|  | [RETRO POST]
A holiday presented itself, so we drove to Zambales.
Sunny weather turned foul the morning after. But it cleared up just in time for our return boat trip.
We forgot about this photoset. Now here it is. |
| Start: | Dec 9, '11 7:00p | | Location: | Palma Hall (AS) Parking Lot, UP Diliman, Quezon City |
The Elvis series is back after 5 long years. Romeo Lee once again graces the stage for a night of good old' rock n' roll! Come and party with the UP Mountaineers!
 
Featuring: The Go Signals | Flippin Soul Stompers | Coffee Break Island | Dong Abay | FMD | Sleepy Heads | Pepe Smith | Jeepney Joyride | LTNS | Billy Gaga | Flying Ipis | Snakecharmer | Top Junk | Romeo Lee & the Brown Briefs | ..and more! Hosted by: Tado | Romeo Lee | Rey Agapay Brought to you by: UP JMA | Fluidsurf | Sony | Walkman | Mountain Hardwear | Columbia | Mojo | Power Up | Bombproof Gear Tickets @ PHP 200.00
| | Indonesia
16-24 July 2011
Like stepping into the mirror image of Metro Manila.
My photos don't Jakarta and Bogor much justice. Maybe because I wasn't able to go to the more interesting, less shopping mall-y, places.
It's a good excuse to go back there with a bike; because traffic (macet) there is something else. |
| | Gunung Gede-Pangrango National Park, Java, Indonesia
(Takas trip para di masayang ang byahe sa southern hemisphere. 12-hour marathon climb and descent sa takip ng dilim.)
Gunung Gede ("big mountain" in Sundanese) is one of the twin mountains of Gede-Pangrango National Park. Gede, at 2,958 masl, is a tad shorter than Pangrango (3,019 masl), but is still 4 meters taller than our own Mt. Apo.
Like most mountains in Indonesia, the Gede-Pangrango complex is a series of volcanic craters, with sulfur vents still noticeably active. Climbing is not very taxing for its elevation; but maybe it's because we were climbing with a very light load.
Bunny has been showing us the enormous volcanoes near Bali that is ripe for a UPM trip. Maybe in the foreseeable future we can climb these 3,000+ meter peaks.
Terima kasih, Pak Bunny dan Pak Fredd! |
| | Itogon, Benguet
June 2011
Special induction climb for four aspiring members. Tried a new route to make the Mt. Ugu hike more "interesting". It turned interesting alright.
It would be nice to do this trip again. To finally do the original planned route. Maybe next year.
|
| Category: | Books | | Price: | P300.00 |
Very Good Condition. No Torn Pages
Available for meet-ups around Megamall and UP Diliman. Please notify me a day in advance if you wish to check out the book and purchase.
PM me or text 09189375816 if interested
"The Far Side Gallery 2" gathers together a generous helping of cartoons by the brilliant Gary Larson, with an introduction by horror icon Stephen King. Larson's work is a surreal blend of horror, science fiction, and satire, all filtered through Larson's twisted, often macabre, sense of humor. Larson aims his pen at many targets in this collection; vampires, nuclear holocaust, the Bible, the tooth fairy, obesity, game shows, suicide, Vikings, vegetarianism, creationism, and much, much more. He often pokes fun at famous people or characters from literature and popular culture: Albert Einstein, Humpty Dumpty, Frankenstein, Carl Sagan, the Brady Bunch, etc.
One of Larson's trademarks is to feature non-human characters who talk and behave remarkably like humans. Many such characters appear in this book: worms, extraterrestrial creatures, sharks, slugs, elephants, dragons, flowers, roaches, and more.
The book is full of weirdness, but throughout it maintains an oddly consistent "Larsonian" logic. So if you want to see a Venus Kidtrap awaiting a meal, a devil leading a nightmarish aerobic workout session in hell, or Spanish-speaking dolphins confounding a team of scientists, check out "The Far Side Gallery 2." Click a thumbnail to enlarge:
| | The only photos I uploaded in Friendster. I had this idea of posting one photo per trip or significant activity in my mundane life. Last year, I had trouble updating my account, so the last post I have here was from September 2010.
It didn't matter, as no one was viewing my page anymore.
Goodbye, Friendster. I won't delete my account. I'll just let you fade away.... |
| | 19-20 March 2011
Mt. Pulag National Park, Benguet
With friends from work and Sunlife.
Great weather and great people made this trip very enjoyable, despite the tent city that sprung around us.
|
| | 6 March 2011
Corregidor Island
The weather was the opposite of the day before. We woke up on an bright and breezy morning. Perfect day to ride a bike.
