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.

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.

Philippines Tourism Video

I have another item on my bucket list... to visit every province of the Philippines. I think there are about 88 and as of last count I am halfway through. I considered visiting its 7107 islands but at a rate of 1 island per day, it would take me about 20 years hehehe. So have decided to stick back with the province as a marker.

This video I saw yesterday reminded me of that dream. I guess this Christmas I would have add one to that list by visiting Guimaras..

Pilipinas, Tara na!

Visit Antique

Been through different parts of the Philippines and of the world but I realized that there are still other parts of my hometown that I have not visited yet... I shall put them in my things to do in the next few years.. Enjoy..

LIfe's a beach - 1

Manila is not necessarily a good place to roam around. Traffic is terrible. The train system sucks. (I mean it's light years away compared to the train system in Europe, SG or Japan). The city is cramped and urban planning was never in the vocabulary (most likely) when the city was designed.

But if your visit to the Philippines is to see the wonderful beaches that its 7107 islands have to offer then you're in the right place. To whet your appetite (and am speaking to foreigners here, because I know how we Filipinos are blessed already) I will be posting  some pictures of the beaches we have here. 

Manila is the inevitable stopover for those planning to discover the beaches on the other islands ( Boracay, Bohol, Coron etc) .


Boracay Island... It's an hour plane ride from Manila. Stopover is in Caticlan and then you take a 30-minute banca ride from there. It's a bit touristy so if you want fun and the beach at the same time, this is the place to be. During off-peak seasons though the place is a soothing refuge.. Here's one of my favorite contemplation shots. Hope this photo soothes you.. If it doesn't, then yours must be a heart of stone.. =P


Enjoy..

Boracay Island

Turtle Release

I’m quite surprised that, of late , there has been a lot interest from my friends on Turtle Release. What’s surprising is that I have been posting pics and videos from my past escapades (since 07) but it’s only now that I get such overwhelming interest.

I am not sure what I did right but definitely am not complaining..=)
For those who plan to have a similar experience, I am writing down some here tips and info..

1. The Turtle Release site is in the Bantay Pawikan Hatchery Site in Brgy Nagbalayong, Morong, Bataan. It’s a 3 to 4-hour drive from Manila depending on the traffic. It’s going to Balintawak or Mindanao exit part that sucks, the NLEX and SCTEX part is a breeze.

2. You can take 2 possible routes via SCTEX 1) Dinalupihan exit – turn right at Pilar or 2) Subic exit then pass by Morong gate of SBMA ( much preferred option)

3. The Bantay Pawikan Foundation increases the chance of survival of the marine turtles by transferring the eggs to their hatchery site. Temperature is tracked on a daily basis so they get to predict when the eggs will be hatched. For more info on their efforts visit this site http://www.oceanheritage.com.ph/pawikan-conservation-in-philippines/

4. For those who want to support their endeavors one can adopt a marine turtle at a price of PhP 250/ hatchling. This comes with a shirt and you can have the hands on experience of releasing the turtle to the sea.

5. Turtle release is normally done in the early morning (around 7 am) or late afternoon (around 5pm) to avoid the harsh rays of the sun which can have an adverse impact on turtle survival. If you plan for a day tour you would need to leave Manila around 3:30 am.

6. Call in advance (at least 3 days) to check if there are turtles due for release on the day you intend to visit . (You may call Ate Nida of Bantay Pawikan at 0928 718 5721).

7. Turtle hatching season happens from September to March.. There are still eggs being laid at this time so the hatching might still happen until the first week of April.

8. Sometimes one can get lucky (like what happened to us last visit). There are a hundred of hatchlings due for release and there are no sponsors so we get to release the whole lot !!!

9. Given that it’s a long ride, to make the most of the travel you can also opt to stay overnight. The Foundation offers accommodation. The aircon room ranges from 2500 (good for 5) to 4500 (good for 12). You can also opt to set up a tent for a much lower rate. The room accommodations are very basic so don’t expect anything fancy. Personally for the same quality, I think it’s a bit expensive compared to the rooms in Boracay and Puerto Galera. However I am consoled by the fact that what I pay helps in their endeavors.

10. For those staying overnight you can cook your food as the Foundation has cooking equipment. You can also hire one of their staff to do the preparation and cooking.

11. You can also opt to stay in Subic since Morong is only about 20 km away.

12. In order to maximize the trip plan to do other activities on the side…like Tree Top Adventure , Zoobic Safari or Ocean Adventure in Subic. You can also visit the Dambana ng Kagitingan in Pilar Bataan. ( highly recommended, I enjoy the scenic 6 km drive from the foot to the top of the hill)

13. Since the trip entails the use of gas, if you want to make the experience carbon-neutral, plan to offset the increase in the carbon footprint by planting some trees or reducing your electricity consumption. ( Haven’t computed the amount yet but will post once I have the numbers.. =) )

That’s all I have. Just let me know if you have other queries.

Cheers.