Pagadian City on the Go

what's with this provinces (my 10th solo backpacking)

august 13-15, 2011 saturday to monday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly
additional task: to continue the lakbay rizal quest and explore what this provinces can offer at limited time

weekend journey to zamboanga peninsula
dipolog city hopping (lakbay rizal 4th part)
dakak beach resort day tour
dapitan city rizal tour (lakbay rizal 4th part)

important note (zamboanga del sur):
Zamboanga del Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Zamboanga Peninsula region in Mindanao. Pagadian City is the capital, which is also the Center of Region IX. The province borders Zamboanga del Norte to the north, Zamboanga Sibugay to the west, Misamis Occidental to the northeast, and Lanao del Norte to the east. To the south is the Moro Gulf. The name of Zamboanga was derived from the Malay word "Jambangan", meaning a pot or place of flowers
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamboanga_del_Sur

pulacan falls

pulacan falls

Dapitan City Rizaliana Tour (lakbay rizal 4th leg)

what's with this provinces (my 10th solo backpacking)

august 13-15, 2011 saturday to monday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly
additional task: to continue the lakbay rizal quest and explore what this provinces can offer at limited time

weekend journey to zamboanga peninsula
dipolog city hopping (lakbay rizal 4th part)
dakak beach resort day tour

this city is tagged as the shrine city of the philippines. the habal-habal i rode from dakak agreed to tour me also for all the rizaliana spots i requested, same rate nagotiated. most of these can be found within the dapitan plaza. i went first to rizal shrine which is along the way to dakak. no entrance fee and the security guard is the stamp authority who assisted me also on my photo-ops.

disembarco at sta. cruz beach at night

dapitan church at night

Dakak Beach Resort Solo Day Tour

What's with this provinces (my 10th solo backpacking)

August 13-15, 2011 Saturday to Monday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly

additional task: to continue the lakbay rizal quest and explore what this provinces can offer at limited time

weekend journey to zamboanga peninsula
dipolog city hopping (lakbay rizal 4th part)

Woke-up early for maximizing my time in exciting tour for the day. My habal-habal ride was recommended by the lodge for this tour and I contracted him for a roundtrip to dakak. there is no public vehicle that goes there.

Dakak Beach Resort Solo Day Tour

Dakak Beach Resort Solo Day Tour

Dipolog City Day Hopping (lakbay rizal 4th leg)

what's with this provinces (my 10th solo backpacking)

august 13-15, 2011 saturday to monday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly
additional task: to continue the lakbay rizal quest and explore what this provinces can offer at limited time

weekend journey to zamboanga peninsula

departure delayed at 50 minutes due to congested airport wherein our aircraft places 5th on waiting to take-off, air traffic controller's job. anyways, we arrived in dipolog domestic airport with drizzles around. after checking-out, negotiated to habal-habal bound to bus terminal for the start of my lakbay-rizal quest. then, at the terminal, rode a multicab bound to katipunan town plaza for php18 fare.

RIZAL FARM - The farm was acquired by Rizal from Calixto Carreon, a blind patient who offered it for free out of gratitude for his successful treatment. Rizal refused and paid him Php200 for the land. He cultivated it every weekend with his pupils.

rizal farm pilgrim

A Week-End Journey to Zamboanga del Norte and del Sur

what's with this provinces (my 10th solo backpacking)
august 13-15, 2011 saturday to monday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly
additional task: to continue the lakbay rizal quest and explore what this provinces can offer at limited time

important note (zamboanga del norte):
Zamboanga del Norte or simply known as ZAMNORTE is a province of the Philippines located in the Zamboanga Peninsula region in Mindanao. Its capital is Dipolog City and the province borders Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay to the south and Misamis Occidental to the east. Zamboanga del Norte is the Largest province of Zamboanga Peninsula in terms of land area.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamboanga_del_Norte

katipunan town plaza, zamnorte

dipolog cathedral

Rizaliana Site Touring Continues (lakbay rizal 3rd leg)

pampanga-bulacan-rizal solo trip
july 30, 2011 saturday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly.
additional task: to acknowledge another day-trip only adventure and to continue the quest for lakbay rizal spots

an adventure from the start since its hard for me to locate even the transpo to get in this places. morning of saturday, i just walked-in northbound terminals and asked bus conductors where will I head to. finally, i've come up to victory liner in pasay for an aircon bus bound to olongapo where i want to made my 1st quest to the province of pampanga.

