Spontaneity

I know I suck at keeping blogs. My last entry was in May and I've been too many wanderings between now and then. Alas, I think it'll be a disservice if I try to blog about those missed trips. So, I will resume with the freshest wandering I've had.

I had been itching to Couchsurf for Fall Break and none of the CS requests I sent out got back to me on time. So, I thought why not hop in the car and drive? Sounded good to me. I called up people along the east coast and asked if they were busy. A couple said come visit. So I did. Along the way of "planning," for some reason I found myself focused on Baltimore. I wondered what I could do there and thought why not watch a concert. So after searching for concerts, I found Brandi Carlile. I'm glad for whatever reason Baltimore came to my mind because I discovered Brandi's music.

A normal person wouldn't really think of going to a concert alone, right? Well I guess I'm not normal. That was a very interesting concert LOL. I had no idea that Brandi and her front act, Amy Ray, were lesbians and I guess for some reason lesbians are very supportive of their fellow gays because there were a LOT of them there. It was very weird at first but by the end of it all I was just amused.

I went to Trappe, PA to visit a family friend and stayed for the night. The highlight of that trip was the sunset after outlet shopping and of course the outlet shopping itself. After that, I drove down to Silver Spring to meet up with Judy, my long lost friend! We watched Drew Barrymore's Whip It and found it to be a funny and fresh coming-of-age comedy. I stayed up with Joe and Jake till about 4am and crashed on the couch where I slept like a baby. After all, I did get to couchsurf huh.

The next morning, we went to hear mass and for the grand finale of my trip - went to have sushi at Sushidamo in Rockville. The sushi was just priceless and the fried tempura ice cream was to die for.

On my drive back down south, I listened to the audiobook version of Randy Pausch's Last Lecture. I'm happy to report that the 3 hours it took me to drive to school that day didn't go down the drain.

In retrospect, this trip is not on the top 10 but it did it's purpose - to get away from all the stress and negativity from school. Till the next time, I hope to be blogging about the fall foliage of the Western NC mountains! :P

Magayon Mayon

Back Blog – Magayon Mayon (Beautiful Mayon)

So, I neglected to blog about Mayon after the butanding entry. In sum, Ate Aiza and I spent about a day around Legaspi after Donsol. After our butanding swim, we hurriedly packed and checked out of our hut and made our way to the terminal. We got into Legaspi around 2pm and checked into Dreams Hotel right in front of the LCC Mall. We had a quick and light lunch and decided to go see Mayon at the Cagsawa ruins. Be aware that this place is swarmed with kids trying to get you to do camera trick shots with the volcano and the half-buried steeple. I didn’t see them as bothersome as other touts. They were actually fun coz the shots were really cool. You just give them 30 – 50 pesos and they should be fine.

When we got there we busied ourselves with the trick shots with the ruins as the Mayon was hidden behind clouds. I was doing a shot on top of this big rock when all of a sudden I looked up and the Mayon was in clear view. To my excitement, I miscalculated my step and dove onto the ground! Haha! Good thing I caught my balance with my two hands in between my spread out legs and avoided a far worse mishap. My cousin and the camera trick boy were too shocked to help me up. Hahahaha! So I got up by myself and told them to run to a spot and finally get a picture with Mayon!
It was such a fun time and I was so glad to have finally seen Mayon. =)

On our way home, I was buying Dad a magnet in one of the souvenir shops when a boy came in and offered the salesladies green mangoes with salt. OMG!!! The ate gladly offered us some and saying no was clearly not an option. We must have devoured more than half of the mangoes! It was uberdelicious!

The next day, we went back for more partly because I wanted to buy pili nuts and they were double the price at the mall compared to the ones sold outside the Cagsawa ruins. Haha! Much to my delight, there were more mangoes sold in one of the stores outside the gates. I had 3 for breakfast. You just have no idea how happy I was to have had that chance. I think that moment marked the beginning of the many heavenly food moments I had yet to encounter.

Overall, I was very very happy to have had the chance to come to Bicol and swim with the butandings and see Mayon! =)

Revisiting Cebu

I’ve spent a couple of summers in Cebu when Dad was assigned here. I was a kid then. Small kid. Literally. All of my memories of Cebu are so vague that I hardly recognize the city.

I came to Cebu to visit Ate Chelle, Kuya Nin, Nate and Chloe. They’re here to be with Ate Chelle’s dad who was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (and is now with the Lord, God bless his soul – he died a couple days after I left).

