the norm and the craziness....

Peñafrancia Festival 2014

2014-09-10T14:03:00.000+08:00

Every September, the Peñafrancia Festival is being celebrated in Naga City, Camarines Sur. So here's the schedule for the 2014 Peñafrancia Festival.

Major Events Schedule

September 11, 2014

7pm - Miss Bicolandia 2014

Venue: Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum

September 11-21, 2014

All day - Bishop Gainza Trade Fair

Venue: Elias Angeles Street. In front of Veterans Bank

September 13, 2014

7am - Regional Band-Majorette-Fancy Drill Competition

Venue: Plaza Quezon

8am - Marian Youth Congress

Venue: Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum

September 14, 2014

5am - 4th Naga City Highland Triathlon

Venue: Metro Naga Sports Complex

3pm - 2nd Regional Cheer and Dance Competition

Venue: Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum

September 17, 2014

7am - Regional BSP-GSP Parade and DXM Competition

September 17-21, 2014

All day - Bicol Travel and Food Expo

Venue: Avenue Hotel Parking Area (Avenue Tent)

September 18, 2014

7am - Civic Parade and Float Competition

Venue: Plaza Quezon

3pm - Peñafrancia Voyadores Festival 2014

Venue: Plaza Quezon

September 19, 2014

6am - Aldaw nin Katalingkasan sa Espanya

Venue: Plaza de Nueva Caceres

7am - Regional Military Parade

Venue: Plaza Quezon

September 20, 2014

6am - Regatta sa Salog

Venue: Reina del Bicol Landing (Dahogan ni Ina)

12pm - Fluvial Procession

Venue: Reina del Bicol Landing (Dahogan ni Ina)

September 21, 2014

All day - Solemnity of Our Lady of Peñafrancia

September 22, 2014

5pm - 2nd Peñafrancia Short Film Festival Awards Night

Venue: Universidad de Sta. Isabel Auditorium

Source: Naga Smiles to the World Facebook page

Quinamanokan Island: There’s no chicken here!

2014-08-31T23:31:00.001+08:00

The town of Vinzons in the province of Camarines Norte is famously known for the white sand beach of Calaguas. However, there is a small island located just 15 minutes boat ride from the mainland. It is called the Quinamanokan Island, an undeveloped island with a beige-colored to golden brown sand beach.

Quinamanokan Island

A few months ago, me and my friends was looking for a nearest island to spend our weekend and since we never been to Quinamanokan and it is the nearest from the mainland, we then decided to visit the island. Nagsimula kaming magbyahe from Naga City. We rode a public utility van bound for Daet and then from Daet we rented a tricycle to Barangay Sula. We paid 150 for the tricycle. From the barangay, we rented a boat to Quinamanokan. We agreed for a price of 1,500 pesos for 4 people. The boat travel took us almost an hour because there were huge waves that were hitting our small boat. Usually if the sea is calm, it will only take about 15 minutes to travel from the barangay shore to the island, and it will also cost less dahil hindi na iikot ng medjo malayo ang bangka para umiwas sa mga malalakas na alon.

The Sandbar, the beach facing the mainland Luzon

We arrived at the island around 3pm and we immediately prepared our dinner since there is no electricity in the island. Wala din pala source of fresh water sa isla at buti na lang umulan nung gabi kaya nakapagbanlaw kami ng fresh water. There are also lots of coconuts kaya may pwede din mainom na tubig.

We brought with us 2 tents but we didn’t use our tents because we prefer to sleep at the only hut in the island. The hut also serves as an overnight shelter for fishermen and for the Bantay Kalikasan. By the way, Quinamanokan island is also a marine sanctuary kaya laging may Bantay Kalikasan people na nakabantay dun 24 hours. When we had our overnight stay at the island, madami din kami kasabay na mangingisda na nakisilong sa kubo kaya madami kaming nagsiksikan sa kubo kasi maulan din nung gabi. But what really made our stay in the island exciting were the firelies that dances all night. It was a night of fun kasi naligo kami sa ulan kahit madilim at nanuod din ng mga lumilipad na mga firefly.

the side of the island facing the Pacific Ocean

The rain did stop late at night and naging cloudless din ang sky kaya nakita din namin yung mga bituin at buwan at nakakita din kami ng mga shooting stars. We spend the rest of the evening laughing, wishing upon the stars at nagbilang ng mga shooting stars. It was also a great night because it was also a post birthday celebration for me and a pre-birthday celebration for one of friend.

We woke up early morning to prepare for our departure back to Daet. Around 8am kasi aalis yung night shift na mga Bantay Kalikasan kaya sasabay na kami sa bangka nila pabalik ng Vinzons and then from Vinzons, sasakay na kami papuntang Daet. Now, the reason kung bakit sa Bantay Kalikasan na kami sasabay instead of riding our own rented boat ay dahil yung bangka na nirent namin ay naputulan ng boat propeller habang bumabyahe kami papuntang Quinamanokan kaya after nila kami maihatid sa isla, umalis na din sila pabalik ng mainland para maipaayos ang bangka and they’d just referred us na lang sa mga Bantay Kalikasan para sa bangkang sasakyan namin pabalik ng Vinzons. Hindi naman kami magbabayad ng extra kaya okay lang naman para sa amin.

Before we left the island, I and one my friend decided to walk around the island. Inikot namin ang buong isla and I think it took us about an hour para maikot ang island. The best part of the beach is the one that faces the mainland, kasi yung sa side na nakaharap sa Pacific ay medjo mabato na at maalon pero may mga beach pa naman at same pa din ang kulay ng sand which is beige to golden brown. I tried to check the sanctuary pero masyadong maalon kaya medjo malabo din ang tubig at di ko makita ang ilalim and you will actually need to swim for a 100 meters from the shore para makita ang coral reefs. So after namin magikot at lumangoy ng konti, we then left the island and travelled to Vinzons, and this time we took a different route which is longer because we have to travel via the river in Vinzons. Pagdating namin ng Vinzons, sumakay na kami ng jeep to Daet and then from Daet we then boarded a van bound for Naga City. Ayan lang naman ang kwento ko tungkol sa Quinamanokan, boring noh?hahaha! pinagtyagaan mo naman..hahaha!

Hi and Hello!

2014-07-23T18:52:00.000+08:00

Hello there!!! Hi, fellas!! It’s been awhile since the last time that I wrote something in this blog. I think it’s been almost 1 year and 3 months. I’ve been doing a lot these past few months and actually I’ve been busy with my business. It’s not a big business. Maliit lang naman sya na negosyo. I’m into gardening. Patanimtanim ng mga kung ano ano at tapos ibebenta sa mga taong mahiling din sa halaman.hehe! I usually spend my days planting, gardening and taking care of my plants and also doing some freelance jobs online kaya nga ayun medyo masyado akong nawiwili sa maraming bagay kaya I already forgot to write something for my blog. Sooooorrry!! Hehe!

Anyway, marami akong gustong isulat ngayon dito sa blog ko, especially yung mga previous travels ko sa Luzon and Visayas area. In the next few days or weeks, I’ll be writing about my adventure to Romblon, Carabao Island, Occidental Mindoro, Camarines Norte, Ifugao, Batanes, Calayan, Mercedez, Minalabac, Negros Occidental at marami pang iba. Sobrang dami ng isusulat ko noh?!! Hahaha! But I’m not going to force you to read all those things. May option ka naman eh! Pwede mo naman iclose na lang ang blogsite or pwede mo naman pagtyagaan na basahin ang mga kung ano anong pinagsususulat ko dito sa blog.hahaha!

I have a lot of free time this week because of Typhoon Glenda. Dahil 2 to 3 hours lang ako nakakapaginternet ng dahil sa brownout, madami akong idle time plus madami din oras sa paggagarden. Sa mga resto at café lang kasi ako nakakapaginternet kasi may free wifi and electricity.hahaha!

By the way, I would like to apologize nga pala to people who sent an email or posted comments dito sa blog ko. I wasn’t been able to reply to your questions or suggestions or inquiry or comments. Sobrang dami nga ng email at notification at mukhang late na rin lang ang mga reply ko sa mga tanong nyo.. Sorry talaga…soooooorrrryyyy!!!!!!

I hope you’ll continue reading my blog post even though most of the time mga walang kabuhay buhay at kakwenta kwenta ang mga isinusulat ko.hahaha! Uy, sya nga pala, I’m happy that a lot of people found my blog to be helpful lalo na sa mga information na kailangan nila sa pagtravel sa Pilipinas. Sobrang masaya ako, pramis!

So hanggang dito na lang ako. Uuwi na naman ako sa bahay na walang kuryente. Two weeks ng walang kuryente dito sa Bicol..pfffft! boring! Sa mga naapektuhan ng bagyong Glenda, tayo na’t magmove on agad!!! Yung tipong kakabreak lang sa BF/GF pero kailangan na magmove on agad! Hahaha! That’s it pusit!!!!!!

Calatagan, Batangas: From hiking plan that ended at a beach.

2013-03-20T14:10:00.003+08:00

One fine Friday afternoon of January, medyo inatake ako ng sumpong ko ng dahil sa boredom kaya anong nangyari? Well, I decided to go to Metro Manila to spend my weekend there. (Parang ang lapit lang ng Metro Manila from CamSur.hahah) So, I rode a bus from our house to Naga City and then from Naga City, I rode another bus to Metro Manila. It was a butt-numbing ride kasi 10 hours akong nagbyahe from Naga City to Metro Manila and because I want to travel cheap on that Friday evening, I rode a non-airconditioned bus.

Actually, pupunta naman talaga ako ng Metro Manila on that month kasi on the last week of January, me and my friends are scheduled to go to Sagada, Mountain Province. Medyo napaaga lang ang pagpunta ko ng Metro Manila kasi nabored na ko sa bahay. It was Saturday morning when I arrived in Metro Manila and because it was a weekend, I wanted to go somewhere para maglakwatsa. I then texted all my friends in Metro Manila pero karamihan sa kanila ay mga busy. A few replied to my text messages and they’d asked kung saan daw pupunta, at ang sabi ko ay maghiking kami sa Mt. Batulao on Sunday, however, nung Saturday evening, bigla na lang nagsend ng text messages yung mga kaibigan ko na hindi na daw sila sasama dahil sa mga kung ano anong dahilan. Well, I said to myself na I guess I’ll be doing a solo hiking on a Sunday.

Nakaset na ang plano ko for a solo hiking but then, another friend texted me and said to me that she and her friends are planning for a Sunday getaway but they don’t want to go hiking, what they want is to go to a beach. So I said to them that we can hike and go to a beach, but she said her friends just want to go to a beach. So she invited me to join them and since I really wanted to travel on that weekend kaya sinabi ko sa kanya na sasama na lang ako sa kanila. She then asked me kung saan ang magandang na beach na pwede namin na mapuntahan na malapit lang sa Metro Manila. Sa Batangas lang ang alam ko na may mga magagandang beach but I don’t have an idea kung saan mismo sa Batangas. So I googled for Batangas beaches and also using Google Maps, and then I saw a white sand beach in Calatagan. So I suggested to my friend na sa Calatagan na lang kami pumunta. I mentioned to her na tingnan nya muna yung website ng Stilts Resort sa Calatagan at natuwa naman sya kaya sabi nya doon na lang daw kami pupunta. So we set the time of departure for Sunday at sabi ko sa kanya let’s meet na lang tomorrow.

So Sunday came, me and my friend, and her friends too, met at Market Market in Taguig City. Nagdala sila ng sasakyan kaya di na namin kailangan pa na magcommute by bus. We left Taguig City at around 7am pero sinundo pa namin yung ilang kaibigan namin sa Cavite. It was a long drive because we need to stop for several times as we are not familiar sa route papuntang Calatagan. We arrived at Calatagan town at around 11am and we still need to travel for 20 minutes from Calatagan town proper to reach Stilts Resort. Medyo malayo ang resort but it was really worth it naman na puntahan. The resort is beautiful. It has a cream colored sand, and a wide beach front. Malawak ang resort at hindi na nga kami nagbalak na ikutin ang resort kasi whole day lang naman kami magistay dun. The day rate for a whole day stay is 350 pesos and the open air cottages rental fee ranges from 800 to 1500 pesos. They also have several rooms available for an overnight stay at the resort.

After looking for a cottage, at nakapili na kami ng cottage, we then ordered a lunch and while waiting for our lunch na maluto, nagphoto ops muna kami.hehehe! Sinimulan na namin ang pagiging camera trigger happy mode.hehehe! And then after eating our lunch, we then decided to walk at magstroll sa beach, and had a dip sa dalawang swimming pool nila. Mababaw ang tubig sa dagat ng Stilts Resort and you really need to walk for a few hundred feet from the shoreline just to reach a waist-deep water. The beach is suitable for kids since the water is not that deep. Kaya nga we decided na sa pool muna maligo kasi inantay pa namin na maghightide para makaligo sa dagat pero konti lang ang itinaas ng tubig nung naghigh tide kaya nung naligo na kami sa dagat, nagtyaga na lang kami sa knee-deep water. Okay na yun di ba? Ang importante makapagtampisaw pa rin sa dagat.hahaha! adik lang sa pagligo sa tubig dagat.hahaha! And another thing, if you want to watch or view a beautiful sunset habang nasa beach, then this is the place to go kasi nakaharap sya sa South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). Sobrang ganda ng sunset dito na we actually spend almost an hour para lang panuorin ang magandang sunset, and not to mention ang magspend ng ilang minuto para picturan ang magandang sunset.hehehe!

Anyway, after namin mapagod sa pagligo sa dagat we then decided na umalis na sa resort since gagabihin na kaming masyado kasi dadaan pa kami ng Tagaytay City. We left Stilts Resort at around 7am and then we travelled to Tagaytay City. At dahil hindi naman talaga namin plano na pumunta ng Tagaytay, mga beach attire ang mga dala dala namin kaya nung dumating kami ng Tagaytay, nilalamig na kami. It was really cold on that evening na pumunta kami ng Tagaytay na ayaw na nga namin lumabas ng sasakyan. Habang kumakain nga kami sa Gerry’s Grill medjo nanginginig na kami sa lamig.hahaha! Pumunta din kami ng Starbucks para makapagkape at nagtake out na lang kami pero the weird thing about us, nagtake out kami ng kape para inumin lang ito sa loob ng sasakyan habang nakapark lang sa harap ng Starbucks.hahaha! After that crazy trip, umuwi na kami ng Metro Manila. We arrived in Metro Manila at around 12 midnight or 1am na ata.

