the backpack boy

Day Trip to Whittier and Prince William Sound, AK

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:45:00 +0000

Since seeing the "northern lights" during summer time was a failure for me, I made sure my other goal should be met before I leave Alaska.

On my second day in the state, after having breakfast of meat patties and the "famous cinnamon rolls" at my hotel, I left my luggage with the front desk personnel, carried my backpack and went off to the railroad station. I had to call the hotline of Alaska Yellow Cab that morning because People Mover wasn't operating early on a Sunday.

The Anchor Railroad - Anchorage Station

The departure of the train bound for Whittier was scheduled at 10:00AM that morning, but I had to show my reservation papers and pick up my tickets at the counter at least an hour earlier or it may be forfeited.

a train on display outside the station

The train Chugach Explorer came a little late but it still didn't kill the excitement of the passengers that were amazed as the train arrived. I was on the upper deck of this end car.

inside the train, upper deck

The train featured lush seats and power outlets for the passengers, making the 2.5 hours ride comfortable and enjoyable. I had the whole booth for myself so I was busy using my computer while listening to music on my Zune and sending SMS messages to someone back home.

distance marker

The whole trip was enjoyable and the view was entertaining!

Upon arrival in Whittier, a number of us booked with Prince William Sound Glacier Cruises was picked up by this mini-bus for a short ride to their office and wharf.

The whole package tour, which I booked for around USD200 inclusive of taxes and other fees, consists of the roundtrip fare from Anchorage to Whittier, cruise to Prince William Sound and lunch of Alaskan King Crab Cake.

Since we left Anchorage late, we also arrived late in Whittier. The cruise ship Glacier Explorer were waiting for the railroad passengers and it went off as soon as everyone was inside. The whole cruise time was around 4 hours.

Here are some shots I took from the cruise:

a view from the side of Glacier Explorer

inside the ship

view of the Marina from the ship

me

waterfalls near a Kittiwake Rookery

closer look, see all the birds

our lunch, Alaskan King Crab Cakes with rice and bread

ice over mountains

glaciers

ice drifs in the water

Beloit Glacier

Beloit Falls

Harbor Seals resting over ice

Blackstone Falls

Sea Otters playing in the water

Sea Otters from afar

Shotgun Cove and the "Secret Falls"

closer view of the "Secret Falls", it is called as such because it's not obvious from afar unless you look closer

I had a small time to go around the dock after the cruise so I took time to take shots before our train back to Anchorage departed at 6:45PM.

around the marina

I happen to pass by a signage that leads to a pedestrian tunnel to downtown but I didn't take my and miss my train. Whittier

boats and yachts docked at the harbor

US Coast Guard station

Whittier Harbor signage

beautiful building architecture

The train arrived an hour after the cruise while I was exploring the area. After some shots, I immediately boarded, rested and waited inside the train.

food!

gadgets that accompanied me throughout the trip

The train departed just in time. Again, I was entertained by the beautiful sceneries along the way.

folks hand-fishing Salmon from a river

The reason why I left my luggage at the hotel front desk earlier is because I'm staying for the night at Alaska Backpackers Inn, for USD25.

reception area of the backpackers inn

inside my dormitory room. I'm sleeping at the bed below and there are only four beds in the room (2 double-deckers).

view from the room

common living area

stairs

hallways

me inside the dormitory room

I left early in the morning (again by calling the cab hotline), passed by the hotel to grab my luggage and went straight to the airport. That was the end of my trip and I am again heading, bound from Anchorage, Alaska to Seattle, Washington to Tokyo-Narita, Japan and then ultimately to Manila, Philippines.

on the way home from Seattle, WA

The whole trip was definitely a good experience for me, although a bit tiring - a business conference in Seattle, Washington, USA a couple of weeks back; a side trip the weekend after in Victoria, Vancouver and British Columbia, Canada; a whole week of training right after in our corporate headquarters in Redmond, Washington, USA; and lastly a quick sidetrip in Alaska, passing by Anchorage and Whittier.

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Welcome to Alaska!

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:15:00 +0000

August 8, 2009 - I left my hotel in Redmond, WA early in the morning to rush to the airport for my last sidetrip before I head back to the Philippines. Destination: Alaska!

Curiousity got me and I've always wondered what exactly is in Alaska. Since it was summer season, I thought it was a perfect time to go to the state so it wouldn't be too cold. I have two goals for the trip - to see glaciers, even on summer time and hopefully see the "northern lights" (aurora borealis). Too bad I wasn't aware it was also the same time when tourists flock into the state.

Total flight time was around 3 hours and 30 minutes. I took the time to catch some sleep but I always get awaken and excited whenever I look out the window and see this beatiful view outside.

I redeemed a free night stay in Holiday Inn Express - Anchorage Airport that I earned as part of the a stay two nights, get one night free promotion of Priority Club. A complimentary hotel shuttle picked me up from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

I checked in around 9:00AM in the morning and a room wasn't available yet. I had a complimentary breakfast first and went off to downtown by means of People Mover, a public transportation means in Anchorage. I bought a day pass (USD4) and the Ride Guide (USD1) for convenience, hopped on route 7 and got off at Downtown Transit Center.

The transit center is near the Anchorage City Hall so I took the time to walk around and explore the area first before heading towards the area of Anchorage Market & Festival.

From afar, I saw the Holy Family Cathedral and approached the church to say grace and be thankful.

inside the church

As I was about to get out of the church, a woman approached me, apparently from the church, and gave me a blessed rosary. I was informed that it was the feast day of St. Dominic. Coincidentally, I studied in a school ran by Dominicans back when I was in elementary and the usually hear mass on Sundays at the church beside it.

The Anchorage Light Speed Planet Walk is also nearby and models of planets that mimic the ones in the solar system are scattered around downtown.

From there, I went to pickup tickets for an activity the next day but I happened to pass by a Federal Building that houses the Visitor Center so I stopped to come in and see the display.

I then went to the Visitor Information Center across it to ask for more information about the surrouding area.

Beside the Visitor Information Center is the Historic City Hall and across it is the Peratrovich Park.

I then walked towards Anchorage Market & Festival to check out the scene.

Lots of fresh produce and finished products were on sale here.

Of course there were also food and since it was nearing lunch time, a lot of locals and tourists were headed towards this area.

I was surprised to see a Filipino Food store selling pansit, lumpia and barbeque but I resisted and opted to eat something else.

There was also live music and diners were entertained while they were eating.

I passed by this stand when I went inside the Federal building. There were lots of these vendors around and I was told that one of the best in the area is this one and another in Peratrovich Park. It was an eeky thought at first but that day I tried a reindeer hotdog.

A meal for USD6.50 included the chips, softdrink and of course the reindeer hotdog with unlimited condiments.

To kill time that afternoon, I also took the Anchorage Trolley Tour for USD15. The trip which took around a couple of hours drove around Anchorage while the driver/commentator told us stories of history, facts and bizarre fun.

inside the trolley, which can accomodate around 30 people

Here are some of the places we passed by during the trolley tour:

train in Anchorage Alaska Railroad Station

painting of eagle in Anchorage High School Auditorium

small planes

boat plane

paintings on the wall for David Green, a master furrier

I also took the free walking tour that started from the Federal Building. A historian took time to walk with us to different places in Anchorage and explain the history and value of places we pass by.

Here are some of the places we passed by during the walking tour:

totem poles near the courthouse

Resolution Park

statue of Captain James Cook, an english navigator

view from the Resolution Park

After the walking tour, I headed straight back to the Holy Family Cathedral to attend an anticipated mass at 5:30PM.

"Open wide the door for Christ"

After the mass, I headed back to the hotel to take a rest. By this time the room is now ready so got to enjoy the comfort of the spacious room given to me.

me

Until sunset, I just relaxed while looking out the window at this beautiful view.

For dinner, I was too lazy to go out so I just decided to check out the vending machine downstairs.

I purchased a sandwich and a pizza bar from the vending machine and just heated them so I had something to eat for dinner.

The rest of the night was spent communicating with friends, family and loved ones back home and I then I decided to sleep. It was almost 11PM already but the sun was still out so I forced myself to sleep.

I got awaken around 2:00AM the next day and looked out the window. It was a nice view and lighting but too bad the chance of seeing "northern lights" is so scarce.

I then got back to sleep and recharged myself for another adventure waiting for me the next morning.

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Operational Excellence Training Day 5, Shopping and Exploration

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 05:57:00 +0000

Most of the time during our 5th day of Operational Excellence Training was alloted for completion of requirements for the participants. Luckily I already passed and completed the everything so I was able to spend most of the day roaming around instead.

My colleague Johnny left that day so I had the room again all by myself until the day after but before he headed to the airport, we had our photo taken together first.

The rest of that day I was bound to Renton connecting via Bellevue. While waiting for the bus to Renton, I looked around the transit center and saw the Bellevue City Hall.

The first thing I saw when we came to Renton were the factory facilities of Boeing. Apparently, new-generation 737 series airplanes are built inside these buildings at that time.

Several blocks away from the building pictured above is The Boeing Store located along Park Avenue in Renton, WA.

As an aviation fanatic, I went inside to scout for some take-home items. I got a couple of shirts and some souvenirs for myself. If they weren't very pricey I could have bought a lot of cute stuffs which I really don't have use of.

A couple of blocks away is Fry's Electronics, one of the largest electronics store I've ever been to. I always refer to this store as the "Disneyland for geeks".

I went inside Fry's without a plan of buying anything. An hour and a half later, I went out carrying with me a new portable HDD (500GB), a pair of walkie-talkies and some small items. A very sinful place indeed!

Just across Fry's is Target.

I went inside target to buy a couple of boxes of Airheads, one for me and another for my brother. Now I had months of stock of one of my favorite fruity candies! I always try to go to big grocery stores like Target, K-Mar or Safeway whenever I'm in the US to stock up my fruity candy inventory at home.

Further away is an outlet of Ross Dress for Less, a surplus store selling branded items for a low-price. Items were not displayed like your usual boutique or signature shop but iyou are patient enough to browse around, you may be able to find a lot of stuff that suits your taste here.

I had a late lunch that day at a nearby Panda Express. Panda Express is one of the "value for money" fast food in the US for me that suits my Asian taste.

inside the fast food restaurant

I usually order their two entree plate where I get to choose two viands (their famous orange chicken and another viand) and opted for chow mein (noodles) as a side. I also got the largest cup of soda drink with it so I can take it with me after. The large drink came with free sweet crackers and was given the usual fortune cookie after.

I immediately headed back to Redmond afterwards. My bus connected me via the transit center inside Microsoft campus and I just called for a company shuttle to take me to Redmond Town Center.

Just minutes after I went back to the hotel, I decided to go and roam the west side of Seattle along Alki Beach on my last night in the city. On the way to West Seattle, we have passed by a lot of port facilities and container terminals.

view of Seattle skyline from the park in Alki beach

"flower houses" in Alki

Seattle skyline late in the afternoon

I grew tired walking and decided to eat at a nearby Alki Crab & Fish Co. restaurant instead of heading back to downtown for dinner.

inside the restaurant

I had an order of combination platter containing halibut fish, clam strips, calamari rings, prawns and fries together with soda.

