Repost a Report

Ive posted one before, so this is an update - the plan is to be A by next year at the latest. I think I'm close.

My Lakbayan grade is B+!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Parting Shots From Mountain Province

Here's the fantastic view fom Kiltepan Ridge just in time for sunrise. It's worth taking at 5 in the morning!



By the way, once your bus crosses the Mountain Province border, they immediately start playing country hits. I do not understand why. All the shops in Sagada? They play country music. Were they trying to give the place a certain ambience to match with the mountain breeze? Of they have developed a certain fondness for Kenny Rogers? Or...country music is 'in' and I didn't know it? Regardless, I seem to have found the culprit:



Speaking of soundtrack, this trip has been brought to you by the following songs:
First Train Home by Imogen Heap
Fader by The Temper Trap
Love Is Colder Than Death by The Virgins
Rain Song by Calvin Harris
21st Century Life by Sam Sparro
Remedy by Little Boots

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Finally, this Sagada will be best summarised by this now-infamous photo. Happy Sliding in Sagada!

Caving, Or Spelunking If You Want It Fancy

The five guys on the trip were mostly newbies, save for visitsagada.com expert Benj, but that shouldn't have stopped us from doing the Cave Connection. Wait, I think it was the torrential rains that prevented us from doing so. There, a legitimate excuse. We opted for the regular cave exploration, and it definitely goes down on the list of "Best Hundred Pesos I Ever Spent."



Going down the caves were dead on slippery, but after the initial 20 minute descent, you reach the non-slippery sedimentary rocks double as a very relaxing foot jacuzzi.

Though not a fan of rock formations hidden in the dark, Sumaging Caves in Sagada provided us with a rappel, lots of rock hugging, and plenty of interaction with the cavern. There was even a point where the guide had to lodge himself on the wall, then fling you down like a human vine (and you would be Tarzan).

Runner up reasons why this cave was more enjoyable than Palawan's Underground Cave: 1) it did not smell of bat crap; 2) the jokes about the rock formations were bad, but our guide was admittedly deadpan and honest at the cheesiness of it, we partially forgive him; 3) I did not have to carry the torch and the matching car battery to go with it!

A Trekking Reunion

To be honest, I can not remember when the last time I did a mountain/nature trek. Was it the infamous 10k Club up Makiling in 2001? Does the Great Wall count? Oh wait, there was that punishing set of wooden stairs in Sabang from a couple of years back. Either way, that Sagada weekend reminded me that nature trekking is fun; and being several pounds lighter makes it a bit easier for me doing the ascends.

Sagada is blessed with reasonable trailheads, you can do a warm up by following a cemented path leading to Small Falls, or cut your way through the rice fields to get there.

Echo Valley, home of the most accessible coffins (too easy I must add, the coffins within reach have been vandalised and ransacked) is a 15-minute walk from town center. You'll pass through a quaint cemetery, but small town burial grounds have a certain air of eerieness to them and a natural viewdeck to appreciate the area.



The most rewarding trek so far has been the 45-minute stroll on the way to Marlboro Country. Initially branded as an opportunity to see wild horses, but don't expect to see one, there are only 3 left roaming the area. Horses or not, this is the ticket to go when in Sagada. This panoramic shot below does not do justice to the sublime 360 degree views.

City Boy Boards A Bus To The Mountains

Fourteen hour buses normally suck the fun out packing your bags for the weekend. Good thing on me, I had a bit of experience, as I've survived 24-hour bus rides twice already. Besides, I miss-scheduled my leave by a week, and had nothing to do since I was transitioning from old to new job.

Going to Sagada isn't much of a hassle - take the 11pm bus from Manila, land in Baguio between 3 and 4 am, then wait out the remaining 2 hours for the first bus to Sagada.



Apprehensive folk worried about landslides and below par roads might be surprised that Benguet roads are well paved, and the Mountain Province section is not that bad, with lots of improvements happening. Plus, GT Lizardo Lines have buses that are in better condition to regular (no AC) buses here in the Metro.



Arrival time: 1230pm with 3 stops, Baguio, and 2 small towns in Benguet. Payoff? fantastic mountain views left and right.

Two Rallies

First of all, I must say that it's been quite a while since I posted - more than a month! It's been a tremendously busy month, but no excuses. No travels, but here are some major gatherings that I attended recently.

One thing that I would let pass was to pay my last respects to Cory Aquino. The feeling of sadness was minute compare to the sense of gratitude and pride brought by a singular person. We have much to be thankful to her for these past decades: and it was truly felt on her last parade through the grateful city of Makati. That bright sunny day, enveloped in yellow confetti? We seem to have taken it for granted, but I'd like to call that freedom.




