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Saturday, February 23, 2013

B009 Take me to the Beach!

IFWanderer Dene shares another travel in Southeast Asia.  We hope you get something from this post!

It’s Chinese New Year... this means big holiday in Singapore, yippee!

To make it even better, the company I work for announced a week-long shutdown, so I was free for that span of time. What better way to celebrate CNY, and by coincidence Valentine’s day, than to travel and have my much needed escape to "THE BEACH". Remember the movie with that title? Yes, we went to that beach... Phi Phi Island in Phuket, Thailand.

We booked a ticket to Phuket a few weeks before CNY for Feb 13 to 16. We reserved a a room at Patong Premier resort - a few minutes walk from the popular Patong beach. That beach was recommended by a friend because of the variety of activities and nightlife.

We got there Feb 13 about 10AM. The flight from Singapore was only 2 hours. We took a minibus from the airport to the resort, which was about an hour ride.

As we were not able to prepare much for this trip, we availed the first package tour that was offered to us. We did not want to waste time searching for other offers. We know our priority, it’s the beach. Phuket, being a well-known tourist destination, has a lot of travel and tour agencies - but they basically offer the same activities and destinations.

Feb 13: Island Safari


A few hours after we checked-in, we proceeded to Island Safari. Our only goal was simply to ride an elephant, as we feel it’s a must when you visit Thailand. They also have other activities and animal shows but this place would be more enjoyable for kids. For adults, this is a bit boring.

We then visited Wat Chalong, a Buddhist temple about 30 minutes from Island Safari. We just walked around the temples and flee market then headed back to the resort.

When night came, we strolled around Patong to see what the lively street has to offer. The streets were filled with tourists, and since it’s the eve of Valentines, several flower vendors. We passed by the bars and did a little shopping.



Feb 14: Phang Nga Bay


Our Valentine’s day was spent island hoping. We first visited James Bond Island, where "Man with a Golden Gun" was shot 40 years ago, for picture-taking. Next stop was Hong and Panak island where we went kayaking. We entered the bat cave in Panak Island and we had to lie down on the kayak as the ceiling was pretty low and the tide was high. Last stop of the tour was Lawa island were we did a little swimming.

Once back in the resort, we relaxed in the resort’s pool. What I like best about the pool is the falling Kalachuchi flowers that give it a spa feel.


We capped the day with a simple Valentines dinner, pasta and pizza and some souvenir shopping for friends.

Feb 15: Nui Bay


Day 3 was for the beaches and Phi Phi island was first on the itinerary. The boat first stopped at Maya Bay so we can do some snorkelling. There were few fishes so I didn’t stay long - didn’t quite meet my expectation. From Maya Bay, we went to the beach, where "The Beach", was filmed.  It was hard to take a good picture though because there were a lot of tourists. By lunchtime, we left the area, quickly passed by Monkey Beach and Viking Cave, before heading to Phi Phi Don where we had our buffet lunch. We spent the afternoon at another beach at Khai Island, relaxing and swimming.



Feb 16: Patong Beach


We started our last day in Phuket with an early morning swim in Patong beach. It’s better to go there in the morning. Come noon, the tide is already high and the beach is filled with sunbathing tourist. Then we had our final dip in the resort’s relaxing pool.

By noon, it was time to say goodbye to Phuket... and go back to Singapore - back to reality.

Phuket is a convenient place for a quick getaway if you live in Singapore. The prices were a bit high for me, but this was already expected as it is a highly commercialized tourist destination. And this is probably my most expensive trip to date.

Shopping was challenging because you really need to haggle a lot. The first price they’ll give you is around 4 times the actual price! If you’ll shop there, buy a lot of swimwear - it’s worth it.



I enjoyed Thai food, such as Tom Yum and Pad Thai. There were a lot of street foods around Wat Chalong, including fried insects. I didn’t have the courage to try them though.



And finally, the Thai people are very polite. Sawasdee khap!

If you have the extra budget, and a few days to escape the urban life, Phuket is place to try.


Trivia: Feb 13 to 16, this group went on our first backpack trip to Caramoan - the trip that started it all. Looking back, it was still the best adventure that I had, with the best Valentine's day, so far.






