Surf's Up: Baler Edition

 

(naks! parang ang dami lang napuntahan.)

 

I availed a scheduled leave last April 6-9, 2013 but I failed to book a flight prior to that date so wala akong lakad kung nagkataon. Chaka naman na apat na araw akong walang pasok tapos sa bahay lang?! Purica Paralejo?!? Yoko nga. So I decided to just go to Baler with my whole family since I've never been to that place. Zac is turning two but we never got the chance to test drive it that far. So I thought... this is the moment in time. Let's make it shine. 

 

Clean Sabang Beach

We embarked on our journey early morning since we are expected to arrive in Baler at 12:00 noon. We left our house in Rizal at around 6am in the morning.

Source: http://www.aurora.gov.ph/about-aurora/getting-there/

Ang liit lang diba? hahah! May pa gif gif pa e no.

We took that purple road. Longer but smoother equals shorter time. But if you aren't good enough to read maps like me, here's the very wordy yet helpful tips:

Via Private transport

1.    Go to Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija via the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) or Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX). You can reach Cabanatuan via NLEX-Bulacan-Gapan route or NLEX-SCTEX-Tarlac-Sta. Rosa Route. The latter route would be longer but takes a shorter time.

• NLEX-Bulacan-NE route. Go to NLEX. Take the Sta. Rita exit. Take the road passing through Plaridel, Baliuag, San Ildefonso, San Miguel, Gapan NE, Sta. Rosa to Cabanatuan. 

• NLEX-SCTEX-Tarlac-Sta.Rosa route. NLEX up to Clark Logistics Interchange. Enter SCTEX going to Tarlac. Exit at Amucao, Tarlac (End of SCTEX). Turn right to La Paz up to Sta. Rosa, NE. Turn left going to Cabanatuan.

2.    From Cabanatuan City, there are two routes going to Baler, The Baler Bongabong-Road and the Canili-Pantabangan Road. We recommend taking the Canili-Pantabangan road because the roads are better even though the route is longer. The Baler-Bongabon road is for the more adventurous kind and will take you to winding rough roads across the Sierra Madre.

• Canili-Pantabangan Route. From Cabanatuan take the Maharlika Highway going to Talavera, Nueva Ecija. Turn right to the road going to Rizal, Nueva Ecija then Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija. The road will take you to Canili, Maria Aurora, Aurora. The road will pass through the Sierra Madre until you reach the Poblacion of Maria Aurora. From Maria, Aurora you can then go straight to Baler.  

• Baler-Bongabon Route. From Cabanataun take the Maharlika Hiway and turn right to the Nueva Ecija – Aurora Road (landmark: crossing with Shell Gas Station and NE Restaurant). The road will pass through Palayan City and Bongabon, Nueva Ecija. From Bongabon turn right to the road going to the Sierra Madre mountains. After two or three hours of winding road you will reach the municipality of San Luis and then Baler. 

Via Public Transport

1.    Ride a Genesis bus with daily trips to Baler. Genesis transport terminal is located at #33 Edsa  corner New Yor St., Cubao, Quezon City. The earliest Genesis trip to Baler is 1:00 am in the morning. Fare is less than 400 pesos.

2.    Ride any Cabanatuan bound bus. Recommended buses are Genesis, 5 Star, ES and Baliwag (fare: less than 200 pesos). At the Cabantuan Central Transport terminal, you can ride buses (Genesis, D’ Liner, etc.) or vans going to Baler (fare 200 or below). Trips going to Baler are only up to 5:00 or 6:00 pm.

Source: www.batangbaler.net

The zigzag road is unbelievable. Feeling Baguio lang. I felt like throwing up after several hours. We passed by Nueva Ecija, the Rice Granary of the Philippines (kumu-kuya kim?! lol!). It was my first time to see those huge rice fields. Gusto ko sumakay sa kuliglig. hihih! Promding Promdi kasi ang peg. Retired na ata ang mga kalabaw. I was lucky enough to try the old version during my childhood.

Noon

Ngayon

You won't get bored on the long drive. Some sceneries are comparable to Baguio or Tagaytay believe it or not. I saw a lot of pine trees. Yey! Though we did not try opening our windows to see if the weather's cold too. Sayang!

