On my first visit in Lanigid, I have cited 10 reasons why you should. This February I’ve visited twice and find more reasons why it’s fast becoming my favorite. :)

1. It can be day-trekked half-day.

Scouting group sans Mr. Pres, the photographer of Wandering Soul! Analyn of Simple Life, Xy-na, Marj of Dakilang Laagan & friends, Petrona and Ivah.

Last February 24, Cebu Charter Day Holiday, along with 2 other NTC officers and 3 friends, we went to Lanigid to check and give heads up to Mulao Brgy Hall that NCR trekkers and guests will trek on the weekend. The registrants reached 90, 60 of which were to camp so we had to make sure that we can all be accommodated. It was a fun day made more memorable by knowing new friends and enjoying despite some setbacks.

2. The camp can accommodate 22 tents and more.

Setting up camp!

Just as we had estimated, 22 tents were pitched comfortably last February 27-28 at NCR Trekkers monthly trekking. From the estimated 60 campers, we were down to 42 so we had ample space to move around.

Overnight groups! Group 1 led by Analyn, group 2 by Barbie, group 3 by Kring & group 4 by AJ.

The 42 campers were divided into 4 groups. Each of the group tents were pitched together and had space where they can cook and eat.

3. The camp is big enough to leave a space for socials. And contrary to what we’ve feared, we were left with an ample space to get to know each other.

Everyone is busy doubting each other while playing “Werewolves”!

Games & socials.

Out of the 42 campers, only 23 were NCR employees. Out of the 23, there were 3 who joined for the first time. Sans the wine or the alcoholic tea, it was still a ruckus. Everyone was animated and getting comfortable with each other.

After socials, we introduced a new game “Werewolves”. There were 22 players. It was quite a way to get to know each other more amidst the intrigued of being the villagers or the werewolves.

4. Walking from Mulao sign or climbing to Lanigid Hill directly is just as fun whether you are a pro or a newbie.

Group pic at Mulao Sign!

Prayer and warm-up after!

We were a big group last February 27-28. There were day trekkers so to lengthen the fun, we decided to start the trek at Mulao sign.

Like usual, we started with a prayer led by a first time joiner Alvin. Group warm-up followed, now led by 2 NTC members, Elijah and Phi Pi. After the mandatory group picture, we were off to Mulao Brgy Hall where we had a quick stop to register.

To the right lane pleaseee!

Quick stop!

5. It can be jeepney-ed!

Transportation teams group picture. :)

One of the biggest problem faced when organizing a big group for trekking is transportation. From Liloan church, the usual mode of transportation to Mulao are motorcycles.

On our Charter Day scout visit, we were just 7 but we waited a while for the motorcycles. It was then we had to forced ourselves to secure transports that would take the group from the church to Mulao sign.

We were blessed because we didn’t only find transports from Liloan church to Mulao sign but they agreed to picked us at Sun Gold SM. The total fare round trip on commute is Php146 – jeepney to Liloan at Php18 then motorcycle to Mulao at Php100/motorcycle. With the transport, we shelled an additional Php34 more for comfort. At Php180/pax, the jeepneys brought us to Liloan church where we had an hour stop to have lunch and buy additional stuffs then finally to the start of the trek. The hassles of not leaving together at the assembly was eliminated as well. 2 jeepneys waited for the day trekkers and 2 came back to picked us the next day.

6. Going down from the peak is a breeze.

Despite our number, we went down comfortably. We arrived at Mulao Brgy Hall by 9:00 AM. We plan to do the river trek but since we only had 2 hours before the pick-up time, we just decided to miss the river and spend it playing.

So there.That’s all in my list…for now! :) Since it’s fast becoming my favorite, you might be hearing from Lanigid again anytime soon. I hope by that time you have gone and experience its beauty by yourself already. Yay!

Day Trekkers and overnight teams!

Till the next mountains lovelies!!! And ohhh, please don’t forget to say hi after reading. I would be ultra happy if you do. :)

You want more? Drop by at our Life@NCR blog for the shorter version. Get to know the comments of our happy campers at our newsletter too. Yip, yip! Trekking is pretty much THIS serious with us. :D

Laters,
Kring

When I was young, I thought organized travel was laziness and expensive. But looking at it 3 years after, it’s not actually THAT bad. It is still travel of course, sans the hassles of negotiations and other DIY must dos. The best part of it is that you only have to mind the pictures and the views. Everything from transpo to food and in between are done for you. Who wouldn’t want that?

When we started travelling in 2008, we were satisfied with 1 out of Cebu travel. I especially love DIYs because planning always gives me such high. I’m a cheapskate too and never runs out of ideas on how to make travel cheap. I love researching and planning every bit as well. But we never had constant travel buddies. Looking back, our travel companions were different each year so we always settled with the majority decision making.

2012 was a busy year in both trekking and travelling. After our first major climb in Mt. Talinis with BRB on July 13-16 and my 2nd birthday trip (this time) with Ganisiya on August 17-20, we joined Migo’s friends in a packaged trip to Central Luzon on October 12-15 with Pinay Key Point priced at Php6000/pax for a minimum of 10. One of our friends backed out so we increased our share by Php400 each.

Before the trip, I never knew that Central Luzon was that beautiful. Nagsasa and Anawangin cove literally took my breath away. Not only that, there are a lot of things you could do in 4 days and 3 nights.

Here are the 10 things you could do in Central Luzon

Travel to Mt. Pinatubo with a kick-ass 4×4

Trek to Mt. Pinatubo

Swim in Mt. Pinatubo

Overnight Camping in Nagsasa Cove

Camwhore with Nagsasa’s out of PH’s beauty

Get Enchanted with the beauty of Nagsasa Cove

Island hop and swim at Anawangin Cove

Island hop and stroll in Capones Island

Get up close and personal with animals in Zoobic Safari

Para sa Hah-yah-hay na travel, contact Pinay Key Point.

See below our itinerary via Pinay Key Point.

PACKAGE 1

TOUR DESTINATION:

PINATUBO-ANAWANGIN-NAGSASA-­SUBIC TRIP
TOTAL HEADCOUNT: 10pax
RATE PER HEAD: 6,000php

DAY 1 – October 12, 2012

6:20pm – ETA DMIA, CLARK
1 trip coordinator that will be assigned to meet you and pick you up at Clark Airport.
Transport for pick up:(Included in the package)
8:00pm – ETA your hotel in Capas
2 days booking: October 12 & 13 – Included in the package
3 Aircon Rooms with 2 queen size beds (4pax per room)
2 days breakfast

DAY 2 – October 13, 2012 – Mount Pinatubo Trip
Inclusions
4WD Jeep ride (inclusive of rental, gas, road fees and driver’s fees and meal)
Tour Guide per jeep
Porter (to carry your lunch, tents and picnic blankets)
Entrance Fees
Conservation and Maintenance Fees
Packed Lunch (rice, 500ml water, banana and a choice of viand)
shower
Trip arrangement/processing of climbing permit
Use of 3 tents & picnic blankets
Itinerary:
Pick up @ your hotel at 5:30am
2 hours travel to the base of Mt. Pinatubo & 2 hour walk
1:00pm: Pack up time
5:00pm – Back to your hotel

DAY 3 – October 14, 2012 – Zambales Overnight camping
5:00am – Pick up at your hotel with van – included in the package
7:00am – ETA Pundaquit, Zambales
Inclusions
Round trip Boat ride from Pundaquit to Anawangin Cove, Nagsasa Cove & Capones Island
Boatman & Porter
Tour Guide
Entrance Fees
Cottage fees
Use of 5 camping tents (2pax per tent)
Use of 10 sleeping bags
flashlight per tent
Portable stove
Use of Cooking & dining utensils (pots, pans, plates, spoon etc…)
Firewood & bonfire (with 1 hotdog per head for this activity
Dinner & Breakfast
Use of 2 snorkel set, arm floater & life vest
Itinerary:
7:00am – Boat ride to Nagsasa Cove – 1.5 hours travel time
9:00am – ETA Nagsasa Cove – Explore the area
Lunch (Not included in the package)
1:00pm – Pack up. Boat ride to Anawangin Cove. 1 hour travel time
2:00pm – ETA Anawangin Cove – Explore the area
7:00pm – Dinner (included in the package)
8:30pm – Bonfire activity

DAY 4 – October 15, 2012 – Capones Island – Subic

6:30am – Breakfast. Pack up time:
7:30am – Pack up. Boat ride to Capones Island. 30 minutes travel time
8:00am – ETA Capones Island. Explore the area
10:00am – Pack up. Back to Pundaquit Village
Shower & preparation
11.00am – 1 hour travel time to Subic transport – included in the package
12:00noon – Lunch (Not included in the package)
Ocean Adventure, Tree Top, Zoobic Safari – Not included in the package
Pay your own entrance fees.
We will just drop you off at the entrance gate and will let 1 member of our team to accompany you inside.
You have until 4pm to explore these destinations.
4:00pm. pack up. Back to Clark. Estimated travel time 1.5 hours

More pics courtesy of our amazing tour guides:
Pinatubo
http://pinaykeypoint-gallery.blogspot.com/2012/10/team-18-execs.html
Capones
http://pinaykeypoint-gallery.blogspot.com/2012/10/team-18-execs-capones-tour.html

Access through Picasa:
https://picasaweb.google.com/116615872516375628050/October142012TEAM18EXECSPundaquitCaponesTrip
https://picasaweb.google.com/116615872516375628050/October132012TEAM18EXECSMountPinatuboDayTour

Unlike our Indochina trip this August, our recent escape in Hong Kong & Macau on March 17-22 was decided on January when Cebu Pac had another seat sale. And even if it comes first before Indochina, I was more fired up to plan the latter. In my mind planning a 5-day trip to Hong Kong & Macau should be a breeze. I was also confident since the husband has a friend in Macau.

We had tons of fun and some notable bloopers and fails. But overall it was a great trip. This was our first international trip as husband & wife, and it certainly goes beyond expectations. We’ve learned more about each other and appreciated our strengths and weaknesses more. If you are planning your own trip to HK & Macau on your own, don’t fret. Hong Kong is very friendly to tourists. Signs are everywhere. 

Before embarking on your own adventure, please note on the following list. These are our fails (or just mine since I am the researcher).

1. Check on the weather of your travel dates. There are a lot of online sites where you can go check the weather of your destination. We neglect this one and suffered somehow. It was 18-degree cold when we reached Hong Kong and we only had our windbreaker on.
2. Wear comfortable shoes suitable for walking A LOT! It’s good to be beautiful in your photos with a cool boots but make sure it won’t kill your feet. It’s good to bring some extra shoes as well for back-up. I did brought a trekking sandal but didn’t have any appropriate socks to pair it on. In Hong Kong, you will have to walk a lot in between MTR stations and bus stops.                                                    
3. Grab a map, plot your adventure and manage your time. When you are visiting theme parks like in Disneyland and Ocean Park, everything is nice but if you want to maximize your experience, you have to know how to navigate wisely. We actually don’t have a problem with this one since the husband was such a good explorer. 
4. Know your exit strategy. In your research, make sure to include how to go home especially if it involves walking to reach your destination. On our visit to Maclehose Trail, I assumed we can just trek back but we started at 12 PM already. We reached Long Ke beach by 3:30 PM. We stayed for half an hour and back to the paved road at 4:30 PM where the locals hired taxi back to Pak Tam Chung, the bus stop to Sai Kung town. It’s a 2-hour walk. Unfortunately, I was too hesitant to ask about the fare. And seeing there are a lot of passengers, I assumed the worst so we trek back instead. Minutes after walking, the husband raised concern about the last schedule of the bus to town of which I neglect to include in research as well. When we realized the repercussions of trekking instead of just taking a taxi, the husband make it our goal to constantly check our time against the section stops. We had an average of 6 minutes/section. We arrived at Pak Tam Chung some minutes before 7 PM, just in time to catch bus 94 heading to Sai Kung.
5. Plot your spending daily. We included money estimates in our itinerary but we forgot to check the actual. We had some unplanned spending for the jackets as well. Before going back to Macau, we were shocked because we only have little money left. Good thing we didn’t spend that much in Macau since our host was very generous. Thanks God! Tip on the next travel: Divide and store your money per day in different container. Make sure there is ample extras per day and don’t ever get money planned for other days.    

Now that you have the reminders, let’s go to what you can see & do. The husband and I enjoy theme parks a lot so visiting Disneyland and Ocean Parks were must-dos in Hong Kong. Since his best friend is in Macau, going there is a must too.

But we set our itinerary to be flexible. It’s good that it is because we have freedom to adjust accordingly. Tips: If you plan to visit Hong Kong & Macau, it might be best to do a multi-route flight to Cebu. Do everything that you can in Hong Kong and when you’re done, go to Macau and take a flight back home from there. You can save time and money. And since we are not able to do a city tour or shopping in Hong Kong, we might be back in the future.