Monday, October 29, 2012

B008: All for... Baler

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Disclaimer: this is a third person version of this post, coming from the same author.  No plagiarism here. :)
A sudden decision along the way resulted to an unexpected adventure for IFWanderers Ces, JC and Jecoy. Read on to learn about what happened!
Jecoy had a 2-week vacation last July, and squeezed in it was a day and a half with Ces and JC.  It was that short because Jecoy’s weekends were blocked already and, Ces and JC preferred to take only 1 day of leave from work.  So the plan was to travel the night before, sleep after arriving to the destination, get on with the activities the next day and leave before nighttime on the same day.
So where were they headed?  San Juan, La Union – one of the top surfing destinations in the country.  None of them tried that sport yet, so doing it for the first time would be fun!
In Jecoy’s previous home leave (January 2012), the three also had a quick road trip.  They had the classic: Tagaytay-Nasugbu (Caleruega) combo trip.  At that time, they used Ces’ car, which was then still less than 6 months old.  This time, it was Jecoy’s then less-than-six-months-old car’s turn to be tested.  And tested it was.
The trip was going as planned.  They started traveling by 8PM, had the car’s tank filled with fuel before going to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), had a quick dinner at one stopover, and then continued the trip.  They took a turn to Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) to save time. Upon exiting it, they met a fork and turned left, for that would lead to La Union.  But then they also read the sign pointing to the right.
“Uy, papuntang Baler yun oh!” (“Hey, that way is going to Baler!”)
The three have been intrigued with Baler, Aurora for more than a year already.  They thought of going to that place, but for some reason didn’t push through.  At this moment, a U-turn will make it happen!
Ces stopped the car (she replaced Jecoy after the stop-over at the NLEX). “Ano?” (“What?”), she asked.  JC checked Google maps and compared the distance between San Juan and Baler from our point.  Baler was nearer.  “Tara, Baler!” (“Baler – let’s go!”)
“Teka, teka, rough road papunta dun diba?” (“Wait, wait, the road going there is rough, isn’t it?”) Jecoy asked, thinking about his car.  “National road naman dadaanan natin.” (“We’ll pass by the national road anyway”), said JC.  For some reason, that convinced everyone.  Jecoy thought all national roads are paved.
And so they made the U-turn.
This doesn't look inviting, does it?

Their excitement just mounted after making the decision.  They were to finally satisfy their curiosity!  Actually, the purpose for the trip was still intact, for Baler is also a surfing spot!
One hour from the fork, the road was just fine.  They had 2 routes to choose from.  And they took the shorter one, according to Google Maps. :)  And amazing how this app also gave an estimate of the travel time!  So they expected to reach the destination before midnight.  That’s what they thought!
The ascending and winding road started.  They were passing by the Mountains.  That’s how you go to Baler, you traverse parts of the Sierra Madre Mountain range before you reach the municipality. 
The road was still paved, so it was okay.  But then the pavement ended.  But still, the road was smooth, looking ready to be cemented soon.  So, it was okay.  And then the road became rough. Oh boy!
Because it was dark, and they wanted to be safe and to not stress the car’s tires too much, their pace was slow.  Their initial assumption of reaching the destination before midnight was wrong.  Looking at the map, and judging by their pace, they thought, maybe they’ll arrive a couple of hours later.  That was optimistic, for they didn’t expect things they encountered next.
The group was still having fun through it all.  As it was very dark and remote, they started scaring each other a little bit and making fun of the situation.  They developed an imaginary story of what would happen next, with the components of Filipino horror movies, no less. :)
Aside from Jecoy’s car, only a few trucks were passing through that road.  No bus, no nothing.  That gave them a hint that they were on a road less traveled.
It wasn’t raining that evening, but some parts of the road were wet.  There were little pools of water, and then a big one.  They stopped.  “Is that passable?” Ces asked.  JC got off the car to check if the water’s deep.  After inspection, they continued with the journey. 
Their imaginary story resumed, and then they met a fork.  The right one’s going up, and the other’s going down.  They decided to take the road at the right.  Good thing Ces was driving slowly, for the road abruptly ended!  Oops, there’s a river below.  There was a bridge that seemed to still be under construction and hasn’t reached their side yet. So they took the road going down.  It was narrow, and they passed by a small bridge, which looked temporary, to go to the other side.
The journey continued, and the friends were just focused on moving safely.  Their pace was terribly slow.  They were passing by small spillways along the way, and then they stopped and doubted again.  Could that be a river in front of them?!  Good thing there was a truck behind.  So they asked the driver of the truck if there was a way to go across.  The driver said that they didn’t have to worry, it’s a spillway and the water is shallow.  They took his word for it, and off went the car.  Whew, yeah, it was passable!
All that time, it was Ces who was driving.  Then Jecoy replaced her a little after.  Ces rested, took a nap even.  JC got to the front passenger seat; they wanted to have 4 eyes on the look at all times.  After some time, the thing the driver didn’t want to happen, happened.  The car got stuck in the mud.  As Jecoy is not an experienced driver, this got him really worried.  They woke Ces up for support.  Jecoy and Ces decided to switch places again when coaching did nothing.  Looking a little more to the right, the road would’ve been better if not for the sharp rocks scattered.  So… they asked JC again to get off the car, this time to put some of the rocks out of the way. :P
They stopped to appreciate this view.  It's not just about the destination, but what you see along the way.  "That must be the reward for this," they thought.