Our Sunday getaway was really fun. Sobrang nagenjoy kami sa mga pinaggagawa namin for that whole day. It was really an adventure and an exciting roadtrip. It was really fun to spend a roadtrip and a weekend with friends. And I was really thankful kasi halos sagot lahat ng gastos nung friend ng friend ko.hehehe! My planned hiking or my planned solo hiking ended up going to a beach and I was really thankful na nangyari yun kasi nakapunta na naman ako sa isang lugar na hindi ko pa napuntahan and at the same time nagenjoy ako kasama ang mga kaibigan ko. At yan po ang tinatawag na biglaang lakad na wala sa plano.heheheh!

If you want to go to Stilts Resort Calatagan, you can ride a bus bound for Nasugbu or Calatagan. The bus terminal is located at Pasay City, near the MRT Taft Station, at the back of Mcdonalds. And then after arriving at Calatagan town proper, rent a tricycle to Stilts Resort. It is a 20 to 30 minutes ride from Calatagan town proper.

Road Map: http://stiltscalataganbeachresort.net/?page_id=396

Here’s the website of the resort: http://stiltscalataganbeachresort.net/

Note: Hindi po ako binayaran ng resort para ipromote sila. Maganda lang talaga ang resort kaya gusto ko din ishare sa iba na naghahanap din ng mapupuntahan na magandang beach na malapit lang sa Metro Manila, lalong lalo na it’s summer time na. So what are you waiting for? Magtampisaw na sa beach!

Karangahan Falls: A not-so-familiar waterfalls in Legazpi City.

2013-03-10T23:55:00.000+08:00

There are a lot of beautiful places to visit in Legazpi City, however, there is one waterfalls that is often not included in the list of tourist destination in the city. The waterfalls is called as Karangahan Falls and it is located in Barangay Banquerohan, Legazpi City. It is about 30 to 45 minutes jeepney ride from the city center, plus a 15 minute trek going to the waterfalls. From my estimate, Karangahan Falls is about 25 to 30 feet in height.

Whenever tourists go to Legazpi City, most of them just visit the famous Ligñon Hill Nature Park or Embarcadero or the famous Cagsawa Ruins in nearby Daraga City. Few tourists know Karangahan Falls, and in fact it is not even included in the tourism website of Legazpi City. Konti lang talaga ang pumupunta ng Karangahan Falls, but for adventure-seekers, maganda din puntahan ang lugar na to lalo na kapag madaming tubig na umaagos sa waterfalls.

Karangahan Falls, Brgy. Banquerohan, Legazpi City

Now, how do you go to Karangahan Falls? Medjo mahirap hanapin ang waterfalls na to, there are no road signs going to that waterfalls and if you’re going to ask the Legazpi City locals, most of them doesn’t even know that this waterfalls exist in their city.

Here’s the direction on how to reach Karangahan Falls:

First, if you’re coming from Manila, ride a bus bound for Legazpi City. It is about a 10 to 12 hours bus ride. If you don’t want to ride a bus, then you can ride a plane bound for Legazpi City. It is about an hour plane ride from Manila to Legazpi City. If you’re travelling by bus, get off at Bañag in Daraga City and ride a jeepney bound for Legazpi City via Daraga City. Dadaan sa city proper ng Daraga City ang jeepney via Rizal Street and then get off at Saint Gregory the Great Cathedral. It is about 10 to 15 minutes travel from Bañag and the fare is 10 pesos. And then from the cathedral, just walk to the jeepney stop near the church. It is just a 5 minutes walk. The jeepney stop is where the jeepneys bound for San Francisco, Manito and Banquerohan waits for more passengers. And then you can either ride the jeepney bound for San Francisco or Banquerohan or Manito because all of them will be passing the same road going to Karangahan Falls.

From the jeepney stop near the St. Gregory the Great Cathedral, it is about 30 to 45 minutes ride to the jump-off point to Karangahan Falls. The jeepney fare is 25 pesos. There are no signages or landmarks going to Karangahan Falls from the main road so you really need to tell the driver or conductor that you’re going to Karangahan Falls. The nearest landmark that you should remember in order for you to know that you’re already near Karangahan Falls is Banquerohan National High School, and then after another 5 minutes jeepney travel, you’ll be passing by Don Bosco Agro-Mechanical School. Kapag nakita mo na ang Don Bosco Agro-Mechanical School, mga 5 minutes travel na lang makikita mo na ang isang rough road sa left side ng main road. From that rough road or jump-off point, maglakad ka na going to Karangahan Falls.

Karangahan Falls, Brgy. Banquerohan, Legazpi City

Now, going there from the main road is a little bit tricky since there is no way you’re going to know that there is a waterfalls there. Wala man lang sign. You really need to ask the locals to guide you. Medjo malapit na din sya from the main road. From the main road, lakarin mo na ang rough road going to Karangahan Falls, after I guess 5 minutes walk, may makikita ka na small trail sa right side mo, follow that trail na dadaan sa isang coconut plantation, and then after that makikita mo na ang Karangahan Falls, but you still need to walk down the hill trail for about 5 minutes to reach Karangahan Falls.

Here’s the direction on how to reach Karangahan Falls if you’ll be travelling via plane from Manila:

From Legazpi Airport, ride a tricycle and tell the driver to bring you to Legazpi Grand Central Terminal. The travel time is 5 to 10 minutes. From Grand Central Terminal, look for the jeepney that is bound for Banquerohan, San Francisco or Manito. From the Grand Central Terminal, it is about 30 to 45 minutes ride to the jump-off point to Karangahan Falls.

So there, now you know how to reach Karangahan Falls. Medjo mahirap nga lang syang hanapin but if you like the feeling of getting lost or you’re an adventure-seeker, then I think magienjoy kayo sa paghahanap sa waterfalls na to.hehehe! By the way, medjo magkakalayo ang mga bahay papunta sa Karangahan Falls so you need to ask the locals or magtanong kayo sa unang bahay na makikita nyo from the main road. I hope magenjoy din kayo sa paghanap ng waterfalls na ito kagaya ng pagenjoy kong hanapin ang Karangahan Falls.hehehe! Have an adventure-filled vacation in Legazpi City! Byes!

Subic Beach, Matnog, Sorsogon: The Cheapest Ways to Get There.

2013-03-05T16:20:00.000+08:00

Marso na! Summer is here! I’m pretty sure you already have plans for the 2013 Summer season, and let me add to your list a beautiful destination located in the province of Sorsogon. It is a semi-pink colored sand beach at Calintaan Island, in the town of Matnog. The beach is called Subic Beach. It is currently being promoted by the provincial government as another tourist destination in Sorsogon. The province of Sorsogon is well-known for Butanding in Donsol town and Mt. Bulusan in Irosin town, but there are really a lot of beautiful places in Sorsogon and one of them is Subic Beach.

Subic Beach, Matnog, Sorsogon

Since Subic Beach is already known to many tourist, and since this destination is already drawing a lot of tourist especially during long weekends, the boat rental fee have already soared from cheap to a little bit expensive compared to the boat rental fee 3 to 5 years ago. But don’t worry, you can still enjoy this beautiful beach without spending a lot. Maraming paraan para hindi mabutas ang inyong mga bulsa.hehehe! Ika nga, kung gugustuhin, maraming paraan.

I’ve been to this beach for two times already. Last December pumunta kami ng Subic kasama ko mga kaibigan ko pero yung unang beses kong pagpunta sa Subic Beach, solo lang akong pumunta sa isla, at sa mga kalapit na isla ng Subic Beach. I rented a big boat for 1,000 pesos ata and that boat could accommodate up to 50 passengers. But now, it would be impossible if you can rent a boat for that amount. Medyo mahal na ang bangka sa Matnog. It would cost you around 1,500 to 3,000 pesos to rent a boat in Matnog. Pero kagaya nga ng sabi ko, you don’t need to worry kasi marami naman paraan para makapunta ng Subic Beach without spending a lot of money.

location map of Subic Beach, Matnog

Let me now guide you on how to reach Subic Beach the cheapest way around. If you’re coming from Manila, just ride a non-airconditioned bus bound for Matnog, Sorsogon. The Matnog town is the jumpoff point to the Visayas area. A ferry ride connects the mainland of Luzon to Northern Samar and the rest of Visayas and Mindanao. The non-airconditioned bus fare from Manila to Matnog ranges from 400 to 600 pesos. It is a 12 to 15 hours bus travel so iexpect nyo na mamamanhid ang mga puwet nyo at magiging matigas ang mga buhok nyo dahil sa byahe, alikabok at hangin.hahaha!

Upon arriving at Matnog town proper, you can proceed to the public market and look for the barangay hall near the public market. From there, makikita nyo na ang pantalan. You can ask for passenger boats that are bound for Bon-ot. It is a barangay near the Calintaan Island. Ask them if they are going to drop by Barangay Calintaan. The fare ranges from 20 pesos to 30 pesos. You can also ask the locals for the passenger boats that are bound directly to Barangay Calintaan, which is about 15 to 25 minutes walk going to Subic Beach. The boat fare is 15 to 25 pesos. The travel time from Matnog town proper to Subic Beach is 30 to 45 minutes. Subic Beach is located in Barangay Calintaan which is located in Calintaan Island. To go back to Matnog town proper, you can just ask the boatmen for the boat schedule of the return trip to the town. Usually ang mga residence ng Barangay Calintaan ay may mga sariling bangka and pwede ka naman makisabay sa kanila pabalik ng town. But for the passenger boat schedule, usually they only have one to two trips per day, one during the morning and one during the afternoon.

Matnog port

Ang usual na ginagawa ng mga tourist na gustong pumunta ng Subic Beach ay magrent ng bangka sa may pantalan near the public market. The boats that you’ll be renting for Subic or for island hopping are being managed/coordinated by Barangay Camcaman so you’ll need to go to the Camcaman barangay hall to negotiate for a boat. The barangay hall is located just beside the public market. Please remember that the Matnog port/pier is different from the pantalan. The Matnog port/pier is the bigger port na may mga barko na papuntang Allen, Northern Samar. Ang pantalan naman ay nasa katabi lang ng Matnog Public Market. Sa pantalan naman doon dumadaong ang mga bangka going to the coastal barangays of Matnog and to the island of Capul, San Antonio and to San Vicente town, which are all part of Northern Samar province.

the sand of Subic Beach, a white sand with crushed red corals

Another cheap way to reach Subic Beach is to go to the nearest barangay near the Calintaan Island. From the Matnog town center, you can rent a tricycle to Barangay Poropandan. It is about a 20 to 30 minutes tricycle ride. From that barangay, makikita mo na ang Calintaan Island or Barangay Calintaan. Just rent a boat at Barangay Poropandan, which can cost from 300 to 400 pesos. From that barangay, it will only take about 10 to 15 minutes boat ride to reach Subic Beach.

If you don’t want to rent a tricycle, then just look for the tricycle terminal where passenger tricycle ply the route of Barangay Poropandan. It is near the public market. The fare is 20 to 30 pesos. You can also look for the jeepney plying the Barangay Poropandan route. The jeepney terminal is located near the town church. The fare range from 20 to 30 pesos. From Barangay Poropandan, just rent a boat to Subic Beach, which will cost around 300 to 400 pesos and it is just a 10 to 15 minutes boat ride. The jeepney travel time from Matnog town proper to Barangay Poropandan is 20 to 30 minutes.

Subic Beach, Calintaan Island, Matnog

Subic Beach, Matnog, Sorsogon

So there, naishare ko na sainyo ang mga paraan para marating nyo ang Subic Beach. But for me, mas maganda kung madami kayong pupunta ng Matnog para maenjoy nyo talaga ang lugar at madami kayong maghahati hati para sa boat rental fee. Mas maganda kasi kung mapuntahan nyo pa din yung apat na isla sa Matnog. The advantage of renting a boat from Matnog town proper ay mas madami kayo na pwedeng mapuntahan kagaya ng Tikling Island, which is only about 15 to 20 minutes boat ride and also you can visit Juag Marine Sanctuary, which is about 20 to 30 minutes boat ride from Matnog town proper or 10 to 15 minutes boat ride from Subic Beach.

So ayan, alam nyo na kung paano pumunta ng Subic Beach ng hindi masyado nabubutas ang bulsa at wallet nyo.hehehe! Enjoy your beach vacation sa Subic Beach, Matnog!!!

Mayon ATV Adventure and Matnog trip: My 2012 Year-ender.

2013-02-28T22:06:00.000+08:00

It has been more than two months since my last post. Grabe, ang tagal ko na palang nawala at mukhang tinubuan na ng mga lumot ang blog ko.hahaha! Anyway, I’ve been doing a lot of things for the last few months and kunwari busy busyhan din ako so I wasn’t able to post anything here, and also I’ve encountered a few depressing moments sa buhay ko kaya ayun, tinamad magkwento at magsulat ng kung ano ano.hehehe!

So how are you guys? How’s the weather there? Is there anything else I can help you with? Pang call center na mga tanong lang.hahaha! So heto na nga, magkukwento na ko ng adventure ko. I want to share this adventure story in Mayon and Matnog.

the river trail

Last December, me and my friends did a very awesome adventure (opo, ganyan na katagal na nangyari ang adventure na ‘to, December pa. hahaha!) Our adventure was an ATV adventure at Mayon’s lava trail in Legazpi City. A friend of mine invited me to try this ATV ride and then I also invited some of my friends in Manila. We met at Legazpi Grand Central Terminal. Me, our tour guide and one of my friend was at the terminal as early as 8am, and we waited for 3 of our friends to arrive and we ended up waiting for them for almost 3 hours. Our initial plan was to start our ATV ride early in the morning so that we will not be very much exposed to the heat of the sun, however, due to the late arrivals of some of my friends that were coming from Manila, we ended up starting our ATV ride at around 11am. Luckily, it was somewhat a cloudy day kaya hindi naman kami masyadong nasunog sa araw at nagmukhang roasted beef.hahaha!

