated!

I told my mom and brothers to climb Mt. Tapyas. Sabi ko sila na lang umakyat kasi ~~tinatamad ako~~ na-try ko na akyatin yun nung first time ko nakapunta ng Coron. Sabi ko maganda yung view sa taas, may malaking cross and that they will see the islands of Coron from afar and of course the sunset. Kaya lang ayaw na rin ni mommy kasi sumasakit daw tuhod nya and so my brothers decided na wag na lang din umakyat next time na lang daw, pagbalik. Kaya nagpunta na lang kami sa Maquinit Hotspring after ng island hopping namen.

We hired a tricycle for 100 pesos each. That price was roundtrip and the driver will wait for you until you had enough of the place. It was a 20-minute ride.

The entrance fee was 150 pesos and they were open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. Pagpasok namen picture picture muna syempre bago ang lahat.

The first time I was here was already night time. It was dark and I wasnt able to see the beauty of the place. So this time I made sure that we get there na maliwanag pa. That's why we took pictures of the place first before we dip into the hot spring.

The flowing water of the hotspring is coming from a volcano which I forgot the name. Im sorry my memory really sucks. One of the reasons why I blog. I think it was approximately 40 degrees Cesius hot. Masakit sa ulo kapag bigla ka lumublob sa tubig. What I did was slowly submerging my body, from the feet to shoulders, until I get the hang of it. 30 minutes was the advisable length of time that your body should soak into this hot spring.

The bottom of this man made pool were stones. Pwede pang-hilod. Meron din syang drainage pipe and the water from the man made pool continuously flows to the sea.

It's best to go there after an exhausting hike to Mt. Tapyas like what we did the first time I was here. The water will soothe your tired body but not too long. When you're 15-minute-soaked, you would want to get out of the water.

Last Saturday PBO hosted the Community Chest Foundation's feeding program for the second time around. The first time happened in May 10 at Plaza Salamanca, Taft Avenue Manila. This time, it was held on a street across Methodist church for Plaza Salmanca is under renovation.

Pastor has already started the program when we arrived. He was telling stories and lecturing the children.

After his lecture, he handed the mega phone to us. I told him we prepared games for the children and immediately we started playing.

The kids were very active and were really eager to win. Prizes were goodie bags that I prepared a day before.

It was a riot but was really fun. The kids enjoyed as much as we did!

After the games Pastor told us to share some lessons from the games that the kids should get. Rix did the honor.

Instead of just foods the CCF prepared a graduation certificate and some school supplies for the kids.

We also took a class picture after the snacks was distributed.

Pastor thanked us for the help and support and we thanked him too for giving us the opportunity to give kindness and happiness to these kids.

I, also would like to thank few PBO volunteers namely Rix, Hash, Axl, Mac and Loi.

Until next outreach PBOers!

*photos credit to Axl

"So far, the most beautiful island i've ever been to". As I described Malcapuya Island on my instagram post.

Going to Malcapuya took us two and a half wavy boat ride. Yes, wavy as in maalon. When we leave Coron town the sea was as calm as the blue skies. I was able to read a book and it was really a nice morning. But after just 15 minutes nababasa na ng alon yung book na binabasa ko. The waves were not as big as of Siargao's but it was like galit na alon. Nakakahilo at nakakatakot. I prayed plus the boatman seems to be used to it so it went just fine.

As we approached, I cant see a beach. Malcapuya was known to have a beautiful stretch of white sand beach. Then our guide said that it was on the other side of the island and boats were prohibited on that side. Boat parking lang pala ang side na to. And so we have to walk a little to reach the beach part.

Hindi masyadong maganda sa boat parking side though water was still very clear and there were some who still enjoys snorkeling on that part. When we arrived on the beach side this is what welcomed us (photos below).

I was in total awe when I saw it. It was beyond beautiful I think. The striking heat of the sun didnt stop us from enjoying this place and took never ending photos.

It was noon. Tirik na tirik ang araw. Naiimagine nyo ba kung gaano kainit? Nagdadalawang isip ako na magswimming. I saw my mom and brothers enjoying the water. Nainggit ako so I decided to swim. Im dazzled the minute Im on the water. Hindi mo na mararamdaman ang init. Tamang tama lang ang lamig ng tubig pangontra sa init ng araw. I've never enjoyed swimming on a mid-day but this time I did and thought it was really good. Yun nga lang, after that day sunog na sunog balat ko but it was somehow worthit.

We ate our lunch here and spend some time swimming again and exploring other parts of the island like the part where there's a small hill.

We climbed a little to reach the top of that small hill (picture above). And this is the view of the beach from the top (pictures below).

This is what the other side of the hill looks (picture below).

You can also spend an overnight in this island for 1000 pesos per person plus boat rental ranging from 4000-6000 pesos depending on how long will you be staying on the island.

the house where you can spend a night

tents for shed and lunch

rest rooms

The house uses a generator for electricity. You should make an arrangement in advance if you want to spend an overnight through your tour master or you can just bring your own tents if you are on a budget trip and dont want to spend a thousand bucks for a comfortable lodge.

So what do you think of this island is it really lovely or I am just exaggerating? Well I think you should see it for yourself.

Banana Island was just 15 minutes boat ride away from Malcapuya. It was named after a banana because of its shape.

