Buruwisan/Lanzones Falls (Siniloan, Laguna)

At first I thought this wouldn't be a successful attempt. My colds had just started and I knew ahead of time that this would worsen in the coming hours. Our planning was very rough... we just had transportation, backpacks with clothes, maps (again I have a really bad sense of direction so excuse me) and some money for food/gas. The only thing I bought before the trip was a pair of hiking sandals from Toby's.

March 21 - 4:00am. Getting there took us about 3 hours of relaxed driving. Instead of the usual south expressway, we took the more scenic route via Antipolo. We went through a couple of towns following the main highway from Antipolo that goes through Morong and Tanay (as you go through this area, you'll notice the roadside turns greener and greener), then splits somewhere after Pilila. The next leg was through mountains, taking us over half an hour of zigzag roads (at the right is an image of what half of the zigzag path looks like). We finally reached Famy area (actually we still had to turn left at that junction to the road that leads to Infanta, Quezon) at around 7:30am, fresh and ready for breakfast. The jump-off point to the falls is easy to find because there's a huge billboard with the mayor's picture. There's also a small restaurant at the left side of the road before the entrance where we took our breakfast of tapsilog and kaldereta. There were people waiting in the area, I think most of them were tricycle drivers and residents who work as part-time guides to the falls. We asked one of them to guide us and help us get a safe parking spot near this restaurant.

After breakfast, we were ready to go. I was so excited that I forgot about my colds! I just checked my stuff... extra clothes, camera, water, and pringles. Oh boy, I was ready. We walked 5 minutes down from the billboard to the registration area (yes, they keep a record here but I am not sure if they can tell who's actually in the mountains -- there is no Time Out column).

At last, it was heavy vegetation and a rugged footpath in front of us. There's nothing really beautiful about it, but it felt great to be there because it was officially the start of our 2-hour hike to Buruwisan Falls. It's a 3km path rising up about 300 meters then down about 30 meters at the last leg. There are 3 stops before reaching the only store, and after that, it's a short trek to the falls.

The climb was ok at first since the path wasn't steep and the rocks were dry. There were minor obstacles (but on each of them I started thinking how difficult it might be when we come back) and we started walking on paths beside very steep areas. Tip: Ask the guide to make a 'walking stick' for you so that you can use it as a third leg in difficult situations.

15 minutes into the footpath and Peter (my fellow beginner mountaineer) asked to stop for a bit and rest. His heart was rusty already I thought, because he hasn't exercised regularly for over a year already (maybe longer). His stamina was ok, but I think his heart was trying to catch up with the sudden increase in blood pumping requirements of this hike. We went on this way about 4 more times, stopping once in a while, until we reached the first stop. There was nothing in the area except for a few small huts where we could sit and take a rest. There's a good view from here to show you how much you climbed and a couple of happy green mountains on the other side.

We continued to the second stop at moderate pace because it was a bit muddier. There's more horse dung in this area, and they are super black in here (vs. in the first leg it was brownish after it rolled down the soily slopes). Stay away from these and be very careful, else if you step on or fall on these, you'll have to carry them all the way back. It might not be a good idea to wash them off in the falls where everyone enjoys the water. We stopped at certain points to take nice pictures of the scenery and our big faces beside it.

At the third stop it was the same stuff, but this (almost) last leg was easier because it was downhill. It rained on some sections so I thought it was going to be a dangerous, but my very reliable sandals kept my foot planted well on the mud. We didn't get any knee-high mud as others wrote earlier, maybe because in January it was still rainy. We reached the small store/stop there but it was apparently closed, but the owner was actually just doing something nearby (carrying sheets of metal to fix his roof, I think) and still selling his stuff with the store closed. In this area we could already hear the water from the falls. It sounded rather gentle so we sensed that the water would be just right.

The final final leg was very rocky. Some rocks were also slippery (I almost got sprained twice). We had to cross through ankle-deep water several times, making it harder to move through the rocks. Slowly but surely, we reached our main destination. It was beautiful, water falling from about 100 feet up, into a basin shaded by trees from the walls.

I stepped close to the water from the rocks to touch the water. The temperature was just right. When I got changed and got into the water, it was way different. The water was so cold! Probably the coldest water I have tried yet. To give a brief idea of how cold it really was... put as many ice cubes as you can in a glass of water, fill it up with tap water, wait until all the ice has melted and give 10 minutes... by this time, the cold doesnt sting or numb the skin anymore... that's what the water there is like. The college kids who sat near our area even placed a bottle of coke on the water to cool their drink.