Such were the challenges they encountered in that it took a long time to get to Baler.  By long it meant, the sun rose already and they were still on the road.  Ces was really tired and Jecoy took over the final stretch, driving through San Luis until they reached Baler.  It was 8 o’clock in the morning.
Upon reaching their destination, the group looked immediately for a hotel and checked in.  As Ces and JC were talking to the receptionist, Jecoy asked one of the staff about the roads going to Baler.  Then he confirmed that the road they took was not the common one at the moment.  “Daanan ng mga truck yun...”  (It’s the road used by trucks…) – so they’ve been told.
They had to see the beach right away.  They headed to it immediately after checking in.  And what they saw was beautiful. The sight washed away their stress and reassured them that the trip was worth it!  
That. View.

They took breakfast and decided to take a nap first before going out to surf.  They were to go back to Manila on that same day, so they better have a little rest.  By around 12 PM, they prepared and headed to the beach.  Surfing at noon, why not?  As it was lunchtime, they had to wait for the instructors to finish their meal.  The friends chose to have their meal after the lesson.  So they dipped in saltwater while waiting. 
When the instructors finally arrived, the trio was pumped up for surfing! However, the waves didn’t match their mood – it was the lean season.  That meant the water was calm – the waves were not tall!  In one hour, perhaps less than 10 were acceptable for surfing.  They were not able to maximize the lesson, spending most of the time waiting.  But they still enjoyed it!
Jecoy was able to stand with ease right from the very start, thanks to his wakeboarding experience.  JC and Ces had to try a few times before they were able to get the balance.  

After the lesson, they had lunch, during which they took time to savor the food and the atmosphere.  That was the only other time they had rest, for they started preparing for departure right after. 
By around 4 o’clock, they were already on the road.  They took the other route, the one passing through the municipality of Maria Aurora and Pantabangan Dam.  It was indeed faster because most of the road was paved.  They also felt safer, well, it helped that the sun’s still up.
A picture with the welcome sign, on our way out, haha!

Realizations
  • The group realized, turning back never really occurred to them during their struggle.  That’s good, for the whole experience was, in a word, precious.
  • A Ford Focus TDCi is strong enough to tackle a road trip to Baler.  And a full tank is all you need!
  • Not all national roads in the Philippines are paved!  Hopefully, they will all be soon.
  • Jecoy told his experience to a friend in Korea, who hailed from Baler.   According to this friend, the route they took going to Baler used to be the more common one.  In Aurora’s official website, it was termed Baler-Bongabon Road.  However, the bridge in Nueva Ecija, was destroyed a few years ago because of a super typhoon.  Okay, so what they thought was a new bridge under construction was actually a destroyed one.
  • Now here’s an interesting bit.  According to his friend, the other route, Canili-Pantabangan, which is more commonly used today, is actually more dangerous.  It is because there are more steep slopes and at one portion, where there is a sharp turn, many vehicular accidents already happened.  She even told him they were lucky to have chosen the other road on their way to Baler.   Hmm…

 

