Archive for the ‘vacations’ Category

  • 04 Dec

    Posted by
    ven


    Category

    10 Things You Need to Know When Going to Baguio

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    1. Ukay-ukay is great not on session road, but at the area behind Burnham Park (it’s the road where Hotel Veniz is – not abanao..I’m still looking for the st name..). The building though can be a bit freaky(especially the flooring! it’s made of wood and looks pretty worn). Haggle if you can, but know when you need to back off.  If you’re into Spanish brands, there’s a lot of Zara & Mango clothing available – you just have to look. closer. dig. deeper.

    2. The Fog will come to your place of destination at unexpected times. We were on our way back to the city from Lexber Condotel (that’s around 9 kms from the city) and voila, fog on the road. Take it slow. Fog lamps won’t work during daytime.

    3. The Best Ube is from the Pink Sisters of Good Shepherd (near Mines View Park). Brand is Mountain Maid. It’s a bit expensive than the stuff they sell on the streets or the souvenir shops, but I assure you it’s da best!!! Most Ube Jams have too much flour in it, except this one – you just have to pay more. You can also buy Peanut Butter, Cashew Brittle, Peanut Brittle & Lengua from this place. Swear. You will not regret it and if you feel guilty for spending so much money on food, think about this: everytime you buy from them, you’re helping send kids (who help make them) to college.  Helping + food = I feel good!


    4. Insects are huge!!!! Depends where you’re staying. We stayed far from the city noise and lights so we were able to encounter black ants the size of 25c coins, and grasshoppers that were literally half my foot. And cute little moths in different colors.

    5. Do not wear the bonnet with the baguio sign. Especially if you’re going to the Ukays. It’s a dead give away that you’re a tourist – and it’s so not fasyon!!! gaad!!

    6. Wear Comfortable Shoes. You have to do a lot of walking in Baguio so give your feet a chance to survive your vacation.

    7. There had been a few re-routings in the city so be prepared to read the signs (and probably get lost!) because some roads are one-way, while some are closed. There’s also Number Coding in the city (get your pass from the city government to be exempted). Also, Kennon road is shorter, has a Lion’s head along the way for photo op, but has steeper zig zags, while Marcos Highway is longer, but has more buses.

    8. Looking for wood carvings? Drop by the Wood Carver’s area (near Naguilian Area, specifically Asin Road) where you can get wood carvings at a ridiculously low price compared to the ones selling in Mines View or any other souvenir shop in the city. They’re really friendly there too:)

    9. The best time to go: February (flower festival), but also the worst time to book since most hotels are fully booked (so book in advance…like waaay in advance). Clarification: I haven’t been to the flower festival but the information stated is from a baguio native who happens to be my boyprens.

    10. If you were here 5-10 years ago…I’m sorry to burst your bubble but it’s not the same :( sadly, I felt like I was in Manila – only cooler. The city was bustling with life, everyone was on the streets, it felt so overpopulated(perhaps the influx of tourists contributed), traffic was crazy, prices have become high, and… SM is the place to be. We go to Baguio not to experience the city, but to see the mountains, and tragically, a lot of the mountains in Baguio are already occupied by humans. This place needs Urban Planning ora mismo!

    Last weekend, we passed by Mines View and saw Venetian Masks for sale in one of the stalls selling for P1,500. Couldn’t take pictures (the ale said so), but they were gorgeous!!!! Export Quality. Was thinking of buying one to put in my room but postponed the purchase for my next trip, and economic recession, hello.

    I won’t pretend to be an authority on Baguio, but I hope you pick up a few tips from the list. If you don’t agree on any item, please, voice it out. If you’ve been to Baguio, what other things do people need to know about the place before going there? Any Suggestions? Leave your comments:)

    thumbnail images c/o sxc.hu
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  • 06 Apr

    Posted by
    ven


    Category

    holy week 2008

    0

    Like the years before, my dad always makes sure we’re all together, face to face, elbow to elbow every holy week (well we really have no choice because we’re still living in his house hehe!)

     

    Day 1: Kneeboarding at CWC

    kneeboarding at cwc

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    I like the idea of doing sports – I’ve tried tennis (ugh, my arms aren’t that strong to hit the tennis ball), I’ve tried swimming (the water’s freezing at 6 am!!), I’ve tried volleyball (let’s just say my hands are not made to hit any kind of ball), and I’ve tried track and field (this one I liked but wasn’t able to pursue), but I’m not really successful so imagine my surprise when I was able to do a couple of rounds of kneeboarding at CWC’s AMAZING cable wake park oh-so-easily!

    The day after, I was sore from the kneeboarding (it can give quite a pull on your arms), and well, I was….. dark as night.

    Wakeboarding/kneeboarding/ski etc costs around Php600+ for the whole day(830 am till 5 pm), around Php120 per hour (if you just want to try it out) and they already provide all the equipment you need + a 5 minute talk from the instructor.

