Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Darkness might provoke in us the fear of the unknown, fear of not knowing what lies ahead in that gray area of our lives, and fear of losing control over the things that matter to us the most. But most of the time, which sometimes entails always, we just have to let go and surrender to the One who is in control.
Trudging our way towards the most anticipated part of the tour, we expectantly moved to the leading of the tour guides. Personally, I was looking forward to the cave and a little bit worried at the same time. It was the cave we were talking about, after all, I had watched movies and television shows to know what might happen inside the cave.
The heat from the morning sun still fried us as we kept up to the pace of the rest of the pack. The cave was not too far from the area where White Rock was situated. Tallgrasses were on both sides of the trail, some green, some already dried up. I still had my shawl as a protective gear from the scorching heat of the sun.
As we reached the entrance to the cave, there was a mix of excitement and worry inside me. Fear and anticipation of the unknown. As we began to enter the cave, our pack was giddy, yet the tour guides were on guard and consistently reminded to be careful. We were on the lookout for any rock formation that might hit our heads or any parts of our body. We went up and down as we overcame the boulders and climbed to reach our endpoint.
Inside the cave was total darkness and it was our bad that our group of four did not have any flashlight. Good thing, others from our pack were gracious to share their headlight with us and lit our way as we struggled from almost blindness. One of my friends also used the built-in flashlight on her phone to aid our eyes to the best of its ability and capacity, and we knew how limited a built-in flashlight could do.
We did not get the chance to take photos inside the cave since we were so occupied conquering our fear of the darkness and overcoming the obstacles towards the exit of the cave. Unlike the time, when we went to Marinduque and sported caving, we had few photos taken inside the cave.
Upon exiting the cave, we were in for a surprise. We were welcomed by a breathtaking view of rock formations. I concluded that the formations formerly catered water, the area must have been a river based on the markings on the stones as if waves hit them over and over again. Another dry area, I thought. It appeared to me like a barren place, thirsty earth, yet rich with history I might never learn. It also reminded me of the canyoneering we did in Cebu upon reaching the Kawasan Falls for the resemblance of their structure.
The sad part was there some vandals on the rocks, a part of its past when tourists were frequent in the area. But the good part, in the broad daylight, self-imposed photoshoots were possible.
Our last stop of the tour ended at the Malangaan spring. It was not clear as I expected it to be. My friend mentioned its greenish color, and that stopped us from enjoying the water from the spring. I was looking forward to clear water, yet I found none. I did not pursue my wants to try the water, we were already tired and hungry, and salivating for our prepared lunch with halo-halo on the side.
Mt. Secret adventure led us to the places we did expect, yet it brought us to realization and experiences beyond our expectations. We never forget the past, we cave into the past when the need arises and learn from our past.
Photos credit to Arra A.
They say opposite attracts. During this season of love, it is a quote that is timely and for a reason, I don't really care and the reason is I am not in a relationship, but I don't want to sound bitter so I hope you have a wonderful day with your lover. There are times when we feel and appear different both at the same time, just like the White Rock appeared and felt different to me. It looks cold yet heat overwhelms a total opposite, but it is undeniably beautiful. I hope you have a wonderful and beautiful relationship despite your differences and imperfections just like the White Rock.
A few meters from Mt. Secret is a massive rock formation covered with snow-white sand called White Rock. It gives the winter vibes in the desert-like land as we look at the humongous formation. We rested for a few minutes under the shade while waiting for the sun to hide from us and went behind the scarce sea clouds. It took us longer than we expected for Mr. Sun to hold its shine even just a little moment.
The magnificent massive rock formation reminded us of the movies and television shows. The place is actually a good location for shootings action or tribal-themed production. We could imagine actors, directors, and production staff making their way to the place or doing their stuff in the seemingly remote area. One of the tour guides shared with us the information about Ding-dong Dantes shot some scenes for his show Amazing Stories and also Maymay Entrata's movie Princess Dayaries made the place as one of its locations.
When we thought as well as the tour guide that the sunshine began to be gentle, we continued our journey and started conquering the White Rock. We were only in the middle of the climb when the sun radiantly smiled on us again. It was already sizzling hot during the climb, and upon reaching the summit, we were met by the scorching sun on the top of the White Rock. The heat was too much to bear and it pricked my skin like needles. Our clothes and my shawl were not enough to protect us from the sun's energy. It did not take long enough for us to decide that it was time to go down. Some sightseeing and picture taking had sufficed our curiosity to the massive rock formation. It was only nine in the morning yet the sun stood too proud on us.
