Bohol Countryside Tour

For our birthday celebration in October 2018, I decided to bring my family to Bohol. I've visited this place in 2009, but had not really explored the beaches, so I made sure to visit Panglao beaches during this visit. For this post, let me share with you what went down during our first day which happens to be the Bohol Countryside Tour.

We woke up early in the morning, had breakfast, and waited for our contact, Kuya Jundy. We rented his car for the day and he also served as our tour guide. Here are all the places we visited, in chronological order.

HINAGDANAN CAVE
Entrance fee: P50 per pax
This tourist attraction is the closest to the place we were staying in, so this is the first stop of our Bohol countryside tour. This cave has a natural lake which is said to have miraculous water. According to our guide, meron daw 80-year-old na lumangoy sa tubig ng lawa at pag-ahon nya, MIRACLE, 40 years old na lang sya! Haha! Our guide was so funny! He made the visit more interesting and fun.

Taxonomy of Pinoy Commuters

Kung araw-araw kang sumasakay ng tricycle, jeep, FX, bus, o tren, I'm sure, makakarelate ka rito. Sa dami ba naman ng commuters sa Pilipinas, malamang sa alamang, isa sa mga nabanggit dito, nakasakay mo na. At bilang isang commuter ka rin, may chance na nakalista ka rin dito.

So, ano-ano nga ba ang mga uri ng commuter sa Pilipinas? I took time to observe my commute-mates and after thorough research, here is the taxonomy I came up with. Haha, kaysa naman kasi sa maging unproductive ang pagiging stuck in traffic, ginawan ko na lang ng blog entry. So heto na sila.

1. The Spartans (aka mga Mandirigma)

In these passengers' minds, they are clad in gladiator fashion and adrenaline is pumping through their bloodstreams. In the right place and at the right time, they are ready to attack. "Oy, Nova-Bayan yung jeep na 'yon! Sugoood! Ahhuuu-ahhuuu!" Mapa-babae man, lalaki, beks, o tiburcia pa yan, handa silang ipaglaban ang karapatan nilang makasakay sa byaheng iyon. Wa pakels na sa dunggulan.  Ang mahalaga, makasakay. Kebs na kung ang bilis pa nang andar ng jeep sa gitna ng highway. Ang mahalaga, masakyan nila ito.

Survival of the fittest ang pagko-commute sa Pilipinas and these commuters are on top of the food chain. This is Sparta, every one! Be one of them or get swallowed into an abyss of loss and darkness.

Camiguin - Cagayan De Oro 2012: a Photo Blog [Part 3]

Dear Juliet,

This is the last part of a my Camiguin-Cagayan de Oro trilogy. You can view Part 1 HERE and Part 2 HERE.

Day 3 starts with breakfast. We had to be stuffed for the long ride to our last activity in Mindanao. For our last day, we were going to Dahilayan Park for Zipline!

We passed by a vast pineapple plantation. We pulled over for a quick pictorial. I found a small pineapple that has fallen off, and we had a little photo op with it.

Camiguin - Cagayan De Oro 2012: a Photo Blog [Part 2]

Dear Juliet,

This is Part 2 of a three-part recollection of my trip to Camiguin and Cagayan de Oro last September 2012. If you missed the first part, check it out HERE :)

Day 2 started off early. We all changed to our swim wears and off we went to Camiguin's White Beach via two chartered bangkas.

Camiguin's White Beach is actually an island. No, actually, it's more of a sand bar in the middle of the sea. It has white sand. Not as white and fine as Boracay's, though. I think it's the lulubog-lilitaw kind of island so I'm not sure if it's safe to stay overnight and go camping. But, here are other activities which you might enjoy...

Camiguin - Cagayan De Oro 2012: a Photo Blog [Part 1]

Dear Juliet,

This is a backdated entry. Since I wouldn't be able to recall everything, I decided to just use our photos to narrate my most adventurous trip yet. Check out the captions for further details and stories. To save my readers [as if napaka-dami nila at pluralized pa] from photo bombardment, I'll first talk about our DAY 1 in this entry. Note that this is a guided tour, so the itinerary was provided by the agency which our travel idol, Shaine, booked for us.

