Taiwan: My 48 Hours In Taipei (Part 2)

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They say be careful of what you wish for because you just might get it, barely five hours since we have landed in Taiwan I was living the trip as I have imagined it to be.

I woke up on a local’s couch who’s kindness I could not thank them enough for and I just got to know them at a bus stop! It was about 10 am when I got up, Chiang and Ching were still sleeping since we slept just a few hours ago. But for me it was time lost I panicked a bit thinking that I wouldn’t be able to do the things I want to as I might run short of time. I took a shower left and my new found friends a message.

Chiang sketched a map to the near by metro station and just like how I imagined it I was walking through alleys and side streets discovering how locals live their daily lives.

I enjoyed walking so much I didn’t realize that I passed by the MRT station about before than five minutes away, thank God I asked around or else I would have just walked further.

Navigating The MRT

After a few minutes walking back I finally found the station. Part of the metro is a subway system where the line runs underneath and the station entrances are just on one side of the road, unlike here in Manila where even if the station is beneath the ground you’d still find the entry points on both sides of the road.

This is the first time that I am using Taipei’s MRT and it wasn’t that hard figuring out how to get in and out of the station. You can choose to buy an RF card that you can use almost every where from buying stuff from stores to buying tickets for the bus or just buy tokens from vending machines located at the stations.

It was easy to buy a token since there are price matrices at all stations just look up where you wanna go, tap on the price and the number of tickets you buy put in some money get your token as it drops off at the bin and you are ready to go!

Taipei’s MRT system is made up of several lines however, if you need to change lines you don’t have to get off the station and transfer to another you just change platforms! I know that is quite normal for some countries but coming from a developing country it means luxury for me. My own city’s MRT forces me to get out of one station ride a bus or walk a bridge and get in another station meaning you have to buy another ticket. Taiwan’s MRT system is so efficient you wouldn’t mind taking the train all the time.

Going Around Taipei

On this trip there are two things that I really wanted to do that would make me say “I really did experience Taiwan”, First would be touring around Beitou and eating out at Shihlin Night Market. I originally planned to go to Danshui on my first day but it seemed not to be feasible after I got carried away dipping at the hot springs, so I just dropped it off my list

Beitou 北投區

Bought a ticket to XinBeitou for just about $45 from where I was.  Beitou is known for its hot springs culture which dates back up to the Japanese occupation of the land which used to be known as Formosa.

As soon as I alight the train station I walked my way looking for the hot springs area after a few minutes of walking I realized that I was a bit lost! I asked around for the road where the baths are they seem to understand what I was trying to ask them but I was the one who didn’t. I asked an old couple unfortunately they didn’t speak English though they really did a good job making hand gestures to convey what they want to say I opted to verify the information (if I understood it correctly) with someone else. Luckily the kind lady spoke English and I they the couple earlier was right.

I ate lunch first at a food shop across the police station where the tables are out in the arcade of the building. It was a noodle dish quite spicy and saucy topped with fried egg. I also ordered Nai Cha

Some of the must see spots in Beitou are

1. Lung Nai Tang Hot Springs (Oldest public bath in Beitou)

2. Thermal Valley

3. Beitou Hot Springs Museum

4. Taipei Public Library

5. Ketalagan Cultural Center

6. Millennium Hot Springs

7. Plum Garden

8. Ramen Food Stop

Beitou is a good place to start with in Taipei the environment is quite relax and not jam packed with so much people you can just enjoy and walk around the lovely paved side walks of the area or dip you foot for hours at the hot spring stream at the side of the road.

After seeing the Thermal Valley  my last stop in Beitou, I spent the rest of the after noon drinking Nai Cha at a local coffee shop watching people pass  by.

I spent about one to two hours at the coffee shop relaxing and looking at the scenery and relaxed a bit as my feet were tired already from all of the walking. As the sun started to set I decided to go back to Taipei to meet with my host.

TRIP TIME CHECK: 1739HRS

To be continued.