    TIPS

    • when going there during the peak season (holy week, long weekends), make sure to reserve as early as possible. Last Good friday, they ran out of equipment to rent out as early as 8:30 am (and that’s the time the park opens!!)
    • bring a mirror scope camera so you can check out the HOTTIES on their boards.PROMISE. ang gwagwapo. at ang gaganda. pangromansang katawan pa!
    • wifi is available, so you can bring your laptop, if you have to. but c’mon, who needs it when you have all the hot guys/girls running half naked? ehehe.

    Day 2: Cagsawa Ruins

    Mayon Volcano

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    That’s Mayon Volcano for you at around 9-10 am on a Maundy Thursday (apparently, you have to be there waaay early to see the whole mountain.. but it’s okay, at least we got to see the peak)

    santos family at mayon

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Mi familia!!

     

    with my dad at the bell tower of the church

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    My father. Everyday kaming magkasama so everyday din kaming nagbabangayan haha. Our day ain’t complete without a bickering session.

    camera trick daw

    The kids at Cagsawa Ruins are pretty good at taking photos, you don’t have to pay for their services but it would be gracious of you to buy a printed photo of Mayon from them. They also act as guides to most tourists.

    Day 3 & 4: Butanding Watching/Firefly Watching at Donsol!

    This is probably the most-awaited day of alllllllll!!! I’ve been bugging my dad to take us to Donsol since last last year and go whale-watching and after a lot of cajoling, he finally relented (helps too that he bought an alterra to fit all our luggage!)

    But first – just a few sunset shots? I like the colors of donsol :)

    donsol-sunset2

    Photo above was taken at almost 6 pm. We were waiting for our ride to the river for the firefly watching. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take pictures of the fireflies – it was just too dark. If you’re going to donsol, don’t miss it. It costs around P1250 a group, have it scheduled at your resort or drop off by the Tourism Center near Vuiton (err not sure about the spelling) resort. May I just say that the gentlemen and ladies at the Tourism Center were very accommodating! We had ours scheduled at Woodland Resort. Around 6 pm, you’ll be riding a motor boat to the river (around 30 minutes) along with a guide who’ll be watching out along the looong river for the “firefly hives”. The water’s not choppy except when you reach the part where the river meets the sea.

    donsol-sunset2

    Couldn’t resist :)

    What can I say about the firefly watching experience? I wish I could have stayed longer staring at them.. those insects were just amazing…wish we had those in Manila (it was a bit painful on the neck though).

    The next day, we woke up early to meet our guide and start with our whale watching experience. While having breakfast, a family who was staying at the same resort told us they only had 2 sightings the other day. THAT’s SAD. You have 3 hours to scour the seas of donsol for a whale shark so that means for every 1 hour and half, they only saw 1.

    We felt a bit apprehensive, but I guess luck was on our side (not just luck, but the almighty GOD) because we had around 10+ sightings that day :)

    butanding1

    I was editing it and it turned purple. That’s the head.

    butanding2

    Gills, left side of the body.

    butanding3

    Right side of the body, with his friends hehe.

    It was pretty difficult to take photos of the whale shark, I didn’t take any really (it was more of my brothers).

    Why?

    Because the whole time I was screaming underwater. I think I was crying too.

    It was incredible. I could use up all the synonyms of the words incredible, amazing, wonderful and it would still not be able to describe the feeling of swimming with the whale sharks. It was humbling – imagine a creature so enormous – who could potentially suck up my head in its huge mouth – and yet was very gentle, a bit friendly actually, and to think, I was in its territory. We are very blessed to have experienced this, and what can I say? God is GREAT.

    butanding4

    Our tour guide (whose name I’m still trying to recall), told us there are already 160 whale sharks (and hopefully growing). They are very protective of these gentle giants and there had been only 1 reported case of whale shark killing (he’s still in jail). I guess when your town isn’t as developed as the other towns in Bicol, you’d really protect your livelihood (season starts November – May, after that the butandings disappear and according to the brochure I got from the tourism department, they still have yet to find out where they actually disappear TO).

    • If you’re going there, make sure to bring your fins, snorkeling gear, sunblock etc (unless you want to rent the whole set for P300).
    • When your guide says dive.. bygolly DIVE! or else you won’t be seeing the whale shark. You have to be able to swim fast too, but if you have a guide like ours who pulled me all throughout my 3 dives (it was tiring, promise), you won’t have any problems :)
    • Follow your guide. You aren’t allowed to touch the whale shark by the way.
    • According to the waitress at shoreline where we had lunch, a couple of guides have a trick up their sleeves to make the whale shark rise to the surface (sometimes they can go really deep, all you see are polka dots) -> by rubbing their tummies. Something you’d do to your dog. I find it cute!

    Next year I plan to go back to Donsol and stay there a bit longer. Hopefully they have Wifi in the area by that time so I can actually go diving in the morning and work in the afternoon.

    and that’s how I spent my holy week :)