September to Remember: Manila to Iloilo City

September to Remember: Manila to Iloilo City

(c) Andrew

After my third bottle of beer I took my backpack, which is almost half of my size, and left our mini celebration to meet Andrew. We left Bataan at 3 in the morning and I dozed off the moment we got inside the bus and took our seats.

If you want to sleep easily during a long bus ride, drink beer or any alcoholic beverage.

It was still dark when Andrew woke me up telling me we were already in Cubao. Our bus almost flew us– it took us only two hours from Limay, Bataan to Cubao! We got off and took a bus to Pasay even though I was still groggy. The traffic was smooth and before we knew it we were already in Pasay Rotunda bus terminal. Luckily, there’s an available airport loop bus, which will take you to NAIA Terminal 3 at Php20 only.

We arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 before 7 AM and since we got there earlier than we expected, we decided to eat breakfast at McDonald’s and drink coffee. We took a lot of selfies to kill time.

Early stage of relationship. I know. That can’t-get-enough-of-each-other kind of thing but not R-18 or whatever.

After waiting for an hour we finally boarded and guess what? Kim Chiu is on the same flight with us. She’s wearing very large sun glasses and high heels.  I didn’t like the sound of her voice but she looked ok.

Even though there was a Zika virus case in Iloilo, most of the seats in our flight were occupied. Walang makakapigil sa amin. But to be safe we brought two medium-sized bottles of off lotion. Segurista lang.  

Our trip took an hour and we arrived at Iloilo International Airport 15 minutes earlier than our ETA. To my surprise, the airport was impressive. It is clean, huge, and modern. It’s nice to know that we have a nice airport besides NAIA Terminal 3.

We made a quick stop at the Tourism Desk inside the airport to get Iloilo map guides then proceeded to the parking lot to look for the airport shuttle van. We only paid Php50 each for the van which brought us to SM Iloilo.

Finally, we can eat lunch and buy foods and supplies for our trip to Concepcion, Iloilo. More about this on my next blog. I’m sleepy.

There were supposed to be five of us on this trip but three of them couldn’t make it. One was broke, the other one was having issues with her leave and the last one got sick before our flight. My boyfriend and I were the only ones left to fulfill the itinerary I had made even if there was a Zika virus case in Jaro, Iloilo. Syempre, walang makakapigil sa akin- sa amin pala. 








-goodnight-
Gauden

Iloilo and Guimaras Travel Guide

Iloilo and Guimaras Travel Guide

Concepcion, Iloilo

Iloilo is one of the provinces occupying the Panay island in Visayas. It is known for its old Spanish churches where one is declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, island destinations and of course the origin of La Paz Batchoy.

How To Get There

Iloilo can be reached by plane from Manila and travel time takes 1 hour. There are also flights from Cebu, Davao, Hong Kong and Singapore via Cebu Pacific. For the flight schedules, visit cebupac’s website.

Note: Iloilo guide maps are available at the Tourism desk inside the Airport.

Where To Stay

We stayed at a budget hotel, Urban Inn, located near the La Paz Public Market. We chose this hotel due to its accessibility to public transportation. It’s also decent and very affordable; we got our room for 560/night/person with free breakfast. The room was clean, so are the sheets.

What To Do

Island hopping in Concepcion

Bulubudiangan Island

Agho Island

Lumpatan Island 

Guimaras Day Tour

Alubihod Beach

Iloilo City Walk and Jeepney Tour

Molo church

Iloilo Eats

Netong's La Paz Batchoy

How To Get Around

As compared to other provinces in the country, getting around Iloilo by public transportation is easy and convenient.  We roamed around the city via jeepneys and used the bus to get to Concepcion.

Tranpo Tips:

Airport shuttle

There are airport shuttles (vans) bound for SM Iloilo located in the parking lot of the airport. Fare is Php 50 and travel time is 30 minutes.

Jeep to Ceres Terminal (Tagbak)

Walk across the street from SM Iloilo and look for Leganes bound jeepneys. Tell the driver to drop you off at Ceres Terminal in Tagbak. Fare is Php 10 and travel time is around 10-15 minutes.  

