Blogs from Philippines, Asia - page 253

The town of Capas isn’t just known for simply being the gateway to Mt. Pinatubo. Its greater significance lies 65 years earlier when it became the last destination of the Death March and 32,285 soldiers died in a Japanese concentration camp located here. The concentration camp, then known as Camp O’Donnel, had been converted into a World War II pilgrimage site, the Capas National Shrine. We made a quick stop to take pictures of the 100-foot obelisk that shoot gloriously in the middle of the shrine. For lack of time, we didn’t go inside the shrine anymore and instead, admired the view from outside the gates. We still had to get to Zambales and we’re running out of time. Yes, Zambales. After conquering Mt. Pinatubo, we’re about to conquer Camara Islands and Capones Island in Pundaquit, ... read more

Welcome home Ety! As a welcome gift to Ety Bea who was coming back from US, we went to Badian island, Cebu. Our first choice was Plantation Bay but it was fully booked and we ended going to Badian Island - we never regretted. Good thing I was able to accumulate enough PAL miles to bring us to and from Cebu at Mabuhay class. From the airport, we were picked up by a van included in the package we availed from a Travel agency we got via Internet - it was a 3 hours drive down south Mactan, Cebu airport. Badian Island just opened their doors to locals last year - we were the only Filipino family spending vacation this time. Badian Island is different. You won't see the crew going around much. It was ... read more

The camping ground of Mt. Pinatubo wasn’t such a great sight. Aside from the comfort rooms that stood gloriously at the edge of a cliff (yes, it’ the first thing you’ll see before the crater!), grasses had been burned down to probably give more room for campers. There were also two waiting-shed-like structures in the midst of these burnt grasses. The “waiting shed” near the crater had already been occupied by another group of campers. Our guides, on the other hand, the ones that left us earlier so they can set-up their equipments at the campsite, settled in the second waiting shed. Our “waiting shed” served as a temporary refuge from the heat of the sun. We also took advantage of the cemented flooring to allow our feet to breathe and rest. We took off all ... read more

It has been my long-time dream to be a certified diver. This dream has been lingering in my mind since my intro dive with my boss in Guam in 2002. Incidentally, an officemate of mine told me she’s about to take her scuba class so she introduced me to her dive instructor Dencio of Dive Buddies. I got the chance to attend two of his orientations. That was last year, though. It was not till September this year when I finally signed up. For real! From Makati, my scuba classmates and I drove two hours south to Planet Dive, Mabini, Batangas. The road was not a smooth one. Actually, we feel like we were driving thru mountains that would lead us to Baguio! The dirt roads were steep. I just find it weird to be driving ... read more

The Big day! Val & I being in our relationship for 8 years now calls for the next step. God I'm going to propose!! We intended to get married next year of Aug 26, 2006. Unfortunately, we had to move the date to Dec 19, 2006 because she would be taking her board exam August of next year. We mutually agreed to move it then & announced it when our families met for brunch. I had been planning the proposal for weeks. The buying of the ring was the most stressful. I sought the help of my mom, my officemates and my brother in deciding on the “Right Ring”. And it did not end there. How to present it was even harder & involved a lot of coordination & time. I was looking for the best ... read more