In front of the restaurant is the port where I can ride a water taxi from West Seattle to Downtown Seattle that would cross Elliott Bay for 12 minutes.

Sightseer

Seattle skyline pre-dark

Seattle skyline at dark

It was a time well-spent for my last day in the city. Early the next day I will be heading to the airport again bound for home but with a quick side trip.

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Operational Excellence Training Day 4, Anderson Park and Joey's Grill & Lounge

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 05:49:00 +0000

All formal in-classroom trainings were capped off during the fourth day. It all started with my usual breakfast in Residence Inn Redmond. No offense to them, but I really wished there was more variety to the daily offerings other than waffles, potatoes and breakfast patties of which I started to grew tired of the taste.

With a colleague counterpart in Indonesia, we went back to The Commons for lunch, same place where we had our attendee party during TechReady 9 the prior week.

Still craving for an Asian taste, I had a rice topping of stir-fried pork and spring rolls for lunch and coconut juice for drinks.

The training ended well and everyone was relieved and excited to have free time for ourselves and head back home soon. Our last plan for the day is to have dinner as a celebration in the nearby city of Bellevue but I got the chance to roam around the area of Redmond Town Center first before boarding the bus. I came across Anderson Park and breezed by to see the place. I usually pass by this place at night I haven't seen people actually relaxing and playing here until that moment.

There were two log cabins constructed in 1938 in the park that are preserved and recently restored to its full glory, the Fullard House and Adair House.

Adair House

Fullard House

I boarded a bus minutes later and then alighted in Bellevue Transit Center. As usual, the Metro King County's Trip Planner helped a lot in my timing and scheduling.

Walking towards where we'll have our class get-together, this restaurant caught my attention because of it's name - "What The Pho?".

We had our dinner that night at Joey's Grill & Lounge in Bellevue Place.

Nice and cozy place I should say, but it's so jam-packed that we had to wait for more than an hour to get seated and be separated from the others on another table.

Raspberry Lemonade

Cranberry Almond Salmon. Just the right taste for me and just the right size of serving.

Molten Lava Chocolate Souffle. Tempting, delicious and sinful! :P

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Quick trip to Snoqualmie

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 05:44:00 +0000

During a casual discussion with Eric at the Sharepoint team-hosted barbecue dinner, a colleague based in Redmond, he learned that Johnny and I haven't been around anywhere yet and he offered to take us that night around his hometown - Snoqualmie, Washington.

Whenever I hear of the place Snoqualmie, the first thing that comes to my mind is Snoqualmie Falls. The 268 feet tall waterfalls is an iconic landmark of the state but I never got the chance to come here until that day.

A majestic view with serene surroundings at the bottom of the falls are two hydroelectric power plants built in 1898 and 1910 respectively.

Right after, we drove to the nearby Snoqualmie Depot which is part of the Northwest Railway Museum. We're happy to see a couple of heritage trains at the railroad right in front of it at the time we were there.

me

Across the depot is the city hall, the smallest I've seen anywhere so far. It looks like one of those old town-style buildings. In fact, the surrounding establishments are also preserved or designed like to be old-style. As of today, they have ready to move to a newly constructed city hall building by September 2009.

other buildings in the area

For dinner, we went to Mike's Cascade Grill, located also in Snoqualmie after dropping by a few minutes in Eric's house and meeting his kids.

outside the restaurant

Inside, it is the usual at-home feel sit-down and casual restaurant.

beer glasses, featuring the logos of Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners, the official American Football and Baseball teams of the city of Seattle

We had clams for starters, creamy and yummy!

I was already full at that time so I just got a light meal BLT (bacon, lettuce, tomato) sandwich served with chowder.

Another successful day and sidetrip again. It was totally unexpected but nevertheless, we were very grateful that we had Eric to take us around and let us experience all these unplanned activities which turned out great!

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Operational Excellence Training Day 3 and around Microsoft campus

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 05:41:00 +0000

The training continued on Day 3 and for lunch, I ate again in Cafe 9, this time having Asian noodles.

After class, I have an hour to spare before the scheduled meeting time with Johnny inside the campus so I spent it walking and strolling around the grounds and reliving the times I was previously here.

I passed by some of football fields and was wondering why there are lots inside the campus scattered, 3 of which I saw just within that hour.

A marker that states: "Everytime a product ships, it takes us one step closer to the vision: A computer on every desk and in every home. In recognition of the many Microsoft people who have designed, built, and supported our products."

I met up later on with Johnny at Building 22 to crash a party hosted for them by the Sharepoint team.

This is the room where they had their training. In comparison to us, their group is at least twice more than ours that week.

I envy the "amenities" inside their building though. Aside from the computers used for laboratories and entertainment facilities like the XBox consoles, they had a freezer containing ice cream and popsicle sticks. Usually the ice creams get consumed first and since it was late already, all that was left were the sticks. Well, still better having those than nothing!

popsicle stick!!

And to talk about food.. they served barbecued ribs that evening - a choice of pork or beef. I had both.

A hefty serving of pork and beef barbecued ribs and potato on the sidings! That's a heavy dinner!

I met a few Sharepoint gurus that night and finally saw a friend Eric, who is now based in Redmond, Washington. A fun night, nice dinner, and unlimited booze - a nice way to end the day but ours didn't end here yet. Eric and his wife offered to take us around and that's where we're heading to next.

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Operational Excellence Training Day 2 and Matador

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:21:00 +0000

The week progressed as we continue the Operational Excellence training that first week of August 2009.

For lunch on the second day, my colleagues headed again to Cafe 9 (Building 9) inside Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington, across the venue of our training (Building 11).

For this day's lunch, I continued to eat Asian food. This time I had a mixed sautee of beef and vegetables, served on top of rice.

During lunch breaks we get to play foosball because a table is just outside our training room.

On my way back, I took a shuttle to Redmond Town Center Building 4 again and this time explored inside the building first (and admittingly raided the pantry for a couple of drinks!).

My friend and office colleague Johnny transferred to my hotel and shared room with me through the rest of the week so we can save cost (talk about corporate responsibility!) and do some stuffs after office hours with someone who can speak the same native language. He brought with him some groceries and junk food and what used to be an empty kitchen in my unit came all sort of food!

I also noticed that they posted in the refrigrerator a calendar of evening events like cocktails and other get-together activities hosted by the hotel management for tenants.

I previously mentioned that we attempted to eat in this restaurant the night before but we got carded (and eventually evicted). On our second dinner, we made sure that this time we'll be successful.

Tequila bar

restaurant

inside the restaurant

Matador Margarita - Sauza Gold, triple sec, fresh lime juice, cranberry and orange juice

Chipotle Baby Back Ribs

Braised Carnitas - described as "slow-cooked pork shoulder with orange, allspice, cinnamon and bay leaves. Served with rice, black beans, tortillas and all the fixings."

preparing my tortilla

my meal, wrapped in a tortilla

Superb treat to end the day. It was a fine dinner and I ended up getting bloated for two consecutive nights!

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Microsoft Company Store, Visitor Center and Library

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:28:00 +0000

A geek's visit to Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington will not be complete without dropping by the company store to get Microsoft-branded apparels and the visitor center to sample different products and innovations that are showcased there. Both of these are now located in building 92 and it is accessible to visitors by booking a shuttle from any of the building's front desk or via phone.

The Microsoft Company Store, located on the ground floor of building 92, is famous among geeks and tech-savvies because this is where one can buy quality jackets, shirts, caps, notebooks, mugs, bags, books, toys, etc. that are co-branded with Microsoft.

I'M A PC items for sale

cashiers

There's also a separate area behind that is accessible only to employees and special guests (visitors have to badge-in). That is where the deeply-discounted software and hardware products of Microsoft are kept. Purchase of items from here is limited and is only given as a benefit to full-time employees or special guests.

Just across the company store is the Microsoft Visitor Center where one can see, hear and feel the rich culture, history and forward vision of the company. Here are some of the pictures I took inside:

Microsoft Surface booth where a coffee table computer is showcased

me in front of a projected rotating globe

Zune music player lounge

XBOX playing lounge

computers for trial and interaction

There are also areas that showcases products and innovations that are still under development:

Another interesting kiosk is where will pose for a picture and mix words to his liking.

A few minutes later, the picture and the words will be part of a collage and the relationship between these are interconnected and analyzed.

At the end of the hall is Microsoft Library, which is open only for employees (badge will be required to get in). The library is accessible globally via an internal website but I still feel good physically coming in here and checking out the vast collection available for reading and reference. Most of these books, including Microsoft Press books, are not available in the Philippines.

There you go! For an employee of the company or even for someone visiting the area, these are just some of those things on top of my mind that you should try make time for and drop by. By the way, these are only open during business hours and it's still best to inquire on their opening and closing times before dropping by so you wouldn't be disappointed.

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Operational Excellence Training Day 1 and Palmers East

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:18:00 +0000

My British Columbia trips to the cities of Victoria, including The Butchart Gardens, Vancouver, and Whistler are all part of the quick weekend sidetrip to Canada from the nearby city of Seattle, Washington, USA.

Weekend has past and it's another work week ahead. After the series of technical sessions I have attended in Seattle during Microsoft TechReady 9, I soon went for Operational Excellence trainings in Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington, just half an hour away from Seattle.

I have also transferred hotel to Residence Inn Redmond, located right in the town center but as opposed to what I was used to wake up to in downtown Seattle, Redmond is a pretty quiet and laid-back so I find it very comfortable to walk around any time of the day (or night) around the area.

My breakfast for day 1 in the hotel: self-made pancake waffle - one quarter of which is plain and the other quarter is blueberry-flavored, bake potatoes, nacho cheese and some meat

After breakfast, I walked towards Redmond Town Center, Building 4 where I was picked up by a Microsoft shuttle that brought me to the campus headquarters.

inside the shuttle. I was pretty amazed with the very efficient dispatch system and eco-friendly hybrid car they were utilizing in the campus!

Our training was held in Building 11.

our training room. we were only quite a few in that rigorous training.

For lunch, we usually go to other buildings. During the first day had our lunch on the building just across the street.

Because I began to grew tired of blant food, I opted to get an asian food this time. Good thing they were serving Pad Thai in that cafeteria it was good but because of its huge serving, I only finished half of my plate.

After the training, I immediately went back to my hotel so that I can have time to see the place around the area. It was already past 5PM but the sun was still up bright!

I checked the shops around Redmond Town Center first, which is just beside our hotel, and browsed around before going back to my room. Talk about convenience!

Residence Inn Redmond

When I went back to the hotel, I was invited to the Manager's Toast, a social event held every Monday night for the guests. Wines, cocktails and some sweets were served but I only helped myself to some brownies and cookies because I had plans to have dinner with my colleague in the Philippines, Johnny, later on.