Jaro-CPU Jeepneys

Jeeps with this signboard pass along Jaro Plaza (which is a walking distance to Jaro Cathedral and Belfry), Gaisano Mall, Museo Iloilo and Calle Real.

-goodnight-

donna

Bawal ang Pabebe sa Calayan

Bawal ang Pabebe sa Calayan

Pabebe, to my understanding, is used to describe people who act and talk like children thinking they are cute but they actually end up looking stupid and annoying.

Calayan is an isolated island north of Babuyan Channel. Going there isn’t easy and it requires a lot of patience and people that are pabebe shouldn’t go or even think of going to this island unless they stop being pabebe.

Eighteen. Eighteen hours to reach the island.

Claveria, which is the entry point to Calayan, can be reached by bus with around 12 hours travel time. From Claveria, you’ll ride a boat for six hours that is extremely uncomfortable: exposed to the suns’ scorching heat, seated on a very hard bench while listening to metal (c/o engine noise). Our boat ride felt like forever until we sighted two dolphins.

You’ll get wet.

The weather is unpredictable. On our journey from Calayan back to Claveria, it was a bit cloudy and windy. We stayed at the upper back part of the boat and guess what, we got wet the moment it sailed. The waves were big and kept on splashing on our face and body – it was like that the whole time until we reached Claveria Port. Feel na feel ko ang pagiging basang tuyo: maalat at binilad sa kaarawan. Ang ganda kong tuyo. Hahaha!

Good thing our bags were covered in trash bags. We traveled with a sick elderly and what I admire about the boat personnel is that they made a covering for him and made sure that he’s comfortable.

There are no restaurants but you’ll get to eat REAL food.

There are no fancy restaurants - forget about caviar. During our stay, the foods we ate were either cooked by Tita Connie’s husband or her cousin. What I like about them is they suggest the best fish/seafood to try and the best way of cooking it (that is if we agree). My favorite was the lobster cooked in gata (coconut milk) with lots of garlic.

No night life.

There is no night life, period. The locals wake up and sleep very early because they have a life unlike you who hate Mondays and need an alarm to wake up.

Calayan is a wonderful island with wonderful people. Filipinos are known for their hospitality and for me, the locals of Calayan are the most hospitable people I’ve met in the country. Our guide brought us to his in-law’s house to rest. They have a huge yard with lots of coconut trees. I sat there watching their pet pig sleeping then they offered us buko, for free. It warms my heart that even though we’re tourists they treated us like their own visitor. 









-goodnight-
donna

Calayan Travel Guide

Calayan Travel Guide

Calayan, sometimes called Babuyanes Islands or simply Babuyanes, is a municipality of Cagayan surrounded by Balintang Channel on the north, which separates the islands from Batanes, West Philippine Sea on the west, Pacific Ocean on the east and Babuyan Channel on the south, which separates them from mainland Luzon. Due to the abundance of pig in the area, locally known as Babuy, the islands were called Babuyanes.

Babuyanes is composed of small islands: Calayan, Camiguin, Dalupiri, Fuga, Babuyan Claro and Didicas with Calayan being the town center. Ilocano is the native tongue of the locals of Calayan while those living in Babuyan Claro can speak “Ikarog” which originated from Ivatan dialect from Batanes.

According to some records, Calayan is called such because of the abundance of ginger, known as laya in Ilocano. The place was called Calayaan and was later shortened to Calayan.

*Calayan was a part of Batanes during the 19th Century. It became a part of cagayan in the early 20th. I got all this information from a local paper provided by tita Tess.

How To Get There

Calayan is a remote island in Cagayan (Valley) thus it is not easy to reach. The island can only be reached via boat (lampitaw) from the port of Claveria. It is best to contact someone from Calayan (Tita Tess or Tita Connie) before going there so they could arrange for your boat ride. Fee is Php 500 pesos per person.

Good to know: The boat is an ordinary boat that carries goods from Claveria to Calayan. The number of passengers it can accommodate depends on the size of the boat. There are no seats, no sun shade and you have to bear with the engine’s noise. Bawal ang pabebe sa Calayan. There’s a chance that you’ll get wet. Boat ride to Calayan takes around six hours and that is if the weather is nice.

