at the crater of mt. pinatubo

...all that walking and waking-up at 2am are worthwhile...

• photo taken on January 15, 2011 by mavic
• first out of town trip for 2011
• itinerary c/o of http://tripinas.blogspot.com/

                        0300 Assembly time
                        0330 ETD for Capas, Tarlac via NLEX
                        0500 ETA Capas, Tarlac (stop-over for breakfast)
                        0530 ETD for Brgy. Sta. Juliana
                        0630 ETA Brgy. Sta. Juliana (jump-off point)
                        0645 Board 4×4 vehicles
                        0800 Start trekking
                        1030 ETA at the crater of Mt. Pinatubo
                        1200 Start return trek
                        1430 Back to the 4x4s
                        1530 Back at jump-off point. Freshen up.
                        1600 ETD from Tarlac for Manila
                        1900 ETA Manila

• had less than one hour of sleep the night before
• walked a total of 5 hours (2.5 hours on our way to the crater)
• had to walk 1 hour non-stop on our way back as there was heavy rain and we were trying to avoid strong river flows and/or mudslides
• did not bring SLR that day. i was afraid it would be too heavy.
• no trekking shoes also, i walked all day in my havaianas which has been with me since year 2006 :)
• i got separated from the group for a while and had to wait for almost an hour before i could re-join them
• water was cold at the crater
• water flowing from the small rivers, streams started to get warm as the rain poured out

Postcard from Hong Kong

With this blog post, I wish to offer my sympathy to the Hong Kong and Chinese people whose loved ones -- perhaps a friend, a brother, a mother, or a daughter -- perished in the hostage-taking that took place at the heart of my beloved Manila.The images below have been taken last year from various tourist spots in Hong Kong, during a 3-day trip which thankfully, did not require that I fear for my safety or of being discriminated against.

Clockwise from the top-right image: Tian Tan or the Big Buddha at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island || Bruce Lee Statue at the Avenue of Stars, Tsim Tsa Tsui || a Buddhist woman offering prayers at the Po Lin Monastery also in Ngong Ping || a bicycle parked at a sidewalk around noon time in Mongkok || souvenir T-shirts for sale at the Ladies’ Market also in  Mongkok district

I pray that the people directly involved or have in any way influenced the result of the tragic incident will do everything in their capacity to cooperate, to speak out in truth and be willing to pave the way for justice, even if that will cause them their positions of power. I pray that the government and the police force will be able to identify clearly what their faults have been and be able to learn from these shortcomings so that ultimately they can work together and prevent anything similar from ever happening again.


As I pray for justice and truth to surface, I also pray for the family members and relatives to be able to find a path of forgiveness and acceptance rather than a path of blame, bitterness or hate. Only with forgiveness can there be genuine peace.

Top 10 Things to Do in Nagsasa (Part 2)

Ang unang parte ng post na ito ay matatagpuan dito.

6. Magkulitan.

...picture-an ang mga tutulog-tulog...


...umakyat sa puno (kung feel mo lang naman)...

7. Mag-explore. Puntahan ang Nagsasa Falls at maligo sa batis.

...tahakin ang tamang daan patungo sa Nagsasa falls...


..magpakuha sa ibabaw ng mga bato na parang mga astig...


...ngumiti sa kamera kahit nilalamig...

8. Gumawa ng bonfire at mag-bonding.

...bawal talaga maglaro ng apoy pero pwede na rin siguro paminsan-minsan...

9. Bisitahin ang Capones Island at akyatin ang lighthouse.

...go ate elsa! (photo taken by sir mark)...


...para sa kin, makapigil-hininga ang view mula tuktok ng lighthouse...



...pawisan at hinihingal man, carry pa rin mag-project sa camera para sa souvenir...

10. Masdan ang kagandahan ng kapaligiran.

...bato na lang siguro ang hindi makaka-appreciate sa ganda ng kalikasan...

Top 10 Things To Do in Nagsasa (Part 1)

1. Magtayo ng tent kasama ang mga friends. Mahirap magtayo nyan nang mag-isa.

...mga bagong tent, excited gamitin...

2. Magpahinga. Um-order ng halo-halo at magpalamig.

...halo-halo delight...