Banana Island has also its boat parking side and swimming and snorkeling side.

When we arrived we do a little more swimming, snorkeling, beach bumming and of course picture taking which made us tanner than ever. We also played a bit of volleyball which lasted long enough before we felt the scorching heat under our skins.

The water was high just few feet away and you will instantly see wonderful corals and fishes.

I enjoyed swimming in Malcapuya than in Banana Island. Maybe because there were so many fish in the water and Im always freaking out whenever I feel that there's something moving down with my feet and legs under the water. And also, the sand in Malcapuya is finer and whiter. But if you love snorkeling more than just swimming and beach bumming then you'll definitely love this island more than Malcapuya.

Napapagod na ko sa series na to kaya kelangan ko ng tapusin. So this would be my last post for my Coron trip series. Lets do it!

Lets start with Barracuda Lake. Para makarating sa lake kelangan akyatin ang mga batuhan na yan (pictures below). But dont worry may mga improvised na stairs naman at hindi ganun kataas kaya keri lang.

pose pose din pag may time!

This was my second time sa Barracuda Lake pero na-amaze pa rin ako when I saw it. Super linaw ng tubig. Medyo kinikilabutan ako dahil super malalim. Kahit may life vest takot pa rin ako. Sabi ng tour guide namen 30-80 feet daw ang lalim nyan.

takot ako pero nakuha ko pang ngumiti ang mag-pose ;)

Minsan lang daw magpakita ang mga barracuda dito. Pero kinikilabutan ako pag naiisip na magpapakita sya habang nasa tubig ako (tayo balahibo).

ganito kalinaw ang tubig sa Barracuda lake

Next is another lovely beach called Atuayan. We stayed here for hours and ate our enormous lunch.

But before eating, swimming swimming muna ng konti at picture taking.

Habang nagsu-swimming nakakita kami ng dalawang kamag-anak ni Nemo. Gusto ko sanang hulihin at i-uwi kaya lang bukod sa bawal, ang hirap din nilang hulihin kahit sobrang maliliit lang sila.

nakikita nio ba? ayun sila sa medyo gitna..nakalimutan ko kasing may zoom pala ang camera hehe

After lunch, na wala na kaming picture ng food dahil super ginutom na, more swimming, snorkeling at picture taking. Haaaaay, this is life!

Our last stop was the Coral Garden. Wala masyadong ganap dito. So pictures na lang.

corals and fishes

Nemo and his Dad..na-zoom na yung cam hehe..

more corals

thats me! malakas ang loob dahil may lifevest

Ayan, sa wakas natapos na! Sana kahit pano nasiyahan kayo kahit pictures lang at walang kwento. But I bet mas masisiyahan kayo syempre kung kayo mismo makakaexperience nyan. Ano pang hinihintay nyo? Book na. Ingat!

OMG! It feels like a thousand years na since huli ako nag-post. I can say I miss blogging. I miss the bloggers. I miss the kulitan with you guys. But I think some things really change. Actually, all things change. Sabi nga ng isang quote na nabasa ko, "the only constant thing is change". Naging busy na rin siguro kayo katulad ko. Ahmmm actually noon naman kahit busy ako nakakapag-post pa rin ako. Ang sipag ko nga mag-post noon eh. Sipag like every other day ganyan. Pero now, once a month na lang minsan nga wala pa. Parang gusto ko na tuloy maniwala doon sa nabasa ko rin sa isang blog post na mas inspired mag-sulat or mag-blog ang single. Ay ewan! Basta miss ko kayo guys. Yung iba jan hindi narin nagpo-post, like sis Joanne, yeah sis I really miss reading your stories.

Hindi na rin ako sinisipag mag-basa ng post. Yung iba naman binabasa ko pero hindi ako sinipag mag-comment. Yung iba nagko-comment pa rin naman ako pag may time ganyan.

Siguro mas madalas na lang ako manood ng movie ngayon. I think kasalanan ni boyfriend kaya hindi na ko masyadong nakakapagblog at nakakapagbasa ng blog ngayon. I know what you're thinking pero hindi yun yun. Tinuruan nya kasi ako magdowload ng mga movies from net, yeah I know Im a loser i dont know how then. Masyado kasing complicated minsan ang mag-DL eh, ayoko pa naman ng complicated. So pag may gusto akong i-DL na movie pero complicated much ang process sa kanya ko pa rin pinapa-DL.

Meron pala akong problema ngayon. Nagloko na naman yung bookkeeper na ni-hire ko para mag-file at magbayad ng mga kelangang bayaran monthly sa BIR. Yes, na naman! Yung una hindi binabayad sa BIR yung sinisingil na pera samen at bigla na lang sya nawala. I know nothing about that stuff. I want to learn but its complicated and you see I really hate complicated things. Kaya nga siguro ginawan ng paraan ni Lord na hindi accounting ang naging course ko eh.

Ang nakakatawa ang hirap ng paraan para makapagbayad ng tax para lang walang maging problema ang negosyo pero napakadali lang mawala ng tax na binabayad naten. Nakakawalang gana magbayad ng tax kapag nalalaman mo kung saan lang napupunta.

Anyway, so ayun kelangan ko na namang maghanap ng bagong magaasikaso or worst I have to learn the process.