*After our boat ride my friend and I talked like we’re 10 meters apart.

To reach Claveria Port from Metro Manila, you could ride a bus bound for Claveria or fly to Laoag City then take a van bound for Claveria.

Contact numbers:

Tita Tess – 09399158667 / 09298375737

Tita Connie – 09215349231

Where To Stay

San Jose Inn

There are two inns in Calayan: TPS Homestay owned by Tita Tess and San Jose Inn owned by Tita Connie. We stayed at Tita Connie although we were supposed to stay at Tita Tess’. Both hostels are decent and clean but not air conditioned.

What To Do

I can’t comment on the island’s marine life since we did not snorkel. It wasn’t recommended by Tita Tess and Tita Connie but I think the island has a good snorkeling site. Ask the locals, they’re nice and friendly.

The beaches are beyond beautiful and peaceful. Some offer white sand beach with clear blue water while some have sand darker than the shade of gray. What I love about the beaches is the absence of unsightly restaurants and hotels nearby. It’s just you and the beach and some hermit crabs.

The island has three scenic coves: Sibang, Caniwara and Cababaan coves. Sibang and Cababaan have white sand beaches – Sibang is also a good camping site. Caniwara on the other hand has a rocky shore.

The Nagudungan Hill, which requires a short hike, gives an amazing view of the three coves. You could also watch the sunset from the hill.

Roam around Calayan and hike up to Canawaan and Bataraw falls. I don’t really recommend going to Canawaan unless you like adventure. First, it was hard to reach the waterfall since there is no well-established trail and it’s not a place locals love to visit. Our two guides don’t know where Canawaan is when we asked them so we asked some of the locals around who, apparently, aged around 9-10 year-old. It was frustrating because the way to the falls looked inaccessible; there were big boulders and fallen trees blocking way. Somehow we managed to cross the blockages. 

Canawaan Falls

Visit Tita Tess and buy wild berry wine. She is one the most accommodating people I have met. She has a little room where she makes wild berry wine. She invited us into her house where we drank wine – a lot of wine. We drank different blends, from low to high alcohol content.

Lastly, eat lobsters.

How To Get Around

There are few tricycles available but the best way to travel around is via motorbike. Again, you could ask Tita Tess, she’s the tourism head on the island (as of June 2015). Other parts of the road in Calayan are still underdeveloped so expect a bumpy ride.

Best Time To Go

The best time to go to Calayan is during summer (March to early June) when the weather is good. The waves get dangerously big during the wet season.

Good To Know:

There are no ATMS or banks in Calayan. Bring lots of cash and don’t worry about getting robbed because Calayan is safe. Zero crime rate. During our stay, we leave the door (in the veranda) and windows of our room open when sleeping.

Due to its isolated location, Calayan has limited electricity which is 12 pm – 12 am.

Summer in Calayan is very hot (like Zac Efron hot). That’s why we leave our door and windows open.

Bring waterproof bags or garbage bags (like we did) to protect your belongings from the waves. Even though the weather is nice, the waves get pretty big sometimes. Just waterproof everything! 

The locals understand and speak Tagalog.

For the food, there is one eatery in Calayan  but I forgot its name; our food was prepared by Tita Connie's cousin. 

How Much To Bring

The money you will bring actually depends on how many wild berry wine you’re going to purchase. :D Kidding. 

Below is the list of our expenses in Calayan for your reference.

Description	Cost
Bus to Claveria	Php750.00
Tric from Claveria Market to Port	Php70.00
Lampitaw	Php500.00
Tric from Calayan wharf to San Jose Inn	Php100.00
Motorbike rent: from San Jose Inn to Sibang and	Php300.00
Nagudungan Hill
Motorbike rent: from San Jose Inn Bataraw and	Php750.00
Canawaan Falls
Room rent/night	Php250.00
Food (for 3 days at San Jose Inn, yes including lobsters)	Php1,000.00
Boat rent (roamed around the whole Calayan Island)	Php4,000.00
there were two of us so Php2000/pax
Wild Berry Wine/bottle	Php180.00
Honey/300 mL bottle	Php150.00

That's all for today. Here's Zac Efron :D

-good day!-


donna

Mt. Tibig for Beginners :)

We climbed Mt. Tibig (563 MASL) two weeks after we climbed Mt. Tarak. One thing that I will always remember about Mt. Tibig is its deceitful difficulty level: it is 2/9 which means it’s an easy hike but it wasn’t, really. We usually laugh about this every time we discuss about the difficulty of the next mountain we’re going to climb. Pati pala difficulty level paasa (Even a mountain's difficulty gives false hopes these days).