3. Maghanda ng tanghalian. Mag-ihaw-ihaw, magsaing.

...pwede rin magpa-cute habang nagsasaing...

....go Sir Mark!...

4. Tsumibog. Magkamay para mas masaya.

 ...si gladys, gram at rhandell, galit sa mga hipon...

5. Mag-picture picture. Gumamit ng tripod para kasama ang photographer.

...hello and peace! from nagsasa...

at the thunderbird resort in poro point

went to thunderbird resort in la union with my friends to hopefully take contest-worthy photos and get the chance to win cash prizes. from the main town of san fernando, we took a tricycle and a jeepney ride going there and was dropped-off at the main gate. the journey from the town took 20 minutes, but in order to get to the hotel we had to walk another 15 or so minutes. it was tiring, but the view was truly breath-taking. immediately i thought, it was a good decision to include this visit to thunderbird resort in our short itinerary.

situated in a scenic cliff at poro point, the resort is quite huge and is the only one in the province that offers 5-star accomodation to its guests, including a mediterranean-inspired hotel, a golf course and a casino. the beach however, did not seem bum-worthy nor surf-worthy. yes, it had waves but the shore seemed too rocky for you to even walk on easily.

upon getting to the resort, the first thing we did was look for a place to somewhat "disappear" into. there were already too many photographers in the pool area and in the lobby and we didnt want to further contribute to the chaos. we left our baggages at the reception and walked a little further to the where the golf course was (which was prohibited to photographers, by the way). a few minutes later on, we found ourselves walking an unusual path. after crossing a concrete road and climbing slightly upwards we arrived by the side of a huge rock, on top of a small cliff and we're all standing a few feet away from the edge! looking down i can see the waves angrily crashing onto the rocky foot of the cliff. i had to ask myself this: what have we gotten ourselves into?

knowing that i was at a restricted area, i felt quite embarassed and quickly prompted my companions (mavic and skip) to hurriedly take photos and go back to where we're not unallowed. i dont remember bringing out my camera to shoot. i was too afraid to fall off or get caught so i held on tightly to the rocks and made sure my feet are on stable ground.

half-excited, half-anxious... the edge seemed too close for comfort!

so having walked all the way to the cliff and back, i was quite exhausted and decided to stay by the hotel cafe, order some ice cream and watch the sun go down. from where i was, its easy to see the other photographers do their thing. some brought their own models, others strobes and light stands and there's this one who brought a ladder, the necessity for which i could not fathom, since the photographer was really just shooting at the sunset... a tripod would have made more sense, perhaps?

skip, mavic, yeye and me at the thunderbird resort in poro point, la union

anyway, as you can infer, i was not able to take any photocontest-worthy photos but i did have an awesome time at thunderbird. no thousands of pesos won for me, but at least i get to enjoy my ice cream, the lovely sunset and what seems to be quite rare these days: good times with good friends :)

inviting you all to checkout thunderbird's website for more information. it maybe too pricey for you to stay overnight, but a visit to the resort is definitely worthwhile.

3-Day Trip to Hongkong (Part 2)

not really in the mood for much blogging lately but i have somehow committed to completing my HK trip diary, so here's a continuation of Day 1. told through stitched photos rather than lengthy paragraphs.

gosh. so much to tell, so lazy to do so.

from the top: (1) viewing deck at the Victoria Peak; (2) girl reading a book while riding the MTR; (3) photo of the mongkok shopping district; (4) i *heart* HK magnet from a souvenir shop inside the mall at the Victoria Peak



from the top: (1) arrival area of the HK International Airport; (2) buildings at the HK Central district, photo taken from inside the bus; (3) passed by this school while on our way to the Victoria Peak, again photo taken while on the bus (4) photo taken on an elevated walkway, on our way to the hotel.