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This post is part of my Taiwan Series

Taiwan: My 48 Hours In Taipei (Part 1)

ian dela pena 10 Comments

It was about past 5:00 PM and my pocket only has Php 1,600.00 (US $30), it wasn’t even enough to pay the travel tax at the airport.

“Bo Ruach Elohim” I whispered a prayer in the air asking for divine intervention. After a couple of minutes my prayer was answered additional funding for my trip came. God was showing his photo finish moves again! he’s really awesome!

I was able to leave the house by 6:00 PM just as I have planned. Rode a bus to the metro station and took the train to Taft Station where I bought some dried mangoes as a gift. Taking a cab was out of the question with my limited budget. So I took a jeep going to NAIA Terminal 3 where you’ll be dropped off in front of the airport parking lot where you can just walk to the terminal building.

The line at the check in counter for Taipei was running long so I fell in line before it got any longer. All I have was my backpack and camera bag with me waiting for my turn. I getting bored waiting so I stroke a conversation with the lady behind me.

Sometimes I think of what my personality really is, I could be really shy but then again brave on another minute. I guess boredom was the key. Robee (pronounced as Robbie) and I had a good conversation talking about Taiwan and what was there to expect. I admire this girl because at a very young age, when she was still 23 she ventured outside of the country to earn a living so she could provide her family a good life. She is one very brave girl . I told her that she would go places and become more successful with her attitude towards life, not afraid of going out of her comfort zone.

Robee gave me a lot of information about Taipei and how the public transportation works. She also told me about what are the things that I should be cautious of while on the road.

The Arrival

English signs are written along with Chinese characters so you’d find your way around the airport easily. But finding specific shops like the money changer got a little challenging for me, specially that the airport is being renovated.

I looked for the money changer after passing through customs. I asked around and with was directed by the airport staff to the waiting area. Not all of them speak English but they are very eager to help you.

Unfortunately the Money changer was closed and would resume operations by 10am. It tried withdrawing money from the ATM but it wouldn’t dispense an amount lower than NT $1,000.00. I didn’t want to withdraw that much because I had cash with me anyways and as you know if you have cash it flies like you never had it.

A Taiwanese couple approached me and asked me if I was having trouble changing money, the guy even offered to change some just so I could buy my bus ticket. We didn’t noticed but his girlfriend went out of her way and looked for an open Money Changer. Since she can speak Mandarin she easily found one for me.

After changing my money  I went back to the waiting area and bid goodbye to Robee. She quickly handed me a bunch of $10 coins and told me to keep it for my bus and mrt rides. We parted ways with her taking the service car from her job broker and me looking for the bus ticketing booths.

I was able to track the ticketing booths easily by following the signs. I bought a ticket from the Kuo Kuang Bus Company for $125 which will take me to the Taipei Main Station. This is one thing that I liked about their airport I don’t have to take chances with buses as they are conveniently stationed outside of the terminal.

As I boarded the bus and saw the couple that helped me I thanked them with a smile and told them that it was a “Success” (me changing money).Travel time between the airport and the Taipei City was about 1-1.5 hours since the bus took the free way and there was not much traffic as it was so early in the morning.

We all got off the bus at the end of the route, I decided to hang around the bus stop to think of my next move. The first option that was in my mind was to look for a coffee shop and kill some time there. The second option is… well I really didn’t get the chance to think about it at that time, maybe I could have just stayed at the bus stop and wait for the MRT. I felt safe at the bus stop since there was a line of taxi men waiting for passengers there.

Conversations In A Bus Stop

I don’t actually remember who started it, but I just found my self into a great conversation with the couple. I finally had a chance to introduce my self and so did they. They are Ching and Chiang a very cute couple that works as a graphic illustrator in Taipei, they are just the coolest couple I’ve ever known. I also learned that they just came back from a backpacking trip to Sagada, Banaue and Baguio.

I tried to send a SMS to my host to let him know that I have arrived in Taipei, but upon hitting the send button it failed! My phone was not working even though I had a signal. Well into the conversation they asked me where I was going to stay, I lied. I told them that I was just waiting for my host’s reply and that I don’t want to wake him up because he might have classes in the morning, but the truth was my phone was not really working. I didn’t want to hassle them that’s why I told them that.

