Pinay on the road

Going to Palawan on a shoe string

mariawent2town — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:56:36 +0000

Backpacking is not really something most Pinoys delve into. But for those who are travelling on a shoe-string, at the same time like some candid adventures, then it’s the thing you might want to do.

Anyways here are the places I’ve been to and prices of accommodations stayed at which might be of help to those who are keen to go there:

(note:prices may have changed as this trip was at the 1^st quarter of 2009)

Brookes’ Point

Puerto Princesa (PP)-Brookes’ point (BP)-P250 (Aircon van) 5 hrs

Accom- BP pension house-P350 (d/b w fan); P650 (w/aircon)

*I recommend you take aircon vehicles due to dusty roads, we tried the jeep, and we ended up looking like albinos. This place is really a small town, with nothing much to do, but they have nice view of sunrise on the shore.

Puerto Princesa

BP-PP- P250 (Aircon van) 5 hrsIwahig Penal Colony-City Center-P40

*Iwahig penal colony is famous for its unique jail management; prisoners due for release in 5 yrs can stay within the compound with their families with an income.

prisoners of iwahig penal colony

displayed products of the prisoners

Accom-

a)Banwa-P450 (w/fan and shared bathroom) with fancy decors that help create the ambiance

b)Manny’s pension house-P500-P600 (fan and shared bathroom) this one’s v simple, wooden house (Mendoza st., walking distance from Banwa)

Sabang

PP-Sabang- P600 (aircon van)

Accom-Mary’s pension house-P600 (you stay in your own cottage/w fan) this is located at the end of the right side of the junction where you will be dropped off, around 30min hike. You can choose a lot of nearby cottages though.

*You can check out the waterfall that flows directly to the sea. Interesting scene. It’s a 1.5 hours trek one way. The information center will tell u about this so u can’t miss this.

the entrance of the cave

*Subterranean underground river- you only have to pay P150(for local) P200(for foreigner) going to the famous underground river… if you opt to go there by just hiking. It’s only a 2-hour trek, one way. But the interesting part is you may choose the path in going there: monkey trail or the jungle trail. They’re both superb, but I like the monkey trail. U may also choose to take a boat, for a 15min ride, for P600 I think.

El Nido

Sabang-El Nido-P600

Accom-

Hadefe’s cottage- this is highly recommended coz of its beautiful cottage location: you can look at the sunset just in front of your cottage. Btw,Taiyo cafe is good place to hang out for nice food and internet.

sunset in front of the cottage

*island hopping (P500/pax w lunch) there are a lot of islands and caves you can go to; Jeffrey, the son of a neighboring cottage owner, is a good tour guide, and I recommend him to you. U might want to bring snorkeling gears, though u can rent too.

spectacular view from the top of the cliff

*cliff climbing (P250/pax)-one of activities which I enjoyed, you can see the whole of El Nido islands at the top

*squid fishing(P600/pax)-though I was not up and running in this activity due to motion sickness, it was really something different, when we went in the middle of the sea at night, and… went squid fishing. Rewarding part was when we grilled the fresh squids-sweet taste.

snorkeling at the big lagoon

Well, this note is for my friends who have been asking for details and recommendations. I could have missed a lot of things. But u can discover those things for yourselves when you get there. Hehehe. I really do hope you’d get there one of these days, so we can compare notes, about our appreciation over one of our country’s pride.

Posted in Central Philippines

Zip lining at Initao

mariawent2town — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:07:45 +0000

I have always liked zip lining. Why? Simply because I always like the idea of flying (in one direction only!) Recently, we went to this place called Secrets of Lasang in Initao, Misamis Oriental.

And there, another adrenalin rush went thru me, as I did my nth zip lining. This time, the one holding the rope that controls the speed of my descending direction from the top of the 80-90 foot-long tree, let loose of his grip, thus making my flight a fast-crazy-but-love-it one.

Posted in Southern Philippines

Rafflesia, the Philippines’ rarest flower, blooms on Christmas day

mariawent2town — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 11:24:43 +0000

Rafflesia in Baungon,Bukidnon

The first time we went to Baungon, bukidnon, from Cagayan de Oro City, was September 14. It was a bit frustrating because we were not allowed to enter the flower premises. They said the flower was in a fragile state and so no one was allowed to see it. Three months later, we hurried our way back to the place, to see the world’s biggest flower, bloom.

