Exploring nearby Islands of Jomalig, Quezon Province

2015's 1st beachbumming in serene municipality island of Quezon province

February 28 to March 01, 2015 

Jomalig Island is about 139 km southeast of Polillo Islands. Most of the inhabitants depend on coconut products, rice and fish. Considered as one of the smallest and farthest island municipalities of Quezon Province.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jomalig,_Quezon 

JOMALIG ISLAND BOAT TRIP SCHEDULE
- departure from Ugong/Real Port only once everyday around 1000H-1200H for 5hrs trip at PhP300 fare  

WEEK-END TRIP TO JOMALIG ISLAND ITINERARY 

February 28, 2015 Saturday
0400H ETD Home; transpo to Raymonds bus terminal 70php breakfast 250php
0600H ETD Nagtahan Terminal (Sta. Mesa, Manila), ordinary bus 180php bound to Real, Quezon province
1030H ETA Real, Quezon province; tricycle to Ugong port 15php; terminal fee 10php
1300H ETD Ugong port 300php (lunch included); boat to Jomalig Island
1800H ETA Jomalig Island; dinner (paluto to tourism officer)
2200H ETA Tejada transient house ordinary room 700/5= 140php
Subtotal: 965php

March 01, 2015 Sunday
0530H ETD Tejada transient house
island hopping; snacks 50php; dinner, boat trip & lunch 1,000php
1900H ETD Jomalig Island; boat to Real port
0100H ETA Real port; van to cubao 220php; snacks 95php
0530H ETA Cubao
Subtotal: 1,365php

BUDGET TOTAL: 965 + 1,365 = PHP2,330

Exploring nearby Islands of Jomalig, Quezon Province

Mt. Taal Volcano Trekking, a Bakasyonista Day Tour

February 08, 2013 Friday

* trail is very easy to follow especially for fun-hiker
* very dusty with approximate 45 minutes at normal pace going to the crater
* no guides are required and pack foods and drinks is a must

* part of Batangas province land

Mt. Taal Volcano is the second most active volcano in the Philippines with 33 historical eruptions. All of these eruptions are concentrated on Volcano Island, an island near the middle of Taal Lake. Viewed from Tagaytay Ridge, Taal Volcano and Lake presents one of the most picturesque and attractive views in the Philippines. It is located about 50 km (31 mi) south of the capital of the country, the city of Manila.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taal_Volcano

ITINERARY :
0900H ETD Aircon bus at EDSA - Pasay, at the back of Sogo Hotel (78)
1130H ETA Tagaytay, dropped-off to people's park tricycle terminal; lunch
1230H ETA Brgy. Talisay, tricycle (150); boat rental, 6 passenger max per boat, (1,500)
trek to crater, face mask (30)
1330H ETA Taal crater lake; photo-ops
1530H ETD Taal crater lake
1630H ETD Brgy. Talisay
1730H ETA Tagaytay main road; dinner
1930H ETD Tagaytay, aircon bus bound to Buendia (85)
2200H ETA Buendia
TOTAL EXPENSE: PhP1,843

Mt. Taal Volcano Trekking, a Bakasyonista Day Tour

Macau Day Tour

touring hongkong and macau in 3.5 winter days

december 4-7, 2011 sunday to wednesday

touring hongkong and macau in 3.5 winter days

day 1: hongkong at night

day two: MACAU, CHINA

with 1 mop = 1 hkd = php5.6

this day includes the transportation from hongkong to macau ferry, macau hotels and casino tour and other famous historical tourist spot.

macau fisherman's wharf

Hongkong at Night

touring hongkong and macau in 3.5 winter days

december 4-7, 2011 sunday to wednesday

touring hongkong and macau in 3.5 winter days

day one: HONGKONG, CHINA

with 1 hkd = php5.6

this day includes the transportation to NAIA terminal 3, to hongkong international airport, going to kowloon and walking my way to avenue of the stars.

avenue of the stars

hongkong night market

Mt. Pico de Loro (664masl) DIY Day Hike

I thought the trail was the same with Mt. Pulag's Ambangeg trail
November 26, 2011 Saturday

Main Concerns:
* be warned that somehow trail is not easy to follow especially for fun-hikers
* no guides are required and packed foods and drinks is a must
* part of the mountain range of Mt. palay-palay protected by DENR

