..Sa Bansang PALAWAN...Part 1

Reported from my mass email to friends

Sent: Tuesday, 1 September, 2009 10:00:00 PM
Subject: .. palawan is great!!

Day 1: August 27, 2009

... we are back from a long weekend in palawan..

.. it was really really fun.. sarap ng twanan.. (si lani ba nman ksama) at mga food grabe... the place is also really fascinating.... they have the cathedral, smoky mountain, fruits and vegetable section inside the underground river! IT'S A MUST TO SEE..

.. the first day was kinda exciting...we arrived at almost 10 am.. our plane was delayed in departure ksi may traffic sa runway.. so it took us more time to depart NAIA Terminal 2.. when we got there umaambon lang.. as in mahinang ambon.. we checked in .. bihis then we are off for our honda bay tour.. we take 2 trycle to take us to the port.. sta lourdes wharf... at habang binabagtas namin ang daan.. palakas ng palakas ang ulan!! joanne, me, and toto are in one tryc at nattwa nlang kami ni joanne ksi medyo nabbasa na kami sa loob.. papunta palng kami ng port nun ha..hindi pa kami nakkapag island hoping eh medyo mababasa na kami..one good things nka pang swimming ready na kami lahat... at medyo me kalayuan pla!! according to kuya gerry of pagdayon house, the guy who pick us up from the airpot.. palawan's town proper is just small. around 2.5 kms. lang.. kaya pla when we went to honda bay eh prang umaalis na kami sa BANSANG PALAWAN.. later you will know why BANSANG PALAWAN..

.. when we got to the port.. pay ng tourism fee (P10.00), bangka (P 1600) at snorkeling gear (P100.00)... di ko tlga pinlagpas..

... the trip to the islands was also exciting.. hindi masyadong maalon at occassionaly eh may splashingss.. gutom na gutom na pla kami nun.. yun ang exciting part.. kung saang isla kami dadaong at kakain...gsto na namin kainin ang kfc na baon namin.. yessss... me dla kaming kfc bucket chicken with rice from manila to palawan.. sabi namin sa snake islang nlang ksi free dun.. so we are off to the snake island.. named as such not becoz of abundance of snakes in the island.. but because of the shape daw is prang snake from a birds eyeview.. we pass cowrie island, bat island, pandan island, then sabi ni lani ang layo pla!! gutom na tlga.. hehehe... it was raining so you can see from afar yung mga changes in the layers of temperature in the air.. as the boat man point to us the snake island.. sabi ko pag lagpas namin sa smoky boundaries ng dagat ibang demensions na!! hahahah.. akala nmin after the pandan islang eh yun na.. di pa pla!!

.. well we got there safe and sound and nag hanap na si manong ng cottage namin.. ayun mega set up na ng food and i am off na tino tour ni manong sa tindhan dun telling me ano ano mabibili.. bumili lang ako ng paper plates at galit-galit na.. wla pa nga kming soda eh mega eat na kami.. gutom na tlga kami.. that was past 12 na.. ayun nung medyo nakakain na kami eh bumili na si joy at dianna ng soda... sina jaq, lani, joy eh ng shopping na agad sa island ng pearls.. inaawat ko lang ksi mdami pa sa palengke nun..

... malamig dun ha...basa na ksi kami ng ulan.. ng snorkeling kami at naku!! ako ay injury!!