Rafflesia @ 59cm

This started on Christmas day, when I got a text message from Manang fita, the caretaker of the area where the Rafflesias grow. She says it God’s gift to the people of Baungon. With the existence of the famous parasitic flowering plants, Baungon Bukidnon is slowly emerging as one of the destination places that local and foreign tourists want to go, to see the Rafflesia. It however blooms only once a year and survives for around 5-6 days before it withers.

Philippine Rafflesia, dec.08

So, on the 26^th I gathered people to go with me to Baungon. This time, we were on a private vehicle; hence, the smooth trip to the area.It was drizzling when we arrived at Barangay San Vicente. But the kilometer descending muddy trek to the area was still fun.

rafflesia at a closer look

The flower has a 59cm-diameter. The caretakers say the water hampered the growth of the flower; hence, it did not bloom to its maximum growth range, which is about 90-100 cm. A little descending path just beside the area where the flower grew is a stream. They say, the water rises when it rains, and could cover the area where the flower is. Fortunately, the water did not wash the Rafflesia away.

Before we left, we saw another Rafflesia growing. Manang Fita said, it might bloom in another year’s time, and so would we be able to set foot at Baungon, Bukidnon again.

Posted in Southern Philippines, The Philippines

Wanting to see Rafflesia in Baungon Bukidnon, Philippines

mariawent2town — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 07:58:18 +0000

We set off to Cagayan de Oro’s Carmen Market at half past eight in the morning on September 14, 2008, to get to Baungon, to see the Rafflesia, the world’s largest flower.

Rafflesia Signage

Research says it is found in South East Asian countries like in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo Sumatra, including the Philippines. In the Philippines, it was found in Mt. Apo, Antique and in Baungon, hence, we moved our way to Barangay San Vicente in the Municipality of Baungon, in the Province of Bukidnon.

After an hour and a half, ( with a fare of Php52.00) we got to the area and went directly to see the Barangay Captain. And without hesitation, he accompanied us to the caretaker of the compounded flowers. But the caretakers and even him couldn’t let us in to the area without the permission of the Mayor. And so we waited and waited, for the Mayor to be contacted for us to ask for permission.

But as close as we were to the area, the Mayor said we cannot see it. Argghhh. The Barangay created a policy that visitors need to get permission from the Mayor. He said, the flowers are on its way to bloom and so it is on its critical stage. Come October, it is expected to fully grow, which he promised to immediately inform us.

He said, the flower could grow as wide as 99cm in diameter.

Scientific studies of Raflessia say it is a genus of parasitic flowering plants. It was discovered in the Indonesian rain forest, and got its name from the head of the expidition Sir Thomas Raffles. But what’s interesting is, they say, the flowers look and smell like rotting meat. Unfortunately, we haven’t confirmed that for ourselves yet. thus I am hoping that the Mission Rafflesia Part 2, will be a success, come this October.

Posted in Southern Philippines

Frolicking at Camiguin

mariawent2town — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:37:08 +0000

My latest trip to Camiguin ( May 30, 2008 ) can be dubbed as a breath catching trip, as we actually had to catch our trip, not because I woke up late in the morning, but because I had to do an errand earlier.

GV pension house was one of the places that my sister recommended and apparently one of the cheapest yet decent places to stay in Camiguin, aside from the cottage-by-the-beach places in the island (where we usually stay during my previous visits). And indeed it was clean and comfortable with AirCon for P500.00/day for a double bed.

The typical round the island trip in a rickshaw was negotiated at P600/day (after a few minutes of haggling with the driver) instead of the “standard” pay of 1,000-1,200. Thus giving us our first day satisfaction, roving to the following places:

· Katibawasan falls- good for picnic

· Sto.Nino cold spring- a very refreshing splash in the spring especially during midday

· Ardent hot spring- used to be my fave spot, but didn’t quite like the renovations recently made in the hotspring area

· Soda water- water didn’t taste of soda at all!