After my 3 friends arrived from Manila, we ate our brunch at an eatery in Grand Central Terminal. After our brunch, we then proceeded to the ATV ride drop off point, which is also where the ATV tour operator site is located. The rate for the ATV ride is 1,500 pesos per person which is good for almost 3 hour ride. It also includes the transfer from the Legazpi Grand Central Terminal to the drop off point or the ATV site. The tour operator can also pick you up at any location within Legazpi City and then bring you to the ATV site.

you'll end up wet, muddy and sandy and happy

At the ATV briefing area, our guides informed us about the basics of ATV ride. They also informed us about the rules and what to expect in the adventure. After we paid the fee of 1,500 pesos per head, we then waited for a few minutes and then we finally rode the ATV. The Mayon's ATV adventure is different compared to the ATV ride in other location in the Philippines. The ATV ride in Mayon is actually somewhat a little bit extreme or let me say really off-road-ish. The trail is a river trail and a lava trail so most of the time you’ll end up wet, muddy and dusty. You’ll cross a river, some large stones, a dusty road, a bumpy trail, a mud pool, a sandy trail, a coconut grove, a pine tree-lined trail, a community, et cetera. There are a lot of different sceneries that you’ll pass by while doing the ATV ride. It is really an adventure. It is an adrenaline ride. The ride ends up at the 2006 lava wall, and you can hike the rocky wall and you’ll be rewarded with the magnificent view of Mayon Volcano, downtown Legazpi and the Albay Gulf. Unluckily, we weren’t able to view the magnificent beauty of Mayon since it was a cloudy day and Mayon was hiding behind the clouds. There is also a zipline at the lava wall so if you don’t want to walk again back to the end point of the ATV trail, you can just ride the zipline, and of course there’s a fee for that zipline, I think it was 300 pesos for the zipline ride.

time out muna. nakakapagod magdrive

We just spend around 1 hour at the lava wall because it was already late in the afternoon and we were already hungry after riding the ATV for almost 2 hours. We then decided to go back to the drop off point and we then rode the ATV for another one hour. We use a different trail to go back to the drop off point and it was a short trail and part of the trail was already a paved road. Pagdating namin sa drop off point, nagbihis na kami at nagpahatid na kami sa tour operator papunta sa First Colonial Grill in Daraga City para makakain na kami at matry ng ibang kaibigan ko ang sili ice cream. At Colonial Grill, we ordered our meal and several flavour of ice creams but the sili ice cream wasn’t available at that time because the waiter informed us na tunaw pa daw yung ice cream. Masyado kaming mapilit kaya kahit tunaw pa yung ice cream sinabi namin na magoorder pa rin kami kahit one scoop lang in order for us to taste the sili ice cream but it was a bad move, hindi pala masarap ang sili ice cream kapag tunaw dahil masyado mong malalasahan ang anghang ng sili. Ayun, hindi nga namin naubos yung one scoop kahit 5 pa kaming tumikim.hehehe!

lava wall

view of Legazpi City and the Albay Gulf

After having our early dinner at First Colonial Grill, we then hurriedly travelled to Grand Central Teminal in Legazpi to catch a bus going to Sorsogon City. We were going to spend the night at Rizal Beach located in Gubat, Sorsogon, which is about 3 hours travel by bus from Legazpi City. We arrived at around 8pm at Sorsogon City and we rode a jeepney bound for Gubat town. From Gubat town proper, we then rented a tricycle to bring us to Rizal Beach Resort. We were so tired from the long travel and from the ATV ride that we just decided to drink a few bottles of beer and then off we went to sleep.

Bailey's ice cream, malunggay, tinutong na bigas and lemon flavor

On the second day of our adventure, we were greeted by a cloudy sky and I was somewhat saddened by the sight of the Rizal Beach. Sobrang iba na ang itsura ng Rizal Beach compared to ten years ago. Kinain na ng dagat ang beach. Wala na yung dating ganda ng Rizal Beach. So hindi na kami nagtagal sa resort kaya we just decided na pumunta na lang sa ibang lugar. We were discussing amongst ourselves on where to go next. We really don’t have a fixed itinerary and that’s why we have a flexible schedule. We can go to any place that we want to go. Pinagpipilian namin ang magwaterfalls hopping, cold spring hopping and going to a beach. And after a careful and thorough reviews and some intellectual debate (parang mga judges lang sa contest.hahaha!) we then decided na pumunta na lang sa Subic Beach na located sa Calintaan Island.

subic beach at Calintaan Island, Matnog

After checking out from the hotel, we then rode a jeepney bound for Sorsogon City and then from Sorsogon City, we then rode a jeepney bound for Matnog. It took us about 1.5 hours before we reach the town of Matnog. After eating our lunch, we then searched for a boat that we could rent going to Calintaan Island. However, the rate was too expensive kaya ang ginawa namin, we just look for a tricycle going to Barangay Poropandan, which is the nearest barangay to Calintaan Island. We rented a tricycle for 150 pesos for a one way trip and the travel time from the town proper to Barangay Poropandan was 30 minutes. From Poropandan, the Calintaan Island is just a 15 minutes boat trip. We rented a boat for 350 pesos for a round trip boat ride. We just stayed in Subic beach at Calintaan Island for 2 hours and after exhausting ourselves from swimming, we then decided to call it a day. Bumalik na kami sa Poropandan and while in the boat, my friend texted the tricycle driver to wait for us at Poropandan. From Poropandan, we then travelled back to Matnog town proper and then we rode a bus to Daraga City. From Daraga City, we rode another bus bound for Naga City. Our travel adventure ended there. Nakauwi na kami sa kanya kanyang bahay at magsisimula na naman na magipon para sa sunod na gala.hehehe!

All in all, it was really an awesome adventure, especially the ATV adventure at Mayon’s lava trail in Legazpi City. Even though it was expensive (I consider 1,500 ATV rental fee as expensive lalo na kuripot ako.hehe!) the ATV ride was really worth it. Sobrang worth it kahit mahal kasi nagenjoy talaga kami. Gusto ko nga ulit ulitin ang pag ATV ride sa Legazpi kung sakaling may manlilibre saken.hehehe! Eh ang kaso, wala naman ata gustong manlibre. But anyway, you guys should try visiting Legazpi City and try the Mayon’s ATV adventure, and then after the ATV ride, visit the pink sand beach of Subic located at Calintaan Island in Matnog town, Sorsogon Province. Masasabi ko na in the Bicol Region, you will never run out of adventure. By the way, here’s the link to the ATV operator in Legazpi City.. http://mayonatvtour.com/ Sya nga pala, hindi po nila ako binayaran para ipromote sila. Kusang loob po ang pagpromote ko sa kanila dahil okay naman ang service nila. Yun lang po. Hehehe! That’s it pansit! Byes!

Tres Marias aka Calabanig aka Poro in Libmanan, Camarines Sur

2012-11-15T11:42:00.000+08:00

Travel! Ahhhhhhhh! There was a long weekend a few weeks ago and every time there’s a long weekend, I always make sure to grab the opportunity to travel somewhere. So where was my destination last undas? Well, sa malapit na lugar lang naman. For the past months, most of my travels are within Bicol Region only. Madalas nga sa CamSur na lang ako naglalakwatsa. Right now, I don’t have the luxury of time to go to places outside of the Bicol Region, kasi medjo madami dami din ang aking mga pinagkakaablahan sa buhay, mga bagay na pwedeng pagkakitaan.hehehe!

The view of the 3 islands

Anyway, so one fine morning a few weeks ago, me and my friends travelled to Libmanan to explore the 3 islands located in Ragay Gulf. The place in Libmanan that we’ve visited have several names. The locals called it as Tres Marias, Calabanig and Poro. They call it as Tres Marias because of the three islands located there. They also called it as Poro because it is at the northeastern tip of Camarines Sur province and it is one of the most far-plunged places in Libmanan town. I’ve been wanting to visit the place but due to time constraints and weather and financial constraints na din, hindi ko agad sya mapuntahan.

the river flowing to the sea

Last month, me and one of my friends attempted to visit the place but since there was a typhoon in the northern part of the

Philippines

, the sea was kinda rough so we weren’t able to proceed to the island. However, last long weekend after undas, since there was a beautiful weather, we were then able to visit the islands. It was a Saturday morning and our day started out so early. Medjo malayo kasi ang bahay ko sa place so I woke up early in the morning, which is at around 5am. Nagmeet kami ng friend ko sa van terminal sa Iriga City and then we boarded a van bound for Naga City. We arrived at Naga City at around 7:30am and then we waited for my 2 other friends who would join us in the adventure. My 2 other friends arrived at around 8am and then we proceeded to the jeepney terminal near the LCC Mall in Barangay Sabang, Naga City. We boarded a jeepney bound for Sipocot. We arrived at Sipocot town at 10am and then we decided to take an early lunch kasi wala kaming dalang mga lutuan. Ang dala dala ko lang ay dalawang tent for our accommodation. Kung pwede nga lang na kumain na din kami ng dinner and breakfast ay gagawin na namin para isahan na lang ang pagkain.hahaha!

ang bangka

Anyway, after we had our lunch, we then bought some bread para maging breakfast namin kinabukasan. After buying bread, we proceeded to the jeepney terminal bound for Barangay Caima. When we arrived at the terminal, the jeepney only had just about 5 passengers and it would take an hour bago mapuno ang jeep kasi konti ang pasahero during weekend. So we decided to look for a habal habal or motorcycle na pwede namin marent going to Caima. We were able to negotiate for 350 pesos for 2 motorcycles and that’s for one way trip only. The usual rate is 100 per person and since we were four, and the motorcycle can only accommodate up to two persons, we then hired two motorcycle. Nakadiscount din ng 50 pesos at okay na din yun na natipid namin na 50 pesos kasi pwede na din yun pambili ng alak at yelo.hahaha!

So we rode the motorcycle and travelled to Caima. It was a one hour ride. Some portions of the road are paved and some are not, and some are, well, you won’t even consider it as roads but you’d rather call it as a trail. May part nga na wala talagang road at sa palayan kami dumaan. Sobra kasing sira sira yung daan especially those part na nasa malapit na ng Caima. After we arrived at Caima, we looked for a boat and just our luck, wala kaming mahanap na marerentahan na bangka. There were boats docked at the small port but the captains or boat operators are nowhere to be found. According to the locals, karamihan daw kasi ng mga may-ari ng bangka ay nagaani sa palayan nuong araw na yun. And the locals also told us that the boat owners will come back later in the afternoon. At dahil wala naman kaming magagawa dahil walang bangka, we just decided to wait until someone or any boat operators returns from the rice harvest. Kaya ayun, we waited and waited and waited and waited. At para naman hindi kami mabored while waiting, we bought a few ice, a brandy and a soft drinks at naginuman na lang kami sa may malapit na tindahan. Nagmukha nga kaming mga tambay sa kanto na tanghaling tapat ay nagiinuman lang malapit sa waiting shed. Some locals were even amused when they saw us drinking and they were somewhat curious kung sino kami. Some asked us a few questions and nakipagkwentuhan din.

One weird thing about the Barangay Caima is that the people in the barangay speaks tagalog. Even though they are still in Camarines Sur province, most of the people there came from Quezon province and Batangas and that’s the reason they really don’t speak the Bikol language. As far as I know, it is the only barangay in Camarines Sur where the people speaks tagalog instead of Bikol language. By the way, the barangay is just a mere 3 hours boat ride going to the nearby Bondoc Peninsula of the Quezon Province.

the first island

So going back to my story tungkol sa inuman at sa paghihintay namin ng mga boat operator na bumalik galing sa pagaani ng palay, we waited for at least 3 hours before someone arrived and decided to let us rent his boat for an island hopping trip. We rented the boat for a price of 1,350 pesos and it was kinda expensive but we have no other choice. There are no other boats that we could rent. So ayun na, we then boarded the boat and the boat slowly snaked through the river going out to the sea. We travelled for about 45 minutes before we reached the first island. Actually, magkakalapit lang naman ang tatlong isla. On the first island, there were 3 cast away cats who greeted us. Iniwan ata sila ng amo nila. Kawawa nga sila and I don’t know kung paano sila nakakasurvive sa isla. Maybe they know how to catch fish and birds and other animals, but they looked domesticated pa naman.hehehe! We just strolled in the island for a few minutes and then after that we then proceeded to the third island. Yung second island is a rocky island or it’s rather a rock formation lang na sumulpot sa dagat so we didn’t bother na lumapit pa sa isla. From the first island, mga 5 minutes lang ang distance going to the second island and just about 10 minutes going to the third island.

three castaway cats welcoming us in the first island

One of the three island-dwelling cats

The two large islands doesn’t have a fine white sand beaches but what they have is a coral beach. Mga nawashed out na mga dead corals and meron din pala na few pockets of light brown coarse sand. The two islands were big islands but there are no resorts, a community, a caretaker or a source of fresh water. The islands don’t even have its own name. They just call the three islands as Calabanig or Tres Marias. We stayed at the third island because it has a much longer stretch of coral beach. We weren’t able to enjoy the underwater sceneries or kahit nga lumangoy ng malayo-layo because there were a lot of sea urchins. Ayaw namin umuwi ng mainland na may mga nakatusok sa paa.hahaha! So after we pitched our tents, we decided to swim for a few minutes. Dun lang kami nagswim sa mababaw na walang sea urchin at wala din ngang mga corals. The coral reef is a bit farther from the beach. Kailangan mo munang daanan ang makapal at kumpol kumpol na sea urchin bago ka makapunta sa coral garden. Its too bad we weren’t able to enjoy the magnificent underwater world. Nakita lang namin ang coral garden when we were in the boat.

the second island

the second and the third island

the third island. it is an unnamed island

So after namin magswim, kumain na din kami ng dinner and then nagkwentuhan and we also waited for the moon rise. Ang ganda ng moon rise kasi maganda din ang panahon. We enjoyed the stars and the moon and madami dami din ang nakita kong mga shooting stars kaso I wasn’t able to make even a single wish. Badtrip! Nagugulat at naeexcite kasi ako kapag nakikita ko ang shooting stars kaya ayun, by the time na magwiwish na ko wala na ang shooting stars.hahaha! I slept at around 3am dahil sa sobrang pagstar watching ko at pakikipagkwentuhan sa friend ko.

The next day, I woke up at past 7am already. Hindi na nga ako naligo sa dagat during the morning. Kumain na lang ako ng tinapay for breakfast. By the way, since there were no source of fresh water in the island, hindi na rin kami nakapagbanlaw after namin magswim nuong gabi. Actually natuyo na lang ang damit ko dahil sa hangin. Nakaipon ako ng asin sa balat.hahaha!

third island. an unnamed island

After we had our breakfast, iniligpit na din namin ang mga tent and then we rode the boat going to Barangay Tagbak, Ragay town. We weren’t able to go back to Caima because it was low tide and the boat could not maneuver and docked at the small port in that barangay. The trip from Tres Marias to Tagbak is 45 minutes. Actually, we should have rented a boat in Tagbak instead of Caima kaso hindi ko pa alam nuon yung Tagbak that’s why sa Caima kami pumunta. According to some locals, there are 3 ways to go to Tres Marias. One is via Barangay Bahao, Libmanan which is about 2.5 hours jeepney ride from Naga City but it is just a 15 minutes boat ride to Tres Marias from Bahao. The other option is via Barangay Caima, which is 2 hours ride from Naga City plus 45 minutes boat ride to Tres Marias. The other option is via Barangay Tagbak of Ragay town, which is 2 hours ride from Naga City and then another 45 minutes boat ride from Tagbak Port to Tres Marias. I think the route via Tagbak is much better since there are a lot of boats there which you could rent for an island hopping trip to Tres Marias.

