Sagada

This breathtaking scenery greets you on the viewing deck of the highest point in the Philippine Highway system. Almost instantly I was swept off my feet just like how in similar instances my unfaltering curiosity to discover places has led me to moments like this. And I wondered why I spent so much time wasting and waiting for this trip. I was happy I was finally going. I was exhilarated to be on my first time to visit Sagada.

 We were a group of 10. It was my first time traveling with these people but I didn't really mind because I'm the type who just goes with anyone for anything that would take me to an adventure. We went on the last week of January taking advantage of the Chinese New Year holiday which was perfect as the temperature in the mountains dropped to a low of 9 degrees C.

 

 The only drawback was that the annual Sagada festival is going to be held in the same weekend. We had a hard time looking for a place to stay. It came to a point where our prior booking was not acknowledged by the hotel owner because he double booked the rooms we reserved for the weekend. I had to call every hotel  in town to look for rooms to no avail. Luckily homestays/guesthouses are available so I was offered a house with just enough bed space for our group to sleep in. As expected, the town was packed with people so we had to wait for half an hour just to get into the town proper. The roads were too narrow to accommodate the volume of traffic that was there during the weekend.

 On our first day, we went trekking to visit the Bomod-Ok falls. Due to volume of tourists in the town that day, it became difficult to hire tour guides as they were considerably outnumbered by tourist groups wanting to visit the different attractions. Our trek started late in the afternoon already and we were warned it would be dark already by the time we would return on our way back. We were advised it would take up to an hour and a half to go down and up to two hours and a half to go back up.

 In the middle of the trek we passed by a normal village where we rested. Most of the locals live there going up and down the path regularly to get to work or school. It was difficult to imagine but growing up in this place could make most of us living in the cities something to think about. By nightfall, the village is enveloped in almost total darkness as there are no streetlights lighting the trail. Locals use their torches to light their way home and rest as everything succumbs to the night.

 At the end of the trail is the Bomod-Ok Falls (Big Falls). The water was too cold for me to take a dip so I retreated to a nearby rock and watched as people took turns taking pictures of the natural wonder. I was content taking it all in with the waterfall creating a thin mist all over the place which was refreshing enough to charge me for the return trek.

The next morning, still tired and a bit exhausted, we decided to do the Lumiang-Sumaguing cave connection. Our tour was already arranged the day before and we went early to avoid the number of tourists that were expected to visit the cave that day. The cave connection was a different experience from the waterfalls trek. While the trek to the waterfalls was a straightforward walk all the way and was downright tiring. The cave connection was a challenging maze which made me drop on all fours and even use my butt just to avoid the sheer drops along the way. My fear of heights kicked in moments where I was holding on for dear life and I couldn't see where the drops would lead to as it was really dark. Honestly, it was really scary and I consider it a personal achievement to have survived it.

 In the entrance to the cave, we came across the coffins where the elders are laid to rest. The bodies are laid in fetal position in belief that death would return them back to Mother Earth's womb. (Or as I remember them saying; don't quote me)

 After all the adventure, it was just relaxing to be in a place far away from the city. Minus the crowd, Sagada has its charm. The quiet nights and the chilly air that embraces you as you sleep. The long walks and the relief you get from knowing you never have to drive to go anywhere. I'd like to go back again when it's not as busy; when I can just stay as long as I want and just have the time for myself to think. I'm getting old I guess but I can quite get used to places like this.

 

 

 P.S. I miss the strawberry yogurt!

KL

On our way from the airport I was already anxious to see the iconic structure which has been all too familiar in my mind. True enough at first sight, while our train was making its way through the streets of Kuala Lumpur those two towers stand brightest, glimmering over all that shines in that night skyline. And at that moment even for an outsider and a tourist like I, I realized the importance of having such a landmark for all to see, for all to recognize, and for all to identify that indeed this is Malaysia.

I originally planned on writing a rather lengthy and angst-ridden post on my experience in traveling around Malaysia but for all intents and purposes I feel like this isn't the right medium to vent it all out. This is the first time in ages that I didn't care much about what would happen to us since I wasn't that involved in the planning so I really had much time to observe.