More tips…

1. Buy theme park tickets online and be there as soon as the park opens. Because the ticket is very costly, you have to maximize every bit of your visit. The husband and I arrived in both parks as soon as it opens and were the last ones to leave as well. The ticket we bought at Klook was already good to go. We didn’t have to endure the long ticket queues.
2. Use MTRs. It’s a bit costly from the buses but you will be amazed at how organized and tourist friendly it is. There are maps and info stations where you can plot your next destination. We mainly use MTRs going to places except for the ones that don’t have like the trip to Maclehose Trail. In total, we spent around 180HKD in MTRs. We got an Octopus card at the airport for 150HKD and reloaded it with 50HKD.
3. Use AirBNB to book your accommodation. You might find a good deal on other sites but what I like about AirBNB is that it could track all my travel details in one place. Besides, it’s also where we host our M&M. And I feel secure to transact with AirBNB because I’ve been doing it for a while now.
4. Make your itinerary flexible. You will be surprised at how good it is to just go with the flow.
5. Get A Baggage Allowance. Though we were able to manage without any check-in baggage, it was quite a hassle when we had to get things out of the husband’s backpack to comply with the 7-kg requirement. But going with out a check-in baggage is very convenient. We didn’t have to wait for our baggage.
6. Sleep at the Airport. But make sure to research first if the airport you are going to stay the night can accommodate you. On our first draft of itinerary, there was an accommodation for our last night in HK but later on, after researching that it’s safe to stay at Hong Kong airport, I suggested it to the husband who was very supportive of the idea.
7. Get the trip schedule of buses, MTRs or any transport. On this trip, we mainly use buses and MTRs. But since we always go home before 12 AM and don’t have activities that requires night travel, we forgot to check the trip schedules. We were stuck in HK on our last night for about 3 hours, waiting at the wrong stop and looking for the right bus station of the bus that travels to airport at night. We arrived from Macau at around 12:30ish and hurried to the Airport express MTR station. We assumed that since it’s an express, it might be running 24 hours. We arrived just in time for the last ride to leave. We then proceeded to the nearest bus stop but didn’t check the bus schedules right away. We waited for about 30 minutes until I got impatient. When we checked, it turned out, we were waiting for nothing. We then proceeded to our target bus stop, sketched by the husband’s friend. Still no luck there.

Sign says we have to go to Vicwood. Unfortunately, it took us a while to find the right bus stop. It was hard since not all people speak English. We asked a 7/11 attendant, pointed us to the east and another one pointing to west. I got more impatient and decided to just take the taxi instead. But we saw an N11 bus before we got to a taxi. We weren’t able to ride that bus but we knew the direction it was going. Good thing we didn’t take the taxi though because the bus to airport took around 1 hour. Just imagine the cost if we took the taxi. :P All throughout my rampage, the husband remained calm and collected. Gosh! I just love how he is. =)

Money Matters If you want to visit Hong Kong & Macau, be prepared to shell out around Php25K.

This trip involves a lot of walking and up to now, my feet is still aching. But it’s all worth it. =) I wouldn’t want to spend our 1st wedding anniversary other way. :)

Cheers to traveling with the husband!!!

Migo (d’husband) and I have a fascination for everything fun and adventure – that is maybe the reason why when there’s a theme park in our target destination, putting it in our itinerary is a must. Visiting them enables my adrenaline addict self and his thirst for something new. Hong Kong Disneyland was our 2nd theme park experience.

On our first draft of itinerary, we put Disneyland on the last activity day (Monday) but since it was the nearest to the airport, we decided it’s gotta be our first stop. We plan our theme parks to be on a weekday to stay away from the weekend influx of tourists. Disneyland was everything we expected and more. The park was huge, with a lot of things to do. Yet despite the limited time, we were able to maximize our experience.

Here’s how we aced most of our list of magical things to do in Hong Kong Disneyland in 1 day!

1. Be aware of the crowd.
Unlike our Ocean park adventure that has a detailed itinerary of what rides to check, we only have a list of what to try. But the crowd was going in the same direction so we decided to go the opposite way. On arrival, visitors will often head straight through Sleeping Beauty Castle so we started our adventure by riding the Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad from (1) Main Street station to (49) Fantasy Land station.

2. Don’t queue more than 15 minutes.
What’s good about queuing in Disneyland is that you can see the estimated time of waiting. Probably our longest time of wait was 30 minutes in (69) Autopia. We slightly regretted it ’cause it wasn’t that fun.

3. Be strategic and have time management.
Go get a map of the entire park and plan your route. If you go around trying and taking pictures of everything, you will end up missing a lot.

4. Stay until the fireworks.
Disneyland has a lot of things to do, by 8 PM, we were literally slump in the sidewalk waiting for the fireworks, too tired to check more spots ’cause our feet already had enough.

While writing this post, I needed a snap of the guide map. I wasn’t able to take a picture of ours. It was too big for scanning so I searched online. I saw a good one but it was slightly different from our guide map. Fantasy Land station is 48 on this map while in our map, it is 49.  Another tip: Before going on an adventure in Disneyland, after having a list of what to visit, it might be good to create a route plan based on this guide map. Make sure it is updated.

(c) http://www.tourismsquare.com/

What To Do?
Enjoy the attractions, watch shows and immersed yourself in a whole new world. Right after visiting Ocean Park on our 2nd day, the husband commented that Disneyland and Ocean Park is not in competition at all. Disneyland is very pretty and most of the rides are kid-friendly. The whole park’s details is very notable. Visiting each of the 7 areas is a different visual experience. Photographers will love Disneyland.

We arrived at the park around 10:30 AM and started our adventure by 11:30 AM. When we had lunch around 1:30 PM, we have visited 5 places already: Main Street, Toy Story Land, Mystic Point, Grizzly Gulch and Adventure Land. After lunch we continued with Adventure Land then went across to Tomorrow Land. Fantasy Land was our last stop where most people starts.

Info: It’s good to visit Disneyland first but quite costly to leave your baggage. You will have to pay 40 HKD/item. In our case, my bag was small so we chose to carry it around and only pay for the husband’s bag. It was too big to carry.

Below is the snaps of our Disneyland adventure.

Pose with Disney’s train and 01 Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad – Main Street Station!

Off to these 3 places plus Toy Story Land 38 Toy Soldier Parachute Drop

-> Mystic Point 34 Garden of Wonders

33 Mystic Manor

-> Grizzly Gulch (All rides are closed)

-> Adventure Land (Festival of the Lion King is closed. Shows on weekend’s only.) 19 Raft to Tarzan’s Treehouse, 20 Tarzan’s Treehouse

LUNCH BREAK 24 Tahitian Terrace (Food were around 100 HKD, we saved some money by buying a ticket with food).

LUNCH BREAK

24 Tahitian Terrace

21 Jungle River Cruise

22 Liki Tikis

-> Tomorrow Land 

69 Autopia

66 Stitch Encounter

65 Space Mountain

-> Fantasy Land

52 It’s A Small World

53 Mickey and the Wondrous Book (Show)

51 Mad Hatter Tea Cups

54 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

45 Mickey’s PhilharMagic

* Missed 46 Fairy Tale Forest

-> Main Street, U.S.A

Waiting for the fireworks and checking the shops

21 Jungle River Cruise and Fantasy Land’s “It’s A Small World”. We weren’t able to take pictures in Tomorrow Land.

Inside “It’s A Small World” cruise!

-> Fantasy Land 53 Mickey and the Wondrous Book (Show)

It’s a small world at night and 51 Mad Hatter Tea Cups

54 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

45 Mickey’s PhilharMagic (A 4D theather experience)

Waiting for fireworks and home sweet home!

The husband like Mystic Point’s Mystic Manor ride. I love Fantasy Land’s “It’s A Small World” cruise. Both shows were good: Fantasy Land’s “Mickey and the Wondrous Book” and “Mickey’s PhilharMagic”. Tomorrow Land’s “Space Mountain” and “Stitch Encounter” were good too.

What we’ve missed:

1. Because we were busy with the rides, we weren’t able to meet any Disney characters.
2. It was also Disney’s 10th anniversary but we weren’t able to see the special shows.
3. Missed the 3 PM parade at Main Street
4. Fantasy Land’s “Fairy Tale” forest by Pandora.
5. Taking a picture with the fireworks on our camera. I told him to record it.😀
6. Bringing food. Our ticket has food but we got hungry at dinner. We stayed until almost 9 PM.

Visiting Disneyland in 1 day is possible but just like with our experience, it’s very tiresome. Next time, I’ll still opt for one day but will have to wear a comfortable shoes.

And that’s it with our Disneyland adventure. Now that I’ve written it, I’m quite surprised since it seems we weren’t taking much pictures at all. We even don’t have picture on our cam at the Sleeping Beauty castle. Whoah! I’ll have to check my phone. Huhu!

Have you been to Disneyland Hong Kong? What’s your favorite memory? I’ve read that there are 6 Disney Kingdoms in the world, how many were you able to visit? I wish to visit 3 more.😀

https://caryandemily.wordpress.com/tag/6-kingdoms/

M&M 1st Int’l Travel HK Macau (1st Wedding Anniversary):
Summary
Hong Kong Disneyland Hacks & Tips
Why Hong Kong Ocean Park Is A Must
Trekking In Hong Kong in 1 Day: Maclehose Trail
Grandiose Macau: Hotel Hopping & More
Touristy Macau: A Cold Welcome
10 Things Why You Should Travel As A Couple

While we were roaming the vast area of Ocean Park, Migo made an interesting comparison of it to Disneyland. It stuck in my head and planned to create an entire post of that idea. But I found an interesting comparison from one of the likers on my Disneyland post. He made quite a comparison. Read here.

Fortunately for us, we never get to choose between the two. From the start, Disneyland and Ocean Park were our non-negotiable. Our life together has been such an adventure and what better way to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary than to have it the way we survived our years together – travel, trek and anything FUN.

We visited Ocean Park on the 2nd day. Unlike other items on the itinerary that has been re-scheduled and dropped entirely, it was constant. As planned we arrived early but wasn’t able to went home before the closing time. We enjoyed a lot that we totally ditched going home before the crowd does.

Armed with a hack for beating the crowds, despite it being a Friday, Ocean Park was still full-packed. We even didn’t get the chance to take our timed photos on the entrance. We did at closing though. Yay! Following the hack, we proceeded to The Summit right away via the Ocean Express Waterfront Station.

Picture at some nice places on the way to Ocean Express then inside the train!

Ocean Park has 2 main areas: The Waterfront and The Summit with 8 adventure places to explore. 3 in The Waterfront: Aqua City, Amazing Asian Animals and Whiskers Harbour. 5 in The Summit: Thrill Mountain, Polar Adventure, Adventure Land, Rainforest and Marine World. The area was so big that if we ever visit again with the mini-us, we would probably get a 2-day pass. We totally missed visiting Amazing Asian Animals and Whiskers Harbour at The Waterfront. We only get a glimpse of Aqua City too.

So how did we spend our day at Ocean Park? Ridessssssss, A LOT of walk in between and shows. We were especially proud to have tried most rides too. We had 3 roller coaster rides and Miga only miss one ride in Thrill Mountain – the Whirly Bird while Migo opt out riding The Flash and the Whirly Bird too.

Enjoying the view right after getting off The Ocean Express. Migo posed before getting on an escalator to out first rides of the day in Thrill Mountain.

Just as the name suggested, the rides in Thrill Mountain were quite thrilling. Rev Booster seems to be friendlier but as it turns out, looks is always deceiving. A must-try indeed. Also don’t miss The Flash.It looks really scary but it is not that scary at all.

Aside from enjoying the rides, we had our lunch at the Thrill Mountain and explored Polar Adventure. While enjoying our lunch, Miga noticed her phone missing. We traced it back to Bumper Blaster. Turns out, it was left at one of the cars while Migo took a picture of Miga. Good thing it was Hong Kong, her phone was returned after some verification.

Our next stop after lunch was Rainforest. Enjoyed the Expedition Trail and got somewhat wet in The Rapids.

Marine World is our next stop and this was us taking a selfie while enjoying the view at Ocean Park Tower.

Dolphin Show at Ocean Theater!

Marine World was the biggest. We left it for a while and road on a long escalator down to Adventure Land where we ride our 2nd roller coaster: Mine Train which Migo find more scary than Thrill Mountain’s Hair Raiser. Since Raging River looks like Enchanted’s Log Jam, Miga decided to pass.

We left Adventure Land after Mine Train and walk the long way passing the Marine Mammal Breading and Research Centre. We passed by more rides and decided to miss another one of Marine World’s ride “The Abyss” which is somewhat similar to Enchanted Kingdoms “Ekstreme Tower”. When we passed another roller coaster ride, there was no line at all so we decided to hop in.

Sight seeing and photo shoot after The Dragon!

And then it was time to head back down via the Cable Car. The line was long but Miga was too tired to walk to the Ocean Express station. Glad we endured though or else we would have missed the view.

Goofing after the Cable Car ride back at The Waterfront.

We had some time left before closing at 6:30 PM to take pictures outside The Grand Aquarium.

After Ocean Park, we were famished. Decided to ate at Jolly Thinker’s Board Game Cafe. Miga was happy because she was craving for rice. Migo was overjoyed.

And why would Ocean Park be a must again? Because, Disneyland’s facade might be superior to Ocean Park in the details but the rides are definitely more fun. You will probably have more beautiful pictures and have immersed in a whole new world in Disneyland but you will certainly get your adrenaline pumping in Ocean Park. But for us, going to both is definitely a must. We have definitely enjoyed both. I just wished Ocean Park extends until 9 PM like Disneyland though, it would have given us the time maybe to explore The Waterfront.😀

Ocean Park Itinerary

10:00 Be early.
Go to The Summit via Aqua City’s Ocean Express
Thrill Mountain
-> Rev Booster, The Flash, Bumper Blaster, Hair Raiset
Polar Adventure
-> South Pole Spectacular, North Pole Encounter
Rainforest
-> Expedition Trail, The Rapids
Marine World
-> Ocean Park Tower, Ocean Theather (show at 3 PM)
Adventure Land
-> Escalator, Mine Train
Marine World
-> The Dragon, Garden of Joy, Chinese Sturgeon Aquarium, Sea Jelly Spectacular
6:00 PM Leave The Summit via Marine World’s Cable Car

For hack and tips? It’s definitely just the same with how we survived in Disneyland. You need a very good explorer to save you a lot of trouble in navigating.