Humbled by the blazing sun, our group went down while the others sacrificed their skin and allowed the activation of some more melanin for skin protection as they took on the challenge of photoshoots against the proud sun. We sat down on stones under the shade as we waited for the culmination of others' self-imposed photo shoots.
White Rock stands firm amongst the other rock formations. It appears like a fortress all ready to protect anyone who seeks safety and security. It reminded me of our Mighty Rock, Jesus.
To be continued...
Some photos credit to Arra A.
No secret remains hidden forever, even the unknown Mt. Secret reveals itself to us. And now that I conquered the heights of Mt. Secret, I believe it will strike its popularity among tourists around the world anytime soon.
The first question that came into mind after hearing the name of our next target mountain to climb is why it was named like that and the same question also came out from my friends when we were already having a conversation with the organizer of the joined tour. As far as I could remember we did not receive a satisfactory answer. The organizer just mentioned that it was named by the locals or by the proprietor of the land where the mountain was situated.
Mt. Secret barely stands at San Rafael, Bulacan. It is not the usual mountain we draw on a piece of paper with a perfect cone shape. It is rocky and even has sharp surfaces. I can compare its shape to the Nagpatong Rock in Quezon. They both have the same texture and somewhat similar shape, but Mt. Secret is smaller than Nagpatong Rock.
It is also coined as The Hidden Mountain of Bulacan, and I still wonder why oh why. I failed to ask the locals as I was busy tending myself from the heat and enjoying the journey with my sister, friends, and other joiners of the tour. I thought it was named like that because it is private property or it was only discovered recently and unconsciously kept hidden from the locals and tourists coming from the different parts of the world.
It was a short hike and the easiest mountain climbing ever since I experienced the thrill and joy of hiking in the year 2018. In the darkness and cold air of the dawn, the organizer told everyone during the orientation that the mountain's height was 300 MSL something and perfect for beginners. It was a relief on my part since it was my sister's first time climbing a mountain.
There were boulders and small rocks of Marmol on our way to the mountain itself. Most of the self-imposed photoshoot began in that area. It appeared that mining occurred somewhere near the mountain and we were not wrong. We could hear explosions when we were already on the other top of Mt. Secret where we climbed through via rappelling, and one of the coordinators and other guides of the tour did not keep it a secret to us that quarrying and mining were actually transpiring at that very moment.
The place appeared to be dry and on the verge of drought, but there was still a remnant of beauty in spite of the dryness. I was able to capture a picture of a flower I usually encounter from the other mountains I had been and the only tinge of color on the vast space of greens, browns, grey, and white. It is only my observation and maybe already a hush-hush among the tourists and the locals. It is like an open secret to everyone who arrived and captured the remnant beauty of Mt. Secret.
Mt. Secret, the Hidden Mountain of Bulacan, will bare it all to you, the good and its bad sides, the danger and the protection it can provide. All of it, nothing is hidden in the Mt. Secret.
to be continued...
Photos credit to Arra A.
Where to travel this 2020?
I know that you are also wondering about an answer to this question. Where can we go for our travel goals this 2020? During this time of the pandemic, many of us have already cancelled plans, be it related to our study, career, business, family, and a lot more things. We may feel disappointed by all these, maybe now is not the right time, maybe there is more perfect timing for our plans to happen. We may not understand why, but when it is time all will make sense.
Every year before the year ends, I travel with a friend and as years go by, a friend turned to friends. We are growing and continue recruiting (that sounds so business-like haha). We like to travel for experience and 'feels'. Our experiences may not be always pleasant, but there are always the fun and happy parts of our journey. Seeing and feeling in the breathtaking view of God's wonderful creation is the best experience we can all share together. Meeting and observing people from different places is also a joy for us. We learn from them and from the places we set our foot on. It is a privilege, and we are thankful to God making these opportunities.
This year-end travel has been a ritual going on for five years which started in 2015. Travelling to beautiful places was wishful thinking for us until we decided that 2015 should begin the journey and it went on until 2019. Maybe similar to your circumstance, we also silently decided all together (using our telepathic ability haha) that this year 2020 would make the difference. Not pushing through with our travel plans is for the best, and that is also silently agreed upon by everyone. During this pandemic, a lot of people struggle and we are not excused to those challenges. We can only pray and try our best to help others the best we can. We are limited, but we know God is limitless. He is sovereign and still in control.