Armed with a map of the island, we went on to explore the places that the tour didn't cover.
The island has a rolling terrain, with some real climbs. The way to some of the batteries were dirt roads, just the way we liked it.
Birdwatchers would have a great time, I think. I'm not one, but I enjoyed seeing kingfishers (the only one I can recognize) and raptors flying about, along with a lot of other birds, whose names I am unfamiliar.
My only beef is that the map Sun Cruises printed shows the historical road system of the island, and not the present one. We were at times at a loss in finding the road which was supposed to be there, according to the map.
|
| | 5 March 2011
Corregidor Island
(with Cece, Cherry, Cess, Luis, Punks and Ria)
First day of our "bike tour" of The Rock. We started out with the usual guided tour in a tranvia (since it was part of the package we paid) with a quite interesting and lively guide, who reminded us of Pokwang,
It was a rainy morning, and we feared that the weather will be like this throughout the weekend. Fortunately, the rains abated after lunch.
No bike tour happened this day, as we all decided to take a nap after checking in; waking up in time for the evening tour (extra P150), where the main theme is going to dark and lonely places looking for ghosts (the Hospital, Battery Grubbs, Malinta Tunnel). The seven of us took this theme another level by doing some exploring of our own; some in restricted areas.
The Malinta Tunnel at night is quite different than the lights and sound show that they give during the day. Exploring the arteries of this limestone tunnel system and experiencing walking in total darkness disorients the senses. But I think I spoiled the experience for some, since my Nalgene was glowing the whole time.
We finished the day with a whole lot of wine and cheese (in the form of tacos, cheese sticks, and flavored cheeses). I've never eaten so much cheese in one seating. |
| | 26 February 2011
Bgy. Tinandog, Atimonan, Quezon
(with Ace, Raech, Levi, Pastor Noel and Karl)
If plans always go the way they should, then I would have been hiking through Benguet to get to Mt. Ugu this weekend. But no. Not all plans come to fruition.
Good thing someone invented the Plan B.
***
I am a very late-bloomer when it comes to rock climbing. For sure, I've scaled indoor climbing walls since 19xx (and one or two easy river boulders and one of the support columns in AIT during college), but not the open and unprotected limestone walls that real climbers have enjoyed for decades.
An invitation from Pastor Noel last year to visit Atimonan's walls started a minor climbing fever in UPM that I was glad to catch. The first time I got to feel the sharp holds and managed to go a decent way up fueled my desire to learn more and climb more.
A few of us first-timers have since become frequent visitors to Power Up in Tandang Sora and Centro Atletico. A few have ventured on their own to the cliffs of Wawa in Rodriquez, Rizal. We kept the interest going, and hopefully, it will be part of our lifestyle.
***
With Mt. Ugo out of the picture, we needed a new trip so that the weekend won't be wasted. Good thing Pastor Noel was kind enough to adjust his schedule and guided us back to the walls of Tinandog.
The weather played a little trick on us when after weeks of clear skies, I woke up with the bus riding in the rain! Arriving in rain soaked Lucena Grand Terminal, we assessed our situation and prepared a Plan C if the weather doesn't clear up. The clouds finally let up and we decided to take a chance.
Arriving in Tinandog, we found the sky has cleared further. Pastor Noel arrived a few minutes after with the gear. And we're off to the walls.
Among the four of us, only Levi had the most extensive experience in outdoor climbing; the remaining three ranged from a few rock trips in the past (Raech) to virtually zero (Ace).
Tinandog has several routes of varying grade (5.8 to 5.12, whatever that means), both bolted and traditional. The site has been developed by Pastor Noel and the Tayabas Mountaineers, with the help of friends from Power Up and UP Mountaineers. This is one of the few climbing destinations available within hours' travel from Manila, and a perfect venue for a weekend overnight trip.
We started out with "Yema", a route named after the glossy white formation at the top that looks like yema. We took turns "leading" the climb (clipping the rope to the bolts for protection), the first time for me to do so. Given that there were fewer of us than the last time we were here, we got to climb the route multiple times.
Our next target was "Bladerunner" the iconic route where most of the most familiar climbing photos at Tinandog was taken. In was not able to finish this route last November because I had worn the wrong shoes, which didn't give me enough purchase for the tiniest of foot holds. It was time for a rematch.
Now armed with toe-breaking size 8 shoes, I started my way up through a crack system, then passing around the corner to reach the next level. Weeks of gym climbing helped increase my endurance, so I managed to hold on for longer. The highest point from my last climb was within reach, and soon, I was trying to figure out how to proceed past that "crux". A few deep breath,s and pleas to my muscles to not give up, I reached the anchor and gave a satisfied sigh.