M&M 1st Int’l Travel HK Macau (1st Wedding Anniversary):
Summary
Hong Kong Disneyland Hacks & Tips
Why Hong Kong Ocean Park Is A Must
Trekking In Hong Kong in 1 Day: Maclehose Trail
Grandiose Macau: Hotel Hopping & More
Touristy Macau: A Cold Welcome
10 Things Why You Should Travel As A Couple

On our first draft of itinerary, trekking in Hong Kong was not really in it. But a week before the trip, I got a little down when I realized I would miss trekking in March. Our regular trekking group, NCR Trekkers visited Osmeña Peak on the weekend we were on travel. It gave me the idea to include trekking in the itinerary.

The husband, being the husband, was not hype up with the idea. Trekking in a new country with just the 2 of us seems a bit far off. Besides, he wanted this trip to be relaxing. But I assured him it would be nothing but pure awesomeness. Most people only saw the vibrant city life of Hong Kong and going on this trek would set us apart.

There are a lot of established trails in Hong Kong but Maclehose Trail caught my eye. The 1st stage ends on a beach. Trekking and beaching in one – who’d say no to that? But I, of course, didn’t know the weather in Hong Kong yet.

How to reach the start of Maclehose Trail?

There are 2 ways to reach Maclehose Trail: via Diamond Hill station or Hang Hau. We picked Diamond Hill. Upon arriving we hurriedly look for bus 96R that would take us to Pak Tam Chung, the start of the trail.

We were confused because 96R was no where in sight. It turns out, 96R buses only travel on Sunday. That was our 3rd day and I kind of realized that only a fraction of the locals understood English. We were lucky ’cause we found one who did.

We took bus 92 to Sai Kung. Note that bus 92’s last stop is Sai Kung terminal where you could catch bus 94 to Pak Tam Chung. We didn’t know this so we spent the entire hour of the trip worrying if we would miss the town. Pfft!

Trek Proper

We saw a lot of trekkers when we arrived in Pak Tam Chung. There were lots of trails and we didn’t have any idea which way for Maclehose.  If we were in the Philippines, asking the locals would be a breeze. The helplessness annoyed me. I decided to just picked any trail. While walking we saw 2 Americans jogging, I then asked if we were on the right track. The woman directed us to the correct path.

Stage 1 of Maclehose trail is 90% walking on a paved road. It was a foggy day so we mostly see whiteness everywhere. The whole trail is 21 kilometers long, marked by distance posts at 500m intervals along the path. We enjoyed taking pictures each stop.

The paved road ended on a path to Long Ke beach. Stage 1’s last marker was just before reaching the beach. The husband and I had our triumphant pose and continued. After settling for 30 minutes, it was time to go. Initially, the plan was to trek until stage 2 but my feet was already sore and stage 2 is still 3.5 hours away.

We went back and could have taxi-ed to Pak Tam Chung but there were a lot of trekkers competing for the ride. We noticed some were calling for taxis. Because we planned to end at Stage 2, I had no idea of the fare. Worried about our budget and on how to communicate to the taxi driver plus the passengers, we decided to trek back. It was our longest non-stop walking for 2 hours.

With no idea of the last trip back to the city, the husband was afraid that if we’d trek longer than 2 hours, we would miss the bus back to the city. My feet was screaming in pain. I was full of remorse on the way for missing to research the exit strategy. The “Miss Sunshine” spirits totally left me. In that ordeal, the husband has remained strong. He calculated our time in between distance posts. Noted if we have been slowing down and inspired me to hasten my strides. In between managing our velocity, he would crack jokes and tell me stories just to take my mind away from the pain. That experience totally gave me a peek of that amazing side of him. He is not only an explorer but something more if the need arises.

Back to the City

Our efforts were not in vain. Minutes after arriving at Pak Tam Chung, we saw the bus. My feet was still sore but to our surprise, I had enough of energy to run to the bus. When we were safely settled, I kissed the husband and nearly cried of relief.

So how was Maclehose Stage 1?

It was fun even if we missed the views because of the fog. I’d like to come back on a different weather. But my greatest memory of Maclehose was not the trek itself but realizing just how blessed I am to have the greatest husband in the world. It was such a great way to celebrate our anniversary. Travel will indeed open you to more possibilities. The more you travel, the more you will encounter problems that will test your dynamics as husband and wife. =)

Breakfast at the neighborhood!

In the train with trekkers and the Pak Tam Chung stop with a lot of trekkers!

What you will see at Pak Tam Chung stop!

On the way to the starting point of Maclehose Trail!

This is where the trek starts!

Views on the way and the first distance post!

We weren’t that sweaty after 1.5 km of walking yet!

The husband was annoyed for I insist in taking pictures every post. Haha

More foggy views!

This was us after 2.5 hours of walking at the end of the road.

Yay! Stage 1 ends here!

After Stage 1 ends, you will see Long Ke beach. I planned to swim but it was just too cold!

This was after our ordeal.

This station has an open railway unlike the other stations. The husband and I are quite enamored with Hong Kong’s MTR. It was our main transportation in going to places. We were able to ride 6 out of 12 lines, most of them are traversing in Central Hong Kong. Our farthest was on the green line (Kwun Tong Line) – Diamond Hill to reach Sai Kung.

Trekking in Maclehose was the best part of our trip because aside from giving us a different taste of Hong Kong, we were able overcome an obstacle together. Travelling as a couple is always the best way for the relationship to grow. And for that, I am grateful to God for giving me the best partner. Yay!

Stay tuned to more posts. The husband and I are quite smitten-ed with Hong Kong’s beauty that we might come back soon. We haven’t really see the city at all since we mainly used MTRs in travelling to places. Hehe!

M&M 1st Int’l Travel HK Macau (1st Wedding Anniversary):
Summary
Hong Kong Disneyland Hacks & Tips
Why Hong Kong Ocean Park Is A Must
Trekking In Hong Kong in 1 Day: Maclehose Trail
Grandiose Macau: Hotel Hopping & More
Touristy Macau: A Cold Welcome
10 Things Why You Should Travel As A Couple

The plight of Osmeña has been heartbreaking to us who have seen it’s beauty before trekking has become somewhat mainstream. It’s sad and disappointing. Lately, more and more beautiful mountains in Cebu has fallen into the hands of human nature – selfishness, carelessness and no love for the environment. We’ve seen some and are greatly affected thus aside from our main purpose of encouraging our office mates to enjoy and experience nature via trekking, NCR Trekkers has added a new line in our mission: to help what we can in keeping the beauty of every place we visited. Last weekend, we visited Mago Peak for the first time and was astounded by it’s beauty.

LNT sign posted by our NCR Trekker champion of the month, Gamz!

In living up to our mission, we posted an LNT sign to a post on the way to the peak. We wanted to put it in the peak but it had nothing to tie the rope on. Aside from posting an LNT sign, we aimed to clean the camp site and the vicinity of the mountain as well. Fortunately, Mago Peak is still clean. We are hoping it will stay clean forever.

Participant’s in this weekend’s activitiy! 7 day trekkers and 13 overnighters of which 13 are NCR employees and 7 guests. Official photo ops at Mago peak. – Pics from Sanberth aka Nognog.

A plea to those who can read this post and be enticed to visit, PLEASE, PLEASE be responsible enough to follow the LNT ethics. If you don’t know about it, I strongly suggest you should know. It’s time we start caring for our environment. Don’t be JUST a mere spectator and bitch about what’s happening. Be an agent of change and PLEASE, DO SOMETHING if you ever saw anyone breaking the code. 

This weekend’s climb is NCR trekkers’s less populous activity with only 20 participants in total of which 13 are NCR employees and 7 are guests.  13 enjoyed the overnight at the camp near the boundary marker. The peak was not fit for camping since the grass were just burned. We chanced upon a local who told us the reason why the grasses needed to be burned.

Yip that’s fire in there. Some parts of the mountains on the way to Mago is burnt. That’s not of course fire due to carelessness. The local said, the fire was intended to make way for new grasses to grow. The cows no longer eat old grasses, they have to be burn so that new ones will grow and the cows will like to eat them again.

Road to Santican, The Jump-Off

Mago peak is almost an hour ride from Carmen Public Market via habal2x. The fare was quite steep but it’s worth it. The ride is really long and be prepared to have muscle pains on your leg. The road to Santican was uphill with most parts under construction. The view was nice though. You can pass a road with some pine trees. You can catch a glimpse of Lhuilliers’ richness too.

View on the road. Took this on the 2nd day. I was too scared to take snaps on the way since I am very concerned with my safety in the habal2x ride.

Trek Proper

Duration of trekking to Mago Peak is around 2 hours with numerous stops. We needed it since it’s very hot. Everyone was clamoring for the next shade which were very countable. The vast brown mountains reminds me of walking through Pulag. On our first uphill climb, on top of it is a tree, from there we could already see the peak.

The first longer uphill trek!

This tree provide relief from the scorching summer hotness. We could already see the mountain where the peak is from here!

The view from the tree. See the trail on the mountain slopes, yes that’s part of the trail to Mago. This view is my favorite!

Last hurray till the peak. The arrow represents the camp site near the boundary marker of Carmen, Tuburan and Danao. The star represents the electricity post where we tied our LNT sign. Just 5 minutes from the post is Mago Peak.

Overnight Camp

Mago peak is both good for overnight or a day hike. When we reached the peak at 4:00 PM, we had our group picture and decided to camp on another site. Our plan was either to camp near the boundary or go back all the way to the tree. But the tree is still a long way up so we settled near the boundary.

The camp site! We had our official group picture on top of the hill at the background of the camp. The view was really nice from up there.

Top is setting up camp! Bottom is breaking the camp!

Extended view of the camp. Top right picture has the post where we put the LNT sign. Bottom pictures are views of the camp from the hill.

The food, socials and more

Like always, trekking with NCR trekkers is both rewarding in body, mind and spirits. The 13 trekkers enjoyed the full moon in Mago knowing and learning from each other, listening to horror stories, breaking and strengthening new friendships by playing “Werewolves”.

In keeping up with the mantra of creating quality trekkers rather than quantity, everyone is encouraged in preparing the food and helping cleanup after. It’s our dream for every NCR trekker members and guests to know how to prepare, cook and clean up. We not only enjoy the outdoors but learn whatever we can as well.

Breakfastttt!

Group pic at the boundary marker before going down!

Mangitngit Falls

We ended the event at a dip in Mangitngit falls, a newly opened tourist spot in Carmen. Much of it was still under construction though but still enough to refresh our bodies before heading back to reality…home.

Preparing lunch at our exclusive spot in Mangitngit. We transferred the table here just so we could roam away from the crowd.

Mangitngit falls is off limits this time since an accident happened weeks before. We can only take a picture of it.

Overnighters minus Sanberth who ditched us before Mangitngit falls, Didith and Dena who left after lunch.

Itinerary:

Day 1
8:00 Participants started arriving
(Waiver & attendance signing while waiting)
9:00 ETD from North Bus Terminal
(This is departure time, no more allowance.
If you are responsible with no Filipino mindset,
you can arrive on the dot.
For those who are not, arrive early.)
09:05 Actual departure from North Bus Terminal (Yehey! NOT Filipino time…almost!)
11:00 ETA Carmen Public Market (LUNCH)
11:45 Actual departure to Brgy Santican
12:00 Last batch of departure to Brgy Santican
– Distribution of IDs
13:00 ETA Brgy. Santican
(Registration @ Brgy Hall)
(Pre-camp briefing)
(Prayer & warm-up)
13:30 Start trek
14:30 ETA of water source
(No water this time. It’s dried up!)
15:15 Foot of Mago Peak
16:00 ETA Mago Peak
(Not feasible for camping since the grass are burned.)
16:30 Day trekkers start to descend (back trail)
17:00 Setup Camp near the boundary indicator
17:45 Day trekkers arrived at jump-off
18:00 Prepare for dinner
(Pinoy dinner for 13/pax: 2 lechon manok, 2 packs of dilis in tomato, 7 cups of rice)
18:30 Socials
19:00 Day trekkers arrived at Carmen Public Market

Day 2
05:00 Wake up call
05:30 Actual Waking Time
(Breakfast Preps)
07:30 Breakfast
(Not very ideal, the sun is high up and it’s very hot.)
(Continental breakfast for 13/pax: scrambled egg, hotdog, sardines w/ egg, corned beef, spam, 2 loaves of sliced bread)
08:30 Break Camp
09:00 Trek start
10:45 ETA in Brgy. Santican
11:00 ETD to Mangitngit Falls
12:00 ETA in Mangitngit Falls, lunch preps
13:00 Lunch
(Modern lunch for 13/pax: tuna w/ cabbage, spam, sobra for breakfast, 7 cups of rice)
15:30 ETD from Mangitngit falls
16:00 ETA in Carmen Public Market
18:00 ETA in SM City, Cebu via mini-bus

Expenses individual:
P40 Bus from North bus to Carmen Public Market
P100 Habal2x from Carmen Public Market to Santican Brgy Hall
P100 Habal2x from Santican Brgy Hall to Mangitngit Falls
Php50 Entrance in Mangitngit Falls
Php50 Mangitngit Falls to Carmen Public Market
P40 Mini-bus from Carmen Public Market to North bus
Total: P380.00

Php200 Table in Mangitngit Falls (dividided by 12)

Last Saturday’s crowd of almost a hundred game enthusiasts proved that board gaming has slowly become a life style in the Queen City of the South. With over 60 games in the library and 98 attendees, the 6-hour International Table Top Day celebrated at The Maxwell Hotel Cebu was a complete success.