Pantabangan Dam

I already have contacts to Baler beforehand since I have read a lot of blogs about it. I was planning to try  Gonzales homestay but there are conflicts with my family's schedule so I did not pursue it. Basta. Mr. Edwin Gonzales passed us on to his cousin, Sherwin. I was very excited since I already read a lot of great reviews of this guy as an artist. He's famous I supposed since most of his artworks are displayed in Museo de baler. The house is not located at the beach front. You can reach Sabang beach via tricycle for I think 7-10 minutes.

Here are some of my pics of the house:

The place is ok and decent since we can cook our own food; it has 2 bedrooms and bathrooms; we owned it by ourselves. I was just disappointed at some point. The water stinks bigtime. I'd rather soak myself in sea water rather than using it. My mother already told the owner that we really couldn't bear the smell. He got an excuse that it is due to the earthquake few days before we arrived. Thought he was spared by that reason but no. My younger brother and I transferred to his classmates' family owned business - Carlito's Inn on day 2 but the water was clean and no signs of dirt or anything. Had I known that it would be much better, we could have booked there on our entire stay. I hope he would be able to read this because his place needs some serious renovation. 

Moving on.. (I noticed I'm always on the nagging mode. Not good.) The reason why I went to Baler is only because of one thing. Naku pwede ba wag na tayong magpanggap, surfing lang naman ang nangungunang activity dito no! Dali!

Surfing is one of the sports I've been dying to try. Gusto ko lang malaman kung may sense of balance pa ba ang katawan ko. Isa pa, kulelat na ko sa lahat ng bloggers. Lahat sila nasubukan na yun. hihihi! I was hesitant at first, but after watching a lot of newbies having their own ligwak moments, hindi na ko nagpatumpik tumpik. We chose Mahdox Surf School only because it's the first stall we passed by. hahah! Tamad lang. 

Surfing rate is 350/hour with a trainer (or should I say taga-tulak? ^_^) As a newbie, you really can't get up without their help. I highly recommend it. Believe me since we tried renting just a surf board on second day but none of us was able to stand. They brief us a bit. For those who don't know how to swim like me, you can tell your trainer so he won't position you on the deeper part.

I asked someone before if you can wear life vest while surfing. The answer is no. Shokota Fanning! hahaha!

 

I really can't figure this out

Sinabi ko lang kay kuya na ready na ako.. pero di ko talaga alam kung ano ba dapat ang stance na para sakin. Itutulak ka niya para malaman niya kung ano ang paang unang babagsak. But it's for you to know kung san ka talaga kumportable.  Game!

Since it's 3pm, waves are not in a rush. It's actually perfect for first timers. You'll have more time to contemplate on life, love, happiness, world peace.. charot! Best time to surf for pro and feeling pro is early in the morning and late afternoon. 

We waited for a few more minutes.

then we slept.. hahaha!

Suddenly the trainor shouted "READY!"... I felt the rush. Then he finally yelled "Up!" and then I plunged into the water. hahah! Walang kalaban laban. Minsan, sa kabagalan ko, di pa man nakakatayo, lusaw na ang wave. Badtrip lang. hahah! For 1 hour, I can proudly say I was able to stand only once. Ang yabang ko na nun. hahaha! Tsk!

uy! happy na siya..

 

o ha!

ang yabang

 

San ang marathon teh?

 Semplangs are the best part isn't it? Here we go.. lol!

"huwag ka lang mawawala"

 

"sa bingit.."

"lamon"

 

Hihihi! We had fun fun fun! ^_^ I'll go back to Baler for the love of surfing.

vain alert!

My brother and I stayed for one more day just to surf. Kami ng naadik. Unfortunately we weren't able to visit few of the scenic sites in Baler due to extreme body pain. Alaxan iF-R moments. lol!

 

More of Baler sa aking pagbabalik.. Ciao!

weh!? di nga?!?!