I met with my friend a couple of hours later. Because he is also as photo and travel frenzy as I am, and curious about the vicinity, we first walked around the area

Here are some shots around the neighborhood:

Redmond Shopping Square

a nice looking building

a few band members and musicians walking in and out what seemed to be a "music place"

scooters!

old-looking building and coffee shop

a clock tower in Leary Way

corner street

We initially went inside The Matador restaurant but when we began ordering, we were carded and they didn't accept our ID cards (Philippine government-issued driver's licenses that indicated our birthdates) and insisted that we show our passports. They were very professional and friendly and explaining the situation so we didn't get frantic but we got dismayed and left to look for another place eat. Outside, we saw this bench and both of us agreed that the lighting was perfect to take a snap.

Somewhere nearby, we noticed a busy place that seems cool. It was Palmers East. We went inside because there was no other place around anymore to dine at that time.

It was a local neighborhood bar. They had lots of alcohol choices but since we were already hungry, we went for the food menu first instead.

While waiting for the food, I took the chance to sneakingly take pictures inside. There were slot machines, video games, pool table and even a karaoke area! Seems like a cool place to hang-out!

And then the food came! I had a set menu of steak and shrimp pasta with garden salad and potato sides. It was good but it was too much for me to take! Glad that Johnny was there to share it with me. As we began to eat, a couple of locals sat on our table for a chat. That gesture made us felt very welcome in the place! These guys and a few others were very friendly to us, showed us things, and shared stories throughout our stay.

Later on, someone stepped up for the karaoke and began to sing! Later on a few others followed and more "artist singers" were borned!

I also had a couple of glass of lemon vodka, mixed according to my instruction of half-half.

For us, it was a nice find and a strike of luck that we were instead diverted to this place. It was a cool experience and something memorable. It was also a good start for the week and a good ending for that day.

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Day Trip to Whistler, BC

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:29:00 +0000

Just after a few hours in Vancouver for a short sleep-over, I began to hit the road again, this time for a day trip bound to Whistler, British Columbia.

I picked up my ticket from the Greyhound ticket office just the previous night at the Pacific Central Station because I do not want to risk and be denied from boarding the bus that was scheduled to depart by 5:15AM for Whistler. I booked the ticket online, which is cheap, for only CAD13.65.

There were a few of stops along the way. In one of those it was queer for me to see the familiar name of "Quiapo" which reminded me of a popular bargain market in Manila with the same namesake.

The way to Whistler, BC was very smooth and scenic. I was a bit sleep along the way and I can't help but stay awake to witness the beautiful scenes enroute to the famous mountain and ski resort.

After 2.5 hours of road travel, the bus finally dropped us off right in front of the Whistler Vistor Centre, the jump off point for Whistler Blackcomb. I haven't planned any activity for that day because the website says there are a lot of things to do here so I just walked in, browsed a few tour offerings and brochures lying around and decided to just avail of the "1 Day PEAK 2 PEAK Alpine Experience" package that included the lift rides up and down the Whistler mountain and the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola ride from Whistler mountain to Blackomb mountain and back.

I went around the place and realized that it was still too early and that the place was almost empty. I see a few others jogging around or sitting in a cafe having breakfast.

me

I have been told that Whistler, BC, being a ski resort and because of its close proximity to Vancouver, BC, will be one of the venues of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. A few construction sites, like this one for the Winter Olympic Celebration Plaza is on full swing as of my visit.

There were also other Olympic venues around here and some of them were already done. In fact, there's a tour just for these but I opted not to take part because of limited time I got.

Around 10:00AM, the facilities started to open for public and as soon as they allowed us to queue in the line for the lift going up to Whistler mountain from Whistler Village, I readily jumped so I can get up as soon as I can.

Because it was still early, the queue was still short and I only had 5 minutes of waiting time. By the time I went down that afternoon, I saw that the line mazed out very long at the outside of the building. It was the last weekend for that summer (August 2) so it was still peak season and the extreme heat the past few days made everyone want to seek refuge and look for a cooler place.

A gondola can fit four people, but there were lots of cars available so they boarded only 2 people each.

I am afraid of heights so I rather get into a gondola than use the chair lifts going up. The ride going up Whistler mountain took around 10 minutes with the Village Gondola (there were two Gondolas serving Whistler, the other is Excalibur Gondola), with a stop halway through.

The last stop to the top is on the Roundhouse Station.

The view from the Roundhouse Station in Whistler mountain was spectacular and amazing! For someone like me from the tropics, such view of the alps with snow tops is always a welcoming treat!

A new attaction, the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola recently opened last December 2008. This gondola serves riders from Whistler to Blackcomb and back.

Whistler-Blackcomb

There are 28 gondolas and 2 of which are glass-bottomed (silver cars). I was lucky to arrive at the queue just in time when a glass-bottomed gondola is about to arrive so I didn't have to wait long.

glass-floor!

The trip from Whistler to Blackcomb mountain took around 11 minutes non-stop over a 4.4km distance.

Welcome to Blackcomb

a mini "inukshuk" made by 2 kids in less than 5 minutes!

I took the Alpine Walk Trail in Blackcomb mountain. It was supposedly an hour's worth of walking trail but I took time to appreciate the place so I was there longer. The views from the trail and the surroundings are awesome and breathe-taking!

me

There were some animal sightings along the way. I'm not sure but I think this is a racoon or something. There were also birds, and good thing, I didn't have any bear-sightings! :)

A little more than halfway through, I started to grow tired because I have been carrying around a backpack for I'm going directly to the airport right after. I also have with me some food and refreshments I carried on from Vancouver so I can do some picnic-style snacks. Later on, I saw this sign that made me hopeful and rejuvinated.

Most of the time I was in the ski resort, I just sat down, relaxed and enjoyed the view and the surroundings, breathing fresh air and appreciating the beauty of the place. Later that afternoon, I took the gondola down to Whistler Village and somewhere in the middle, it suddenly stopped. I was alone in the car at that time so I felt a bit scared, but I took the chance to ease things up and take photos of myself instead

the gondola was stopped at this moment

Minutes later, the gondola started to move again so I was relieved. As soon as I reached the village, I looked for a comfortable place to eat, settled and had my late lunch that afternoon - beef burritos!

After having lunch, I went back to the bus station to board the Pacific Coach bu that will take me straight to Vancouver International Airport. It's a bit pricey for CAD51.45 but it is very convenient.

the bus, during one of its quick stops

en-route to Vancouver

We had a brief stop for comfort break in Squamish, British Columbia. I stopped to look around for interesting pictures to take. For the whole day, I've been clicking my camera non-stop!

Highway 99

The route by itself going back to Vancouver is scenic. We passed by bays, mountains, rocks and even waterfalls along the way!

Shannon Falls

As we got near Vancouver, a number of signs for the 2010 Winter Olympics can be seen. Clearly, the city is getting ready for the big event!

And then we finally reached Vancouver International Airport..

This was a backpacking trip so I packed light and preferred not to check-in anything because I will be charged USD15 for a single bag. However, I had a few miniature toiletries that I want to bring along so I scouted the stores in the terminal for a TSA-friendly resealable zipper bag. A few interesting artworks are scattered and here are some just to name a few:

The Spirit of Haida Gwaii, The Jade Canoe,

Other totems and sculptures

The plane bound to Seattle-Tacoma was late for an hour and had a few problems like airconditioning. As soon as I arrived in the airport, I took the public transportation (bus route 174) to Seattle, WA which had lots of stops. I had to go down to University Street station then transferred to another bus because I am bound for Redmond, WA. I was amazed however that the buses used the same lanes as the light rail trains do. As always, I planned my trip itinerary via the dependable and efficient website of King County Metro Transit.

This was the bus with a route number of 174 from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. I didn't realize it is dual-powered and is ran by electricity when inside the tunnel via the wire overhead.

a Sound Transit commuter light rail train

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Transit time in Vancouver

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 14:01:00 +0000

If I thought my previous visit to Vancouver over a year ago was a short one because I only had stayed for 2 nights and never got a lot of chance to go around, I never expected that the second time around I'll be in the city will be rather shorter than that.

Our group left The Butchart Gardens before 4:00PM for our ending destination that day - Vancouver, British Columbia. Everything is still part of the Victoria City Tour & Butchart Gardens en route to Vancouver package that I reserved via phone and picked up from the ticket office of Pacific Coach Lines in Victoria, BC.

On the way to the ferry terminal, we passed along the "Heavy Truck Show" of Saanich Historical Artifacts Society. It was such a sight to see!

We approached the terminal of BC Ferries in Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal around an hour after we left the gardens. A few minutes later our bus boarded a ferry that will take us to the other side of the water.

Passengers have to alight the bus as it cruised along the water for about an hour and a half.

Deck 2 - level where our bus have parked.

Went up to the passenger deck of our ferry, the Spirit of British Columbia.

I stayed for some time at the top-most deck of the ferry, enjoying the cool breeze of air and spectacular view as we cruise through the waters and the subtle heat from the sun that is about to set late that afternoon.

view from the deck

As we went along the cruise, I began to felt tired because I had woke up early that day to transfer hotel and catch a flight. I looked for a safe place to relax and slept for almost an hour at the passenger deck.

We arrived shortly by around 6:30PM in Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal. Our bus was among the first one that disembarked and in no time we have reached Vancouver, BC.

view from a bridge going to Vancouver downtown

Tuloy Po Kayo! - obviously this is a Filipino store

another view from a bridge going to Vancouver downtown

The bus took the passenger to their individual hotels in Vancouver downtown despite the bad flow of traffic that day. The driver had to take us to a route different from the usual to avoid the build-up. I am fortunate to be one of the first few passengers that was dropped off.

I stayed in Holiday Inn & Suites - Vancouver Downtown, where I redemeed a free night I got during a "stay 2 nights, get one 1 night voucher free" promotion of Priority Club. I earned a couple of nights free during my stay in Holiday Inn East Taipei for a leisure trip with my mom last June.

My room is on the 6th floor and I got the room exactly as I reserved online (1 king bed, Business Class, non-smoking type). I wondered though why I was able to reserve a room better than the usual standard or deluxe rooms, especially because I ws redeeming free nights. Anyways, I do not have complains whatsoever!

my room

It was almost 9:00PM when I left the hotel to walk around and look for something to do and eat. Nearby is a strip of bars and night clubs although it seems early due to summer daylight.

As I wandered around the city, I saw the Vancouver Art Gallery and remembered that a countdown timer for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics is on the other side. I took a chance to have my photo taken on the same spot I was in more than a year ago.

Then I felt hungry and started to look for a place to eat. Apparently it was already late and most of the fast food places around the area were already closed. I saw a 7-Eleven convenience store and bought food to munch on while walking and for dinner later.

potato wedges! yum yum!

Immediately thereafter, I boarded the SkyTrain to pickup my ticket for early the next day to go to Whistler, BC at the Greyhound ticket office.

