walking around town

Pictures taken with a cellphone camera earlier in the day while on my morning fitness walk around Marikina.

Kalesa, used for delivering bread. At this point, engot pa ko mag-zoom.

Vintage car. Anyone familiar with the model?

Mini park with lots of cow replicas. Until a few weeks ago, this was an empty lot.

Moooooore cows.

Can you find the hidden stegosaurus?

Scorpion king. Me like.

Jurrasic Park? Look at those teeth.

NOTE: The metal sculptures were made by the city hall’s engineering division for Christmas a few years ago, using scraps from old car parts. Other designs include robots, aliens, and other animals, which are now scattered around various schools and parks around the city. I think they’re cool. Wish I had one on my front yard.

Corregidor

My first trip to the island of Corregidor last weekend. It was a surprisingly quiet, beautiful place, and I’m glad I decided to go at the last minute despite a ton of work left undone. Bad Scout, but happy Scout.

Sharing some of the pics of a hospital’s ruins, bombed by the Japanese during World War II. I think I may be able to use these as reference for a post-apocalyptic story I’ve been cooking. Hmmm…

having fun, dyan-dyan lang

Went to a nearby mall/arcade to hunt in a bargain bookstore. Got myself a fascinating hardcover on ancient African kingdoms full of beautiful illustrations. It’s like watching National Geographic.

Plus, food tripping on sinful chicharong bituka from a stall. Since I’m underweight, I’ll eat as much as I want. Glorious.

Vacation Notes: Days 5-9

For the sake of closure, here’s the rest of our Bohol trip, with pictures.

Day 5

Still aching from the previous day’s travels, we stayed in Nuts Huts the whole day. Exploring the place was cool because it’s not your typical resort. We were able to photograph some unique creatures in their natural habitat, like this giant worm, red dragonfly, snails, butterfly with broken wings, and last but not the least, the 12-inch gecko that terrorized Celine in our room.

Day 6

It was time to leave the tranquility of Nuts Huts to venture into the southern part of Bohol. We went to the Loboc town proper to wait for the van that would take us to our next temporary home, Villa del Sol in Mansasa, Tagbilaran. We went inside the Loboc Church where paintings and other artifacts were on display. Boholanos sure love their churches.

Villa del Sol is located by the coastline, and they have a saltwater pool that was too tempting for Celine. Since I don’t swim, I was content to accompany her and take a shot of the Bohol sunset.

Day 7

Another busy day. Right after breakfast, we went to the heart of Tagbilaran City to get some fresh funds from the ATM. Then we took a jeep going to Panglao Island to go to the beach and the Bohol Bee Farm. Problem was, we didn’t know where exactly to go down and the driver didn’t seem to understand Tagalog. Trouble. We got down prematurely… about 6kms prematurely. There wasn’t any other public transport in sight so we had no choice but to walk all the way to the beach. I swear, this must never happen again. The countryside was pretty, though.

So finally, Alona Beach.

On our way back to Villa del Sol, we rented another habal-habal to take us to the Bohol Bee Farm in Dauis. Riding on a motorcycle is becoming an addiction to us by now. The Bee Farm has a big, cool resto that has a swimming pool (?!) inside. If you go there, don’t forget to visit the souvenir shop that has a wide assortment of homegrown goodies like honey, wine, jams and spreads, chips, chocolate, soap, cookies, and other sweets. Most, if not all have free samples for you to taste. Masaya!

Day 8

Time for the Cebu sidetrip. My last picture in Villa del Sol:

The earliest fast craft we could get was OceanJet, so took a trike to the pier around one hour before departure. A lot of Koreans, Germans and Americans on board. The seats were a little cramped but manageable. I’m used to be being able to wander around ships when I travel, so it was odd being confined to my seat for almost 2 hours and not seeing the sights.

As for Cebu itself, it was a big disappointment. Shortly after leaving the pier, we got on a jeep which took us around part of the city, and I saw a long stretch of road that was turned into a squatter’s area, reminiscent of Manila. I thought Cebu was supposed to be a better, cleaner version of what we have in Luzon? We missed Bohol aready. We had lunch in SM City, for lack of time to look for other places, then proceeded immediately to get a ticket to Manila that same day (vs staying overnight as planned).

It was a long wait for our SuperFerry vessel to arrive at the pier, which was around 4hrs late (I will never take their departure times seriously from now on). Unlike our cabin accommodations going from MNL-TAG, which had us as the sole room occupants, this one was full – 8 people with plenty of baggage and a disfunctional CR. We arranged to get a room upgrade to a stateroom, which surprisingly cost us only P700 in additional fees. It had a queen-sized bed, cable tv, T&B with hot/cold shower, and our own private viewing deck. Now that is the way to travel, folks.

