A Look Back to 2012

As I have put in my Facebook status, my highest ups and lowest lows happened in 2012. Nevertheless, it was a very great year.

Looking back to the year that was, it had a blast on the first until the third quarter. I had carried well my work-life balance; met new friends, reconnected with the old ones and lived every day to the fullest.

Highlight of my year was I had to travel alone in different destinations. Getting to see Eiffel light up in the dark sky was amazing. Getting to see the Alpine mountain and experience its chilly side was different. Watching the sun as it rose behind the Angkor Wat temple was stunning and swimming with the Badjao kids in Tawi-Tawi was a totally different experience.

However, every up have its lows. The last quarter of this year was a big blow to me. Personal problems came in and I was almost shattered. Morale was very down during those times that I had to take a month-long leave to recuperate back. Plus one more punch in my career just when the year was about to end.

But still, I am very thankful for a very wonderful year. Everything that happened was an eye-opener in every aspect of my individuality.

Being an optimist, I can see 2013 will be a lot better than 2012. I have learned a lot last year and at least I gained more wisdom for my decision makings this time!

Happy New Year! 

Reviving

I know I neglected this blog for a couple of months already so it's time to revive the the chronicles of a backpacker.

This time, it will be on a one notch higher, backpacking from the dynamic cities of Europe and to unique and lively South East Asia.

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Where the Hell is Matt?

I first saw Matt's video in 2008 and since then, I followed his escapades. Lately, I checked on his latest video where he danced with some of our Pinoy folks in Quezon City.

I'm dreaming to make my own video like this soon. :-)



Funny bloopers too.

KINDLE TOUCH Review

When my phone got snatched 3 weeks ago, I had so much frustrations which made me decide to buy a Kindle. It doesn't hurt much on the pocket and bookworms will surely love it. Hindi rin siya mainit sa mata.

True enough, I fell in love with my new baby. It doesn't have the frills of the iPad or the chic features of the Galaxy Tab but having this is really worth it.

With its e-ink features, it won't stress your eyes reading for a long period unlike the famous tablets in the market. This has also an anti-glare feature which lets you read clearly even under the sun. Weighing only 8.5 ounce, you won't get numb or ngalay while reading.

Kindle Touch is thin and small, it's the size of a ballpoint pen which can also fit directly in your pocket. I must say that this device is good for travelers because its battery can last for 2 months (my first charging lasted for 3 weeks though). One thing that I love here is the drag and drop feature, you don't have to open any applications to synchronize those books in your computer.

Well, it doesn't have games or applications but who cares when you really love reading, right? This has been my companion while riding MRTs and it's funny how fellow commuters would glance and take a read Murakami in my Kindle.

I bought my Kindle via sulit.com for only Php 5790 and it comes with thousands of ebooks that can be downloaded from a dropbox account. Sulit, right?

BACKPACKING BATAD: A TRIP TO THE HUNDRED STAIRWAYS

It took a year to plan this trip. If it’s not because of weather, our individual schedules don’t permit.

Last April 2012, my family hit the road from Baguio City to Batad in Banaue. It’s a very cold morning and as we ascended in the province’s high roads, sea of clouds appeared before us while the sun’s rays are prying in the horizon. It’s a blue moon experience to witness as such.

With the help of the GPS, we got lost a few times but it was fun. There’s even a shortcut that led us a kilometers of dirt road which pretty much you can already write your name in your car windows legibly. Though we got lost, we still managed to find our way out to the highway.

From Baguio, we navigated through the Ambuklao Road which en routed us to Nueva Vizcaya before we reached the province of Ifugao around 1 in the afternoon.

Our main itinerary is to stay in Batad where the rice terraces have a better view compare to the one in Banaue town. Since I already contacted a tour guide before our trip, she met us at the town center to buy stuff (don’t forget to buy Gatorade or any energy drink to keep you hydrated during the hiking).

From the town center, we took of our excess baggage and left it in our car. Our tour guide always reminded us to pack light considering the 3-hour trek we need to endure. Jeepneys are for hire to the saddle point where you will start hiking down slope until you reach the community in Batad.

The trek was tiring if you’re not used to long walks but for sure you will forget the pain and blisters in your feet once you see the view.