This year 2020, we were supposed to go to Romblon, since one of our travel buddies slash colleagues slash friend is from this beautiful place. We are aware of its wonders and beauty through our social media accounts. Photos are posted on the different travel-themed group page on Facebook. We are in awe just by looking at the pictures and we still look forward to seeing Romblon in person, certainly not this year, but we are hopeful this coming 2021.
So our travel goal in 2020 is at the gym (haha), but we will see you soon Romblon!
December 28-30, 2016
Kuya Elmar guided us throughout all the activities (thankies Kuya!), though my power bank, connector, and headset experienced tragedy at the beginning, still fighting! (Hoping they would still work 🙏🏼)
We visited a cave at one of the islands in PG.
Island/Beach Hopping
Fish Feeding and Snorkeling
Chillin' at the beach and some photo opportunities before the day ended
Time to buy some souvenirs...
Typhoon Nina hit the Philippines on Christmas day until the 26th of December. There was a storm signal #1 on the 25th in Mindoro and it escalated to signal #3 the next day. We were supposed to visit Masasa beach in Batangas and planned to board on the 27th going to Puerto Galera, but that did not happen.
We felt hesitant to push through with the plan for Puerto Galera before the year ended because of the effect of Bagyong Nina. A lot of pictures flashed on Facebook taken during and after the surge of the typhoon. I suggested that the plan should be moved instead of canceling it. We were supposed to be four, but I guess plans sometimes never really happen. Probably, next time there would four of us or more, for this trip, I was with Arra and it's also our second beach getaway. It was 3 days and 2 nights trip.
1st Day
From Laguna, a van took us to Batangas port. We bought tickets from Puerto Galerians Shipping Lines. Tamaraw express was the name of the boat of PGSL. It was bigger and not too crowded compare to the one from Cagbalete Island. The boat ride felt light this time. The dizziness I experienced last time in Cagbalete Island was gone. I enjoyed the ride this time. The sea seemed endless again and the water looked green, not the blue color I yearned to see.
We arrived at Muelle Port at 11 something, the boat ride took more or less 1 and 1/2 hours. Kuya Boying from Sandra Taylor Lodge fetched us at the Muelle Port. A ride on a tryk took us to the lodge we rented ahead of time at Batangas Port care of Miss Angelic, she was kind enough to give us a discount. We paid 1,000 pesos each for a 3D2N stay at Sandra Taylor's lodge with free transport from Port to White Beach.
We had a look at the White Beach first before deciding what kind of activities should we do during our stay. There were lots of restaurants and carinderia enough to feed a bunch of tourists, souvenir shops for pasalubong and also they had water sports like jetski, banana boat, parasailing and more.
In the afternoon, Ate Baby one of the masseuses roaming around at the beach braided our hair for 125 each. We loved the finished product. And at night, we tried henna tattoo at the Intensity Henna Tattoo. Kuya (I forgot to ask his name) did not give us a discount though we're persistent. Haha.
Close encounter with nature. My favorite part...2nd Day
Kuya Boying, the caretaker of the lodge we checked in, prepared water activities and Island hopping activities. Having a close encounter with sea creatures during fish feeding and snorkeling was the best. The beauty underwater was undeniably just one of the magnificent pictures of nature, though some corals were damaged due to the typhoon surge.
We visited a cave at one of the islands in PG.
Island/Beach Hopping
Fish Feeding and Snorkeling
Chillin' at the beach and some photo opportunities before the day ended
... and also the last, it was time to take our final walk at White Beach. Surely, we experienced one of the best times in our life from the days and nights spent at Puerto Galera.3rd Day
Time to buy some souvenirs...
Waiting at the terminal...
10:14 am to 11:30 am - Batangas Port to Puerto Galera via Galerians shipping lines
4:00 pm to 7:00 pm - Braiding and Henna
4:00 pm to 6:00pm - Chillin' at the beach like reading, eating snacks
1:20 pm to 2:50 pm - White Beach to Batangas Port
2:50 pm to 3:10 pm - Batangas Port to Stoplight
3:10 pm to 3:30 pm - Stoplight to Batangas Grand Terminal
7:25 pm - Finally home...