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

B007: A Much Awaited Meet-up

As part of my global meet-up project, I went to Singapore and met a handful of good friends.  Every day was exciting, as I see each of my friends who I haven’t seen for at least a year!  And I was so happy to meet my travel friends in Singapore: Dene and Gene!  As expected, the day I allotted to them was the one most filled with activities.  When it comes to traveling, these guys never disappoint. :)
I have created a video about this trip.  But I decided to still give a rundown of activities in that one day I spent with my travel mates.  Singapore is small in that you can probably visit all the tourist spots in a few days.  I wasn’t able to do this, but for a day with IFW, I was able to:
  1. Go to Vivo City for breakfast.
  2. Go around Sentosa: take a Skyride, walk along Siloso beach and others, visit the lowest point in continental Asia
  3. Go to Orchard road to dine with a few more friends from college, walk along the road and shop
  4. Go to Chinatown to visit 2 temples: (a) Buddha Tooth Relic and Museum, and (b) Sri Mariamman Temple
  5. Go to Little India, shop for chocolates at Mustafa
  6. Go to Marina Bay Sands and pass the Helix Bridge
  7. Dine in at Chijmes (even watched 2 sets of the Men’s Wimbledon Finals at the restaurant)

This gives an idea of how much you can do in a day, as long as you’re willing to move.   

Parting with Dene and Gene was a little sad, we’re not sure when we will meet again, more so, when our travel group will be complete for a trip!  Until the next meet up my friends!



- Jerico

P.S. Shameless promotion!
For more details about the trip and to understand why I call this a ‘project,’ check out my personal blog: The Journeying Engineer.  Singapore travel video is embedded there as well.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

B006: Korean Whereabouts

IFWanderer Jerico sends an open letter to his travel friends.  Read on!

Dear IFW,

Hi! I’m nearing my contract’s end, and guess what? It will be renewed (as if you don’t know that already).  So, for at least a year, I will continue living in Korea.  Now before I see all of you on my coming vacation, let me give a recap of my whereabouts for the past 11 months.

The first impression I got when I stepped foot on Koreansoil was, hmm, this reminds me of Japan. The people look similar, there is a language barrier, life looks fast-paced and hi-tech and the transportation system is efficient.  Because of the similarities, I adjusted easily to life here.  As days went by, I didn’t just see more similarities but differences as well.  I like Korea, but when people ask me which country I prefer, I don’t hesitate to say, Japan.  (Again, I like Korea. :))

Moving on, let me start by talking about the food.  Food here is great!  But be ready to taste something spicy – they love that flavor here!  If you cannot tolerate spicy food, it will limit your gastronomic experience.

Here are my top picks: 

  • Jampong and Jajangmyeon: these are Koreanized Chinese noodles.  They can only be found in Chinese restaurants, but are evidently influenced by Korean taste.  Jampong is this super hot seafood noodles in soup.  Most servings have generous amount of seafood (octopus, squid, mussels and/or shrimp), the flavor of which combines perfectly with chili soup – delicious!  Jajangmyeon is wheat noodles with dark soybean paste sauce added with vegetables and meat or seafood.  The sauce is salty and sweet at the same time.  It’s like “pancit canton” with sauce tailored for Korean taste.  I like ordering the seafood version: Samseon Jajangmyeon. For both noodles, I noticed that they put a lot of onions.
Chili Jampong!  The color is enough warning.

  • Kamjatang: Spicy pork-bone (spine) soup with vegetables, served boiling hot. This reminds me of bulalo, but some would even say it reminds them of kaldereta and sinigang.
What does this remind you of?

  • Korean barbecue: This usually comes to mind first whenever I think of Korean food.  Korean barbecue varies with type of meat and preparation, of course, but you will most likely eat them with the same set-up: cooking by yourself using a grill or stove built on the table. Perhaps the most popular is samgyeopsal, pork belly cut with 3 layers (fat, meat, fat or meat, fat, meat). My favorite would definitely be hanu (Korean beef) – delicious and uh, expensive.  It’s interesting to note that they like eating barbecue with greens, i.e. lettuce and perilla leaf.  They dip the meat in soybean paste (or other sauce), wrap it with leaf and then eat.
At Choice 21 - an eat all you can barbecue restaurant with an assortment of meat


It’s a shame though that I don’t like one of their staple foods: kimchi.  I just don’t like fermented vegetables in general, so sorry for me.  And whenever a dish has a strong kimchi flavor to it, I spare it if I can.  Another one I avoid is Sundae, or “blood sausage” – enough said.