At first I hesitated about swimming close to the falls because the water's force might push me down and drown me. The basin was also deep at the center so I wouldnt want to get stuck there. A few minutes later, the college people went there and it didn't seem difficult, so I also tried it. From the rocks, the water appeared to be a light shower, but when you swim where the water falls, it's really heavy and continuous. There was slight difficulty in breathing because water is everywhere and some of it will tried to jump up my nose (hehe). Peter brought the camera to the area behind the falls so we snapped a few nice pictures under it. I'm glad our wet hands and all the mist flying around didn't damage the camera.

After an hour of swimming and rest, we were brought to a second destination. This time it's about 15 minutes of walking on large rocks again. This area is less accessible, and it's more slippery than the first... but the reward is, as usual, a wow! Lanzones Falls! There was more water rushing through the rocks and the basin was just a small (about 20 square meters) and shallow pool. We could feel the strength of the falls because of the winds that it generated. It was about the strength of industrial fans from 5 meters away. We jumped into the water and it was even colder than the first one. After about half an hour of dips and pictures, we took out a can of Pringles for lunch (oh my... hehe ... we had a heavy breakfast so it was just fine).

Half an hour later, we were on our way back. It was more difficult because our sandals were already wet and we were tired. It took us almost 3 hours to go back down. I could feel the pain in my knees and feet, I was running out of energy (I just slept for an hour the day before) and my colds were trying to get back. I would ask to stop from time to time and I wasn't laughing anymore. We bought some coconuts on our descent from a farmer there thinking that it would refresh us and ease up the pain in the joints. It didn't help. Even worse, it rained hard and I thought it was game over for me on the last stretch. Anyway, we just waited for the rain to stop and kept on until we reached the registration point. It was a long way back, I wish we had camped up there and stayed overnight to gather up more energy. We had an early dinner at the same restaurant and drove off with full stomachs. I was knocked out most of the time, sleeping all the way to Manila. Went straight to bed when I reached home. I was super exhausted. ZZZZzzzzz.....

It was fun! I don't need to convince anyone! It's worth a try... but please keep this place clean (don't leave any trash there) :) The next place I want to go is farther to the east... Real or Infanta in Quezon. I heard they have a couple of nice beaches there :)

Tambo Kulit (Indang, Cavite)

I'm terrible when it comes to directions, but today, I was brave enough to try out a slightly complicated route using online instructions and maps. For a starter, I chose a 60km trip, just enough for a 1-day adventure. Destination: Tambo Kulit (hehe). I was also joined by another brave soul in this adventure.

There's a good number of natural spring resorts lined up in this area... and I like them better than beaches because in these freshwater areas: 1) you can swim with your eyes open, 2) the water is very clean (no chlorine, no salt), 3) no jellyfish and nasty sea monsters, 4) no sunburn (plenty of shade from surrounding trees/rocks), 5) no tsunami, etc....

To get there, we had to exit South Expressway at Carmona (Exit 33, this was the easiest), then head southwest (not sure if it's exit 33A or 33B but after the tollgate, it's the road going right) to GMA and take a secondary road that goes to Silang and crosses Aguinaldo Highway. As expected, we missed this road from GMA, drove straight all the way and met Aguinaldo somewhere in Dasmarinas (hehehehe) adding about 7 kilometers to our trip. From this junction we drove south all the way to Silang. The next major junction (right) was close to the small entryway to Barangay Luksuhin and we overshot again by 100m. So much error!

We made a U-turn back to that spot and drove about 10km deep into the area through small towns. There were plenty of narrow roads this time and some of them were quite scary. We went through uninhabited areas, there were 1km stretches of no people, no signs, and no settlements, nothing to guide us at all. We also went through cliff edges, some parts were like Baguio without the fog. There were also bridges made of thin and rusty steel frames (2 tons limit according to the warning but one tricye driver told us it can support trucks) and they only placed 4 long planks of wood on top (nothing holds them in place!) so that the wheels can just roll over them.

We arrived at the church in Indang (St. Gregory the Great) and from there we asked directions to Tambo Kulit from a tricycle driver. After the church, turn right, then left all the way to the end, then turn right, then left to Alfonso, then left, left, right, left and so on (we used the force in this area), that's another 8 or so junctions. By now you should have noticed that this is not a travel guide, but simply an account of my travel.