3-Day Trip to Hongkong (Part 1)

Day 1

since i have written about food lately, i thought i'd begin this entry by also talking about food. one of the must-do in our itinerary was to try dining at cafe de coral at least once. ive learned about this fast food chain from one of my favorite travel blogs. perhaps it would not be wrong to say cafe de coral can be considered an equivalent of our very own Jollibee, except that this HK fast food joint offers SO MUCH MORE. the choices can range from sandwiches, steaks, congees, dumplings, curry dishes, sizzling plates, fried chicken, hainan chicken, breakfast meals and others. they serve milk tea and coffee also.

as soon as we have exchanged our pesos to HK dollars, we headed to cafe de coral right within the airport. the restaurant was already full and we had to wait 15 minutes to be seated. JP ordered a set menu which consisted of soy chicken, soup, sweet round bun, eggs, butter and orange juice. we footed a bill of around 30 or 40HKD, i think.

breakfast at cafe de coral

i decided not to order anything that morning when i saw that the serving can fairly satisfy both me and JP. i also thought we should control the spending especially since we had lost 200 HKD during the monetary exchange. i totally forgot about forex rates within airport terminals being usually lower than elsewhere.

by the way, we had arrived in hongkong on a saturday, around 7:00am on the day of my birthday. being born at 5:55AM, this meant i officially turned 30 sometime during the flight, perhaps somewhere over the South China Sea.

3-decade old version of me at the HK International Airport

given the time, we were in no hurry to proceed to our hotel since our check-in time is scheduled at 2pm. we took our time trying to find the terminal of the bus that would take us just a few blocks away from where we're staying in.

i enjoyed taking photos of the HK International Airport, admiring the architecture mostly. it had pillars here and there, tall and white walls, glass windows that would curve upwards to form the roofing. its supposed to be one of the world's busiest airports, but that was not the impression i had. the terminal, surprisingly, has a relaxing appeal to me.

HK International Airport (arrival wing)

our next destination, the dorsett far east hotel (see contact details below), which i was able to book together with our plane tickets via the Cebu Pacific website, is easily accessible by bus from the HK Int'l Airport and by train from anywhere else. i chose the hotel mainly for its affordability, clean and attractive rooms and free internet access. it is located 25 minutes away from the main shopping district.

traveling to the hotel which took around 30-40 minutes was a delight. we were able to
witness what the roads leading away from the mainland to the outer territories were like. we caught a glimpse of the airport express train and of the MTR train heading towards Disneyland. it was a little challenging to find the hotel at first, but after 20 minutes or so, we arrived at the entrance and was able to check-in. we just could not get into the room yet as it was still occupied.

Dorsett Far East Hotel
135-143 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Telephone : 2406 909
Website: http://hongkonghotel.dorsettfareast.com.hk

at the hotel lobby, we saw several luggages attended by the security guard. i have learned that these were left off by other tourists who are also still waiting on their rooms to become available. this gave us the confidence to also leave our baggages and start exploring the city! we took the free service ride from the hotel to mongkok, one of hongkong's main shopping districts.

the van took a route that was already becoming familiar. Shopping plazas, commercial establishments and local community parks abound in the area. beyond these community parks would be rows and rows of residential buildings, similar in structure, standing taller than anything i have seen back in Manila. there are no jeepneys nor tricycles in hongkong, at least none which i saw. it seems what is common in terms of transportation are those double-deck buses, similar to the ones they have in the UK perhaps. after all, HK is once a British colony only handed over back to the Chinese people in 1997.

photo taken while in the van, on our way to mongkok

my mind was already beginning to imagine what it would be like to live in one of these high-rise condominiums, when finally we were told that we have arrived at our destination: mongkok.

mongkok reminded me of the Times Square in New York mainly because of the many colorful digital advertisements i saw, too many in fact that it was overwhelming. since it was still daytime, most of these neon advertisements, many of which displayed chinese characters naturally, were still unlit although there were a few that were already flashing. the district is crowded, not just with people but also with stores selling items such as magazines, comic books, souvenir shirts, bags and other clothing items, make-up and other beauty products, watches, home appliances, bags, digital cameras, cellular phones and MANY MORE. food stalls were also plenty as well as shopping malls (some pretty huge even).

mongkok, one of the major shopping districts in hongkong

getting inside one of the malls provided us a much needed RELIEF since it was too hot to walk outside under the noon sun. we even found a mall that has an H&M outlet and instantly i was ecstatic! it was my favorite store back in the US -- i would walk several minutes from my apartment to the H&M store along michigan avenue under the cold, windy chicago weather just to visit H&M. after entering their HK store, i immediately flipped through the racks and found so many goooood items i thought i would easily spend 500HKD should i linger in there longer. after about 15 minutes i decided to stick to my plan: no shopping until DAY 3.