Pacific Central Station. This is mainly a train station for Amtrak (bound for Seattle, USA) and VIA Rail (bound for Toronto, Canada).

ticket office

After picking up the tickets, I decided to go back to my hotel so that I can get as much sleep as I can and recharge myself for activities the next day. As I pass through the strip of bars and night clubs, I can see that things are now starting to pickup. After all, it was on a Saturday night!

There are even establishments where there are long lines at their doors and bouncers controlling who can come in. I only see these things on TV for it is unusual in Manila to get rejected from entering a bar based on how you look.

As I entered my room, I again began to felt the feeling of being tired due to lots of things I did that day and the lack of sleep. Immediately, I just got my things ready to go for leaving the next day and I slept as soon as I can.

me, inside my room

view from the room at night

It was rather a short visit to Vancouver, BC- not even half a day (just around 9 hours) since I'll be leaving by 5:00AM the next day. Nevertheless, I still got the feeling of being comfortable at home during this short transit stay in the city.

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The Butchart Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:35:00 +0000

30-minutes away from the downtown of Victoria, British Columbia is The Butchart Gardens. Located in Brentwood Bay, a million visitors make time for the gardens that has a variety of display that changes all year round depending on the season. The 55-acres of land that comprised the gardens was once home to Butchart family - Robert Pim and Jennie Butchart way back since 1904 when they moved in for limestone quarrying. My visit here was part of a package I bought to go around Victoria, BC so I did not have to deal with finding a transportation to go to the gardens nor buying a ticket from downtown.

First thing that I noticed when I entered the park was the Waterwheel Square. Lots of places to sit down and relax, this usually served as waiting and meet-up area for bigger groups.

Everywhere you look flowers are everywhere. The gardens boasts obviously for these plants and flowers that you will endear for you will literally filled surrounded by them and whatever direction you fave you will glance more as far as your eye can see.

A few minutes walk and I stumbled upon Rose Garden. Originally the location was a vegetable garden of the Butchart family.

Grown here are around 6000+ rose plants of different varieties that amazes visitors.

At the other side of the gardens is a wharf where Butchart Cove, an opening to the Brentwood Bay can be seen.

The Japanese Garden is the first garden created in The Buchart Gardens.

The garden is a perfect set of peace and tranquility. Ornamental plants perfectly placed along the shaded pathways makes it a lovely setting to walk along and stroll.

Right before the Italian Garden is the Star Pond, which once served as a duck pond.

A tennis court was once in the place of where Italian Garden is today. Now the garden

flowers in Italian Garden

me

hanging flowers

Sunken Garden is one of the most beautiful places for me inside The Butchart Gardens. It was built on an abandoned quarry when it closed down in 1916 and is obviously today one of the center of attractions in the gardens.

flowers in Sunken Garden

From the Sunken Garden, one can view the Ross Fountain across the lake. Named after Ian Ross whom the Butcharts passed over the gardens to, the fountain was built in 1964 and is illuminated at night time.

Concert Lawn and Stage

totem poles

Plant beddings, near the totem poles. It seems that this area serves as incubation for the plants before transferring them to the gardens.

heated Show Greenhouse

back in Waterwheel Square

I've only spent a couple of hours in the gardens because of limited time. I highly suggest people visiting here to allocate and spend at least half day and just relax while browsing through and smelling the scent of the surroundings.

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Victoria, BC - a short trip from morning until afternoon

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:47:00 +0000

Microsoft TechReady 9 was over and I have the weekend of August 1-2, 2009 for myself to study and prepare for an accreditation bootcamp that upcoming week. This didn't stop me from taking advantage of the time for I can do my preparation while going around (yes I can!). So early morning Saturday I transferred my stuff from where I'm staying in Seattle to a hotel near our corporate campus in Redmond and immediately headed off to the airport to catch a flight.

My destination - Victoria, British Columbia. I've seen pictures and have always been amazed with the Victorian-style architecture. Last year, I had a short visit to Vancouver but I didn't get a chance to drop by here so this time I'm flying straight to Victoria, BC with a ticket I redeemed via my Northwest WorldPerks frequent flyer program for 12,500 one-way from Seattle, which is a bit hefty for a 100-mile flight but at least I get to use my mileage. I was in the airport early that morning, armed with just my backpack for the 2-day sidetrip, and had to be in line for around 30 minutes due to lack of airline staff that morning.

Hungry - that's how I felt as soon I cleared TSA security and entered the boarding area. I immediately went to look for food but most restaurants were still closed. I settled for Wendy's and had 3/4 pound Triple with Cheese burger sandwich with fries and had an additional order of Bold Buffalo Boneless Wings (I'm drooling as I write this post). I was talking and texting with someone over the phone back in Manila at that time and she was shocked on what I just did and betted I couldn't finish all of these. In the end, I just consumed the wings and fries and wrapped up the burger for a later consumption.

Our flight boarding was on time but I was surprised to see there were only 5 of us in the plane that morning! We had to be seated all the way to the back to balance the propeller plane and we immediately went off for Victoria.

It was just a 40-minute flight and then we landed safely in Victoria International Airport (YYJ). The deplaning process was swift because the ratio of airline personnel to the passengers wass almost 1:1 (2 pilots and 2 flight attendants).

After clearing customs, I followed the recommendations of fellow budget travellers as to where I kind find Akal Airporter, a shuttle service that will bring you to downtown from Victoria International Airport for CAD18.

I asked the shuttle service to drop me off at the The Fairmont Empress Hotel because I have to pickup and pay for a package trip I reserved over the phone from Pacific Coach Lines which is just behind it. I booked for the Victoria City Tour & Butchart Gardens en route to Vancouver package that includes a couple of hours driving tour in Victoria, entrance fees to Butchart Gardens and transportation to Vancouver, British Columbia. I opted for this rather than staying in the city overnight since I have a jam-packed schedule and have time in the city only until that same afternoon.

After payment, I still got time of almost 2 hours to go around the downtown area because the tour departs at 11:30AM. The Empress Hotel is right smack in the downtown area so a lot of interesting sites are within walking distance. I am only able to pass by these places because of limited time:

The Royal British Columbia Museum is among the major attractions in the city. It was established in 1886 and has since then continued to be one of the largest museums in the world in terms of artifacts housed. It also serves as a host for limited-time special exhibits including RMS Titanic and Leonardo da Vinci artworks among others.

The Fort Victoria marker. Historically, the city was built in 1843 as a fur trading post for Hudson's Bay Company and was originally referred to as Fort Albert.

The Fairmont Empress Hotel or simply "The Empress" hotel, is an Edwardian-styled chateau hotel built in 1908.

Walking around the city, it is common to see horse-drawn carriages carrying tourists that adds up to the appeal of being in a golden era.

A group of buildings with neo-baroque style is standing diagonally acrossed The Empress Hotel. The British Columbia Parliament Buildings as it is called, serves as the seat of Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. In front of it is a statue of Queen Victoria.

Here, I met this guy whom I learned later based from research to be Vince Hartmann, a former champion cyclist. He plans to ride his bike across Canada from Victoria, BC to Ottawa in his effort to promote the National Day of Sobriety. He informed me that it was his kick off day for his campaign to get free from addiction and I am very honored to be right there because BC Parliament Building was his launching point for his ride all the way to Parliament Hill (Ottawa). Kudos to your cause Vince!

Inner Harbour or Victoria Harbour serves as the gateway from tourists coming from Seattle and Port Angeles via ferry cruise ships. I initially planned to come to the city using this transportation but I opted not to so I can do more.

people walking by the inner harbour

I visited also went to a nearby park from Victoria Conference Center where a garden of colorful flowers are waiting for delighted passers-by to stop and relax.

15 minutes prior to the time of departure of the city tour, I went back to the bus terminal to wait for the right tour bus. It wasn't a very busy day and only around 6 of us were occupying a full-sized bus.

The city tour passed a few landmarks and interesting places these includes:

The World's Largest Totem Pole, or so it claimed, located in Beacon Hill Park.

Of course, it wouldn't be complete without seeing the numerous Victorian houses and buildings in the city!

Victorian-styled house

another Victorian-styled house

The Grafton Bookshop

The Penny Farthing, which is apparently a bike shop

Oak Bay Fire Hall, just outside Victoria

The Mile 0 marker. This marker signifies the beginning of Highway number 1 in Canada which stretched from west to east of the country.

giant flagpole

peacocks in the park

A giant utility for watering plants

This sign caught my attention as we drive by - Night is for Sleeping, Day is for Resting, a work of art from Mowry Baden.

A building structure in Chinatown in Victoria, BC is the first (and oldest) Chinese settlement in Canada.

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Microsoft TechReady 9

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:25:00 +0000

I have been fortunate again to fly to Seattle, Washington late July to early August to attend an internal technical conference for employees in our company and a series of accreditation trainings the week after.

Before I knew it, I was up on the air again, breezing through another time zone and adjusting my body clock to challenges ahead. It was Saturday, July 25, 2009 and I realized that I already got used to doing this after a number of times crossing the international date line and trying to combat jetlag. This is my 4th trip to Seattle in 2 years time so it helps that I already got accustomed to the city and its vicinity. My two trips to Seattle then was to attend the Microsoft MVP Conference back when I was still a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional awardee. I had to give up that title when I became a full-time employee to avoid conflict of interest.

This shot was taken at Narita International Airport in Japan. This was the plane that brought me from Manila to Narita. I boarded a connecting flight from Narita to Seattle hours thereafter.

For this trip, I stayed in Grand Hyatt Seattle hotel. I shared a room with a fellow Filipino Microsoftie whom I've met in Kuala Lumpur a couple of years back when I was a contractor and he was an intern. He is employed in the Singapore subsidiary so we're technically from different offices (I'm a Philippine office employee). I met with him, together with his friend at the airport and proceeded to the hotel.

Our room. I stayed on the bed right beside the window.

As soon as we settled, I immediately went out to do some shopping and exploring while my roommate went to rest for a few more hours. We arrived in the city at morning time so I had to have my lunch somewhere. On my way to the outlets, I grabbed a roast beef and cheese sandwich to-go from a coffee shop which I happily munched on as I waited for a bus in Marysville, Washington, a city just outside Seattle.

You've read it right - outlets. I made it a point to visit Seattle Premium Outlets despite doing a commute using the public transportation of 2 hours. Driving to the place will take around 45 minutes but that would mean I have to rent a car for a day. Just after a few hours, I left and headed back to Seattle once again carrying some clothes and stuffs for my family and friends to take home.

One thing I was not accustomed was that during summertime, the sun goes down later at night. It is usually dark in Manila already by 6:30-7:00PM but on late July in Seattle, sun goes down around 9:00PM. When I reached Seattle by around 6:00PM, there was heavy traffic due to a Torchlite Parade. The streets were jampacked despite a slight downpour of rain late that afternoon.

I spent the rest of the night at the hotel room to try to adjust my body clock and get some good sleep and just went out to have dinner at a local fastfood with my roommate.

The next morning I woke up to attend to a pre-confernece training and certification which lasts the whole day from 8:00AM - 5:00PM. This view greeted me as I woke up around 7:00AM-ish that Sunday.