This is it for now, may panonoorin muna akong movie entitled "Inglorious Basterds". Another Quentin Tarantino, he really earned my admiration when I watched Django Unchained.

I really miss you all, mwah!

Hello blogworld! Kumusta naman? Im back! Well I cant really say that Im back, depende pa kung magtutuloy tuloy ang sipag ko. Malapit na mag-end ang birthday month ko pero siguro aabot pa birthday wishlist ko. But before that let me take a recap on my birthday wishlist last year.

My birthday wishlist 2013

10. unique birthday cards - granted! given by my sweet PBOer friends
9. to have a photo of me on a birthday suit - mukang matatagalan pa to ulet bago matupad lalo na ngaun sa kalagayan ng katawan ko
8. sana may manlibre saken - granted! by my gorgeous and generous friend Arvin
7. new business oppurtunities - granted! had a bazaar last December with my bff Nahnah
6. pug puppy - hindi pa naman mauubos ang mga pug sa mundo so keri lang
5. flowers - walang nagbigay ng flowers nung exact birthday ko pero the following months until now may narerecieve akong flowers every now and then so i say granted to!
4. DLSR - sabi ko bibili na ko nito eh pero parang nawala na naman interes ko
3. all expense paid trip to Batanes - someone promised me this, obviously hindi pa sya natutupad until now but im still hoping
2. God's gift - granted! greatest thing that happened to me last 2013
1. success of the first PBO project - granted! obviously overwhelming ang success ng PBO at marami pang mga successful project ang sumunod at susunod

Six whishes ko ang natupad out of 10. Hindi na masama! Ngaun meron ulet akong wishes but hindi na lang ito pang-birthday kundi wishes ko na ng buong taon ng 2014.

My birthday wishlist 2014

1. maging successful at magkaroon ng good feedbacks ang 4 upcoming projects ng PBO at dumami pa ang members at supporters nito
2. pumayat na ulet ako
3. more travels
4. my relationship with my love will upgrade to the next level.
5. mag-grow ang business
6. good health for me and my loved ones
7. car

I guess that's all I could ever wish for this year. No further elaborations needed. Yun na yun!

I posted the photo above in fb on new year of 2013 with a caption "no resolution this time, motto na lang "stay hot and sexy"". Well obviously hindi ko napanindigan ang motto na yan dahil new year of 2014 eto na ko (photo below),

Oh diba ang layo na ng itsura after 1 year. So ngayon ang pinaka-wish ko talaga eh maibalik ko yung katawan ko dati. Yun na!

Happy New Year!

Hello there! It's been a while since my last post. Oh well ganyan talaga pag ~~tinatamad~~ busy. Medyo nagbalik ako dahil hindi pwedeng hindi ko ikwento ang aking experience sa recent place na napuntahan ko.

I was invited by my friend, Marge to a place in Laguna called Casa San Pablo since the best things in life are free syempre gora ako. Plus, what I love from getting away with friends is, I've got to bond with them and do some catching up since hindi naman kami madalas magsipagkita.

How do we get there? We rode a bus in Buendia going to Lucena then we got off at San Pablo Medical Center then we rode a tricycle to Casa San Pablo.

What welcomed us was a breath of fresh air, which is exactly what I needed in this super hot days. We arrived at exactly lunch time, so after sipping the welcome drinks and introduction to the very accommodating owner, Ms. An Alcantara, we were led to our room to settle our things.

It's not a typical room with beds, toilet and bath and whatnot. It has art decors, fresh flowers and a very refreshing smell.

I love the attic room minus the "untog" that I got two times.

The lanai was perfect for kwentuhan and some inuman sessions.

thank you Zai for this photo

Now, this was the most exciting part, after settling our things we went to the dinning hall to have our lunch!

We had lechon, pipian, fresh lumpia or lumpiang hubad according to Marge, fried tilapia wrapped in banana leaves and tahong.

Then we had this ube halaya for dessert which was my favorite of all. Unlike other typical halaya, it was thick and flavorful at higit sa lahat hindi sya nakakaumay. Kaya kong ubusin ang isang buong serving. Kung hindi lang nakakahiya hihingi pa sana ako ng isa pa haha!

After lunch, we had our time to muni muni and then Ms. An took us to a native cooking tour. The food is one of the thing that brings us closer to a place that's why cooking tour is one of the special features you can enjoy and taste in Casa San Pablo.

We cooked pinaltok or ginataang bilo-bilo.

And served as our late afternoon merienda with suman, perfect!

After ng aming napakasarap na merienda, nagliwaliw naman kami. Nag-bike, nag-swing, nag-seesaw, nagtaguan, naghabulan, nagbahay-bahayan at chika lang po yung huling 3.

thank you Michy for this photo

Trees, fresh air, laughter, giggle, play, eat haaaay, this is life!

photos credit to Zai

Late that afternoon Ms. An show us her craft, clay pottery. She makes clay figures and call it storyteller dolls. She also showed us some of her works.

We also took a dip on the pool just to beat the heat and then, again the exciting part, dinner! We had nilagang baboy, shrimp, liempo, and chiken. Wala akong pcitures ng food for dinner low bat kasi ang phone ko.

We let the night pass by sitting on the hammock under the stars. Saya ng buhay sa Casa San Pablo!

Came morning, we had breakfast. Fruits, pandesal and jams, fried rice, egg, danggit, longganisa, coffee and hot chocolate.

