Fun Ranch, Tiendesitas

Just took an evening side trip to Tiendesitas and saw this nice huge playground for kids. I wish I could be 5 again ...

It was already past 11 and the kids were out. No nightlife for them...

OK. I'm glad I'm not five anymore.

Balagbag Falls (Real, Quezon)

I haven't run out of nice places to try out -- last time I went to Famy/Siniloan (Buruwisan Falls) we were supposed to go this next spot which was about 45kms away, but my friend's car had to be back home the same day so it didn't push through. This is a long story so if you want to go to the nice pictures just scroll down.

I got another few days off from work and decided to drive there and stay overnight fearing I might not have enough energy to drive home 100+ kilometers the same day. Instead of the Antipolo route going to Famy, we took the south expressway route and then the southern edge of Laguna lake passing through Los Banos, Sta. Cruz, and Pagsanjan. It's not as scenic but it got us to Famy within reasonable time.

It was almost 6pm when we reached Famy so we had to decide on whether or not to cross the mountains to reach Quezon at night. We called up a resort owner to check if the road conditions are good and safe. They said it was fine so we took it on.

The drive from Famy to Real was a 40+ kilometer stretch, a very long, dark and almost 40% zigzagged path with plenty of almost hairpin turns and hundreds of road warning signs (like "falling rocks ahead"...OK!). I felt comfortable only at times when we would see locals walking or some houses with lights on along the way. We reached the eastern edge of Luzon about 1.5 hours later -- Real, Quezon.

We took Ocean Blue resort which was a bit pricey (2K at the time of our visit) maybe because it was holy week, though it offered a swimming pool and airconditioned room, and some discount. I'm not sure if there are resorts that offer similar stuff in the area, but since we weren't familiar, I just had to pick this. The info came from another blog that I went through so I assumed it was safe enough to stay here.

We didn't have TV in the room so aside from the pool, we went out and crossed the street to buy snacks in the sari-sari store just in front of the resort. The store owners were so nice to entertain us and give advice on what to do while we were there (Aida and her husband who fondly calls himself as the guy with just one leg) and also told us of a nearby restaurant owned by her sister (Merly's).

We tried Merly's for dinner. It was a videoke restaurant, and we sampled out anything that we could -- blue marlin, clam soup, bbq chicken and a lot of rice... all nice stuff to feed hungry stomachs. Roger (Merly's husband) sat with us and we talked about a lot of stuff while waiting and eating (from cameras, boats, nice travel spots, to business, etc... boy I was surprised by the richness of this man's experience). Later we were also joined by her daughter and her friend, and we continued on talking about so many things until late in the evening. They also invited us to join them next morning in Baluti Island (another white sand beach in the Real area accessible by boat). Just an added note... They have rooms for rent at a very good price (just drop me a note if you want contact details).

After dinner, we went back to Ocean Blue and got our much needed rest.

My sleep was cut short by a nightmare (I won't talk about this anymore). I got up at 5:30, maybe waited until 7:30 to feel really awake. I spent a few minutes outside to have a look at the beach at sunrise (left). The waves were quite strong (first photo at the top of this blog) but some were still brave enough to swim in the area.

We went around to search for restaurants within a few kilometers radius, but ended up again at Merly's. We got ham, hotdogs, cream soup with macaroni, bread and coffee... wonderful breakfast :) Sad to say we couldn't join the Baluti Island that morning because we had to leave early in the afternoon.

We got back and left our car at Ocean Blue, then got a tricycle which charged us with tourist rates... 150 pesos because of the very rough roads leading to the falls that they have to go through. Still, not bad if you start to think of the cost of vulcanizing for your car's tires. There's another 10 pesos entrance fee for the caretakers of the area. Also, at that entrance area, there's just another road beside it that leads to another waterfalls (Lunok Falls, harder to access because it requires a 1km trek).

Just 5 minutes of walking and we got to the front of the lower basin of the beautiful Balagbag falls.

There were just too many people in the lower area so we decided to climb to the higher basin. Up there it was more quiet and beautiful. I saw some people climbing this section halfway up.

Blablablablabla... and then back to Manila.

Egg Cooking in Ultra-hot Springs (Manito, Albay)

[Bicol Trip Day 4-5]

We finished our whaleshark adventure early in Donsol so we thought of utilizing the remaining hours of the day to take a look at one final spot on the northeastern side of Albay -- Manito. The tourist spot market there is Balubagon Boiling Caves. It's supposed to be an area where you can see geysers shooting up steam from the ground. This is the last leg of our Bicol trip.