· Sunken cemetery- the highlight of my trip. Good for snorkeling. (The colors of the corals are filled with so much life even watching from the water surface. With its depth of only 6-8 feet, its not hard to go snorkeling even for those non swimmers!! (am not mentioning any names here…) with a boat, one can easily just hold on to it while do coral-watching. (Though I hate to say I did make somebody’s feet hurt after the mentioned persuasive suggestion… sorry-o)

The next thing I want to do when I get around Camiguin would be Hibok-Hibok Volcano climbing. They say it’s not extinct…hmmm. Anyways, I also know where to look for a guide who won’t rip my pockets off. Just go to the owner of a popular fastfood in the capital, Mambajao.

Exotic Bohol

mariawent2town — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:36:40 +0000

The cuddly Tarsiers were the primary reason why Bohol is the place we long wanted to visit, even before Sagada and Banaue. Aside from its amusing fact that its eyes are bigger than its brains, Tarsiers are becoming endangered. Rita, a Belgian owner of the Nuts Huts told me that some Tarsiers just commit suicide because of depression. Though some find it amusing if not funny. But what’s funny with commiting suicide out of depression? I don’t think it is.. Tarsiers are nocturnal animals, meaning they sleep during the day and are awake during the night. But these are not the cases of Tarsiers who are being used as a Tourist attraction in several restaurants especially in Loboc. They feel harassed by tourists who like to touch and cuddle them.

Intrigued by what Rita told me, I went to one of the Restaurants who offer tourists a free look at Tarsiers. And when I saw, the Tarsier, yes, it was not caged, as emphasized by the restaurant owners. I was later told by the guide who works for the Tarsier Sanctuary (when we visited the place in Carmen, after checking out the restaurant in Loboc), that the Tarsiers were definitely being put into a cage during night time; otherwise they will escape from their captors.

The sanctuary for the Tarsiers has an area of about 7 hectares. A little portion of it is net-covered and has 7 Tarsiers inside for the purpose of letting tourists see the Tarsiers in their natural habitat (no touching allowed).

Comparing the Tarsier I saw at the restaurant, from the ones in the sanctuary, it seemed that the big-eyed little primates were at ease at the sanctuary, while, they looked like harassed and just froze out of fright, clinging to a little branch, anticipating but not wanting to be touched by some stranger who comes into sight.

But who could blame these locals from displaying these cute Tarsiers? They cannot be called illegal, as they are given permits by the DENR, which environmentalists object. But who could stop them? How can they be stopped? There are campaigns about saving these primates from getting extinct. But is it enough? How well is it supported, by whom? Who should be concerned about it? These are simple questions that can simply be answered, in which actions are still yet to be seen.

Anyways, as a whole, Bohol, as a laid back island is the very best place to stay and chill out.

Of course aside from Tarsier, it is known for its Chocolate hills, which I did not miss of course. Our visit however turned out to be a foggy one. It was sunny in the morning. Then it got a bit cloudy during the afternoon. We took a bus from Loboc (Nuts Huts) for the butterfly garden (which has an excellent tour guide. He has thoroughly explained the life cycle of a butterfly. But we didn’t get to see the butterflies in the enclosed garden since it drizzled.) Then we proceeded to the chocolate hills. By the time we arrived at the junction, it was raining heavily. We decided to still proceed since we were in the area already. So we climbed the viewing deck, and viewed the chocolate hills in a haze. Though chilling and looking like wet chicks, I did enjoy that moment despite a debate with Dave about his theory that those hills are not natural. And so I close this sentence with a period.

Amazing Banaue

mariawent2town — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:26:14 +0000

Banaue Rice Terraces has been one of the popular places that the Philippines, is proud of. During my primary and secondary years, it has always been mentioned, hence my growing curiosity about the place never ceased, until I was able to visit the place last April 2, 2008 (after our trip from Sagada).

We stayed at the New Wonder Lodge for P200 per day. Though there were other hotels we could go to, but we chose it since it’s the cheapest and it’s relatively clean. The Poblacion was a small bustling place with accommodating people. We saw that there are a couple of foreigners as well, which I’m sure are going or have already gone to Batad- a place where they say rice terraces sight seeing is really magnificent.