I should also mention that many people here love to drink.  You will be surprised about how even the ladies drink a lot!

Now on to places...

It’s actually a shame that for the length of my stay here, I haven’t explored a lot.  I rarelywent outside Seoul.  Hmm, I’m not really the type who enjoys traveling alone.  I tried it during one long holiday: Chuseok and I didn’t feel all happy about it.  Nonetheless, here are the places I’ve been to during that time.  I went with friends for the first and last items, for those in between, I went alone:

  • Caribbean Bay: this is a water amusement park which is part of the Everland Resort. This isn’t really our type of travel, is it? At least I enjoyed the Aqua Loop, the most extreme slide I tried by far.

  • Seoul N Tower: many famous cities have that “it” place, where you go and get a bird’s eye view of the city. In Seoul, this is it.

  • Gyeongbokgung Palace: Korea is also known for its palaces.  This one’s the biggest of them all.
The palace was crowded during last year's Chuseok (holiday).
During that day, admission was free.

  • Banpo Bridge: Installed along the length of this bridge are water nozzles and lights which is the world's longest bridge fountain - the Rainbow Fountain. During summer, they run a musical light and fountain show, which is a spectacle to see.  It is a must-see for any tourist visiting Seoul in summer.
Did I say Rainbow Fountain?

  • Seoul Grand Park: Within this is Seoul Zoo which is good for families, and an amusement park - Seoul Land.  One thing I would remember is trying the Sky X… it’s almost like bungee jumping
Marine mammals show at the Seoul Zoo
A picture before the three of us went to take the plunge via the Sky X


One place I went to which is outside of Seoul is Naminara Republic, or simply, Nami Island. You may know about this big Korean drama, Winter Sonata.  Parts of it were shot in this tiny island in the river.  After the drama’s success, Nami became a sensation and is now a top tourist destination.  I went there in autumn, and I would recommend choosing this season to anyone who hasn’t experienced living in a country with 4 seasons.  The change in the foliage’s colors that occur during autumn is a thing of beauty.  And seeing this phenomenon in Nami Island will mesmerize people from the tropics!


That gorgeous aisle...


Future Prospect

Halfway during my stay, I started attending the Seoul Toastmasters Club and eventually became a member.  It led me to meeting new acquaintances and possibly, friends.  And I’m happy to have met sporty and adventurous people.  Lately, I’ve been playing tennis again, and am getting hooked to wakeboarding!  Remember how I sucked at it in CWC?  I have been avenging myself from that experience, hahaha!  And this coming weekend, I will go to Busan and try surfing! (Whatever happened to our Baler trip?)

The recent happenings give me visions of a more active second year in Korea.  Who knows, I may just find a travel group here.  Rest assured you will always be my favorite travel friends! :)

I look forward to seeing you all (albeit separately) on my vacation!  We all have a lot to talk about! :D

Far from expert - my stance is still wrong :)


Regards,


IFWanderer Jecoy

PS

Shameless promotions!

I still have the hobby of creating travel videos, so to see more about the places I mentioned, you can check out the links below:


For more on my stay in Korea, you can check out the (irregular) series I created as a traveling engineer.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

B005: Angkor What?

IFWanderer Dene shares her trip (with Gene) to Cambodia's famous ancient temples and more.  Enjoy reading!

I love the beach. I think it’s my (and IFW’s) sweet escape default setting. But since Gene and I just came from Tioman a few months back, we wanted to try something different for a summer getaway... ancient civilization perhaps? Hmm... Let’s go to Angkor Wat.

We flew to Phnom Penh instead of heading straight to Siem Reap, hoping to see a bit of the city before the adventure. I must say, this is typical IFW travel style: taking the farther route for fun, experience, and budget. Sad to say, we didn’t explore Phnom Penh as planned. It was so darn hot and dry that day, dust flew all over the place with every gush of wind. 