After a while I told them that they could go ahead if they need to and I’ll just wait for my host’s reply but they insisted in staying with me. Then Ching had a crazy idea, why crazy? She offered me to stay at their house so I could rest for a while knowing that I’ll be doing a lot of walking that day. I mean who would let a stranger from another country that you just met and knew in a bus stop into their house! I told them that it was too much of them to offer me their home, but again they insisted. God bless this couple for their kind heart!

We took a taxi to their home in a nearby district, we got off at a 7-11 first where we bought some snacks and walked to their flat. Houses in Taiwan can be deceiving, their exterior are somewhat rough and kinda small yet when you get inside, the units offer huge spaces. Their house is so stylish as if it was like out of a series I watch on TV. They showed me around the house and taught me how to use the heater in case I wanted to take a hot shower.

 The couple was so kind to have the names of the places where I am going to written down in Mandarin so I could just show them to locals and they would easily understand them. Unlike in the Peoples Republic of China (P.R.C) that propagates the use of  Pinyin (a romanization system of the Chinese language) the Republic of China (R.O.C) better known as Taiwan, encourages the use of traditional Mandarin in writing. Though signs are written in Pinyin for the benefit of tourists most of R.O.C’s population still use traditional Mandarin.

Finally we called it a day after Chiang and I hd a great conversation at their balcony while smoking. Chiang fixed me a bed with their big couch at the living room, turns out that my first couchsurfing experience wasn’t because of couch surfing at all!

I couldn’t be more grateful to this couple who have let me into their homes and have help me with this travel, so I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank Ching and Chiang for being my angels in Taiwan.

TRIP TIME CHECK: 0530HRS

To be continued.

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This post is part of my Taiwan Series

The World Is My Classroom

ian dela pena 7 Comments
This is my entry to the Pinoy Travel Bloggers’ Blog Carnival for the month of March entitled “Leap of Faith: When Travelling Changed My Life” and I dedicate this to the great people that I met on my trip to Taipei in Taiwan last February 2012.
 

There are instances that a single moment changes our lives forever. I had a few of them my self that shaped who I am right now,  a traveler. But then again, it was just the start of the shift in my life.

Traveling made me open my eyes and understand that there is a bigger world out there, how different the cultures are and what beauty is, in so many different ways. So let me share to you the things that I learned over the short period of time with my solo travels that I have done to feed my soul.

Cebu

My first time to travel outside of the Luzon island on my own was in Cebu. It was actually a test for my self .  I have set my mind that if I can make it through this trip, I can make it through life. The challenge awaiting me was the mild language barrier and the indefiniteness of this trip. Nothing was set, nothing was planned except for Boljoon that is it!

I believe life is such an predictable that no one could ever plan perfectly, so maybe that is the reason why I don’t really set an itinerary for any of my trips. I wanna enjoy a place as if it is a part of me and let my feet and my heart along with whatever comes up take me to my next destination, that way I don’t get easily disappointed as well.

However unstructured the trip was a success. One may say that navigating unfamiliar territories is crazy but life it self is crazy so why not? Thanks to Cebu I learned how to live my life from now on. One step at a time.

Taiwan

Booked over a year ahead this was one leap of faith trip to start with. The flights were just two days apart, so all I have was just 48 hours to discover what Taipei has in store for me.

I was thinking that I don’t have much money and was actually fearing that it wouldn’t suffice for my trip. I was expecting the  cost of living in Taipei would be as high as if you are in Japan or in the United States. Yet still, I held on determined to execute my goal with a prayer in my pocket.

Miraculously, just like how God works in my life everyday I got additional funding after a few minutes.

Taipei 101

The myths and the stereotype of generalizing the Chinese people in my head has been broken. I learned that even if we generally call them Chinese, they still have diverse cultures within their society just like how the Philippines is so diverse.