Day 9

The last day was spent mostly sleeping and taking pictures of whatever island we passed by. It was a great vacation and we were a little sad it was about end. Celine already has plans of coming back.

Vacation Notes: Day 1

Spent the morning and early afternoon in Cubao to buy some stuff for the trip. This included groceries, 3G load, trekking sandals for me, and cargo shorts (?) for both of us. We packed very light so we won’t have to break our backs while enjoying the sceneries. My sister commented, “Anu ba yan, para lang kayong mag-oovernight.” Heh. That’s the magic of planning.

The pier at Manila was buzzing as usual. It’s just a tad bit more orderly than before, which isn’t really a compliment. Our ship was to depart at 7:45pm, but we only got to board the vessel around 8:45pm. Waiting while sitting on the floor for hours was a pain in the butt, literally. Another highlight of the night is that I got to eat the worst siopao of my life. The bread was so dry, and when I took a bite, it was frozen at the core. Asado never tasted so bad. Kudos, Super Ferry kiosk.

Anyway, so we’re inside SF5 now, and Celine is finishing off her siopao. We’re in a “Cabin” which thankfully has its own bathroom, and surprisingly, a bath tub. Huh. No Wi-Fi internet on board, though, but 3G reaches us just fine while still at the pier. Here’s the first of my promised speed tests, taken inside the room:

Tomorrow night, we drop by Cebu.

We’re going to… Bohol!

At dahil high pa ko sa balita ni kilcher, blog muna! Weeee!

UPDATE: Sa wakas, makikita ko na rin ang Chocolate Hills, na akala ko nung bata ako ay totoong gawa sa tsokolate. Di bale, maganda pa rin sya. Kita nyo naman!

Halos dalawang linggo tatagal ang bakasyon, at sasaglit na rin kami sa Cebu para sulit. Magandang test ‘to para sa bagong Smart 3G Prepaid Kit namin kung kakayanin sa far-flung areas. Para sa mga geeks dyan sa tabi-tabi, susubukan kong mag-speedtest sa lahat ng sulok na mapuntahan namin. Sana abot sa gubat para updated ‘tong blog.

dreamin’ of touring the countryside

Thanks to Teanuts, I am now officially obsessed about having a bike. But not just any bike, mind you. I want one that folds, so I can use it here in the city and in Pangasinan when I go visit there. That would be so much fun, and practical. Tricycle fare from “bayan” to our barangay costs between P70-100. Ganun kalayo. Bukid kasi. Plus bike-friendly naman sa Marikina, so feasible syang alternative to commuting, and I won’t feel guilty about polluting the environment. Now if only I could find alternate routes to Cubao…

trip to san carlos, pangasinan

This is what my hometown looks like. Greenery on end, a few people who all know each other (and wherein chismis travels fast), houses far in between, no telephone lines, and the only source of water are trusty old posos (mechanical water pumps). That there is electricity at all, I consider a blessing. That the roads have finally been paved three years ago, I consider a minor miracle. Going to this place used to mean a very bumpy ride, which would make my ass sore.

I last came here four years ago to do some “soul searching”. The Jynx Affair had thrown my life into a mess and I had to sort out a lot of things. Also, I was broken-hearted then with Celine. The irony is, this time I came back with her instead of trying to forget her. Life is funny like that.

We had a grand time going around the place. Here are pics of Tito Joey’s house, my Tito Ben feeding the geese, and the pretty rest house by the lake.

And here are different shots of the boat I used to frequent when I felt like having an emo moment. I’d go there early mornings to catch the sunrise and write on my little notebook. I love the chill of the morning breeze.

Across the lake is where my relatives from my father’s side live. I went there to take pictures of the farm animals, which were plenty: chickens, cows, goats, pigs, and many more. Seeing these pigs caged up strengthened my resolve to be a vegetarian.

And finally, this vacant lot. It’s one of the few things I can thank my grandfather for, whom I never really knew. In two years, maybe less, I’ll be building my own house on this field. The fallen mango tree in the distance is where I plan to put my dream tree house. We also have a farm where I want to grow hydroponic vegetables. Can’t wait!

beep-beep-beep-beep

Not bad, but there’s a lot of territory left to cover. I wish I could buy a car soon, to Ro-Ro my way around the whole archipelago. Mahal, sama ka ha?

Sabi ng teacher ko: Huwag maging dayuhan sa sariling bayan!