SK bound

Finally Visa was released this afternoon.

Was surprised to learn that it's easy to get one, most especially if you have complete requirements.

Can't wait for my next solo trip!

SK here I come!!!

The Shindig sa Malindig Trek!

Never in my mind that I would consider myself do mountain trekking. Heck, I mean you'll just go up the mountain and enjoy the view then you'll descend and thats it. Little diderot that mountain hiking has a lot of benefits pala like 1). Loosing weight 2). Build endurance and strength 3). Foster camaraderie and friendships and many more.

After the Batulao and Pico de Loro trek now I'm hook.So last december when matel invited us for a trek in Mt. Malindig we immediately said yes. I've never been to Marinduque and the trek excites me. Sense of our friends confirmed for this trip but on the week leading to the trip one by one they backed out.Yikes! Sino kaya kakausapin namin duh? Thats my predicament! Waaa!

ordinary bus from alabang to lucena!! tipid mode!

Even our friend Nina backed out. On the trip due to work. And that only leaves me, chacha and cherifer to go to Marinduque and do the trekking.

Kaya naman pala even though we were outnumbered!

Day 0

We rode a bus in Alabang going to Lucena to catch the 2 am roro trip. But wit the pace the bus were at I was afraid were not gonna make it. It was an ordinary bus that stops whenever there s passenger along the high way.

Kakastress drilon!

I almost scolded the  conductor for picking up too many passengers BUT turns out, after he town in Batangas the trip was smooth and straight na and we finally arrive at Lucena port by 11pm.

Ataters lang talaga ako.

Matel and the rest of the gang arrived an hour after us and after we exchange pleasantries we decided to bu the ticket but what shock is the first trip in e morning would be at 4am pa!

Say whattttt????!

Well wala naman kasing magagawa so we decided to take a nap on the terminal's 2nd floor where some other passengers are also sleeping. We had a quick nap and by 4am were off to Marinduque.

It was a 3 hour trip. Sme of us decided to sleep inside the ferry, others decided to spend the morni and sunrise at the top deck of the ferry. I was awoken by the commotion of the people snide the cabin, it was sunrise a kasi and the view outside is spectacular.

Love it!

Ro-Ro row your boat to Marinduque!

Moon light over the ocean

Good Morning Marinduque!

Upon arrival, matel's hired Jeepney is waiting for us and off we go to Boac for breakfast.Was surprised to see that Boac has some preserved old houses. Amazing!

In fairness Boac is clean and not too crowded unlike other province capital which is crowded and noisy, this place has very laid back style.

Vigan styled house

Old vs. New

Preserved house cum cafe

Majestic bahay na bato / government office

Trekking starts at 1pm.it was scorching hot and since we just had our lunch, after 5 minutes of walking s we were (or maybe it was justly me) panting like dogs! Pagod much!

Masamang pangitain Ito! 

Thank god after we were freshen up by the fresh buko juice our guide provided us (we pass through his coconut plantation kasi) we were energized and we continued the assault to the camp site.

Since it was mid afternoon and the sun was all out, it was so hot and it was even hotter because the trail to the camp is an open area (.e. no trees, only grass)

Mabuti nalang maganda ang view. Puede narin.

I remember Bellaroca is on Marinduque din pala. Note to self: Must go there next year.

The hills are aliveeeee.....

And another thing that struck me was my trekking attire. Ako Lang ang naka maong pants while the others are in their full trekking gear. Na fashion conscious tuloy ako. Lol!

Kung andito Lang a fashion pulls most probably nahuli nako. Lol!

Thank you Nike for my arm sleeve =P

Also the people advice us before we went climbing that we should not greet the cows on our way. Superstitions believes that some of them daw are Diwata. Not that i don't believe on the extraordinary being but meron bang Baka sa bundok? 

I was wrong. Dead wrong! Lot's of cows are grazing the mountain slopes!!!

And I was afraid! Waaa! (Note: no picture was taken with the cow, afraidy aguillar ako!)