It was nice to be with them in a different setting. We are always together in their house in Wilson or our house in Raleigh or in a place where we’re always comfortable. It was fun to experience something out of our comfort zones.

One day, Cebu was hit with a blackout. There was no electricity for 4 hours between 9am – 1pm. There was no water either since their water is supplied by use of electricity. It was hell! Hahahaha. We didn’t know what to do with ourselves. It was hot and it was hard to find relief. Kuya Nin placed himself under the mango tree. I, on the other hand, embraced the heat because I couldn’t do anything about it. We celebrated the return of electricity and water by taking a shower and going to the mall.

We only really made 2 significant trips while we were there since Ate Chelle and her sister went to the hospital every day. Kuya Nin is left with the 7 kids – his two and Ate Nelle’s five. What a handful, eh?

Our first trip was to Tabo-an – the dried fish capital of the Philippines. (I just made that up. Haha. But I’m pretty sure it is though unofficially since Cebu is known for dried fish and Tabo-an IS the place to go for dried fish) ANYWAY. We were there for quite a bit. It was fun and weird being surrounded by such a large volume of dried fish. It was hot and stinky because we were in the middle of the market where the prices are cheaper compared to the stalls by the main road. I was proud of the kids because they didn’t complain about the smell or the heat. They just sat quietly in their chairs. Maybe, they were in such awe of their surroundings – thinking “What is this place?” Hahaha. Or maybe they were just too tired to say anything.

We went to the mall after Tabo-an. The smell of the dried fish was so strong such that a saleslady at a souvenir store couldn’t help but ask Kuya Nin, “Sir, galling ho kayo ng Tabo-an?” (Sir, did you just come from Tabo-an?) We were so embarrassed by our shirts’ smell that we gladly bought our souvenir shirts and changed into them. Hehe!

Of course, what would be a balikbayan’s mall trip without paying homage to Jollibee? So, we did our rightful duty and ate at Jollibee. I had a Jolly Hotdog – an all-time childhood favorite and shared this moment with Nathan as it was his first. Kuya Nin had the classic Chickenjoy. It was fun to watch him savor his food – with matching closed eyes. I swear, my love for Jollibee is on another level. I’m in heaven when I’m queuing and getting a wonderful headache because of the many wonderful selections. Ordering is a process. I have to get in touch with my appetite and discern which Jollibee entrée will satisfy me the most. I feel so strongly about Jollibee that I am compelled to write a love letter to its customer service email just because I really do love love love Jollibee. Hahahaha! And I’m sure I won’t be the first to do this.

Our other significant trip was to the Sto. Niño Church which houses the image of the Sto. Niño (Infant Jesus) that miraculously survived a fire that burned everything but the image. We also went to Magellan’s cross – planted by Magellan himself when he first landed in the Philippines in April 1521. We also went to the Sto. Niño Museum where they keep the regalia worn by the Sto. Niño image during its feast day for the past n years. They also had books from the Spanish times. They had this Cebuano dictionary for the Spaniards and it was fun for me to understand both languages. I was very fascinated by the dictionaries and the fact that they were so old.

Fun fact: Nate and Chloe are descendants of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi – the most successful voyager/explorer sent by the Spanish King to the Philippines. It was he who named the archipelago Filipinas after King Felipe II – the king who sent him.

Swimming with the Whale sharks

While researching for possible places to visit in the Philippines, I found Donsol, Sorsogon as one of my top destinations. Donsol is a feeding ground of the largest fish in the world, the whale sharks, locally known as butandings. I originally planned to go solo but a 5-hour delayed layover in Taiwan got me to buy my cousin a ticket to come with me. I'm so glad she came coz it wouldav been a bit difficult being on my own.

We landed in Legaspi airport around noon and caught a shuttle to Donsol (1 hour drive south of Legaspi) with 4 Dutch visitors. We searched for accommodations when we got there. Ours turned out to be a very interesting one. Hahaha. Oh Lord.


Despite the heat, I managed to take a 4-hour nap here in this makeshift bed. =P I told my cousin that we should keep tight on budget because we can. Haha. We boycotted the resort's overpriced food and opted to buy bread and cheese spread from town. (We managed not buy any other food for the rest of our 2-day stay in Donsol)

We then got into this small boat for a night firefly tour. The river was very dark and peaceful. Sadly, no camera could capture the firefly party going on in this Talisay tree. However, our guide successfully got a firefly and brought it to us.
Thankfully, the sleep was uneventful despite the openness of the cottage. When we woke up, we hurriedly made breakfast - cheese spread by a ruler on the bread we bought. Lol. We then proceeded to the tourism center to get started on the swim.