Group picture of those who stayed until closing!

The VICTORS! Annie Lyn for Splendor. Victor and Korina for 7 Wonders!

Tables were all filled. Had to add new tables to accommodate the influx of visitors! Seen here is regular gamer AL teaching Splendor.

Pose before playing! Top – Bottom: Splendor, Bonanza, Istanbul, Ticket to Ride USA

The speech of Cebu Board Gaming Society (CBGS) co-founder Mark Julio took the attendees to a 4 year journey of its history, jumping from one place to the other. From a gathering of 5 friends every Wednesdays way back March 28, 2012 at Pan de Manila (eBloc1 IT Park), they have since been to 6 different places (Pan de Manila, iTea, Brunch, Sprockets, Bubble Bee Tea Hose IT Park, Bubble Bee Tea Hose Escario) in Cebu.

Opening remarks by Poy Mendoza, Ballista Games co-owner. Cebu Board Gaming History by Mark Julio, CBGS co-founder.

In 2013, they moved to iTea. After 6 months of gaming and met their first joiner outside of the regular core group -a foreigner: Amanda, iTea changed management to HeartTea. The place were no longer friendly to board gamers. By June 2013, they found a new home in Brunch, TGU still in IT Park where they met Poy Mendoza, the co-owner of Ballista Games.

By April 2014, Poy had an agreement with a new establishment Sprockets Cafe in Ayala. CBGS left brunch for an exciting new location where its attendees grows. Sprockets has been home for 7 months until it closed down and decided to transfer location by October 2015. Homeless again, on October 27, 2015, CBGS found a new home in Bubble Bee Tea House, IT Park where for the first time, they have reached a year in a single place. But sadly, due to conflict with the building management, BBTH IT closed down. The management suggested to transfer to their branch in Escario Centrale. CBGS’s first session in Bubble Bee Tea House, Escario Centrale was on December 7, 2015.

Splendor Tournament hopefuls: Lui, Ian, Jenny, Sher, Gilbert, Annie, Verne, AL, George, Korina, Analyn & John.

7 Wonders tournament in progress!

While board gaming in Cebu started in 2012, International Table Top Day celebration started in 2014 organized by Folk Fiction (Mark and Johanna of Happy Garaje and Poy, Terence, & Shiela from Ballista Games). Last year’s Table Top was in Castle Peak, single-handedly organized by Ballista Games.

This year, since the home of CBGS transferred in Escario Centrale, more and more people have become regular gamers. For the first time ever, CBGS regulars converged in one spirit to help make International Table Top Day 2016 a success.

Cebu Board Gaming Society regulars on a celebratory pose wearing the shirt made for the event. Trivia: the logo on shirt is just made as well courtesy of Lui and Alex, CBGS regulars. Want a shirt? Message Kresia Julio.

A library of games was setup where visitors could borrow a game upon leaving an ID. Regular gamers were available to teach as well. Games and snacks were sold courtesy of Ballista Games and Kapehan Ceferina respectively.

CBGS co-founder Mark Julio pose at the Library and the main hall before everyone arrives.

Librarians in action! Lem taught Sheriff of Nothingham. Victor taught Saboteur. July taught Five Tribes. Darliza taught Saboteur.

Thanks guys for coming!!! Top – Bottom: Survive, Sheriff of Nothingham, HeroClix, Bang

Group picture before going home! Top – Bottom: Remy’s new friends, Kenji & friends, Stephanie & friends, Teenies

Wanna know more, you can visit the Cebu Board Game Society on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/CebuBoardGamingSociety/.

You are invited to Cebu Board Gaming Society’s meetup every Monday & Friday at Bubble Bee Tea House, Escario. No registration free. You only have to order something to make our host BBTH happy.❤

Unlike digital nomads who can travel to places without worrying for leaves, payday traveler’s days are of high value. Our first visit in Cagayan De Oro was fun but the 2nd was simply amazing. We not only covered CDO but the neighboring provinces of Camiguin and Bukidnon too. It was my first time to hop from place to place. I must have loved it so much because most of the trips that followed were patterned that way.

Visiting more places in a single trip can be hectic but can save you money on fares and leaves. Most of our trips were aimed to cover as much spots as we can. But that is a different story when it comes to trekking.

Here are some of our multi-province trips:
3D3N Northern Mindanao (CDO+Camiguin+Bukidnon) -> DIY trip
4D3N Southern Luzon++ (Batangas+Laguna+Baguio): DIY trip. See itinerary here.
4D3N Central Luzon (Pampanga+Tarlac+Zambales+Bataan): Packaged trip w/ itinerary
5D4N Bicol (Camarines Sur+Caramoan Islands+Albay): DIY trip

Interested to explore Northern Mindanao like this? 
Here’s how we did it!

• Book an early morning round trip flight to Cagayan de Oro.
• Get on a ferry bound to Camiguin.
• Explore Camiguin in 1D1N and visit the following spots:

Sunken Cemetery
Walkway to the old volcano and 14 stations of the cross
Catarman Church Ruins
Sto. Niño Cold Spring
White Island
Ardent Hot Spring

Welcome to CDO!

Trippers!

City of Golden Friendship!

The sunken cemetery!

Jump shot with Mt. Hibok2x on the background!

Mandatory group pic!

Creative shots suggested by our boatman!

Walkway to the old volcano. It would have been fun to trek up but we had no time to spare.

One of my favorite pics of the trip. Migo & I contemplating about our future.😀

I might have grown fat and he…some flesh but one thing has remained unchanged – our devotion to wanders and our love for each other.❤

With the gang!

A cold, cold spring indeed!

Photo ops with Ann!

On the way to White island!

Colorful boats!

Aside from swimming and enjoying the powdery white sand, we were quite busy thinking of poses for our photo shoot.

It’s truly amazing that Camiguin has both cold and hot waters. Ardent spring was a wonderful treat after a long day of wander.

Pics with the girls!

• Return to Cagayan de Oro via ferry early morning of the 2nd day.
• Settle down and do the white water rafting in the afternoon of the 2nd day.

White Water Rafting

All in! Ann & I were missing. I decided to keep the memory of my earlier white water rafting intact by not trying it again. It was a great day to spend with Ann alone as well.

• Do a city tour at night and settle on the 2nd night at CDO inn.
• Prepare for a long travel to Bukidnon on the 3rd Day.
• Stop by at Divine Mercy Hill.

Divine Mercy Hill

Shorts are not allowed in Divine Mercy Hill. We were provided cloth as extensions.

Group pic! This was Migo & I’s 2nd visit. First time was in 2008. The chapel at the heart of Jesus is almost finished now.

• Continue the journey to Bukidnon and enjoy the following spots:

Dahilayan Adventure Park
Del Monte Plantation
Dinner @ Del Monte Club House and be in for a treat!

Superman zipline. It was quite a rush!

Too many nice views in Dahilayan for photo ops!

The exterior and interior odf this house is❤!

Mandatory group picture!

We were told to clip our hand if we were almost at the end of the zipline.

More pics!

Picture before flying!

Yay! We did it. We were given certificates as proof!

Just being Migo & Miga!

We were famished when we reached Del Monte Club House for dinner! But we didn’t really expect to be in for a treat. The size of their steak was just too much. Migo & I just shared one meal. If we only knew the size of the servings, it would have been a different story.😀

The Club House!

Stopping by at the center of Del Monte plantation.

Of course, this was mandatory for me.😛

• Go back to Cagayan de Oro and spend the 3rd night at the same inn. Leave at an early morning flight out of CDO on the 4th day. Not considered in travel day since you will be back at work by lunch time.

Estimated cost of that travel is around 8-10K! And digging in my old notes below, it reminded me that my boyfriend paid for the whole trip. Gosh! That and more makes me feel very lucky to have him – not everyone is blessed to find someone who spend his hard earned money just to be with someone he loves. Today we are married and more or less the setup is the same. LOL So yeah, technically, I wouldn’t be this adventurous without him.❤

Date: 10/26/2011
This got me thinking…. I was worried yesterday knowing the estimated money for our CDO-Camiguin-Bukidnon trip. I told Migo that he should just go alone. The expenses is around 8K. Actually he already told me before that he’d pay for everything but I was still worried. The amount is just too much to spend on travel. I love travel but almost always I wanted it to be fun but not pricey. The biggest amount I ever spent so far was last August when we were in Manila, around 5K. If I’m going to compare it going on this trip is covering 3 provinces already, it’s much cheaper and besides it’s not my money. But I still can’t get the hesitations out of my head. Then I found the article below in my old mails. Maybe I should just go. Hmmm…

Source: Unknown

Money has no memory. Experience has. You will never know what the total cost of your education was, but for a lifetime you will recall and relive the memories of schools and colleges. Few years from now, you will forget the amount you paid to settle the hospitalization bill, but will ever cherish having saved your mother’s life or the life you get to live with the just born. You won’t remember the cost of your honeymoon, but to the last breath remember the experiences of the bliss of togetherness. Money has no memory… Experience has.

Good times and bad times, times of prosperity and times of poverty, times when the future looked so secure and times when you didn’t know from where the tomorrow will come& life has been in one way or the other a roller-coaster ride for everyone. Beyond all that abundance and beyond all that deprivation, what remains is the memory of experiences. Sometimes the wallet was full& sometimes even the pocket was empty. There was enough and you still had reasons to frown. There wasn’t enough and you still had reasons to smile. Today, you can look back with tears of gratitude for all the times you had laughed together, and also look back with a smile at all the times you cried alone. All in all, life filled you with experiences to create a history of your own self, and you alone can remember them all.

The first time you balanced yourself on your cycle without support
The first time she said ‘yes’ and it was two years since you proposed
The first cry, the first steps, the first word, the first kiss, all of your child
The first gift you bought for your parents and the first gift your daughter gave you
The first award, the first public appreciation, the first stage performance,
And the list is endless experiences, with timeless memory…

No denying that anything that’s material cost money, but the fact remains. The cost of the experience will be forgotten, but the experience never.

So, what if it’s economic recession? Let it be, but let there not be a recession to the quality of your life. You can still take your parents, if not on a pilgrimage, at least to the local temple. You can still play with your children, if not on an international holiday, at least in the local park. It doesn’t cost money to lie down or to take a loved one onto your lap. Nice time to train the employees, create leadership availability and be ready for the wonderful times when they arrive. Hey! Aspects like your health, knowledge development and spiritual growth are not economy dependent.

Time will pass& economy will revive& currency will soon be in current& and in all this, we don’t want look back and realize we did nothing but stayed in gloom. Recession can make you lose out on money. Let it not make you lose out on experiences & if you are not happy with what you have, no matter how much more you have, you will still not be happy.

Make a statement with the way you live your life:

How I feel has nothing to do with how much I have.

so SEIZE THE DAY! LET’S MAKE MEMORIES! ;p

On the edge of Kandungaw’s Peak!

In preparation for a major climb this June, NCR Trekkers went back to one of the countable town to town trek in Cebu – Maloray, Dalaguete to Sohoton, Badian with an overnight camp at the foot of Kandungaw Peak. 25 adventurers joined the trek, 13 of which were NCR trekker members. Compared to the “foggy” visit in November 2015 with no clearing, this time the great Kandungaw finally revealed all of it’s splendor.

From L-R, T-B: (1) Group pic at the front of the wall (see the star). (2) Our tents with the great Kandungaw’s back in the background. (3) The husband posed at the heart of Kandungaw. (4) Me on top of Kandungaw.

Up close with the 2nd peak connected to Kandungaw.

Up close with the peak opposite Kandungaw. It’s the best peak of all for the brave at heart. Getting up on a loose soil while scrambling your way to the top and getting down on a vertical descent with rocks. Must climb!

Kandungaw, like it’s neighboring peak, Osmeña can be accessed via Mantalongon, Dalaguete. From the bus stop at Mantalongon Market, you will have to hail a habal2x (motor) to the jump-off at Maloray, Dalaguete. The hike to the peak is short but coupled with mostly ascents. On a clear day, you can see the tip of Kandungaw on the ride to the jump-off and in the ascent. With our usual pace and picture stops in between, we reached the peak after an hour.

The manmande steps to Kandungaw. A view of the wall. And climbing through the entrance of the campsite.

One more ascent and finally, hello campsite.

From L-R, T-B Peaks surrounding the camp site: (1) Not fit for climbing. (2) For the brave peak. (3) Connected to Kandungaw Peak. (4) Kandungaw Peak – it does look like a lion to me!

Hiking up the trail to Kandungaw, you will be amazed at the wall-like mountains that would greet you after enduring the oversize man-made steps. Beyond the wall where Kandungaw stands as it’s highest point, is the campsite conveniently tucked at the heart of 3 other smaller peaks. 2 of the peaks offered amazing views and should not be missed. A stone-throw away from the camp is a house.