I love their hot choco, isa sa mga babalikan ko sa Casa San Pablo.

I dont want my vacation to end, not just yet, but I need to leave earlier because I have some important things to do that day. Sayang lang hindi na ako nakasama sa Lake Pandin tour nila, well I'll make sure next time mapuntahan ko rin yan and the 6 other lakes in San Pablo.

To end end this post let me share more photos and some things that I learned from Casa San Pablo.

1. I learned how to cook pinaltok or ginataang bilo-bilo. Paltok means hagis. Pinaltok dahil hinahagis ang bilo-bilo sa kawali. Hindi sya pwedeng ilagay lang basta dahil magdidikit dikit.

2. I learned that the english term for sago is tapioca balls. I know right, Im such a looser hehe.

3. I learned that pinaltok is perfect with suman. Isawsaw ang suman sa pinaltok and perfect ang sarap!

4. I learned that kare-kare can have a better, I mean a good taste in chiken. Pipian ang tawag nila sa luto ng manok na may peanut taste katulad ng karekare. But unlike kare-kare wala syang sahog na veggies. Sabi nga ni Ms. An it's the kare-kare for kids. Im not eating kare-kare pero nung natikman ko to ok din naman pala sya.

5. I learned a little bit of coconut histoy. And also that there's an infestation right now threatening it's existence.

6. I learned about Pigafetta and his role on our history.

7. I learned that we can make a garden out of junk.

8. I learned that we can make a chandelier out of used bottles.

9. I learned of what we can make out of an old iron.

10. I learned that Casa San Pablo is a perfect place to relax, to unwind and just spend ample time with family, friends and special someone that is just 90 minutes away from Manila. I will definitely come back!

Matagal ko ng gustong i-try ang Parasailing but everytime na pupunta ako sa Boracay I dont have that much extra on my budget since its really kinda expensive. But recently, naexperience ko na sya! I went to Boracay last March 19 with my boyfriend and friends. Its my third time na in Bora so I told myself I shoud try something new. Yung di ko pa na-try na gawin sa last 2 visits ko and I've decided its gonna be Parasailing. Medyo ayaw pa ni jowa nung una kasi nga mahal daw pero sa totoo lang alam kong natatakot sya. Pero dahil malakas ang convincing powers ko, atleast for my bf, napapayag ko rin sya.

Early morning of our anniversary we went for a walk and look for an agent offering a Parasailing activity. Actually di mo na kailangan maghanap eh, kasi sila na mismo lalapit sayo. We saw this kuya na mabait. Nakipagusap kami. Nagkasundo sa presyo. Nagset ng time. Sabi nila iisa na lang daw ang presyo ng Parasailing which is 1500 pesos, pero naka-discount kami ng konte. Kaya 2800 pesos ang binayaran namen para sa dalawa. I know right! Kinda masakit sa bulsa but will it be worthit? Hmmmm, let's see!

Then we went to the departure area ng mga bangka. We registered, waited a couple of minutes for the speedboat that took us to the parasailing boat.

When we arrived on the boat the crew gave us some safety precautions. Mga dapat at hindi dapat gawin habang nasa ere kami. Then we geared up and wooot here we go!

I'm a little bit nervous habang papataas pero nawala rin naman. But when we're already up I suddenly felt nauseous. Sobrang nahihilo ako to the point na nasusuka na ko. Mas lumalala lalo na pag hinahangin kami. I asked my boyfriend kung nahihilo ba sya, hindi daw. So ang ending sya yung sobrang nag-enjoy and Im glad he did.

Hindi naman ako masyadong mahilohin at hindi ko talaga iniexpect na mahihilo ako sa parasailing. Siguro dahil puyat ako the night before.

feeling ko kaya ako sobrang nahilo dahil pinaglaruan kami ni kuyang taga-picture

He asked me kung gusto ko na daw bumaba. I told him na tapusin namen yung time which is 15 minutes lang naman kasi sayang yung binayad namen, sulitin na.

So I tried to enjoy the view para hindi ko maisip na nasusuka ako, nakakahiya naman kung susuka ako while we're 50 plus feet high.

Usually pag ganitong mga adventures I dont want it to end yet pero this time I cant wait na matapos na.

nasusuka na kooooo!

They started to pull us back. Buti na lang medyo mabilis ang pagbaba. The minute we're aboard, I didnt just vomited, I threw up hard! Sobrang nakakahiya haha!

The speedboat took us back again to the shore. But wait, there's more. The driver let my boyfriend drive the speedboat and he enjoyed it.

Mas na-enjoy ko pa ang pag-sakay sa speedboat kesa sa parasailing. But I can say that it was still worthit kasi naexperience ko sya, nakita ko ang view ng Boracay mula sa taas na breathtaking talaga, at kahit pano nag-enjoy din naman ako minus the hilo syempre and atleast my love enjoyed it more.

pampatanggal hilo hihihi

And that was my first Parasailing experience. Yes, first, because maybe I will give it another try someday. Sana hindi na ko mahilo para mas ma-enjoy ko sya.

Hindi kayo namamalik-mata. Update ko talaga itong binabasa nyo. After almost a year, who would have thought na mag-uupdate pa ako. Akala ko noon hindi ako magsasawa mag-blog pero dumarating din pala yung time na tatamarin ka na mag-blog dahil sa dami ng pinagkakaabalahan mo sa buhay.