Anyway, after a 45 minutes boat ride, we arrived at Tagbak port and then boarded a tricycle going to the Quirino Highway. It was a 30 minutes ride and we paid the driver 100 pesos for the trip. And then at the Quirino Highway, we then rode a bus bound for Legazpi City and after 1.5 hours, we arrived at Naga City. Me and my friends then transferred to another bus bound for Iriga City and after an hour and a half ride, we finally arrived at Iriga City.

third island. an unnamed island

So far medjo nakakapagod din yung trip na yun at madami din mga kapalpakan. But isn’t it more fun and exciting kung may mga unexpected things na nangyayari sa pagtravel, right? Para sa akin mas enjoy yung travel na you’re enjoying the journey to your destination and at the same time you also enjoyed staying at the destination. Enjoy yung travel na sa pagpunta palang sa destination nyo ay nagienjoy ka na tapos pagdating mo sa pupuntahan nyong lugar ay magienjoy ka pa. And the best thing about that travel was that the friends na kasama ko sa travel na yun ay mga klase ng tao na mga masayahin at marunong harapin ang mga hamon sa pagtravel, mga taong marunong mag-adapt sa ibat ibang situation. Sila din ang klase ng mga taong masayang kakwentuhan at travel companion. So hanggang sa muli. I think this blog entry is kinda long and I’m pretty sure you’re kinda sleepy now after reaching this part of the story. Sooooooooooo, hey!!! Wake up!!! Hahahaha! That’s it pusit!

My own version of sushi roll!

2012-11-06T11:19:00.002+08:00

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of things for the first time. I am now calling the year 2012 as a year for a lot of first time. This is the year where I baked bread for the first time, baked cookies for the first time, cooked a carbonara for the first time, created some experimental dish, cooked a lechon paksiw for the time and a lot of other things. Most of these first times are connected to cooking, baking, or in short, lahat sila connected sa pagkain, katakawan lang.hahaha! And a few days ago, it was my first time to make a sushi roll. Enjoy pala gumawa ng sushi.hehehe!

the final product

I love eating sushi roll. I love eating different kind of sushi roll. Kakainis nga wala pang Teriyaki Boy dito sa Bicol so that means hindi ko makain yung mga gusto kong sushi roll sa menu nila. So one fine morning during the long holiday, me and my sister decided to create a sushi roll. My sister is kind of my kunwari chef assistant and my guinea pig because she helps me in cooking different kinds of experimental dish. She always ends up being the person who will test or eat the final product ng napagexperimentuhan kong dish kaya sya ang tinatawag kong guinea pig.hahaha! And she is also my harsh, worst and huge food critic or analyst.hahaha! We started our kunwari-cooking show by preparing all the ingredients for our sushi roll. I already purchased several ingredients from SM a few days ago so I have them all stored in the fridge.

the final product

Nagsimula kami sa paghiwa ng mga ingredients. Our sushi roll is a different sushi roll. It’s a different version. It’s an experimental version, as I would call it.hehehe! Our sushi roll is composed of Japanese rice, cucumber, carrots, cheese, crab sticks, nori and spam. It’s an ingredients-overload sushi.hahaha! We cooked about a ¼ kilo of Japanese rice and then after cooking the rice, hinaluan din namin ito ng vinegar na may sugar, salt and pepper. After mixing the rice with the vinegar and other spices, I then started rolling the sushi. I was able to create about 4 rolls using a ¼ kilo of Japanese rice. Medjo madami nga din ang nagawa kong sushi roll. Umabot din ng 32 pieces yung nagawa kong sushi because I divided each roll into 8 pieces. As usual, my sister tested my new product at okay din naman yung result. Medjo naovercooked nga lang yung rice kaya medjo sticky na talaga. So far, maliban sa overcooked rice, okay naman yung itsura ng sushi roll.hehehe!

In a few days, I might create a different sushi rolls. I still have several nori sheets left which I can use for making another version of sushi roll and I also have a wide imagination when it comes to experimenting with foods.hahaha! Kaya malamang madami na naman akong magagawang different version ng sushi roll because of my wide imagination. Anyway, I am encouraging you to also make your own version of sushi roll. It’s fun doing some experimenting when it comes to food and it’s fun when you’re doing something for the first time.

You can also check this website if you want to learn more on how to make a sushi roll. http://makemysushi.com/ Or you can just search in Google or Yahoo.

The Cave-like formations in Enkanto Falls. Libmanan, Camarines Sur

2012-10-21T12:46:00.000+08:00

If you’re a clastrophopic person but you still want to experience spelunking less the walls and the roof of a cave, then exploring the Enkanto Falls is the nearest experience to spelunking. Enkanto Falls is a multi-tiered waterfalls located in Barangay Bikal, Libmanan town.

enkanto falls

A few weeks ago, my friend and I explored the beauty of Enkanto Falls. I’ve heard about this waterfalls from one of my friends and the name itself have intrigued me. Kakaiba kasi ang pangalan ng waterfalls, parang weird at may something extraordinary. The word “enkanto” means enchanted or pwedeng ang ibig sabihin nito ay may mga kakaibang kakabalaghan.

Our trip to Enkanto Falls started in Naga City. I woke up early in the morning to go to Naga City. Upon arriving at the Naga City Bus Terminal, my friend and I proceeded to the Van Terminal, however, there is still no van bound for Sipocot or Ragay town. We then proceeded to the jeep terminal near the LCC Mall to catch a jeep bound for Ragay. Even though the waterfalls is located in the town of Libmanan, specifically in Barangay Bikal, we need to ride a jeepney bound for Ragay town or Sipocot town because if we ride the jeepney bound for Libmanan, it will not pass Barangay Bikal.

So after 1 hour of jeepney ride, we finally arrived at Barangay Bikal. We paid 35 pesos for the 1 hour trip. We were dropped off at the barangay chapel of Bikal, however, when we asked a local where the Enkanto Falls is, we were informed that we were a bit far from the jump off point going to the waterfalls. We walked for about 15 minutes to the jump off point going to the waterfalls. If you’re coming from Naga City, the jump off point to the waterfalls is right after the bridge, which is after you pass the barangay chapel. There is no signboard going to the waterfalls and all you need to do is asked the locals. The waterfalls is just about a 15 to 20 minutes walk from the highway. You’ll be passing some farmland and some houses.

a fresh water crab

We reached the waterfalls after a 15 to 20 minutes walk. I was somewhat disappointed upon seeing the waterfalls. Sobrang konti kasi yung tubig na dumadaloy sa falls and I was expecting na medjo malakas ang agos ng tubig because it rained so hard the night before we went to the waterfalls. Medjo maputik nga din yung dinaanan namin. However, medjo swerte din pala kami na hindi masyadong maagos ang tubig sa falls because we were able to explore the several waterfalls in Enkanto. The Enkanto Falls is a multi-tiered falls. From the main falls, you can hike at the side of falls and you can go to the several tiers. I think we were able to visit 4 tiers of the falls. The hike going to the other waterfalls is like spelunking a cave without a roof and a wall. The waterfalls has a cave-like formations and I guess this is due to the fact that the waterfalls is near the Kulapnitan Cave. Hindi ko lang sure kung may connection nga talaga ang pagiging malapit ng waterfalls sa cave kaya nagkaroon din ng parang mga cave formations ang waterfalls.hehehe!

Anyway, after exploring the waterfalls for more than an hour, my friend and I decided to go to the 3 islands in Libmanan, which is called as Tres Marias. We rode a jeepney to Sipocot town, which is just a 15 minutes ride and we paid 10 pesos for that. And then from Sipocot we rented a motorcycle to Barangay Caima in Libmanan and this is the jump off point to Tres Marias. There is a jeepney plying the route Sipocot to Caima but we chose to rent a motorcycle para mas mabilis kami makarating sa Caima. It was about an hour ride going to Caima. We reached the farthest passable road in Caima at kailangan pa namin maglakad going to the beach to rent a boat. Yung binabaan namin ay 15 minutes walk pa ang layo sa dagat kasi masyado ng maputik yung kalsada at hindi na pwedeng madaanan ng motorsiklo.

a wood mushroom, i think.

We were greeted by some locals in Barangay Caima and we were even invited to eat kasi may birthday party nung araw na yun dun sa bahay na malapit sa binabaan namin. We were somewhat disappointed when the barangay officials at the birthday party informed us that hindi daw kami makakapunta ng isla kasi maalon. We still informed them that we want to go but they discouraged us since it would be so risky travelling the sea with huge waves. And we also found out na may bagyo din pala nun somewhere in the northeastern part of the Philippines. Ang pagkakamali namin is we didn’t bother to check the weather report before going to Libmanan. So dahil hindi na kami makakapunta sa isla, kumain na lang kami dun sa birthday party. Even though we were just strangers in the area, we were welcomed as a friend and as a part of the community. So parang pumunta lang kami ng Caima at bumyahe ng 1 hour para lang makikain sa birthday party.hahaha! We met some of the other former barangay officials in Caima at nakipagkwentuhan na din. They informed us na bumalik na lang kami kung wala ng bagyo para hindi maalon and we should go there early in the morning para daw calm ang dagat. We then gave thanks sa mga nakausap namin na mga barangay officials and we then travelled back to Sipocot. From Sipocot, we then rode a train back to Naga City.

Our trip to Libmanan was an exciting adventure. I am sure that I’m going back to Caima and visit the Tres Marias islands. Libmanan may not be a known tourist destination in Camarines Sur province but the town has a lot of things to offer. The town has a beautiful river, waterfalls, caves, islands and hot spring. Going to Libmanan town’s beautiful destinations maybe a little bit of a challenge but if you’re that kind of a traveller who loves adventure and off the beaten track destinations, then I would suggest that you visit Libmanan town in Camarines Sur. That’s it pusit! ‘til the next story!!

The Real Estate War: Innovation and Adapting to Change.

2012-10-12T09:17:00.000+08:00

Well, its been almost a month since I wrote something in this blog. Medjo busy kasi at wala din ako maisip maisulat.heheh! But hey, medjo naging busy ata ang brain ko this morning that I was able to wrote a short story about the picture that I just saw in Facebook. So here's the short story... pagtyagaan nyo na.hehehe!

The Real Estate War: Innovation and Adapting to Change.

Photo from https://www.facebook.com/different.solutions.page

A teen hermit crab talking to his mom...

Look, ma! I found a cute shell. This is gonna be my new home. It's a see-through shell. Isn't it amazing, right? I got this from that hut near the beach. A specie called a Human donated this one. In fact, they donated a lot of things. They left several beautiful shells like these near the beach. However, they took some of our prized real estate, ma. They took some of our beautiful houses scattered in the beach. But it doesn't really matter, right? Because they also replaced those shells with a tough, beautiful and colorful shells which the human species manufactured. They said, when I grow up, I can use the much more larger and colorful shell that they called the "cup noodles shell" and that brown shiny shell called as the "Red Horse Jumbo shell." They even removed the small part of the Red Horse Jumbo shell so that I could fit inside the shell. Oh, by the way, they also gave some large jellyfish to my sea turtle friends. I heard that those large jellyfish are from the family called Plastic Bags but I'm not really familiar with Plastic Bag specie. Anyway, those human being are sooooooo nice, right ma?

Sorsogon City. Paguriran Island and the City Tour.

2012-09-12T20:54:00.000+08:00

Sorsogon City is the capital of Sorsogon Province and I’ve been to this city for several times already but I never had to chance to really explore and appreciate its beauty. So on that long weekend vacation last month, after the failed first day attempt to go to Jovellar town in Albay, I then informed my friends that we will be going to Sorsogon City on the first day instead of going to Jovellar. Our initial plan was to go to Jovellar on our first day, but upon learning that the last trip of the jeepney from Jovellar to Guinobatan is at 3pm, ininform ko na lang ang mga kaibigan ko na sa last day na lang kami pupunta ng Jovellar para mas maaga kami makaalis ng Guinobatan town going to Jovellar.

Paguriran island

On our first day, me and my friend arrived in Sorsogon at around 2pm. Our plan was to go to Paguriran Island located in Barangay Sawanga. We are still waiting for one of my friend to arrive in Sorsogon kasi galing pa sya ng Naga City, which is about 3 to 4 hours travel to Sorsogon City. Para naman di kami mabored ng friend ko sa pagantay ng isa pa namin na kaibigan, we then decided to roamed around downtown Sorsogon. We strolled around the city center.

Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral

Our first stop was the Sorsogon Cathedral. And then after roaming around the church, we then proceeded to the Provincial Capitol of Sorsogon Province. Nagikot ikot kami sa labas. Pumasok din ako sa loob ng building at nagikot ikot. After a few minutes, lumabas na din ako at tiningnan din namin ang public park. A few minutes later, we then walked to the city Baywalk. It’s a 10 to 15 minutes walk from the Provincial Capitol. Okay din yung Baywalk nila. Madami din ang tao but mostly mga students and mga nakatambay sa lugar. There are also several food stalls in the area.

Sorsogon Provincial Capitol

city baywalk

St. Louise De Marillac College of Sorsogon

At around 5pm, dumating na din yung isa ko pang kaibigan and then pumunta na kami sa City Grand Terminal to ride a jeep to Barangay Sawanga. After an hour ride, we then reached Barangay Sawanga. This barangay is located in Bacon district. Just a trivia, Bacon was a former town and it was merged with Sorsogon town para macreate and Sorsogon City. Trivia trivia lang.hehehe! Anyway, after namin bumaba ng jeep, naglakad na kami papunta sa beach at nakita na namin ang Paguriran Island. Did you know that Paguriran Island is just a walking distance from the main beach? Walking distance lang talaga sya kasi pwede mo syang lakarin lang.hehehe! Kapag low tide kasi, mga 1 to 2 feet lang ang lalim ng tubig sa dagat at mga 3 to 4 feet naman kapag high tide. Sobrang lapit lang ng isla from the mainland, siguro mga 10 to 15 minutes na paglalakad lang. Kaya walking distance lang talaga ang isla na to.hehehe!

the view of Paguriran Island from the mainland of Luzon

Barangay Sawanga Beach near Paguriran island

Anyway, nagtanong tanong na kami sa resort owner for their overnight rates and napapayag namin yung resort owner na 500 pesos per night na lang yung small nipa hut nila. 600 pesos sana yun, humingi kami ng 100 pesos discount.hehe! It was really not a big accommodation. It was just a small nipa hut with a fan and 1 bed. We just requested for an extra mattress para naman may mahigaan kaming lahat. Nagpaluto na din kami ng dinner sa resort owner kasi pwede din magpaluto sa kanila.

lagoon during high tide at Paguriran Island

After maging okay na ang accommodation namin, pumunta na kami sa isla ng isa kong friend. We waded through the sea kasi high tide sya at pumunta na kami sa Paguriran Island. The island is not really a big island. Maliit na isla lang sya na halos lahat matutulis na bato nga lang ang isla. There is also some vegetation in the island and there’s also a lagoon in the middle of the island. It’s actually a nice island lalo na kung gusto mo lang magunwind. We just stayed there for about an hour because it was already getting dark na din.