Ako ba to? Parang hindi naman.. Hindi ko alam kung matutuwa ba ko nung nakita ko to. Naglinis ako ng cabinet sa office 2 weeks ago. Lalamukusin ko na sana to pero naisip kong pwede ko siya iblog, pangpadami din. Second home ko ang Baguio when I was still in school. Kada bakasyon nandun ako. Nakikitira sa mga pinsan ko. I've been to Tamawan several times. Naiinggit ako nun pag may nagpapa-paint ng fez. Kaya sabi ko sa sarili ko papagawa ako nito balang araw. 2008 when my officemates and I went there. E may nag udyok.. nainggit na naman ako. Langya! alam mo yung feeling na pinagtitinginan ka ng mga tao habang nakangiti sa harap ng artist.. tapos sabay maiiba yung ichura nila pag nakita na nila yung finished product?!?! Ang sarap pumatay. Nung nakita ko na.. lalong ang sarap pumatay. Gusto ko ipa ambush si kuya ora mismo. Bakit parang naging kamuka ko si Ara Mina? or si Michelle Branch? bat ganun?!?!



Ayan.. nai-blog ko na. pwede na i-shred. haha! Next week ulit! 

Puerto Princesa: Completing my Palawan Series

Hi there! Kala ko hindi na ko makakapag blog. lol! Muntik ko ng makalimutan password ko sa tagal. Anyway.. eto na ko ulit.

Finally after visiting Coron for the third time, and El nido once (and I booked another ticket for next year), now I took the time to try what Puerto Princesa could offer. I admit. I already set my expectations with this place before I even set foot on it (bias lang?)... that it will not surpass the beauty and magic that the 2 has brought me.. that there would be a lot of people in all of the sites.. that it would never be as quaint as the two.. that I could not call it a vacation at all.. that you would ask me why the hell I visited that place e puro reklamo rin pala ang aatupagin ko dun. hahah!

But I gave it a try. Yun naman ang importante dun diba?

Nagulat ako nang malaman ko kay Mica na may pagkain na palang pinapamigay sa Airphil Express. First time ko na-experience yun that time. PAL na PAL ang peg! May biscuit, mani at kape. 

Bangkay na lang ang kulang..

Anyway, I started searching for cheap lodging house few weeks before my trip and I saw Palawan Village Hotel. P650.00 per night sa fan room with breakfast. It's only a five minute walk from the airport. Kaya hindi na ko nagtaray nung nag offer sila ng free airport pickup tapos hindi naman dumating.

"Ate, ang ingay pala dito no. Di ako makatulog kagabi e." sinabi ko habang nag-aalmusal. Sagot naman ni ate, "Ah mam.. nakalimutan niyo atang malapit tayo sa airport. Eroplano po yun." Ok naman ang serbisyo nila. Narealize ko na ang kwartong de-aircon pala, pag pinilit gawin fan room, pugon. Hindi ko na kinailangan ng moisturizer sa gabi. Moist na moist na ang muka ko sa pawis. Pag nagtitipid, I'm sorry but I will not recommend this place.

Eto siya.. baka sabihin niyo naman e nilalapastangan ko sila. Maayos naman ang room.. at MALAKIII!

 

Kung feel niyong maging elepante at dambahan ang mga kama sa hotel, hindi niyo yan pwedeng gawin dito. Magkaron ng awa sa sarili.

WiFi is superb at the lobby. Pag nasa room naman kayo, latak ng wifi ang naghihintay. Wag ng magreklamo kung 650.00 lang naman ang ibabayad niyo tulad ko. ok?

I started the city tour already. Hindi ko balak umangot sa kwarto maghapon. Anyway I arrived there early and the room was not yet available. Hala! Gora!

I asked the receptionist how much is the standard rate for a City tour on a tricycle. She answered "800 para sa turista, 500 sa kuripot. Depende sa convincing powers mo ma'am"  I managed to be the latter. heheh! Yun nga lang, 4 hours lang ako tinour ni kuya. Pero no regrets. Masaya na ko sa 4 hours. Kung di nga lang polusyon ang kili kili ni kuya, malamang iextend ko pa ang oras ko.

First stop, Butterfly Sanctuary. Hindi ako masyadong mahilig sa kahayupan sa totoo lang. Medyo naboring ako but I learned something when I went there. The average life span of a butterfly is only 2 weeks. Kaya sa mga batang mahilig mange-alam ng mga bahay uod na naka biyabit sa puno? Yung tipong aalugin pa at chaka bibiyakin ng dahan dahan. Makonsensiya kayo! (kaisa ako don't worry. gawain ko rin yan nun.) 