We started driving around 4:30pm and it was not so sunny anymore.

For me, this was the most scenic among the routes that we took in the Bicol area. It was the rockiest route for our whole Bicol trip, because plenty of landslides have destroyed some sections of the secondary roads there. About 10kms away from the central area of Manito, there's an excellent view of the mountainside, Poliqui Bay and Mayon Volcano. As we got closer to Manito, the road conditions were still getting worse (we tried to ask a government vehicle there what was going on and they said there was some project ongoing to fix the roads there), we also met a local couple riding a motorcycle on their way home. He told us that it wasn't a good time to go there because it was getting dark already. He was nice enough to guide us back down from the mountains, and offered to take us around the Balubagon area the next morning. This guy also mentioned that the water's heat there is enough to cook eggs, so we passed by some grocery to buy fresh eggs for testing.

We went back to Legaspi to find a place to sleep for the night (Reynaldo's, Washington Drive, Legaspi City). We went up again the next morning through the very rough roads and found our local guide waiting along the road (brothers Teddy/Jimmy Avion, I got their contact details).

After about 7-10 kilometers of driving we pulled in another young boy in the area to guide us to the geysers. It was another short drive, bypassing the Manito seaport (you can go to Romblon from here) and ending in a small spring where a few people washed their clothes and took the kids for a bath (that water was cold). Maybe they brought us to another spot. We didn't see any caves, just a spring, and a lake formation beside it.

On this small lake we could see steam rising from the water. I was expecting something different like steam erupting from the ground, but there was none, except for a few small holes in the ground with either steam rising gently (you can also hear the bubbly sound of water deep from these holes) or water boiling at the surface... anyway, the water was still too hot it burns the skin.

The water formation as we walked further down was wonderful, surrounded by plenty of greens in spite of the extreme heat we felt from both the ground and the sun. There wasn't much to do here so we started our mad-scientist experiment. We brought out a couple of eggs and dipped them into the bubbling waters (they didn't look clean so we wrapped the eggs in cloth and tied them with dry branches). In less than 10 minutes, we got our hard-boiled eggs!

We brought in some more food for our breakfast... ate these geyser-cooked eggs, and nothing more. I know this whole idea of bringing up eggs all the way up to this nasty mountain to cook them is crazy, but we had fun anyway :)

Whalesharks: World's Largest Fish (Donsol, Sorsogon)

[Bicol Trip - Day 3 (and a half of Day 4), Part 3 of 3]

We arrived in the resort areas of Donsol at around 8 in the evening. The one the locals recommended was Woodland resort, but at that time an ambassador was there so it was closed out for security. The place we chose instead was Casa Bianca, one of the few that had cement buildings, good airconditioning and a balcony about the size of a badminton court.

We couldn't get a look at the beach again since it was late, so we just spent the evening arranging our trip to the middle of the sea. DOT had taken some control over the area so we found the prices to be consistent across offers. Luckily we were there way before holy week so we didn't run into a shortage of boats to rent. The local government only allows a limited number of tourist trips per season and there are local coastguards monitoring them, such that the ecosystem impact in that fish area becomes negligible.

Next morning we got up early and got into our boat. The seas were calm, and just about 15 minutes from the shore we could already their so-called Butanding (whaleshark), world's largest fish. I had difficulty taking photos from above the water because the sun's reflection was already too bright. We had to shut off our engines whenever we came close so that we wouldn't disturb or scare away the whalesharks. From above the water, they were superHUGE -- almost the size of our boat, maybe at least 5 meters long and over a meter wide. We saw a few more... and then blablabla it started to feel like watching aquarium channel.

The next part was even better. We rented some flippers, life vests, and snorkel gear earlier. This time we were going to jump into the water to swim with it and have a really close look. Sorry, no great fish photos from here. I couldn't take anything from google images because most are rare shots and copyrighted content (just look there yourself).

We found whaleshark model #1 ... it was moving slowly towards us from one side of the boat... by this time we were already seated at the edge with all the swimming gear on, ready and just waiting for the boatman's signal for us to jump.

"Jump!" he yelled, and we got into the water then followed our guide (the current was quite strong) to get closer to the fish. He pointed down at some point, and we started to look face down. I was immediately shocked with what I saw -- the front of the fish with its huge mouth going in my direction. Jaws!!! I recalled, then I totally forgot about my snorkel device and I scrambled up for air! I dipped my head down a second time, now I could see the body of this fish... big black skin with a grid of white dots. Looks good for a blanket design, but this species of fish is endangered, so no hunting of these, hehe. A few seconds later its tail seemed to be approaching my way again, so I tried to stay aside just at the right distance to touch the tail, but my goggle vision didn't seem right (it was farther than I thought) so I missed it.