Climb-able peak’s view at night!

Like every other NCR trek, there were socials and this time, everyone participated. After dinner, the usual get-to-know-you and #hugot lines started, with Lanz (NCR Trekker’s Most Active Villager on our first ever Werewolves game in Lanigid) kicking it off. The favorite game of “Werewolves” followed with 24 players. AJ, the club president, moderated the game which ended at 12 AM where 4 all women villagers emerged as the victors defeating 3 women and 2 men werewolves.

NCR Trekker’s group: The riches led by AJ, the squatters led by Lanz and the free spirits (Me, Migo & Liz) and all of us gathering together for the socials!

The night was peaceful with no rains but the fog covered the peak at 5 AM. It drizzled a bit as well stopping us to see the sunrise at the peak. We were afraid not to catch a clearing so we decided to bring our breakfast to the top while waiting.

Breakfast at the peak achieved while waiting for the clearing! Yayyyyy!

The adventures of Migo&Miga! Thanks to our photographer, Liz of litratoko.com!

Playing with the sun at the peak opposite the main peak of Kandungaw!

We broke camp and left Kandungaw around 9:30 AM just in time for a strong rain to fall. Unlike last November’s climb, we didn’t backtrack, we traversed to Badian led by an NCR member who’s a local in Maloray. After an almost 4 hours trek, 2 of which were under the rain, we arrived at Nanay Rosa’s house just 5 minutes away from Sohoton Elementary School. We left Nanay Rosas’ at half past 3 and were exhausted. Pressed for time, the planned side trip to Lambug Beach did not push through.

And continuing our goal, the sign ready to be posted at the shed on the peak’s shoulder. Lanz’s group owned the task!

The adventurers!!!

To end this post, we will be inviting everyone to participate in the National Cleanup Day wordwide led by PinoyMountaineer on June 4, 2016. A lot of groups in Cebu will be adopting a mountain. Don’t miss this opportunity to give back to nature. We will be adopting Mt. Babag on that day. It’s a day trek only. If you wanna join, drop me a comment below or see “Get Involve“.

Do more than appreciate the beauty around you. Don’t be a freeloader, take time to care and give back to Mother Nature. Book your calendar, June 4! Please pass the word to all adventurers. Let’s join our hands together!!!

The first with NCR Trekkers was a blast and every trek thereafter. Today I aged 1 with the club. It has been quite an amazing journey. I was able to scale most of Cebu’s trekking destinations and learned a whole lot about mountains and people. Because today is my 1st anniversary, I will answer 10 questions for our newsletter “Anniversary Special”. LOL I am quite excited to be in it. 

1. Tell me something about yourself!

Kring in a Nut Shell (copied from The Wanderfull Life‘s About Page)
So sometimes I really find it hard to introduce myself since I almost want people to know ‘everything’ about me at once. Haha! But most of my friends will not believe me if I say I’m having a hard time talking since I’m always bubbly. They call me an extrovert but I start to believe I am more of an ambivert. I love people. Kindness, bravery and team work makes me cry. If you wanna know more of my inner wiring, I have a thought blog here.

I work as a software engineer and help manage our little rental business on the sides with my husband, Mark. We call each other Migo & Miga. We got married in 2015 at a whimsy little celebration of which we DIY-ed everything. He’s the wind beneath my wings. Without him, I wouldn’t have known how amazing it is to travel. Like many Filipinos, my salary for the first years at work were for the family. I rarely had anything left for myself. Known to be thrifty yet he goes gaga over me to the point of paying all my early trips. We started trekking and board gaming as a couple in 2011 after 3 years of being in a roller coaster relationship. I can be very jealous and volatile when it comes to love life. But Migo made me better and made me the best version of myself. Need more cheesiness, here’s a blog about Migo&Miga.

I’m also a frustrated writer or novelist, you can read some of that here. Aside from that I’m actually trying to learn how to write in a sort-of-reporter writing at a blog I created at work on my first year of being an Ambassador in our company.

So in a nut shell? Hmmm! I am a lot of things in one and easily get excited in almost everything. At my worst, I am self-righteous. At my best, I seek to empower people to explore and live the life they want regardless of the societal norms. Everything is just possible.

“Live. Believe. EMPOWER.” is my guiding principle.

2. How do you find trekking?

Everything in trekking is AWESOME. It’s tiresome but addictive.

3. When do you learn that you love trekking?

The husband and I started trekking together in 2011 at Osmeña Peak but we got really hooked in 2012. That’s when we started aiming for major climbs (Talinis, Canlaon).

4. How long would you want to be on trek?

For as long as I can or shall I say, we can. I’m brave and all but without the husband, I’m less braver. Haha!

5. If you are given a chance to trek anywhere of your choice? Where and when?

The Himalayas or just below it!!! Everest would be nice but I don’t wanna die trying. Haha! So I’m just aiming for a trek in Nepal’s villages. We are targeting 2-5 years from now but it all depends on our plan to produce little Migo or Miga soon. Nyahaha! Or maybe when we are older and richer? Hahaha! But anything goes really.

6. How’s trekking with NCR Trekkers in one year?

AWESOME!!! I’ve trekked to almost all destinations in Cebu. My network of outdoor friends tripled or quadrupled. But the best takeout I have was having the confidence to organize a trek. I have always been an organizer but there was something about trekking that makes me afraid to commit. This time was different. Maybe it’s the thought that I am not alone in the journey. =)

7. What’s the best thing you love about trekking w/ NCR Trekkers?

Everybody is having fun. Trekking with them is always a FUN TREK. We laughed. They do “hugot” lines. They are absolutely game in playing almost anything but right now they are hooked with “Werewolves”. They are also supportive in responsible mountaineering.

8. How does it feel to be part of the fast growing outdoor community?

Pressured. Haha! Outdoors has somewhat become mainstream now. By introducing a lot of people to the wonders of outdoors, we may be tipping the balance. As much as we try to propagate responsible mountaineering, we can’t always track everyone to be doing the same. Sadly, people are natural dummies and only cares about themselves. I am pressured to let everyone we have converted to love the outdoors to care for the environment too. Trek not only for the pictures but for mother nature as well.

9. If you could change one thing about this trekking phenomenon, what could that be?

A standard operating procedures for all mountains in Cebu should be implemented. I kind of hate at first about organizing a trek in Mt. Kapayas since the Municipality of Catmon is very strict about it. But right now, seeing what happened to other mountains in Cebu, perhaps other government should all follow Catmon’s lead.

10. What is your message to all the aspiring individuals who wanted to be adrenaline junkies?

Go for it and quench your thirst. Do not listen to that inner voice in your head telling you, you can’t. Because YOU can. You and I are NOT very different at all. I’ve been with the mountains for about 5 years now but each trek is still the same. I still feel out of breath on ascent and grateful for descent. If there’s one thing that has changed over time with each peaks was the thought that whatever hardships I experienced in reaching the summit, everything will be forgotten when it all becomes a memory. =)

Here’s a picture of me in my 3 favorite mountains in Cebu. =)

Mt. BABAG

This was my 3rd day trek in Babag and the 2nd trek with a purpose. The first was an outreach climb in December 2014 where we made at least a hundred kids happy. The 2nd was a Sunday trek as a pre-climb for a major trek in Alto Peak.

I heard a lot of hearsay about Babag’s difficulty. It was one of the few mountains in Cebu with a lot of continuous and steep ascents making it very ideal for preparing a major climb. Since all my treks have been day treks, I wouldn’t know for sure just how difficult Babag could be with my usual pack. It has been OK for now. Tired but bearable.

We were supposed to join as a club to a local Cebu mountaineering group in cleaning up Mt. Kan-irag. But as we were checking the list, there were at least 2 other groups who’d do the same. Because of our number, we decided to change our destination and enlist.

There were 3 mountain nominees and Mt. Babag won. It was very ideal since no other groups were listed. A week before the climb, some members expressed fear when the story about the cobras that escaped in Cebu Zoo resurfaced (searched for news article but I couldn’t find one). Even with our assurance that it’s generally safe and no cobra incidents were reported, the news continued.

At our pre-climb, we announced to everyone about the “cobra news” and opened an option to those who were afraid. It was too late to change the mountain already.

Surprisingly, majority of the registrants opt to join Mt. Babag still. Only 11 who had prior schedule in the morning joined the new group that would go to Chalet Hills directly. The Babag group started in the morning while the Chalet group started in mid-afternoon.

Babag group: divided into 3 sub-groups Head, Mid & Tail led by Tats (NCR Trekkers Adviser), AJ (NCR Trekkers Pres) & Kring (NCR Trekkers Secretary) respectively, Chalet group led by Analyn (NCR Trekkers VP)!

Because it was a cleanup activity, a give back to the community and not just for fun, NCR Cebu provided food for the participants. Php 5600 were given. Babag group was provided a 1-pc chicken from Jollibee while Chalet group had Red Ribbon Mamon and Zest-o juice.

Babag group was a big group of 54. To manage the group well and to cater to those who are late, it was divided into 3 groups. Each group was scheduled to leave at 15 minutes interval. Head group was led by Tats, mid-group was led by AJ and the tail-group was led by me. We were the last group to leave the church at 9:30 AM.

Lunch & ID distribution before the orientation!

Babag group was divided into 3 sub-groups: Head, Mid and Tail. Head group led by Tats (NCR Trekkers Adviser), Mid group led by AJ (NCR Trekkers Pres), Tail group led by Kring (NCR Trekkers Secretary).

Warm-up at Napo Basketball Court!

At 10 AM, we started the cleanup and was at Manuel’s Manggahan at 12PM. After an hour the trek resumed. We were at RCPI towers after an hour and a half of walking.
We had a long stop at the road to the towers. After we had our rest, we went to the towers, had our group picture and proceeded to Chalet Hills.

Tail group in action on the way to RCPI towers!

Lunch time!

CHALET HILLS

We arrived earlier than expected. As planned, we waited for the Chalet group. They arrived after 30 minutes of our rest time.

While we were waiting, some wanted to play but to my dismay, it took a lot of my convincing powers. And personally, I don’t want to play as well so I leave it as is. Haha! I am actually not missing much since I can always play on our overnight treks.

I was exhausted but restless. When the Chalet group started cleaning, I joined them. I needed pictures for documentation as well. It was a chance to explore the hills too.

Chalet group in action at Chalet Hills!

We cleaned the vicinity of the big camp and the small camp above it. To be honest, I never expected Chalet Hills to be that beautiful. Because it was just a hill and is very accessible, I didn’t have the desire then. It all changes when I realized I could bring my un-trekking friends camping in there. I should do it soon.

BABAG MEETS CHALET GROUP

The participants at Chalet Hills after the cleanup taking a pose before the final announcements.

After Chalet group was done cleaning, I pushed for the group picture since I noticed the Babag group’s bored face. To my (2nd) dismay, nobody wanted to move again. Phew! A test of patience indeed. I actually thought of just letting go of the big group picture. But of course I had to. I sensed some annoyance but I hope they would understand the value of documentation since it was after all a company-sponsored activity. We were not there simply to enjoy but to fulfill a responsibility. I need the pictures as proof. And is there a better way to show that it was a successful event than by pictures?

I may had some slight annoyance but overall, it was another kick-ass event. Thankful to God that despite the dangers of cobra and this, we were all safe. We were able to carry out our regular mission to spread the awareness of LNT by posting signs on the 2 camps of Chalet Hills. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find an appropriate place to post our sign in Babag so we put everything in Chalet Hills. This was our 3rd sign since our first sign posted in Mago Peak.

NCR Trekker’s guest (July) putting up the LNT sign at the big camp.

NCR Trekker’s guests (Norie & Jay) putting up the LNT sign at the small camp.

But of course, I am especially proud because the husband was one of the champion. He was quite handsome with the cleanup shirt as well.❤ Thanks to Maria. It was supposed to be mine but Migo said it was too big for me. Just so happy he wore it. Liz was not able to join the cleanup ’cause she went with Maria to clean Kandungaw.

Migo wearing the cleanup shirt and me wearing the Ambassador shirt.

After the final announcements, most left. Regular trekkers stayed until 6 PM enjoying the sunset. Finally had our chance to cam-whore too. Thanks to Wandering Soul Scamper for the lovely photos.

This one is my favorite. Totally captured the playful me and the ever-supportive husband.

No trek is ever the same even if you’ve done it many times. This was my 3rd trek in Mt. Lanaya. Yet each and every time is a different experience. And if I were to pick the best, nah, I’ll pass. Last Saturday, June 11-12 is as good as the first (2013 via Legazpi – Lumpan) and the 2nd (2015 via Lumpan – Legazpi, same as this trail).

Views of Lanaya – the mountain side below and the sea side on top!

It was another great weekend with NCR Trekkers Club at a trek we dubbed as “Freedom Climb” since it falls on the “Independence Day” weekend. It was NCR Trekker’s 8th mountain after Naupa in January, Lanigid in February, Osmena in March, Mago in April, Kandungaw in May and just last weekend, Mt. Babag & Chalet Hills. There were 28 trekkers who joined the adventure that started in Brgy Lumpan in Alegria and ended in Mainit Springs in Malabuyoc just like my 2nd trek, a first with NCR Trekkers in Lanaya.