I just thought, maybe it's time to go back, bilang masyadong marami na kong kwento na dapat i-blog kung hindi, makakalimutan ko na siguro. May mga bagay kasi na mahirap makalimutan na kahit detail by detail kaya mo ikwento kahit senior citizen ka na. Pero may mga bagay din na maalala mo lang na "ay oo nga pala ginawa ko ito" or "napuntahan ko pala yan" pero hindi mo na maalala "bakit ko ginawa yan?", "pano nga ba ako nakapunta dyan?". Well, ganyan ako. Masyado akong makakalimutin, di ko rin alam kung bakit. Kaya rin siguro naisipan ko na gumawa ng online diary.

So heto na magku-kwento nako.

PBO's First Screening for A Cause featuring the movie "Lucy" starring Scarlett Johansson, happened last August, 2015.

Gusto ko lang magpasalamat sa lahat ng sumuporta, sa lahat ng tumulong na maging possible ang fund raising na ito. Maraming frustration, depression at kung anu-ano pang may "sion" ang naganap but despite all of that, it was still worthit dahil naging successful naman. Nakakatuwa lang. The outreach will happen mid of this year. Alam ko po na ~~medyo~~ sobrang delayed na, pasensya na po, may mga pangyayari po na hindi umaayon sa pagkakataon at bukod dun masyado rin pong naging busy ako at si Senyor sa kanyang kanyang trabaho at hanapbuhay. Please bear with us. But we'll make sure na mapasaya naten this coming school year ang ating beneficiary, SPED students of Pasig. Again, thank you sa support, alam nio na kung sino sino kayo. Please continue to support PBO at aasahan namen kayo sa darating pa na mga fundraising at outreach.

***

Nagtrenta na po ako this year. Wala lang bet ko lang sabihin. Wala na dapat celebration kasi hindi ako nakapagprepare pero sabi ni Mother kelangan daw may celebration kasi nga "trenta" na ko. May emphasis talaga yung trenta hmp! Kaya ayan biglang nagpa-book sa BSA Twin Towers sa Ortigas. Napa-luto din ng slight.

I invited my closest friends. Yung iba nakarating, yung iba hindi. Pero happy pa din.

***

Im thankful to meet another one of my favorite blogger na si Tripster Guy. We had lunch, watched a movie, had coffee and kwentuhan together with Senyor and Glentot. He's warm and kind in person. Im hoping to see him again. Wala kaming picture. Medyo private person sya sa totoong buhay kaya nahiya na rin ako magpa-picture with him. But still it's nice to finally meet him.

***

Meron na ulet akong pamangkin. He's a very adorable, fluffy baby boy named Vincent. I enjoyed playing with him so much. Nakaka-happy.

6 months na sya ngayon

Here with my eldest pamangkin, her cousin, Shanen na nasunog sa pag-swimming.

***

My niece, Shanen finished kindergarten with honors. Top 1, Best Pupil, Best in English, Best in Science, Most Articulate, Most Independent. Nakaka-proud lang.

***

Me and Jojie went to Sagada last month and something exciting and life changing (wow! life changing talaga ang term ko?) happened. Ang kwento ng trip ay sa susunod na post.

***

Maraming pang ganap pero eto na lang muna for now. Byers!

Last last year ko pa niyaya pumunta sa Sagada si boyfriend. Ano daw bang gagawin namen dun, tanong nya. Nadismaya ako sa sagot nya or tanong or whatever, sabi ko wag na nga lang hanap na lang ako ibang makakasama. Nakalimutan ko na yun, pati ang Sagada. Until nauso ang "That Thing Called Tadhana". Lahat na ata ng nakapanood ng movie na yun eh gusto pumunta sa Sagada, pati boyfriend ko. After nya mapanood yun bigla nya ako niyaya mag-Sagada. Syempre sino ba naman ako para tumanggi at bilang matagal ko na rin naman gusto pumunta sa Sagada.

So we went to Sagada last March.

March 19 at 10:00pm

We leave Manila going to Baguio and arrived at 04:00am. Masyado kaming maaga para sa first trip to Sagada kaya kape kape, tambay at konting landian muna sa isang 24-hours na restaurant just beside the GL Transit station.

March 20 at 06:00am

The bus leaves Baguio to Sagada. 5 hours na nakakahilong byahe dahil sa never ending na zigzag ng Halsema Highway.

11:00am

We arrived in Sagada. Nag-register sa Municipal Tourist Center then check-in sa Sagada Guesthouse.

12:00nn

Kumain kami ng lunch sa Youghurt House.

2:00pm

We started caving. Una kaming nagpunta sa Lumiang/Burial Cave. At the entrance of the cave are piles of coffins. Hindi na kami pumasok sa loob. Pilit kaming kino-convince ni kuyang tour guide na i-try ang cave connection which would start at Lumiang Cave. It would take 4-5 hours of rock climbing and crawling and would end in Sumaguing Cave. We felt were not yet ready for that so we headed to Sumaguing Cave via the simplest route.