pampanga provincial capitol

Family Splash-out in Splash Island, Laguna (lakbay rizal 2nd leg)

another 2011's family outing
july 23, 2011 saturday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly.
additional task: to acknowledge another day-trip only adventure with family and to continue the quest for lakbay rizal spots

important note (laguna):
Laguna is a province of the Philippines found in the CALABARZON region in Luzon. Its capital is Santa Cruz and almost completely surrounds Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the country. The province acquired its name from the Spanish word lago, which means lake or lagoon. This place is notable for being the birthplace of Jose Rizal, the country's national hero.

splash island of laguna

splash island of laguna

7 Consecutive Week-Ends Travel Bug Escapades

another travel addictiveness accomplishment
may 7 to june 20, 2011

i thought the series of week-end get-aways will stopped last year due it was my 1st time to exposed fully myself into this kind of leisure especially in jetsetting.

2010's 5 consecutive weekend trip:
may 15-16 - pahiyas festival / cagbalete island
may 20-24 - sagada
may 29-30 - nagsasa cove / capones island
jun 04-08 - thailand
jun 12-13 - hundred islands

hundred islands

Calamian Islands Hopping

stunning waterscapes of northern palawan
july 15-18, 2011 friday to monday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly.
additional task: to find-out why most of the filipino speaks about coron's lagoons, lakes and beaches

calamian group of islands
day 1: solo on coron town tour
day 2: coron island solo trip

continued...

woke up as early as 0500H to acknowledge sunrise above the islands. then, packed-up and left north cay island for exciting island tripping in calamian islands. from north cay, we have to have a 1.5 hours travel time to get-in the calauit island. we planned the island tour as per the following;

north cay island resort

Coron Island Solo Boat Trip

stunning waterscapes of northern palawan

july 15-18, 2011 friday to monday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly.

additional task: to find-out why most of the filipino speaks about coron's lagoons, lakes and beaches

calamian group of islands

day 1: solo on coron town tour

continued...

important note (coron island):

The island is the third largest island in the Calamian Group of Islands and famous for its wreck diving, and the site has been named in many lists of top dive spots in the world, known for several Japanese shipwrecks World War II vintage. coron island is part of the ancestral domain of the indigenous Tagbanua people.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coron_Island

coron island's signature spot before kayangan lake

Solo Walk in Coron Town Tour

stunning waterscapes of northern palawan
july 15-18, 2011 friday to monday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly.
additional task: to find-out why most of the filipino speaks about coron's lagoons, lakes and beaches

calamian group of islands

continued...

important note (coron town):
Coron is both the name of a town on Busuanga, and the name of the island just offshore. The municipality covers part of Busuanga Island and all of the nearby Coron Island.

mt. tapyas' start of 724 steps to the top

mt. tapyas' 724 steps to the top

Palawan's Calamian Group of Islands

stunning waterscapes of northern palawan
july 15-18, 2011 friday to monday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly.
additional task: to find-out why most of the filipino speaks about coron's lagoons, lakes and beaches

important note (calamian islands):
The Calamian is a group of islands in the Philippine province of Palawan. It includes:
- Busuanga island
- Coron island
- Culion island
- calauit island
- several minor islands
The world's best kept diving secret, those sunken WWII Japanese shipwrecks also lies silently within its waters as a witness to a gruesome past, most of which are within divable depths.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamian_Islands

coron island

kayangan lake inside coron island

Keep Coming Back in Manila's Best (lakbay rizal 1st leg)

binondo - intramuros budget diy day trip

july 09, 2011 saturday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly.
additional task: to acknowledge change of new adventure, somewhere nearby for day-trip only

important note (manila):
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities comprising Metro Manila. The city is divided into six legislative districts and consists of sixteen geographical districts. Within their precincts can be found areas of bustling commerce and some of the most historically and culturally significant iconic landmarks in the country as well as the seat of the executive and judicial branches of the government.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila

the planning;

july 05, tuesday, while I was in the middle of my routine work burn-out of the deadlines to finish within that week, I posted some quiries and thoughts in an online travel forum for another but not new travel adventure. asking about all possible landmarks around metro manila and metro provinces that can be roam for 1-day only. since there were lots of travelers got interested, joiners have formed and a date has set.