Like any other trek, it was great but not without hiccups. Thanks to God we were able to triumph over it with no injuries. Great climbs were not meant to be flawless. It had to be flavored with an epic adventure. We had that adventure by being lost. My emotion got the best of me for some time and then it faded when I realized my responsibilities. I had to be bigger than my angst.

From that trek, I realized how hard it is to be the “Sweeper”. It takes a lot of patience and empathy. And as I have always mentioned, I fall short of the two. Still I’m thankful for the experience. It lets me see a different view of the entire trek. But I’m most thankful to the 2 people who are always there to back me up. Without them, no trek would be as good as it always does.

So here are the 12 things that made this adventure as good as the first 2 experiences:

1. We were able to achieve the “Apas” group for the 2nd time. Hooray!!! In support of the husband’s habitual Friday late nights, we had to adjust accordingly. Last time I was pretty confident with Kandungaw but not this time. Thanks to God I was able to lead us safely to the campsite even if it was a different trail. Haha! =)

Apas team starting the ascent at 5:30 PM!

2. We had a better and muffin-free camp. Last time, we camp in front of the cool looking trees but now we were nestled at a small enclosure near the “shortcut”. Our tents are closer compared to the previous too.

Checking the camp if it was NCR Trekkers camp. Bottom right pic shoes the “regular group” passing by the previous campsite.

3. Breakfast at the peak achieved again. Yahoooo! This time the team got bigger. Because, we weren’t able to visit the peak at sunset unlike the “regular” group, we had to wake up at 5AM to see the sunrise. We arrived at the peak at 5:30 AM, brought a cook set and a burner. Boiled water while waiting for the sunrise. We had oat meals and fruits.

Breakfast at Lanaya’s Peak! Hello Rey – our unexpected guest.

Group pic sans Junji’s team who chose sleep over sunrise at the peak!

Another group pic at the seaside. The pole was quite useful as a camera stand.😀

4. We had an unexpected “recruit”. While waiting for the bus to Alegria which was surprisingly populated when we assembled at 11AM, I saw a familiar face – a neighbor from our condo. He was as surprised as I am for seeing each other. He commented that he never thought of me as the adventure type. Haha! Oh well, everyone’s 1st impression of me. Thus the blog to prove them wrong.😛 It wasn’t long before he got comfortable with the rest of the group. His stories of Tres Marias and Guiting2 entertained us while we are waiting for our turn. He was supposed to join a group in cleaning Kanlaob river but to our surprise, he ditched them when they got off in Alegria. Lol He is indeed one of a kind. He’s a great addition to my already quirky group. Hehe

While waiting for our turn. We spent 1.5 hours waiting. Left at 12:30 and was in Alegria at 4:30 PM.

5. Socials assignment continued. This time it was Barbie who started it. Thanks to him, we had wine to pair our laughter with. No #hugots this time but instead, we were looking back on our trekking adventures. Happy to have known 1 who is really a first timer. I just hope Lanaya wouldn’t put out her flame. Lanaya can be pretty tough for a first timer.😀

Dinner time!

Socials started at 8:30 PM followed by a game of “Werewolves”!

6. “Werewolves” with 27 people was a ruckus but still fun! I still can’t get over the fact that all the werewolves were from the “Apas” group and my guests. Haha! Well mostly, all the roles really: Barbie – the Scapegoat, Jane – the Seer, Didit – the Little Girl, Cha – the Defender, Migo – the Nurse, Werewolves: Liz, Ziel, Dee, Marvin & Ricco. Only me, Junji & Rey had no roles, hepless “Villagers”. Van2 was the witch. Last time 4 all girl villagers survived with me as the most annoying villager. Haha! Now almost half of the villagers were saved. Thanks to the most “ichusera villager” of all time – Bujoy. Being friends with influence get her so far indeed.

Remaining villagers, the survivor!!!

7. Call time was almost achieved with a 30 minute delay. We left the camp at 8:30 this time. Kandungaw was an hour late so it’s an improvement.

Breaking up camp and cam-whoring while waiting.

Finally a group picture!

8. No major injuries despite the fact that it rained when we went down to Legazpi. We had hiccups with some guests. A shoes needed a medic. The sole falls out and she was having a hard time. And another almost had cramps.

Going down the almost vertical descent!

Medic shoe break for Leizel!

9. We got lost for a while but eventually angels were sent to lead us to the right path. We were already famished when we arrived at Mainit Springs by 1:30 PM, 5 hours after we started.

Bottom right peak is where I left my bag to scour for the lost sheeps.

10. I learned a great lesson. One that I would cherish. My respect for “Sweepers” have grown immensely. After that ordeal, I swore never to be on the tail again but thinking about it now makes me want to be a sweeper again. There’s just so much in a trek that you could only see when you are seeing it at the back.

11. We were able to put up LNT sign again. This time we put it on the trail.

This trek’s LNT champion is Van2x supported by Jumz plus our new overnight joiners.

12. From what happened last weekend, I was more fired up to implement that “ribbon” thing or put up signs on the trail. It is important for the guests to be aware of the difficulty of the trail too. Next time, we should be firm in implementing that the inviter should tell their guests about the nature of the trek. We are all for fun and sometimes, thinking of the safety of other people can suck the fun away. Each and everyone needs to treat each other as companions too. It is supposed to be a rule to be mindful of the one in front and behind you on the line. NEVER lost sight of the one in front of you and ALWAYS check if you have the person following you is still around. If that simple rule isn’t followed then problems will arise. We are not on a race, we are on a trek. Well, we can always do a race if we don’t have neophytes.

But all is well that ends well. Mainit Spring is still rejuvenating but unfortunately, Montañeza falls was closed down because of some rock issues. There’s the dispute of the road too. We had to pay Php5 to exit. It’s weird. And when we finally reached the highway, most buses were full. We had to squeeze in at a full bus. Good thing a lot of them got off at Alegria. Wew!

Freedom climb at Lanaya is another one for the books but I would love to go back via Legazpi soon even if I have to pay the exorbitant price. Hehe! And ohh, did I mention I was having muscle pains in the leg. Wew! That was indeed a great pre-climb for Tres Marias. Hopefully, no more muscle pains on Friday. I’m very excited nowww. Tickets are ready. Yay!!!

Finally cozying at Mainit Springs!

Migo and Miga getting ready to go home!

Kandungaw-like view of Lanaya. The big rock before the peak!

#OOTD pic at Kalo-kalo peak!

Probably the hardest part for me in a trekapade is meal planning. For years, I’ve always wanted to be able to estimate properly. More often estimating just how much rice we need to bring is a headache.

So today, I took my way out of my already jampacked sked to do what I have always wanted to do.

Note that all measurements are based on our Kovea Hard 23 cookset.

• cup is hard 23 cup
  1/4 rice = 1.5 cup
  1.8 Hard 23 = 4 cups rice (5 cups water)
  1 Hard 23 = 2 cups rice (3 cups water)
  6 cups = 1 kilo
  3 cups = .5 kg

Yesterday I started refining the meal plan for Tres Marias. I estimated to be cooking 6 cups of rice for 8 pax. We are 7 in the group but we need to allocate 1 meal for the guide. Our meal planner estimated everyone to bring 3 cups of rice. I wondered just what it meant to bring 3 cups? I wanted to translate it in kilograms since lately, I’ve become obsessed in weight management.

I was quite happy that after the measurements, I found out that 3 cups is equal to half of a kilogram. Each meal we would be cooking 6 cups which means it’s a kilogram. What’s more amazing is that this 6 cups can be accommodated by our 2 cookset. The big cookset of 1.8 can cook 4 cups while the small one can cook 2 cups. Ah! These little things just make the OC me happy. Haha!

But one thing I’m not sure though…that is whether a kilogram is enough for 8 people. Haha! Well, that’s my next goal. Lol Find out just how much to cook for a specified number of people. Hehe

Aside from how much rice we would need, we can get the estimate for how much water too. Lucky for Tres Marias, water won’t be a problem. Oh well, till my next trekking not-so-Eureka moment. Lol

Almost every climb, especially majors, I am faced with the same struggle – what do I bring? I’ve made a lot of checklists but unfortunately being “me” got burried with all the other lists in my notes. Haha!

This dawn as I was packing and making sure I don’t miss anything, I listed them all.😀 I really do hope I don’t forget anything though. Please if you notice anything missing, ping me rightaway.

1-4. Clothes: Trekking/Swimming, Sleeping, Going Home, Undies
5. Slippers
6. For Wet Plastic
7. Sleeping Bag
8. Assault Bag
9. Storage Bags
10. Pillow
11. Eye Mask
12. Ear Pads
13. Head lights
14. Glasses
15. Contact Solutions
16. Rain Coat
17. Umbrella
18. Fan
19. Lunch Box
20. Water Bottle
21. Cup

Personal Stuffs:
22. Headlace
23. Pony tail
24. Lipstick
25. Comb
26. Puller
27. Mirror
28. Shampoo
29. Wet Wipes
30. Tissue

Depends on the trail, Tres Marias has plenty of water so I’m only bringing this much plus a 1L Nalgene full of water too.
31. 1 L Water
32. .5 Gatorade
33. Belt Bag:
34. Camera
35. Candies
36. Tickets
37. IDs
38. Wallet
39. Ballpen
40. Chair
41. Group Food (by assignment):
Oil
Pinakurat
Salt
Garlic
Onions
Tomatoes
Magic Sarap
Buwad
Bread
42. Burner
43. Cookset (Kovea Hard 23)
44. .5 kg rice inside cookset

Thanks @JumzChino for the reminder:
NCR Trekker’s Stuffs
45. Attendance & Waiver
46. LNT Sign
47. LNT Sign Rope
48. Club Tarp
49. Event Tarp
50. Participant’s ID

To follow up:
51. Med Kit
52. Rope

@Migo:
Tent
Spoon/Fork
Tooth Brushes
Trekking Pole

My first day attire:
Trekking Pants
Souvenir Shirt
Sarong
Cap
Gloves
Arm Sleeves
Trekking Shoes
Comfy Socks

The biggest lesson I learned thus far when it comes to weight was when we climbed Pulag back in 2013. I was at 15 kg. Going up Akiki with such load was harsh. I was literally sick on the first night. But it wasn’t because I brought too much personal stuff. We carried 4L of water and our food were mostly canned. It took most of the weight.

After Pulag I was more mindful of the weight I’m carrying. I made some adjustments on how much clothes to bring too. Before I always had an everyday change of clothes until the husband commented on it. I was still stubborn saying I need to change clothes everyday for the pictures. Haha! But after Canlaon, I started implementing the clothes set. The husband suggested to only have a set of trekking which can be used for swimming too or you can bring a set for bath, a set for sleeping which will be used throughout how many days you will be sleeping and the last set will be for going home. To save some more space, you could also use the sleeping as going home set.

15 kg was my limit in 2013, I wonder if it changes now. I weighted my back last night at our scale and it shows 15 kg. Huhu! I wonder what makes it heavy waaaa!

The best weight I had was in Apo. I had 8 kg or less with just my personal stuffs.  We were 15 and was divided into 3 food groups. Each group has their own porter guide. It was very efficient but the only drawback was it made us divided. We didn’t cook and eat together.

Going forward, in every climb to follow, I will try to implement weight management. By September, we will have our 2nd major climb for the year at Nangtud. Reading blogs about it terrifies me. It will surely be one of my toughest climb yet. Pinoy Mountaineer rated Nangtud as an 8/9. Huhu! Anyhoo, I still have some months to spare till then. For now, I have Tres Marias.

Wish us luck and blessing tomorrow. Pray that we may be away from harm and the snakes will be friendly. Huhubells.

Here’s an unrelated addition about our trek tomorrow.😀

There will be 20 of us divided into 3 food groups. No porters. Head group is led by our NCR Trekker VP, Analyn. Me at Mid-group. Cods at Tail Group. That’s the line up of our trek too.

Cod’s group will likely be the fastest so they are at the Tail. My group has the medkit and the documentation so it’s easier to check in between groups. Analyn’s have Ryan to shoo the snake. One guide will be at the head and a other at the tail.

My excited face :))

What’s an adventure without a ‘real’ adventure. If we had let the fear of snakes get in the way, we wouldn’t have known how beautiful Tres Marias is. She’s indeed a beauty worth the risk. June 18-19, 20 adventurers, 6 of which are NCR Trekkers and the rest are guests, reached and left Tres Marias 3rd and highest peak with a triumphant heart after 12 hours of trek. It was amazing that by 2:30 PM on Day 1, we were already at Aeta Camp setting up camp. We had a lot of take outs but the best of them all was the feeling that we have a home in the wilderness with strangers that quickly became friends and trusted allies. That alone was worth all the pains.

June 17, 2016 (Day 0)
The adventure started on a boat trip to Ormoc via Roble’s Theresian Stars. The boat departs at 10 PM but as early as 8 PM, participants started arriving. By 9 PM, everyone was in. We were safely settled at the boat 15 minutes later. Everyone started dozing off as soon as the boat departs Cebu.

June 18, 2016 (Day1)
Immediately after the boat docked at Ormoc at 5AM, we left the boat and rode on the van to Naval. Because we couldn’t fit in at a single van, the head and the tail group went ahead. The mid waited for the next van. While waiting, we bought some puto and hot drinks at a stall outside the port.

The trip to Naval took 2 hours. By 8AM, we were reunited with the groups who went ahead. We had breakfast at the carenderia beside the terminal then we met with Ryan and Rocco, our guides. As I was eating, I noticed the yummy lechon across the street. With the husband’s support, I bought a quarter for our pack lunch. That must be the reason why I’ve been so excited for lunch. Haha!