Anyway, the bus trip was longer than I expected - 7 hours! But the ride wasn’t that bad. I got to recharge and got my much needed beauty sleep (I was out ‘til morning the day before). The scenery was something like an out of town trip back home, reminds me of Bicol or Batangas. We reached the hotel by almost 11PM and though the restaurant was already closed, they still served us dinner - nice!

Late meals - check!


Temple Run


Well, not really run, we hired a taxi for 2 days to drive us around the complex. We first thought of hiring a tuktuk, as it is cheaper and more Cambodian. But with the day temperature at approx. 40deg. C, wait, no way! See how big the place is?!


We chose to visit the minor temples first to avoid the crowd in the well-known sites (When I say crowd, I mean buses filled with tourists in their color-coordinated shirts, caps or bandanas) There are a lot of sites to check out within the complex which are less popular but equally amazing. I think it would take at least three days to visit and appreciate all. Just be sure to wear your most comfy shoes and bring lots of water.



The temples were built in honor of gods and former rulers, and signify a mixture of Hinduism and Buddhism. It’s better to visit the museum first before the tour - you’ll appreciate it more once you understand the background.



This looks like a candle, doesn’t it?  It’s in a room dedicated to a former king. See the “dimples” on the wall? According to the local guide, it used to hold gems to decorate the room. The hole faces north so light can shine through the whole day, illuminating the precious stones on the wall. 



By the way, most of the temples are under restoration, including Angkor Wat. So it’s quite tricky to get a good shot without the unsightly scaffolds.




It's interesting to see that trees grow on temples... Nature is taking over ancient civilization! :)



Two things I don’t like about tourist spots: the crowd and the vendors. Cambodians in general, converse well in English, but vendors here can be very pushy. A friendly advice: do not entertain vendors, especially the kids, if you have no intention of buying. They won’t stop once you show interest in their items.




We watched the sunset here at a temple on a hill.  Too bad, it was cloudy, so there was no glorious sunset to see, haha! It's too small to easily notice, but on top of that temple was a big crowd!


The next day was allotted for the main temples. We tried to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat but unfortunately, it was cloudy again. Nonetheless, being in Angkor Wat was a surreal experience, like immersing in the past. There were monks walking around, too. The walls are like books, with intricate carvings telling stories of creation, gods and ancient civilization.



Next stop was Ta Prohm, where Tomb Raider was shot. The place is spacious too, but mostly under restoration. It was packed with tourists - we can’t even get a descent photo without a stranger passing by. They also installed pathways for tourists, which to me, spoiled the Tomb Raider feel of the temple. We didn’t stay here for long.


BAYON is my favorite - I like it more than Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm. It looks older, like stacked rocks ready to fall apart soon. The face statues are a bit haunting too, as if they’re watching you everywhere you go. The faces seem to be smiling, but they look scary to me.




There are other temples nearby, but I forgot what they are called.




The Town


We were supposed to go back to Pnohm Penh on the fourth day. But we enjoyed Siem Reap so much that we opted to extend another day - yey! We walked around the town center of Siem Reap, visited a pagoda, hopped on a tuktuk (finally) and visited the museum.




Food and Night Out


I love the food in Siem Reap. Being a well-known tourist destination, there are so many choices, Asian, Mexican, Italian, Indian etc. The local Khmer food is also good, and it seems they like to use lemongrass in their soups and dishes a lot.

Watching a cultural show is also a must-try. This usually comes with a buffet dinner so it’s worth it. Other things we tried were the night markets, pubstreet and spa indulgence.



All in all, the trip was great.  Will I go back to Siem Reap? Sure! But next time, I’ll go straight to it (skip Phnom Penh) and try a backpacker’s inn instead - travel on a budget the IFW way!

This was taken from the east gate. Since we didn’t get to see the sunrise nor sunset, I made my own.


Tuesday, June 12, 2012

B004: A Comeback of Sort



Hello Internet!  We are back!

The travel group has been scattered since last year, and so this blog has slept for months.  Wait, when was that last entry? Oh, okay, this blog hid in a cave for a year – so much for our Itchy Feet, huh?!

On a serious note, we apologize for disappearing like an accidentally pregnant friend.  Up until now, we are still scattered around the globe (okay, just Asia), not having traveled as a complete group for more than a year!  It will continue to be so in months, or even years.  But individually, we haven’t lost that desire to go out and explore.