We got back up after that, and searched around again for another one. This time I was disappointed because my flipper and goggles got out of place when I jumped into the water. I went for the flipper and lost the goggles. Just borrowed another one instead.

We dipped with a third one, and then just went around the area to look for more and take photos from above the water. We got some, but underwater shots would really have been the best ones. Too bad we didn't have any waterproof cases with us.

We had the engine turned off somewhere in the middle of the sea to have some snacks, then looked for about 5 to 10 more of these fishes, and went back to our island.

It was a great and unique experience! We have already driven 900+ kilometers south from Manila to get here, and the encounter with these large fishes was definitely worth it.

For more information and photos about whaleshark and its species conservation please visit www.ecocean.org and www.whaleshark.org

Cute Bread (Donsol, Sorsogon)

[Bicol Trip - Day 3, Part 2 of 3]

After Busay falls, we headed straight to Donsol in Sorsogon where we could get to see their 'largest fish in the world' called Butanding (whaleshark).

We made a quick stop somewhere (less than 5km away from the resorts I think) to ask for directions and saw this little panaderia with bread in interesting shapes...

Crayfish and Alligator

Squid

Turtles

Pigs

Crabs

Busay Falls (Malilipot, Albay)

[Bicol Trip - Day 3, Part 1 of 3]

After Sogod, we drove back up north to Malilipot, Albay to find the famous Busay falls. We almost missed the marker from the national highway that was supposed to be the start of the Busay falls trail.

From the marker, we went through a narrow rocky road that goes through a small town there with plenty of straw (or was it abaca?) hanging on the fences. There's just one left turn that we made and after that road it's all grass, soil and trees. By the way, this is not the "Getting There" section. Buy a map, go to Malilipot, ask the locals and you'll get there the same way as we did.

We just followed the brownish trails, crossing some bridges until we ran out of road. In some areas we had to set the stones to make the path passable. We were able to cross the first few bridges on the way because they weren't heavily damaged yet, but this last one made us give up our ride.

We were lucky to find out that this broken bridge was just near the entrance to the falls. We left the vehicle before the bridge and walked on. It took us less than 3 minutes to pay the entrance fee (to their caretakers), walk some rocky path and get into the falls. We were finally there.

It's good that we went to Busay before holy week. There are just a few people in the area so we were able to get really close to the falls and enjoy the water there. It's slightly difficult to swim in the area where the water falls (somewhat drowning), we could only stand at the rocky area beside it or swim around it.

Compared to the other 'swimmable' falls that I've tried so far, this one is stronger. The water is very clear in shallow areas, but Lanzones Falls is much clearer because of its less soily (more rocky) area. Busay is more accessible though, making it prone to tourist trash -- keep this waterfalls clean. Leave no trace. Oh, and just an added bonus, I heard this is the first of about 7 waterfalls in the area. Too bad we weren't prepared for it.

Sogod Beach (Bacacay, Albay)

[Bicol Trip - Day 2 (and a little of Day 3), Part 3 of 3]

After leaving Mayon, we did our usual late night drive this time to Bacacay. The Albay tourism website says there's plenty of black sand beaches (from erosion of volcanic rocks) here. We didn't have any idea it was black, only the word "beach" got our attention. Again it was already very dark so we won't see it until the morning.

We got lost in the area for about 10-15 minutes, passing through more drunk locals (one of them was peeing while giving us directions) and uninhabited sections of the road. When we reached the central area of Bacacay, we inquired at a hotel named Casa Eugenia and had dinner there. The rates were quite high for our pockets so we decided to drive closer to the coastline.

We got lost again for another 10-15 minutes looking for Sogod. Some bridges were under construction in the area so we must have missed a turn somewhere. We were lucky there was a tour guide trailing behind us in one of the local rent-a-vans. He figured we were lost in the area. We stopped in the middle of the road and he offered help (being paranoid, I thought this guy was a kidnapper). He guided us through some small roads until we reached fenced property, and the only thing that comforted me was that there were ladies inside the van who looked like tourists (sorry for the trouble). The guide woke up the owner and got us a place to stay for the night. It had two airconditioned rooms supposedly, but the second room's aircon is just an exhaust fan from the first airconditioned room (it felt strange... being cooled from an exhaust).

ZZZZZzzzzzz.....