The Trek
By 8:30 we depart for the jump-off via motorcycle with a unique Biliran’s style. We arrived at the jump-off 30 minutes after. The trek started at around 930AM after the usuals: orientation, prayer & warm-up. The prayer was led by Gamz and warm-up was led by John. As planned, the big group was divided into 3 sub-groups. Analyn led the head group with Cha, Ricco, Almera, Ryan, Didit and Jane. Yours truly led the mid-group with Migo, Gamz, Liz, John & Tin. Pong was part of the mid-group but like the previous climbs, his heart is of the Sweeper. Tail group was led by Cods with Rose, Aying, Jeni, John & Eric.

The entire trek to Aeta Camp was divided into 3 according to our major and somewhat long stops. First part was the trek to Recoletos Falls. Ulan-Ulan Falls was just below Recoletos but we need to go down and back up again. After confirming that we will back track tomorrow, it was decided to just visit the falls later. There was a shed near Recoletos and after 30 minutes of walking, it was a relief to rest. Some took the time to take pictures while some decided to catch their breath.

Second part was from Recoletos to our lunch stop. It was a 1.5 hours trek with 5-10 minutes break before crossing the river. This part has the most “buhis-buhay” moments.  We were supposed to eat at the last water source but we were famished. The guide told us it’s still 30 minutes away with some ascent so I had to make the call to eat. It was also already 12PM. We had some time to rest after lunch time but I didn’t had the urge to rest. I was afraid that anytime a snake would crept up on me. Haha!

3rd part was when we left the lunch site to Aeta Camp. The guide told us it would be 3 hours away with mostly ascents. Hearing this, I was quite worried. 3 hours of non-stop ascent could become 5 hours at my pace. It was already 1PM when we left, plus 5, we would reached the camp at 6PM. But maybe by some miracle or maybe the fear of snakes makes us all in our best selves, we reached the camp at 230PM even with the thrill of Ryan’s lost moment.😀

After 15 minutes of walking from lunch site, Pong called out that our Ryan was nowhere. The group stopped and Ryan, the sweeper guide went to look for our Ryan. On a climb with every stops, I never put my bag away from my shoulders since because of its weight I would spend energy putting it back on. But I was so worried about the worst for our Ryan. The husband had to remind me to stay put. I realized that at that moment, the only thing I can do is pray. And I did. Thanks God that after a while, Pong announced that Ryan was found. When I saw him, the relief took away my want to nag. Haha!

This was my 7th major climb but a first that I am one of the organizers. Whatever happens to the climb is my responsibility so I always make sure I had everything covered. The trek in Lanaya sent me on a sour mode when we were almost lost so I had to stress the importance of proper distance in between hikers. Unfortunately, it failed on Ryan. I was just so thankful Pong noticed he was gone right away.

After the Ryan scare, we continued on our trek. At 2PM, we arrived at a small clearing. I took some pics and decided to join Charina and Ricco at the head to talk to the head guide at that day, Rocco. 20 minutes passed, we reached another small clearing. This time I took an attendance pic of everyone then joined Pong in the tail. By 245PM, me, July and Pong reached the camp. Most were already selecting a place to setup camp by then.

Top-Right, Bottom-Left: Waiting for Ryan; And he was found. Me with the Rocco, Ricco and Charina!

Attendance Pic!

Few minutes away from the camp…and then hello camp with my scratch! Pfft!

Aeta Camp
The camp was quite small. Good thing we were able to setup all our 12 tents. But there were areas that are prone to water but we had no choice but to setup camp there also. We had just enough space left for socials. It would have been best if we brought hammocks instead of tents.

We had an early dinner and by 7PM, everyone was gathered for the socials. I started the socials in a simple format of name, company and profession. The additional was a recall of a memory of their first major climb and if it was their first, what’s their expectations. I was quite surprised to know that almost half of the group were on their first major climbs. I was simply amazed because our pace was commendable. We had less stops and was 2.5 hours early for our target time to camp.

Because we had an early start, we had time to do a 2nd round of “Werewolves”. It was a night for “Werewolf” since they won at both games. Since we started introducing the game, I was always part of the humans. Unfortunately for that night, my silent wish was granted. And I somehow regretted that I wished to be one of the bad guys. It was just so stressful. I had stress in 2 sides, from the remaining players and the spirits. I cracked on the last few rounds and had to remind the spirits their place.

After the game, I was exhausted. I felt somewhat sick so I spared myself from more stress by not joining the 2nd round. I made myself the spirits police so that what happened in the first game would never happen again. On the 2nd game, “Werewolf” won still with Jane emerging as the sole wolf at the end of the game. It was still early but I was already exhausted. I decided to sleep then I overheard them talking about a glowing plant. My want to sleep overpowered me. I didn’t even noticed what time the husband dozed off.

Stay tuned for Day 2!

Tres Marias Series:
Day 1
Day 2 – Part 1
Day 2 – Part 2
Day 3

The night was peaceful. There was no rain but the howling winds made me thought of one. In my sleepy state I asked the husband to get the food we hanged outside.  He kept reassuring me that the foods were safe and that what I’m hearing was just the wind. I remembered I asked him twice or thrice. He must have been exasperated because he reminded me about it in the morning. Nyahaha!

In the middle of somewhat a long sleep, the husband announced that he would pee and asked if I wanted to. Before going out, I checked the time. It was still 1AM, about 3 hours since I dozed off. On the way to pee, we saw someone sleeping at an open space near our common area. I wasn’t sure if it’s just Ryan – the guide or both of our guides slept there.

When we settled back, I rearranged my sleeping pad which was now my jackets and sleeping bag. Unfortunately, because of my haste, I have forgotten my earth pad. It wasn’t that cold because all throughout the night, I didn’t used my sleeping bag. I only relied with my Sarong as blanket.

June 19, 2016 (Day 2)
My alarm sounded at 430AM but it was only at 5AM that I decided to move. As agreed, I boiled water and called out my group for a light breakfast. The husband and I had oats, slices of apple, milo and boiled egg. John & Tin shared a cup of noodles. I forgot what Gamz ate but Liz and Pong had bread. An hour and a half after, we were ready for the summit. We followed the same trail lineup and before leaving the camp, we prayed for a safe journey still led by Gamz.

Breakfast with the husband and Analyn’s group then the prayer led by Gamz!

The Ascent
The guides warned us of a steep journey. Tres Marias Peak 3 is around 1300+, Aeta Camp is at 900+. They estimated around 2-3 hours with an elevation gained of 400+. Before we left the camp, the rain started pouring. Good thing it didn’t linger but it was enough to wet the ground. The early morning dew and the rain connived to make our assault slightly challenging.

The most beautiful part of Tres Marias was the trail to the summit. Some parts remind me of the the journey to Malindang’s Peak. The trees covered in moss is just breath-taking. On a trek, I am mostly focused on where I am walking so stuffs like snakes or pitcher plants that’s not really in my path or line of sight can go passed me. Good thing the husband is always eager to share his finds. While he’s a natural observer and loves to take pictures of nature, I am mostly interested in people’s struggles.

Ah…people’s struggles…there’s a lot of action on our journey to the summit. Every time I climbed my way up a tree or crawl my way down a trunk, I would think of how beautiful this must be if captured. And as if the husband read my thoughts, he offered to video me. Unfortunately, he commented after how it makes the climb look easy while I was doing it. Hmmm! That comment is almost the same in my other endeavors like Muay Thai or Zumba. People always think I’m doing it lightly. And somehow, it makes me wonder if I’m really not putting enough effort into them.

Photo stops on the way to the peak!

The husband in action!

Hello Pitcher Plant!

And of course me!

The Peak
We reached the peak after 1.5 hours+ of ascent. Like Alto, it is surrounded by trees. But the trees can be climbed. Unfortunately, there was no clearing. All we could see was fog. The guide told us that it was maybe because we were noisy. I tried praying for a clearing but not that hard. Haha! For me, a clearing would be great but it’s not a must. When we climbed Alto last year, there was no clearing too.

And because, we were the last to arrived, everyone was already busy doing their own stuffs. At first I thought the peak was very small since the line was queued at the entrance. It wasn’t. I don’t know what’s holding the line though. When it was our turn, I got busy taking pictures of everyone taking pictures. Haha! The peak was spacious but there wasn’t enough space to comfortably do a group picture. After 30 minutes of allowing everyone to do their own thing, I insist on a group picture but that was only after I climbed the highest tree.

It was cool to be on top but the swaying kept me from taking a clear selfie. It didn’t help that the husband was pressuring me to go down because he wanted to climbed too. Haha! And of course, I got envious because he had a nice selfie despite my pressures. LOL! We only had 1 group picture at the peak since it’s very hard to squeeze all of us. I didn’t insist on having more and let Rocco take the picture of us instead of Cods since he was on the other end.

Everyone’s busy!

My view from the top of the tree!

The husband’s cool selfie from the highest tree and my victory pose at another tree!

The mossy trees!

Finally a group picture!

The Descent
At 9AM, we were ready to go down. We only had 1 guide to the summit so it’s a must to stay together. I ushered Ryan to go before me but he was still doing something so I left Ryan in Pong’s care. The other’s were in a hurry ’cause we were way out of schedule already. In the itinerary, we should be back at the camp by 9AM. As we were leaving, John noticed a weird path. We literally had to crawl under a tree trunk. He asked if it was the right path but I just remembered a lot of crawling so I said yes. Turns out, it was a short cut. Haha! With that confusion in mind, I focused on keeping up with the rest of the group in order not to cut the line.

After 15 minutes of walking, I caught up with the others. After seeing Cods, I asked him if he can still see Pong. He answered that Ryan and Pong were still busy taking pictures so he went ahead. That irk me somehow so I asked the group to stop. We waited for a while and then everyone got impatient. I was thinking of the worst. After a while Rocco went back to look for Pong and Ryan.

The group was divided. We were already running out of time. Then the husband mentioned that he had a GPS tracker and with that he can lead the group back to camp. I was hesitant to let him go but I had no choice. I didn’t want to leave without Ryan and Pong too. It was a hard choice. Analyn decided to stay too.

I was afraid but I didn’t want my fear to cloud my judgment so instead of losing my temper, I silently prayed to keep both groups safe. I forgot to pray for Analyn and I. Haha! When it was silent, Analyn and I took a selfie. I just wanted not to think of anything bad. I told Analyn that we must timed our wait. If after 15 minutes, Rocco wouldn’t come back, we wouldn’t have a choice but to catch up with the others.

But thanks God, we didn’t wait too long. Relief washed over me when I saw Rocco. And once again, I lost the energy to nag. When I looked at Ryan, he seemed a little scared, but of course, I didn’t say anything again. I forgot if that was the time he said that who would want to be lost. Haha! All I could think was how grateful I am they were found.

When we started walking, Pong explained what happened. Turns out, Ryan was not the cause this time. Pong owned it but since Ryan’s lost moment was still a hot issue the day before, most focused on Ryan and his tendencies for adventure.

After a while we caught with the rest of the group. I was surprised for keeping up with them that fast. I asked Ryan to go forward to the head group. Analyn, Pong and I stayed at the tail. We spent the rest of the descent talking about life and love. LOL

My very minimal pic going down and the brunch!

Breaking Camp
Despite the setback of another lost moment, we arrived at the camp around 1030AM. But since we just had a light breakfast, we decided to eat before going down. Over the meal, I asked them why we caught up with them so fast. There was some hesitation. I forgot who that was who told me the full re-cap.

The husband had an accident but good thing it was only minor. There was a pointed branch that could have cut his side if he was big. The stress might have gotten to me at that point because I snapped and nagged at the husband for being careless. People were defending him but I, like always, never listened. There was some pause then everyone got busy breaking up camp. Now I realized why they were having 2nd thoughts of telling me in the first place. Haha! We were on our way down at 12PM, 1.5 hours late in the itinerary with stress thoughts of not being able to have time to enjoy the falls that we decided to miss the day before.

Breaking camp in progress!

And of course, our mission continues! We asked the guide if we could post it here though.

The adventurers!

Stay tuned for Day 2 Part 2 – the descent back to jump-off. The adventures and mis-adventures continued while the drama thickens. People got bitten by bees. I, for the first time, lowered my defenses and had an “explosive” slide which earned the husband my ire and pushed me to be on the head group which led me to decide to stop at Nomad Falls. Some saw snakes. And finally, the longer stop at Ulan-Ulan falls and the epic journey to Sambawan.😀 I just wanted a post for day 2 but a lot of things happened worthy of note.😀

While waiting, feel free to guess what happened next. Haha! Did Ryan got lost again? What do you think the husband did to have earned my wrath? Who were bitten by bees? Who were able to see snakes? What’s more beautiful Nomads or Ulan-Ulan Falls? What makes our Sambawan journey epic? Oh well…anything can happen.

Tres Marias Series:
Day 1
Day 2 – Part 1
Day 2 – Part 2
Day 3

We left the camp in a hurry at 12 PM. 2 hours late for our target. As I was walking away focusing on catching up with the others, I hear Tin shrieked. She was bitten by bees. I asked if she was good, she answered that it was just minor. John who walked behind her was luckily spared. Not long after, I caught up with Liz and Gamz. John & Tin who were behind me said July was behind them so I decided to stop. On a trek, I am most comfortable walking ahead of the husband.