I had to walk a number of blocks (around 15 minutes) to reach Renaissance Seattle hotel where the training and certification was held. I am supposed to attend to other sessions that afternoon but since there was a conflict, I had to stick here and make up for the other.

Pasta! For lunch I had this creamy pasta at Maxwell's Cafe located on the 2nd floor of the hotel.

After taking the certification exam, which was administered to us right after the training, I hurriedly went to the convention center where registration to the event, as well as the session I am supposed to attend to that day were being held.

For dinner, I joined my colleagues from the Philippines in one of my favorite restaurants whenever I'm in the US - The Cheesecake Factory! I'm a chocolate lover so it's a must for me to try almost every chocolate cheesecake they have in the menu but nothing beats the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake for me! That evening, I didn't even had to eat dinner just to make room for the cheesecake! Yum!

Early the next day (Monday) was the official start of the conference. Attendees went to a hall inside the conference center where breakfast was served. It was then I realized that there were lots of contingents from all over the world, and I'm not good in estimating but there must be at least a couple of thousands of us!

TechReady 9 stage

The plenary started and as soon as the keynote ended, people scattered to different rooms for the breakout sessions. For us employees with only a few years of experience in the industry and are part of the Microsoft Academy for College Hires (MACH) program, we were led to a small room where we met Kevin Turner, the Chief Operating Officer of Microsoft. Throughout the week, a number of executives met with us to share their experience, give us inspiration, explain the company directions and show their passion towards the organization. It was definitely a thrilling and exciting experience for us to see these executives that even most of the employees who have been with the company have not met this close yet!

me, and the blurred TechReady 9 banner

Later that night, our group had a MACH party/welcome dinner somewhere separate from the rest.

The dinner was held in Garage located in Capitol Hill.

Of course, we were carded before we all got in since many of us looked young and it was really a young group of hires. Free-flowing booze and alcoholic drinks kept everyone smiling! :)

There were also pool tables and bowling lanes for everyone to use at the ground floor. On the second level, an XBOX console with Rock Band game was ready to be played with.

Of course, what's important is the food. Pizza galore and other finger foods!

my lemonade vodka, chicken strips, barbecue ribs and pizza

It was quite amusing that on the next couple of days (Tuesday and Wednesday), the temperature in the city reached to 39c. Back in Manila, we are used to having 32c-36c temperature year-round, and occasionally it reaches 40c+ and it was nothing. Here, it caused panic among the residents who were not used to such and the government issued warning for everyone about the occurence of the "heatwave". It was bearable for me although it I was a bit surprised and it was unexpected since I thought the weather should be cooler in Seattle since it is located up on the northern area of the country.

As you can see here, I'm not taking picture of the event itself, the sessions, and the content due to confidentiality reasons. For the whole day of Wednesday went through as expected without any MACH session so we were allowed to choose and attend any session that we want.

On Thursday, we had an attendee party after the sessions that was held inside the corporate campus located in Redmond, Washington, a city 30 minutes away from Seattle. We were dropped off in Building 92 where the Micrsoft Visitor Center is located. I hastened throught the displays here for there were hordes of visitors that time and I know I can drop by the week after anyways.

me and the staff of Microsoft during its early years

Microsoft Company Store. I was shocked to see the throngs of geeks coming in to get Microsoft branded apparels and discounted software and hardware.

The actual attendee party was held near building 92 in The Commons, an area with a number of restaurants and shops right inside the campus.

Lots of activities were available and entertainment is everyone. But for me, I chose to do foodtripping! By this time, I grew tired of the blant food taste and I began to look for Asian food, especially those that are mixed with spices and similar to the ones we have back home. These are all the items I tried, all of them are free-flowing so we just had to walk up to the restaurant and choose what we want:

dimsum soup with noodles

fish and chips

choco ice cream (gelato)

barbecue ribs

pad thai noodles

Häagen-Dazs ice cream bar

mixed vodka

On the common field, there was also a jazz band, although not to my liking.

me

There was also a DJ playing music and my colleagues in the sub chose to hangout here for a while at the invitation of a former colleague who is now working in a corporate campus office.

During the conference, I took advantage and sat down for 5 certification exams which I'm glad to say I did pass them all. Curiously, just outside the hall is a box of candies claiming to give luck to the test-takers. Nothing to lose so I eagerly helped myself on these candies which I consumed inside the test room.

On the last day of the conference (Friday), I also got to meet a Son, whom I consider as one of my "brothers" inside Microsoft due to a bonding our group had for a couple of weeks a year ago. I didn't know he's attending since he was informed late that he'll be able to join the conference.

On the last day and closing sessions of the MACH program, we were also lucky to meet and be graced by Steve Ballmer, the Chief Executive Office of Microsoft who succeeded the role after Bill Gates stepped aside to concentrate on philantrophical activities.

me and Mariko, our primary contact in the program in Asia

Chris (my room mate), Masaki and me

After the conference, my roommate Chris and I decided to go around the city for the last time as we are leaving the next day. We saw on a park a band playing instruments and people dancing to the music, and it was a cool scene since I thought these things just happen in movies and TV shows.

We also dropped by the famous Pike Place Market but since it was late, most of the stores were already closed.

Everything started and ended so fast that I was dismayed that time flew and the conference is now done. Although this was a business trip, I made the most out of what's around and the company of people I am with to enjoy and experience the first destination city I've been to in the US that never fails to amaze me!

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A day in Subic

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 11:37:00 +0000

The original plan was to go Capones Island in Zambales but as we traverse the highway and got near Zambales, what started as an early sunny morning turned into a rainy day. We have to immediately change our plans and divert to activities around Subic Bay Freeport Zone so as not to disappoint ourselves. All of these happened yesterday (July 19, 2009) together with Jojo, Patrick M. and Jonathan.

Initally, we plan to go to Ocean Adventure and in fact we already parked right across its entrance gates. We arrived earlier than its opening time (they start accepting guests in by 9AM) so we just brought out our supposedly camping food for the island and ate them inside the car while waiting for the opening time. Further discussions during the food trip led to everyone deciding to do something else instead and so we found ourselves doing Tree Top Adventure later that morning.

Tree Top Adventure in Subic, Zambales is a canopy adventure park situated amidst a lush forestry and greens. Activities here include the canopy chair lift ride, ziplining (superman), trekking and the tree drop.

The three of us did the canopy chair lift ride while Jonathan opted first for the tree drop. People who are close to me knows I have fear of heights and they are concerned if I'm okay with this. I explained that if it's not too daring nor fast moving, I'm okay with the ride.

So how does the canopy chair lift ride work? Basically there's a chair hanging and mechanically tranferred from one point to another. There are 12 station points and the whole ride takes around an hour and a half.

Jojo, me and Patrick M., ready for our first crossover

And off we go!

The cable from one station to another runs for just around 200 feet so it doesn't take to long to reach the next point in every jump off.

Prior to the ride, we were asked to wear harness and a cable that serves similar to a leash for safety purposes. This cable is connected to the chair and then to the rails of the station as we alight on each of them. So this is how a pet dog feels like! :P

For every transfer, one could wander and appreciate the beauty of the trees and the surrounding nature, as well as breath fresh air. There were a few flora and faunas here and there to see and you may ask the person situated on every station for things to look for as you go. It was drizzling when we started but it was bearable.

view from one of the stations

Patrick M., me and Jojo

As we reached the highest peak, rain began to pour and towards the end we were literally drenched all over. At the end of the ride is the canopy walk, which is basically just a walk over the hanging bridge. Depends on where you begin the ride, this can be the first part of the ride or the ending tip of the experience.

For a few minutes, we stayed at the elevated platform to see if the rain will die down a bit but unfortunately it did not so they proceeded to do the superman ziplining activity. I opted not to do this due to being acrophobic so I just changed clothes, freshened up myself and stayed in the car.

It was past lunch time when we left the park and based on a suggestion from Jonathan who happened to be a local in Subic, we ate in Xtremely Xpresso Café, allegedly a famous cafe restaurant located in Dewey Avenue.

I was skeptical about dining here at first because as the name sounds, it is indeed a cafe. On top of my head is something similar to Starbucks Coffee that serve pastries and some but I was surprised to actually see a lot of items in their menu.

Jojo, Jonathan and Patrick M. waiting for the food..

I had the strawberry lemonade for my drink. It looks cool in the picture and it is actually a lemonade blended with strawberry syrup. However when I tasted it, it is very similar to the powdered version I have at home although its not bad at all.

We shared a 22-inch Big Ben pizza, their best-seller pizza topped with pepperoni, sausage, beef, bacon, onions, peppers, mushrooms and olives. It was good but the crust wasn't that crunch and great.

Patrick M. and I shared a platter of ribs, served with loads of fries. It was tasty and delicious and not so sweet.

Overall the experience was good and we left with our tummies full to its capacity due to the large servings but I wish I had prepared and made room for the gelato ice cream.

After our lunch, I insisted that we pass by the lighthouse. I thought it was clear to them that we are going to a real lighthouse, and not The Lighthouse Marina Resort and was surprised that we actually headed to the resort. From there though, one can see the Kalaklan Lighthouse.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in Jonathan's shack where we crashed and as a retalliation, where we were forced to eat large slices of cakes. Before the sun got down, we left and headed back to Manila passing by the scenic Subic-Clark-Tarlack Expressway.

As we reached the roads of Metro Manila, we decided to have dinner and I suggested to have it at Cookbook Kitchen, a restaurant find that is not so famous but is visited by diners because of word-of-mouth.

I had my usual Parmesan-Crusted White Fish which is served baked and is one of my favorites dishes served by the restaurant. As expected it was creamy, yummy and delicious. I was full though so I had to share my left-over with others who happily obliged.

Jojo had the Wasabi Soy Fish which is okay. However, he expected a "kick" from the Wasabi which left him a bit disappointed. You can read more about his experience from his blog post.

Patrick M. had Frutti Di Mare which is basically like a pomodoro pasta served with shrimps and other seafood items. He said it was okay.

Jonathan had a White Fish with Lemon Parsley Sause. It was good but there was a bitter aftertaste to it, maybe due to the herbs.

For desert, we had a couple of slices of the Kittin's Scarlet Cake which we shared among the four of us. This is one of my favorites although until now I still am not able to describe its taste and flavor. A must try red cake!

Jojo, Patrick M., me and Jonathan - complete group pic at last

As usual, another successful road trip down the line. It didn't went well as planned but we were able to compensate and do something else in lieu of our original intentions.

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Unplanned road trip to Batangas and Cavite

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 04:47:00 +0000

Another one of those sudden and unplanned road trips again.. one Saturday evening, it was almost midnight and just as I got back from the university, I received an instant message from Jojo to go to for a road trip down south early in the morning the very next day. Without thinking much and in a whim I instantly said yes even if I was purely exhausted that day for the lack of sleep the night before and being hyperactive after a few bottles of vodka.