The people I met in Taiwan the couple who adopted me when I arrived, Ching and Chiang, My Host Simon and Filipinos Robelyn and Romelyn made me re-establish my faith to humanity’s kindness. I would say that the environment that I have grew up in, made my perspective rough and my exterior tougher to survive. Living in a mega city like Manila isn’t easy you have to guard your own or else you’ll be taken advantaged. And this trip to Taiwan made me realize that the world is not that evil at all.

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Indeed the world is a class room and I look at every town, city, province and country that I go to is a subject that I learn lessons from. These are just some of the things that I have learned as I explore. As I go on and travel, I continue to let this world change my life one trip at a time.

 

This is my contribution to the “”Leap of Faith: When Travelling Changed My Life” Blog Carnival hosted by Pandelicious of Epicpotato.com for the Pinoy Travel Bloggers.

You can read the past topics by clicking the Blog Carnival logo

Top 10 Activities In Boracay

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Boracay Season, I mean summer is fast approaching! Let me share to you my Top 10 Activities that you can enjoy at the island paradise of Boracay!

1. Beach Bumming and Fruit Shakes. As the Italians would say it Dulce Far Niente! This is actually my personal favorite among the ten things that I have listed here. The truth is, the last time I was in Boracay I overspent way out of my budget for the trip because of those delicious fruit shakes that you can drink while basking underneath the Boracay Sun.

2. Biking. Most hotels have bikes that you can rent. Bike your way around the island and visit many of its hidden treaures.

3. Kite boarding. Hailed as Asia’s Kiteboarding capital, the Bulabog beach side of the island offers perfect consistent winds blowing. International competitions are held there from time to time

4. Island Hopping. Test your haggling skills and see how much you can manage to lower down your package with the manongs. Packages are offered practically every where at the beach. We got ours while some guy offered us while we were eating. I know it was kinda annoying but him disturbing us while eating actually worked to our advantage. We looked like we were not interested at first, then gave him a chance when told the price we told him that it was too much and showed our face as if we don’t care if we snorkel or not. So we told him how much we want to pay him which is much lower than what he offered then met half way from there! See a little drama helps a lot! LOLZ!

 

 

Here’s manong roselito’s number…

5. Paraw Sailing. I haven’t tried this one but it looks really cool. A Paraw is a local sail boat that harnesses the power of the wind. You can Island hop with this kind of boat as well or just roam around the waters of the island and enjoy its beauty.

 

Paraws sailing across a Boracay Sunset (Photo courtesy of Cha David-Domingo)

6. Eating. Buffet style dinning is every where specially along white beach. Indulge in a sea food feast for a reasonable price. But if you are on a budget head to D’Talipapa or D’Mall for other options.

7. Clubbing. Boracay is also known to have one of the best nightlife in the country that it seems like the island never sleeps. You can take your pick from.

8.Skim Boarding. If you are not that good of a swimmer here’s one activity that I would recommend to you. Station 1 would be the perfect area for this sport as it has the finest sand in all of white beach.

9. Helmet Diving. So you really Can’t swim!!??? no problem! even cats do helmet dives!

 

 

Helmet Diving With Friends (Photo Courtesy of Cha David-Domingo

10. Walking Along The Beach. And I am not talking about from one station to another! You should definitely try to walk from one end to another for a good 1 – 1.5 hrs (leisurely walk) and enjoy how the sand transitions from the not so fine sand at station 3 to the super powdery white sand in Station 1. This would also give you the opportunity to see and discover other attractions just right near the beach.

Enjoy the island to its fullest after all it wouldn’t be hailed as the second best beach in the world and the best in Asia if you wouldn’t get any fun at all right?

If you like this post don’t forget to Like our Facebook Page and share this with your friends! If you have other fun activities in Boracay leave us a comment below or post a picture of it in our facebook page and we’ll add it up here!

Pampanga: 17th Hot Air Balloon Festival

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With no sleep at all I rode a bus to Pasay for 5 star bus lines’ terminal. I wasn’t quite familiar of their location so I asked around. The streets and the overpass was kind of dark so this head of mine started to think about things, I wouldn’t say that I got scared, I think cautious would be more appropriate as I clutched my bag nearer.

