My Travels
Being a blogger for Explore Iloilo, I have visited my home province and nearby places in Wesern Visayas extensively. Starting in 2010, I’ve kicked off my dream of traveling to more places in the Philippines. My aim is to visit as many travel destinations scattered throughout the Country’s 7,107 islands. Join me on my trips to see the beauty of the Philippines by regularly visiting this blog and experience the places that I’ve seen and people I’ve encountered. I’ve also planned a few backpacking trips in South East Asia and will be posting my adventures and misadventures in other lands as well.
Travel Quotient = C- (2009)
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Travel Quotent = B (2010) |
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After our spelunking adventure in Bulacan, we traveled further north to Nueva Ecija to try out sport fishing at the Pantabangan Dam.
The first time I saw it in our Lakbay Norte itinerary, I was like … sport fishing?!! that doesn’t seem to be as exciting as surfing, white water rafting, airsoft, paddle boarding, or even most items in the itinerary for that matter.
I was actually more excited about the long road travel to Nueva Ecija because I really needed the sleep. Exciting, right?
In the end, I was actually glad I had low expectations of visiting the Pantabangan Dam because the awesome experiences we had that afternoon really took me by surprise.
Sport Fishing at Pantabangan Dam in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija
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The historic Pinagrealan Cave was our first stop during the Lakbay Norte 3 media tour. It was also my first “real” visit to Bulacan :)
Before, I’ve mostly passed by the province traveling through the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). Bulacan is the first province after Metro Manila if heading northwards.
Although I was a stranger to the Pinagrealan Cave, I knew Bulacan was famous for its historic caves. The most prominent ones are found within the Biak na Bato National Park, which was often mentioned in history class (back in the day) as the headquarters of the Philippine Revolution.
Pinagrealan Cave, as I later discovered, also played host to its fair share of Katipunero hideouts. The cave was not only filled with history and untold secrets, it also has a lot of beautiful subterranean views.
Short briefing at the Pinagrealan Cave entrance
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I was starting to get disappointed with places I’ve visited in Camiguin in the last two days. Maybe I was too critical or maybe the island’s famous attractions weren’t really that spectacular. One thing’s for sure, there was a moment when I thought Camiguin was bordering on being an overrated destination.
I’ve read high recommendations and seen amazing photos of different spots in the island prior to the trip. It definitely built-up my expectations of Camiguin. When I finally got to see the usual spots like Katibasan Falls, White Island, Ardent Hot Springs, Walkway to the Old Volcano, and the uber popularized Sunken Cemetery, I guess I just wasn’t WOWed. I also felt that these places were a bit too “touristy” because there were a lot of organized developments already.
After taking a P38 lunch at some random carinderia at the Catarman Public Market, I asked around about how to get to Tuasan Falls. It wasn’t as easy to get to as the ones I previously visited but the effort was indeed worthwhile.
I was very happy I got to visit the Tuasan Falls. Its raw beauty totally turned my experience of Camiguin around.
Tuasan Falls in Catarman, Camiguin
Finding out about a waterfall unofficially tagged as the “Niagara of the Philippines” made me want to visit the Tinuy-an Falls during my 12-day trip in Northeastern Mindanao.
I was curious to see how it measured up, if its cascades were really comparable to the famed Niagara Falls … at the very least, to see a waterfall in the Philippines that had a more prominent width. I’ve never seen one since most of the waterfalls in the country have like a vertical orientation.
The Tinuy-an Falls was located in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur and since Bislig was majorly out of the way from the rest of my itinerary route, I made it my first stop after arriving in Butuan City.
Tinuy-an Falls in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur
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Here are my travel plans for the year, as promised. You guys might have noticed how I’ve done on a lot of solo travels in the past two years.
I don’t really prefer to travel on my own. In fact, I love to travel with a group and share the experience with other people with the same passions.
My hermitish activities were largely due to not finding anyone in my “circle” who has the same nomadic lifestyle as mine. Although I sometimes get to travel with my friends or with new acquaintances, it wasn’t a frequent occurrence since most are tied to work and responsibilities.