Ang akala ko simpleng papasok lang kami sa cave. Well it's way different from the caves I've been to. It's one and a half to two hours crawling. It's kinda buwis buhay, oh it's really buwis buhay. May times na takot talaga ako baka bigla ako madulas. Medyo may kalalakagyan ako kung nagkataon. Pero yung tour guide namen at iba pang tour guides, wala silang takot sa katawan. Rocks are steep and slippery.

view mula sa baba

kunwari ginamit ko yung lubid pero nagpa-picture lang talaga ako dyan

For me, the kind of adventures that of Sumaguing cave is the kind that I want to experience once in my lifetime and would be enough.

May nakuha nga pala akong souvenir sa cave.

from Sumaguing Cave with love

04:00pm

After a tiring cave adventure we headed back to the guesthouse to freshen up and rest a bit before dinner.

06:00pm

We ate dinner in Lemon Pie House. We had lemon pie for dessert and it was good. Before our food was served the lights went out but came back few minutes later.

08:00pm

We headed back to our guesthouse and fell asleep immediately. It was a tiring but a dauntless day.

To be continued...

March 21, 07:00am
Happy 2nd anniversary to us.

The sun was up but it was still cold. Masarap pa sana matulog. Pero hindi naman kami nagpunta ng Sagada para matulog lang.

09:00am

After we ate our breakfast at the guesthouse, we went back to the tourist information center.

One of the things that I look forward in Sagada was the marvelous Bomod-ok Falls. But to my dismay, we saw a handwritten sign in the front of the information center saying that Bomod-ok Falls would be close for the next 3 days for a sacred ritual.

I asked them bakit hindi nila kami ininform yesterday eh di sana doon muna kami nagpunta. But they answered, ganun daw talaga yun, biglaan. So I thought kung kelan nila gusto mag-ritual gagawin nila ng walang pasabi? Hindi ako naniniwala. Pero ano pa nga bang magagawa namen?

Eventhough I was very very disappointed we have to respect their tradition and had a very reason to come back.

Moving on, we decided to tour Central Sagada instead.

09:30am

We started at St. Mary's church. There was an ongoing wedding that day. It's kinda cool that some members of he entourage was wearing the traditional Igorot costume. The groom had this head dress just like of the Igorot I saw in Baguio. I wonder what the bride's wearing.

We also passed by the Calvary Hill. I was in a cemetery but it didnt felt like I was. Kinda enlivening place for a cemetery. They had this tradition every November 1st that they light a fire near love one's grave instead of a candle. "It was like hell", as our tour guide described it.

Next stop was the Echo Valley Hanging Coffins. On our way down, some of the tourist were shouting. It was amazingly echoing. I'd like to try but I was pretty shy to shout so I just listened to the others.

It's surprisingly impressive how they put the coffins on the hills. Our tour guide told us that they used ladders. I still cant imagine, especially when I see coffins on a very high rock valley.

Another valley with hanging coffins.

We hiked to and trough Sagada Underground River. The water was very very little. According to our tour guide it's been six months since Sagada last tasted rain.

We reached Bokong falls. A very small falls with nature carved pool. The water was enticingly cold.

Bokong Falls

After adoring the little beauty, we headed back to our guesthouse.

We passed through rice fields on our way back.

01:00pm

We ate lunch in Pinikpikan House.

04:30pm

We rented a motorbike and went to Danum Lake to watch the sunset. It was a 30-minute travel.

There was an average amount of crowd when we arrived.

It was too little for a lake. I think it's more like a pond. Nevertheless, Im still stunned.

Sun was starting to set, so we started to find a good spot. Picture taking in between.

Danum Lake is the only place in Sagada that reaches my expectation. The place that I enjoyed most, with landian on the side.

The sun was gone, so we headed back to the guesthouse.

On our way back, we stopped at the Sagada Pottery to peek. They show us how to do the thing for P50. You can try it by yourself for P100, if you want.

We passed through rice fields again.

07:00pm

We rest a bit and ate dinner at Masferre Restaurant. The lights went out again.

09:00pm

The night was a little hot. Shuteye.

To be continued...

On our 3rd and last day in Sagada, we woke up as early as 4:00am. He fetched the motorbike that we rented a day before and picked me up in our rented guesthouse.

We leave our place around 4:30am. We didnt know the road going to Kiltepan. Luckily, we saw other tourists that were also going to where we were headed, so we just followed them.

On the way, we had to stop because a van ahead of us was caught up on a road pothole. The road was so small that its good as one way. Good thing, we were riding a motorbike and we just passed trough the vehicles which passengers had no choice but to get down and hike up.

We arrive at the viewpoint by 5:00am. There were already few people settled to their spot of choice while waiting for the sun and the sea of clouds.

It was cold and foggy.

We found our own spot and waited there. This was one of the things that makes me excited to go Sagada. Came 5:30, no sunrise yet. But we waited patiently, taking pictures in between. It was already 6:30 but we can't see the sun. Others gave up and leave.

We waited still, until it was already 7:00am and we know that its time to leave. Natatakpan ng clouds ang sun at punong puno pa rin ng fog ang paligid.

So we decided to just take pictures of what we have and head back to the guesthouse after. The place was breath taking specially when clouds tend to disappear for a minute and we would see the rice terraces.

There were so many expectators that wanted to take pictures of the rice terraces. So he led me to a spot where there's only two of us.