I never thought they can produce golden pupae. Amazing!

Magpupuslit sana ako ng isa pero wala akong kahon ng posporo. hihihi! Ang pangit ng pagkamatay niya pag nagkataon. Pisat!

Second stop, Crocodile Farm..

Kuya: Ma'am kunan kita dito
Me: Hindi na kuya.. ok lang po (ang chaka ng background e. hihih!)
Kuya: Hindi mam sige para may souvenir ka.
Me: Ok lang talaga kuya wag na nga sabi.
Pinilit niyang kunin ang camera ko ng walang kalaban laban kaya nagkaron ako ng picture na to. hmp! I hate him. hahah!

ewww!

Hindi ako ma selfie-ng tao sa totoo lang. Kung hindi siguro mala-siopao ang mukha ko baka pa.

Plano kong kumain dun since it's already 12:00 noon. My officemate, who's also in Puerto Princesa that time with her hubby, told me they ate Crocodile Sisig at the Crocodile Farm. Interesting. Once in my life, kahit papano, napadpad ang buwaya sa food cycle ko. Tinanong ko ang lalaki kung nasan ang canteen na may sisig. Naiimagine ko na ang sarili kong kumakain ng wallet, bag at sinturon ng biglang sumagot si kuya ng "Ma'am.. Crocodile farm ito. Nag-aalaga kami ng Buwaya. Tapos magtitinda kami ng crocodile sisig sa loob?!?!"

May point naman siya. Hahaha! Napag alaman kong pinagbawal na iyon ilang buwan na ang nakalipas kasi nga ang awkward lang. ^_^

Next stop, Baker's Hill.

Bigo pa rin akong makakita ng Crocodile Sisig sa lugar na to. Hay! Marami lang dito hopia. The taste is good pero kung itatanong niyo kung dadayuhin ko ba yun dito, no. Mas masarap pa Eng Bee Tin sa Binondo. 

Gutom na gutom na talaga ako. Kuya told me to eat in Dampa sa Mansion. By the way, if you don't have a budget to treat your driver there, you don't have to since there will be free meal for them at the canteen. Ang boring lang kumain mag-isa. I ordered buttered garlic shrimp. If I had known that they will put a lot of sugar, I will ask them to change its name to "Asukal na nilagyan ng bawang at hipon". Fail talaga.

Next, Mitra Ranch. Wala lang. Pwede kang mag zipline if you want.

Gusto ko sana pumasok sa bahay ni Mitra pero hinarang ako. hahah! Parang isang picture lang e. Hindi ko naman nanakawin ang mga antique nila ah..

And my city tour ended. I slept at the hotel till 7pm. I did a little research (salamat sa libreng wifi). I found out that Vietnamese dish, Chaolong Noodles, is well-known in Puerto. The most popular one is Bona's so I hopped on the tricycle and asked him to bring me there. I was surprised to see a lot of people lining up. This must be really good. It took a while for me to find a seat. I left my umbrella (sign of reservation) and ordered. It was served right away. Verdict? Forgive me but it sucks! Weird smell. Pasintabi sa mga kumakain pero parang galing CR lang ang amoy. Ewwness talaga. I was observing some people if they will have same reaction as mine pero parang sarap na sarap talaga sila. Hindi ko maintindihan. hahahaha! I tasted it a bit. Hindi ko talaga kayang kainin. Kung pwede ko lang ibigay sa kabilang table dahil mukang hindi nagalaw yung pagkain ko. Hay! Or maybe it's just me.

Parang ayaw akong pakainin sa lugar na to. lol! Luckily, I found Haim Chicken Inato. At least I know what a barbeque taste like. Safe.
 

And I happily ate my chicken. Yummy! Ambiance in this resto is superb. I asked first if it's ok to eat at their kubukubuhan without any additional charges. Buti naman at wala. hihihih!

First installment of my Puerto Princesa series. Sana hindi tatlong buwan ang pagitan bago ko to masundan ulit. hihihih! Happy reading!

San yun Tingloy na yun?

It's the first time I ever heard of it. I'm sure most of you e ganun din. I didn't know such place exist. Buti na lang marami akong blogger friends. Iminulat nila ako sa nagkukubling misteryo. Charot! 