I assumed early on that trudging on a non-conventional path would mean being alone … a lot. I just wanted to travel and see different places. I wasn’t going to let my inhibitions on solo travels keep me from realizing my wants.
Ambot-ah Season 2012! Thanks to soloflighted for the levitation photo (bottom) and raphroad for the beach shot (middle).
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I had just returned to my empty hostel room in a small town in Southern Palawan when I got a call from the North Philippines Visitors Bureau. They broke the news that I was chosen as one of the lucky travel bloggers joining the 3rd edition of the Lakbay Norte media tour. I was overwhelmed with excitement but I had to keep it to myself … I was traveling solo and there wasn’t anyone around that could relate anyways. The timing couldn’t have been better. It was the perfect way to kick-start my 2012 season of traveling.
I found out later when I got the chance to go online that I was going to be stuck with five other amazing travel bloggers on the Lakbay Norte 3 tour … that’s 8 whole days across 11 provinces in North Philippines! I almost fainted at the thought of traveling with Gael from thepinaysolobackpacker, Ed from soloflighted, James from journeyingjames, Angel from lakwatsero, and Christian from lakad-pilipinas.
Photo-op with the Lakbay Norte 3 Bus at Patapat Viaduct in Pagdupud, Ilocos Norte. Photo taken by Gael.
Is there really such a thing as a pink sand beach? and does the beaches of the Santa Cruz Islands in Zamboanga really have a characteristic pink sand as popularized?
These were a few questions I wanted to figure out for myself during my first trip to Zamboanga City.
The day before my planned trip to the Santa Cruz Islands, I went to the Department of Tourism (DOT) Regional Office located beside Lantaka Hotel (NS Valderosa Street). All tourist visiting the islands are required to coordinate with the DOT since they are the ones arranging transportation and coordinating with the military station in the island.
I checked to see if there were any bookings for the next day. Fortunately, there was one and the DOT Staff told me to be at Paseo del Mar (beside Fort Pilar) early morning the next day.
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The dimming light during our late afternoon arrival in Samal Island set the mood for one unique attraction. We were set to visit the Monfort Bat Colony, known for being home to the largest colony of the Geoffrey’s Rousette Fruit Bats.
Me and Ferdie dropped off at Babak (near the pier) and hailed a motorcycle to take us to the bat colony. The caves were located within a private compound, the owners of which charge an admission fee to see the nocturnal celebrities.
Not a single soul was around to greet us a welcome at the entrance. My head raced when I saw the sign “visiting hours: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm only.” Emphasis on the until 5:00 pm ONLY. It was already 5:15pm … bummer!
Eerie sight of millions of fruit bats at the Monfort Bat Colony in Babak, Samal Island, Davao del Norte
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During an early morning flight to Palawan, I was looking out the window and saw a flat sheet of cloud covering most of the landscape and with the sunrise breaking out of the horizon. It seemed like we were flying above the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean … and so I thought of capturing this idea in a photo series called “Tropical Tundra.”
I and couple of friends went to El Nido, at the very tip of Palawan Island. It was already my second time to visit El Nido but she still looked just as beautiful as when I first laid eyes on her towering limestone mountains and alluring waters.
The idea behind this photo series was seeing things in a new light and achieving greater possibilities out of our circumstances.
I want to fly and never come down.
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I’m filled with mixed emotions when I reminisce about my experiences during the last 12 months. Everyday I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to do the things that I loved: traveling, taking photos, and blogging. Okay, I haven’t been blogging as much as I should.
So what did happen to me in 2011? I’ve slowed down my travels … at least not as much as I did in 2010. Here’s a recap of my travels in 2011.
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In the Philippine Ilonggo dialect, ambot ah literally means "I don't know." After graduating in college, I decided to hold off pursuing my profession and embarked on a free spirited journey of adventure and self-discovery. My travels have led me to many places across the Philippine Islands and South East Asia. I don't know where this path will take me but I'm certain I'll get a lifetime of stories out of it.