One of our companions went ahead and took an earlier bus, but as for me and my two other friends we took a 2am bus bound to Dau. We arrived about 25 minutes shy of our appointment for our photographer passes courtesy of Digital Photographer Philippines and Chevron a.k.a. Caltex.

Early morning traffic jam

The festive atmosphere can be felt throughout the venue. Loads of vehicles trying to park for the event made traffic really heavy at that part of the Airbase.

As for us, we waited for our contact and as soon as we got our passes we wasted no time to get inside. The first booth that we noticed was the Caltex booth that reconstructed a mini gas station inside a hangar. This is also where participants submitted for Chevron’s photo contest.

Caltex Booth

We searched for the gate so we could get inside the area where the balloons were to be prepared a flown. We had to wait for a while they place the balloons in place.

LED lighted RC Planes

The Sun was quickly rising and I couldn’t let the view just pass by and not get a photograph because they still wont let us in the grounds. So I looked for a space where I could get a view of the mountain for a photograph. There were LED lighted RC planes flying around so my photo had steaks of light, looks nice but then again not the frame that I am looking for, I had no choice since they won’t stop flying those toys to entertain the general public.

Philippine Flag carried by a paraglider

At last we got in and the mighty sun was up already. The program started with the Philippine National anthem with the flag flown up in the air attached to a para-glider.

 

Soon after they participants started blowing hot air into their balloons. Hot Air Balloons are flown, at least here in the Philippines early in the morning or late in the after noon because the air is much colder during these times.

A lady pilot inflating one of the balloons

Pilots first blow cold air into the Balloons so they could expand, as soon as it is large enough hot air is then blown to make the balloons fly. The concept of these balloons are from the theory of Hot air rises faster and higher over cold air, thus making the balloons fly high.

Different kinds of balloons participated from the regular types to cute looking sunflowers and even birthday cake shaped balloons were there. It was like a child’s dreamland!

The organizers prepared a wide ranged program, from car drifting to water propelled rockets were staged after the Balloons were gone. There were a lot of booths where you could buy souvenirs and activities that you could participate including a tour in a humongous aircraft carrier of the U.S. Army.

We went out for lunch around Angeles City at Aling Lucing’s (which went tragic) then came back for the afternoon flight of the balloons

Unfortunately, they weren’t able to fly the balloons that night because of the strong winds going at the wrong direction but the organizers didn’t come unprepared, instead they showed three of the country’s biggest lanterns which closed the day’s event.

 

Top 5 Reasons Why Date A Traveler

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Reasons why you should date a traveler….

I sure am having a hard time writing this article. But don’t get me wrong! It’s not because there are no reasons at all why you should date a traveler, it is more of nah… I’m not gonna tell you all that mess! haha! But generally speaking there are a lot of advantages of dating a traveler, traits that we develop on the road.

so without further a do here’s  my

Top Reasons Why You Should Go Out With (  ME ) A Traveler.

1. We are positive thinkers.

A lot of times we get into situations, specially when travelling solo where all we can do is but to think positively and hope for the best. Situations like getting lost and having no room to stay at he middle of the night actually made us better people, hence we don’t get lost we just like exploring! But seriously this is something that I think this one of our strongest traits, we are the last ones to give up, if we ever do.

 

2. We are good in finances

Because of our love for traveling we developed this financial management skills where we learned to prioritize things. We knew how to generate funds for us to get out there on the road. This resourcefulness can be handy a lot of times when things get tight.

3. We Love Having Fun!

Travelers, if I may say are like brothers and sisters separated from birth that when we come together we just easily get along and one thing is for sure having fun is definitely like drinking water for us giving you a natural high!

4. We know how to appreciate little things.

We appreciate small things like how blue is the sky, how serene does the stream runs through or even just a little bird. I really don’t have much to say about this. We are just simple people who appreciate the world we live in.