anyway, in order to get to the H&M outlet in Langham Place, Mongkok just take the Exit G3 from the Mong Kok MTR Station. H&M is either at the ground floor or the second floor.

to be continued...

what's in the bag?

several packing lists i had to make recently. last july for the trip to HK and last august for the trip to coron, palawan. experience tells me that packing can be a lot less stressful and can even be fun if you make a list of things you need to bring a week before the actual trip and gradually acquire the things you need prior to the trip. please allow me to share the lists i came up with for these two trips, hoping to equip you or assist you in your own packing. for a 3-day/2-night trip, here's what i would normally bring:

- at least 6 t-shirts or upper garments
- 2 night shirts
- 3 walking shorts/pants
- at least one jogging pants/pajama for sleeping
- 6 pairs of undergarments
- one extra set of clothing that you can bring easily, for any emergency purposes. this should go with you on your carry-on luggage. for me, an extra shirt and an undergarment is enough.*
- the clothing you will wear on your way home
- a sports or light jacket (something you can wear on the plane or elsewhere in case it gets cold)
- indoor tsinelas

if the itinerary includes swimming, make sure you bring the following:
- sarong
- swimsuit (for me this will include a sando, shorts and bathing suit)
- beach tsinelas
- goggles and/or snorkel
- sunblock lotion
- a band, something to tie your hair with

other important items:
- a tote bag (to carry your things with you when you actually go around or island hop)
- a pair of sunglasses (also to be used when you want to get some shut-eye anytime)*
- a cap or hat (for extra sunscreen)*
- an umbrella*
- a raincoat
- a drybag (for storing your tech gadgets when traveling via boat)
- medium-sized towel
- shower kit (body wash/soap, shampoo, conditioner, facial wash & feminine wash)
- after-shower kit (lotion, anti-perspirant, powder)
- sanitary napkin (just in case)
- panty-liners*
- all-day beauty kit (lip gloss, facial moisturizer, facial powder w/ mirror, cologne, comb)*
- a lot of extra plastic bags (to contain your wet things, garbage, slippers, etc)
- oral-care kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, etc)*
- a medicine kit (mine has some mefanamic acid, paracetamol, band-aids and efficascent oil)
- alcohol (the isopropyl kind) and/or hand-sanitizer*
- a face towel
- some wet towels*
- some travel tissues*
- anti-mosquito lotion
- a sewing kit (i just bring a needle, thread)
- a swiss knife (or a small pair of scissor at least)
- nail clippers
- ballpen, notebook or organizer*
- a book or magazine, devotionals (if you plan to do some reflecting)
- your travel guides (these are maps, trip itinerary, etc. i usually keep them on one ziplock)*
- your travel documents (passport, flight itinerary, also in a ziplock)*
- your wallet (with enough cash hopefully, health card & credit card)*
- cellphone*
- cellphone charger
- flashlight (even when you're not camping)
- a fan (it can really get humid sometimes)*
- some snacks (i usually bring oreos and pringles) and water (allowed in local flights)

if the itinerary includes trekking, bring a mojo sandals or any slippers/footwear with ridges for easy walking on rivers, muddy terrains. this can be the same as the beach tsinelas, but this should be different from the indoor tsinelas. so in my trips, i always bring at least two pairs of slippers. always.

if youre into photography, make sure you bring the following also:
- your camera, lenses, your filters, batteries and charger and enough CF/SD cards
- your tripod (optional)
- you may bring a laptop too and a card reader if you are checking into a hotel with good reputation. this will allow you to upload photos in case you run out of CF/SD cards (optional)
- your cleaning cloth, lens pen, blower

*these are the items i carry around everywhere in the tote bag

whew! that's it. it's obvious that im not a light-packer, but i also believe this is not too much. without the laptop, snorkel, SLR camera and its accessories, all these things can actually fit into a 30-liter mountain pack or a medium-sized travel bag. when i travel, i seldom have to check-in a baggage. in case i do, its usually just the tripod that goes in.