So after exploring the island for about an hour, bumalik na din kami sa resort and our dinner was already served by the resort owner. Nagpaluto lang kami ng ginataang langka na may kasamang tulingan na isda. Masarap yung pagkaluto nila kaya medjo naparami ang kain ko.hehe! After dinner, nagkwentuhan at naginuman na lang kami ng mga kaibigan ko and then a few hours later natulog na din sila, at ako naman ay nagtrabaho. Well, one of the cons of working online is that I don’t have a vacation leave or a sick leave kaya naman minsan, kahit nasa bakasyon ako, I still need to work para kumita. So ayun, I worked till the wee hour and then at around 2 am, natulog na din ako.

hermit crab

Duka Resort. Our nipa hut accommodation

We woke up early the next day at nagpaluto na din kami ng breakfast. We weren’t able to witness a beautiful sunrise because it was a cloudy morning. While waiting for our breakfast, we decided na pumunta na muna sa isla. Naglakad na kaming tatlo papunta sa Paguriran Island. Nagswimming kami sa lagoon and then umakyat din sa pinakamataas na bahagi ng isla. After namin magswimming, nakaramdam na din ako ng gutom so I then called my friends para makapagbreakfast na din kami. When we arrived at the resort, prepared na yung ginisang corned beef and fried egg for our breakfast. Kumain na kami and then nagbanlaw na because we still have several destinations to visit on that day. Binayaran na namin yung mga dapat namin na bayaran sa resort at nagpasalamat na din sa mabait na mag-asawa na may-ari ng resort. Umalis na kami sa resort and then we waited for a jeepney at the barangay road, at dahil medyo matagal ang pagdating ng jeep, we just walked for a few minutes and for a few kilometers and then may dumaan ng jeepney. We told the driver that we are bound for Pagol Beach and he said it is just a few kilometers away from Paguriran so siningil lang kami ng 15 pesos na fare para sa amin ng tatlo, that’s 5 pesos each! Sana ganun pa din kacheap ang pamasahe sa lahat ng jeep! Hehe!

Pagol Beach, Barangay Bon-ot

Around 15 minutes later, we arrived at Pagol Beach. Our plan was to just take a picture and take peek of how Pagol Beach looks like, and the driver just waited for us habang pinuntahan namin ang beach. Sinabi kasi namin na saglit lang naman kami and pupunta din kami ng Sorsogon City proper. So after we saw the beach and took some beach pictures, bumalik na kami sa jeepney and we then proceeded to downtown Sorsogon City. From Sorsogon City, we then travelled to Castilla town to visit the Malawmawan Island. So ayan po, dito na po nagtatapos ang aking kwento. By the way, if you need the contact number of the resort owner, here’s the number: +639204223940, that’s for Duka Resort, and the owner name is Mr. Efren Duka. So dito na po nagtatapos ang kwento ko tungkol sa Paguriran Island sa Sorsogon City. Til next time! That’s it, pusit!

The Malawmawan Island Experience. Castilla town, Sorsogon.

2012-09-09T18:55:00.000+08:00

For the past few weeks, I’ve been looking the google maps for some islands to visit in the Bicol Region and then I found some islands located in Sorsogon Bay. I searched for information in Google about those islands in Sorsogon Bay but only little information are available. Nevertheless, I found some information about Malawmawan and so I texted my friends if they want to join me for an island adventure in Sorsogon Province and two of my friends are more than willing to have an island adventure.

approaching the long sand bar of Malawmawan Island

It was already past lunch time when we arrived at Barangay Cumadcad in Castilla town, Sorsogon. Kakagaling lang kasi namin sa isa pang isla sa Sorsogon City. Cumadcad is about an hour bus ride from Sorsogon City and Legazpi City. From Cumadcad, we rode a jeepney to Barangay Macalaya which is our jump-off point to Malawmawan Island. It was a 45 minutes ride from Cumadcad. The road was narrow but mostly paved. You’ll pass by farms and few houses. You’ll know that it is already in Macalaya because it is the final stop of the jeepney. There is also a port in Macalaya and parang small town na din sya kasi may mga small stores at may maliit na public market din na malapit sa port.

the view of the island from the tip of the sandbar

From Macalaya port, makikita mo na ang Malawmawan Island. We looked around for boatmen and a few men approached us offering a boat service. Umabot ng 600 pesos yung offer nya for a roundtrip to Malawmawan. Our initial plan was to go Malawmawan and then to Panumbagan Atoll. Sabi namin sa bangkero, titingnan muna namin ang isla at kapag okay magstay, magoovernight kami pero kapag hindi okay, magpapahatid lang kami pabalik on the same day. We bought some bread sa bakery and then we started our trip to Malawmawan Island.

After 20 to 30 minutes boat ride, we arrived at Malawmawan. The island is one of the least known islands in Sorsogon province. Only few Bicolanos knows about this island. Even those from Sorsogon province don’t know anything about the island. The island is a private island but there is no resort, electricity and a source of fresh water. The island doesn’t have a white sand but it has its own charm. The sand color of the beach is light brown and it is not even a fine sand. When we arrived at the island, andun yung caretaker at andun din pala yung consultant ng may-ari. They were assessing the island para makita kung ano ano ang pwedeng maimprove sa isla. The caretaker and the boatman were relatives kaya yung boatman na din ang nakipagusap sa caretaker.

Nagustuhan namin yung isla at sinabi namin sa boatman na balikan na lang kami at magdala ng dinner namin pero sabi nung caretaker, bibigyan na lang daw kami ng free dinner. O di ba, astig, may free dinner kami.hehehe! So umalis na yung boatman and he told us na babalikan na lang kami early morning para makapunta kami sa Panumbagan Atoll, which is actually a sandbar lang naman located about an hour boat ride from Malawmawan.

So ayun na, since may diner na din pala kami, we strolled around the island for photo shoot. Naglakad lakad kami sa mahabang sandbar and then we also tried na ikutin ang buong isla pero masyado ata na malaki ang isla na halos mahigit isang oras na kami naglalakad pero hindi pa kami nangangalahati sa pagikot ng isla. We also saw a fishpond in the island, which according to the caretaker’s assistant, mga bangus daw ang pinapalaki nila dun. Wow, isla na may mga bangus. Yun ata ang magiging ulam namin.hehehe!

Napagod na kami sa paglalakad and it’s getting dark already, so we then decided to go back to our cottage. May maliit na cottage na pinagamit sa amin for free. Actually isa lang ang cottage dun at medjo hindi pa masyadong tapos ang pagkagawa. Pero since wala kaming dalang tent, mas ok na din yun kesa naman matulog kami sa damuhan.hehehe! At libre naman ang paggamit ng cottage kaya okay na din. Free dinner na nga, free accommodation pa, sobrang astig di ba?heheh!

So it was already getting dark, and since there is no electricity in the island, sobrang dilim talaga. We only have a flashlight as our source of light but the caretaker provided us with a gas lamp. A few minutes later, they then served us our dinner. Our dinner was a seafood menu. Grilled Bangus and Squid plus sawsawan na toyo at binuksan ko na din yung dala kong pork n’ beans. Okay na okay ang diner namin, however, medjo hirap din kami kumain ng bangus kasi wala ngang kuryente sa isla.hehehe! pero dahil free naman yun at gutom na din kami, pinagtyagaan namin na tanggalan ng tinik ang bangus. But it was an awesome meal. Sobrang pasalamat kami sa caretaker dahil sa free dinner namin.

After our dinner, nagkwentuhan na lang kami since wala naman kami masyadong gagawin sa isla. After a few hours na kwentuhan, we then decided na matulog na para maaga kaming magising. Just when we are about to go to sleep, bigla naman umulan, at dahil sira sira ang cottage, medjo nabasa kami sa ulan so we transferred to the Bantay Dagat guard post at doon kami nakitulog. Buti na lang mababait din yung mga Bantay Dagat personnel kaya ibinigay nila yung mga tulugan nila para sa amin. Ang babait talaga ng mga nasa isla. Feeling tuloy namin mga VIP kami.hahaha!

our accommodation

Morning came and the weather was somewhat cloudy and windy. The sea was also a little bit rough. The boatman arrived early in morning as what he had promised but told us we cannot go to Panumbagan Atoll because of the rough sea. Ayaw na din namin makipagsapalaran sa pagbyahe sa maalon na dagat papunta ng Panumbagan Atoll so we just told the boatman to bring us back to Macalaya. The sea route to Macalaya is a bit calmer compared to the sea route to Panumbagan. Nagpasalamat na kami sa caretaker at sa mga assistant at sa mga Bantay Dagat personnel at sa mga bisita din sa isla, and then umalis na kami ng Malawmawan papunta ng Macalaya. From Macalaya, we then rode a jeepney to Daraga City. Inabot din ng 1.5 hours yung byahe namin sa jeep. In Daraga, we had our breakfast and then after breakfast, pumunta na kami sa next destination namin.

google map screenshot

So far, the Malawmawan Island experience was a great experience. The charm of the island is different from other islands that I’ve visited. And then add to that the kindness and the hospitality of the people in the island. May free stay na nga kami sa isla, tapos free dinner pa, tapos free buko pa pala. At hindi lang tig-iisang buko ang ibinigay sa amin, but they gave us two buko for each one of us. Feeling namin para kaming isang bisita sa bahay na inasikaso ng maybahay.hehehe! It was indeed a very nice island experience, a very nice Malawmawan Island Experience!! Wooooot! Wooooot!!

Naga City Peñafrancia Festival 2012 Schedule

2012-09-05T11:14:00.000+08:00

Here's the 2012 Peñafrancia Festival Schedule. I'm sure this would be helpful for those of you who are planning to go to Naga City for the Peñafrancia Festival.

Peñafrancia Festival Highlights
SEPTEMBER 5, 2012 (WEDNESDAY)
7PM - MISS BICOLANDIA PAGEANTNIGHT 2012
Venue:Naga City Coliseum
Sponsor:Naga City Government

SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 (FRIDAY)
3PM - TRASLACIONProcession
Venue: fromPenafrancia Shrineto Cathedral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 (WEDNESDAY)
6AM - RegionalDXLM/BSP/GSP Marching Competition
Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor:Naga City GovernmentandDepEd

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012 (THURSDAY)
7AM - CIVIC Paradeand Float Competition
Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor:Naga City Government
2PM - VOYADORES Festival
Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor:Naga City Government

SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 (FRIDAY)
6AM - Regional MILITARY Street Parade Competition
Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor:Naga City Government

SEPTEMBER 15, 2012 (SATURDAY)
2PM - GRANDFLUVIAL Procession
Venue:Naga River
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres

Detailed Schedule:
SEPTEMBER 1-2, 2012 | 2PM
1stJCINaga Funshoot
Venue: CIDG Firing Range
Sponsor:Junior Chamber International-Naga

SEPTEMBER 1, 2012 (SATURDAY)
2PM - 8th Inter-Collegiate Basketball Tournament (CrossOver)
Venue:Naga City Coliseum
Sponsor:Naga City Government
3PM - Little Miss Bicolandia Talent Competition
Venue: LCC Activity Center
Sponsor:c/o Jose Mariano
9PM - Perdon Penitential Procession (Divino Rostro)
Venue: Penafrancia Parish tomajorstreets
Sponsor:c/o Archdiocese of Caceres

SEPTEMBER 2, 2012 (SUNDAY)
2PM - Little Miss Philippines-Bicolandia Talent Competition
Venue: LCC Activity Center
Sponsor: Ginoong Bicolandia Foundation
5AM - 2ndNaga City Highland Triathlon
Venue: MetroNaga Sports Complex
Sponsor:Naga City SportsOffice
6PM - 43rd Miss Gay Bicolandia
Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor:c/o Junn Roa

SEPTEMBER 3-6, 2012
10AM - Imaheramun Photo Exhibit
Venue: SM CityNaga
Sponsor: Twin Pears Advertising

SEPTEMBER 3, 2012 (MONDAY)
6PM - 22nd Little Miss Bicolandia
Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor:c/o Jose Mariano
9PM - Perdon Penitential Procession (Divino Rostro)
Venue: Penafrancia Parish tomajorstreets
Sponsor:c/o Archdiocese of Caceres

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012 (TUESDAY)
10AM - CharityDay of Miss Bicolandia Candidates
Venue: LCC Activity Center
Sponsor:Naga City Government
6PM - Little Miss Philippines – Bicolandia
Venue; PlazaQuezon
Sponsor: Ginoong Bikolandia Foundation
9PM - 20th Ginoong Bicolandia
Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor: Ginoong Bikolandia Foundation

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012 (WEDNESDAY)
3PM - Pretty Boy Bikolandia Talent Competition
Venue: LCC Activity Center
Sponsor:c/o Jerry Perez
7PM - MISS BICOLANDIA PAGEANTNIGHT 2012
Venue:Naga City Coliseum
Sponsor:Naga City Government
SEPTEMBER 6-16, 2012
10AM - Bishop Francisco Gainza Trade Fair
Venue: Along Elias Angeles St.
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres

SEPTEMBER 6 2012 (THURSDAY)
6PM - 20th Pretty Boy Bicolandia
Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor: Cher-Ami International
9PM - Peñafrancia RegionalDance Showdown
Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor: Cher-Ami International

SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 (FRIDAY)
FEASTOF THEDIVINOROSTRO
4AM - Penitential Procession of theImage of INA
Venue: Basilica Minoreto Peñafrancia Parish Church
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
5:30AM - Pontifical Mass, Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legaspi,OPDD
Venue: Peñafrancia Parish Church
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
6:30AM - Community Mass
Venue: Peñafrancia Parish Church
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
8AM - Pontifical Mass, Bishop Gilbert Garcera
Venue: Peñafrancia Parish Church
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
12NN- Start of Traslacion Procession of delegatesfromschools,
institutionsand organizations
Venue: Majorstreets
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
1-5PM - Holy Mass
Venue: MetropolitanNaga Cathedral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
2PM - Community Mass
Venue: Plaza de Covarruvias, Peñafrancia Parish
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
3PM - TRASLACIONProcession
Venue: fromPenafrancia Shrineto Cathedral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
5PM - Pontifical Mass, Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legaspi,OPDD
Venue:Quadricentennial Arch,Naga Metropolitan Catheral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
7PM - Holy Mass
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Catheral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres

SEPTEMBER 8 – 9, 2012
8AM - 1stNaga City Mayor’s Cup BadmintonOpen (ABC 7)
Venue:Naga City Gymnasium
Sponsor:Naga City Government

SEPTEMBER 8 – 14, 2012
5PM - SolemnNovena Massesin honor ofOur Lady of Peñafrancia
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Cathedral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
8PM - Marian Procession (for September 8, Marian YOUTH
Procession)&Healing Prayer with Manto
Venue: Cathedral Grounds
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres

SEPTEMBER 8 – 15, 2012
4AM - Bikol Masses
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Cathedral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
5AM - BicolNovenatoOur Lady of Penafrancia
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Cathedral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
5:15AM - Bicol Masses
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Cathedral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
3-7PM - Confessions
Venue: Holy Rosary Minor Seminary Arches
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres

SEPTEMBER 8, 2012 (SATURDAY)
2AM - Peñafrancia Marathon
Venue: Majorstreets
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
7AM - Marian Youth Congress
Venue:Naga City Coliseum
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
8AM -Dog Paradeand Fashion Show
Venue: STI Gymnasium(CBDII)
Sponsor:Naga City VeterinaryOfficeandDept. of Agriculture R5
5PM - Marian Youth Congress Parade
Venue:Naga City ColiseumtoNaga City Cathedral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
7PM - Kapamilya Caravan
Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor: ABS-CBN

SEPTEMBER 9– 14, 2012
7PM - Marian Band Concerts
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Cathedral Grounds
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012 (SUNDAY)
3PM - That’s My Boy Bicolandia/That’s My BoyNaga City
Venue: LCC Activity Center
Sponsor: Ysabella Productions
6PM - Saludo Concert with KC Concepcion
Venue:Naga City Coliseum
Sponsor: HEROFoundation, Inc.

SEPTEMBER 10-12, 2012
10PM - Perdon Processions
Venue: Majorstreets
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres

SEPTEMBER 10, 2012 (MONDAY)
6PM -Nagueñong Bidang-Bida Rap Contest Finals
Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor:Naga City Government

SEPTEMBER 11-12, 2012
WPPP Goesto Penafrancia 2012 (Seminar-Workshop)
Sponsor:Wedding and Portrait Photographers of the
Philippines

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012 (TUESDAY)
6AM - Pontifical Mass,Diocese of Virac,
Bishop Manolo delos Santos
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Cathedral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
8AM - Pontifical Mass,Diocese of Libmanan,
Bishop Jose R. Rojas
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Cathedral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
2PM - 8th Inter-Collegiate Basketball
Tournament (CrossOver)
Venue:Naga City Coliseum
Sponsor:Naga City Government

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 (WEDNESDAY)
6AM - RegionalDXLM/BSP/GSP Marching Competition
Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor:Naga City GovernmentandDepEd
6AM - Pontifical Mass,Diocese ofDaet,
Bishop Gilbert Garcera
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Cathedral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres

SEPTEMBER 13 – 15, 2012
3AM -Dawn Penitential Procession of INA and
Divino Rostro
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Cathedral to Majorstreets
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012 (THURSDAY)
6AM - Pontifical Mass,Diocese of Sorsogon,
Bishop Arturo Bastes
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Cathedral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
7AM - CIVIC Paradeand Float Competition
Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor:Naga City Government
2PM - VOYADORES Festival
Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor:Naga City Government
6PM -Union of Bicol Clergy,
Bishop Jose Bantolo
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Cathedral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
7PM - RMN-DWNX Concert
Venue:Naga City Coliseum
Sponsor: RMN-DWNX

SEPTEMBER 14-16, 2012
6AM - Pontifical Mass,Diocese of Masbate, Bishop Jose Bantolo
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Cathedral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres

SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 (FRIDAY)
6AM - Pontifical Mass,Diocese of Masbate, Bishop Jose Bantolo
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Cathedral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
6AM - Regional MILITARY Street Parade Competition
Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor:Naga City Government
Assisted by: The Bicol Federation of Activeand Reserve PMT
Commandants&Instructor’s League, Inc., the FraternalOrder of Eagles
&Bicolnon Eagles Association, Inc.
6AM - Pontifical Mass, MilitaryOrdinariate,
Bishop Leopoldo Tumulak
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Cathedral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
2PM - 8th Inter-Collegiate Basketball Tournament (Finals – Game 1)
Venue:Naga City Coliseum
Sponsor:Naga City Government
6PM - 2012 Penafrancia Fiesta Pa-Raffle parasa Masa
Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor: Bicolnon Eagles, FraternalOrder of Eagles&BFARCIL
7PM - 24th BicolDance Showdown
Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor: RMN-DWNX
9PM - Vigilia de Espigas(Prayer Vigil)
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Cathedral
Sponsor: AdoracionNocturna Filipina
9PM - LCC Midnight Sale
Venue: LCC Mall
Sponsor: LCC Mall

SEPTEMBER 15, 2012 (SATURDAY)
6AM - Pontifical Mass, Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legaspi,OPDD
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Catheral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
6AM - 26th Regatta Championships
Venue: Penafrancia Landing Arch (Danlugan)
Sponsor: Ginebra San Miguel

SEPTEMBER 16, 2012 (SUNDAY)
SOLEMNITYOFOUR LADYOF PEÑAFRANCIA
6:30AM - Pontifical Mass, Bishop LuciloQuiambao
Venue: Basilica Minore
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
8AM - Pontifical Mass, Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legaspi,OPDD
Venue: Basilica Minore
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
9:30AM - Pontifical Mass, Bishop Jose Bantolo
Venue: Basilica Minore
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
11AM - Pontifical Mass, Bishop Jose Sorra
Venue: Basilica Minore
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
3PM - GMA Kapuso Fiesta Mall Show
Venue: SM City –Naga
Sponsor: GMA 7
6PM - Pontifical Mass, Bishop Manolo delos Santos
Venue: Basilica Minore
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres

SEPTEMBER 17, 2012 (MONDAY)
2PM - 8th Inter-Collegiate Basketball Tournament (Finals-Game 2)
Venue:Naga City Coliseum
Sponsor:Naga City Government

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012 (SATURDAY)
2NDPenafrancia Tatto Arts Festival
Sponsor:Whuatt?! Productions
2PM - 8th Inter-Collegiate Basketball Tournament (Finals-Game 3)
Venue:Naga City Coliseum
Sponsor:Naga City Government
10AM - Pontifical Mass,Diocese of Legazpi, Bishop Joel Baylon
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Catheral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
12NN- Ringing of Bells
Venue:Naga Metropolitan Catheral
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
2PM - GRANDFLUVIAL Procession
Venue:Naga River
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
4-6PM - Confessions
Venue: Basilica Minore Grounds
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
6:30PM - Pontifical Mass, Archbishop Luis“Chito” Tagle
Venue: Basilica Minore Grounds
Sponsor: Archdiocese of Caceres
7PM - Handog ng Bombo Radyo at Star FM
sa Peñafrancia| Venue: PlazaQuezon
Sponsor: Bombo Radyo Philippines
7PM - KapusoNight
Venue:Naga City Coliseum
Sponsor: GMA-7

Source: http://naga.gov.ph/news/penafrancia-2012-schedule/

Guinobatan, Albay. The side trip.

2012-09-04T18:33:00.000+08:00

Well, my trip to Guinobatan was just a side trip. This was actually not part of my travel itinerary because the main destination for the long weekend trip was Jovellar town in Albay. However, since going to Jovellar, one needs to travel to Guinobatan and from there you ride a jeepney to Jovellar, nagsidetrip na din ako sa Guinobatan. Actually, noong nakaraang long weekend, ang plano namin ng mga kaibigan ko is to go to Jovellar, and then Castilla and then Sorsogon City. Pero nagchange of plan kami when I learned that the last trip of the jeepney from Jovellar to Guinobatan is at 3pm. At dahil 10am na and I’m still waiting for my friend to arrive in Guinobatan from Manila, I just then told her na sa Sorsogon na lang muna kami mauunang pupunta but we’ll just meet first in Guinobatan town.

guinobatan public plaza

municipal hall of guinobatan

So while waiting for her to arrive in Guinobatan, nagikot ikot muna ako sa downtown. I took some pictures of their town plaza, church, town hall and monuments. Nakakaboring din kasi kung wala akong gagawin habang nagaantay. Guinonabatan is actually a simple town. There are no big business establishments there. Pwede mo nga din maikot ang buong downtown in just an hour. By the way, a famous delicacy in Guinobatan is the rice puto or rice cake. Madami din rice puto or putong bigas sa ibang lugar but in Guinobatan, their putong bigas has a sweet macapuno filling. Marami ang nagtitinda ng delicacy na ito sa may Maharlika Highway malapit sa welcome arch ng Guinobatan. Anyway, that’s my story about Guinobatan. Side trip lang talaga ang town na to kaya wala naman ako masyadong maikwento.hehehe!

Our Lady of Assumption Church

st. benedict academy

Putong Bigas stall

putong bigas with macapuno filling

Searching for the Naglaus Underground River in Jovellar town, Albay.

2012-09-01T15:29:00.000+08:00

When I found out a few months ago that there is an underground river in Albay, I got so curious about it. I searched the Internet for information regarding Naglaus Underground River but I only found a handful of information. So a few weeks ago, I invited my friends if they wanted to go with me to Naglaus but only few replied because they already have plans for the long weekend. Kaya ayun, 3 lang kami ng mga kaibigan ko na pumuntaa sa Naglaus, but 3 is a crowd naman di ba?hehehe!

The previous 2 days, we had an adventure in Sorsogon Province. We visited Paguriran Island in Sorsogon City and Malawmawan Island in Castilla. Gagawa na lang ako ng kwento tungkol sa travel ko sa Sorsogon City and Castilla kasi mas excited ako to write this story about Naglaus.hehehe!

entrance to Naglaus Underground River

So on our last day for our Sorsogon and Albay Province adventure, sa Jovellar ang target namin, specifically sa Naglaus Underground River and yung ibang falls. Ayon sa nakuha kong info sa internet, pwede daw pasukin ng banca ang Naglaus and that made me think na baka kagaya nga sya ng sa Palawan.

After namin na magovernight stay sa Malawmawan Island in Castilla, we then travelled to Daraga City to have our breakfast, and then from Daraga we then travelled to Guinobatan town to look for the jeepneys bound for Jovellar.

The town of Jovellar is less than 20 kilometers from Guinobatan town, so after 30 minutes of travel, narating na din namin ang downtown Jovellar. We asked for information from the locals about the tourist destination in Jovellar and they informed us na magkalayo ang Naglaus sa ibang waterfalls and since it was already past 12 when we arrived at Jovellar, we then decided na sa Naglaus na lang pumunta.

After namin bumaba sa jeep, we crossed a river to go to the habal habal or motorcycle terminal bound for Barangay Del Rosario but only to found out na iisa lang yung motor na nakapark at ayaw nila bumyahe dahil maputik daw yung daan at di kakayanin ng motor. They discouraged us not to proceed with our plans because it would take us several hours if we're going to walk to Naglaus, which they said, it is about 8 to 10 kilometers of walk. Sabi nila masyado daw maulan nung gabi bago kami dumating kaya sobrang maputik ang daan. However, dahil andun na lang din kami, we just then decided to proceed with our plan and go to Naglaus.

We then started walking and true enough, sobrang maputik nga yung daan that we ended up walking barefoot at bitbit ang mga tsinelas namin dahil masyadong madulas at bumabaon sa putik ang aming mga tsinelas. There were some paved roads but most of the roads are unpaved and muddy and some are grassy. You won't even think na may kalsada pala kasi mukha syang palayan or napabayaang lupa lang na puno ng putik at damo. There were also some concrete pathways which are about a meter wide, and I think it is the main road being used by motorcycles since the “actual road” is muddy and non-existent. Sobrang napabayaan nga talaga ng gobyerno ang lugar na yun.

We started walking at around 1 pm and after 2 hours, we reached the forked road going to Naglaus. The road going to the left is the one that we took. That is the road going to Barangay San Isidro and Barangay Del Rosario. The road to the right is for Barangay San Roque and if you go further along that road, you'll be able to reach Donsol, Sorsogon.

From that forked road, we walked for another 45 minutes and then we finally arrived at Barangay San Isidro. We rested for a few minutes and then we walked again for another 15 to 20 minutes before we finally arrived at Barangay Del Rosario. We asked for directions from the barangay and they told us to just continue following the concrete pathways in order for us to reach Naglaus. So we just continued walking until the paved road ended again and we just found ourselves trekking on a dense bush and vegetation. May nakasalubong kaming lalaki na kakatapos lang maglaba and we asked him for direction. Sabi nya ifollow na lang daw namin yung trail at mararating na namin ang Naglaus.

So after walking for almost 20 to 30 minutes from Barangay Del Rosario community area, we finally reached Naglaus. Sobrang layo pala ng lugar. We were exhausted but excited but also disappointed kasi nung dumating kami sa entrance ng Naglaus, wala naman palang banca or guide na pwede na magguide sa amin sa loob. At hindi ko rin mahanap ang flashlight ko kaya we ended up na nagphoto shoot na lang sa harap ng cave. Malaki ang entrance ng cave and I think kasya nga ang mga bangka na katulad ng mga bangka na ginagamit sa Palawan Underground River.

Etrance to Naglaus Underground River

We stayed there for about 15 minutes and then we decided na umuwi na because it was getting late na din and for sure aabutan na kami ng gabi sa paglalakad pauwi. We arrived at Naglaus at around past 4 in the afternoon so that means we walked for more than 3 hours from downtown Jovellar to Naglaus.

Naglakad na kami pabalik but we dropped by again sa Barangay Del Rosario. We asked some locals if they know someone who owns a motorcycle that we could rent. Pero wala daw at wala daw makakabyahe kasi nga putikan. We were hoping na okay na ang daan kasi uminit na din nung hapon na yun.