View from summit

Thinking it was an easy hike we decided to start the trek at 9 am but we woke up later than what was planned so we started at 10. One of our trek mates arrived in Lobo early, who came all the way from Laguna, and patiently waited an hour for us.

We were guided to the jump-off after registering our names at the Police Station. The road to jump off was so rough it needs a visit to the derma. We registered at the jump off and were given trekking poles (from tree branches) for free.

The trek starts with a steep assault and the trail is sandy and slippery and there’s nothing to hold on to. It was tough and I can’t count how many times we stopped to rest. Good thing our guide, Kuya Richard, is very patient with us but he’s quite shy. Unlike Ate Beth, our guide in Mt. Tarak, who shares stories while we climb he doesn’t talk at all unless you ask him but he’s nice and helpful.

Tired from the steep ascend, we were relieved when reached the well-known nipa hut. We rested for a while and bought Buko from the owner. From the hut, it will take around 30 minutes to reach the summit (or less if you’re fast).

View going to summit

Not the summit but almost there. :)

At the summit, the scenery is just beautiful – I was so happy that I ate all my baon.

View from summit

View from summit

View from summit

The island on the upper right is the Isla Verde.

This ant is bigger than the normal size. But it doesn't bite.

The view is simply beautiful.

Going down, it was pretty challenging because the sandy trail can be slippery and dangerous. This time, I can't count how many times I almost fell down. But thanks to our guide who was there to help.

Itinerary:

0900H	Register at Police Station
0930H	Register at Jump-off
0945H	Start trek
1130H	Arrive at Nipa hut
	Rest
1145H	Start trek to summit
1215H	Arrive at Summit
	Lunch
	Rest
1400H	Start trek to Jump-off
1530H	Arrive at Jump-off

Contact Person:

Gabino Boongaling - 0926 4916824/ 0919 4403941 (guide)
You may also ask him how to get to the jump-off (we went to Lobo via private car).







-goodnight-donna

Tarak Ridge: First Major Climb

Tarak Ridge: Adobo version

Tarak Ridge

This is one of my memorable climbs not just because it was my first major climb but I realized I can climb a mountain with major difficulty. Mt. Tarak  (1,130 MASL) has a difficulty of 4/9 and to be honest I wasn’t ready.  My last climb was back in 2012; I don’t exercise and I am usually sleep deprived. The night before our climb I slept at 12 midnight; I cooked adobo for our lunch and because internet.

I woke up at 3 in the morning to cook for breakfast. Yes, I am that nice. Hahaha! I was still sleepy but my nescafe 3in1 creamy white was doing its job well so I got that going for me. Our call time was 5 am but we left the house past 5. WOMEN, that’s why.

Our trek mates were getting impatient for waiting because we were an hour late. We arrived at Alas-asin at around 6 am. We paid the registration fee (which is left of the road) at the barangay hall then headed to Aling Kurding. You can walk from the highway or ride a tricycle to Aling Kurding’s. We chose the latter. Aling Kurding is an adorable old woman who guards Mt. Tarak. She’s been there for almost a hundred years yet she has the strength of a 30 year old woman. I’m just kidding.

With all seriousness, Aling Kurding lives at the foot of Mt. Tarak and that’s all that I know about her besides her being so nice. Her grand daughter, Ate Beth, was our guide that day. She has the strength of a horse. She has been climbing Tarak for a long time and what amazed me was she used slippers and she only brought 500 mL of water. Damn!