The place turned out to be a nice one (Viento de Mar) when daylight came. Green fields, small huts, hammocks, and some houses which appeared like they came from fairy tale books. There's also a good view of Mayon from here (so this place must be popular right?). It's wonderful waking up to see all these nice things around :)

We didn't go to the beach area anymore because this place was so relaxing we stayed here until lunchtime. When we left this area we had a peek at the waters from our vehicle... super blue and wonderful as usual. If anyone gets to see the sand there, let me know... I want to see how black the sand is there, and if it stains clothes like charcoal.

Mayon Volcano and Resthouse (Tabaco, Albay)

[Bicol Trip - Day 2, Part 2 of 3]
It was already past 6pm when we decided not to stay for the night in Sagnay. The resort (Nato) where we parked our car at had no lights except for those inside their cottages. There was barely anything to do there after coming back from Atulayan Island so the boring hours had to be used in some other way. We started another long drive -- to Mayon Volcano.

In less than 2 hours we were already at the base of Mayon (about 8pm). I have never seen this volcano up close, and all we could see at this time was a dim silhouette of it cast by moonlight. Mayon was exaggeratingly huge and eerie from where we stood. The slopes looked steep and everywhere it was grass and a narrow road again, just like what we experienced in our trip to the haunted resthouse in Consocep in Tigaon.

According to online texts, it's a 9km ride up the mountain, there are no signs on some junctions (at least 3 of them) so it's better to ask people way before you get there. The resthouse is about 2700ft above sea level and we were expecting plenty of tourists who probably came there before sunset (we didn't see cars on the road at this time), but it was ghost town again. I'm not sure if it's because of the eruption + typhoon again, but the place seems to be in good order. The establishment was there, but all the lights and doors were closed (they don't have a lights off rule at 10pm right?). I wanted to take a picture of this place but it was very dark and isolated (at this point I remembered all the seemingly abandoned houses along the way) -- I didn't want to end up in the next day's headlines, so we went back down and headed for our next stop: Sogod Beach (Bacacay, Albay). Oh, we also happened to pass by Dhio Endeka on the way down. It's supposed to be a popular springwater resort, but when we went there it also looked abandoned at this time. Tsk tsk tsk...

(fast forward... on the last day of our Bicol trip)

We had a better view of Mayon Volcano on our way home from different angles, from the northeastern to southeastern side (Tiwi, Malinao, Tabaco, Malilipot, Bacacay, Legaspi, Daraga, Manito)... The most scenic view for me is from Manito, where you can see the mountainside, Poliqui Bay and coastline, and the volcano itself (left). The common view is along Legaspi (below), while the more popular one that you see in postcards is in Cagsawa (we didn't go through this area anymore).

Somewhere in Bigaa (Legaspi City) we also found huge volcanic rocks and very black roadsides, I think this is one of the areas most heavily damaged by Mayon eruption + Typhoon Reming. I was amazed to see how far the rocks got here all the way from Mayon. Here I witnessed the very very very immense amount of power and damage natural events like this can do.

Last snap... Mayon before sunset :) Beautiful volcano.

Atulayan Island (Sagnay, Camarines Sur)

[Bicol Trip - Day 2, Part 1 of 3]

After our stay in Pier One 39 we headed off the next morning to Joroan (Tiwi, Albay) to find some natural springs. We used the coastal road (this is in the eastern edge that runs through the contours of Atulayan Bay) and after about half an hour of driving we reached a high point and could already see Atulayan Island. It didn't look interesting until we zoomed in using our cameras -- white sands!!!

We stopped and decided to drive back to Sagnay that same morning to check out nearby resorts where we could park our vehicle and find some boat to rent to have a look at this island. We found Nato resort (less than a kilometer from Pier One 39) and got a much cheaper price for the boat (P700). They also had rooms there but we didn't rent them thinking that we'll probably hop on to our next destination when we come back later that afternoon.

The trip on water was about half an hour by motorized boat. It was too late when we saw that it had no roof, but we were lucky the sun's heat wasn't that bad at that time. The beautiful long stretch of mountains on one side (where we were driving earlier that morning and saw the island) took our attention for most of the ride and the clear waters seemed very inviting. There were no establishments in the area but they have set up some huts (good for about 8 people) where we could find shade and a large table to hold enough dishes for our monster appetites.