We asked the locals for the most popular resort and they pointed to Rio Villa Nuevo. We went in and paid 100 bucks entrance. Inside, they have about 7 pools with different depths (I think their deepest was 5.5ft) all filled with constantly overflowing mountain fresh water. There were covered huts, an annoying karaoke machine, a sari-sari store, caged monkeys (?), etc... anyway I was really just there for a swim. The tiles on the pool floors was also a good idea. I am not very comfortable with stepping on natural water trails which woulde be mostly stones, soil and all sorts of natural sharp objects... and in this place I didn't need to wear sandals to protect my feet.

After an hour or so of swimming, we had to leave because it was already getting dark. We tried to go back through the same route and had only little trouble on our way to the church in Indang. We reached another intersection where we couldn't tell which was the right way back. I think we were still on the right track (we saw the scary bridges again about half a kilometer away) but someone on the road told us that the way to Manila was on another road (going through Trece Martires). We took his advice and this route was less scary, but it was longer and there were plenty of areas with heavy traffic. I asked earlier for a brochure from Rio which had a road map so we had more or less an idea of where we were. No more interesting stuff in this dark long stretch... Reached Manila after over 2 hours on the road through the Saturday evening traffic.

I think it's time to go a notch up. My next target: Mt. Romelo (Siniloan, Laguna). Online articles say that after the long drive, and a 3km muddy trek (some knee high areas) rising 250 meters to the campsite, there's a rewarding handful of beautiful waterfalls waiting. Hmm...

Wawa Dam, Montalban, Rizal (Preview)

Looks like a great place huh? I'll get my butt here in the coming days... There's also a spot at the top of the dam where you could jump from about 5 meters up.

Note: Thanks to Mike Lee for allowing me to use this image from his old Xanga Site. His new site is here. He also has lots of interesting things to share about his travels in his blogs.

I Have Two Eggs in Tomas Morato Ext.

I had lunch with Nikki today at a place named "I Have Two Eggs". Very funny name for a tapsilog restaurant, but the food really carries it -- every dish is cooked with two eggs! We tried Tuna Tomato Omelette, Popeye's Delight (spinach) Omelette, and their T-Bone steak. Dishes were mostly mix and fry, presentation is better than fastfood and close enough to what I would consider casual dining. I'm not sure how far these eggs will go but maybe after coming back several times, people will start to think that the dishes are all too simple and can be done at home with significantly lower costs. I didn't pay that much attention to the food (it's not bad at all, actually I finished everything), the ambiance was also unimposing (glass, white walls, and huge framed photos of their dishes), but somehow I was able to focus my attention on Nikki, after all I was there to sit, talk and spend lunchtime with her (Yey!). Overall it was great :)

I wonder if critics ever talk about non-restaurant items like people they ate with, because in this case the place and food crept into the background, and my curiosity floated over to what was more important. I could have done this intentionally but here it was almost automatic -- it sounds weird but I think it's a special characteristic.

Moving on to other stuff -- How do you balance your restaurant experience based on food/resto quality and friend quality? Here it is finally... Chard's nasty guide hehehe. We assume food/resto price to be fairly proportional to quality in this model. The big black dotted line is an assumed personal expectation. Use at your own risk and dont take it seriously! Red dot is where I and Nikki stood today (almost got late because of talking hehe)

Aussie Talk

A short course on Aussie slang... my curiosity started when I read some article on CNN on the subject. I tried to catch some funny words from their 'dictionary' ...

amber fluid: beer
away with the pixies: in another world, daydreaming
barbie: barbecue
bastard: a term of endearment
bluey: red-haired person
full on: intense
garbo: person who collects the garbage
mozzies: mosquitoes
ning-nong: idiot
no flies on: smart or intelligent
ooroo: goodbye
sheila: woman
willy-willies: little sand tornadoes
zonked: tired

At first I thought I had no flies on... but after reading through the bastard dictionary my brain cells went like willy-willies, it zonked me out full on... now I feel like a ning-nong.

Ooroo!!!

How to make WinXP look like Vista

Here's a short list of tasks to make your Windows XP look like Windows Vista. This information is for educational purposes only, I won't be responsible for any copyright or intellectual property issues you get into, so do this at your own risk.

1) Patch your uxtheme.dll file (this is the one that prevents Windows from using customized non MS-certified visual styles). You can use google to search for a downloadable copy of the software that modifies it -- UXTheme Multi-Patcher. Get installation instructions online (try Softpedia).

2) Download a Windows Vista wallpaper and set it as your desktop wallpaper. You can find some of them in Google Images.

3) Download the Aero Cursor Pack and apply it as your mouse pointer scheme.

