Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Boracay: My 5th Bolyweek: Why i Just Can't Get Enough!

No Matter how CROWDED the place is, You can still find your own Perfect SPOT to do your favorite thing, either you goof around with friends, play ball with the group, take pictures, be with someone special or just enjoy watching other people have fun. LAZY afternoons definitely ♥. lol
Learn new things for FREE..
FREEDOM to do Anything you want, you just need to find that Perfect spot. "CAPOEIRA at the Beach" Just DO your Stuff!


  Dragon boat Team: Their Passion giving you so much INSPIRATION. A place that will give you the right dose of inspiration you need.


Great FOOD...
that will make you crave...
for soooo much MORE!
Where Gluttony is unstoppable...


Funny Fact: After a month of starving self, you'll just give-in to that temptation.. And it feels so good! Buuuuuuuurp. lol
And only in Boracay where Pigging out with just your two piece on is LEGIT! Doesn't really matter if you get bondat! lol
A place where you are FREE to just be yourself. You can Be SILLY as you want to be. Who Cares! FREEDOM from those "judgemental eyes". Walang basagan ng trip. lol (C) to R.Pison.
Boracay never loses it's charm. Foreign people still can't get enough of it. That Makes you a PROUD Pinoy! (C) to R.Pison.
Plus a HOT guy beside you while getting the perfect tan= PERFECT! lol
On a serious note, It's a sweet escape from everything. Diggin to his favorite book while at his favorite place: BEACH! Be with people needing H-I-A-T-U-S like you do, giving you that "guilt-less" feeling!
(C) to R.Pison.

LAZY afternoons at the beach= PRICELESS!
A Glimpse of Paradise greets you in the Morning... makes you wanna wish to stay there FOREVER. 


Tranquility at its BEST. 
Just when you thought you've seen enough, then you'll suddenly realize that you're not even Half way.




This Magnificent Sunset gives the notion that tomorrow is gonna be a BETTER day. Live and Love Life! God is GREAT!
Partying till SUNRISE! You just have to release all those Negative Vibes. Doesn't really matter if you feel Out of Place, you might not be on same HIGH feeling like others. But You're still on HIGH because of that STRESS free feeling even just till the Sunrise! A quick escape from Reality. (C) to R.Pison.


Great friends at the right place.. I love you both! You made it extra special this time. ♥



Plus, a great and gorgeous HOST! Cheers to five years of Bolyweek Together! lol Love you baby.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Singapore: DORA Unleashed! (First Solo Travel)

My first SOLO travel was successfuL. 
Destination--> Pulau Ubin

An Escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, discovered the secluded and enchanting island of Pulau Ubin. The island is said to be the home of the last villages or "kampongs" in Singapore. Pulau Ubin is a throwback to Singapore in 1960's. It means "Granite Island" in Malay. Pulau also means "small" and ubin means "squared stone". 



On the day of my adventure, i hurriedly packed my backpack, brought third plus mini to capture memories and of course got my handy dandy MAP ready. Rode a bus bound to Changi Village Terminal, then went straight to the Jetty port to ride a bumboat which costs $2 and it's only a 10-minute ride from jetty going to the island. 
When i reached the island, Bike stores were everywhere. I rented a $6 bicycle for the whole day to explore the 7 by 3 kilometers island. Passed through different roads/tracks (smooth, bumpy, steep, name it pulau got it!haha) plus got LOST in the Forest a few times (ALONE) but that led me to discover and explore the island even more. The island is BREATHTAKING. It was really tiring but yet everything was all worth it.
The experience was really one of those things you can consider PRICELESS.

A cute note from my handy dandy map: "500 years ago, Christopher Columbus also didn't know geography but being Brave and Adventurous, He persevered Sailed on and discovered the America, the rest is history. So if you get lost, always remember: All roads lead back to Rome."