Early July 5, I was passed by Jojo near our place and we went off to Alabang to pass our other companions, Luis and Patrick M., who will be joining us on this trip. After having breakfast, we went inside the car, got the map and scouted for our goal that morning. I pointed to the farthest point southwest of the map which is Cape Santiago in Batangas and our ultimate destination is to see the lighthouse in the area, passing by the usual Tagaytay route to Nasugbu in Batangas.

We had a hard time finding the right path to the lighthouse when we reached Calatagan in Batangas because we had to drive through an off-road to reach the place. At first, we saw an off-road just a few meters away from where we should have turned and at the end reached what seemed to be a private compound. There was a blocking and it was a good thing we did not insist to come in because it was the wrong one.

Turning to other alleys and asking locals around, we finally found ourselves standing in front of the Punta Santiago lighthouse. The structure built in 1890 is still being used today to guide seafarers passing through the waters between mainland Luzon and the islands of Mindoro. However, the compound is enclosed in another gated area which driveway was closed so we were not able to come near it.

And then we saw the rocks that seem to lead to the breakwaters where one would presume to have a better view of the lighthouse even from afar. We braved and climbed down the rocks over steep heights and sharp-stoned shores.

It was disappointing to see this view from down there however. Half of the structure was covered by trees and the it's almost the head that is visible.

Unamazed, we went back after spending a few minutes in the shore enjoying the cool breeze on that very hot sunny day. When we got up, there was a guard nearby and he gave a tip to us that we can actually get near the lighthouse by foot by following a different path. Minutes later and we found ourselves standing right in front of this beautifully bricked century-old structure. Supposedly there should be a stay-in caretaker but he is nowhere to be found at that time so we were not able to go inside.

me

a cow, tied up near the lighthouse

For lunch, we headed back to Nasugbu proper in Batangas to look for a place to eat. We almost made up our mind to eat in Jollibee, following the road signs leading to it when we saw a signboard that says "Kainan sa Dalampasigan". Immediately we turned left and decided to have our lunch instead in that place that sounded promising.

Kainan sa Dalampasigan literally translates to a restaurant or an eatery that is "by the shore" but we were surprised to enter a zen garden compound where a shore was nowhere to be found. The place looks nice however, and the drive-by entrance had an effect to it so we still decided to stay and have our lunch here.

As we entered the premises, we were welcomed by a small man-made waterfall with vines clinging from the ceiling. Very nature-oriented and relaxing ambience!

Guests are asked to sit down and huge open-air dining hall which make one feel like eating in a marvelous garden. After we sat down, we immediately ordered for food and got the ones recommended by the server.

This was the iced tea that I had. Literally half of it was ice (upper part) and the lower part is the lemon-flavored tea. It was yummy and refreshing although it was full of air that I felt I needed another glass to quench my thirst.

We got a basket of items containing grilled shrimps, fish, clams and pork served with mangoes, tomatoes and onions with sauteed shrimp paste sidings.

The restaurant is famous for it's Tangigue Steak. Tangigue (fish) is cooked and put into a sauce topped with onions. Very tasty and it didn't taste like it was fish!

Bulalo - a soup serving of beef meat and bones slowly boiled into perfection, added with vegetables and corn. One of my all-time favorite dishes best served with fish sauce but the bone marrow is something that shouldn't be taken frequently for health reasons.

Their version of Lechon Kawali (deep fried crunchy pork meat). Very tasty and delicious! Another cardiac delight!

I had a nice and filling lunch at that time and even though we came in very hungry, the four of us weren't able to finish everything we ordered because of the large portion of servings.

With nothing else planned to do for the rest of the day, we headed back to Tagaytay and during the course of discussion, decided to turn and head to Caleruega. This place ran by the Roman Catholic priests of the Dominican order is a famous wedding venue and spiritual retreat. Because this is a religious institution, visitors are discouraged from making noise and activities that will disturb the serenity and peacefulness of the surroundings.

path going up

view from a point in Caleruega

At the peak of the compound is the transfiguration chapel, a small but intimate place to reflect and talk to Him and a popular wedding venue.

inside the chapel

It was raining and we had to run for cover on our way down to the parking lot. We stayed for a few minutes here while talking about things and appreciating the beauty of nature and sweet ambience of silence.

On our way back to Manila, we saw signs to pass by an alternative route and later found ourselves coursing through Cavite and later on reached the Aguinaldo Shrine. The shrine is the home of Emilio Aguinaldo, the first president of the Republic of the Philippines. The house itself was already closed so we weren't able to see the and browse through the museum but we still wandered around to take pictures

This is me in front of the Aguinaldo Shrine. The balcony behind me is historical because this is where the Philippine flag was first raised by Emilio Aguinaldo proclaiming Philippine independence last June 12, 1898.

house of Emilio Aguinaldo, a large flagpole carrying the Philippine flag and a monument

Right inside the park grounds, a group of skaters are taking advantage of the closed area to play.

Again, another road trip that turned out successful even without prior planning. We've covered a lot that day and again hoped for the next driving day trip out again as we headed back home.

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Around Tagbilaran City

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 08:14:00 +0000

After our island hopping in the vicinity of Panglao island, we just freshen up a bit back in our resort and we checked-out by lunch time. We hired the services of a driver that will take us back to Tagbilaran City, the capital of Bohol province, where we will be staying overnight until our flight early next morning back to Manila.

We stayed in a pension house/tourist inn-style hotel called El Portal Inn.

We got a family room for the four of us (PHP1250 + PHP175 in excess of 3) with two beds and got the basic ammenities of an airconditioned room, hot/cold shower, TV and refrigerator.

For lunch, we went to Island City Mall in search for the "prawn farm". We saw this billboard and have since then drooled on the idea of actually dining there.

Prawn Farm Restaurant is located inside the mall.

It was father's day and they were having a father's day special buffet. Seafood like squid, shrimps, fish, and of course, prawns as well as other meat items were served.

my first plate

dining area

preparation area behind the glass

The food was great and we left full and filled-up until that evening. Right after lunch, we decided to watch the movie Drag Me To Hell for the rest of the day was our free time.

Just before sunset, we rode one of the tricycles that took us back to the inn where we spent an hour's worth of rest.

During our chitchat inside the room, someone raised the idea of having a massage and it was decided upon to check out Le Spa Massage. The experience was just okay, not so bad, but my colleagues didn't actually like it there.

After the massage, I saw a church across and decided to drop by. There was a mass service going on since it was a Sunday but we were already late so I just stopped and pray.

For dinner, we originally toyed the idea of eating whole roasted chicken that can be bought on the streets for PHP99. For some reason however, we had to scratch it and looked for a place more convenient.

We then went to Plaza Marcela, a mall only a few blocks away from our inn and decided to eat there instead.

There was nothing much inside the mall and the only choice we got was Jollibee so that's where we had our dinner that night.

For a long time, I haven't had Champ burger in Jollibee and since we were there already, I ought that it's the right time to savor it again, and that's exactly what I had for dinner - served with fries and Coke Zero.

Early the next day, we checked-out of the inn and went to the airport using the shuttle provided by the inn for our flight back to Manila.

me, in front of the plane

And once again, we were off - this time routed back home!

Up above in the sky, Mayon Volcano can be seen from far away. However, the clouds and the weather during that time made the supposedly fantastic view become more of a silhouette. Good thing I previously had a weekend getaway to Bicol and was able to see the volcano clearly at a more closer view.

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Dolphin Watching and Island Hopping

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:54:00 +0000

The morning of our third day in Bohol was spent for dolphin watching and island hopping off the nearby water and islands. Dolphins appear only during early mornings so we had to leave a little after 5:00AM as we set sail towards an unmarked destination in the middle of the sea. The sun had just started to rise as we left the shorelines of Alona Beach.

boats early in the morning

The dolphins started to show themselves little by little, by 6:00AM. First we saw one of them and had to wait for around 5 minutes before more started to appear.

Most of the time, it's only the fins that were showing, and it's quide hard to capture the moment in photos because the movement is very fast and they appear randomly out of nowhere.

I had a chance to capture one dolphin with its head and mouth showing a bit while submerged in the water. We also saw a couple of dolphins do the flip but no pictures were taken of them.

As the day drew bigger and the sun shined brighter, we headed towards Balicasag island for the snorkelling activity.

We docked along the white sand shoreline of the island and a man from a small boat tried to persuade and contract the group to get his service. He wants to bring us to Balicasag Island Marine Sanctuary. Jojo and Patrick M. have proceeded with the activity while Patrick O. and me decided to stay in the island and explore.

small boat for snorkelling in the sanctuary

Walking around the shore of the island, we realized that there is nothing much happening from that side of the island. We were told that there are resorts on the other side but we have to walk across to reach them.

While walking around, waiting for them to finish snorkelling, we grew tired and thirsty and then we realized we didn't had our breakfast yet that morning. We saw coconuts in one of the stalls and each had one for PHP35, a bit pricey but we had not choice.

Talking with the locals while sipping the coconut juice and eating its meat, we were informed that a pathway leading to the lighthouse that we saw as we approached the island is just nearby.

There are two lighthouses in the island an old one and a new replacement lighthouse.

old lighthouse (left) and the new lighthouse (right)

The new lighthouse is modern and majestic on its design, painted in white, towers the island and the one that can be seen from far away.

The old lighthouse is rustic and different from the usual lighthouse structure.

Nearby the lighthouse is the chapel of Sr. Santiago Apostol.

Minutes later and the snorkellers have gone back. We boarded our boat again and proceeded to our next destination.

Another island near Panglao that is starting to get famous is the Virgin island.

The island is actually just a small sandbar with a few plants and trees. Unlike Balicasag, this island doesn't have any structure built onto it.

We just explored the island appreciated the beautiful white sand and pristine and untouched location.

the shores

me

log

This is also the place where Jojo shot his "farewell video". It was a memorable place and the shooting had at least 8 takes because of distractions around.

Before lunch, we headed back towards Alona Beach again to check-out of our resort and proceed back to the city.

eateries along Alona Beach

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Bohol Bee Farm and Hayahay Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:45:00 +0000

Capping off our Bohol road trip that day (see part 1 and part 2 for more details), was a visit to this queer farm-cum-resort located in a remote and hidden area in Dauis, Panglao island called Bohol Bee Farm. I had reservations and was skeptical going here at first since it sounded boring and too childish, but nevertheless I just went with the flow since it's Patrick O. who have arranged all these.

The farm have a shop of selling goods and delicacies they have produced and it is an ideal thing to take home something that is to your liking.

We first went to have a 30-minute tour about the farm. The guide showed us some local produce and had a few leaf samples for us to smell and to taste.

She then went on to show us how they grow and harvest the plants, and explained how they tried to make everything as organic as possible, thus producing better products.

me and patrick o.

And then we went to a demonstration on how they handle the bees and how they get honeys out of it.

On a man-made box, they created a synthetic "hive" for the bees to live and showed us how it works. It was a bit eerie if specially seeing all those little creatures moving around, but it was cool.

me, holding one of the slabs

the bees.. eek!