We were relieved when we arrived at camp site. It was an Army barracks which also serves as a guard house for the radio  station transmitter for Marinduque. Double purpose. 

If only we're not in camping mode or the 3kilo tent that I brought I would rather slept inside the barracks than in my tent. It was freezing from 5pm onwards and the winds was howling through the night.

 

Camp Site

I didn't bring along my jacket for I thought we would have a summer night but was wrong again.

It was a cold summer night. Literally! Waaaaa!

Electric fence

Morning come, thank god. After a hot coffee and lots of hotdog we decided to make the assault to the peak. Boy I tell you, it was hard!! Slippery, lot's of branches and slides, insects and what not. 

Arte much no?

But conquer it all! Galing namin!
 

I have to admit I was skeptical a first with the climb and was disappointed with the view at the peak but what inspires me to d another trekking is the friendship I develop with my other co trekker and the experience of getting to know the cultured other province. All the pagod and gators was all worth it. Will I'd it again, of course! Shalli join their trek again, why not give a chance.

L-R Joseph, Denis, Matel's sister, Christian Lauren, Kenneth Qitter, Franklin

Christian, manong guide, Lauren and Matel

Lush green trees at the peak!

Thank you Matel for organizing the trip =D

We start the descend by 11:00 AM

Photo-op sa bangin! 

Thank you very much Marinduque, you sure has some magic hidden your sleeves. there's more than just Moriones and Bellaroca. I'll make sure to come back to your island. You're simply be-witching!

Good-bye!

Coron Solo Travel Diary: Bandol beach and Twin Lagoon

It was already past lunch time when we finished our swimming and mini trekking in Kayangan lake. Everybody was of course H-U-N-G-R-Y by the time we went back to our boat. Buti nalang may dalang snacks yung mga kasama ko and they shared it to me (insert #freeloader here). 

Aba, masama kayang tumanggi sa grasya! (in defense for those who think im a P.G. =P)

ang photo na hindi mashadong kulay green ang pagkakakuha

Our guide told us that it will only take a matter of minutes to go to Bandol beach where our lunch will be serve. When he said "BEACH" nabuhayan kami ng loob. Hahaha. Well, i have no qualms about snorkeling and lake swimming pero mas ok parin talaga yung beach ang setting, white sand and turqouise waters. Ahhhh..now that's what I call a vacation.

Yehey! We're here! Kainan na!!

I have to admit nawala ang gutom ko upon reaching the beach. It was so pristine and clean and beautiful and what not! Kulang nalang perfect photo-op na kasama ako (but since solo flight nga ako, mahirap naman makisuyo na magpakuha ng mga conceited pics, LoL!)


There are 2 nipa huts on these side of the island where we stayed. At first all the nipa huts are occupied by the Red Cross people (who are in their annual field trip daw according to Mila) but they eventually left the place after a couple of minutes that we're there.


In short na-solo namin yung lugar na yun!


Spell Happiness.

Come, swim with me

Mila's prepared lunch was ok, squid adobo, inihaw na fish, mangoes and some veggies (i think. After lunch we we;re all full at shempre anong masarap gawin sa isang lazy afternoon pagkatapos kumain.....


Manood ng Valiente?


Este, matulog pala! Almost all of us had nap after we've eaten. Hindi naman masama coz wala naman nagka nightmare sa amin eventhough we're busog.


(FYI for those na bagets who read my blog, Valiente is a popular afternoon soap on channel 2. Main contrabida is Tirso Cruz III and his name is Theo din hahaha).

Serene. Zen. Peace. Bandol.

One thing I like about Coron and it's neighboring islands, malakas ang signal ng 3G dito! Mas malakas pa sa Makati CBD! No kidding!


Sent this photo below to my friends in Manila via Twitter. Wala lang, nangiingit lang. LoL

After an hour of Zzz's I decided to swim the waters on Bandol beach, shempre ang lakas na ng loob ko lumangoy because I have my life vest with me. Ako na ang best in swimming in life vest!