When we finished taking pictures, niyaya ko na sya na umalis. But suddenly he got something on his pocket and showed me a small red box. Medyo bumilis ang heartbeat ko and I asked him "ano yan?". Then he replied in a question too and on bended knee, "will you marry me?".

I felt so overjoyed and my tears wanted to fall but I held it back and answered, "of course, yes!"

I hugged him blissfully then told him to put the ring on my finger. Unfortunately the ring was a bit small that it wont push trough my ring finger. Kahit anong gawin ko ayaw talagang pumasok...ng singsing. It turned out that he got the wrong measurement of my finger.

You can say that it was an epic fail. The non-apperance of the sun and sea of clouds and the ring that dont fit but still, for me, it was the happiest day of my life. My heart exploded of happiness to the fact that one of my dreams came true. To be engaged and soon be married to the man that I love, the man I prayed for to come into my life. And Im forever be thankful to God and Mama Mary for giving him to me.

He contacted again the person that he bought the ring from and asked if there's something they can do to the ring to fit. Im still lucky that it can be resized.

And it perfectly fit. I so love this ring. It is exactly how I want it to be, my engagement ring.

This is the end of our Sagada trip but definitely the start of our journey to forever. Yes, may forever!

So after the proposal, I didnt think of anything for a month. Medyo high pa ko sa feeling of being engaged eh. Then bigla na lang namen napag-usapan kung kelan kami magpapakasal. He suggested October because it's his birth month and I agreed. We thought October 10 (10.10.15) is a good date.

We have the top 3 churches that we're eyeing for. I immediately called them to check on the availability of the date that we want.

1. Mt Carmel Church

photo source

It is located in New Manila, Quezon City. We decided to held our wedding in Quezon City because it's the city where we currently live. That is why Mt. Carmel was our first choice aside from having a very long aisle, of course. Apparently, the church is not holding a wedding from July of this year until next year because they were having a renovation. I was really really disappointed because since I was in college I dreamed of getting married in this church. Being in denial, I called them 3 times just to make sure. But I guess and I thought maybe it's not meant to be, so I moved on to our second choice.

2. Sto. Domingo Church

photo source

It is located along Quezon Ave. I also liked this church because of it's long aisle. Since I cannot reach them through phone (sira yata), I made an effort and went there. Turns out that they were also not holding a wedding for the first two weeks of October because of their feast. I asked pa rin why. They said that they were too busy to hold a wedding. There it goes, another disappointment.

But I know I have to move on.

3. Christ the King Parish

photo source

This church is located in Greenmeadows Ave also in Quezon City. This church dont have the long aisle but it has a very beautiful interior and Christ at the center and so I think this will be the perfect church for our solemn and simple wedding. Air conditioned is a plus factor. When I called to inquire they still have an available slot for October 10, finally! Though the available time slot is alanganin which is 1:00pm, we still decided to book it.

So there! The church for our wedding is gonna be Christ the King Parish.

Planning a wedding is never, never easy. There are so many things to consider. For example, informing first the parents of your plans and decisions. That is what I failed to do . Being excited and all, we had already set our wedding date and booked the church last May.

I just mentioned to my mom that me and Jojie were getting married already on October. Ganyan lang ka-casual, after all it is not a big deal anymore because we're old enough. Kay mom ko lang na-mention since mas close kami kesa sa dad ko.

It was only after we booked the venue that we decided to formally announced to the family that we are getting married. We told it first to both my parents. Nothing extraordinary to their reaction as I mentioned earlier that we are old enough to settle down. But when we mentioned the date, my dad responded "bakit October?!"

No answer came out of our mouths with the intensity of my dad's disapproval to our chosen wedding date. Asking for the third time, only we answered that because it was his birth month.

He told us that it was not a good month to get married because of some "pamahiin". I will not elaborate kasi hindi naman kami naniniwala dun and told my dad na marami namang nagpapakasal ng October. I actually have some of my friends na October nagpakasal and so far so good naman. Sabi nya it is still up to us if we will push it kasi after all kami pa rin naman ang magpapakasal pero kung sya ang tatanungin ayaw nya.

Jojie and I talked about it and decided to move the wedding date. I still want the 10.10.15 date aside from we already booked the church and venue for that date. But Jojie explained to me that it was a family culture that came down from my dad's great ancestors and it is not that we believe or should believe but being a descendant and mostly out of respect dapat sumunod din kami.

I was relieved that he understands and I agreed.

Between September and December, we choose the latter. We might lack ample time for preparation if we pick September.

We went to the church the day after. All weekends of December is already fully booked except the morning slot of December 12. Hindi na kami nagdalawang isip pa, being the only available time slot left, we booked it na.

There! Our new wedding date is December 12, 2015 and that is final!

I saw pictures of Calaguas island when I was browsing the internet. It was so beautiful that I cant let this summer to pass without going there. So I booked a trip to Calaguas via Calaguas Local. Originally, kami lang talaga ni fiance pero we decided to make it a barkada trip with our close friends. They agreed to come. Pero nung papalapit na ang araw ng alis namen isa-isa na silang nag-back-out. Oh well, they missed an opportunity to be in a paradise. And we're back to just two of us.

We get the overnight package tour from Calaguas Local for just Php3,199 per person. Inclusions are:

- roundtrip bus transfer from Manila-Daet-Manila via DLTB Bus Co. (Pasay Terminal)

- roundtrip boat transfer to and from Calaguas Island

- 3 meals (1st day lunch, 1st day dinner and 2nd day breakfast)

- tent accomodation

- Bagasbas beach side trip

For more information about their package, you can visit their website calaguaslocal.com.