....me, joanne, & lani... mainit nman yung water so enjoy.. our boat man assisted us at orient us nadin.. meron kming bread to feed the fish...maraming fish... masarap i pesa, prito at pangat!! ...  hindi pa man kami nakaka ilang minutes.... i was screaming na "aray.. aray...makati.."  so i looked under the water.. ang i saw something... i was saying... " yung ano.. yung churva sa spongebob!!" ahahhaha!!! hindi nman nakita nila lani at joanne at di nila ako npansin sa pag sisigaw ko!  ksi busy sila sa mga fishes under the water.. so hindi ko na napansin what ever it is.. nwala nman na yung jelly fish.. so i went on.. and on.. to enjoy the fishes.. nakakatuwa ksi prang swim sila ng swim at mattakaw sila sa bread! at feeling ko eh nakaklayo na kami.. si kuya ksi na guide namin is telling us to flap our feet.. so akala ko eh nsa kabilang isla na kami!! i keep on looking at our cottage at andun pa rin kami!! prang malayo na nlangoy namin with the fishes!! it was really fun seing all those fishes.. ayun.. after ng marami ng nainom na sea water ni lani sabi nya tama na daw ahon na kami.. so Ok nman at ubos na din bread na dala namin...
.. umahon na kami... at eto na ang aking injury.... when i look at my arm na na-churva nung friend ni spongebob... namumula na.. at may pantal na isa isang lumilitaw.. pinakita ko ke lani at ayun.. hinila ako at mega sinabi na kay kuyang boatman.. i told them sa sinisigaw ko kanina na makati at yung churva sa spongebob eh hindi nila ako narinig... so mega sabi ni lani venigar daw.. sabi nman ng boatman eh hot water lang sa towel at i press ko lang over my arm.. hindi nman daw poisonous yung what sting me.. mwwla din daw yun...marami rin hot water and nailagay ko until the feeling of itch and swelling slowly disappear.. i was scared actually.. di ko lang pnpahalata ksi bka mag freak out si lani.. i have hypersensitivity reactions at baka ma trigger because of the sting.. i used to get rash all over and its very itchy at pag medyo malala eh intra-venous tlga meds ko.. so careful tlaga ako na hindi i scratch at sundin yung sinabi ni kuya boatman.. dpat iinom ako ng gamot ko pero wla pala sa bag na dla ko.. buti nman nwla din now prang me guhit guhit nlng na mapula pero wla ng swelling..

... we left the island at past 3pm.. di na kami bumaba sa ibang island.. ng site seing nlang kmi.. we just saw the luli islang.. at iba pang islang na di namin kilala.. madaming mangroves dun sa area.. umuulan pa rin pla that time.. sila joan bumili na ng rain maker sa port! ako window shopping lang :)

... we returned to our hotel at ng shower then we are off to the palengke.. as in public market ha...dun na kami ng waldas!! lolzzz.. yun ksi ang what we look forward.. shopping time!!

... we bought pearls.. so many of it... ako tga tawad then pag ntwaran ko na bili bili na.. marami kaming nbili na mura pero meron ding mahal.. si joy mahal mga binili eh.. sosyalin talga..
.. 2 stores lang naman na raid namin.. at dun kay kuya na we bought swarovsky crystals.. binigyan nya ako ng colorful pearls bracelet.. suot ko pa din until now.. free lang yun.. madami din ksi kaming nabili with him.. i also bought dream catcher.. at bumili na din kmi ng cashew, torones, etc.. as usual tga tawad lang ako at mega bili na .. including mga daing eh tntwaran na namin..di pa nman kmi bumili.. :)
.. after namin nalibot ang palengke.. sa tiange tiange nman.. shopping pa din..malakas ang ulan.. hangang sa nwalan na ng kuryente andun pa din kami!! maaga pa ksi nun.. past 7pm lang yta.. nakakatuwa dun yung bata na nsa kabilang pwesto.. nung nwlan ng ilaw mega benentahan kami ng key chain na flash light, P20 lang nman.. sbi ko OK ka boy ah.. u seize the oppurtunity....

... we left using our flash light to find the way out and off we go to KALUI resto..

... we have a dinner reservation at 8:30pm.. at umuulan ng malakas nun... we arrived at KALUI ng 8pm, ahead of our sched.. they accomodated us nman agad.. very interesting yung resto.. made of bamboo yung structure at very homy.. comfy... amazed kmi tlga.. bawat sulok is a great background for photo op.. CR nga di namin pntwad sa picture taking!  sila nlang mag send ng pics ha.. or check nio facebook ni joy :)  or joanne.. may pics na sila.. we ordered the kalui's special, shrimps at sea food sisig.. we also triend the sinigang ni kaka ba yun?/ sinigang na tuna, with hipon with a twist in the taste.. natural sila di nila mahulaan yung twist in the taste.. ako nbasa ko na yun... they add buko juice sa sinigang nila kaya manamis namis..desert was free.. its on the house daw! great dibah!!