1st day
130 - Van from City of Sta.Rosa, Laguna to Batangas Port
500 - A round trip ticket from Port to White Beach
30 - Terminal fee
1000 - Sandra Talyor Lodge
125 - Braids by Ate Baby
150 - Henna tattoo by Intensity Henna Tattoo
2nd day
119 - Morning breakfast
600 - Water activities c/o Kuya Boying and Kuya Elmar
50 - lunch
100 - Snacks from passing by vendors at the beach (e.g. fish crackers, chicharon, kropeck, pastillas, banana chips)
15 - a cup of rice for dinner because we have San Marino corned tuna
3rd day
260 - Souvenir and pasalubong (1 sleeveless shirt and 8 pcs. of coin purse + 1)
50 - 9 pieces of macapunong bigas
7 - Batangas port to Stoplight
10 - Stoplight to Batangas Grand Terminal
80 - BGT to SM Calamba
23 - SM Calamba to City of Santa Rosa
Lastly, I thank God for His wonderful creations and for guiding us throughout the trip, praying for more places to visit the soonest. Ciao!
Some reminders...
- Confirm your departure date a day before at the White Beach's terminal shipping lines.
- Morning is the best time to board a boat (current are stronger in the afternoon).
- During water-activities avoid bringing electronic gadgets or accessories.
Itinerary
Hello Puerto Galera! (1st day)
7:45 am to 9:45 am - From City of Santa Rosa, Laguna to Batangas Pier10:14 am to 11:30 am - Batangas Port to Puerto Galera via Galerians shipping lines
4:00 pm to 7:00 pm - Braiding and Henna
DIY Travel (2nd day)
8:00 am to 11:30 am - Water activities4:00 pm to 6:00pm - Chillin' at the beach like reading, eating snacks
'Til next time Puerto Galera! (3rd day)
8:00 am to 9:30 am - Buying souvenirs and pasalubong1:20 pm to 2:50 pm - White Beach to Batangas Port
2:50 pm to 3:10 pm - Batangas Port to Stoplight
3:10 pm to 3:30 pm - Stoplight to Batangas Grand Terminal
Afternoon lunch :)
4:10 pm to 6:00 pm - Batangas Grand Terminal SM Calamba7:25 pm - Finally home...
Fare and Activities (in Peso)Expenses
1st day
130 - Van from City of Sta.Rosa, Laguna to Batangas Port
500 - A round trip ticket from Port to White Beach
30 - Terminal fee
1000 - Sandra Talyor Lodge
125 - Braids by Ate Baby
150 - Henna tattoo by Intensity Henna Tattoo
2nd day
119 - Morning breakfast
600 - Water activities c/o Kuya Boying and Kuya Elmar
50 - lunch
100 - Snacks from passing by vendors at the beach (e.g. fish crackers, chicharon, kropeck, pastillas, banana chips)
15 - a cup of rice for dinner because we have San Marino corned tuna
3rd day
260 - Souvenir and pasalubong (1 sleeveless shirt and 8 pcs. of coin purse + 1)
50 - 9 pieces of macapunong bigas
7 - Batangas port to Stoplight
10 - Stoplight to Batangas Grand Terminal
80 - BGT to SM Calamba
23 - SM Calamba to City of Santa Rosa
I spent almost 3,300 pesos for the 3 days and 2 nights trip.
Shout out to all the people who were kind enough to tolerate our 'tawad' and inquiries! 😂
Bangon Puerto Galera!
Lastly, I thank God for His wonderful creations and for guiding us throughout the trip, praying for more places to visit the soonest. Ciao!
Lots of things happened during the recent #romanceclass event #FeelsFest last October 22, at Glorietta 5 Atrium in partnership with Ayala Malls.
Reunited with them... ❤️
#FeelsFest is my second Feels Day. Swooned again by the live readings, still in awe with the performances of Rachel Coates, Gab Pangilinan, Herv Alvarez and Gio Gahol.
Scenes read during live readings were from the following books:
The Hometown Hazard by Dawn Lanuza
Sweeter by the Second by C.P. Santi
Tempting Victoria by Mina V. Esguerra
What You Wanted by Mina V. Esguerra
Save the Cake by Stella Torres
Keep the Faith by Ana Tejano
When Sparks Fly by Ines Bautista-Yao
'Holy kamote! He has abs now.' is a personal fave read by Gab Pangilinan with Gio Gahol from the book, Sweeter by the second of Ms. C. P. Santi, one of the stories in Maybe This Time short story anthology. This part of the live readings was hilarious and kakilig.