As for me, I will never stop discovering what life has to offer! Looking forward to my next Dora Adventure.. haha ♥


Itsy Bitsy must haves:
Insect repellant, must apply as often as needed. got lots of souvenir (insect bites) from the island. And i'm really serious about this, the marks are still visible up to now.
Food, and Water, biking will really drain your energy. And just to be ready in case you get lost in the forest. At least you won't starve.
MAP, must be provided when you rent a bike. You should get and save the numbers of the Police Station and the bike rental shop in case help is needed. 
Sunblock lotion, if you are very conscious about your skin. You'll really get tanned after the trip. haha
Towel and extra shirt, there are toilets you can use to if you want to change or wash-up. Clean toilets in Chek Jawa. 


Words are not enough to describe the place, i took some shots of the island to help you with your imagination. Be creative as you can be, you'll never know what this island has to offer! =)








BUMBOATS!
Adventure starts NOW...
Going gaga over Bikes, Bikes, Bikes and Bikes! Eenie Meenie Miney Mo?!?


Yes, we ARE! haha


In which Direction to go? Big (Y) Road. Better Learn to Trust your instincts.


The map of the whole Pulau Ubin Island.


My Backpack since I was in Grade School.
Sweet Graffiti! ohhh what love can do...


In Chek Jawa (i thought i was in Ireland. haha)
I called this the BLUE lake. It was picturesque! After a very steep and tiring bike trail, this view gave me NO reason to complain at all. Ah-ah. haha! 


The bumpy road track! It's not always a smooth ride.  
Before i bid goodbye to this magnificent island, i took my last look and uttered the words: "Until we meet again".


Yummy treat for myself for a JOB well done!


Of course, i wouldn't leave the island without a souvenir photo. Big thanks to my mini tripod for making this possible. haha!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Bacolor: Town Down Under (Your Feet)

Sunday is officially roadtrip day. I am definitely a lover of sleep, but making my Sunday a productive one is NOT a bad idea at all specially if i get to visit some places. First on my list was my Hometown (Bacolor). It is the place where i spent most of my childhood years before the town got all covered with lahar. 

That terrifying experience was still vivid to me until now. We were on the top of our house roof including other families while the "boiling cement like fluid" lahar washed away all other houses during the first eruption. It was the first time I felt so much fear. 

To most of you, it's the famous Barrio of "Santino", well as for me it will always be my "HOME". Can't wait to go back there again.. after 20 long years. Memories came rushing in when i visited our place, nothing left though, nothing to see but tall grass since everything was washed away including our two-storey ancestral house. But happiness and excitement really filled my heart upon my visit. sooon Bacolor, soooon we'll be reunited again. 

I took some pictures of the San Guillermo Church, our small parish in San Vicente and some houses covered with lahar. These are some of the lahar ruins you'll see when you visit the place. Half of the San Guillermo Church was buried in lahar. They preserved the place and rebuilt what's left of it. 

Big thanks to my brother for being my partner in crime for the day. Can't wait for more roaaaaadtrip sundays! Who's in? 

San Guillermo Parish Church
Some itsy bitsy MUST KNOW FACTS about the Church and our Hometown.
At the Church museum...

    
 A painting of the Church, this is how it looked before the volcanic eruption.
Some relics at the little museum.

Ang "Kampana" (The Century Old Church Bell)
Inside the restored Church.
San Vicente Parish (They had a day care before at the back of the parish. It was my first school.)

 These are just some of the lahar ruins you'll see when you visit Bacolor. It's more than 20 years now after the eruption. I hope they try to preserve them.
One of the secret passages you'll encounter. You won't believe that there is a "way" that will lead you to newly built houses (returning locals) and barrios.

How to get here: 
Bacolor is just a 30 minutes drive from Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (Clark) and only an hour drive from Manila.

Via Commute: From Manila, You can take any Bus going to Olongapo and tell them you will alight at SM Pampanga (San Fernando). From SM you can go to the jeep terminal near Starbucks and take the jeep going to Betis-Guagua. It will pass near the Bacolor town proper and the church is just blocks away. 

From Clark Airport: Ride jeep or taxi going to SM Clark. Then you can take any jeep bound to SM Pampanga (San Fernando) or San Fernando. If coming from Mac Arthur Highway you can alight at San Fernando Intersection, Near Mcdonalds. There is a jeep terminal going to Betis or Guagua. Tell them to drop you at San Guillermo Church, Bacolor.