PICO DE LORO DAY-HIKE ITINERARY:
0300H assembly cityland ministop buendia
           bought 1liter water (30) and pack foods
0400H aircon bus bound to baclaran (12)
0430H minibus bound to ternate, cavite drop-off to ternate (50)
          jeep bound to naic (15)
          hired public jeepney bound to DENR station (magnetic hill) (50/head)
0800H start trekking
          stop-over to camp site #1 (20/head registration)
1100H camp site #2;
          snacks/lunch
          photo-ops
          contemplate
          conquering summit
1330H trekked down
1500H stop-over to camp site #1
          revisited DENR station (20/head)
1700H hired public jeepney going to bus terminal (75/head)
          early dinner (52)
1800H aircon bus bound to lawton drop-off to baclaran (75)
TOTAL EXPENSE: PhP 399

mt. pico de loro starting point from the highway

mt. pico de loro trail going to camp #1

2011 Pampanga Giant Lantern Festival (1st part)

feel the tradition despite the drizzle

december 17, 2011 saturday

The Giant Lantern Festival is an annual festival held in December in the San Fernando city. Because of the popularity of the festival, the city has been nicknamed the "Christmas Capital of the Philippines". The competition will showcase revised rules such as the size of giant lanterns was increased from 18 feet to 20 feet in diameter and new materials like fiberglass and handmade paper are also used. Large steel barrels called rotors also substituted the hand-controlled switches to manipulate and  illuminate about 3,500 to 5,000 light bulbs.

brgy telaspatagan, 1st participant 2011 san fernando lantern festival

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

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.
 

War Memoirs of Corregidor Island

a day tour of historic appreciation
june 4, 2011 saturday

objective: to visit the best tourist spot that fits to my budget at limited amount of time.
additional tasks: to be educated about the history of filipino bravery during the wars. 

important note (corregidor island):
Corregidor Island, locally called Isla ng Corregidor, is a lofty island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon. Corregidor (Fort Mills) is the largest of the islands that form the harbor defense of Manila Bay together with El Fraile Island (Fort Drum), Caballo Island (Fort Hughes) and Carabao Island (Fort Frank), which were all fortified during the American occupation of the country.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corregidor_Island

corregidor island, cavite

Negros Occidental Seven (7) Falls Trekking

my last 2011 summer escapade
may 28-29, 2011 saturday to sunday

objective: to visit the best tourist spot that fits to my budget at limited amount of time.
additional tasks: to have  night shot in the ruins and taste best chicken inasal.

important note (negros occidental):
Negros Occidental (Filipino: Kanlurang Negros) is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Bacolod City and it occupies the northwestern half of Negros Island; Negros Oriental is at the southeastern half. Across the Panay Gulf and the Guimaras Strait to the northwest is the island-province of Guimaras and the province of Iloilo on Panay island. Known as the "Sugarbowl of the Philippines", Negros Occidental produces more than half the nation's
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negros_Occidental

1st falls

Iloilo - Guimaras Barkada Trip 1st part

bakasyonista year after specials
may 13-15, 2011 friday to sunday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my budget at limited amount of time. additional tasks: to celebrate 1 year of enjoying the company together.

tatoy's eatery

museo iloilo city

Saranggani - Lake Sebu Weekend Escapade 1st part

start of 2011 summer get-away
march 4-6, 2011 saturday to monday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly
additional task: to experience the highest zipline in asia

important note (sarangani):
Sarangani is part of the South Cotabato-Sultan Kudarat-Sarangani-Gen. Santos City (Soccsksargen) development cluster, and is linked by paved roads to the international airport and world-class fish port of Gen. Santos City. Gen. Santos City’s airport has one of the country’s longest runways. With its proximity to its regional counterparts, Sarangani is in a unique position to marshal its resources, entice tourists and investors, and compete in an international market under a borderless trade regime.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarangani

gumasa beach

6-days South Korea 1st Winter Get-away

every budget traveler's dream, feel the chill !!

February 23-28, 2011 wednesday to monday

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

additional tasks: to conquer the Everland’s T-express (world’s most steepest roller coaster) and experience the snow for the 1st time

REPUBLIC OF KOREA

timezone -  +0900H UTC

capital - seoul city

currency - south korean won (KRW) 1KRW = 0.04PHP, 1USD = 1,080KRW

basic phrases - Kamsahamnida (thank you), hwangyong-hamnida (welcome), annyeonghaseyo (hello)

After the invasion of South Korea by forces from the North on 25 June 1950, the resulting war between the two Koreas ended with an Armistice Agreement, but the border between the two nations is the most heavily fortified in the world. After the war, the South Korean economy grew significantly and the country had transformed into a major economy, a full democracy, and a regional power in East Asia
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea

alloted budget for 6-days tourist stay

Banchetto to Mt. Samat to Dunsulan Falls Morning Escapade

the banchetto-bataan-pampanga day journey 1st part

february 12, 2011 saturday

objective: to visit the best tourist spot that fits to my budget at limited amount of time.
additional tasks: to conquer the itinerary on day-tour only

we planned this trip as our opening salvo for 2011 group getaway, composed of the cagbalete pips origins last year. since we aim for the night glow, we have to spend morning and afternoon sked to other must-see places nearby.