sta. cruz church

A Day of Commute from Sagada to Manila

my 7th consecutive get-away
june 17-20, 2011 friday to monday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly.
additional tasks: to be stunned by our rice terraces and bring back the memories in sagada

batad-sagada week-end trekkings
day 1: journeying batad village
day 2: sagada the comeback

continue...

DAY THREE:
FROM SAGADA TO MANILA

as per agreed yesterday, we hired a jeep roundtrip bound to kiltepan for sunrise viewing. we woke up 0400H, and then for a group of 7 we divide the transpo fee of php350. though we failed to see the most easy to access sea of clouds which i've seen last year, we manage to witness the heart-warming sunrise above the rice terraces. at 0630H, we left this stunning place. we drop-by 1st to navales bakeshop to buy some short breakfast breads and alight to st. mary's bell for a diy downtown trip. we entered st. mary's church which look-like in the western countries then proceed to the cemetery which is the start of the trail to echo valley and the famous hanging coffins of the locals.

sunrise at kiltepan peak

Coming Back to Sagada Town of Mountain Province

my 7th consecutive get-away

june 17-20, 2011 friday to monday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly.
additional tasks: to be stunned by our rice terraces and bring back the memories in sagada

batad-sagada week-end trekkings
day 1: journeying batad village

continue...

important note (sagada):
Sagada is a 5th class municipality in the province of Mountain Province, Philippines. Sagada is famous for its "hanging coffins". This is a traditional way of burying people that is still utilized. Not anyone is qualified to be buried this way; one had to, among other things, be married and have grandchildren.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagada,_Mountain_Province

yoghurt house special dessert

Journeying Batad Rice Terraces and Tapiya Falls

my 7th consecutive get-away
june 17-20, 2011 friday to monday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly.
additional tasks: to be stunned by our rice terraces and bring back the memories in sagada

batad-sagada week-end trekkings

continue...

DAY ONE:
JOURNEYING BATAD VILLAGE

we arrive around 0630H in banaue downtown which has approximate 7 hours travel from sampaloc. since we were ahead of 1 hour in our itinerary, spent breakfast first nearby and bought some trail/picnic foods. around 0730H we started to head the 15km journey from banaue downtown to batad saddle point. there was landlside back then but the jeep managed to enter that narrow open road. we had an stop-over to a mini-rice terraces which has a viewing deck. after an hour, we reached saddle point. it will took 2 options to trek down the village which will cause a minimum of 1 hour travel for an average trekker. one option is to use the downstairs which has 420 steps but with time difference of 10 minutes against trailing the rough road. we chose to trail the rough road due that time sun was on its very hot rays. be sure to have drinking water if you are not into mountaineering activities.

batad rice terraces

Batad - Sagada Week-End Trekkings

my 7th consecutive get-away
june 17-20, 2011 friday to monday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly.
additional tasks: to witness the rice terraces and bring back the memories in sagada

on the road to batad village

important note (ifugao):
Ifugao is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon.  Its capital is Lagawe and named after the term "i-pugo" which means "i" (from/people) and "pugo" (hill), thus people of the hill.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ifugao

the most weekend consecutive get-away madness will end-up on this breathtaking part of northern luzon. started from the 4 weekends of may in aurora province, iloilo-guimaras, camnorte-legazpi, bacolod up to the  1st 3 weekends of june in corregidor island, mt. pulag the return and this one. though this serves also my expensive month ever, priceless experience was the reward and i'm happy about it.