Ace surprised us all by managing to climb both routes in his first try. The Indian still has his magical powers.
The sun soon came down and it was time to go. Five hours in two crazy bus rides, and I was back home.
The weekend turned out great. All it took was a few friends, some vertical pitches, and climbing gear. Plan B worked out nicely. |
| | January 29 2011
(this post could qualify as a retro-post. I'm surprised it took this long to update my Multiply account. Tsk, FB!)
First bikeout of the year. We managed to squeeze in six bikes (and people) on Wednesday going to La Mesa, then became seven bikes and people on the way home.
I've ridden La Mesa on several occasions, the first one being Thumbie's 24-hour endurance bike race. Come to think of it, that was technically my first trail ride since I bought my second-hand MTB five years ago.
Since that first traumatic ride, I've gained a bit of experience and endurance (not necessarily skill); but apparently, not enough familiarity with the trails of the watershed.
Leading the pack, I was confident that the trail head was just a couple of kilometers away, since the trail ahead already looked familiar. We (Lei, Raech and I) asked our guide if we can go slightly ahead so we can rest longer. I think he said yes.
Things were going well until we reached a fork. Raech said that we should follow the red marker on the left, but I told her that it was facing the wrong way. Then I saw a motorbike on the right. Thinking the rider was on his way back to the trail head, I convinced the girls that we follow the manong. The trail soon became unfamiliar. Lei tried her best to chase the manong to ask for directions. Eventually, we all figured that we've gone the wrong way and turned back (but not before riding 2-plus kilometers off-course).
Fifteen minutes later, we were back at the junction, where one of the guides was surprised to see us arriving from the wrong direction. Raech was right all along, and I was so embarrassed of my misplaced confidence.
Moral of the story: 1) Red markers lead back home, 2) Listen to Raech once in a while.
Sisig dinner at Trellis was a perfect end to this fun bike ride. |
| | Seven Summits climber Khoo Swee Chiow invited us to join him in a hike to the crater of Mt. Pinatubo.
After seeing the "developments" there during my last visit in 2010, I thought I won't be back in a few years. But the invitation was too good to pass, despite my initial reservations. And in the end, we had a great time. |
| Start: | Feb 18, '11 10:00p | | End: | Feb 21, '11 03:00a | | Location: | Mt. Pulag National Park, Benguet |
Date: (departure) 18 February,10:00PM / (estimated arrival back in Metro Manila) 21 February, 3:00 AM
LIMITED TO 30 SLOTS ONLY
Registration Fee: P3,000.00
Inclusive of:
- Transportation
- souvenir shirt
- park and guide fees
- camp equipment will be provided for those without gear.
(UP undergrads currently-enrolled have a discounted registration fee)
Deadline for registration: 13 February 2011
FILL OUT OUR ONLINE REGISTRATION FORM by clicking on this link http://bit.ly/iks8fz
Registration details:
1. It is understood that the participants have joined the trip on their own volition. All adult participants will be required to sign a waiver of indemnity. Minors (17 and below) will need to have their waivers signed by a parent or guardian.
2. For safety reasons and limited camping space, we will be limiting the number of participants to 30. Priority will be given to UP students.
3. To reserve a slot, make an advanced payment of P1,000 (nonrefundable for cancellations after 13 February 2011). Deposit to this account:
ACC# 2426-2123-65
c/o Dennis Lopez
BPI SM Megamall Branch
(email a scanned copy of the deposit slip to denshowman@yahoo.com)
4. We will send you an email confirmation upon receipt of your payment.
5. Participants must attend the PreClimb Meeting (15 February 2011, 7:30 PM, venue to follow).
About the hike:
1. The summit of Mt. Pulag from the trailhead is about 8.7 kilometers (or a walking time of 5-6 hours for novice hikers with minimal equipment).
2. Do not be intimidated by the distance. The team will only cover half the way to the summit on the first day and camp for the night. The team will then wake up very early in the morning and start the hike to the summit to catch the first rays of the sun for a majestic photo-session.
3. Since this is the highest point in Luzon, the air is thinner and the temperature colder. Participants will be briefed on what to do and bring during the trip.
4. For the complete outdoor experience, participants will have the chance to join in doing camp chores and activities like setting up tents and cooking.
5. While this is the "easiest" route available, it may still be physically challenging for some. Simple exercises and cardio-vascular workouts (like jogging or walking) prior to the trip would help tremendously in making the trip more enjoyable.
