Something about Baguio Trip

At the beginning of this year, when the temperature in the Philippines is cooler than normal (around 20 degrees celsius), I invited a couple of high school friends to join me for a weekend getaway in our very own summer capital - Baguio City. This trip, which we would like to call "a series of fortunate events" is the first out-of-town trip (and hopefully not the last) of the SFs camerographers.



From the onset of our journey, it seemed like our luck is on our side, when strangers provided unsolicited assistance at the most unexpected place and time. There was this guy who gave us a "tip" on the next available bus to Baguio after he overheard us discussing that we had to wait five hours for the next available trip. There was this lady from the bus who graciously transferred to another seat so we are seated within the same row. We also met this nice man from Baguio who ushered us to the correct bus stop, when we are tired from walking all over the city. And of course, our galante friend was with us who is nice enough to carry our baggage and who kept on buying street foods for us.
We left Manila around 1am, and was able to reach our destination few minutes shy of 6am. We stayed in a studio unit at Europa condominium, which cost around Php 2000 pesos per night. The unit is fully furnished, and is good for four people.



While waiting for our room to be ready, we checked the nearby tourist attraction near the condominium - Mines view park, and Good Shepherd. There is also a small mini-museum near the park where we saw several cordillera made products.





Once we are settled in, we then proceeded our Baguio tour.



Flowers are in bloom everywhere we go



The next day, we went to Baguio Cathedral and before going home, dropped by at Trinidad strawberry farm.



Cost per person (pasalubong is excluded) :
Transportation (Manila-Baguio-Manila): Php 1335.00
Accommodation (Php 2000 shared by 3: Php 667.00
Daily expense (food, transpo, & others): Php 800.00
Total: Php 2802

Something about the Floating Market

My first two days in Bangkok consists mostly of meeting and discussions with my SEA counterparts.  On our last day (where most our flight back home will be at the afternoon), it was decided to have some sort of "team building" activity.. at the floating market.

Our bus picked us up at around 7:30 am.  I had to wake up very early to pack my suitcase and for the last day or our breakfast buffet.  It'll take us around 2 hours to reach our destination.

Our first stop is at a coco product seller. Most of their products are similar with what we have in Manila, but what caught my attention is the coconut flower (which I have never seen before).  The fresh coconut juice tasted different with what I am accustomed to.  I find it nutty, whereas the coco juice at home is milder and sweeter.

  

The market caught me by surprise. I thought that it will just be stalls near the river, but it is more than that. It was bustling with tourists, vendors, shoppers. It was amazing!

      

   

I am very fortunate to have been invited to this trip, but I can help but think that next time I visit Bangkok, it will be for leisure

Something about my First Business Trip

A lot of first happened during my Bangkok trip

It was the first time I travelled alone internationally via our country’s flagship airline (and it’s free)
It was the first time a chauffeur is waiting solely for me
It was my first ever business trip (and I’m hoping it won’t be the last)

I am known to have some sort of panic attack when flying.  It all started during my Kota Kinabalu trip, where I felt a sudden drop while still on air, and further magnified to the Iloilo trip, where I spent an hour without any peace of mind due to a bad weather condition. When I found out that it will take me around three hours to reach Thailand, you can just imagine the anxiety I felt.

I was surprised on how comfortable our flight is.  The on-flight movie, the food served, and the newness of the experience deviate my attention to be bothered by the slight turbulence during the flight.  Yes, I still have my “Our Father” moment, and yes, there was a time where I was still scared, but not as much as I thought I would.

I reached Thailand around 1pm, and there was a chauffeur waiting for me. When I reached the hotel, I met a Filipina (from my hometown) who has been working there for around two months. My room, is magnificent.  It is how I imagined my dream room would be.  It’s all white - the bed, the linen, the desk, everything.  I was really happy.

I spent the afternoon taking a stroll at Si Lom, which is the CBD of Thailand.  It is quite similar to Ayala in Philippines and I was surprise how prevalent 7-11 in the city.  I was aiming to buy my pasalubong on my first day, but since I am not thoroughly prepared in this trip and I was kind of scared roaming around a city that I am not familiar with at night time, I decided to go back to the hotel to relax and prepare for my big day the next day.