In that light, we have thought of redirecting this blog’s content.  Instead of just talking about our travel as a group, we would exchange our individual travel experiences.  We can’t just dwell on the past.  We sure enjoy traveling most when we’re together, but it doesn’t mean we do not enjoy it if we’re apart. 

And… we would like to hear from you!  Let us make this blog an avenue to share experiences, ideas, reviews, suggestions, etc. about travel.  Wait, someone thought of that already? We thought that’s original – not!

Really, it wouldn’t hurt to add another site that has that purpose, right? “Right, no one’s viewing your blog anyway!”  (We can almost hear that from a stumble-upon reader.)  But whatever, in case you change your mind, you’re always welcome in the conversation!

-IFW

P.S. 
We have a YouTube channel, and it will wake up soon ;) ItchyFeetWanderings
Follow us on twitter! @IFWanderings

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

B003 Into Thin Air: Mt. Pulag


Last April 16-17, IFW spent time at the highest peak in Luzon: Mt. Pulag.  They have been regulating travels lately, so each travel that they sneak into their schedule should be somehow unique. 

Mountain climbing you say? It’s not new for Jecoy and JC.  But it was definitely new to Cess; and together as a group as well.  However, there were only three of them available; Dene and Gene were away, giving a shot at Singapore (which by this time is already a success – Congrats guys!).

Cess who was still to experience a real mountain climb, only had Sagada as a previous hiking experience.  Among their past trips, that has to be the closest one to a real mountain climb. Admittedly, she got tired from that trip.  So she was hesitant to go and experience exhaustion again.  They actually had a different place in mind before Pulag – and yes, it’s another beach.  But along the way, as the schedule of the trip kept moving, Jecoy suddenly missed climbing, and JC liked the idea of trying something new as a group.  And after some convincing Cess finally agreed to get on with the trip.  But she was still hesitant up to the last minute, haha!

JC already went three times to Mt. Pulag.  So, he made the arrangements for the trip. 

Three days before the trip, Jecoy purchased tickets from Victory Liner Cubao to Baguio.  This was to ensure that they leave at the desired schedule at the appropriate time.  But he misjudged the right time of departure.  He purchased 7 PM tickets.  To those who have organized a trip to Pulag before, you know that’s too early!  After learning from JC that 9PM was best, he went back the next day to ask for reschedule.  It can be done, as long as there are slots available.  But, there was an additional charge for that – 10% of the ticket price, which was to be paid to the bus conductor on the day itself.  There were no slots left for the 9PM trip so he just settled with 8PM.  It was better than 7PM still, since all of them will come from work. 

Came departure day, April 15 and the group met at the bus station.  It was summer in the Philippines, so a lot of people scheduled trips to the province.  The media usually cover busy days of travel and this day was one of them.  They boarded the bus 15 minutes prior to departure, with the media cameras and bright lights pointed at the bus door.  Should they wave at the cameras?  Nah! 

The bus ride was their only chance to sleep, as they know all to well in this type of trip.  So as soon as the bus started moving, they started to relax and dialed Hypnos’ number.

April 16

Dawn at Baguio and the group waited for a Jeepney that will take them to the jump off.  The challenge for this trip actually was to look for a group they could join and share the Jeepney with.  Since there were only three of them, it wasn’t practical to rent one just for them.  Good thing Kampay – a group of mountaineers, who were also headed to climb Mt. Pulag, accommodated them.  Kampay was joined by ABNG, another group of mountaineers.  Together they rented two jeepneys and one still had room for a few more.  So team IFW gladly joined them for the ride and the climb.


One stopover prior to the climb was Pinkan Jo Eatery – where climbers can eat breakfast and take out food for lunch.  Another stopover, a side trip actually, is Ambuklao Dam.


After picture taking at Ambuklao Dam, they headed to Mt. Pulag National Park.

Every climber has to register at the Office of the Protected Area Superintendent.  Mt. Pulag is a DENR protected area and the said government arm is doing its best to ease the impact of tourists to the mountain.  It is important to call the superintendent first before going to Pulag.  They allow only up to 120 climbers at a time.  Also required is the orientation that includes a video presentation and lecture from a DENR representative.