Was definitely in a great spot to say my "Thanks Cory!". But I guess you don't have to stand so close to her monument to appreciate her enduring legacy for our country. She may not have been the best president that our country has had, but it will take another generation to see someone as loved.

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In weird news, I attended an El Shaddai rally, their 25th anniversary celebration. I've always been curious to check that out, and the view surprised me:



It was more Woodstock than I thought. Tents and campers, plenty of waving flags (that ubiquitous "ES panyo"), revelers in jeeploads and truckloads, and of course, plenty of singing and dancing. I remember complaining about (not having) Glastonbury or Coachella here, but if you're searching for atmosphere, maybe this will be an interesting substitute.

Pinoy Backpack Festival 2008

Would like to invite all of you to the Pinoy Backpack Festival at Alabang Town Center this 25-26 October. I wish we had one of these earlier, I think that this is the first one that's being held in the country.

If you've always wanted to travel, but don't know what the first step is (cost? where to go? how long? safety?), this 101 course suits you perfectly well. There are workshops on photography, sketching, how to pack, and other useful information. I was particulary amused by the backpacker's starter kit that they sold - it had an expense tracker, a calculator, a bandana, and a Philippine flag button. Cool.

As one of the highlights (for me of course), I'll be a resource speaker, and I'm going to talk about the CouchSurfing experience. What is it? Come over, will be happy to share the experience with you.

Formore details on the festival, drop by ROX Philippines.

Slick OPM

It's already September, but I still haven't found a landmark Filipino song for 2008. Since I don't listen to radio, all the good music I catch on are from word of mouth. Last year's crop included Julianne and Up Dharma Down. It took a while, but this year, I finally caught on Taken By Cars. Late, but not too late. Thanks to the first of 120 Days of Octoberfest, a rekindling of local act burns once more.



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(Looks up)

I had initially planned to write a snippet of a blog post, but I was completely enamored by the sound of Taken by Cars that I had to rush to the nearest record bar to get a copy of their album. So here's a review:

My Malaysian friend would probably call the album "another suprising, polished effort from the crafty Filipinos," but I don't think it's not just polished. I think the sound is slick and glossy, which reminds me of The Gossip and The Myriad. I think it's just phenomenal, to have a indietronic attitude in the rather drab battle-of-the-bands OPM atmosphere. Finally, local music that will give Sneaky Soundsystem, Simian Mobile Disco and Bloc Party a run for their money. I'm so proud right now. And grateful that I attended that Octoberfest party.

ps. I wonder what bonus track I'll receive when I log in with the audio CD. That track remix by Funk Avy is truly ear candy.

The Jump

Like I was saying before I got interrupted by Wimbledon, I jumped off a cliff, literally. Whee.

A Hundred Islands of No Rain

So, not to be oblivious and insensitive, but when Typhoon Frank tore apart Manila, we were busy with an impromptu adieu to summer. I've never been Pangasinan for more than 4 hours (just passing through!), and reaching one of the westernmost points of Luzon was indeed an interesting sight.



I've been meaning to return to Hanoi and take a boat at Halong Bay, but a day at Hundred Islands suited me just fine. So as a mini-review, the place was awesome not just because of the great natural wonders surrounding you; but I loved it because I felt that it was an easy thing to do. Let me explain, if I was backpacking across SE Asia, and wanted to see Hundred Islands, it's such a breeze to take a bus to Alaminos, hire a trike to Lucap (the seaside barangay), then hire a boat for the whole day. All rates are fixed and posted at the tourist center, so you don't have to worry being ripped off. Rates for the boats go lower if you stay at one of the nearby lodges. Total expenses for the 2-day trip? 2.1k, very reasonable.



There are a bunch of (developed) islands to choose from, but the pic above was where we had our packed lunch: we had it half-swimming in the water, and under this cove. It's really one of the more unique, local, and most enjoyable vacations I've had in recent memory. The summary? See below:



ps. As a parting shot, we jumped of a cliff into the water in one of the islands. Good thing a friend was sissy enough to chicken out and take the video.

Juuuump!

Fruits and Fishes

So, in a matter of weeks, I had my next CouchSurf. I really did not mean to host this time, but how can I resist hosting friends I've met before? And it doesn't help my cause that she's a lovely Lithuanian lady. The upside is, my parents were forced to do some research - where is Lithuania?

After a night of partying and drinks, we headed out for Batangas. On the way there, a mandatory stop at Tagaytay was definitely due. My friend was vegan, and like a moth to a flame, she was immediately drawn to the fruit stalls leading of to the ridge.



I really should be doing profile photos of my guests. Hehehe.

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It was my first time to snorkel, and in order to preserve the novelty of the experience, I decided to defer diving to a later date, and perhaps with another guest. Still, snorkeling and feeding the fishes was a great activity, if you're a fan of nibbling (pervert!) fishes.

