Heeding the Signs

Sometimes right when you least expect it life offers you a nudge, a hint, a challenge towards a new direction. Life respects your free will but leads you to the path to enlightenment. There is no other way but to heed the signs. =)

Sign in a Vienna train platform

Mt Pinatubo Trek

I realized while browsing through my pics that it has been 3 years since we hiked towards the lake formed   from the crater of Mt. Pinatubo. The view provides the soothing blue-green hues of the water, mountain and the sky. My colleagues from the office are planning to go there this weekend. I just might join them.

Sunset Photo of the Day

A sunset is a sunrise on the other side of the world.

A sunset is a sunrise on the other side of the world

Road Trip to Malumpati

Typically on an Easter Sunday, my family would go to Madrangca beach, which is just a few hundred meters away from the house. I grew up practically near the sea - much to the envy of my friends from Manila- so quick trips to the beach for a dip are a common thing. But last year I found the beach too crowded so my brother and I decided to move the family outing the following day, which conveniently is a Holiday as well.

My brother who now works in the Tourism office of the province wanted to show me Malumpati Spring a resort in Pandan . The Spring is being fed by the same water source of Bugang River which my brother boasts to have been voted as the cleanest inland body of water in the Philippines by some environmentalists.

Normally for Road trips like this, we have Bobby, my sister's soon-to-be hubby as our reliable driver. Unfortunately he had to be assigned for the Holy week in Iloilo hence unavailable. Fortunately we had Barry who's one of my brother's officemates who agreed to go with us.

We took our one-year old Multicab, aptly named Solitaire (after the main Bond Girl's character in Live and Let Die). I cannot drive a manual which explains why we needed a driver.

We left the house around 11am amidst the blistering heat.  We first passed by Hamtic to pick up Jiroh another colleague of my brother.

Along the way we took photos of interesting stuff like the old church in Patnongon.

We stopped by for some lunch in a roadside carinderia. While wolfing our lunch -sisig and beef broth we had to endure the caterwauling of a old man on a videoke machine just beside the carinderia.

Summer was pretty much made obvious by the makeshift halo halo stands along the highway. We stopped by on one to beat the heat.

Our trip had frequent stopovers because at any time we see a scene worthy of capturing we simply had to stop. THough I often get frustrated because the concept I had in mind is not captured in the frames. I made a note to myself to review once again the manual of my camera.

 We arrived at Malumpati around 3pm.  The location is a bit inconvenient because it's about 3.5 km from the main road and inward path is a dirt road. We had to endure quite a bumpy ride.

The resort was actually too crowded but since it was already in the afternoon the people were beginning to pack up. I took a dip. The water was quite cold and refreshing. We would have wanted to go to the main water source (it's purported to be from an underground spring, the depth not yet fathomed) but we did not want the sundown to catch up on us.

Overall it was an enjoyable trip. I would not advise Malumpati for backpackers who had so much to squeeze in a day. But for those whose itineraries can accommodate a day of relaxation in a fresh body of water then Malumpati would be a good idea.

The sunset shots on our way back to San Jose were a great bonus.

April Fool's Day

Today is April Fool's Day. Coincidentally it is also Palm Sunday, the start of the Holy Week.
I have long awaited this day not because I was pulling a prank on someone or because I'm so excited for the long vacation. This is the day where a major decision should have been made regarding something. I can't what yet because we have a saying in Filipino "baka maudlot"

But am hoping that the odds would be in my favor. It would spell how things will be for me in the next two years.

Cairns 2012

There's a total solar eclipse occurring this year in November. Relatively it's within the neighborhood because it will be in Cairns, Australia. Unfortunately the plane fare is around 50K, almost the same as a plane fare to Europe... I am hoping to go there if only to finally document totality without the overcast. The realization of this dream depends on 2 major factors, but am hoping to make it... Let's see.

Here's a timed shot I took in Qingdao in 2010. Wish that at that time I had better knowledge on camera settings.. Anyway, it's better late than never..

Cairns, I hope to see you !

Qingdao 2010 Eclipse

Did not realize until today that it has been exactly two years since the Qingdao eclipse last January 15. In a way I feel sad because up until now I have not properly documented my adventure there. And I know a lot of important details have now been forgotten. Anyway it is better late than never. Here are my top 5 reasons why the Qingdao eclipse experience holds a special place in my heart...

1. It was an item on my bucket list : Watching an annular eclipse during sunset.
2. It was my first solo-bacpacking experience.
3. It was my first solo expedition.
4. It had been my first time to attend a couch surfing party.
5. It had been my first brazen attempt to take the train even though I know nothing about the Chinese language.