5.Office Allergies

We’d rather stay out there on the road exploring the world and discovering new things…….. oh yeah…. so we can spend some quality time. =) Since we always like being on the road, we will most likely spend more time with our loved ones. And if your traveler hubby/wifey/gf/bf is quite generous you might be getting a little more than just hugs and kisses! A free trip! =D

These are some of a traveler’s trait that you might like. I just made it top 5 to make it cooler! LOLZ! just kidding! But seriously this is my top 5 reasons and I think this is enough for you to go out there and date some Diego or Dora the Explorer girl and start traveling. Now that makes me think, would another traveler go out with me if I ask her??? Hmmmm…. I guess that for another episode! Cheers!

This is my contribution to the “Why Shoul You Date A Traveler” Blog Carnival hosted by Pandelicious of Epicpotato.com for the Pinoy Travel Bloggers.

You can read the past topics by clicking the Blog Carnival logo

Travel Guide: Obando Fertility Festival (Sayaw Sa Obando)

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From the 17th to the 19th during the month of May Obando, Bulacan celebrate the longest feast in the Philippines, The Obando Fertility Festival or more popularly known as Sayaw sa Obando.

Formerly known as the Kasilonawan Festival, the feast in Obando is known to make miracles for those who wants to have a child or farmers that would like to have a good harvest.

People dance on the streets and ends inside the church with more dancing. I assure you, you’ll get goose bumps when you are inside the church dancing with the crowd.

Procession

The procession starts early in the morning around 7am so be there early specially on the second day of the feast, the 18th which is the feast of saint claire where most devotees dance for a child.

Here’s a video of last 2011’s procession.

Food

Throughout the surrounding of the church up to the nearby streets you can buy different kinds of Filipino food like kalamay, tamales, suman and kasoy among many others. There are also fast food chain rolling stores where you can buy food from for lunch.

How To Get To Obando

Commuting Option A. Look for the jeepnies going to Paco or Obando at the back of Victory Mall in Monumento, Caloocan.

Option B. From Monumento ride a bus to Malanday. Get off at Mercury Malanday and cross the streets walk towards the public market and get on a jeep (do not ride those jeeps going to Polo only) at the terminal in front of the market. Jeepney signs may say Paco, Obando or Bayan. Fare costs about 9pesos

Via Private Vehicle

I wouldn’t suggest bringing your car with you as parking would be a problem. And traffic would be a nightmare. People sometimes or most of the time walk from Catanghalan to the Church as roads are closed most of the time.

However if you insist. Drive through Mc Arthur Hiway going north make a turn to M.H. del Pilar st. when you get to Mercury Malanday. Go straight until you see a the polo church. turn right then turn left again on the first street to your left. Continue driving until you reach the Petron Gasoline station (you are now in Catanghalan, Obando, Bulacan) turn right and drive until you see the Obando Church to your right.

If you don’t want to hit your head in regret because you didn’t believe me that traffic is really bad, you can just go back to the Polo Church and park your car there then take a jeep to Obando.

Was this article helpful? Leave a comment below and let us know if there’s any information not here that you’d like to know! Don’t forget to like us on Facebook! 

Mt. Pinatubo: Trekking The Great Halls With 30 Wandering Souls In 1 Great Adventure

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Suddenly everyone heard a roar. Thick clouds began to rise from the mountain’s top. What seemed to be clouds turned out to be enormous amount of ash, and the biggest volcanic of the century that slowed earth’s warming happened.

The ravaging lahar destructed everything on its way, nothing escaped. Lives were forever altered. There was hopelessness.

Fast forward more than a decade after, The fields of destruction have found a new purpose and this time it brings joy.

Mount Pinatubo is about 87km (54 miles) from Manila. Together with 29 “Bagets” travelers  we ventured into the lahar country that the volcano has created. It was a riot! =)

The Journey

The plan was to leave by 3am for tarlac at Mckinley Hill in Makati but there are people like me coming from the north so we decided to split up. The southern guys met up first and picked us up on their way. We had two vans full of travelers!

Our only stop over was at a gas station along the North Luzon Expressway for breakfast and buy other necessities. After a satisfying breakfast and chatting for the first time for some of us who just met each other, we decided to go ahead and proceed to our adventure.

