It has been said that El Nido was quite remote from most of the known islands and places to visit in the Philippines. The place is approximately 6-hour drive from Puerto Princesa City, the capital of Palawan, which is known for the Underground River. There are segments of rough road on the way to El Nido. When we heard of a ticket sale from one of the airlines which flies to Palawan, me and my badminton buddies decided to visit El Nido. It was June of 2014. Most of the people would not risk going to the place during this time because it is the start of the rainy season in the Philippines. Yet we all took the risk and we enjoyed the place, all 16 of us. Our flight is Manila – Puerto Prinsesa. Since we will be arriving at lunchtime, we decided to have a short city tour within Puerto Princesa. I once visited Puerto Princesa and stayed in De Loro Inn where I met friendly staffs. So I decided to reach out to the same hotel (who also offers a package to El Nido) and they gave me quite a good deal (approximately 6k per head for a 2 day island hopping in El Nido, and a half day city tour in Puerto Princesa, all inclusive of hotel accommodation and van rental). Here’s a copy of our itinerary: Tour Itinerary: 1st Day: June 19, 2014 Arrival and Half Day City Tour Destinations: Crocodile Farm, Bakers hill, Mitra’s Ranch, Tiange-Tiange, Cathedral, Baywalk, Plaza Cuartel Inclusion: Round Trip Air Conditioned Van Transfer, Entrance Fees, Licensed Tour Guide, Travel Insurance. ACCOMMODATION ( De Loro Inn) 1 Barkadahan Room and 1 Executive Room A 2nd Day: June 20, 2014 Puerto Princesa City to El Nido ( Private Van ) @ 1:00 am El Nido Tour A (Simizu Island, 7 Commando, Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon Beach) ACCOMMODATION ( Rovic’s Inn ) 5 Aircon Rooms 3rd Day: June 21, 2014 El Nido Tour C (Talisay Beach, Helicopter Island, Hidden Beach, Matinloc Shrine, Tapiutan Straight, Secret Beach) ACCOMMODATION ( Rovic’c Inn ) 5 Aircon Rooms Last Day: June 22, 2014 El Nido to Puerto Princesa City straight at the Airport Here are some photos from Puerto Princesa. They have standard packages in El Nido so you do not have worry about the price comparison because everyone else offers the same package. It is just a matter of friendly bangkeros who will take you to the islands. The package is inclusive of lunch. Our bangkeros cook our food in the boat and everything is so fresh… so yummy! In an island hopping like this, I usually befriend a bangkero who will guide me every time I got out of the boat (I am not a swimmer and I am quite afraid of deep waters, so I have to make sure somebody is there to rescue me, just in case I panicked). There are islands where the waves are quite strong, and it was fearful, so I really need to overcome my fear. Eds, one of my best badminton buddies, had to make sure she is beside me whenever I got off the boat. Thanks my dear friend! One of the most memorable experiences I had of the place is when I overcame my fear of the deep water. We went to one of the shores to enjoy swimming. But little by little, the boat has to leave the shore because of strong winds and waves. We do not have our life jacket when we initially got off the boat because water is just hip-deep. Since the boat is now quite far from the shore, we had to swim. But the problem is I am not a swimmer (I can do a few strokes but that will not be enough for survival). So I had to hold to one of the bangkeros arm, kick as much as I can (as my swimming coach taught me), and try my best to not panic. And Eds was so proud of me (she knew how I almost cried when I panicked during our Coron trip even with a life jacket on) because I was able to swim a few meters without life jacket. Here are some of my favorite photos. By the way, if you want to enjoy El Nido, do not bring DSLR camera, bring a water-proof camera instead.