What strikes me the most about this place was this rock formation located on the left side of our picnic area. The huge limestones reminds me of the sliced stones we found in the Chico river at Tinglayan, Kalinga province last year.




After an hour of swimming back and forth and some photo shoot it's time for us to go to our last destination -  the Twin lagoon. 

Entrance to the lagoon

Funny how you need to go to the lagoon. Since the small wharf on the side of the cliff are jnot suitable for boat landing, you need to SWIM from your bangka all the way to the lagoon entrance. There you'll need to go up, squeeze yourself to the narrow opening then jump to the lagoon. Problema is kapag mataba ka and you can't fit on the narrow path. Though it is only applicable to those super obese people naman =P.

Since my camera is not water proof and ayoko naman magbakasakali, i left my camera on the boat and swam my way to the lagoon entrance. During this time I haven't had any problem with my life vest but while we we're swimming, lazily floating, and savoring the calmness of the lagoon I suddenly felt that i'm slowly going down. \


LIFE VEST MALFUNCTION!


Of course I panic but presence of mind was in full control. I decided to swam back to the shore and pray nalang for my safety. LoL! Talk about happy ending, or kung nalunod man m vacation will definitely end with a bang. Hahahaha.


All in all it was a fun trip. Nothing serious happened. I prayed a lot during my 3D/2N vacation. Meet new friends. Discover new places and most importantly I realized the solo travel is feasible and much less hassle free and as fun as group travel. Will definitely go solo travel again next time.

Shindig in Malindig

Weekend Trek in the land of Bellaroca and Moriones.

2 land trip, 1 boat ride, 4 hours of catnaps, 1 easy trek.

Join me as I share my mystifying experience in Majestic Marinduque soon after the Coron series part 3.

(naks me ganong introduction pa!)

Coron Solo Travel Diary: Siete Pecados wannabee Snorkler and a Suprise trek to Kayangan Lake

Woke up very early on a Monday morning, I thought I was still in Las Pinas and I need to get up and be ready for my 6:00AM gym. (yes I work-out every morning during weekday). Gah, I told to myself, sayang ang oras! So instead of going back into slumber I decided to get-up, freshen a bit and go the town pier plaza to see what Coron looks like in the morning. 

Surprisingly, many people are already up at 6 in the morning, Even some western tourist are already making their way to town and do some shopping and hunting stores that offers breakfast. And since we have a complimentary breakfast I decided to buy a pandesal while walking along the Lualhati Park. 

Feeling tourist lang ang peg!

The weather was perfect for a morning stroll. It’s not hot yet and the temperature is still cool. I like! Walang ganito sa amin! Wah!

After a couple of pandesal (which I tried to feed to the fish swimming in the pier dock but it didn’t eat at all) and some photo-ops I decided to go back to the hotel and have my breakfast. I was looking forward for a heavy breakfast since we will be having a v.v. hectic day today but alas this is what I got fro breakfast…… 

A little bit disappointing. Sana pala kumain nalang ako dun sa palengke where they serve a wide variety of breakfast meal. Anyhow its complimentary naman so choosy paba ako (eh libre na nga! LoL).

 

After breakfast and a quick dash to the drug store (to buy sunblock) we’re off to our island hopping trip for the day. Then again panic arises in me as we aboard the motorized bangka. You see I have this slight phobia in riding a bangka (whether big or small) after what happened in Capones island three years ago, but thank god life vest is available! Yay! Now I feel safe.

 

The life vest is my companion during the whole day. I have to admit it helps me swam in deep waters FOR THE FIRST TIME in my 31 years of existence! Pumalya lang si life vest while we we’re in Twin Lagoon, story to be told next post =D.