After walking back to Barangay San Isidro, we again asked the locals there if they knew someone who owns a motorcycle and luckily, may nagmagandang loob na ihanap kami ng motor. And luckily again, may mga dumating ng motor. Nakakadaan na daw kasi yung mga motor from downtown Jovellar kasi medjo tumigas na daw yung yung putik doon sa mga maputik na daan. We were so happy because it would mean na hindi na kami maglalakad for another 3 hours.

Nagpasalamat kami sa naghanap ng masasakyan namin and then off we go to downtown Jovellar. May mga times na we need to get off sa motorcycle kasi may mga part pa din na maputik but okay lang kasi mas mabilis na yung travel namin pabalik. It only took us 30 minutes of travel from Barangay San Isidro. We paid 75 pesos for each motorcycle kasi 2 motorcycle ang nirentahan namin and 75 pesos naman talaga yung usual fare kaya nagdagdag na din ng tip yung isa kong friend.

Jovellar Public Market

It was already past 5 when we arrived at downtown Jovellar. Pumunta muna kami sa simbahan at nagikot ikot na din ng konti sa Jovellar at nakita na din namin yung park nila at dun na din kami naghanap ng tricycle na marerent namin going back to Guinobatan town. The last trip of jeepneys going back to Guinobatan is 2 pm or sometimes 3 pm kaya ang magrent ng sasakyan na lang ang option namin. We found a tricycle driver who agreed for 220 pesos para ihatid kami sa Guinobatan town. After 30 minutes of travel nakarating na din kami sa Guinobatan and from Guinobatan we rode a jeepney to Ligao City. It was already 7pm when we arrived at Ligao and we decided to go to Ligao City because we have a good chance of catching a bus bound for Manila compared kung sa Guinobatan kami magaabang. Nakasakay agad kami ng bus and me and one of my friend got off at Nabua town and my other friend got off at Naga City. So that's my story about our Jovellar experience. Sobrang nakakapagod but exciting din.

Jovellar Church

Here's a guide on how to go to Naglaus Underground River:

If you're coming from Manila, ride a plane bound for Legazpi City (1hour travel) and from Legazpi City Airport ride a tricycle to central terminal (10minutes travel) and then ride a jeepney bound for Guinobatan town.(30minutes travel)

From Guinobatan, ride a jeepney to Jovellar.(30 minutes travel) The jeepney terminal is located near the Guinobatan public market. From downtown Jovellar, near the public market, cross the river to reach the habal habal or motorcycle terminal bound for Barangay Del Rosario.(5 to 10 minutes’ walk) From there, ride a motorcycle and tell the driver that you're going to Naglaus Underground River so that he will drop you off near the trail going to Naglaus.(30 minutes travel)

If you're coming from Manila, you can also ride a bus to Guinobatan. The travel time is 9 to 12 hours.

You can also ride a plane to Naga Airport, and then from Naga Airport, ride a pedicab going to the highway and then ride a bus bound for Guinobatan.You can also ride a train from Manila to Ligao City. From Ligao City, ride a jeepney or a bus bound for Guinobatan.

Magarao. The Hilot Capital of Camarines Sur.

2012-08-29T21:44:00.000+08:00

In the province of Camarines Sur, whenever you mentioned the place Magarao to Camarines Sur residents, the first thing that pops into their mind is the word “hilot”. The town of Magarao is famously known for having the best manghihilot in the province. Whether you’re experiencing a sore muscle, a twisted tendons or a tired body, the town’s manghihilots can cure them. They have mastered the art of healing through hilot. The skills of manghihilot were pass down from generation to generation. People flock to this small town para magpahilot ng mga katawan nila, ng mga bali sa katawan, mga nananakit na katawan at iba pa.

Magarao Church

Magarao town hall

the town park

I visited the town of Magarao a few days ago, but not to try their hilot but to check the other things that this town has to offer. Magarao is located just a few kilometers from Naga City and it is just a 15 to 20 minutes jeepney ride. When I arrived at the town, I roamed around its town center and took some pictures of its church, plaza and its town hall. Nagtanong tanong din ako sa mga locals kung ano pa ang mga bagay na maipagmamalaki ng Magarao but, as I expected, hilot lang talaga ang ipinagmamalaki nila. I then asked some information sa Munisipyo pero same answer din ang nakuha ko. I then proceeded to their hilot center para alamin din ang rates ng hilot service nila. I was tempted to try their hilot because it was cheap but I still have several towns to visit on that day kaya hindi na ako pumasok sa center nila. So after I took some pictures of their hilot center, I then rode a jeepney and pumunta na ako sa next town on my list to visit sa araw na iyon.

the hilot center or the wellness center

The Leaning Bell Tower of Bombon, Camarines Sur

2012-08-28T23:07:00.000+08:00

Whenever I go to those towns north of Naga City, I always pass by on this town called Bombon and always passing its famous Bell Tower. So one fine day, noong mga panahon na wala akong magawa, I travelled to several towns in Camarines Sur at inalam ko kung anong mga tourist destination meron ang ibang munisipyo. After I visited the town of Magarao, I then proceeded to Bombon. The town of Bombon is just a small town located just a few kilometers from Naga City. It is just a mere 20 to 30 minutes jeepney ride from Naga City.

Municipal Hall of Bombon

Bombon Church and its famous Leaning Bell Tower

Bumaba ako sa jeepney ng malapit ng dumating sa simbahan ng Bombon. I proceeded to the church and took some pictures of its famous Leaning Bell Tower. Hindi naman sya masyadong naglilean talaga na kagaya ng Leaning Tower of Pisa pero mukhang leaning naman ang Bell Tower ng Bombon.hehehe! So after taking some pictures, I then proceeded to its town hall to ask for information kung ano pa ba ang pwedeng mapuntahan na tourist attraction sa Bombon and the town hall employee informed me na wala naman talaga masyadong tourist spot sa Bombon. She also informed me about Casa Ofelia resort, which is a little bit far from the town center, kaya hindi ko na rin pinuntahan. Kaya ayun, after taking some pictures of its town hall and knowing that there’s no other tourist destination to visit in Bombon or near the town center, I then decided to go to the next neighboring town, which is the town of Calabanga. Nauna na yung blog entry ko tungkol sa Calabanga kaya basahin nyo na lang ulet, sinulat ko yung kwento tungkol sa Calabanga about a few weeks ago.hehehe!

Earth Day 2012 in Calabanga, Camarines Sur.

2012-08-15T21:15:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, while I was making my blog entry for Calabanga, I suddenly stumbled upon on these group of pictures that was taken by me a few months ago. I was organizing the photos in my folder and I saw the Earth Day event pictures and I wondered whether or not I already did a blog entry about that event and only to find out that I haven’t uploaded and did a story about the said Earth Day 2012 event.

Barangay Cagsao, Calabanga

Anyway, the pictures show the mangrove tree planting activity that was conducted last April during the Earth Day 2012 celebration. The tree planting activity was conducted in Barangay Cagsao, Municipality of Calabanga in Camarines Sur. The activity was sponsored by an NGO which was also participated by different community and school organization. Weeks before the said activity, a friend of mine invited me to join her organization for the tree planting activity. I always want to join activities that benefits the environment so when my friend invited me, I didn’t hesitated to say yes.

The mangrove reforestation site in Calabanga

the volunteers in action

The mangrove plantation in Barangay Cagsao, Calabanga is probably the largest mangrove plantation site in the province. The barangay has been managing the mangrove site for several years now and most of the mangroves that have been planted a few years ago are now about a few meters in height. The mangrove has a lot of benefits to the community. The mangroves help to prevent coastal erosion by stabilizing soil and sediment and it also helps in protecting the coastal community from the waves during storm surge. The mangroves also serves as a spawning ground for many marine animals and this could mean, the community will benefit from the increase numbers of fishes near the mangrove ecosystem.

During the Earth Day event, hundreds of people planted more than a thousand propagules or mangrove seedlings. I know a few years from now, those mangroves that we’ve planted will soon became the home for thousands of marine creatures and this will not only benefit the community in Barangay Cagsao but it will also benefit everyone of us.

Wandering in Calabanga, Camarines Sur.

2012-08-14T22:58:00.000+08:00

It’s been more than a month since the last time I travelled to a place far from home, so yesterday, I got out of our house and ventured out for a town hopping. I really don’t have a plan for that day. All I really wanted was to travel somewhere or away from the four corners of our house. So after I ate my brunch, I took a bath, nagbihis at nagprepare na ng gamit para magdaytour sa kung saan man na lugar. I thought of going somewhere in Albay but I don’t know where, and I felt a little bit lazy to research for a destination so I just then headed to Naga City and then from Naga City I decided to town hopped to the nearby town. I visited a total of 3 towns yesterday but I’ll just focus my story on the town of Calabanga.

Barangay Cagsao

The town of Calabanga is a big town located north of Naga City. It is about a 30 minute jeepney ride from Naga City Northbound Terminal. Calabanga has a lot to offer for visiting tourist. There are a lot of things to do in this beautiful town. There are several resorts in the area and there are also several beaches. The town doesn’t boast a white sand beach but there are really some nice beaches in Calabanga.

Every year, during the Holy Week, hundreds of thousands of people flocks to Calabanga to visit the miraculous Amang Hinulid. Devotees walk for several kilometers to show their devotion and then kiss the image of Christ. Amang Hinulid is an image of the Lord Jesus in repose in his tomb. Last year, an estimated of half a million devotees visited Amang Hinulid.

Calabanga is located near the mouth of Bicol River so there’s an abundance of fish supply in the area. One of the famous products in Calabanga is “abo”. It is a kind of dried fish that is commonly sold in Calabanga and nearby municipalities. There are also old churches in Calabanga. Being one of the earliest settlements in Bicol, Calabanga is full of history.

Quipayo Church

Nuestra Señora de la Porteria Church or Calabanga Church

Another destination in Calabanga is The Village @ San Bernardino located at Barangay San Bernardino, Calabanga. This resort is also called as LRV Agri-Science Farm. It is a resort with an organic farm. You can go to the resort and pick and buy fresh vegetables and you can even catch a fish at their fishing lagoon. The resort also offers big rooms and cottages for an overnight stay and they also have a big function hall for different events.

Municipal Hall of Calabanga

One of the cottages at The Village @ San Bernardino

The Village @ San Bernardino

I only stayed for several hours in Calabanga. I’ve been to this place for so many times since my college years but it was only yesterday that I had that moment to capture a lot of photos of this beautiful town called Calabanga. It was almost about late in the afternoon when I decided to go back to Naga City. Ayoko kasi magpagabi baka maubusan na ng byahe pabalik ng Naga City. I wasn’t been able to visit the other resorts in town but I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to visit them someday. In order for you to get to Calabanga, from Naga City Bus Terminal, ride a tricycle to Naga Northbound Terminal. The travel time is 10 minutes. And then from Northbound Terminal, ride a jeepney bound for Calabanga. The travel time is 30 minutes. Fare is 20 to 25 pesos. So that’s for now! Kagaya nga ng laging sinasabi ng mga Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, COWABUNGA Dudes!!!!! Sounds like Calabanga Dudes!!!! Hehehehe!

I want these cameras!!!

2012-08-11T21:16:00.001+08:00

I love taking pictures and I’m a trigger-happy person when it comes to camera. I am that camera user who clicks on clicks on just about any subject that caught my interest. I don’t consider myself as a photographer but I do love taking pictures of just about anything. My present camera is a point and shoot camera. I’ve been using my point and shoot camera for more than 2 years now. Actually, more than a year ago, I bought my first ever entry-level DSLR. However, after using it for more than 3 months, I just gave it to my sister. I just came into realization that it is such a hassle bringing a bulky camera specially that I am always on the go. I find it hard having a camera always dangling on my shoulder or a strap around my neck and it is such a hassle if I have to put it in my bag and then I have to open my bag again and get my DSLR in order to just take picture of something that attracted my attention.

Now, what I want is just a simple camera that I can use anywhere and anytime. I want a camera where I can just put in my pocket or I can carry or use without attracting too much attention from the crowd. I want a camera that I could just slip quickly to my pocket whenever I need to move to other destination or those moments that I need to catch a departing jeepney or a bus. I want a camera that I can use for zooming that subject while I’m on a ferry or inside a bus.

So now here are my wish lists of cameras and hopefully, I’ll be able to buy any of these cameras by the first quarter of 2013.

Canon PowerShot SX260 HS

Canon PowerShot SX260 HS. This is the point and shoot camera for travellers. It is 12.1 megapixels with a 3-inch screen. This camera features a 20x superzoom and it is GPS-enabled.

Canon PowerShot D20

Canon PowerShot D20. The camera for the adventure junkie like me. This is Canon's second waterproof rugged camera. It’s a 12 megapixel camera with 5x zoom and it is waterproof to a depth of 10m and shockproof from a height of 1.5m. This camera is also GPS-enabled. Since I always go to the beach, and the mountains and I loved being in the water, this camera is perfect for me.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5. My alternative camera for bulky DSLR. This is Panasonic’s Interchangeable Lens camera. It’s a 12 megapixel camera.

You can check these links for a detailed specification of these cameras.

Canon PowerShot SX260 HS. http://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/compacts/canon_sx260hs

Canon PowerShot D20. http://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/compacts/canon_d20

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5. http://www.dpreview.com/products/panasonic/slrs/panasonic_dmcgf5

My Top 10 Philippine Roman Catholic Churches

2012-08-10T19:23:00.002+08:00

I am a great admirer of different beautiful architecture, and the Philippine churches are one of the few architecture that I admire. Whenever I go to different municipalities and cities around the country, I find ways to visit its town church and make some photo shoot. Aside from the different tourist destination on a certain municipality or city, I also visit its city/town hall, park and its town church.

So here are my top 10 favorites:

1. Calbayog Cathedral, Calbayog City, Samar Province
2. Holy Cross Church, Nabua, Camarines Sur
3. Naga City Metropolitan Cathedral. Naga City, Camarines Sur
4. St. John the Baptist Parish Church, Tabaco City, Albay
5. Taal Cathedral de San Sebastian, Taal, Batangas
6. Basilica Minore. Naga City, Camarines Sur
7. Caleruega Church, Nasugbu, Batangas
8. Paoay Church, Paoay, Ilocos Norte
9. St. Williams Cathedral, Laoag, Ilocos Norte
10. Vigan Cathedral, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur

Calbayog Cathedral, Calbayog City, Samar Province

Holy Cross Church, Nabua, Camarines Sur

Naga City Metropolitan Cathedral. Naga City, Camarines Sur

St. John the Baptist Parish Church, Tabaco City, Albay

Taal Cathedral de San Sebastian, Taal, Batangas

Basilica Minore. Naga City, Camarines Sur

Caleruega Church, Nasugbu, Batangas

Paoay Church, Paoay, Ilocos Norte

St. Williams Cathedral, Laoag, Ilocos Norte

Vigan Cathedral, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur

Affordable Food Destinations in Naga City, Camarines Sur.

