For the first in my life, I paid for a massage, got a temporary tattoo, snorkelled on an amazing beautiful reef and had the best laugh of my life just playing cards. These escapades all happened in the Island of Mindoro on the white beach of Puerto Galera on the 4th day of our trip to the Philippines. We caught the ferry from Batangas pier around 11am and reached the Island of Mindoro within an hour. We were lucky to have caught the “Commandos” Outrigger boat instead of the “Bryan”, which apparently notorious for sinking. The trip to Puerto Galera was [View Full Entry]

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Day 3 of our Philippines Trip was spent on a floating cabin in Matabungkay (Batangas). We got the floating cabin for free 'coz the father of a friend of mine is friends with the owner. We ate, joked around, laughed, teased each other, swam...then ate again....this is as fun as it gets. Highlights: 1) Someone puts a fish in my cousin's swimsuit 2) Dared to eat raw fish 3) Freed "Lapu-lapu", the fish that Francis wants to eat that's still alive. 4) Poured buckets of water with each other 5) Pushed each other into the sea " A Picture is worth [View Full Entry]

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Five women and a lad out to conquer a volcano….ok….a little far-fetch. We’re just out for a little bit of adventure, and that is, to ride a horse up to Taal Volcano and enjoy a spectacular view. As soon as we arrived in Tagaytay, a group of men lined on the side of the road are flagging us for a boat ride to Taal. We drove at the end of the line and asked for the cost. We managed to haggle a boat ride to Taal Island for about AU$40. The flaggers escorted us to a resort’s dock and caught one [View Full Entry]

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We checked in at Oak Seaforth Resort at around 2pm. The holiday apartment we booked is fully self-contained with an ensuite and spa. The balcony is massive - just perfect for star gazing on a clear starry night. Although the apartment have a fully equipped kitchen, we ate out most of the time. I only cooked dinner once but managed to set off the smoke alarm at least four times and got the apartment filled with smoke. The smell of steak lingered in the air throughout the night and became too much on the nose (I guess I won’t be cooking [View Full Entry]

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We all decided to go on a family outing in Springbrook which is famous for its waterfall and natural bridge (rock archway). The Natural Bridge cave is also home to thousands of glow worms. Unforturately, they are invisible to the naked eye during the day and can only be seen at night. We all agreed to meet up at the Natural Bridge around lunch time. On our way to Springbrook, we stopped over to pick up some drinks and meat pies at the gas station. We found the aroma of the scrumptious pies irresistible so we devoured the meaty pies before [View Full Entry]

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Highlights of the rest of the road trip to Victoria: Day12: Otway National Park - went to Otway Fly Canopy treetop walk and immersed ourselves among the talls trees and waterfalls. It took us an hour hike return to the triplet falls, but it's all worth it 'coz the place is simply wonderful. The sight, sound & smell of the rainforest calm the senses making it a perfect retreat to unwind. Day 13: Went to Queenscliff and Geelong. It was a very hot sunny day. After checking out the Geelong pier, we've taken refuge in the comfort of the shopping centers. [View Full Entry]

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Day 9: Exploring the 12 apostles, Lock Ard Gorge, Grotto and The Arch. These magnificent rock features were sculpted by the powerful force of the sea that began 10 to 20 millions of years ago. These geographic wonders are the remnants from the constant erosion of the limestone cliffs of the mainland caused by the stormy wind and crushing waves of the Southern ocean. There are now only 8 rock stacks still left standing out of 12 as the ocean starts to reclaim its creation. The 9th monolith collapsed and devoured by the sea only July last year. One must really [View Full Entry]

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Driving through the Great Ocean Road was the most exhilarating part of our road trip to Victoria. It’s one of the most scenic coastal road in the world stretching from Torquay to Peterborough where the Southern ocean meets the Victorian hinterland. We drove through thick forests of the Great Otway National Park, over the green hills and pastures of Apollo Bay. We stopped over at the most breath-taking lookouts. Cape Patton Lookout is one especially not to miss. Our first stopover was at Lorne to see the Cape Otway Lightstation - an 18 meter lighthouse built in 1848 made of sandstone. [View Full Entry]

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Day 7 of our trip - exploring the Dandenong. As the designated Road Trip Navigator, the only way I could do my job properly is if I have the proper maps. We stopped over at a shopping village to buy a refidex (map book of Victoria) on our way to Lilydale where we booked our accommodation for the night. Inside the shopping centre, I was surprised and amazed to see little cute bunnies in the pet store. Rabbits are banned in Queensland (QLD) as they are classified as pest. I guess this law does not apply in Victoria. Queensland is very [View Full Entry]

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Day 6 of our trip was spent in a zoo. We had the dilemma of either going to an Open Range zoo at Werribee or to Melbourne Zoo. We picked Melbourne Zoo solely based on close proximity. I’m not quite certain on my stance on zoos. Although I was amazed to see exotic animals & all, but is it right to deprive animals of their liberty by caging them in zoos for the amusement of mankind ? Australian zoos are among the best in the world. They are designed to replicate the animals’ natural habitat as much as possible. They are [View Full Entry]

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