Blogs from Philippines, Asia - page 8
March 11th 2012
I started this blog because there are about 10 days left before the big trip my boyfriend and i had planned for about 6 months now. This is not our first motorcycle trip but this one has got to be a real challenge for us - to go on a motorcycle trip to Luzon. I can't stop thinking about it. Twelve days away from our hometown to go and explore the northern region on a motorcycle. All I know is that I am excited, and I know that he is too, which is why he told me to start this blog to express the excitement that we feel. I can't wait to be in a new place to meet new people, taste different local dishes, and take pictures with my camera. The great thing about all ... read more
March 7th 2012
A relatively short ride south from Pandaquit to the Subic Bay area, we decided to stay in Barrio Barretto right on the beach. Very noisy area after the quiet of Pandaquit, but surprisingly nice clean beaches. We chose to spend a whole day at the Subic Ocean Adventure Park, mainly to see the Dolphins and had a great day out. Apart from when we left and went to find Monkeys had descended from the trees and totally destroyed our motorbikes seat! Next back to Angeles City to return the bike. Going to miss it after 16 days and 1,570 km!! Been a great trip through Ilocos, La Union and Zambales. The highlight easily being Pagudpud!... read more
1 Win, 1 Loss, 1 Chicken Hotpot......our adventures in The Philipines
Published: March 12th 2012Asia » Philippines » Malapascua Island
March 7th 2012
M – The Philippines wasn’t a part of our original travel plans, although to be honest these were never set in stone. When we started to flesh out the South-East Asia part of the trip we were looking for places that Kate hadn’t already been to that might be worth a quick look. The Philippines appealed for a number of reasons. Firstly, hardly anyone we met was planning to go there (we were starting to enjoy getting away from the tourist trail). Secondly the few that had been had all extended their trips and raved about the different islands. Finally we felt we might need a bit of sun and sand before we moved north into colder weather. Plans were made and expectations were exceeded, although with a bumpy start. We arrived in Manila and quickly ... read more
March 6th 2012
There are tons of great things about the Philippines, but by far away the best of them is the fact that inhabitants are called Filipinos. I like the fact that they thought ‘Well, the Philippines is a nice name but Philippino would be a bit of a bugger to spell. Let’s just settle for Filipino.’ It makes things a lot easier for writers like me. The Philippines isn’t part of the traditional backpacker’s route. The country, which consists of over 7,000 islands, lies to the west of Vietnam and to the north of Indonesia. Its location, and the fact that the country is only accessibe by plane has to be the reason that most backpackers stay away, because the Philippines offers plenty in terms of sun, sea and nightlife. Unfortunately, while the Philippines can offer breathtakingly ... read more
March 5th 2012
Flight from Kuala Lumpur to Clark (Philippines), 6:45 AM, red-eye flight, by my favorite airline AirAsia, only USD 80. So we arrived in Kuala Lumpur almost midnight one day before the flight and stayed there until the flight time, arriving in Clark, I was expecting to arrive in Manila, but Clark is around 150km from north of Manila, then a bus to Manila, I couldn't understand why, but that bus was too expensive for a 2 hours trip in Philippines, PHP 450. Arriving in Manila, we went to a travel agency to buy air ticket, our plan was to take a plane to Caticlan, the airport city of Boracay, but the agent kindly suggested us to take a plane to Kalibo, that will be much cheaper, and just get a one and half hour bus to ... read more
March 4th 2012
From Alaminos we headed down the Zambales coastline towards Iba. Passed Dasol Bay and visited one of the Sea Salt makers. They dry the Salt out in brick lined pools and we were told its easy here as the sun shines almost all year! Then we stopped off near Santa Cruz and saw Potipot Island just offshore, which looked amazing, but unfortuneantly we didnt have the time yo visit. Just south of Iba we found Botolan and stumbled upon an empty resort on the beach. Such a nice place with our own beachouse right in the sand! The beaches here are black sand beaches and the area has very few visitors so we pretty much had the beach to ourselves!... read more
March 4th 2012
Fun run daw. fun run ang paalam ni marx sa kanyang parents nang umakyat kami sa Mount Talamitam. Narinig ko pa mismo na nagpaalam sa parents nya at nahingi ng snacks (chichas) sa kanyang parents. "Magpapapayat kaba talaga?" yan ang sagot nila. Si Marx, tropa kong ulikba. First time nya maghiking. Chubby daw sya at di sya mataba. Tapos, "IN DEMAND" daw ung ganung katawan. Ako naman, 1 week palang nakakalabas ng ospital mula sa mahabang confinement. sa isip ko mag kalevel lang kami. kumbaga, PARTIDA. Dayhike lang kami. kaya konti lang dala namin. maliliit lang ang mga bag namin, dala dala ang ilang litro ng tubig, trail foods, pamalit na damit. Ala sais ng umaga ang call time. Syiempre andun kami mga 6:30 na. Pilipino e. sakay ng bus, katabi ko ang matabang baboy. Ang ... read more
March 4th 2012
From Botolan it was an easy ride down to the town of San Antonio where we found a nice place to stay at the Big Foot Hotel. Then a few kms away was Pandaquit beach. Very popular with local visitors heading to the Capones Islands just offshore. Great beach here with mountains as a backdrop. Unfortunately this was first cloudy day we have experienced in Zambales so pictures dont do it justice! Also we didnt have time to visit the Capones which looked fantastic, white sand beaches and very blue water!... read more
climb to mount batulao [november 4 2011]
Published: March 3rd 2012Asia » Philippines » Batangas » Batulao
March 3rd 2012
mount batulao. ito ay isa sa mga bundok na naakyat ko maliban sa bundok ng tabuknon (sa bayan ng tabuknon in pedro penduko movie), bundok ng graba, bundok ng buhangin, bundok ng kanin, bundok ng kanin na may nakatagong hotdog and bundok ng labada at hugasin. akala ko noon outing ang pinuntahan ko kaya sangkatutak ang baon kong pagkaen at damit. samahan mo pa ng 4.5 liters na water supply. medyo kumpleto ako ng gamit na dala (ganun tlga pag first hike mo). nasa bahay palang, sabi ko sa sarili ko kaya ko ang bag ko pero pagbaba ng bus habang naglalakad papunta sa paa ng bundok; JUSKO PO! ayaw ko na. mabigat pala. tapos ung bag ko hindi designed para sa hiking kaya ung bigat napunta lahat sa likod ko. kaya ayun. tulo pawis, pahid, ... read more