.. that night nag kaalaman na sino ang nsa business trip.. may presentation pa nga!! kaya pla ganun suot ni lani on our flight to palawan.. nka business attire! lolzzz..

... sa palawan yung mga frogs prang cows sa gabi.. maiingay sila as in.. u can hear frogs as if mooing at night!! sabi ng guard sa pagdayon, those are small frogs pero maiingay tlga.. i asked ksi kung ano yung maingay... akala ko cows talaga..

Day 2 next... I crop my email into 3 parts.. super haba kasi :)

My First PANAGBENGA...



 http://www.philippinecountry.com/philippine_festivals



 .. it was long before Panagbenga became one of the most anticipated Festival of the Country when I had my Panabenga moments… I was still in Baguio then way back in 1997 (College years) when I became in the midst of the Panagbenga Celebration.. I was on my way home then from Baguio when I was caught up in Session Road with these colorful clad school children with Flowery headdresses that you cannot help but to smile in admiration as you watch them Dance on the Streets to Celebrate the “Season of Blooming” – that’s Panagbenga..
.. Panagbenga is a kankanaey term for "a season of blooming." It is also known as the Baguio Flower Festival, a homage to the beautiful flowers the city is famous for as well as a celebration of Baguio's re-establishment. Since February 1995, it has been held to help Baguio forget the 1990 earthquake that distressed much of the city1.

.. Every year since my first Panagbenga, the event had evolved and had became more grand year by year.. I am indeed proud of my Second Home- Baguio City where I spent my College years and still in-love with the City of Pines until now..

.. Every year thousands of tourists and spectators (local and international) travel to Baguio to witness this Floral Event that is Comparable to the Rose Parade of the United States.

… My last Panagbenga was wayback in 2004, we went to Baguio to see the Float Parade which is normally on Sundays.. we arrived Baguio at past midnight, and drove around to find a Place to stay.. being a resident of Baguio for more than 6 years, we found an Igorot inspired Hotel Village to rest.. without any pre-arrange bookings, finding accommodations is really a pain at this time of the year… I strongly advice to made an advance booking if you consider to spend a night or two..

…  The Float Parade was in the morning, so we drove close to Session Road area to watch the Floats.. Traffic is at its worst these days – cars are parked in the middle of the streets and Session Road was already closed down to Burnham Park area. So we joined those parked in the middle of the road and walked to Session Road.. the Bratz (much younger then) are truly mesmerized by the themed floats with its colorful and unique themes that represent different organization/establishments in Baguio and Benguet… sooner as the Float Parade passed so as the traffic moves.. soon we realized the cars are now moving and we parked in the middle of the road!!! ahahhah… we rushed back to our car and just in time.. a traffic officer already confiscated car plates of those still parked in front of us.. we are actually next should we had been late for another minute....sheer luck huh??!!

The Panagbenga 2011: “The Environment and Community in Harmony.”
..The “Grand Panagbenga Street Parade” will happen on February 26 and the Grand Float Parade will be on February 27. Session Road in Bloom will start on February 28 and will end on March 6. Pony Boys day will be on March 2 and the Central North Luzon Tourism Fair will be on March 3. The Grand Closing Ceremony and Grand Fireworks Display (Flowers in the Sky) will be on March 6, 20112.

.. The parade will feature the native Ibalois Dancers; these dancers are usually made up of young and old dancing through Baguio’s main thoroughfares. One of the much awaited events in the festival is the Flower Float Festival wherein a lot of fresh flowers from the city will be used to decorate floats and will represent various organizations in Baguio City.

Baguio City is about 240 kilometers North of Manila, you can reach the City of Pines by private transport passing thru NLEX, SCTEX Tarlac Exit and  passing the Province Tarlac, Pangasinan and La Union. The trip from Manila usually takes just 5-6 hours and sometimes faster at night  due to less traffic. Several Bus Companies have daily Trips to Baguio City, Victory Liner and  Dagupan Bus service this route.