So we chartered a rickshaw (P225 per head) from the Poblacion to Batad junction, which is usually the case of visitors wanting to go to Batad. From the junction, one has the option to hire a jeep going to Batad, which we didn’t take. Instead we took a 2.5 hour hike going to the place which was more rewarding than taking a jeep. Though it was humid but I enjoyed the tranquility I got from the hike as well as the therapeutic green scenery along the way.

It seemed like there’s something mystical about the community of Batad; it’s somehow isolated from the other communities and yet they happily live within the bounds of the mountains that enclosed them from the rest of the world. These mountains however are not just mountains. The beauty of these rice terraces transcends to the people living in the area, thus making Batad mystical to the tourists.

We did some explorations around the area, thus giving us good photos of farmers planting rice and even chatted with some.

I found it amazing that locals were so affable towards us, speaking fluently in English; hence I didn’t have difficulty translating for Dave to understand. (Well of course later did I know that the missionaries’ occupation in the area a long time ago was the reason for that; I couldn’t remember that part during my history lesson.. I probably dozed off…oh dear)

Breathtaking Sagada

mariawent2town — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:22:36 +0000

A trip which turned out to be unexpectedly fun! The hanging coffins were one of the things I really looked forward to even before the journey began. Though in the beginning, we were a bit frustrated with the way the local government extracts money from tourists. It is a means to sustain their main source of income aside from farming, yes understandable. But calling it worth the pay was not exactly in our minds when we were given a guide to take us to the hanging coffins. For P200, we were accompanied to this lookout point (around 500 feet apart from the hanging coffins). So what we did was to go back to the place (this time without the guide), and looked for the paths leading to the hanging coffins. It was not a difficult thing to do (though one just has to be careful, especially if they don’t know the place), and so a few minutes later, we were busy taking photos and enjoying the feeling of looking closely at this uncommon practice of Igorots.

But the fun hadn’t fully blasted until we went to Sumaguing cave. The cave in total was big. But it was nooks and crannies that we have to get into that made it challenging for us to get further. With a knowledgeable and strong guide, our spelunking was really an adventure. At some stage, we were asked to take off our shoes to prevent it from getting wet.. And I thought, why the heck. But I realized when I set foot on the cream-colored refined boulders; it was not slippery, and indeed it feels different to walk on it barefoot.

At last we made our way out, feeling accomplished, as if we did an amazing race type of adventure.

Outside, the rain started to pour and the fog started to close in on the surroundings making it look like a thrilling movie trailer which made me feel strangely excited.

We then went to our favorite restaurant, The Log Cabin for dinner. With P180, I had a very scrumptious meal consisting of a yummy pork steak, with a buttery vegetables and mashed potatoes with a cold beer. Hmmm, what a wonderful way to call it a day.

Charming Manila

mariawent2town — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:17:14 +0000

Yes, chaotic. Geographic location of streets, a bit messed up. Yet Manila’s charm still rules.

Recommended hostel:

Green Mango- Reasonable price rate. Clean. Friendly staff and helpful staff.

It was not expensive to travel from Green Mango to Manila center. As we just took Trysikad (bicycle with a side cart) from the hostel to the main road (Sucat road) then get a going-to-Baclaran jeep( then from Baclaran, one can take another jeep or bus going to the MRT station where you’re off to, and then vice versa. It’s not that difficult. It just requires a bit of a higher level of alertness, to be on your guard all the time.

Guards, Vendors and even mall sales people never fail to greet you (not that it’s their job to do it!). No matter how probinsyana one sounds, Manilenyos I guess have gotten used to assisting these local strangers without any prejudice (as what other probinsyanos/nas would probably still think, or as what I used to think).

This issue is a bit of a controversy in my mind, after my friend’s discovery (which I have experienced as well) that Cagayan de Oro, the place dubbed as the City of Golden Friendship has not even a golden greeting nor a smile to offer.

I’m actually referring to department store and malls. Went to 3 malls, and really, majority of the sales people especially sales ladies, don’t say thank you or sometimes greet anymore (though I think its still their supposedly SOP). These are the places where one can generally gauge the basic persona of an individual.

Yes it’s a shame to be in given anything but a raised eyebrow sneer-like reaction once you ask a number of queries. But well, you never know, it might just be their natural physical looks. Who knows, they might be the very best friend one would ever have wanted!