When I planned this trip, I didn't exactly think much about what the real swim entailed. Hahaha! I failed to realize that the swim involves jumping into open water and chasing after a huge animal. On our first jump, I was scared to death. I do not like using snorkels at all. Lol. I also forgot how salty seawater can be. Hahahaha. During the second jump, my cousin and I stayed in the boat. I was sorta depressed coz I came all way out here and I can't even muster the courage to do it. All that hassle and money for nothing? Ugh.

Good for us, Kuya Henry - our Butanding Interaction Officer (BIO) offered to take us on his buoy one at a time. Seems so lame, right? But what choice did I have? Hahahaha. The first time I saw the butanding, it was cruising 1 meter below me. It was breathtaking. Amazing. Out of this world! After that, I told Kuya Henry - I'm good. I could go home right now with a smile on my face. I went on to see 4 more with the last being the largest at 8 meters long.

We shared the boat with the same 4 Dutch visitors and 1 Israeli diver who had an underwater camera. (Credits to Yuval for these pics!)

try to find its eye. they say butanding in bicolano means small eyed :)

Discovering Indonesia

Since I was already going to be in the Philippines, I really wanted to visit another country while I was in this region. Then, I realized I had met this American guy while walking in Kuala Lumpur last year. I had dinner with him and his American friend who lives in KL. Seemed like nice chaps. So after a few emails back and forth, I booked to spend 5 days in Indonesia.

The original plan was to go off to West Java to hike Mt. Bromo but Joel's other friend couldn't go with us. Joel is a very conservative and respectful guy and for us to travel just by ourselves wouldn't look right to most Indonesians. So, we ended up staying in Bandung (his home fore now) for the length of my stay. I couldn't have asked for more.

Indonesia, compared to the Philippines is cleaner and the air cooler. Although, we always one up every other Asian country because of our being able to speak English very well. That was the one thing that disabled me as a traveller although it didn't affect me much since Joel is conversant in Indonesian. I was kinda glad that they spoke very little English as it enabled me to pick up their language very quickly. I was very proud of what I'v learned and retained in those 5 days. :)

In sum, I got to try all the delicous spicy foods Indonesia has to offer, hike down a volcano's crater, ride on a motorcycle for hours while passing rice paddies and small villages, got to watch a master puppet carver at work, learned a new language, and got to make Indonesian friends. You can't ever get that in a pre-pack travel package. I owe all of this to Joel - the stranger who took me in. :)

Joel
while we were inside the crater of Tangkuban Parahu


Indonesian Friends - Lydia, Pritha, and Gina

On the loose

The last time I went home, I was lugging 2 large 50 lb suitcases all over town. It was a major pain in the be-hind. Now, in an effort to truly connect with my inner backpacker, I am only going to be traveling with my tenderfoot Deuter pack which I bought on impulse in Kuala Lumpur's Central Market.

In short, there will be no pasalubongs. Just me and my pack. It helps so much in hopping from one place to another.

So in sum, I'm leaving April 12th and coming back June 8th. I'm volunteering from April 27 - May 23 which leaves me quite a bit of time to wander around town or the country. =)

I'll land in Manila on the 14th of April and will be staying with Kat for the night (thanks Kat! :*).

Next up, island of Java, Indonesia from April 15 - April 21. I'm meeting up with a cool kid I met in Kuala Lumpur last year. He's doing his grad studies there and luckily is on his vacation around the time I'm available. Basically, I don't know where we're headed except for the volcanic site in Mt. Bromo. So long as I'm back in Jakarta for my flight back to Manila, I'm game.

So last year when I went home, I was kind of disappointed as to how I failed to even visit one other site in the Philippines other than Manila and Davao. They say that the hardest part about traveling is deciding to go. I've always wanted to witness the majestic beauty of the Mayon Volcano. I've disappointed myself once and now I'm not gonna pass up on this chance. Hence, I'm going to Legaspi on the 21st 5 hours after landing. As a kid, I've always been amazed by looking at Mayon pictures. Now, I can't wait to see the real thing for myself. The bonus on this trip is I'm making a side trip to Donsol, Sorsogon with hopes to swim with the largest fish on the planet, the whale sharks or what is locally known as butandings.

After 2 nights in Legaspi, on the 23rd I'm flying on to Cebu to meet with Ate Chelle and Kuya Nin, Nathan and Chloe. They are very good friends of ours from Wilson and they're all in Cebu to visit with Ate Chelle's sick father. It's their first time going back and Nate and Chloe's first in the Philippines. I've shared a lot with them and I'd really love to spend some time with them there. Share a few lechons and dried mangoes. =) and Chickenjoy with the kids!