After that one, the group then traveled some more to the ranger station – the jump off for the climb.  They were to take the Ambangeg trail, the most common trail for climbers.  After prepping up, they then started the ascent at around 10:45AM.  Several minutes into hiking, and they already noticed something different in the air.  Think about it, Baguio is already at high altitude.  And the national park is at even higher altitude.  Going to the ranger station from the DENR office is another climb up.  So you start climbing already with thin air.   And that’s tough, especially for first-timers who are not used to that altitude. 

Ranger Station
After about an hour they reached camping ground 1.  Most of the climbers ate their lunch here aside from having a prolonged rest.  The IFW guys decided to just take snacks and continue on with the climb. 

After an hour and a half, they reached camping ground 2.  They pitched tent right after they found a spot at the campsite.  Then they waited for their lunch.  One guide who was at the back end of the group was carrying their lunch, so they had to wait up to half an hour before they could eat.  Well they're used to late lunches on trips anyway, so it wasn’t too much to bear. 


Rest at Camping ground 1


Tents at camping ground 2 (extension)

The itinerary as commonly practiced was to climb up the summit very early next day to catch the sunrise up the mountain’s highest peak – talk about trying to capture a great view!  With that arrangement, they were able to take their time in preparing dinner, aside from having time to relax.

Kampay, ABNG and IFW gathered around and ate dinner together.  Customary to climbs, nighttime is allotted for socials.  Groups eat together, share stories and a lot drink as well.  This group did the same.  Although, IFW, not really accustomed to drinking especially on the first night of a trip excused themselves early out of the socials.  And oh, they are used to sleeping early as well ;)

About the tent, JC owns one, but it isn’t apt for mountains where winds can be strong and the temperatures are low.  They were not able to find one they can borrow, so during the trip they were wishing it would not rain.  And good thing it didn’t!  The temperature up Mount Pulag gets really cold!  Even with layers of jacket, they felt uncomfortable at times.  At 11PM, the three had their sleep cut due to the cold temperature – it woke them up!

April 17

Very early the next day, around 3AM, they woke up to prepare for the ascent to the summit.  They wanted to eat partial breakfast first before they started.  So fighting off the cold, they shakily prepared hot chocolate, noodles and consumed them together with cold leftovers.

The moon around 4AM

At around 4AM hike towards the summit commenced.  It was about an hour climb, which Cess found to be quite a challenge.  She almost puked along the way.  But she was fine ;)

There’s a reason why it was good to catch the sunrise.  And we can only describe it through these pictures:

This view of the horizon at dawn is popularly captured by tourists.

The sun by this time already appeared.

Take a 180 degree turn and see this.

Climbers take pictures and savor the moment

The sun's rays bathed us in yellow.

After enjoying the view and congratulating themselves for reaching the summit, it was time to descend.  The trip had reached its climax. It was an achievement for Cess, who threatened the guys that she will not be nice to them if she gets really exhausted.  She was nice most of the time!  It was also a dream come true for Jecoy, who had his mountaineering days cut only a year after joining a club.

Back at the camp site, they prepared again for the next installment of breakfast.  Then, they started breaking camp.  At around 8:30 AM, the 3 groups started their descent.

Fast-forward and the group arrived back to Baguio.  IFW parted ways with Kampay and ABNG as the they wanted to go around the city before leaving.  They did not have to buy return tickets as they already did when they arrived the day before.  And they chose a schedule that would allow them to spend some time wandering around the city.

Jecoy was craving for strawberry taho, and boy was he delighted to see one vendor – the large cup please!  Mmm, yummy!  They passed by the church, ate dinner and bought “pasalubong” before going back to the bus station to await their schedule.

They left Baguio at 9 PM, arrived to Cubao at 2:30 AM, and slept a few hours once they got home.  It was Monday already, and they had to wake up early and report to work! Now that’s pushing oneself to the limit!

-IFW

P.S.
Somehow, they found the climb easier than they thought.  Jecoy in particular was expecting an 8-10-hour ascent. He based it on what he heard from mountaineers several years ago.  Apparently, a considerable portion of Ambangeg trail became accessible to automobiles.  It was all good though, no complaints!

IFW would like to thank Kampay Mountaineers and ABNG for allowing us to join their group for this climb.  Until the next encounter guys!