Going down was slippery. I was extra careful but then it happened. For the first time, I lost balance and slipped. The husband was quick to notice and instead of supportive like usual, he was mocking me. Liz joined in. It went on for a while. I tried to fight back but they won’t budge.

Group picture! I was still in good spirits by then. Bottom left picture was taken after I slipped.

Things happened so fast that the next thing I remembered was hitting the husband with my trekking pole. I was as surprised as he was for what I did. I was sorry but I felt he deserved my ire. I then went ahead to get away from him determined to keep my angst alive. Then everything started to turn bad in my eyes. I lost the energy to capture moments or lend people my high spirits.

When we stopped at the last water source, there was a commotion. It was only then that I noticed Charina’s face. Her eyes was swollen. As the others went ahead, the husband offered her antihistamine. Charina, like Tin, was also bitten by bees and she got an allergic reaction to it. I wanted to go ahead but I had to make sure she’s OK. I didn’t want to talk to the husband but that time I had no choice.

Charina stop!

After Charina & Ricco went ahead, I continued my indifference to the husband which was now repentant. When the group stopped at our lunch area, I decided to flee from the husband. I didn’t feel like resting too. The trail starting from the lunch stop started to get harsh. It was a different feeling trekking at the head. I had the chance to take pictures in the front.

The action at the head of the group.

Nomad Falls
When we passed Nomad Falls, Almera asked if we could drop by. I was hesitant but Ryan (the guide) assured that we still have time. Because we were in a hurry the day before I have totally missed seeing the falls. It would have been a pity if we missed it a 2nd time.

As I was readying to go, I didn’t noticed the husband keeping up with me. When we arrived near the falls, Gamz and Almera had their picture taken. After taking their picture, the husband said he would take my picture. I hesitated. He’s really persistent. I wanted to stay mad and ignore him but who could stay mad at someone so kind and understanding? He should have gone mad after I hit him with the pole but instead of being angry at me being angry, he understood my immaturity.

After Nomad Falls, I was back to my normal self. I wanted to hug & say sorry but I was still mad for his mocking. I didn’t want to forget about it just because he was regretful. While we bathe at Nomad Falls, the others went ahead.

Hello Nomad Falls! Almera was quick to check the falls as soon as we stop!

The stop right before Nomad Falls!

Hello Nomad Falls! And yes, I swam!

Recoletos and Ulan2 Falls
We reunited with everyone at Ulan2 Falls. Since we were the last, we decided to stop by at Recoletos for picture. Ulan2 Falls was just below Recoletos. I was already OK with the husband but still uneasy with Liz. What she did may seem normal but I have always hated it when people mocked me. Sometimes I fight back but most of the time, its just plain annoying. I understood that people are normally tactless and don’t care much about other people’s sentiments but I don’t want to have myself subjected to that kind of toxic feeling. Like whenever someone calls me fat, it hurts because I don’t understand why they have to rub it in my face. I’m not even that fat. I have a healthy weight. I exercise and I love my curves. Magnifying the insecurity of others is not my game and I expect people to do the same. Sadly most of the time, people are just harsh. And if they are harsh, I need to be harsher.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke

I believe what happened was an attack and I don’t enjoy it. People should stop noticing the bad in others. They should focus on themselves instead. I’m not perfect but I’m working hard to improve myself. I don’t criticize people. I don’t speak ill about them but if I did, I’m sure that was just mere retaliation.

Because I wasn’t myself in Ulan2, I tried to stay away from everyone. It was a good decision because after a while they were joking around. Making people look stupid while laughing about it as a group is not my cup of tea. I seek to empower not belittle.

Recoletos and Ulan2x Falls! I don’t have much pictures since I’m still not feeling good.

Back to the Harbor
We were told to be back at the jump-off at 4PM. While walking, I had the chance to confront the husband about what happened. After clearing everything with him, I decided that was enough. That I had to let go of whatever that was I’m keeping. Besides Liz was just an accessory.

Our rides were waiting when we arrived at the jump-off. But instead of riding in 2s, we had to do it in 3s. Pong rode with us. After 5 minutes in transit, the roof of the motorcycle was squeaking. Because our bags were heavy, the roof threatened to give in. Pong and the husband had to use their hands as support. The driver decided to stopped. Pong carried his bag while the husband’s bag was put at the front. As we continue our ride, the roof was squeaking still with only my bag but not so much anymore.

Bye bye Uan2x!

Off to Sambawan
While waiting for our ride to Sambawan, we decided to just have our dinner at the harbor instead. It drizzled while we were eating but instead of transferring, we took out our umbrellas and continued eating. Haha! After a while our ride arrived.

Dinner at the harbor!

It was an open boat with no roof. Everyone was just as surprised as I was. Someone asked Ryan (the guide) if that was our boat and thought that he was joking when he said that it was. People had hesitations whether the 18 of us would fit. I had too but as always, I didn’t let my fear influence everyone. Besides, it was already late to get another boat. I trusted Ryan’s word.

Our ride to Sambawan! It looks scary right?

Fighting Fear with Gaming
After eating, we decided to go. As I waved goodbye to Cha and Ricco, I uttered a silent prayer to keep both of us safe. The weather was not so good and from what I heard, the waves in Sambawan could become merciless at times. When the boat finally moved, Almera reminded us to pray. I forgot if it was me or Analyn who led the prayer. After the prayer, we played games. There were a lot of suggestions but we ended playing “3-6-9”. A lot of games followed after. It was thanks to the games we were a bit distracted.

The ride took almost 2 hours. It felt so long. I think it was my first time to ride a boat at night. It was scary. The dark night and the big waves were recipes of disaster for me. I felt like I was in some kind of shark or horror movie. When the waves got a little too much, I decided to stop playing and focus on the surroundings. I prayed too. And just like always, when I’m afraid, I tend to think of the worst. Then I saw some light at a distance. Relief washed over me when someone announced that we were almost there.

Hello Sambawan
The fear of the ride must have taken a toll. I was both super hungry and super sleepy. After pitching our tent, I wanted to curl up and sleep right away but everyone seems to be in high spirits. The husband suggested that maybe the sea will take my stress away.

Thanks God I listened to the husband. The sea was indeed rejuvenating. The others who didn’t swim prepared soup and noodles. It was enough to regain back my energy. After eating, the husband suggested we played “Thumbs Up”. It was a stupid game and I sucked big time. Haha! When I lost, that was my cue to exit. My entire body was screaming in pain too. Sundays after a long trek is just the worst for me. I, of course, wasn’t able to sleep right away. They were noisy and I didn’t want to miss out on anything too. Haha!

The countable pictures I had. Last pic was taken at 12:30 AM. They must have slept around 1 or 1:30AM.

Oh well! Writing part 2 was not what I thought. It’s supposed to be cheesy and more dramatic. LOL Anyway, I must have been just excited to finally finish this part so that I could show just how beautiful Sambawan is. Next!!! And no more drama and pole beating this time. LOLssss! Day 3 is just pure awesomeness. We even went on a surprise detour to 2 spots. Weeeeee! And sorry for being a little bit emotional. Now you know how I hate mocking. You mustn’t push my button next time. Huhu! I was actually sad I didn’t have more pics on the 2nd part. I have a hard time remembering too.😦 I was also regretful because of my bad mood, I didn’t have time to cam-whore at Ulan2x Falls. Hayst!

Tres Marias Series:
Day 1
Day 2 – Part 1
Day 2 – Part 2
Day 3

The hype of Sambawan wasn’t just a hype, it’s real. It’s the sort of beauty that even a photograph cannot do justice. It’s a paradise that I don’t mind waking up to every single day. The island is peculiarly shaped but since I was rather unadventourous that morning I’ve only visited the main viewpoint. The husband however went to the other end. Ryan, our guide urged us to visit the opposite end. I think  no one went. Next time I really would. Gotta come back and stay for more than a night.

4 of the picture-perfect views of Sambawan! The husband’s view is overlooking to where we camp. Liz’s in orange is facing the other end of the island where I didn’t go. My view is to the sea. The last pic w/ Analyn is the cogon-covered path way to the view point.

Day 3
We agreed to wake up at 4 AM but when my alarm sounded, it was still too dark. I noticed that I was sweating so I opened our tent to welcome the morning breeze. After I did so, the cold air put me back to sleep. I woke up just in time for the orangey glow of sunrise. I then called on the others so that we could go together.

The camp site early in the morning.

Early morning views.

To my surprise, the view point is just very near. Ryan told me it was a short trek but I didn’t think it was that short. Haha! There was even a stairs on the way up.

Pictures on the way to the view point.

And of course, Sambawan didn’t disappoint. From the view point, you could see the entire island shaped like a C. The husband said it is a snake shaped island so instead of Sambawan, it would have been better if it was called the Snake Island. But of course, I disagree. An island named after a beast I loathe wouldn’t be a must for me. Haha! I would think that it’s named such because snakes are abundant in them. Lol

I went back ahead of the husband as he wanted to explore the other end of the island. I wanted too as well but I worried that if I stayed too long, we wouldn’t be able to achieved leaving the island as planned.

The husband’s attempt to pose! This is so rareeeeee before but nowadays, it just amazed me how he makes an effort to pose for pictures now. He has changed indeed. And I love that change.

Pictures of the husband’s buddies in exploring the other end of the islands.

When I went back, we started cooking breakfast. Since we had tons of foods left, we had a feast. We had dilis, spam, corned beef and eggs. While we were cooking, the others were breaking up the camp. Over our cooking busyness, we played a game of “Kuan”. Gamz who went in late didn’t get the joke right away. She had the most “Kuan” counts. As for me who’s normally talkative and talk fast had to tone down my speech. I didn’t want to have any “Kuan” count. Haha!

Breakfast time!!!

After breakfast, we gathered up our things and arranged it to the boat. We left just in time. On the way, as promised Ryan took us to 2 spots. The first was a cave. We just caught a glimpsed of it though so everyone wasn’t that hyped. The 2nd was Dalutan Resort. We paid an extra Php20 for entrance but it’s worth it. Some had the time to swim and the others just enjoyed a brief time’s up from the unforgiving heat of our open boat.

Photo ops before we left the island of dreams!

Our partner of adventure – our open boat and some views along the way!

We were supposed to have lunch back at the harbor but as we were not famished yet, we decided to just went to the terminal directly. We declined Ryan’s offer to change at his house. Since all of us wouldn’t fit in at a single van, Liz, Pong, the husband and me rode together at the next van. We were in Ormoc by 4 PM. After a sumptuous meal of lechon, we waited for our ride back to Cebu. =) At 8 PM, we were home. It was time to say goodbye to the new faces who have been our companions for the last 3 days. All we have were pics and a life time of memories that would be cherished forever.

This is the last post of the Tres Marias series but I’m planning to post some realizations and other tips blog soon. Hang in there friends. Hope you had fun reading as much as I had fun writing while re-visiting the lovely memories that we had on this adventure. The husband and I would be on a hiatus this July and August as we will be preparing for our 11-day trip to Southeast Asia come August 20-September 1. We were quite excited as that trip would be our 2nd trip abroad following our Anniversary trip in Hong Kong & Macau last March. Wish us luck friends!!! Till the next post!

Tres Marias Series:
Day 1
Day 2 – Part 1
Day 2 – Part 2
Day 3

Thank you for reading and I’d love to hear from you. Comment away!!!

25 days to go before IndoChina! Wew! I’m feeling the pressure of both excitement and fear. We just had our 1st International trip in Hongkong and Macau last March but this would be our longest travel EVER. Just thinking of what to pack inside a carry in luggage is crazy.

I might have underestimated it a little because I didn’t get a check-in baggage to the husband’s surprise. Haha! Oh well, we’ve always been unconventional, this trip wouldn’t be any different.

Where We Plan To Go

As a researcher and crazy as I am, I have prepared an option of 6 itineraries but even that weren’t enough ’cause we settle with the 7th. Lol There’s just soooo mannnyyy things that I wanted to do. Good thing I had a reality checker. Hello husband!😀

So where do we go? We’ll start in Siem Reap, Cambodia to visit the infamous Wats. We really don’t mind that it’s super popular just as long as we see it up close. Then leave on an overnight bus to do a city tour in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Our 4th night would be in Saigon or HCMC, Vietnam. From Saigon, that’s where most of our issues lie.

We just settled the final decision last week but I got so swamped I didn’t had the time to continue booking accommodations. Hopefully, I can continue this week.

Instead of going to Hanoi from Saigon via train then Hanoi to Luang Prabang which would cost us 36 hours for each leg, we opt to go back to Phnom Penh, arrive early at night, find a place to crash and ride the early bus to Ventiane. Do an overnight stay in Ventiane and then Vang Vieng – the land of my dreams!!! Haha! It’s brightside‘s fault why I really wanted to go. Weekend in Vang Vieng is a page in my dream book. I don’t want to miss it ever.😀

After Vang Vieng, we will ride the bus again to Udonthani, Thailand. Why Udon? Because it has direct access to Vang Vieng. I don’t wanna go back to Ventiane anymore. Since we will be stopping by at Udon, might as well spend a night there. The last stop is Bangkok and it’s the longest too. We both agreed it that way since after jumping from city to city, we need to recuperate before going back home.

Our itineraries will need some final touches. Can’t wait for the weekend to do that. But I do hope I’ll have time before the weekend though. Yay! IndoChina here we come!!! Weeeee!