 

The next few days passed slowly, consists of meetings and discussions with my colleagues.  But of course, despite this trip is made primarily because of work it didn’t inhibit us to have fun a little (photos at floating market will be separately posted)

Something about Buruwisan Falls

Due to the impending structure change at my work, one of the two teams I handle will be transferred to a different manager to promote a more efficient structure.  As of the moment, I handle two different data sets that are from different time zones.  Few months ago, upper management decided to transfer my EST team to another team lead who also handles a group of analysts within that same shift.

Because of this, my team decided to plan an adventure trip that will serve as a farewell activity to our small group.  It was a good thing that one of my colleagues is from Siniloan (Laguna), and his house is near the gateway to Buruwisan Falls.

Buruwisan Falls is located in Mt. Romelo (Siniloan, Laguna), and it is one of the five falls of Sierra Madre Mountain Range. My colleague mentioned that the trail to the falls is not that difficult and that his mom successfully completed the hike without any major fuss.  With a collective hiking/trekking experience relative to none, we all felt that this must be the adventure we are looking for.   

Siniloan is a few hours away from Tanay, Rizal.  The initial plan was to take a shuttle from Shaw Boulevard to Tanay and from there, we’ll take a jeepney to Siniloan.  But since the team’s shift end at 6am, and mine around 12mn, we then decided to just meet up at Tanay.

From my dad, I learned that there are Tanay bound jeepneys near Sta. Lucia East in Cainta and this is where I started my journey.  As advised by the friendly guards from the mall, I took a Cainta Junction jeepney and from there, Tanay bound jeepneys are aplenty.

Day 1 of the adventure is consists of travel to Tanay, Laguna, and even to Real in Quezon, which is around 2 hours from Siniloan.  At the evening of our first day, we went to Exotica, a restaurant that offers exotic foods. (Photos are taken by Alissa Evangelista)

Fried frog - taste like chicken

Adobong Palaka (frog)

Sizzling Eel - Aldrin's favorite

Canada Team with Aldrin and Jomar

On the day of the trek, we woke up around 5am but journey to the falls started at 7am.  We were expecting that it would be a easy hike to the falls, but to no avail, it was a challenge for all of us.  It was a test of balance, patience, and will power.  I almost gave up, good thing I didn’t because the view was amazing.  

It took us three hours to reach the falls, and 2.5 hours to return to the base.

Photos below are taken by my colleague, Alissa Evangelista

Quick bite before ascend

Lake at the base of the Mt. Romelo

Trail

Hike Up

Tired but still excited

With our tour guide (two kids in the middle)

Rest

Buruwisan Falls

Canada Team at Buruwisan Falls

Canada Team at peak

All of Us

Something about going back to Puerto Princesa...

Palawan is my favorite place in the Philippines.  I was enchanted by the island during the first time I set foot on Puerto Princesa on September of 2008 with my office mates.

Puerto Princesa is known for the Palawan subterranean river national park, which is a couple of hours drive from the City.  But what I remember most about the trip is the colorful sea life that inspired me to learn how to swim.  I used to be terrified when my feet is unable to touch the sea floor but seeing the corals and fishes while snorkeling made me feel that I am at a very special place and that I was supposed to be there to witness the beauty of our marine life.

From then on, I know that Palawan will always have a very special place in my heart and that it will be one of the places in the Philippines that I will never get tired visiting.  True enough, one year after I visited Coron (which is more beautiful that I expected) and since then, I’ve been dreaming to see El Nido. 

For now, I went back to Puerto Princesa, and fell in love all over again.  Here are some of the photos I took last May 5 to 7, 2012.

On our way to our second Island

Tamilok - shipworm that tastes like oyster

Small walk to Underground River Port

Gateway

Rock formation

Rock formation - Holy Family

Rock Formation - Puso ng Saging

Rock Formation - Looks like Jesus

Bird or Bat?