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(A post blog on my 2011 Batanes trip) Batanes is a group of islands located in the northernmost part of the Philippines. The three biggest (and main) islands are Itbayat, Batan (where Basco is located), and Sabtang. Among these 3 islands, Itbayat is the farthest island in the North which has a municipality. When I was a kid, I would hear Batanes in the news because of the so many typhoons that landed on the islands. In history, a tsunami hit one of the islands making the city a ghost city. But amidst all these, when I reached the place, I must say that BATANES IS A PARADISE – the people are all so nice, there are no crimes (for someone who grew up in Manila, this is an impossible thing), the cost of living is low, there is no pollution, and life is so simple. Basco Our airline going to Basco is the Seair. In 2011, this is the only airline which has a direct flight from Manila to Basco. The 32-seater plane will only give you a maximum baggage allowance of 15 kgs. After weighing your baggage, the staff will also require to weigh the passenger since they try to balance the weight when already loaded in the plane. The most amazing sights for me in the island are: (1) Liveng, the Batanes hedgerows, hills that looks like a jigsaw puzzle; (2) the shorelines view on top of the mountains; (3) the Marlboro country (the rolling hills); (4) the Lighthouse; and (4) Fundacion Pacita. Sorry, I can’t recall all the places we visited but here are some of my favorite photos. Itbayat Itbayat is a 4-hour boat ride from Batan island. The 4-hour boat ride is the worst feeling I’ve had. I threw up a couple of times (some of my friend had to vomit directly to the ocean, but don’t worry because the boat men are ready and they have plastic bags for everyone) even though I took 2 tablets of Bonamine. And the locals would say that “the sea is calm”… what more if it’s not?! The waves seem to be the height of a 2-storey house. I was all wet when we reached the destination (so I recommend that you use a water proof bag when traveling to this island). But it was all worth it. Itbayat has no shoreline, the whole island is a cliff. When getting off the boat, you have to make sure that you follow the rhythm of the ocean, kailangan sunod sa hampas ng tubig. There are no hotels in the island, only home stay. Since our group is big, we had to stay to different houses. Ours was located a few steps from the Church, the door has no lock, yet no personal belongings was lost within our stay. In Itbayat, we had a whole-day hiking. My foot ached at the end of the journey and I got a few bruises and sunburns but the hike was all worth it. I love the view of the ocean on top of the mountain (this is always my favorite view). The places we visited are (as I recall it) Torungan Cave, Mt. Karabu buan which is the Highest Peak, Natimban, Dumnahili, Nahli Votoh, Sarokan, and Rapang Stone Bell. And here's the view from top of the rocks. We climbed the rocks without any paraphernalia. Sabtang Unlike Itbayat, Sabtang is only 20-minute boat ride from Batan island. Sabtang is known for the “old stone houses” and the Mahayaw arch. We were stranded on the island for 2 or 3 hours because of the weather. Coast guard in the island is strict. The old houses are beautiful, and the owners are so accommodating – some allow tourists to go inside their houses for picture-taking. We only had a day tour in the island and here are some of the photos during our visit. Biking in Basco On our last day, it was both bad and good news – bad news because our flight back to Manila is cancelled due to the strong winds. But the good news is that we still have another day to enjoy the place. And so we decided to go biking. See how strong the winds are? Batanes is one of my favorite places. Definitely I will go back to this paradise.
After Osaka, we transferred to Nara Prefecture on November 27, 2014. So, with our luggage and backpacks we headed to the nearest train station early in the morning so we can have a whole day tour of Nara. Nara, unlike Osaka, is a smaller prefecture in Japan. Upon arrival, we deposited our things to People’s Inn Hanakomichi Hotel which is just a few meters from the train station. The hotel will give you an experience of a traditional Japanese home interior. Nara is so homey, and to the Philippines, it was like our Vigan. Here are some of our photos in the hotel. J Nara is a prefecture where you can see deer walking in the park (with you) and crossing the streets so my first rule is NEVER hold any food while walking. But don’t worry, they are harmless and their horns are already cut. They will simply approach you trying to ask for some food. Here’s my close encounter with one of them... Oh deer, I am sorry I don’t have some food with me. J We went to Todai-iji temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples according to Wikipedia. It houses the world’s largest statue of Buddha. There is a pillar inside the temple with a small hole at the bottom. This is said to be the size of the Buddha’s nostrils. And there is a legend that says that passing through the hole will give you a good fortune. My friends even said that only clever people can pass through the hole. Oh well, I don’t believe in fortune and I don’t have to prove that I am clever so I never tried passing through the hole (Actually, I was just so lazy removing my trench coat so I never tried it. But Con and Jess passed through the hole). One of the best things I will always remember about this place is the wonderful colors of Autumn. No words can ever describe the feelings I had when I saw the trees and the falling leaves. It felt like we do not want to leave the place but of course, we do not have the luxury of time. So we instead captured every detail of the wonder in front of us and try to pick up some leaves that we can bring home as souvenirs. In the afternoon, we just walked around the area as we enjoy the traditional Japanese houses. We also tried their local liquor – the sake. There are so many flavours but I am not really a drinker and I do not have the tongue to taste the goodness of every flavour. The following day, before leaving for Kyoto, we had our last minute walk to see the reflection of the pagoda on the lake. It was like a painting... too good to be true. I can sit down the whole day by the lake looking at this wonderful sight, trying to relax and unwind. If only I can...