Tingloy.. Nung una ko siya narinig parang pangalan ng batang kulang sa nutrisyon. Yung laging nabubully. Parang ka-level ni nobita sa doraemon. Yung ganun. "Oy Tingloy! Play dead ka dali! Ayaw mo? Tadyakan kita sige!" Hay! Anyway, I was invited by Marx and friends last...uhmm.. kelan nga yun.. Oh well hindi na mahalaga.

Summer's not over yet. Kaya sa mga friends kong walang ibang alam na beach na malapit sa metro kundi Puerto Galera, e dito na lang kayo mag punta. Eto talaga ang tinatawag na beach! Bueno? simulan ko na?

Marx and friends organized everything. Mula sa mga dadalhing tent, sa kalan, sa pagkain, sa boat na susundo samin. Lahat talaga as in. Sarili ko na lang ang dadalhin ko. Kung pwede ko nga lang ipaubaya pati budget na kailangan ipunin e bakit ba hindi? Abusado lang.

Sabi niya meet up daw sa Jam Liner Buendia ng 3:45am. My father drove me there. Confident pa kong hindi ako male-late. hahaah! E kaya lang may nangyari sa daan. Apat na katao. Nakahandusay. Patay (Abante? Remate? Bulgar? Pili na.). What a view! Ang aga ng mga karumal dumal na pangyayaring yun. Sabi nila mga lasing daw. O e moving on..

Alam mo yung madaling araw na wala gaanong sasakyan at ang sarap sarap ibeat lahat ng red lights pero maaalala mong nasa Makati ka nga pala? Ganun! Nahiya ako kasi ako na lang inaantay nila. hahaha! Sawry! kasalanan ng mga humandusay yan. Bakit kasi kailangan pa nilang mamatay sa araw na yun. Pwede naman kinabukasan na lang sila umeksena.

I was introduced by Marx to his HS friends. Shy ako kuno. May balik bayan e. Buti marunong mag tagalog. Kundi.. ikamamatay ng katabi ko ang bibig ko. lol! We left at around 4am bound to Batangas Pier. Badtrip lang sa bus kasi may mga maiingay na foreigner. Kung korean yun matatanggap ko pa e. Kaso hindi. Malay ko kung ano ang nationality ng mga hilaw na yun. Sana pala inalam ko. Hinding hindi ako mag-bo-boypren ng ganun. Presko kasi e. (HB? hahah!)

We alight at diversion road. Waited for Paula and Chie until the next day. hahaha! Joke. Mga 1 hour lang. Naka-quota tuloy ang lamok. Pang buong araw na supply na ng dugo ang nahithit niya sakin. AB pa naman ako. Chos! Ang haba na naman ng intro ko. We rode a jeepney going to Talaga, Mabini port. Mga 20-32 minutes din yun. Tapos namalengke na ang Marx and friends chaka kami sumakay sa boat he arranged prior to this trip. Swabe.

After 45 mins, we were already at the port of Tingloy. Lucky us because Marx bestfriend, Vane, has a cousin living within the area. Sakto no? What we forgot to bring, she supplied it to us. She even cooked our dinner. From the port to her house is just a tricycle away. Be ready with your camera as you can see perfect view of Masasa beach at the top.

Few meters away from Ate Gemma's house, eto na ang tumambad sa amin.

Masasa Beach at Tingloy

Ang swerte ng locals hindi ba?

Umeemote si Epay. Hanapin siya!

The water is so clear.. and it's swimmable. The view? fantastic! And what makes it so special? despite it being a public beach, we owned it that time. No other campers.

Ang photogenic lang diba? Elibs ako sa mga lugar na hindi na kailangan pang SLR ang camera. Yung walang ka-edit edit pero ang ganda ng output. After we settled our things, we preferred to hide away from the sun. Kaso matinik si haring araw. Wala siyang awa. Dumating yung point na halos wala ka ng mataguan. hahah! Masunog na ang masusunog. Hala sige kanya kanyang tambog na sa dagat.

♫ Row Row Row your boat.. ♫

Nung una nageenjoy pa sila. Inaaya ako ni marx pero naawa ako sa bangka. Baka maging dahilan pa ito ng pagkalunod naming tatlo. Ang pangit lang. Ayokong iburol ng bloated.

wagas makatawa marx? ^_^

Marx(kunsumido): Hay naku bes, paikot ikot lang tayo.

yan na ang pinakamalayo nila. lol!