2012-08-08T11:37:00.000+08:00

So you’re in Naga City for a vacation, and you’re on a tight budget, or maybe you just want to make a food trip, and you’re looking for an affordable place to eat in Naga City, and you’ve search Google for information regarding Naga City, and you’ve landed on my website, THEN, good for you because I just have the information that can sort of help you. Pero kung ayaw mo sa webpage na to eh di ano…eh… please....’wag mong iclose…basahin mo naman muna oh! Hehehe! Nagmakaawa talaga..hehehe!

Anyway, I have listed here several locations in Naga City where you can find affordable restaurants, karinderia, turo-turo and famous streets for affordable foods in Naga City.

1. Naga Garden Restaurant

This restaurant is located at Panganiban Drive, near Plaza Rizal. The restaurant is famous for toasted siopao and the yummy lomi. They also serve some bicolano dishes at an affordable price.

Naga Garden Restaurant

2. Mama Eñga Restaurant

If you’re looking for authentic bicolano dishes, then go to this restaurant located at Peñafrancia Avenue, in front of Emily Theater. The restaurant is just a small restaurant near the famous The Park restaurant of Crown Hotel. Mama Eñga serves affordable and delicious bicolano dishes such as pinangat, laing and bicol express.

Mama Eñga

3. Geewan Restaurant

Now, if you want a little bit of classy but affordable restaurant offering bicolano dishes, then proceed to Geewan Restaurant located at P.Burgos Street, near Plaza Quezon (at the back of the grandstand) This restaurant offers different dishes including bicolano dishes. Turo turo style ang restaurant na to pero medjo may pagkakonting sosyal but affordable still to people on a tight budget.

Geewan Restaurant

4. Ateneo Avenue

This street is full of karinderia and affordable places to eat. Most of the people eating in this area are students, given the fact that this is near the two big universities in Naga City. You’ll find affordable budget meals here, mga pang student price, but don’t expect too much here. Mga simpleng kainan lang ang andito. Meron din medjo classy na karinderia and still mura pa din ang presyo.

Ateneo Avenue

5. Cely’s Eatery

Ahhh, the famous Aling Cely’s. This eatery is famous for kinalas, a flavorful noodle soup with slice of beef and thick sauce. Madalas akong pumupunta dito nung college pa ako kasi dito ang takbuhan ko kapag limited ang budget ko bilang studyante. This place is always full of customers during late in the afternoon. Aside from kinalas, they also offer goto, maruya, puto and other snacks. This is located in Barlin Street corner Dimasalang Street. This eatery is near the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral.

Cely's Eatery

6. Dayangdang Street

Just mention this street to the tricycle driver and tell them to bring you to Kinalasan and I’m pretty sure they know where to bring you. This street is famous for Kinalas, a flavorful noodle soup with slice of beef and thick sauce. There are few eateries here offering kinalas and one of them is Kinalas Twin.

Dayangdang Street

7. Naga City Plaza Rizal Skating Rink

The skating rink was converted into a place for street food stalls. There are plenty of stalls here offering kwek kwek, fishballs, and other street foods. During late in the afternoon, this place is full of students and other people who want to eat some quick foods.

Naga city street food

8. Paksiwan at Kainan. Infront of SM Naga City

There are a lot of paksiwan and karinderia infront of SM Naga City. There are also several karinderia around SM Naga City. You have several dining option inside SM and outside SM Naga so if you have a tight budget, you can find a lot of eateries in this area.

Paksiwan near SM Naga City

9. San Francisco

This is the most famous food location in Naga City when it comes to cheap foods. There are a lot of stalls here that offers affordable foods. Turo turo style ang pagkain dito. You can have a meal here for as low as 15 pesos and if you have a 100 pesos budget, I’m pretty sure it will go a long way, to the extent that you can even treat your friends for a lunch or dinner with that kind of budget. Sobrang mura ang mga meal dito but don’t expect much kasi open air ang lugar na to and medjo madami ang tao dito specially during lunch time. This place is located at Peñafrancia Avenue, infront of EMall, and near the San Francisco Church.

San Francisco

8. Magsaysay Avenue

This is the famous avenue in Naga City. This is where you’re going to find lots of restaurants, hotels, bars and other businesses. This is the nightlife center of Naga City. You can find here restaurants that offer different cuisine. There are also a lot of affordable restaurants here and several expensive restaurants too.

Magsaysay Avenue

Cereza, Magsaysay Avenue

So there you have, those are the locations that you can check for an affordable places to eat in Naga City. I hope you'll enjoy your stay in Naga City.

Why I hate the local buses in the Bicol Region.

2012-08-07T12:24:00.000+08:00

I’ve been riding buses in the Bicol Region ever since I was a child and I have to say that how they operate is just getting worst each passing year. There are several kinds of provincial buses in the Bicol Region. You have the airconditioned and non-airconditioned buses plying the Manila to Bicol route, the airconditioned buses plying the Naga City to Legazpi City route and the ordinary buses or non-airconditioned buses connecting the different provinces in Bicol. What I hate most is riding the non-airconditioned buses plying the Naga City to Legazpi City route.

Naga-Lagonoy bound buses

During my elementary and high school years, our family would go to Naga City once in a while para mamasyal at pumunta sa mga pinsan namin and travelling by ordinary bus would take about 1 hour of travel. It was fast then to travel to Naga from our house in Iriga City, which is about more or less 40 kilometers of travel. During the late 80’s and the 90’s there were only few bus companies operating that route. With too little competition, hindi gaanong naguunahan na makakuha ng pasahero ang mga bus.

When I was in college, I also ride the ordinary bus very often since every week I have to go home to Iriga City but during my college years, nauso na din ang mga passenger van so I also have that option to ride a van. I usually don’t ride a van back then because it takes a while for a van to be in its full seating capacity since the van leaves the terminal only if it is on its full capacity. Another reason I don’t ride the van during my college years is that it is a little bit pricey for a student. I think it was 10 or 20 pesos much expensive than the fare in the ordinary bus. The ordinary bus travel time back in my college years was about an hour sometimes less than an hour or an hour and few minutes more. I also have the option to ride an airconditioned bus bound for Legazpi but it is out of way going to our house since all airconditioned bus plying the Naga-Legazpi route always use the diversion road and it doesn’t pass by Iriga City.

Naga-Legazpi bound buses

After college, I stayed in Manila for more than 5 years and then I decided to go back to Bicol for good since I am now working online. I am now more disappointed than ever when riding a bus kasi lalo na silang lumala to the point na maiinis ka na sa kabagalan ng patakbo nila at sobrang masasayang ang oras mo kung sasakay ka ng ordinary bus plying the Naga-Legazpi route.

Naga City to Legazpi City is, I think, less than 100 kilometers in distance and if you’ll travel by private car, it would only take you 1.5 to 2 hours of travel. If you’ll be travelling by passenger van, it would take you about 2 to 2.5 hours of travel. And if you’ll be travelling by airconditioned bus, it would take you 2.5 to 3.5 hours of travel. But if you’ll be travelling by the non-airconditioned/ordinary bus, it would take you a lifetime and eons maybe!! Hehehe! No, kidding aside, travelling to Legazpi City from Naga City via ordinary/non-airconditioned bus would take you about 3.5 to 5 hours of travel. Just imagine the time you will be wasting by riding these kinds of buses. So if you’re in a hurry and you don’t want to waste your precious time, NEVER EVER EVER EVER RIDE THE ORDINARY BUSES OR EVEN THE AIRCONDITIONED BUSES in Bicol, specifically those buses plying the Naga City to Legazpi City.

Iriga City Bus Terminal

Naga City Bus Terminal

Naga City Central Bus Terminal

I still ride the ordinary bus today because the people living in Iriga only have 2 options. It’s either to ride a van or the ordinary bus. I am not really a passenger van fanatic since most of the time, passengers were cramped inside the van. Medjo naiipit kasi ang tuhod ko sa van kasi medjo matangkad ako. So what I usually do is to ride an ordinary bus to the next town, and then from Baao town, I’ll ride again an airconditioned bus which is a BIT faster compared to the ordinary bus. If I ride an ordinary bus to Naga City from Iriga, it would take me 1.5 hours to 2 hours of travel. By transferring to an airconditioned bus in the neighboring town of Iriga, which is Baao town, I cut my travel time to just 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, therefore I don’t have to waste extra 15 or 30 minutes. Wala kasing aircon bus na dumadaan sa Iriga kasi sa diversion road dumadaan lahat ng aircon bus.

In Metro Manila, naguunahan at nagkakarera ang mga bus para makakuha ng pasahero but in Bicol, it is the opposite. Binabagalan nila ang patakbo nila para makakuha daw ng mas maraming pasahero. The word “bagal” here is equivalent to a travelling speed of 10 to 30 kilometers per hour. Kasing bagal yan ng tricycle at minsan mas mabilis pa ang bicycle. Yung Iriga City to Baao town nga na 7 to 8 kilometers lang ang layo ay inaabot na ng 20 minutes na travel. These buses don’t care much about their passengers. They are more concerned about the income na kikitain nila at wala silang pakiaalam kung nagrereklamo na ang mga pasahero or ma-late sa office ang mga pasahero nila. They just don’t care. And once na nagreklamo ka sa driver or sa bus conductor, sasabihin pa nila sayo na kung gusto mo daw ng mabilis na byahe, bumili ka na lang daw ng sarili mong sasakyan or sumakay ka na lang ng van or sisisihin ka pa nila na alam mo naman daw na mabagal ang bus bakit daw sumakay ka pa sa kanila.

provincial buses in Bicol

Another reason it takes them longer time to reach their destination is the longer waiting time in bus stops. The Iriga City to Naga City route will pass by 3 towns and there are about 4 bus stops, and that doesn’t include the stops being made to pick up every passenger na nakikita nila sa kalsada and yung mga stops every time na may bumababa na pasahero. In every bus stop, the bus waits for about 5 to 15 minutes, and usually ang nangyayari ay hihintayin muna nila na dumating yung isa pang bus na sumusunod sa kanila bago sila umalis sa bus stop and it really doesn’t matter kahit 10 to 15 minutes pa ang layo ng next bus na sumusunod sa kanila. By computing 4 bus stops multiplied by an average of 10 minutes, that means 40 minutes na agad ang nasayang mo sa loob ng bus.

Marami pang mga bad practices ang mga bus companies sa Bicol and I’ve been to some provinces na din sa Pilipinas at masasabi ko na talagang nakakainis din ang service na ibinibigay ng mga bus companies dito sa Bicol lalong lalo na ang mga ordinary/non-airconditioned buses. Okay lang sumakay sa ordinary bus kung short distance lang ang pupuntahan nyo, mga 5 kilometers or less but if you’re travelling for a long distance, NEVER EVER EVER RIDE the local provincial bus kung ayaw nyo masayang ang oras nyo. Better ride a passenger van na lang or kausapin nyo na lang ang mga Manila-bound buses na kung pwede pasakayin kayo para mas mabilis ang byahe nyo.

Baao, Camarines Sur. The birthplace of the first Filipino bishop.

2012-08-05T23:53:00.000+08:00

I always pass this town every time I go to Naga City or Manila because this town is just the neighboring town of my home city, the Iriga City. Actually, there’s not much of a tourist destination in this town. Baao is known as the egg and chicken producer of Bicol Region. There are several large chicken farms in this town.

Baao is typically an agricultural town. The major industry is rice farming, coconut, fish and poultry farming. There’s also a lake in this town, the Bula-Baao Lake. It is a small lake shared by the town of Bula and Baao. During summer months, when the water is at its lowest level, parts of the lake is being converted into rice farm and the fishermen became farmers. And then during the rainy season, these fishermen-turned-farmers returns back into their original work and will start using again their fish nets for fishing.

Baao Church

The town of Baao is one of the oldest towns in the Bicol region. It is also full of history. There are only few establishments in Baao that offers lodging or accommodation. Some of these are the Hotel Emelie, Lendes Tourists Inn and Baao Recreation Center. The Baao Recreation Center is the only resort that I know existing in Baao. There are no large restaurants in Baao or any fast food chain, but there are many small eateries located in downtown Baao. Some of the places to visit in Baao are the Bishop Barlin monument, the Baao Church and Baao Recreation Center.

Ay, bakit ba lahat English ang naisulat ko? Nosebleed! kunwari english englishan lang. Hahaha!

Baao Recreation Center rates

Baao Recreation Center

Bishop Jorge Barlin Monument

Sta. Monica Academy

Bishop Barlin birthplace marker

Hotel Emelie

Luis Dato monument

How to get to Baao:

By Plane:

Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines have several daily flights to Naga Airport, which is locally known in Bicol as Pili Airport. From Naga Airport, located in the town of Pili, you can ride a bus or a taxi bound for Iriga or Legazpi City and then get off at Baao. The town is about 45 minutes to 1 hour ride from the airport. The bus fare from Pili to Baao is 20 pesos. If you’re coming from Naga or Pili, you will be passing the forked road in Baao town going to downtown Baao and Iriga City. Just after the railroad crossing, turn left going to Iriga City, because if you turn right, that’s the road going to Nabua and Legazpi City.

By Bus:

From Manila, there are several buses bound to Bicol region. Ride a bus that is bound for Iriga City or Legazpi City and then get off at Baao. If you’ll be riding a bus bound for Legazpi City or Tabaco City, be sure to ask the driver or the conductor if the bus will pass by downtown Baao because some buses will not pass downtown Baao and will just use the diversion road at Nabua town. The usual travel time from Metro Manila to Baao is 8 to 10 hours. There are a number of bus terminals in Cubao, Quezon City, that have buses bound for Iriga City, Legazpi City and Tabaco City. There are also bus terminals in Pasay City, near Pasay Rotonda.

By Train:

The PNR has a regular train schedule for the Manila-Ligao City route. The train departs at Tutuban Station in Manila every 6pm and 8:30pm and arrives at Ligao City at around 6am the next day. Ride the train and get off at Baao. The last station is Ligao City station which is 45 minutes away from Iriga City so be sure to get off at Baao. The usual travel time is 10 to 12 hours.