4) Download and install VistaXP (Longhorn 4074) Visual Style from StudioTwentyEight

5) Download and install Windows Vista Icon Pack (try Softpedia). You'll have to assign the icons one by one if you don't have Axialis, but as an alternative, you can also try IconTweaker.

6) If you want the Aero glass effects (transparent window borders), you'll have to spend a bit to get Stardock Windowblinds

Woorijib in Kalayaan Ave. (QC)

I had lunch with Alex and Anna in this Korean resto. The place was much like the ones I visited in Korea where the house and restaurant seem interchangeable in and between meals. My initial guess was that they wanted to be economical about the home heating systems, but here in Manila maybe it's just to maximize the use of this space (so maybe it was just an impression that they also use it as thier home because I saw kids and restaurant manager walking around like they were really at home). The restaurant was part of a low-rise building which I think was occupied mostly by Koreans because they would come down the stairs and into the restaurant every once in a while. On TV was KBS 2 (one of their major local networks), adding to the at-home feeling.

We ordered quite a lot for 3 people:

Samgyeopsal - unseasoned pork bacon cut from the belly (liempo) cooked over a metal plate heated by charcoal/gas. It is usually served with garlic (or potatoes/onions), and the pork cooks in its own oil. Vegetables are also served (serves like a wrap as in a burrito).

Haemul Pajeon (not sure if i got this right) -- seafood pancake made mostly of eggs/flour, green onions, and lots of moist stuff inside that I don't know.

Sogogi Jeongol (not sure if i got this too) -- beef and vegetable stew

Side dishes -- kimchi, eggplant, bean sprouts

Gochujang -- better than ketchup or soy sauce... it looks like super thick spaghetti sauce and tastes a bit spicy (salty and sweet too)

The taste is authentic, even the food presentation is. I will come back to this restaurant on my next payroll run :) Kamsa hamnida! (Thank you)

300 Spartans Illustrated by Frank Miller

Based on the epic graphic novel by Frank Miller, 300 is a ferocious retelling of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. Facing insurmountable odds, their valor and sacrifice inspire all of Greece to unite.

This is the most badass kickass movie of the year. The story is very simple, but the presentation is superb -- 300 He-Man action figures, high octane music, power moves, big armies with big bosses, spartan ladies, and a little comedy... combined together they deliver record levels of testosterone for a 2-hour movie. The movie is just so good that I have heard a good number of my friends watching it twice (includes myself).

King Leonidas also delivers some power quotes:
1) (to the Persian messenger) Madness... ? This... is Sparta!!!
2) (to Spartan soldiers) Ready your breakfast and eat hearty, for tonight we dine in hell!
3) (to Arcadian King) You see, old friend? I brought more soldiers than you did.
4) (to Spartan soldiers) No retreat, no surrender, that is Spartan law. And by Spartan law we will stand and fight and die
5) (to Spartan soldiers) Prepare for glory!
6) (to Queen Gorgo) It will take more than a drunken adolescent girl's words to rob me of my desire for you.

And a power scene... (Spartans meet Arcadian soldiers)

The 300 Spartans come across an army of Arcadians on their way to the hot gates.

“Noisy Arcadians greet us with noisy complaints,” thought King Leonidas.

Arcadian troops muttered things like “can’t be more than a few hundred of them” and “we were told Sparta was on the warpath. Is this some sort of a joke?”.

The Arcadian King said to King Leonidas, “We expected Sparta’s commitment to at least match our own!”.

“Doesn’t It?”, King Leonidas responded and points to an Arcadian, asking, “You there, What is your profession?”, to which the Arcadian responds “I am a potter, sir.”. Pointing to another he asks the same question again, and gets the response “I am a sculptor, sir”. And as he points to more, he gets responses of “A Blacksmith” and “A Baker” and so on.

Finally he turns to his troops and says “Spartans, what is your profession?”

All the troops hold up their spears proudly in the air and yell something that sounds like "AOOO!! AOOO!"

He turns back to the Arcadian general and says “You see, old friend? I brought more soldiers than you did.”

Comic to movie comparison
And finally... see how well they did in bringing the comic to the screen... impressive!

Messenger Arrives in Sparta

To the cliffs!

Xerxes

Chinese New Year at Jumbo (Kingdom) Floating Restaurant

I had the chance to try Stanley Ho's floating restaurant in Manila Bay. Nothing really exceptional with the food but the price (between 500 to 4000 per head). Even the 'floating' part didn't change much of the experience because it was connected to land by bridge... in Aberdeen Harbor, Hong Kong you had to ride a boat to go to this restaurant so you really get to feel the waves even just for a short time. This one felt more like a building with water around it than a building floating freely on water.