PART ONE: BANCHETTO

around 0200H, i've visited this friday night foody market street fiesta along emerald avenue after weeks of planning and failure repetition due weekend trip conflict. lots of people out there that most of them worked in a graveyard shift. i bought chicksilog php50 and calamansi juice php20. then we decided to buy monster burger as our take-out food for the next trip. hours before this meet-up our contacted hire van has just cancelled our reservation due to the traffic on this event. with the luck and cool appeal of my colleagues, we able to hire on the set time of 0500H.

banchetto food trip, ortigas center

Windy Province of Catanduanes 1st part

my birthday beachbumming trip
january 28-30, 2011 friday-sunday

objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly.
additional tasks: to experience wind-based hobbies on beach

important note (catanduanes):
"Isla de Cobos" was Catanduanes' first adopted name. It was earned as such during the early part of 1573 when Spanish conquistadores came upon several tribes living in the thatched huts called cobos. Catanduanes, is a hispanized term derived from the word tandu, a native beetle and the samdong tree, which were both found in abundance throughout the island. Common reference to "katanduan" or "kasamdongan", meaning a place where the tandu or the samdong tree thrives in abundance, led to the coining the word Catanduanes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catanduanes

bato church

pagasa weather radar station

Mt. Pinatubo Crater, a Hidden Paradise

rainy season trekking

june 26, 2010 saturday

important note (mt. pinatubo);
Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano located on the island of Luzon, near the tripoint of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac, and Pampanga. It is located in the Tri-Cabusilan Mountain range separating the west coast of Luzon from the central plains, and is 42 km (26 mi) west of the dormant and solitary Mount Arayat. Before 1991, the mountain has no recorded historical eruptions. It was heavily eroded, inconspicuous and obscured from view. It was covered with dense forest which supported a population of several thousand indigenous people, the Aeta, who had fled to the mountains from the lowlands during the Spanish conquest of the Philippines.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Pinatubo

we organized this trip together with a fellow travelmate for our newly organized group. we know its rainy season and storms were getting bad as the planned trip becomes nearer, come what may, rain or shine.

mt. pinatubo 4x4 jump-off ride

Hundred Islands day-tour

an independence day road trip
June 12, 2010 Saturday

With 128 islands grouped in a single town of Alaminos, Pangasinan, our team bakasyonista was once again organized this get-away event due to long weekend opportunity of Philippine Independence day. We availed the boat day trip to explore the islands that are for tourist visit only. Islands we visited were governors island (where pinoy big brother house was located), marcos island (wherein there was imelda cave), quezon island, and others. after this event, we planned to go in baguio city for some relaxing city life within the ambiance of pine trees.

Hundred Islands National Park is in Alaminos, province of Pangasinan in northern Philippines. They are believed to be about two million years old Some of the islands accessible for tourist are Governor Island, Quezon Island, Marcos Island and Children's Island. The islands are actually ancient corals that extend well inland, in an area previously comprising the seabed of an ancient sea. Lowering sea levels have exposed them to the surface and the peculiar "mushroom"-like shapes of some of the islands have been caused by the eroding action of the ocean waves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Islands_National_Park

hundred islands

Capones Island (Unwavering Fondness to the Lighthouse)

san antonio, zambales
may 29-30, 2010 saturday to sunday

important note (capones lightouse):
Capones Island Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located in Capones Grande Island off the coast of San Antonio, Pundaquit in the province of Zambales, in the Philippines. The light assists ships leaving and entering Subic Bay and Manila Bay. It has first-order lenses when it was first lit on August 1, 1890.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capones_Island_Lighthouse

Part of the Coleman beach camp after nagsasa cove activities, Capones island was the next destination for the event (participants have this option to go there or just go directly to other side of the cove).

Our group split into two boats, Kiko, Alvin, and myself decided to take the 2nd. Since Alvin has this strong will to conquer the lighthouse above, this matter drives us to push it though organizers told that there were strong waves coming within the island.

view going to nagsasa cove

Sagada of Mountain Province; what makes this town fascinating

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

additional tasks: to experience the best spelunking adventure in the northern part.

my first time to visit this promising town upnorth and i don't even know what awaits me there. i just know its a place where there is this famous cave my friends here in my work most talk about because of the extreme adventure. of course, at first i was scared, i'm not yet that adventurous that time. i'm just a simple sight-seer who just appreciates architecture wonders through my low-tech point and shoot.

during my stay, we used a downloaded map from the web as support to the one stranger who invited us. we went there as a group, 3 ladies and 2 gents with an itinerary starting from banaue for a sight-seeing side trip along the road for the famous rice terraces. now, after that event, my intincts told me i'm unconsiously attached to this place because most of the questions in a travel forum i replied directly using only the experience i gathered. i wonder why, or maybe because of the following reasons;

01. this is my 1st get-away experience with a group i just firstly know during the event

02. the place has very chilling ambiance

03. food trips are unique and deliciously good

04. landscapes are amazing

05. people are all nice

06. there are more tourists than locals due to peace and order

07. applicable for solo backpacking though expensive

08. one of my most recommended place to unwind

09. nature adventures are just walking distance

10. adventure activity are packed in one place

11. though 12 hours of drive, roads to sagada are +1 to must see

12. very cheap but very good accommodations

Sagada of Mountain Province; what makes this town fascinating