Baler. One of the places I was hesitant to visit because for me, it was just a surfing place. And since I am not really a swimmer, I guess I won’t try surfing because I am afraid of drowning so I thought I'll never enjoy the place. But my (eldest) sister invited me and was so persistent in visiting the place and since she had her company car (with free gasoline allowance) why not go with her and her friends? After all, there will be minimal expenses. February 21, 2014 (Friday), we travelled the road to one of the most beautiful places I visited and fell in love with – Baler, Aurora. It was a long drive but when we finally reached this view (Pantabangan), we had to stop by the road, ride down the car and take a pose to capture one of God’s wonderful creations. It was breath taking! J When we finally reached our destination, of course, we have to stop by the road to have a photo of this: “Welcome Baler”. We visited the “Millenium tree” at Balete Park in Bgy. Quirino, walked in the park to see and shoot some of the historical spots. We saw the museum and Doña Aurora’s house and the Baler church. We also went to Tromba Marina and watched the sunset at Ermita Hill. We also visited PAG ASA radar station, Dicasalarin beach, Diguisit beach, and Ditumabo falls. My favourite spot is the Dicasalarin beach – standing on top of the mountain, looking at God’s wonderful creation with the wind and breeze kissing my cheeks... JJJ Love comes when you least expect it. Baler was never in my priority list of places I would like to visit, probably because of the misconception I had that this place is just for surfers and swimmers. But I got invited and gave it a try. And there are NO REGRETS. This is one of the few places I would like to revisit. J By the way, we stayed at the Secret Spot. The room was just in front of the beach. It has a swing where you can relax while enjoying the view and the breeze.
Are you looking for a quiet, blissful, and relaxing place near Manila? Try Green Canyon Resort! The newly-opened (they had their soft opening early in 2014 while their grand opening was sometime in October 2014) resort is situated in San Vicente Road, Clark Economic Processing Zone. The owners of the place are very kind and accommodating. They designed the place in such a way that the modern family will enjoy a quality time together. The resort offers the following amenities: Symphony pool, Wave pool, organic farm, mountain trails (a sunrise and a sunset view) and even workshops! There are also bikes available (for free!) so you can roam around the place as you feel the breeze on your face while riding the bicycle. :) The staffs are all friendly and accommodating. Upon entering the lobby, the staffs are ready to help you carry your things to your room. And while someone's checking in for the group, you will surely enjoy the wooden art pieces in the lobby and all over the place. The "wooden art paintings" are amazing! The symphony pool has also a lap pool where you can enjoy doing laps. On the other side is a free swimming area with flushes of water from the fountain. There is an on-duty life guard to ensure that everyone is safe (but of course, children should always be accompanied by and adult). On the other side of the hanging bridge is the wave pool. The wave pool is open only until 5pm only. Here are some of the photos I took from the place. By the way, during our check out, we met the owner. And it so happened that we are both Thomasians (UST Engineering graduate). The commonality ended up with so many stories about our life in the campus (though there is too much gap in our age) and she gave us big discount upon checking out. :))) I love theme parks... not because I love the rides they offer, but because I love the child-like feeling it gives me. It gives life to the cartoons I saw in the television and movies... We also had the chance to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (but I must admit, I was never a fan of Harry Potter. I never watched the movie) and it felt like we had magic too! If you are a photographer, there's just too many things to see and shoot... and you should have spare memory card and battery just to make sure you captured every detail! But what I loved the most in USJ is the parade at night. As early as 4pm, people would gather near the streets to have a nice view of the parade. The wonderfully lit character floats are the highlight of the night. I was just seated in the sidewalk, my eyes lit with the amazing sight and music, as some of the characters dance and wave and one even approached me and poured in my hand an imaginary tea of love (guess I'll find my love soon!). We are only 3 in this trip... and I am the only one coming from Manila (my 2 friends are working in Singapore). They arrived at Kansai International Airport 8 hours ahead of me. The places we visited in Osaka include the Osaka castle, Umeda Sky Observatory, and Universal Studios. But what is amazing in Japan is the mere fact that with or without an itinerary, every place you see is amazingly beautiful. And what really amazed me on my first day in Osaka are the wonderful colors of autumn!!! |