Victory Liner, (+63 2 727-4534/+63 2 833-5019 to 20) has hourly bus service to Baguio from its Monumento Main terminal in Caloocan City, Cubao and Pasay terminals. Buses are generally modern and air-conditioned but seats are sized generally for Filipinos and tall people would need to take advantage of the various stopovers to stretch their legs. Cost is just 450 Pesos per person one way (Most expensive among Aircon buses going to Baguio). A non-stop deluxe bus service is also available for 700 Pesos per person one way3.
Dagupan Bus, New York St., Cubao, Quezon City, (+632 929-6123). Also serves the Manila to Baguio route via its Cubao Terminal. Buses leave on an hourly basis...

I will see again the "Season of Blooming"... If not this weekend....i hope next year I can really go.. :)

 

..I will post our pic in 2004 next week... :) 
 References:
1http://www.philippinecountry.com/philippine_festivals/panagbenga_festival.html

2http://festivalsinthephilippines.com/2011-panagbenga-flower-festival-schedule-of-events-1316400.html

3 http://wikitravel.org/en/Baguio













.. The Hot.. The Air.... and The Balloons..

..I’ve been meaning to watched the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival for several years now.. it’s been 16 years that Clark is hosting this event yearly during the 2nd week of February. This time, with the SCTEX connecting Subic and Clark – I can easily drive my way to finally see the Hot Air Ballon Festival 2011.

..It was previously announced that 27 hot air balloons will participate in the annual event inside the Clark Economic Zone in Pampanga. The event scheduled on Feb. 10-13 to be participated by,  aside from the Philippines, the United Kingdom, United States, Japan, Hungary, Finland, Thailand, South Korea and Malaysia. General Admission Tickets is at P150.00 – very minimal so people flocked the event..

..We left home by 5am.. literally 5am – got to wake up the bratz at 4am to prepare.. it was a 45 mins. drive so we should be in Clark by 6am give and take the queue to get in the site.. as we are approaching Clark, we saw the long lines of cars bumper to bumbler patiently moving slowly to get close to the gate..whheeewwww!! 

.. we finally exited Clark South gate and wallaaahh! As soon as we turn right toward the site.. we too became one of the cars patiently moving as a snail to get closer to the event gate..we saw from our car window all the other Balloons already up in the Blue Sky..the bratz love the one with the house design with cute little characters overlooking the window.. but I am too anxious to see my fave.. Dark Vader.. (previously saw it on the  paper and was just too excited to see on my won eyes)..

 ..some balloons are already up in the air making us fascinated with its amazing designs and incredible shapes .. Vader where are you ???

..Aside from the display of a plethora of multi-colored hot air balloons, the festival also features a number of expedition events such as skydiving, flag jumps, micro-light aircraft and rocketry demonstrations, small plane fly-bys and fly-ins, remote-control airplane and helicopter flying exhibitions, freestyle aerobatics, precision maneuvers, light airplane balloon bursting, ultra-light flying formation and bomb dropping, kite-making and choreographed kite-flying, hi-start launch gliding, pylon racing, banner towing, aero-modeling symposium and races between ultra lights and motorcycles1.

.. some people already quit to move with the traffic and settle to watch the festivities by the fence.. some set up their picnic mats and chairs.. those photography enthusiast, with all their high powered lenses are all so busy taking pictures of this wonderful site up in the blue sky..

...finally saw the Vader filled up with hot air and ready for flight... as it cross the Clark Air Field.. the wind was not favorable and it didn't make it up in the air.. I was equally trilled just to see Vader and admired how these Balloonist (tama ba??) have created such awesome figures...

.. after so much of snail moving and finding a parking slot.. we made it to the entry gates by 8am.. i am guessing all these people were here long before dawn..tsk tsk.. we should left the house at midnight and just camp here to rest till morning!!