We bought our food from a fisherman right in the middle of the sea, a fish called Matambakol (?). We got three of these big fishes, they were about the size of a 6-foot guy's arm and we had each them cooked by the locals in different ways -- grilled, fried and sinigang. This is super fresh fish -- cooked just about 30 minutes from the time they were caught. The downside: we were eating all fish and rice and nothing else... too much fish!!! The effect was more powerful than mouthwash, we had fish breath until the next morning

After our fish meal we tried the water. The sands were fine, but there were plenty of crushed corals around the area so it wasn't easy to go around barefooted. I tried to gargle with the seawater to wash off the fish smell, but I forgot it wasn't my usual springwater anymore (been drinking too much mountain water lately) so I vigorously expelled all the water back to where it belonged.

We stayed about 2 hours more in the area to rest and talk about what to do next. There was nothing else here except for the beach, our fish, a pig, a rooster, and a family of locals so it wasn't long before we wanted to leave. Our boatman patiently waited by the shore until he heard our golden words "balik na tayo" (let's go back). It was almost sunset so the scenery on our ride back looked more dramatic.

We had more drama on our way back... we asked our boatman earlier to bring us to the middle of the sea to buy our fresh fish lunch. About 200 meters from the our destination we ran out of fuel and we didn't know what exactly would happen next. Our boatman started paddling but it seemed like we weren't moving, so we tried to help him out. We thought paddling with our hands would work but the force was only enough to move a kayak. We brought some kickboards with us and used it instead (I just don't know if it helped in any way). We were supposed to call the boat owner (the boatman's father) to get his folks to pull us back to shore but couldn't find his number. The sun was out in a few minutes, and we were still on the water.

The boatman didn't stop paddling until a few minutes later we realized we were getting closer to the shore. By that time I was already faking my paddling of the kickboard but I kept it going (hehehe). We finally reached land, went back to the resort, changed our clothes and prepared for our initially planned destination for this leg: Tiwi, Albay.

Byebye Atulayan :) Nice Island.

WELL... we reached the Joroan area in Tiwi, had a look at their so-called hot springs, but didn't like the resort we saw after looking around (again, we would be the only people staying if ever). The mountain springs in the area are also dried up already. No beautiful water, so we set off for another spot -- Mayon Volcano (Tabaco, Albay).

Pier One 39 (Sagnay, Camarines Sur)

[Bicol Trip - Day 1 (and a little of Day 2), Part 4 of 4]

From Sabang we headed further south to Sagnay, Camarines Sur (actually the arc to the municipal entrance says "Sagňay"). My brother's friend suggested that we stay in a place called Pier One 39 there in the town of Santo Niňo. It was past midnight but we were lucky that there were still plenty of people around to ask so we got there easily.

The price was quite high (2,000 pesos/night for a cottage for 2) for a provincial area, it's really too much compared to what you can get from a Boracay resort for the same amount, on the other hand they had it developed to have a swimming pool, cottages, small huts near the water, volleyball and billiards. We were already too tired to search for another place and it was way past midnight so we had to take this one.

I still had plenty of things to complain about... 1) Karaoke is a major issue in resorts, they should turn it off by 10 so other guests can sleep. 2) Complimentary toiletries should be served right when the room is ready, they didn't do it until we asked for it. 3) There were 2 cockroaches in the bathroom. 4) There was no water from the faucet and shower at times. I would say they should have charged half the price, thanks to their trusty aircons.

The next morning, we took a short dip at the beach (Nato Beach). The waves were moderate, and we were able to keep balance to some extent on shallow waters. It was quite peaceful because there were only few guests at that time, and the colored flags around the area were somewhat soothing to the eyes. Later we tried their pool which was supposedly chlorine free (the water came from the mountains). It was half full at that time so we were swimming in 3ft of water in a 6ft pool.

At the front entrance of the resort there's a nice view of the mighty Mt. Isarog (I think this is visible for most parts of the Camarines Sur area) from the fields. Last night we just went up 1,800 feet of of this mountain to Consocep and standing from this place shows just how much we drove up that mountain. I also tried to cross the fields to the other side to buy prepaid credits for my phone.

Before leaving we checked if we could get a boat to reach Atulayan Island. It was priced above 2,000 so we didn't go for it (come on, is this how much a boat ride costs?). Oh well, we left somewhat disappointed, maybe we were the wrong type of guests for this resort. For the owners... there's plenty of potential for this site, I just hope that you spend more time working on expectations of more seasonsed travelers.