At NAIA with High School loves! We were a group of 8 including the person who took this photo. Kawawa, hindi nasama.

Cagayan De Oro: The City of Golden Friendship. This is my first time in Mindanao!

Punta Fuego 2012

Dear Juliet,

Our most-awaited out of town trip pushed through! My gym buddies and I were planning this for so long and in January 21, our group made it to Punta Fuego in Nasugbu, Batangas. It's my first out of town trip for the year, and I'm so glad it kicked off my travel adventures for 2012.

As expected, it was a fun trip. There are no dull moments when I'm with these people, I'm telling you. Plus, when you're with these guys, you'll never go hungry! Aside from the snacks during the road trip, we stopped over at some Bulalo place in Tagaytay to have lunch. Kami na, lalo na ako, ang matatakaw na gym-goers ;p

Stop over. Kumusta yung suot naming beach attire? Eh ang GINAAAAW!

Lunch in Tagaytay! The view was the best!

After some negotiations and a boat ride, we arrived in the beautiful Punta Fuego. We were so famished that we all devoured our baon, which were prepared by Lyn, the best cook in the group! Busog. Bundat to the max ang tummy ko after the meal! We had binagoongan, chicken adobo (or was it humba? Sorry, magaling lang kasi talaga ako kumain. LoL!), fried bangus, and green mangoes with bagoong. Perfect!

Our house was kinda far from the beach. Actually, "far" is an understatement. It was a remote place, to be honest. LoL! We had to traverse a literally long and winding pathway before we could get to the beach front. Ito yung daan na susubukin ang mga tuhod mo. 

So after eating, we all headed to the beach to take a dip. When it started to get dark, we decided to transfer to the swimming pool. I think we spent more time in the pool than in the beach. While the girls were swimming and taking vanity photos, the guys were enjoying their Empi Light. 

This is what I meant when I said VANITY PHOTOS. You know the drill -- click the thumbnails to enlarge photos :)

At the beach

 

Group pictures by the pool

 Violent reactions regarding these photos are not welcome ;p

My buddies and I made the most out of the night by playing 123, Pass! Syempre, hindi rin mawawala ang inuman. Look who's drunk! :)

 

Nangangapal na yung fez ko during these times. 

PS: Kaming tatlo ang ultimate winners sa 123, Pass ;p

That same night, some revelations emerged. Napatunayan na ang dapat mapatunayan! LoL! Because of these revelations, we got to understand one another more. I can say that I appreciate my friends even better after knowing them deeper. Tapos, we went to the beach to watch the stars. I literally fell asleep watching them. Thank God I have friends who woke me up and assisted me back to our house. Magulong daanan + bangag na Dez = disaster. Hahaha!

And then, we called it a night. Natulog kaming may mga buhangin pa sa katawan. Haha! The next morning...

We woke up early to enjoy the beach for the last time. We had our poser pictures taken, and got some ridiculous henna tattoos. Mine was a simple pattern. My friends' tattoos, however, are different stories altogether. Let's just say they weren't satisfied with the results. Chararat to the max!

The tide was low, so we didn't really get to swim at the beach. We had fun times at the pool, though.

 

And then, it was time to go home. We had another boat ride back to the main land and traveled back to manila by car. I was asleep most of the time, so I didn't really know what was happening during the road trip. When I woke up, we were stopping over at some posh place in Tagaytay. There, we had ice cream and some more photo op.

When we reached home base, we continued the merry-making by drinking what's left of our libations. And then, finally, naghiwa-hiwalay rin kami.

This trip is really one for the books! I'm so glad it pushed through, and I'm really thankful I spent the weekend with the happiest people on earth. Nakakapagod, pero masaya! ♥

Hoping, waiting, believing.