... there so many exhibits to see inside to keep you occupied and have the photo op.. but you need to make your way in the thick crowd.. trully people flocked the event... all other activities keep on and on up in the sky as the hour goes and the heat filled the Air..food stalls are all around to keep you filled up.. there are also souvineer shops..we got those paper made hot air balloon replica- now hangs on the bratz room, whenever my 1 year old niece sees it, she would say "GANDA"..some actually have to lined up for almost an hour just to buy one of those with the stick hot air balloon replica..

.. after filling up our tummy with Burger King- you need to just settle to what they have on stock.. some meal sets are no longer availabe..we headed to SM and Marquee mall for some airconditioned air..

..when we came back to the site at around 4pm.. kites filled the sky and sky divers are gliding around.. we brought in some pizza and lay down our mats and enjoyed the afternoon.. we are all set to see the "Night Glow"...

The  Night Glow was equally owesome.. the balloons lit as the evening envelop the sky... there was the most adorable Vader again.. litting up in the early evening sky.. trully magnificent.. As the Event envelopes to its final hours... the sky was filled with firewoks as the Event culminates..

... it was all worth it...spending the day to see this event.. next year.. all of you that wants to be part of this amazing festivities - be there early... better yet you may checked-in within Clark to get the glimpse of the early morning flight.. and end your day with the Night Glow..

..Clark is north of Manila, approximately one hour drive thru the Northern Luzon Express Way.. Clark used to be an American Airfield, the base of US Airforce.. These airshow is not new to Clark.. during the time of the US Airforce.. Annually they hold prestiguous Air Shows that showcases American Jets and sky demonstrations... if I remember it right- they used to hold this shows during the 4th of July....

1 http://www.clarksubicmarketing.com/news/clark_hot_air_balloon_festival.htm

Posted: 22 February 2011, 9:55 p.m. (PhilippineTime)

The AdvenTURera as YOU Know it...

.. this is like an introductory post.. my very first on this site.. so you guys get to know me - as i want to be perceived on this Blog World..


..I did try doing blogs before (now, no one can see but me- hehehe..).. This time I want this Blog to be of help to anyone.. i like writing and somehow have a good grip on it over my years of Masters and "Tambay" in the Office.. writing all sorts of reports, research papers and of course business communications... 


.. The ADVENTURERA came from my Nanay.. as mentioned in my site.. when she started seeing my travel pics - she told me Adventurera ka talaga.. parang Tatay mo.. hahahaha.. well I am my Father's DAUGHTER talaga.. the eldest of the 3 siblings.. my Tatay was travelling and had lived in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.... even on an early age.. he traveled and stayed with relatives..went to different schools.. he started during his elementary days pa.. my IDOL indeed- not only for his frugality but for his strong determination to achieve what he wants in life.. 


.. as for myself.. my Tatay Hails from the Visayas (Region VI), I have lived there in my younger years.. my Nanay Originally from Region IVA - a Chabacano speaking City met my Father in Region III - where the US Naval Base was.. I was born there and spent most of my life.. so at an early age.. I went from Central Luzon - to Visayas-back to Central Luzon- then College to Northern Luzon among the Cordilleras (CAR).. and now working in NCR (Head Office) - with Business Operation in Mindanao..I get to travel to Mindanao too... see.. I am my Father's Daughter.. I have gone all the 3 major island groups of the Country.. :) 


..on this site.. you will read my Adventures.. some for work and I maximize to do some site seeings..kahit pa ako lang mag-isa... more of a passion to visit places.. my ultimate dream is to visit Greece.. for the longest time.. I wanted to visit Greece in this lifetime..well that is before I started watching Travel Shows and reading Travel Mags.. now I have several Cities that I wanted to explore.. for now.. I enjoyed wherever my vacay from work will allow me to go :) 


... Read On.. and i hope somehow on my own little Blog.. it can help you in any way.. 


CHEERS!! 
Adventurera ... :) 


PS... BTW - the original ADVENTURERO - my Tatay now lives in San Diego, California (with my Nanay).. another Adventure for him :) being in the Land of Stars and Stipes :)