“WOW!” That’s what we all exclaimed when we reached the community overlooking the view of the Batad Rice Terraces. Of course we took the opportunity to get some pictures just before dusk.

After resting for a few minutes, we walked through the narrow stones to go to one of the baluys where we spent the night. It’s a good experience to stay in these comfy houses. We are five in the group and stayed inside one of the baluys yet it's still spacious.

One of my experiences here is to have a taste their native rice wine – tapuy. It’s a sweet concoction that I almost drank a medium-sized bottle if I didn’t share it with a new found friend from Finland who happens to visit the place for the 3^rd time. It's also a nice sleep enhancer. :)

We have to wake up early the next morning to witness the majestic rice terraces before sunrise. It’s where you can view at its fullest.

Early after lunch, we need to head back to Banaue and endure the painful trek up to the mountain and reach the saddle point. Fortunately, they approved my request to stay for a while alone in the town center to wait for my night trip bus ride to Manila as they head to Ilocos.

If not during market days, Banaue is a sleepy town but there are stores where you can buy souvenirs and banaue cookies (good native cookies). When I got tired taking pictures and buying some stuff, I went to a coffee shop where I sipping their native coffee with the view of the Banaue Rice terraces. I also met some travelers from Arizona who are doing volunteer works in Thailand before I hopped in to the bus.

Going to Batad is a nice experience and I recommend you to see it before it deteriorates although the government is helping to restore this UNESCO World Heritage. I spent only a fraction of my budget since everything in Banaue is affordable including the accommodation. For the jeepney ride, better if you can share it with a group so you can divide the P4000 charge. Buses plying to Banaue costs around P550 and their terminal are located in Lacson, Manila. Bring jacket too because the aircon bus is too cold!

For the baluy accomodation, contact Kadangyan Lodges at (63) 9175010134. For tour guide, contact Irene Binalet at (63) 9169848380.

TRAVEL BUGS

Mom's asking me when I plan to go out of town so she can hop in. I guess, she succumbed to the call of the travel bug. Well, if she decides to come with me, I have to tame down on some adventures so she can catch up but thinking of it, this would be a good idea to travel and enjoy the world with the greatest person in your life.

I'm excited!

	The Temper Trap - Down River .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Backpacking Guide: 4D3N Bicol Region Trip

I know, this is already an overdue post since February. I never got the chance to write about this trip after the Mis/Adventures.

Since our original itinerary to land first in Legazpi was scrapped, we had to re-plan everything. Fortunately, anything can be done randomly because we had no reservations on hotels and everything.

DAY 1

Landing in Naga was a bit rough; it's been raining all day in the city before we arrived. As we were on a budget trip with our backpacks, we rode a bicycle to the highway where we have to wait for a bus taking us to Naga. It's a short walk though but we were dead tired from the previous day.

Buses to Naga comes from the distant towns of Camarines Norte and don't expect to have it air conditioned. Naga airport is a 30 minutes ride to the city.

As soon as we hopped off from the bus, we decided to go to SM Naga and ask some locals where we could find their best-served dishes in the metro. As recommended by the people, we ate at Bob Marlyn's Restaurant. They offer good food here, we ordered a boodle fight meal which includes pork, shrimps and other seafood!

There's nothing to do more in Naga so we decided to experience wakeboarding in CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC). We took the tricycle and told the driver to take us to the Central Terminal and ride a bus.

There are buses bound to Pili, just tell the "konduktor" to drop you off at the entrance of CWC. Fare is minimal; I think we just paid Php 15.00 to take us there.

From the national highway, there are single motorcycles that can take you to the main complex for P20. In our case, we just took one motorcycle since we can fit there together with the driver.

CWC offers affordable thrills. An hour of wakeboarding including the helmet and wakeboard rentals would cost you P125. It doesn't hurt your pocket to pump up your adrenaline.

After a few hours of spending ourselves getting pulled by cables on the waters, we went back to Naga City to grab a quick dinner before heading to Legazpi City.The last Naga-Legazpi bus leaves at 8PM so better be early at the terminal. The bus is old and already cranky but it's fun to ride these guys at the country side.

The weather worsened on our way to the southern city. We reached Legazpi before 11PM and heavy rain was pouring. It must be the cyclone forming on that month. Tricycles were still available that night so we asked one of the drivers to drive us to Legazpi Tourist Inn.