 

Okay, off we go, fist stop is the Siete Pecados Island. Oh during the whole duration of the trip we have Mila’s nephew who act as our tour guide din pala. He was explaining to us the geography and history and what not about siete pecados but unfortunately for me I  was not listening. I was too busy taking pictures and contemplating whether to swim or not (kasi nga hindi ako marunong lumangoy). 

But after too much prodding by Tita (she’s the gracious matriarch of the family which I was with during the whole trip) and showing me that it’s ok to swim I hesitantly and slowly drop my body to the cold water of Coron.

 

Eeeekkkk!!! I thought I was gonna drowned. (Arte much lang pala!)

In fairness, the life vest did let me float but I’m not letting my guard down with it. I was holding on to my dear life on the bangka’s outrigger the whole time! Wah! Such a loser am I! Lol! 

I have to admit the coral formation in Siete Pecados are awesome. Lot’s of colorful corals underwater and of course lots of fish as well. The most common type of fish the neon blue one which is much like a dalagang bukid to me, in color blue! 

Cute! 

I submerged my whole body and head jus to check the fishes and the corals in Siete pecados. Darn, I should have borrowed Rosa’s snorkeling gear. With only the googles in tow, it’s hard to see what’s happening underneath. =(. 

According to our guide, Siete Pecados is where Manila Ocean Park get their aquarium fish, parang may breeding station or something ata dun. But if im not mistaken, Siete Pecados was a popular TV show (or movie) way back in the 80’s (Age alert!). Also it’s a name of a bar or a band ata during the 90’s and early 2K-ish. Basta the name sounds very familiar.

 

After 20-30 minutes of arm binding (in the rigger) and drinking a couple of sea water (yikes!) and eating my companion’s puto (waaaa! PG! These people are so kind enough to share with me their baon) we’re off to Kayangan Lake.

Was v.v.v. much impressed in the entrance lagoon of Kayangan Lake. Super white beach and green scenery and crystal clear water! It reminds me of Calaguas Island (Read:Must-go-back-there-this-year) of last year. The island is inhabited by the Tagabanua (according to our guide, sha na ang best in information!) therefore we have to follow some rules like no bringing of food in the island and no traversing the caves (which we found out only while we did trekking going to the lake). 

Armed only with my googles and small amount of water, we hike for about 20 minutes going to the lake. But wait there’s more surprise in the island.

 

Lo and behold there’s this majestic view from the cave area wherein we are overlooking the lake. 

Awesome!

 

Here’s the cave that our guide told us not to enter. According to him the famous birds nest (not the one found in Beijing silly!) which in turn used for “nido soup” are abundantly stored here (thanks to the birds who live inside the cave =P). Only the Tagbanua can harvest it and use it. Bawal daw for taga-labas to get those precious nests. =(. 

OK Fine!

 

After a couple of ups and down the trail we finally arrive in Kayangan Lake! 

Ganda noh? 

Green kung green ang scenery!

Funny thing was to enjoy the lake you have to swim on it, kaso I leave my life vest at the bangka. 

So how now brown cow? 

Luckily one of my companions brought his life vest and since he’s a good swimmer I borrowed his. What a nice guy!

 

Then the much awaited first-time-ever-swimming-in-a-very-deep-bodies-of-water starts. At first was a little bit hesitant to jump from the docking board but once I felt na I was floating, then the happiness arrived! 

Yahoo! I can swim na! LoL! 

As the other people has witnessed, I swam back and forth the magkabilang dulo ng lake entrance. Hahaha. Feelign first timer talaga. It was fun pala to swim and I felt secured since 1. it’s a lake and no chance to be caught up by the wave 2. konti lang tao, so if ever na malunod konti lang ang witness (para di nakakahiya) 3. exercise mode sa swimming, i.e. nakakapayat! 

Haist. I think after an hour of swimming and photo-op (shempre sabit lang ako lagi sa mga kasama ko) it was time to go back to the boat. 

Kayangan lake, I owe you one. Dahil napalangoy mo ako for sure babalikan kita… 

Next stop Bandol beach and the scary experience at Twin Lagoon =P