★ Happidezz

Boracay 2011 Part 2: Habagat Season, Day 1

Dear Juliet,

I've been meaning to write about my Boracay trip last August, but I always fail to fight the laziness to do so. So after two months, here it is--my Boracay trip during the habagat season :)

For this year, we went to Boracay for our company outing. I was expecting this trip to be as awesome as my trip last summer. I expected Boracay to be the same place it was in April. But upon arriving at Royal Park Hotel (same hotel we stayed in before), I got really upset. Boracay is so different. First, the sea is not as calm as it was last summer--HIGH TIDE! Next, sea weeds and wind barriers were everywhere! The view was not pleasing at all. Strong winds blew like it's the end of the world and it rained most of the time. I thought, "Awesome is not possible during this season. How are we gonna have fun with this?"

The wind barriers were such eye sores. They blocked the view of the ocean ;c

With no powers to change the weather, I settled on just enjoying whatever this trip has to offer. First off, we had lunch in Mang Inasal. After which, we strolled along the shore and took pictures. I realized, the view wasn't that bad at all. It's just all about seeing beauty in the least expected instances.

My office mates having so much fun taking their Bora jump shots.

The people I had lunch with: Jun, Anna, Melvin, Nina.

Next, we had our company meeting which I emceed. It rained when we were on our way to the seminar venue so all of us were on "basang sisiw" conditions. The meeting was very productive. We got to talk about company matters. The employees were able to speak their minds and everyone got to share valuable input to the progress of the company. After the meeting, we had a hearty buffet dinner care of our president.

Production Department. Sing with me: Heto akoo-oh-oh, basang-basa sa ulan! Walang masisilungan, walang makakapitaaan ;p

Happy BC people in Boracay :)

After dinner, we went back to the hotel to rest for a while. We also practiced for the next day's cheering competition. And then, we scouted for a good inuman place in Station 1, but most of the go-to spots were closed. When we finally found a good spot, the inuman session commenced! When it comes to inuman, my office mates are the best! Remember my black-out moment in Laguna? That's how generous they are as far as alcohol is concerned. [Segue: For my birthday, my guy boss wrote on my birthday card, "Sorry for giving you too much alcohol during that one time in Laguna."] So this time in Boracay, alcohol flooded once again. Plus, they got us some shisha to smoke. It was really great that we were with the sales managers--people who are the richest in the company, haha!--because they spoil us :)

With guy boss, Ms. Jack, and my wasted office mates :)

With the ultimate BIs, Mr. Marc and his brother, Mr. Eric.

I really, really enjoyed my first shisha experience! Because of this experience, mayabang na ako during my second and third time with my gym mates. Di na ako ignorante e! Wuhoo! [I have an Iranian gym friend, and shisha is part of their culture, I think.]

Shisha is easier to smoke compared to cigarettes, at least for me. Plus, it leaves a more interesting fruity aftertaste, compared to the tobacco aftertaste of cigarettes. Thanks to my BI office mates whom I truly love, I now know how to smoke--they gave me Marlboro Lights and Marlboro Black after. And they continue to give me something to smoke every time we go out. Naku talaga ;p

Despite all these experiences, I have to say that I never found pleasure in smoking cigarettes. Smoking is one activity that has not and will never grow on me. I'll never be proud that I know how to smoke.

Haha. Yeah, yeah. This is a big deal for someone like me. Lumaki kasi akong nasa tamang landas. Now that I've tried these "forbidden stuff" my parents taught me not to do, I have to post these info to serve my interests as a POSER. Woot, I know how to smoke! I'm so cool. LoL! Mukha mooo, gagooo ;p

Shisha is believed to be a better substitute for smoking. My office mates claim that it doesn't have chemicals whatsoever in it, but look at what I found on the Net [click here]. Turns out, it's more dangerous than cigarettes. Damn. Mas gusto ko pa naman ang shisha! Hay.

After the inuman, the crazy guys (Mr. Marc and Mr. Eric) decided to take a dip despite the fact that it was drizzling that time and the wind was chilly. I was happily taking their photos when they dragged me into the water. CRAZZYYY! I had no fight over two big boys. But the dip was pleasant. "Pantanggal tama," according to them. The downside, though, is that I caught colds and cough after the trip.

Night swimming :)

 We dried up and decided to drink coffee to feel warm. Then, we called it a night.

Hoping, waiting, believing.