On April 27, I'll be heading to Davao to start on my real mission. Even more adventures to come! Can't wait!

And when it ends on May 23rd, I'll have 2 weeks to work with. I really really wanna visit Sagada. Well, anywhere new for that matter. Anyone who wants to trip with, let's go! =)

Check out these great travel blogs I've come across from endless nights of scouring the internet for info! Haha!

- dutch pickle: a fantastic site full of info. from what i've read, i think he's a dutch guy living in catbalogan, samar who's been all over the philippines.

- nina fuentes' just wandering: i haven't spent as much time here but her blog is very informative as well

Oh here it goes again!

I've been coming down with a lotta bugs lately. The lazy bee stung hard right before Christmas and then came the travel bug that bit the hardest. The travel bite just had to be soothed! I can't help it! Haha!

So, here it goes again! Oh here it goes again! Oh here it goes again!

Originally, I had set out to go to Germany to visit Nico but the whole visa application shenanigan turned me off so badly that I just finally decided to go to a place where I won't need to apply for a visa. What better place to look at than my own birth country, eh? And with that, I settled on my location. Now, the motive. Looking for a motive was a total gimme since I had been wanting to volunteer for Gawad Kalinga (GK) (translation: to give care) since I was in high school. A few emails to an NC contact that is spending a year volunteering for GK got me hooked up with the right people. After corresponding for a few days, I was all set to go. =)

I asked to be assigned in Davao City and will be staying at GK's Mission House. I'll be visiting sites and spend nights in some of them. I will be immersed with the admin side of the work and meet with local leaders and caretakers. My main assignment is to help the admin prepare for the local Bayani Challenge (Hero's Challenge) in Compostela Valley where numerous GK teams from all over Mindanao will participate in a 5-day long build. I'm really excited about this experience and as much as I'm anxious, I know it'll turn out fine!

Now, I'd be lying if I told you that volunteering is my main motive for this trip. It's a big part of it but you know me. Haha! I'm always on the lookout for visiting new places. I'll tell more on that on my next post!

For now, I'll give you these Gawad Kalinga videos to look at to give you a better idea of what it is! =)

A presentation on how GK works




Testimonials of Foreign GK Volunteers

Better very very late than never - from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur

I suppose my trip had plateaued when I just stopped blogging altogether. I'm terribly regretful that I did that and I know I should have kept writing regardless. I mean, that is the purpose of this blog, right? So anyway.

On my 3rd day in Singapore (Nov15,2008), I really really wanted to go visit the "Durian" Building aka the Esplanade, revisit the durian pancake stall in Chinatown, and taste the fried oyster omelette, teh tarik (pulled milk tea) and Tiger beer. I had a bus to catch by noon so I had barely 2 hours to get all of these done. To make a long story short, my morning agenda wasn't all too successful. The durian pancake stall did not sell durian pancakes until after lunch time. So that went down the drain. The fried oyster omelette made me want to puke after a few spoonfuls because of the food's texture. I tried to push it down with the Tiger beer but I found it to be awful! About the only good thing from my food trip today was I successfully bargained a free cup of teh tarik from a nice lady. I had no more Singapore Dollars to spare and I just really wanted to taste it. She was kind enough to humor me. :)

Realizing that I was really pressed for time, I hurriedly made my long long way to the Esplanade. After miles of walking and many MRT changes, I arrived inside the building. As I made my way out, the only tourists on the front of the building were Filipinos. I asked them to take a photo of me and they happily obliged. Having been told that the Merlion in Sentosa was not the "real" one (LOL) I was determined to see the "real" one near the Esplanade but as I was really really running out of time, I just walked to the edge of the walkway and had my picture taken. In my hurry, I didn't realize until it was TOO late that the picture those guys took of me was SO horrible that this is the last time I will speak of that picture's existence! Hahahahaa.

After that, I blitzed back to the hostel to pick up my things. I had to hail a cab to get to the bus station on time. Luckily, I was a few minutes early or they were a few minutes late. Either way, it bought me enought time to go to the bathroom to freshen up a bit.

The bus ride to Kuala Lumpur was an uneventful 6 hour ride with one stop. I was seated at the end of the bus. I didn't realize how loud it was until we got into KL city. Thank GOD for my Bose QC3s. If not for them, I may have had to hurt myself on that trip.