And oh, my camera died on me; and this was the last photo I took.

Calatagan

I recently went on a work-related meeting off the end of Batangas, and I took some pics. Just sharing, just before I go into full US Open mode.

Peering Down Craters

It took a lot of convincing, all of them internal, to put my heavy ass inside a plane. Don't get me wrong, but I like flying. I like it so much, that well, I have enough material to talk about in this blog about my travels. However, this was no ordinary plane - it was a small plane, so small that it can only seat 3 passengers and the pilot. Remember that old Daffy Duck cartoon that he'd stand on the propeller and yell "Contact!" ? Yeah, that's the one. Out pilot, Jimmy Boyd, consoled us that at least every one sat in first class.



So there I was sitting nervously in a little plane, waiting for our turn to take the runway. The takeoff was relatively smooth, but in a small plane you can feel all the little movements. Whenever the pressure changed due to a rise in altitude, Little Plane That Could jerked a little, causing my stomach to churn, my head to tilt, and my eyes to rapidly search for a parachute (there were none, but there life jackets, how comforting). Boysen, an aerospace engineer, who assured me that it was *probably* safe with a counter-argument "How you know your car is safe?", gets usually airsick. Just puke it out, and you'll be fine, he suggested. Ah, just like getting plastered after having a notorious night of drinking - vomit will set things right.


Back to the flight, we finally reached our desired altitude to properly view the crater of Mount Pinatubo. This sure beats a 2-day trek! From the meandering lahar flows that spark contrast with the lush green foliage of the mountains, to the crater lake that was semi-dark from all the sulfur, it was definitely a sight to behold. There are a lot more pictures, but I'd like to think that I'm considerate for non-DSL connections (us, mainly). I just did not feel awe at the sight, but also sadness; I offered a moment of silence to remember all the people who were displaced, killed, lost, from the events that were borne of the fury of Pinatubo.

There's probably more pictures to upload in my Flickr account.

Planes and the Clark Museum

The modest Clark Museum in Angeles City is a 200 sqm room divided into chambers that relived the American Occupation of the area. I surely didn't know that it was called Fort Stotsenburg in the earlier days (now you do too!), and Clark, was...hmm... that one I forgot already. I'm sure he was famous though.

From the showcase of history in the museum, we raided the Angeles City Proper, or as Boysen would refer to it, Angeleth Thity. Allow me a moment to indulge here: my lisp is not that bad!

As I was saying, Filipino Ingenuity was on full display on the roads, with names that are suggestive, yet still playful littering the road encircling Clark. I'm sure there's a sign for a pub that will tickle your fancy (no pun intended!); my favorites were Thi Hi and T Time. You have to see the posters to have a more, errm, visual appreciation.

Last one before I go to the main event, we stopped by the plane relics in Air Force City. I got a chance to take photos, and this is one of my all time favorites. It's called Homage To Planes, and it's got something to do with my next trip, together with a very popular volcano.

Manila, Way Back When

Showing my CouchSurfing guest Stijn what Manila looks like was as much a pleasure for me since I was fiddling with my brand new camera. After checking out San Agustin Church (there's an article about it below, before Spider-Man 3 made a splash in my blog), we headed for good old Fort Santiago. Silly me, it was just across the street from Manila Cathedral. Anyway, it was probably in Grade 3 when I went here last - it looks fairly familiar, yet enticingly new.

There were 18th century guards, ancient Spanish brick gates, and, (in)appropriately, a well-manicured golf course. Even the caretaker of the 3mx4m artillery room-cum-chapel scratched her head at the thought of the golf course. Well, at least the grass is definitely well taken care of.



If you think the golf course was quite peculiar, then you should try the Rizal Museum. His old cell, all his writings, and photos of the women he loved; nothing was strange here, but the writings were presented in a very modern way. Etched glass, steel bars that draped from ceiling to the floor, and as an ending, the Mi Ultimo Adios written on the floor. Sure, it was a novel way of presenting his works, but for me, it was a little anachronistic. It was modern, too modern even.

The rest of the beauty of Fort Santiago seemed to have eluded me, as I was busy answering phone calls that morning. Drat. But, there was enough time to take a picture of Pasig River, and imagine the glory days of the fortress. Even one of the brazen guards spread across the grounds seemed to think so.

Now I'm Starting To Wonder Where My Name Came From

I finally had a Couchsurfer land in my room, and my parents were equally thrilled to accommodate a foreigner. They started with the usual fussy bottled water issue, based on the premise that all foreigners can't handle the local tap; and ended with booting one of my brothers to another room.

Philippine nomenclature, well, at least my parents' style is baffling. At first, my parents thought that he was Dutch, but when I explained that our guest, Stijn, was from Belgium, they went "Aaah..." Boysen. (Both Dutch Boy and Boysen brands of paint - if he's not Dutch Boy, then, he's Boysen, duh).