★ Happidezz

Calaguas-Bagasbas: Wagas na Wagas [Day 2]

Dear Juliet,

We woke up to a rainy morning in Calaguas. Water dripping inside our tent kinda woke me up. Plus, our company were up and about, making breakfast; thus, the concomitant noise.

Rain!

Maximizing our final hours in the island, we went swimming, had breakfast [ham and eggs], shot lotsa pictures, and took the time to enjoy the view. I also tried to improvise so that we can have underwater pictures. Take a look, take a look! ;p

Early in the morning ♥ Had to "censor" my sister's butt ;p

Imagine waking up to this view every day. I bet it's a good morning every morning.

For these underwater shots, I placed my camera inside a ziplock and it worked! ;p

Wala pong dugong sa Calaguas, dear readers. Ako po yan. Dahil walang goggles/ snorkeling gear, nagkaganyan ang aking mukha. Haha. Remarkable yung ilong ko! Di marunong pumroject underwater eh ;p

All our bags are packed, ready to go ;)

While waiting for our tour coordinators to clear the site, Megs and I took more photos--of myself. Haha. VAIN much? ;p We found a little star fish! So cute ;)

During travels, I make sure to get my sister and myself a souvenir shirt. The problem in Calaguas, however, is that there are no malls nor an Island Souvenir stall, for that matter. When we heard that there are souvenir shirts sold at the lone sari-sari store in the island, we checked it out. But it turns out they only had Large sized shirts whose designs were not so impressive. So we scratched buying souvenir shirts out of the plan.

Then, when all left Calaguas, satisfied. One day is enough to enjoy nature's beauty. In that one day of stay, I appreciated my life in the city more. If we were to stay there for another 24 hours, I might have gone crazy. A life in a desolate island is very different; it is ultramega difficult! There is no signal--I can't update my tweeter status or text my mom that we're fine and enjoying so much. There is no electricity--I can't charge my drained cellphone battery, or go online, or watch TV, or even listen to the radio. There are no sturdy infrastructures--what will happen if a typhoon comes up? Our guides said that during the typhoon Bebeng, waves were 9 feet tall and they had nowhere to stay, just their tents. And lastly, there is no decent comfort room--you share it with 30 other people on the island. When Madie and I refused to go wee-wee in the talahiban, we endured the effing kadiri smell of vomit in the shared CR. TRAUMATIC!

The two-hour boat ride this time was boring. Since we already saw the scenery, it was no longer as amazing as the first time. Most of our company managed to sleep despite the cramped space and the noisy engine of the motorboat.

Para-paraan, makatulog lang ;p

Before heading to Bagasbas beach, we had lunch at this place called Ksarap. They served good food and the ambiance was great for the summer. Their service, however, was unsatisfactory. We waited so long to have our orders served. On top of that, they served us the wrong order, thus making our waiting time longer. But in all fairness, their buko sherbet was the WINNER!

The Bagasbas beach boasts of waves perfect for surfing. The hourly rate for a surfboard rent is 200Php. You may opt to get an instructor [plus surfboard] at 400Php per hour. We weren't really up for surfing so we just enjoyed the waves and took happy shots. Hindi mapagkaka-ila na ako ang pinakamasaya sa araw na ito. I have to say, I HAVE THE WEIRDEST FACIAL EXPRESSIONS ON DAY 2!

Sister love! ♥

Wooohh! Love the waves! ;)

This is the facial expression I'm talking about. Wanna laugh? Click the pic to zoom in ;p

Wacky shot with best pal, Madelaine; Group picture!

How sweet! ♥

Super sweet na sweet. Dez: Ibalik mo sa akin yang chewing gum ko!

Photo op with our guides, RU and Jerome.

My dad's family is from Bicol and Samar. Though I haven't gone to his place and met all our relatives, at least I got to have a taste of Bicol. This experience is definitely one for the books! Ang daming natupad sa aking wishlist! Love it.

Next stop: Boracay [again] in August. Wuhoo!

Photos are from my camera, Raffy; Shelly's camera, Roger; Klaris' super camera, Nova; and Madie's camera, unnamed.

Hoping, waiting, believing.

★ Happidezz