Our guide then led us to this small enclosing and I was surprised that she started to escavate something over all those dirts around her.

She actually wanted to show us the process of vermiculture, the process of putting together organic materials and waste, and by use of earthworms to convert them to compost.

earthworms galore!

Then, she brought us to the livelihood center where a woman was steadily weaving craft materials.

sample works

bags on display near the store

That ended our tour and then Jojo and Patrick M. went off for the shop. Pretending to buy something right or in for the free tasting? :)

woven Philippine flag

We then explored the resort a bit and saw some of the rooms, restaurant and the surrounding place.

Overall, it's not as bad as I initially thought. In fact, I liked it because it was educational and it was an interactive tour we had with our guide. Right after, we then went back to our hotel and rested a bit.

Hours later, we had dinner at the famous Hayahay Pizza in town which claimes to have the best pizza in Alona beach.

waiting for the food

We had two types of pizza, namely . I liked the pizza because of its crust but toppings is just okay. Jojo didn't seem to like it that much though.

Because we just had two pizzas which served as our appetizer that night, we yet had to transfer to another place (which happens to be where we eat just the night before) - in Lost Horizon Beach Resort grill restaurant.

For dinner, wee had grilled squid, fish, eggplant and pork belly. Yummy!

The rest of the time was spent chit-chatting and updating each other on what's happening all since it's been a while since we got together.

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More of Bohol Road Trip (part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:33:00 +0000

As soon as we had lunch, we eased our way out of the crowds and continued our journey in Bohol. Our next destination was on the most famous landmark of the province - Chocolate Hills.

After more than half an hour travel from Loboc, we reached a park in Carmen for viewing the hills but to see them, one has to climb 214 steps up the observation deck.

up in the observation deck

Chocolate Hills, yeah they are what they are, even if they are colored green :) We were informed that there are around 1700+ of them over an area of 50 square kilometers.

me

And then it drizzled. Little by little it was beating harder and then it was raining. We had to run for cover and had to climb down the deck to look for a shelter. Minutes later, the rain died down and then it completely stopped. We pulled ourselves up to the deck again, but this time took the longer route (on the left)

more chocolate hills!

As camwhores that might be, we brought our tripods up and got our group photo - Patrick O., Patrick M. and me. Jojo decided not to join on our second round because it really was tiring going up once again.

After viewing the Chocolate Hills, we then stopped by the man-made forest in Bilar. I'm not quite sure why this is considered a local attraction although it had a nice view. The forest is made up of planted mahogany trees disected by a two kilometer road stretch.

Anyhow, the camwhores instinct inside me and Patrick O. had us set up our tripods and took pictures of our own. Our two companions were laughing at us because we acted crazy but the hell we care! :)

me, patrick m., jojo and patrick o.

road in the middle of the man-made forest

trees in the forest

We also stopped by the Hanging Bridge in Sevilla. This bridge was not intentionally made to become a tourist attraction but for some reason it did.

It is made of wood tied together and enforced with cable that goes from an end, crossing the river. Some people were afraid on these type of suspended bridges but for us locals it is the usual way of life. In fact, the bridge was constructed as a passage way for the locals.

reflection

On the other side of the bridge is Buko King, famous for his act of opening a coconut using his bare hands and mouth. He was offering to do a demonstration but I guess people were not so interested at that time.

We then went back to Panglao island thereafter. The sun was already setting by the time we reached the Our Lady of Assumption Church, located in Dauis.

church grounds

backyard of the church and belfry

goats at the backyard

It was an old stone church built during Spanish era and it's old antiquated charm have attracted us to take pictures around the place and do vain poses.

old building

jetty and park behind the church

The church is famous for its magnificent beauty, but that's just part of it. Devotees make it a point to visit the place to get water from a deep well located near the altar which is believed to be holy and blessed.

A church staff was fetching water for devotees when we were there. The water is then funneled to minimize wastage and transferred into bottles and containers for taking them home.

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Going around Bohol (part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:24:00 +0000

As mentioned in my previous post, Patrick O. have arranged for a driver that will drive us around in mainland Bohol province for PHP2000. We were fetched in Panglao island and left for our day trip by 8:00AM.

Patrick O., who served as our coordinator and travel agent during this trip have pre-arranged the itinerary and places we will be going to throughout the day with his contact. First in our agenda is to visit the the Hinagdanan Cave, located nearby our resort and still in Panglao island.

To get inside, one has to take a flight of stairs going down. The cave is naturally lighted inside through holes bored by nature that allows sunlight to pass during daylight.

Inside the cave is a lagoon surrounded by a number of stalactites and stalagmites. Visitors can take a dip and swim here but we were not ready for it so we just stared and got amazed on its wonderous beauty.

We then drove all the way to mainland Bohol, back to Tagbilaran City, to visit a monument in Barangay Bohol commemorating the blood compact between Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, a Spanish explorer and Rajah Sikatuna, the head of tribe, back in 1565. Blood compact is an old ritual in the Philippines where men would cut their wrist, pour the blood into a cup, and drink it as sign of sealing a friendship.

jojo, patrick o., me and patrick m.

A few minutes away from Tagbilaran City is the town of Baclayon, famous for its Baclayon Church. The church is one of the oldest stone churches built and still existing throughout the Philippines.

front facade of the church

We wanted to explore the antiquity inside the church but there was an on-going military memorial so we didn't go further.

Across the street from the church is a small park and from there you can view a jetty where boats are parked and what seemed to be a lighthouse from afar.

Travelling further, we also went to Albuquerque, Bohol to see what is said to be the world's largest reticulated python in captivity.

The female python, Prony, a 200-kilo reptile (and growing), is one of the pride of this town. She was found in a cemetery in 1996 and have grown abnormally to its massive size that experts say she is currently as big as a 40-year old python. Unfortunately he was sleeping during our visit.

There were also birds in that park where the python is, and one is right inside his cage. I hope they were not feeding these beautiful birds to the monster!

a staff explaining the history of the python and showing a clothing made of snake skin

Honestly we weren't so interested with it, moreso because it was inanimate during our visit. We went there because of our driver's suggestion and to kill time but we didn't stay that long. In a few minutes we found ourselves stopping by a small house-like garden by the road to see tarsiers.

A tarsier is a small animal but with very huge set of eyes.

kiss me!

chillin'

sleepy one

Previously visitors were allowed to hold a tarsier, but today local laws prevent tourists from getting too close and touch them. Flash photography is also prohibited when tarsiers are around because it is known to scare them. Philippine tarsiers are said to be suicidal when stressed and a number of reported incidents claim that they do the deed by banging their soft heads against objects.

We then proceeded to Loboc to experience a cruise lunch over a river, there were a number of companies offering the cruise but we chose Riverwatch Floating Restaurant based on the recommendation of our driver. The lunch and cruise costs PHP300 per person.

platform to the Riverwatch Floating Restaurant

It was a buffet-style lunch. Food is okay, but I was forewarned not to expect so much from for they have nothing out of the ordinary. Shrimps, barbecue, pansit, pork and other common Filipino food were served and a few deserts on the side.

The raft is pushed by a smaller boat behind it and cruises along Loboc river while diners enjoy their lunch.

The cruise goes around Loboc river for about half an hour outwards and and will turn back to bring the guests back to where the cruise started. One should enjoy the view while the boat is cruising slowly and comfortably over the river especially on a hot sunny day.

during the cruise

Before we got back, the boat stopped in one of the rafts where entertainers sing and danced to the boat passengers' delight.

view during the cruise

The boat brought us back to the platform exactly an hour after we boarded and although it was a nice and filling experience, I find the whole thing to be quite quick and hastened.

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Frolicking in Bohol

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:35:00 +0000

The planning for this trip started over an online chat conversation night of Good Friday this year between me, Patrick M. and Patrick O. brainstorming about doing a backpacking trip to another country. The three of us who were members of the now defunct MS Juniors (previously referred to as the XPerts), have known each other for years and have shared a common interest in travelling and explorations but never got a chance to do it together. We had a hard time deciding on which country to go and at the tail end, we decided to do something smaller first within the Philippines. A poll among us revealed that we all wanted to go to Bohol and that none of us have ever been there so it was a unanimous decision. It's a shame for me because that's where the roots of my mom came from. In a whim, we booked our roundtrip tickets for Manila - Tagbilaran via Philippine Airlines that very same night, availing ourselves of the all-inclusive Econolight rates of PHP2,192 each. Our agreement is to make the expenses for this trip as low as possible and stick on a budget.

Our plan was to fly out Friday afternoon and be back by Monday the next week and go straight to work so a week after I flew out to Taiwan, here I am again in the airport off to another escapade! Most of this trip was planned by Patrick O. and I commend him highly for it! It was supposed to be a stress-free trip for me since I usually take charge or at least participate in planning but this time we left it up to him. He must be stressed all throughout the trip! :)

Econolight passengers should expect a "no-frills" service before booking tickets, which means no advanced seat reservation, no food service (except water) and seating at the last rows of the plane. For Elite passengers, you also wouldn't be granted access to the Mabuhay Lounge but for an end-to-end trip of under 1 1/2 hour, it's not so bad at all.

The plane pushed back from the airport gate on time but because it was peak time, we waited for about half an hour before our plane got to take off. As we are rolling over to the runway, we saw a number of planes waiting behind us for their turn to take off.

Tagbilaran Airport (TAG) is the gateway to the islands of Bohol province and is located on the capital city of Bohol (Tagbilaran City). Bohol province is part of the Visayas group of island in Central Philippines.

It was such a short flight that even if we departed late, we were still able to arrive on time. The airport is a small domestic one and doesn't have jetways that connect the terminals to the cabin doors. This is me minutes after we arrived. No, I didn't arrived with a private jet rather on a bigger jet behind it, but how I wish I did!

The private jet is actually just about to depart and is waiting for a cabinet official to take off!

Outside the airport, a number of hagglers are waiting for arriving passengers to offer their tricycle and taxi services. After a few minutes, we were able to set an agreement with a driver that will take us to Alona Beach in Panglao Island for PHP500, almost an hour away from the airport. Panglao Island is a holiday destination both for foreign and local because of its white sand beaches and surrounding aquatic diversity.

Because we were trying to stick to a certain budget and lower costs, we stayed in Paragayo Resort for PHP1,500 a night for the three of us. It's not exactly on the lowest end of the range but the price is good enough for a decent place to stay for the night. The resort hotel is only 3-5 minutes walk to the beach area so it's not that far compared to staying in a beachfront hotel resort that costs more than double of that rate. And best of all, they got free wi-fi access in certain areas of the resort!

After we dropped our bags and freshened up a bit, we went out to check out the beach area before the sun goes out that day.

It was already sunset time and we were thinking we could catch a glimpse of it. However the scene was covered and cannot be witness from our vantage point. We instead just walked around and explored the shoreline, which was rather shorter than I expected. Alona Beach was allegedly named after Alona Alegre who run on this beach topless decades back. I wasn't alive that time yet and didn't know who she was until I searched for her over the internet.

boat

end of the shoreline

Along the beach are a few restaurants serving fresh seafood dishes that can be cooked to your liking. This gave us an idea what to have later that night.