This floating restaurant was brought here in 2000, all the way from HK using tugboats. The interiors carry a Chinese imperial theme while outside it's a light show with thousands of bulbs and huge neon signs. There's a good level of attention placed on details, making it a nice place to take photos...

Escorting UP Portia Sorority's Lady President

It has been a long time since I accompanied someone in a formal event like the annual UP Portia Sorority Ball. I went there with their outgoing Lady President Anna (who's also my college barkada/classmate) and the ball was held in C3 Events and Resto (Missouri Street, Greenhills). The place was nice, plenty of white walls, glass and wood accents, a minimalist setup to help direct attention to the hosts, people and (of course) food of the event.

I was supposed to look funny because that morning I saw my coat sewn with new screaming gold buttons (I am not a hotel attendant!). I had them changed to plain black. I also came to Anna's house about an hour early, thinking that I will spend time in traffic and getting lost... hehehe she wasn't even home yet by the time I arrived.

At C3 I was focused on the food but couldn't remember what I ate (it was all good except for the soup which tasted like seaweed). After that, we listened to talks from one of their former Lady Presidents (LP), and then Anna's endless thank-you's as outgoing LP, and some words from the incoming LP. There were also oathtakings and recitation of their sorority code. I wanted to get a second serving of dinner through these but it seems nobody else was doing it. FINE!

There was a portion where the whole sorority sang Anna's favorite song Seasons of Love as a parting gift. A video was shown on screen with some funny and embarrassing pictures and short video clips of her. It was a great video, but the whole performance had to repeat twice because the computer kept hanging at a particular point (Anna was sleeping in the picture and they cracked a joke that the fetal position was her favorite sleeping position)... so they just sang a capella and then replayed the video separately at the end so that they get to see the rest of the funny stuff. Future Portia LP's should be very cautious about cameras, take my advice!

Oh and by the way, their Bb. Pilipinas Universe member was also there (Licaros). Brains, beauty and a towering reputation -- she was all in one, Portian to the next level. I had a photo with her (still looking for the camera owner).

We spent the last hour of the day to meet our college friends at a nearby UCC coffee shop. We looked normal by that time already.

DETOX BREAK!

My long vacation leave starts officially on March 7th and ends on the 30th.

The best part of it: I got no solid plans!!! This long break is for me to get physical and mental rest.

I was diagnosed with "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" a few months back and I am not sure if this is just the doctor exaggerating my condition, but I'm positive that this will be the best period to flush out all the bad stuff that accumulated from prolonged periods of stress in the past year. Every doctor told me the same thing and I got the message -- get rest!

This will also be a good chance for me to explore new hobbies. I'm sure there are better things to do than spend my weekends and weeknights on food and movies. I am looking right now into topics under photography, music, travel, sports -- I hope to become famous someday :)

Vacation means I'll also have more time to do my blogging. I get glued to the monitor and get some eyestrain when I write, but it's really fun being able to document my experiences and share them here in my personal blog. When I finish my 500th entry I will be printing this Blog into a Blook (a real book containing my blogs!).

Back to rest :)

Secret Waters in San Pablo, Laguna

I spent the last weekend of February '07 in a private resort near San Pablo (Barangay Pulot) to celebrate Auntie Tessie's birthday with the whole family. It was a 2 hour ride (I am not a fast driver by the way) and we reached the place slightly past noontime so we got really hungry from the road trip. By the time we got there, a great selection was already waiting for us -- Crispy Pata, Sinigang na Baboy, Max's Chicken, etc.

After that great meal I slept for about an hour, and then instead of going into the resort pool, we went out and drove for about a kilometer deep into the place to try out their not-so-hidden springs. The water can already be seen by the roadside, and we could see a crowd of about 50 people there. We walked upstream through the crowded areas until we found a more private spot (maybe it was too much trouble just to get there for a simple bath). The cold crystal-clear water was absolutely refreshing!


On the way back, we tried a second spot. It was private property, but thanks to the kind caretakers, our trespassing was not logged. There was a manmade structure on the stream which works like a mini-waterfall with an on/off switch. They just plug the drainpipes and we get our waterfalls... amazing! If you want to have an idea of the water flow feels like there, imagine the weight of 2.5 gallons (about half the standard tank size for water dispensers) of water per second falling directly on your head.

When we got back to the resort, we tried the pool for a bit, and then started to prepare for our long drive home. We took off around 6pm, stopped over at Rose, Sister of Grace for dinner (imitation of the one in Sta. Rosa?), and reached home around 10pm. Zzz....