Anyway, Stijn/Boysen looks like he did enjoy a tour of Manila, as much as I did myself. It was time to road test (so to speak) the spanking brand new Canon 400D I received for my birthday (The only gift I received, taken from my April paycheck, drat).

Its lenses landed first in Intramuros, and towards the UNESCO World Heritage Site of San Agustin Church. That's 3, out of 4 WH Churches in the Philippines I've already visited! The ivory display of carved dolls were impressive, as they were creepy. The actual church was definitely more ornate than what I had expected: its internal furnishings were very 16th century church-like, but the intricate pulpits were probably the first ones I have seen. Also of note would be the crypts, the ruins by the garden, and the choir loft in the second floor.



After the churches, and trying (unsuccessfully) to covertly take pictures of guards garbed up in Katipunero costumes, Fort Santiago was the easiest place to take out in the the itinerary. There was a lady manning the artillery warehouse-turned-chapel; she griped about the strange 18-hole golf course embracing the Spanish enclaves (yes, that is pretty strange).

Unintentionally, San Agustin was the namesake of my guest, and how interesting that that was the highlight of our morning. Good thing Saint Augustine didn't have parents like mine did, otherwise, it would be a pretty odd sounding name for a church..

CouchSurfing In Manila

While I've already mentioned pieces of my Couchsurfing experiences, I've never really expounded on what it was. It's an internet-based volunteer program that offers couches all over the world as accommodation. If you're ever travelling anywhere across the globe and you'd want to skip the whole tourist trap parade (complete with flags, lisping tour guides, and sticker IDs the size of China), then I'd surely recommend this one. You'd have to be a member of course, and but worry not, it's definitely free.

I've had successful surfings in Southeast Asia, and already pseudo-hosted in Manila. It's definitely a great experience, as you share stories of how different cultures vary around the world. A few days back, Phil, a nomadic ambassador dropped over and was warmly welcomed by Team CouchSurfing Manila. I'll just post a few pictures (click on My Flickr Gallery), and fast forward to the message, lest I risk being Society page fodder.

There was a book that was recently published about the 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country - and while some of them are extremely difficult (like respecting your politicians/public servants) or heartbreaking (paying your taxes), most are just downright simple (follow traffic rules, do not litter, vote). How does CouchSurfing come into the picture? Item #4 - Talk positively about our race and our country. Filipino hospitality is something we pride ourselves excessively with, and what a greater venue to showcase this when we host travellers from around the world.


Yes, the main what's-in-it-for-me is not shelling out precious euros while backpacking Spain, Italy and Germany, but while you're enjoying the chat and scenery, do share great things about country. Amid the airport paranoia, liquid ban in planes, a stranger is about to welcome you into their homes - it is time to channel the inner ironist in you, that despite rabid politicking and hellish traffic jams in our country, there is still a lot of things beautiful in our 7,107 islands.

Nibbling Around Chinese New Year

It was my first time to take a guided tour around Old Manila, and what a better way to spend it by taking a walking/eating tour around Binondo. How timely, it was Chinese New Year!


It's been featured at Lonely Planet, and several friends have already recommended taking Old Manila Walks - a delightful, quirky spin on a vibrant, often overlooked cultural hub of our sprawling metropolis.

When they said it's a walking tour, they really mean it - four hours of continuous walking; I did say it was an eating tour as well, and I was definitely filled to the brim by day's end (Will detail the dishes later).

You start at the Plaza (great, I already forgot the name) fronting Binondo Church, where our tour guide Ivan The Man quickly runs down the Chinese history in the Philippines. Interesting question: What is a Spanish basilica doing in the heart of the Chinese district? Closely look at the bell tower - is it similar to the bell tower in Paoay (featured in an earlier article), or does it more resemblance to the Thien Mu Pagoda picture I took in Hue?





Ding! Epiphany moment!

What I particularly loved with the tour was that it was very comprehensive in many ways - it had dishes from the North, Uighur, Sichuan, Fujian, and obviously, Cantonese. There were dumplings, noodles, siopao, fish soup, and the ubiquitous lumpia. From the new holes-in-the-wall to the veritable institutions, there was definitely something for everyone. This is definitely for the foodie that's already tired of the regular lemon chicken and sweet and sour pork.



There were about 10 stops, and 8 of those were eat-ins. Sadly, none of those were for dessert - somebody really has to explain to me the concept of hot desserts. In the manner champorado is not dessert, bubur chacha, peanut soup, ginataan and related dishes are not desserts. Sorry, but I digress.

Anyway, I fully encourage you to take this tour, or at least visit the website, and see a delicious side of Manila. I'm already contemplating on having a date at the Chinese cemeteries.