Shet baka makalas... yung braso ni marx. wahahahah!

kaya pala hirap na hirap yung dalawa. ^_^

At sa pangengealam nila sa boat ng may boat, ikinabutas niya ito. Paki-suplong nga ang dalawang yan.

I highly recommend the use of aqua shoes while swimming. The shallow part is torture for us. Bato kung bato. Pag medyo bewang level na, remove your shoes and feel the fine sand. There are some parts with corals but I was so scared to explore it alone. I had a few clicks but it's not worth posting.

Few hours have past, some locals arrived and setup for picnic. 

The shore is not well maintained though. Locals pa ang pasaway. I remember when we're about to leave, they saw me carrying a bag of garbage, then they told me "neh! iwan mo na lang yan dyan!". Pano ba hindi dadami ang basurang yan. Tutal panahon ng election, they might as well seek for the help of local government to clean this secret gem. Sayang e. Sila rin. Turismo din yan. Paula said she would campaign for a clean up drive to save Tingloy. Hopefully maraming sumali.

The people who have setup their picnic tables left at the end of the day.  Lights off. The heat is on. Chos! hahaha! Ang daming tsismis na nasagap. Well, what happened in Tingloy stays in Tingloy. Baka hindi na ko isama nila Marx ulit pag binuking ko siya dito. hahaha! Seeing happy faces, friendship, new people, what else should I ask for.. I had fun being with these guys. 

midnight sessions. (photo grabbed from marx)

photo grabbed from Chie ^_^ (From L to R: Natsy, Kim, Epay, Vane, Marx, Chie, Paula at ang Dyosa. lol!)

Please refer to Marx and Paula's blog as well. They have a complete guide on how to get there and the estimated expenses breakdown. sila na! Lahat ng nakalimutan kong sabihin, nasa mga blogs nila. hihihi! Basta ang naubos ko, sakto 1500.00 promise. Fare from Buendia to Diversion is 135.00 each. From the Diversion to Talaga port is 30.00 each naman. This is the contact number of Kuya Jessie, the boatman Marx hired 0999-7872200. According to him, the boat can accommodate 10-15 pax. We paid 2,500 for a two way fare from Talaga or Anilao port (depending on the waves. hihi!) to Tingloy. We just divided it into 8. But if you can't afford to hire a boat, public boat from Anilao leaves at 10:30 AM and from Tingloy at 9:00 AM at 70.00 per head. From the port to Masasa beach, we just paid 30.00 each. yun na!

Coron: Ang pagbabalik

And I'm back to blogging. Too much drama on the last post. hihi! Forgive me for sharing some personal issues there. Just have to let it out and pay tribute to my beloved aunt. Anyway, I'm back to being a "travel blogger". Few asked me to blog again. I'm flattered that they want my blog. It's  a pleasure for me to write for them. Talaga namang makopa cheeks is ON. (actually mga pinsan ko lang naman yun. lol!)

At dahil gusto niyo, ib-blog ko rin kung anong feel ko. hehehe! Coron again. Ginusto niyo yan e. Magdusa kayo. Chos! I could never get tired of going back to this place. Sayang ang picture kung hindi ippublish. Hindi ko rin naman ipapa-develop to no. hmp!

 

Nasabi ko na before that it was an accidental solo trip. My friend failed to board at naiwan akong luhaan. Bigo. Gutom. Siya ang may pakana ng lahat ng to kaya hindi ako nag-allot ng budget sa pagaakalang malilibre ako. Fail.

 



Take the window side

Nakita ko na naman ang charming aerial view (at ginoogle ko pa ang spelling ng aerial. bakit ba ang hirap niya?)

Kaya ako pumayag na bumalik dun ay dahil lang naman sa Lusong Coral Garden at Sunken WWII shipwrecks. Dukha ako nun. I can't afford to pay a touristy outrigger boat parked near the docking area. Ang memory ng camera ko, hindi basta basta mauubos. Pero ang pera ko, konting konti na lang!