Legazpi Tourist Inn offers a decent room for an overnight. It's one of the old hotels I think. Don't expect luxury though so it's nice for backpackers like me. Although there was no aircon on the room we took, the hotel offers a free wifi at their lobby. Apparently, their comfort room's clean.

DAY 2

We woke up early with a scattered rain showers, left the hotel around 7 and had breakfast at the nearest Jollibee. We asked some of the locals on how to get to Donsol, Sorsogon. We're glad that Bicolanos are very accommodating and hospitable. They helped us with the directions and what vans should we take.

From the town center, we rode a tricycle that took us to the central terminal. It's the same terminal where we arrived the previous night except that there's a section for vans going to nearby towns and Sorsogon.

At this time, I must say that you have to buy some nibbles to eat for the 2 hours travel. Van fare costs around P120-P140/person. The van was packed with locals and foreign tourists. This is the best part of traveling; you have to meet a lot of people and gain new friends. That's where we met Huang, the guy from Taiwan, Bruno from France and to guys from China which I wasn't able to get their names.

We told the van driver to drop us off at the Santiago Lodging House and so he did.

Santiago Lodging is already an established homestay for tourists visiting Donsol. The place is squeaky clean despite it's an old house. The room we took was big for 2 people and it costs Php 400 only. It is also located at the heart of the town so it's very accessible.

When we were already settled, we went to the tourist center to register for the whale shark or more popularly called "Butanding" encounter.

Since we are already a group of 6, we divided the boat rental. We paid Php 600 plus and entrance fee of Php 100 each. The boat ride is approximately 3 hours and it's enough to do the whale shark encounter. If you can bring your own goggles, I advise you to do so because I rented mine and got lost in the middle of the ocean, so that's additional dent on my budget.

The encounter was so cool and I must say, the Butanding we saw was so big and SCARY! It's a must though, you just have to swim fast and chase them.

The swim with them was tiring so head immediately to the town proper for lunch and take a rest until late afternoon.

If you are looking for a sumptuous dinner, go to Baracuda restaurant. Although it's a bit pricey, you can have here the freshest seafood dishes in town. Rey and her sister manage the restaurant themselves, they are the one who serves your food and hop to guests' tables to check if the food is great or even offer you a rhum shot. I must say that this place is very nice, cozy with the view of the ocean and Bob Marley singing in the background.

DAY 3

It's time to head back to Legazpi and see the view of the Mayon Volcano. Too bad the weather didn't permit us to see the view. Although it wasn't raining anymore, it was so humid and cloudy. But still were clinging to our hopes, we hopped off from the van in a barrio in Legazpi where we can take the jeepney to the Cagsawa Ruins, just tell the driver.

After we had a quick stint at the Cagsawa, we headed back to Legazpi and checked-in at the Sampaguita Inn. They accommodation is cheap at P400/room but it was horrible. The place is dirty and dark, I suggest you to go back to Legazpi Tourist Inn. But we were so exhausted to complain, we just slept through it.

I guess there's so much to say and nothing to do in Legazpi, we should have just stayed in Donsol for another night. But if ever you are already stuck in the city, you can go to Cie's Pastry Café and indulge in their creamy cakes.

DAY 4

Nothing to do, we just stayed indoor after having breakfast at Bigg's Diner because it rained all day. We just literally waited for our flight back to Manila.

Accommodations:

Legazpi Tourist Inn: Php 800/room – non-AC but clean and free wifi, recommended for backpackers and on budget trip.

Santiago Lodging House (Donsol): Php 400/room non-AC, clean and communal toilet, nice to stay in Donsol for backpackers.

Sampaguita Inn (Legazpi): P400/room Aircon, not-recommended. Look for other hotels or stay again in Legazpi Tourist Inn.

Food:

Bob Marlin Restaurant (Naga) - ~Php 200/pax.

Bigg's Dinner (Legazpi) - ~Php 150/pax.

Baracuda Restaurant (Donsol) - ~Php 300/pax

Cie's Pastry Café (Legazpi) - ~P200/pax

Travel:

Naga – Legazpi - ~Php 90

Legazpi – Donsol and v.v. - ~P120