If there is one thing I can say about Malaysia, it is that relatively it is a much more convenient place to live in compared to the Philippines. It is much more developed in more ways than one. Over and over I thought of how it would be great to imagine the Philippines reaching the same level of progress. Sad to say only that decades ago it was safe to say that both countries were really on the same level. Now the Philippines is lagging behind its contemporaries.

On a lighter note, I very much enjoyed the food there. What with that daily fix of teh tarik or that generous serving of nasi goreng or char keoy teow which cost so cheap but really tasty I had withdrawal symptoms coping with what was being offered here in the Philippines. My experience there just made me realize that I deserve better.

But in the end I am just thankful for another [mis]adventure. For missing our pre-booked bus trip heading back to Kuala Lumpur from Melaka. For missing the last shuttle going back to the city proper later that evening. For spending a night sleepless and worried next to my sick girlfriend. For the bus breaking down for almost five hours on our return trip from Penang. For my friend who forgot his camera on that same bus. For that same friend who shouted at a taxi driver who tried to overcharge them on taxi fare. For the chance to be lost and to find my way back. For another story to tell. Terimah Kasi, KL.

Bacolod scenes

 

 

Iloilo

 It's been a year since... I guess it's nice to have photos like these to keep. Those days when I could feel I can go anywhere with people who share the same drive and yearning for adventure as I do. And to meet fantastic people along the way which reminds me every time the world is vast and there's so much great things to see, feel, and know about. I hope I never lose this side of me.

Dasol

Sometime during January of this year we decided to go to Pangasinan as part of our annual excursions to not so famous but admiringly beautiful places in our country. I picked Dasol because it was an interesting and fun idea to camp out in a place called snake island. An island so small you can circle it in just 15 minutes. I went with my usual group of friends. 

My biggest mistake was that I overslept the night before and I missed the bus. My friends went on without me and  I was feeling guilty that I  planned everything but I was the one who could not make it. So I made a decision to follow them.. alone. I was an hour behind schedule but it didn't matter to me because I knew exactly how to get there. So I had to take a bus going to Alaminos. It is advisable to take the earliest bus going there as the trip would take around 4-5 hours but since I missed the first one, I had to take the second bus departing an hour later. From Alaminos, I had to take a jeepney going to Dasol. The scenery is breathtaking as I was greeted with warm fresh air and lush farmlands stretching for miles and miles. 

I arrived at Dasol town proper just in time for lunch and met my friends there. They gave me judging looks but I just told them I was sorry for what happened. We ate lunch and proceeded to hire a tricycle which would take us the coastline. Now this is the fun part as based on what we've read online it was going to be a long tricycle ride on a not so well-paved road. We were a group of six and we had to hire two separate tricycles. We haven't traveled far yet and suddenly one of the tricycles broke down with a flat tire. We had to wait there in the middle of nowhere for another tricycle to pick us up. Luckily after about 10 minutes we caught one on the way to the same destination we were going. The tricycle ride was torturous as the road alternated between smooth and rough. The tricycle's shock absorbers couldn't help so much so our butts had to endure every bump on the road so much so that when we finally arrived at our destination we couldn't feel our butts anymore. 

There was a hotel by the beach/jump-off point where we bought food and supplies which would last us two days as we were going to stay overnight in the Island. There are no inhabitants in the island save for a few snakes that visit every now and then and creep out unsuspecting campers. Nevertheless, we knew what we were getting into and pushed on. We brought a tent with us big enough to fit all of us.

We arrived at the island just a couple hours before sunset. We pitched our tent and settled there. We circled around the island for a good 30 minutes until the sun started retreating into the horizon. As usual the sunset did not fail to amaze us as it started to color the clouds and the sky with its beautiful afterglow. We stayed there by the big rocks and watched in awe as the sun showered its golden light upon us as it slowly went down.

At night there was nothing much to do except to lie down and watch the myriad of stars in the sky. From a distance we could still see several fishing boats floating in the sea noticeable only by the strong lights they carry with them as they try to attract schools of fish to sell the morning after. We put off the lights at half past ten so as not to attract any snakes as we were told the snakes are drawn to fires and lights. The winds were blowing strong that night but we were able to sleep peacefully.

We woke up early in the morning to catch the sunrise and again we were in awe as colors exploded in the sky. The cool morning breeze was refreshing enough to keep us all silent and in meditation. We just savored the moment as it felt priceless to be in it.

We went home just before lunch time. Took the same route as I described above...