I was so lucky that day to find this cute boat docked near my lodging place. There were 3 kids inside.. about 9, 10 and 16 years old. I asked them if I could rent their boat para dalhin ako sa nawawala kong kaharian. lol! Fortunately, their house, which is in Apo Island (yes may Apo Island din sa Coron) is just a few minutes away from Lusong. They asked me to just pay P500.00 for the gasoline instead. I gladly accepted it.

Wag mangamba, de motor yan

 

Apo Island

Naka-side trip pa tuloy ako sa Apo Island ng di oras. May small community na dun. The kids introduced me to their parents. Nahiya nga ako at wala man lang akong bitbit. hihih! Sarili ko lang talaga. They asked me if it's ok to go there first because they need to do some errands then they'd go with me after. May choice ba ko? Malay kong mag paandar nun. Alangan naman sagwanin kong mag isa yun no. Natural papayag ako. hahah! Biro lang. They'd been good to me even for a short period of time. Ako naman ang humihingi ng pabor e. Waiting a little bit won't hurt. And I tell you... it's worth  it.

'

 

Presenting my favorite part of Coron, the Underwater World.

glad to see you again

 It was overwhelming.. I can't see any damaged coral at all. Spell W-E-L-L P-R-E-S-E-R-V-E-D.

♫ pasulyap sulyap ka kunwari.. patingin tingin sa akin ♫

 

I intended to leave the other captions blank. Words are not enough to describe it anyway.

Now you know why I keep coming back to Coron. hihihi! Few meters from the Coral Garden, you can see Lusong Gunboat. I wasn't able to take a picture of Lusong the first time I went to Coron because I don't have an underwater camera yet. Now I can brag about it. hahahah!

You don't need to dive as it rests on shallow water. Creepy as ever. Kung anong naramdaman ko nun, it doesn't change at all. Pakiramdam ko pa rin may naka-abang na hapon sa ilalim at handa akong hilahin. lol! I always panic whenever I feel like I was on the deeper part. Hindi naman kasi ako makahawak sa bakal na yan no. Hindi ko alam kung anong kamandag ng tetano ang aabutin ko pag nasugatan ako niyan.

near the surface

The boat is huge and surprisingly you can still see it's form kahit ang tagal na niya dun. Hindi ata kayang chop chopin ng magbabakal. hahaha! Mahirap din siyang icapture ng buo. To give you an overview on how it looks like, ganito siya. During low tide, you can see the tip where Jack and Rose kissed which later on lead the boat to sink. Chos! hahah! Nanette Imbentor?

source

 

the deeper part

 

And I saw a lion fish.. sorry for the blurry shot. Na-excite kasi masyado. hahah!

Sila na ang pila pila..

I don't think I can do that without any protection at all. Sabi ko nga, hindi ko alam ang bangis ng tetano.

thousands of species underneath

We're supposed to go to another shipwreck, which is Sangat, but the kids told me it would be difficult for us to go home without the sunlight. It's nearly 4PM when we left Lusong. Well, they know better. hihih! Hindi rin maganda ang camera ko sa dilim. At ayoko rin mag swimming sa ibabaw ng shipwreck ng gabi. No way! hahah!

glad to meet you claudine, nonoy, and jan jan. Til we meet again

We parted ways near Coron Reef Pension. I love their company. Feeling bagets din ako. They must've been sick of the view of Lusong and Coral Garden but they still insisted to go with me. As in all of them. I can't thank them enough. Pagbalik ko daw dadalhin pa nila ako sa ibang magandang lugar dun (the perks of traveling alone. hehehe!) I promised myself to treat them when I get back to Coron. hay kelan kaya yun.. ahem! sponsor please..

 

Hay sa wakas at may update na ko. As of this time wala pa rin akong lakad ng Holy week. nakakainis. Next week na yun e. Pero mag aasikaso ako ng passport. Baka mainggit ako sa mga aalis sa linggong yun at maisip kong mag travel abroad. lol!  Nalunod kasi siya nung Ondoy. Sa kasamaang palad e tinapon siya ng nanay ko. Ang bantot na daw. Dapat pala hindi tinatapon yun kahit gano pa kadugyot. Ang dami ko tuloy requirement na dapat kunin. O sha... Tingloy, Batangas up next.  Ciao!