6. More information will be available to the participants during the pre-climb meeting on 15 February 2011 at a venue to be announced at a later date.
Fore more information and to reserve your slot text 0918-9375816. Registration forms will be emailed on request.
| | 2 January 2011
Libis and Marikina
A perfect way to shed all the fat from the new year festivities. I managed to convince Cece to bike to her workplace, since it was the perfect day to practice bike commuting.
Riding to Eastwood had its challenges. But none more than the lack of parking facilities for bikes. They (Eastwood) had the gall to charge P20 for parking, and then provide you with the lamest place to chain your bike in: a sign post that's not even planted to the ground!
If that's the way they will treat bikers, I would think twice of riding to work, should I be working within Eastwood.
The other half of my ride was a survey of the Riverbanks road for an upcoming project. One thing's for sure after that ride, I'll avoid going there again during the Christmas holidays. It's impossible to ride that stretch, from Marcos Highway to Tumana, without walking because of the seasonal tiangge along the banks of the river.
In any case, my mission in Riverbanks failed because the road is undergoing some repairs, and you can only ride from end to end on one side of the river. Back to the drawing board. |
| | Pier One Morato
A chance meeting with Clayton at the mall initiated this reunion of sorts to happen. It was fortunate that Jun and Cathy was in the country. It was nice to have conversation with these guys again in person, rather than at the opposite ends of computer terminals.
|
| | 22 December 2010
Off the Coast of Panglao Island, Bohol
Last half day of our Visayan trip. I realized that our stay was too short to take in everything Bohol has to offer. Since no trip to an island is complete without spending some time at the beach, we went on a boat to check out beaches!
On the way to Balicasag, we joined a group of boats in the search for dolphins that feed in the area. My last "interaction" with dolphins, outside of the caged ones, was last year on the way to Sibuyan Island. It would be nice to see dolphins much closer.
As promised, we saw dolphins. The pod didn't come close to our boat, though, but the kids were delighted to see them jumping, nonetheless.
Balicasag is well-known for it's marine life. If you look at it via Google Earth, you would understand why divers frequent this area. For non-divers (like me), the island offers a safe snorkeling area where you can interact with thousands of fishes looking for food at the edge of the reef. The reef itself looks like it's not doing so well, as a large expanse of the snorkeling area is practically bleached out. I'm not too well-versed with marine ecology to determine if this is a natural phenomenon, or a result of unsustainable fishing practices in the past; I just hope that this has been contained and somehow, the process is reversing.
As fun as getting face-to-face with the fishies was, we didn't have time to stay long. Our next stop was Virgin Island. Another look at Google Earth reveals that this sperm-shaped stretch of sand sits on a huge shallow area at the southern tip of Panglao Island. Boatmen have their work cut out for them navigating through the shallow warers, avoiding corals and getting the propellers entangled in sea grass. Their hard work pays off when tourists arrive and the white sand covering the entire island.
A small oasis of sorts is located at the north tip of the island. It amazes me how the trees and plants could grow on such a small patch of salt-saturated soil no wider than a ten-second walk. From here, you could see another sand bar to the west. During low tide, the water recedes to a point that the two sand bars are connected.
Unfortunately, for all the beauty and brightness of the sand, the island is virtually off limits to swimming. Especially during low tide, the sand terminates a few feet underwater and a rich growth of sea grass comes to view. The grass itself is not a problem, but the water rarely goes deep enough to swim in; and then there's the threat of sea urchin sting. I guess Virgin Island is there to be enjoyed visually and not physically.
Since we cannot swim in it, we said our goodbyes to the island and headed back to the resort.
After a buzzer-beater arrival to the airport, and two hours of waiting for a delayed flight, we were back in noisy Metro Manila, to confront the challenges of traffic, congested MRT cabins, and eventually, work.
Bohol. We shall meet again! |
| | Dauis, Panglao Island, Bohol
This was not our first choice for our accommodations in Bohol. The first resort that was recommended to us was already full, and the others that I saw online were expensive. After checking their website and a couple of phone calls, I found that Bohol Bee Farm had reasonably-priced rooms and more importantly, two vacant rooms. (but frankly, if I was traveling alone, any cheap room that is reasonably clean and has A/C would be fine.)
From what I heard from people and the little that I've seen in their website, I got the impression that this resort is an eclectic, sort of hippie, resort that favors wood over concrete; wind over air-conditioning. While my impression is 80% true, I came to realize that what this resort is about is very impressive and admirable.