Anyway, let’s get back to Mt. Tarak. The trail has two parts: the easy at first which get harder and the hard which get extremely hard. The first part takes two hours and the latter takes one and a half to two. On the first part, the trail was easy but we walked through fallen trees and sometimes big rocks and giant roots. The moment you see talahib weeds the trail gets challenging: steep but manageable. Just be careful on holding on to plants because some are thorny.

When the going gets tough

After an hour of holding on to anything that looks sturdy we reached the Papaya River. It doesn’t offer a nice picturesque view but it’s a good place to rest – the water was refreshing and you can refill your water bottles here.

Papaya River

Papaya River

After our photo ops at Papaya River we decided to continue and boy it was hard! We have to stop every now and then because the trail, up to the ridge, was steep. You have to hold on to branches and roots of trees because you have nothing else. And every time I ask our guide, Ate Beth, how far the ridge is her response is always “One hour more.” She’s a joke.

View at Tarak Ridge

Tarak Summit

Well anyway, no matter how hard the climb was, when you get to the top it’s all worth it. The wounds I got from the thorns are worth it. The sprain didn’t matter because when you’re on top everything is just beautiful.

Itinerary:

0600H	Register at Barangay Hall
	Ride tric to Aling Kurding
0630H	Arrive at Aling Kurding
0700H	Start trek to Papaya river
0900H	Arrive at Papaya river
	Rest
1000H	Start trek to Tarak ridge
1200H	Arrive at Tarak Ridge
	Rest and eat
1400H	Start trek to Papaya river
1530H	Arrive at Papaya river
	Rest
1600H	Start trek to Aling Kurding
1800H	Arrive at Aling Kurding

How to get there:

For those coming from Metro Manila, ride a bus bound for Mariveles in Fivestar, Cubao. Look for Bataan Transit buses, their trips start at 1 am. Tell the bus driver that you’re going to climb Mt. Tarak. If he doesn’t know where that is, get off from the bus and go to Genesis. Kidding. J Tell them to drop you off at Alas-asin Barangay Hall.  

Major Expenses:

Guide – 900 (for the group)

Tric – 100/pax (roundtrip from main road to Aling Kurding)
Bus (from Cubao to Alas-asin) – Around 250-260/pax

Important reminder:

Unless you’re a pro, do get a guide. There are a number of mountaineers who get lost at Mt. Tarak (as per Ate Beth). Because Mt. Tarak is sometimes a troll.

Contact (Guide):
Ate Beth: 09495869556

-goodnight-
donna

I Don’t Usually Hike, But When I Do It’s The Highest in Cebu

I Don’t Usually Hike, But When I Do It’s The Highest in Cebu

Osmeña Peak

Welcome to Osmeña Peak – the most famous peak in Cebu, with exquisitely stunning view of pointed hills and of Cebu surrounded by the Cebu strait on the east, and yet not as challenging.

Osmeña Peak is just a 30-minute trek which is perfect for me and Alex because we don’t climb a lot. Reaching the summit might not be as tough as the other mountains but getting to the jump off point is a challenge.

We drove to the base via Kuya Loloy’s motorbike (he’s the tour guide I mentioned on Chasing Waterfalls with a Motorbike) and the unpaved and steep road going to the jump-off was the challenging part, we almost had an accident. We fell off from the motorbike after he loses control midway of the steep road. At least we only got minor bruises. 

Worth the minor bruises. 

Just awesome. 

That's how easy the trek is; I was only wearing slippers.

How to get there:

If you're already in Cebu:

-Hire a guide/driver (so someone could hold your things for you). Here’s our guide’s number (09254805221).

-Meet the guide/driver in Dalaguete (pronounced as Dalagit) town proper.  How to get to Dalaguete? Take a bus at South Bus Terminal bound for Oslob. Tell the bus driver you’re getting off at the town proper of Dalaguete . Or you could just ask Kuya Loloy, he'll call you. :D

*NOTE:

There is no entrance fee at Osmeña Peak; you just have to sign at their log book.

Bring a bottle of water (around 1 L). 

You could trek Osmeña Peak and chase waterfalls in one day. Just ask Kuya Loloy. :)

goodnight - donna