New Releases!!!
Me, given a chance to say something my book, fighting!
(Photo taken by Kim Derla, thanks!)
20 books were released and launched during #FeelsFest. How about that! Haha. One of my books, Once Summer Days, was fortunate to be one of those new books. Yay! 💕
Meet and greet, yey! Signing books made me blushed.
(Photo taken by Kim Derla, thanks!)
20 books were released and launched during #FeelsFest. How about that! Haha. One of my books, Once Summer Days, was fortunate to be one of those new books. Yay! 💕
Meet and greet, yey! Signing books made me blushed.
A cup of coffee before the day ended. Cheers! ☕️ Hehe.
Buy some feels & listen to a little love at the #romanceclass
FeelsFest on Saturday, October 22, at Glorietta 5
Ghosts, skeletons, and cobwebs might be
decorating the windows of shops these days, but why give in to fear when you
can celebrate love in October? And why drown your sorrows and stress in beer at
Oktoberfest when you can go on a rollercoaster of emotions at #FeelsFest? At
least that’s what the folks from the #romanceclass community of authors and
readers figure!
Mark your calendars: The #romanceclass
#FeelsFest will be on October 22, 2016,
at Glorietta 5 in Makati. Authors will be on hand to meet readers and sign
books. They’ll be selling indie romance books—many of which you won’t find in
your typical bookstore. There will also be games, giveaways, the launching of over
15 new titles published by indie authors just this month, a book donation drive
for Ayala Malls’ Little Free Library, and the much-anticipated live readings!
In fact, #romanceclass live readings are
show-stealers, thanks to the feels delivered by actors invited to read excerpts
from romance novels. Previous live readings have been punctuated with shrieks
and sighs. #FeelsFest will mark the fifth official live reading event, the last
one held just last month at the Manila International Book Fair. #FeelsFest will
feature new live readings from #romanceclass books. (Visit http://romancepodcast.com/ to get the
audio versions.)
The #FeelsFest live readings will feature
performances by Gio Gahol, Rachel Coates, Hervin Alvarez, and Gabriela
Pangilinan. Expect to hear scenes from books by Mina V. Esguerra, Ines
Bautista-Yao, and more.
“The #romanceclass community is all about
encouraging each other to read, write, and publish books we love,” says author Mina
V. Esguerra, whose books include Tempting
Victoria, What You Wanted, and Iris
After the Incident, all of which and more will be available for sale at the
event. “#FeelsFest is our chance to give back to the community of readers and
friends who’ve supported us. We get to have a little fun, and maybe meet some
new people who love a good love story as much as we do.”
So if you like to hug your hugot close and are addicted to happy
endings, drop by Glorietta 5 on October 22. Selling will begin when the mall
opens, and the official program is scheduled for 2PM to 6PM.
For more information about #romanceclass,
visit http://romanceclassbooks.com,
where you’ll see a catalog of the authors’ books along with other information
about the community. #FeelsFest is brought to you by Ayala Malls.
CONTACT: Mina V. Esguerra
minavesguerra@gmail.com
Twitter, Facebook: minavesguerra
minavesguerra@gmail.com
Twitter, Facebook: minavesguerra
Manila International Book Fair happens every year on the month of September. Ever since I learned about this event back in 2013 (I think), I have always wanted to come to the event and be drowned by tons of books. The said event happened from September 14-18, and this year, I was there, though it was only the last day of 5 days still I was able to attend the fair. Another special thing about this event was having my latest self-published book, Chasing an Elusive Dream, available at the fair (Yay!). It was only 7 copies and I was glad they were sold out. I knew some who bought a copy or two through social media, thank you, thank you! ^ - ^
#AllTheFeels was held also on the last day of the event (another reason why I chose the 18th to attend the fair). Live readings happened and swooned all the readers and writers who filled in the entire room. Gio Gahol as always never failed to deliver kilig. Hehe. Migs, Gab and Gracielle were awesome.
Also the announcement of winners in Precious Pages Movie Making Contest was held at the stage event. Congrats to all!
Wait! There's more! Another event to look forward to this coming October is the #FeelsFest, which is set to swoon all of the humans with feelings.
And as planned, I will launch a new book, Once Summer Days, hopefully. ^o^
Aren't you excited? Well, I am nervous, really nervous! (sigh, hehe)
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