According to their site, Bohol Bee Farm "...ardently support an agricultural development that leads to healthier soils and diverse agricultural ecosystems, conditions that help promote a better environment. One that we hope would be populated by a happier and healthier people. Going around their compound, you would conclude that they weren't lying.
Plants and seedlings are everywhere. I think they're growing the vegetables served in their restaurant. There's a workshop for handicrafts and an art gallery. And as the name implies, Bohol Bee Farm sells honey, which they collect from their bee farm (located 15 minutes away from the compound, fortunately). What I liked about the place most is that they make their own ice cream! Now who would hate a place like that?
As for the rooms, they are pretty standard, as most resorts go. The wooden cottages are clean and has a rustic feel (and smell). While it's nice to have consistency in their theme, it's a good thing they decided for the bathroom to have modern conveniences like hot water.
It was fun to walk around the compound and check out the many nooks that they have. I think foreign tourists really appreciate the look and feel of the resort.
It seems that there's something that invites you to just sit or lounge and read a book at the restaurant(s), lobby, beside the pool, or down the small pier they have at sea-level (the main resort compound is located on top of a sea-side cliff). If we had a few days to just relax, this place would have been great.
A slight problem with mosquitoes can be easily remedied by Off Lotion or your favorite organic insect repellent.
To get more information about Bohol Bee Farm, check out http://www.boholbeefarm.com. If you want a big room for the price of the standard one, ask for the Langka room. They also arrange for airport or seaport pick-up, and the countryside tour of Bohol Island. |
| | 21 December 2010
Bohol Countryside
Hoping to recover from our losses the day before, we did the tourist route, starting with the Baclayon Church. The coral-limestone blocks plastered with eggshells have stood for centuries. Present-day patrons added some colored tints to the window, with debatable effects to the interior.
Next stop was a trip to a huge python, which I didn't bother to check out. I was more interested in the tarsiers. These poor stressed-out and suicidal creatures had to endure sleepless days just to give us momentary entertainment. I just hope that visitors come out more enlightened about how fragile these big-eyed primates really are.
Lunch was spent cruising the Loboc River while being serenaded by a guitar-synth duo playing contemporary and oldies holidays songs. Speaking of music, the energetic performance of the kids along the banks of the river drew a lot of donations from our boat. I wonder how much of that money end up in the kids' schooling?
A strikingly odd structure near the San Pedro Church, is an unfinished bridge pointed directly to the church. Per our driver's story, the bridge was allegedly intentionally built directly with the church in the way in order to get the church demolished and get the treasures left by the Japanese during the war. That might be too simplistic a reason for an expensive project. If the Japanese were able to hide these treasures without turning the church into ruble, how hard would it be to just reverse the process to recover what they hid? Building a concrete bridge might be more expensive than the gold they hope to get.
Since a trip to Danao was out of the question because of our limited time in the island, we opted to do the zipline in Loboc. I managed to convince Cece to join me slip and slide through the Loboc River gorge, much to her delight after.
The Chocolate Hill didn't disappoint. It was a good thing that the sun decided to shine that afternoon, otherwise, all my cliche shots would be drab. It is truly a wonder how these hills formed.
A short stop to the Sanduguan site to check up my ancestor, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, toasting to the health of Rajah Sikatuna, and our day was done.
It is nice to note the efforts of the entire province to promote eco-tourism instead of cashing in on mining or logging. The island has so much to offer that you need more than two or three days to enjoy everything and spend some quiet time relaxing. I need to go back there. |
 | Guestbook | |
 | So informative things are provided here,I really happy to read this post,I was just imagine about it and you provided me the correct information I really bookmark it,for further reading,So thanks for sharing the information. Dried Fruits |
 | happy birthday kuya densho :) |
 | oh i see, mgkakilala pala kayo ni **** .. |
 | TIRED OF T-SHIRTS NA HALOS PARE-PAREHO NA? KUNG WALA YUNG PRINT SA HARAP AY NASA LIKOD NAMAN. WHY NOT PUT THE DESIGN ON THE SHOULDER AREA AND LOOK GOOD MORE THAN 180 DEGREE'S ANGLE. HTTP://TATTOOSHIRT.MULTIPLY.COM |
 | Densho...oo nasa zaragoza kami, sino yung nagpunta d2? |
 | ayus! pasyal-pasyal!!! wehehehe |
 |
waft wrote on Apr 18, '09 nice travel blog sir! thank you accaepting my invitation:) Godbless:) |
 | hallo kuya dennis : ) i can't join both even together so
which one i have to go first potipot island or Marinduque Island. ??
thanks : )
|
 | happy bday too. thank you. :) |
| |
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