everything in the list (except the camera, laptop and tripod), i carried in that gray bag

having a list such as this can be amazing. the night before my two recent trips, all i had to do is look at the list and place the items in the bag one by one. it took me less than 15 minutes. its the acquiring of the things that you need that is more difficult. what i did is to buy 2 or 3 items that i need which i dont have yet on a daily basis. it took me three days of shopping around for items (mostly clothing), 1-2 hours each day.

anyway, in case you have other suggestions or find the list helpful or have questions, please feel free to let me know. im not an expert traveler, so i would love to hear suggestions from you guys also.

have a happy trip! :)

beach bumming in punta fuego

tina, joan and me


...i bet we can do this all day...


i didnt write those, but they were true for me nonetheless



was afraid im going to declare: failure to launch

actually, we lazed around the pool more than we did on the beach because we were avoiding the noon sun and didnt really hope to get some tan. but i insisted and told tina and mommy jo that we cannot leave punta fuego without getting to bum around the beach.

so bummed around we did, which meant that we laid on the almost white sand, jumped in unison (several times to get the perfect shot), sat and stared at the sea (or sometimes nothingness), took photos every now and then, and of course, went swimming on the beach. the water was clean and warm on the surface which made swimming and dipping and diving really pleasant. it was not as clear as you would see in bohol or puerto galera, but it was pretty good enough for us to enjoy.

strong waves were not frequent, so waiting on them hoping to get washed ashore was not an option. i chose to lie on my back, floated and watched the clouds go slowly by. to me, that was the best part and i could only wish i could go drifting that way more often. 100% stress-free!

if it weren't for those "things" that bit on our skin and leave them itching, we would have stayed longer in the water. the last time i was in a batangas beach (2008), i had the same experience. something on the water bites and it gets really annoying after a while. what are those, anyway?

i actually would want to go for another trip on the beach in batangas, perhaps stay at a resort overnight and drive to tagaytay the following day... but im concerned that i would again be bothered by "the biters". and that's not something you can look forward to in a vacation of any kind. sayang. i hope someone can do something about it.

chinese cemetery walking tour

bago matapos ang buwan ng hunyo, nag-sponsor ang aming photo club ng walking tour at sa pagkakataong ito, sa chinese cemetery (malapit sa la loma north cemetery) naman kami pumunta. malapit lang ang sementeryong ito sa bahay ng lola at sa pagkakaalam ko, meron kaming mga kamag-anak na dito nakalibing, pero sa kabila nito hindi pa ako nakarating duon. wala akong inaasahang makita ruon kundi mga mosuleo, mga anghel na estatwa at templo pero ganon pa man, excited pa rin ako dahil natatandaan ko ang sinabi sa akin ng kaibigan kong dayuhan na mahilig din sa photograpiya, na isa sa paborito nyang lugar sa maynila ang sementeryong ito ng mga intsik. kaya hindi ko na talaga pinalagpas ang pagkakataon.

halos apat na oras kaming naglakad sa loob ng sementeryo (sinuguro naming matapos bago pa dumilim) at sa loob ng oras na ito, sa pagkakaalam ko, wala naman kaming nakita o naramdamang kakaiba... salamat na lang talaga dahil baka di ko kayanin kung sakaling may lumitaw na kung ano sa kung saan man... sa likod, sa gilid o sa harap namin o maging sa isa sa aming mga larawan. hay, buti na lang talaga!

ilan sa mga paborito kong kuha ay ang mga sumusunod: yung apoy, lotus flower, si juvy na nakasuot ng t-shirt na "i love HK" at may dalang payong, si lola habang binabasa ang nakasulat sa puntod ni apolinario mabini, pati na rin ang harapan ng templo at ang gothic-inspired na mosuleo. dito nga raw nilibing nung una si mabini, pero inilipat na ang mga labi nito sa batangas sa kanyang lalawigan. ilan pa sa mga kakaibang nakita namin duon ay mga gothic-inspired na mosuleo, libingan na itinulad sa arkitektura ng CCP at ng isang simbahan sa loob ng UP Diliman (malapit sa infirmary), libingan na may nagbabantay na sphinx, at libingan na hugis pagong! nakita rin namin duon ang libingan ng may-ari ng restaurant na "ma mon luk".

aliw talaga ako sa walking tour na ito, sana matuwa rin kayo sa mga litratong kinuha ko. click kayo dito. salamat!