4×4 Adventure

 To get to the jump off point you need to hire a 4×4 truck and it was an adventure of its own already. We had to hurry up because the military was going to conduct an exercise the driver referred to as “Gunnery”.  We crossed rivers that have died down as they are all covered with large deposits of lahar. The landscape is so amazing that I had to control my self from being trigger happy (I kinda did got out of control, hence this photo heavy article =] )

The travel time was about an hour from Tarlac to the jump off point with one stop for a few minutes for photos. After some picture taking our guide called us up and continued our journey.

I would say that the drivers and the guides are awesome, they were able to answer our queries about the trek and the history of the place.

The Trek 

I was a bit intimidated when I saw where we will start the trek. We had to cross a make shift bridge to get across, and I was saying silently to my self  “okay, were just starting out and we have to cross this already?” thinking that there could be a much more difficult terrain ahead of us.

Just like in any adventure there’s always that danger factor, and for this one you would see signs reminding to keep voices low as noise may cause the mountin high walls lahar to erode.

We crossed rivers and walked through greats halls with walls made up of lahar.  The foot of the volcano from the jump off point is about 6.5 kilometers according to our guides. The guides were actually a bit strict in keeping our group together in one pack, which is quite good to prevent any accidents. What we just didn’t like is that our guide kept on ranting instead of properly advising us.

The trail can be easily trekked and you would’t notice much that you’ve walked for more than two hours as you pass by unimaginably amazing scenery.

I really don’t have much words to say just to rephrase the words amazing and beautiful so I’ll just let the photos speak for most of the part =)

I noticed while walking that the rocks where the stream is flowing at are dark and orange in color. It was because of the high sulfur content of the water, though the rocks are darkly colored the water flowing was crystal clear.

I saw Pandelicious ahead of the group. I decided to join her as the trail wasn’t so hard unlike the first one I did at mount Pundaquit.

I was really entertained with the small rapids that I see from time to time. I thought that it would be cute if I put a toy boat with some lego people on it and shoot it as it go through the stream making a short movie out of it.

THE ASSAULT 

After more than two hours of walking we arrived at the foot of the volcano. You have to understand that it took us longer because of how many times we have to stop and take a photo, It was hard not to shoot all the time!

We rested for a while to recover from the long walk, It wasn’t that hard since there were just a few uphill parts. The challenge really was maintaining your balance while walking on big rocks.

You will see a marker at the start of the uphill climb for Mt. Pinatubo it self. Well I think the statistics on the sign may be true that is if you are alone and there’s no traffic, I mean try walking uphill with 29 friends with you! hahaha I know that was fun!

After 30 minutes we reached the the summit of Mt. Pinatubo’s caldera and the view of the lake and the crater’s caldera was simply MAJESTIC!

It was lunch time so we ate first before doing any activities, well if staring at the view was a violation I am wrong then. LOL! I just couldn’t help but look at the surroundings!

Done with lunch now so we went down to the lake. While I was going down the stairs I was already thinking about going up! It was kinda high so I knew that going back up would be a challenge for me.

One thing that we were praying for was the lake’s color. For most of the time the lake has a shade of Cyan but there were instances where some of our friends found the lake’s color was black. So I thank God because the lake looked picture perfect that day.

Boat rides and Window shots

Aside from swimming in the lake you can also take a boat ride to the other side of the crater for 350.00 pesos. It’s a bit pricey for a boat ride but I say that it is all worth the pay.

The other side of the crater can be reached by foot as well via the Delta 5 trail. Named after an elite group of military people the Delta 5 trail isn’t easy at all.

The other side was beautiful! It was as if I went to another place as my perspective changed.

What amazed me most was the steam rising from the soil. I tried capturing it on a photo but it wasn’t thick enough so I took a video of it.

Of course as not be missed would be our obligatory window shot. Thanks to Brenna and Pandelicious for this photo.

We only realized that it was time to leave when the boatmen came back to fetch us. We had so much fun at that side of the lake with endless picture takings.