A few minutes of walking along the shore and then we went back to our room to take an hour of rest. This is how our room looked like, an airconditioned standard room with a double bed. The resort also provided an extra mattress, towels and the usual soap and shampoo. The room is definitely not bad for the price! For the standard room, expect amenities to be basic though so no mini-ref nor TV but that's not what we came here for right?

Our resort doesn't have a restaurant so we went out to have dinner in a grill located in Lost Horizon Beach Resort.

The restaurant is al fresco style and it was fun eating by the beach on this quiet area of the island feeling the cool breeze of wind touching your skin.

How does one order? Well they have line up of meat and seafood for charcoal-grilling. You just point what you want to eat and they will cook it for you.

Our table was located further by the beach.

So this is what we had for dinner. Patrick M. and I shared a big chunk of grilled pork belly with a pitcher of cola on the side while Patrick O. had grilled fish and eggplant. It was a hearty dinner though it maybe simple, it left me full and satisfied that night.

The next morning, we woke up early for a whole day tour around Bohol. Patrick O. have arranged for a driver based on a recommandation that will take us around.

That morning, Jojo joined and flew in early because he had an engagement the day before. Because we the group grew bigger, we also had to transfer to a bigger room (deluxe room) that had twin beds and this time a cable TV (PHP1800).

rooms

While waiting for everyone to get ready, I decided to hangout in one of the huts at the courtyard right outside our room to check my email. The wi-fi signal only reaches up to this point and was not available all the way to our room. In a few minutes, all's well and off we went to visit interesting places around the island!

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Danshui and departing Taiwan

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:53:00 +0000

Our last destination for the day, or so at least we thought, was at Danshui (others call it Tamsui), a township outside of Taipei City but still part of the surrounding Taipei County. It is an hour away from the Chang Kai-shek Memorial Hall MRT station and can be reached by riding the train going to Danshui MRT station for NTD50 one-way per passenger. Our intent was to go to the Fisherman's Wharf area so from the train station, we went to the nearby bus terminal and rode the R26 bus to Fisherman's Wharf (NTD30 each) and got dropped off near the bridge.

The plan now is to see the Fisherman's Wharf and the Lover's Bridge of Danshui, another of those places where the series Meteor Garden were once shot. Once again (defensive disclaimer), I'm not a fanatic and I'm doing this for my mom. :)

The bridge crosses a portion of the Danshui river mainly for pedestrian use and is not really a long one.

me

view from the bridge

view crossing to the other side

The fisherman's wharf, located on the other side of the bridge was since then a fishing harbor on the northern part of Taiwan. Today, one can sample fresh seafood dishes here especially during dinner time.

Sunset time, nice and easy, although it was a bit dark as the clouds were because of the rains. Nevertheless, still a romantic view to catch and splendor.

view of the bridge from the other end

food stalls restaurants lined up at the wharf

The bridge looks very beautiful and spectacular during sunset time, with boats on the foreground and the sun hiding away on its background.

As soon as we got around the place, we started to head back to Taipei City again by riding the same R26 bus route back to the train station.

As we reached the train station, we decided to grab something to eat from the convenience store. I was surprised to see lots of food items 7-Eleven has to offer but we opted to eat just a regular hotdog instead.

nothing like an ol' big bite hotdog!

We hurriedly eat our food, and got to the train 5 minutes before it departed, and arrived in Taipei City Hall station just minutes before our arranged pickup time of 7:55PM with the hotel shuttle going back to Shenkeng.

Minutes after we arrived in the hotel, we just put down our shopping bags, freshen up and off we went to something nearby this time. For our last night, we had dinner in the Old Streets of Shenkeng and we went there by hailing a cab in front of our hotel (NTD85). Shenkeng is famous for its different variety of tofu but we didn't had any for my mom got afraid of the stinky tofu.

It was almost 9:00PM and other shops were already closed. There were a few yet still serving dinner and some muah chee sweets but we went straight to look for a place to eat as we were very hungry.

We wanted to try again something local but conversation is really hard if you can't understand each other so we looked for a place that has a menu in picture and found this restaurant.

food preparation area where a cooked duck is hanging

Got seated after we thought they already understood what we were ordering. A few minutes later, they returned and they were asking to repeat the orders in the checklist however we could not understand each other. Good thing a student, probably a daughter or relative of the owner came and offered that she can understand English a bit. She interpreted things for us and then happily we were good to go.

For dinner, this is what we had, half of the duck and a whole fish, sweet and sour style and a cup of rice. We didn't realize the fish is so big because it doesn't look like it is from the picture. Everything was yummy and I loved the food. However we have to force ourself to try to finish and but we really cannot.

After dinner we went straight back to the hotel and started to pack things for our departure the next morning and slept as early as we can. The next day, after having breakfast, we were fetched again by Mr. Lee by 8:00AM and it was sad a sad feeling for me to depart and leave the home we have stayed at even for just a number of days.

Mr. Lee's car

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport

Alas, everything has to end and here we are again on the way back to reality after a quick getaway. This is exactly what I had in my mind as the plane push for the runway and started to take-off. With me, I'll be bringing good memories of a very unexpected but pleasant experience from this country I never thought I'd ever have.

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Ximending, Longshan Temple, and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:44:00 +0000

After we had our lunch at Modern Toilet, once again, we were back on the streets of Ximending district to see the stores and start shopping.

As we went out of the restaurant, I saw this sign on a small alley that caught my attention and ever wondered what it was all about because it is obviously highlighting something - Cannabis!

Wandering around, we also chanced upon the "hidden" Tien-ho temple. One may wonder how such exists in a district full of modern shops and fashion clothes. Must be a getaway and rest area for shoppers then?

Taiwan is full of interesting things to see. This dog that got shaved caught my sight on one shop my mom was browsing and there are lots of these strange haircuts and "designer dogs" in the city of Taipei.

It was raining the whole time and it was a Monday so the district was almost deserted. A perfect time to shop, or so I thought, because you don't have to fight for time or squeeze yourself inside stores to have those finds.

a welcome entrance to the marketplace

somewhere central to the shops

Also in Taipei, we've seen lots of these "moving advertisements" of food, restaurants, clothes, shoes, apparels, salons and anything else you can think of luring customers to go to their place, even when it's raining!

We just spent a couple of hours in Ximending and got the basics and we're off again to the MRT station. On the way, we passed by the the magnificent old structure of Red House Theater, built during the Japanese era in 1908

From Ximen MRT station, we're off again, this time to Longshan Temple MRT station (NTD20) to visit the temple. This was our last day to go around the city and I really appreciate the convenience of MRT that allowed us to do and visit a lot of things in one day.

automated ticketing machines

slotted entry gates
But before we got to the temple, more shopping! On the way to Longshan Temple, we passed by an underground mall and bought a few things from the stores.

Longshan Temple is considered the grandest temple in the city of Taipei. It was built in 1738 and is another example of an architectural prestige of Taiwan.

inside the gate

courtyard of the temple

worshipper

My mom and I respect cultural diversity and we always try to pay homage to the beliefs of local people whenever we travel.

We then proceeded went back to Longshan Temple MRT station and rode a train to Chiang-Kai-shek Memorial Hall MRT station (NTD20) to have access to none other than the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, dedicated to the former President of Republic of China. The Gate of Great Centrality and Perfect Uprightness stands proud right across the main hall.

The whole park is so vast (240 square kilometers) that it takes minutes to reach the memorial hall. Aside from performance venues which you will pass first from the gate, midway is a big flagpole area.

From the gate, visitors will pass by these two buildings which may be confusing for they look the same. The twin buildings that stands right across each other are collectively called as the National Theater Concert Hall and are the national performing venues of Taiwan:

National Concert Hall, located on the left when facing the memorial hall

National Theater Hall, located on the right when facing the memorial hall

me, in front of the memorial hall

The hall may look small in the picture but it isn't. It can be tiring to run on your way up and a lot of visitors usually take time and enjoy the view. My mom wasn't able to join me to the top because she had problems climbing up stairs these high.

Inside the memorial hall is a statue of Chiang Kai-shek.

view of the park from the top

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Modern Toilet

noreply@blogger.com (jasperjugan) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:37:00 +0000

Continuing our fourth day on a do-it-yourself "come what may" exploration, we made it a point to drop by this queer restaurant I saw over the internet. The name of the place - Modern Toilet! Sounds yucky and disgusting, the restaurant is themed after none other than a toilet! Finding this place is a bit tricky. From Ximen MRT station, we walked towards Sining S. road, and about a couple or so blocks from there, try to glimpse on every alley and if you see a big toilet hanging on a wall, you are on the right track. We walk past the correct alley twice and after 15 minutes of walking back and forth, we were almost ready to give up and then I saw the big toilet. To make it easier, once you are already in Sining S. road from the MRT station, look for First Bank on the left. That's the landmark to the right alley where you'll find the restaurant!

It was almost 12:00PM but the place was still closed, we had to wait for around 5 minutes before they had removed the barrier and let us in. We were the first customer of the restaurant for that day.

The restaurant is located on the 2nd and 3rd floor of the building if I am not mistaken. My mom and I were seated on the 2nd floor of the restaurant, near the toilet - the real one! This is how the place looks like, again themed after a toilet and bathroom. Bathtub and sinks are used as tables and diners sit on the decorated toilet seats.

other shots on the second floor

counter

The restaurant not only sells food, but also collectible items, in the end I got myself a little toilet seat and keychains to take home and my mom got magnets and little cute things.

Even the waiting area is toilet-themed! This is where diners wait to be seated if the restaurant is full and in just 30 minutes, the whole place was already packed!

Near the human toilet, I saw this funny looking toilet seat outside. This serves as the faucet and sink to wash your hands.

I don't usually take pictures of toilets but this one looks cool, very colorful and, uhrm.. modern!

We were given a menu where items are written in english and we had to tick our orders, bring it back to the counter and pay for it there. I had a seafood hot pot, served in a toilet seat-shaped bowl while my mom had pork chop cordon bleu. For drinks, we both had orange juice shake. My mom's drink was served in a urinal-shaped glass while I opted to "upgrade" mine and had it served on a real plastic urinal same with those that they use in the hospitals (lower right).

The food was okay, not bad, but nothing spectacular. They are priced just right too so I'd say it was a good experience. I didn't even finish half of my hot pot and my mom tried to finish her meal but she can't either!

As we are about to leave, we were informed that the dessert is part of the meal. Soft ice cream was served in a bathtub-shaped plates (or are they the ones on the floor in the toilet room?).

For a complete and filling meal less than NTD600, plus the experience by itself, I thought we had a great deal and a number of memories to take home! I recommend the place to anyone coming to town and looking for something different but I have to warn diners not to expect too much on the food that they serve, after people come here for the experience right?

me

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