Next Stop: Joroan (Tiwi, Albay)

Sabang Beach (San Jose, Camarines Sur)

[Bicol Trip - Day 1, Part 3 of 4]

After our scary drive to Consocep, we descended and headed east towards the coastal areas of San Jose, Camarines Sur. By this time it was already past 11pm and we were still driving along highways. There were still people on the road, we asked some locals for directions, some of them were drunk so we had to sprint off by the time we realized it to stay away from trouble (they smelled like Green Cross alcohol!).

An hour later, we finally found the beach areas of Sabang. We couldn't find any huge sign pointing to any resort so we asked some guy who was walking in the area. It was already walking distance from the shore so we knew we were in the right place, but looking around it seems like a sleeping town.

We followed the stranger as he walked while we followed him in our vehicle. He led us to some resort establishment which was under construction. The ground floor was half done but there were some rooms which were already furnished. We walked into the building and all the locals (I think some of them were construction workers) followed us in. I started to feel nervous because the area was very dimly lit and we left our only means of transport outside.

They woke up the manager (at that time I was thinking gang leader) and he turned on the lights adding some comfort to the ambiance. He showed us some small rooms but I told my uncle if we were the only ones sleeping there, it might not be a wise idea. Behind this building was the beach... we took a quick look and I couldn't tell if it was ok since everything was dark outside. After some small talk, we got a good price, but we left the place. By this time we were already very sleepy but there's no way we'll be staying here.

Too bad I wasn't able to take photos here because I kept watching the people around me. I don't even remember the resort's name. My brother called his friend to ask for other options, and we got Sagnay, Camarines Sur.

Consocep Resthouse (Tigaon, Camarines Sur)

[Bicol Trip - Day 1, Part 2 of 4]

WOW Philippines says this Consocep Resthouse in Mt. Isarog is at an elevation of 1,800 feet above sea level, around midway up that mountain. I don't know what's there and if it is the same thing as their mountain resort (where I later saw nice photos of Tumaguiti and Bulalacao Falls).

We drove to Tigaon, Camarines Sur and it's about 12 kilometers of roads going up from the point where you see the sign that leads to the resthouse. We were expecting tourist class level developments in the area but coming in at around 9pm it seems we ended up with long, dark and grassy roads. There were sections of road where we could not easily distinguish the road from the grass, making the vehicle trek a bit dangerous. Add to that, the only moving lights in the mountain were ours, making us an easy target for goons in the area.

We ran out of road and right in front of us was a trip of goats, maybe 10 to 15 of them. Beyond them was soil. We drove into it and found some road again until we saw this house about a kilometer more of driving. It had no lights on so we pointed our headlights at it. The windows were open so we can see what was there... It appeared like an abandoned house with all the furniture just scattered inside. The cold wind up there gave an awful haunting chill... anything could go wrong up here, I thought. I'm not sure if this was also damaged by the typhoons, but I'm sure I didn't want to stay up in a house up the mountain with no electricity at all.

We drove back less than a hundred meters and saw a couple who introduced themselves as caretakers of the resthouse (What the hell were they doing in this very very dark place?). They still offered the scary house for rest, but no thanks, this isn't my idea of adventure.

Lola Nida's and Lolo Ompo's (Calauag, Quezon)

[Bicol Trip - Day 1, Part 1 of 4]

This is our first stop on our way to Bicol. Somewhere near the milestone KM224 C3 at the national highway (Maharlika) we saw a restaurant called Lola Nida's. The location is very strategic because it's positioned at a spot where morning travelers from Manila would probably feel hungry for lunch (about 3-4 hours of leisurely driving along the highway).

The sign outside says they sell and serve shrimp and crabs, but at the time we came there, they only had shrimps and a couple of local dishes. Their Sinigang na Hipon was good... fresh shrimps and the greenest vegetables I've probably eaten, while the soup is a little mild for sour tongues. We also had calamares and chicken adobo with their brown rice (pulang bigas?)... not bad, and the price was very cheap.

Ambiance is very much provincial, nipa hut, bamboo, and open air dining. They also have TV where you can watch and get in touch with the local noontime shows... anyway, if you're looking for Jollibee, go to the next major city (if you can't take it -- just go back home!).

I tried to look for Lola Nida. There was a not-so-old lady there at the counter but she claimed to be the daughter. I shouldn't have asked her if she was Lola Nida (she looked shocked). She was nice to talk us into interesting spots in the Bicol region, using a big luzon road map mounted somewhere in her restaurant.

After lunch, we headed further south and saw another restaurant along the highway just a few kilometers away -- Lolo Ompo's (we tried this on our way back). They say the owner is Lola Nida's husband! Next question -- two restaurants... are they in good terms? hehehe

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