On our way back we included the boatmen in having fun and had them get into a race to the lake shore and they were really at it putting effort in winning the race!

 THE JOURNEY BACK 

It was time to leave the lake and bid goodbye to the mountain. It was really fun being with the “Bagets”, I’m not that young so being with this 20 year old guys really made me a bit younger.

Anyways, forward we go as we descend from the caldera. The trail looked different for me as we go back. We also noticed that the water flowing on the stream was a lot weaker now.

Thanks to our guides who always made sure that we are safe, I enjoyed my walk back to the jump off point the most. I intentionally walked slower and went off last.

It was nice to walk back and listen to music while marveling again at the majestic scenery.

In less than two hours we were back at where we left the 4×4 trucks. Every one was tired but I guess what kept me up on our way back was still the amazing view. But then again nature was not yet done in showing off its beauty. As I turn my head back I saw the clouds as red as if it was burning.

I say Mount Pinatubo didn’t meet my expectations, it exceeded it. Till we meet again glorious mountain!

 

The complete set can be found HERE & don’t forget to like Brownmantrips.com

Events: 17th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

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Clark Airfield in Pampanga again hosts the  Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival for its 17th season.

I have been wanting to go to this event for the longest time, but plans had never pushed through because of work

 

But on Saturday my eyes will feast on Balloons and more! I haven’t seen one to be honest, so I am really excited to see all of them up in the sky. And thanks to Digital Photographer Philippines and Caltex I could go up close to these giants!For those who would like to be amazed them selves with these giant lantern like, dreamy balloon you can still catch them until Sunday February 12, 2012.Tickets are available at the gates as stated on the organizer’s website. Meanwhile you can go here  to see the things you can expect to see.

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Capones Island: Home Of Zambales’ Beacon Light & How It Broke My Heart

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Capones Island. Just near shore of Pundaquit beach this Island is home to Zambales’ first lighthouse.  The island features a few beaches tucked on its sides.

Capones would be our final destination in our Nagsasa Adventure and I was really excited to take photographs of the lighthouse on top of the hill.

It was almost mid-day when we started sailing towards the island from Nagasasa Cove. The bankeros docked the boat near the lighthouse so we wouldn’t not need to hike longer up on the hill to reach the lighthouse.

While on the boat you can see the entire island and the beautiful while sand beaches it has, these are no longer lahar sand but real beach sand.

Eastern most end of Capones Island

 

From afar we could see the lighthouse sitting on top of the hill. This particular lighthouse is part of the 24 lighthouses built during Spanish time to strengthen the Galleon Trade that was between Acapulco and Manila.

Anyways, there we were nearing to dock. Then the boatmen told us that the waves were too strong and the water was too shallow so we would need to swim! All my dreams about shooting the lighthouse up closed went down the drain. Some of us thought of bringing our cameras and risking it from getting it wet.

I couldn’t even think of going into the water! I wanted my camera with me! I was thinking that it is pointless to jump into the water and see the lighthouse if I won’t be able to take photos with me when I go home. I was brokenhearted.

A closer look

I jumped into the water, without a camera leaving my dreams behind. Thus, these are the only photos I have of the island and the lighthouse. I was able to snap some on Chinchan‘s camera who bravely risked his camera onto the water.

On the brighter side, this is a good reason to come back to Pundaquit, ey!?

 

Pundaquit: Sunsets and Goodbyes

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It was late in the afternoon and the Sun was ready to retire for the day when we arrived at Pundaquit beach from our Anawangin – Nagsasa – Capones Adventure.

We were all tired yet fulfilled, Hungry without any proper lunch (again) but still excited about the sunset. I was trying to eat the left over skyflakes and tuna in oil when I noticed that Elal, a fellow photographer, what no where near me. I noticed that they sky was already burning red and I knew it! she was right there aiming her camera at the defenseless Sun who had no choice but to have her beauty captured by the lens.

 

I joined Elal as she shoots the Sun set. I was able to capture a few before it just sets though there wasn’t enough time to capture it on video.

 

The setting Sun was like a symbolic gesture as we say goodbye to Zambales.