We leave Pasay terminal around 9:00pm of Friday, our Day 0. Delayed by almost an hour, supposed to be 8:15pm departure.

We arrived in Daet around 5:30am of Satuday, Day 1. From the bus terminal we rode a tricycle going to Jollibee Daet, our meeting place with the tour guide. We had breakfast in Jolibee, since Day 1 breakfast is not included in the package.

From Jollibee Daet to Vinzon's port to Calaguas Island has a total of two and a half hours travel time.

When we arrived, the view that I saw was not what I expected. I expected it to be an island with a small shoreline, not so much people since it was a virgin island and no boat on the beach but what I saw was exactly the opposite.

But still, it was a very beautiful island with long and wide shoreline, powdery white sand and crystal clear blue water with a mountain backdrop accompanied by small hills and cliffs. Perfect! Well, almost, except for the boats and so many people that kinda ruin the view. Medyo madamot ako, I want this island just for myself.

It was really hot that day, so chill out muna kami sa kubo while waiting for our lunch.

After lunch, mas lalong uminit at medyo takot talaga ako umitim sa mga panahong ito so bumming muna under a tree.

It's already 4:00pm when we decided to swim. Medyo mainit pa rin pero mukang hindi na rin naman mawawala yung araw unless gabi na talaga.

We walked towards the long shoreline. Pagdating sa dulo, picture taking, bumming and back to our camp na.

Buti na lang medyo maaga pa kami nakapag-banlaw kasi later that night sobrang haba na ng pila sa C.R. para magbanlaw.

We ate dinner.

That night, there's a party on the other side of the camp, loud music and booze. We decided to just lay on the sand, watch the stars and wait for one to fall and make a wish and yes, I saw one!

Being tired the whole day, we slept early.

We also woke up early and decided to have a little hike up the small hill at the end of the shore.

The view was breathtaking from up the hill, you can almost see the whole island.

We head back to camp and ate breakfast.

We leave the island by 9:00am.

We buy some pasalubong then went to Bagasbas Beach as part of our itinerary. You can do surfing in Bagasbas beach my beau and I decided to just eat and enjoy the view. Aside from the very humid weather that day, mabibitin lang kami dahil konti na lang ang oras and we are scheduled to leave na.

I will definitely come back. Calaguas Island has a very good potential to be the next Boracay.

For me, looking for a venue for reception is the hardest part in planning a wedding. There are so many things to consider.

It should be near the church, affordable, decent, and for us it should be air-conditioned. Dapat kakasya din ang number of guest na invited.

I hope that this list could help those who will stumble upon this blog who are also looking for a venue in the same area as ours.

Our wedding ceremony will be at Christ the King Parish Church, Greenmeadows.

The following are shortlisted already from more than 30 venues that I inquired.

1. Greenmeadows Clubhouse

Contact: 637-3311; 6373399

Capacity: 150 pax

Sponsorship required

Rate: Php 22,500 + refundable Php 10,000 bond

2. Corinthian Gardens Clubhouse

Contact: 633-0914; 633-0923; 634-7280

Capacity: 200 pax

Sponsorship required

Rate: Php

3. Valle Verde 5 Clubhouse

Contact: 631-0496; 386-1019

Capacity: 220 pax

Sponsorship required

Rate: Php 13,800

4. Acropolis Clubhouse

Contact: 633-1937; 634-5057

Rate: Php 15,000

5. Wack-Wack Golf and Country Club

Contact: 723-0665 loc. 303-304

Capacity: 200 pax

Rate: Php 32,000

6. CAI Events Place

Location: E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave, Barrio Ugong, Pasig City

Contact: 667-0880 to 93 loc. 4251

Rate: Php 100,000

7. Chardonnay by Astoria
Location: 352 Capt H. Javier St., Pasig City
Capacity: 200 pax
Rate: Php 270,000 (package for 200 pax- venue and catering)

8. C3 Events Place
Location: 18 Missouri St., Northeast, Greenhills
Capacity: 300 pax
Rate: Php 213,000 (package for 200 pax- venue and catering)

9. Daza Pavillion
Location: Camp Aguinaldo
Capacity: 150 pax
Rate: Php 12,000

10. Glass Garden
Location: Evangelista Ave, Pasig City
Capacity: 350 pax
Rate: Php 75,000

There you go. Good luck to our preparation. I hope you could also find the perfect venue for your wedding.

Coron: Revisited

Enchanting Coron: Siete Pecados and Kayangan Lake

Enchanting Coron: Diwata Beach and CYC Beach

Enchanting Coron: Maquinit Hotspring

PBO hosted a feeding program

Enchanting Coron: Malcapuya Island

Enchanting Coron: Banana Island

Enchanting Coron: Barracuda Lake, Atuayan Beach and Coral Garden

I miss blogging and blogger friends

My Birthday Wishlist 2014

What I Learned from Casa San Pablo

my first Parasailing experience

halo halo

Sagada Day 1

Sagada Day 2

Sagada Day 3 and the Moment

The Wedding: Church

The Wedding: Date

Calaguas Island

The Wedding: Venue