“I feel the earth move under my
feet, I feel the sky tumbling down”, the lyrics of Carole King popping in my
ears as I, together with the Third Party Risk Management team, am on my way to
Inflatable Island Philippines. We all boarded the van, some are asleep, and
some are chit-chatting, while me, I am just on my earphones acting nonchalant.
I am trying to hide the excitement within me, my heart pounded wildly as we
entered SCTEX. The lyrics of Carole King’s song is explaining it though hahaha!
We arrived past 10am. Quite late for our 2-hour pass which is supposed to start at 10am until 12nn. It took a
while for us to settle down and change, leaving us only 30 minutes to enjoy the
Inflatable Island. And I tell you, it was the wildest 30 minutes of my life! After
the briefing, we donned our life vests and went straight to the fun! It was a
struggle upon entering the island. The flooring is slippery and wobbly so it
was very difficult to balance. I stumbled and fell into the water a number of
times. There were 14 obstacles all in all but given that we were already late,
we just tried 2 out of 14, the Giant Tarzan Swing & Slide and Jumping Pillow
(the complete list and map is below). My apologies for the very few photos
taken on the island, as what heywatermelon girl said in her blog, “It is when
you lose your focus on taking pictures that you know you are having pure
happiness”, this is genuinely true and I couldn’t agree more – check her out
here.
Photo from http://www.theinflatableisland.com/
Aside from the playground and the Bali inspired cabanas, there
are these trendy floaties by the shore. We took the opportunity to pose and shoot
some Instagram worthy photos. No need for words on these shots I suppose,
*wink.
As the sun started to set, we took
some shots, packed up and left. It was indeed a fun weekend. You know as well
as they say, time wasted at the beach is time well spent. All the stumbling and
falling were all worth it. What's important is that we rise after we fall.
Meet our non-human companion - Joon Jae.
Special thanks to the Third Party Risk Management team Manila for the invite! It’s not very often that you feel you belong to a group instantly, and I felt that sense of belongingness with you guys (cheesy but true hahahaha!).
It was a bit of a surprise when I didn’t include Buena Familia in my annual routine blog, People of My Year (2016). Yes, they were very significant in my 2016 and yes, they’ve been one of the group of people who gave it soul. Originally, I intended to include them in my annual list but I came to think it through, Buena Familia is so special and dear to me to be just included in a list.
So here’s the reason. This year, is our 2nd anniversary. We all met summer time of 2015 on a great escapade to Cagbalete Island, Quezon Province. I never expected that trip to be so worth remembering until today, 2 years later.
Who are we?
Buena Familia is a group of 5. Yet again I say, we share one common denominator - The Love for Travel.
•Mami (or Mommy) Tina – the matriarch of the group. She is the girl who looks after everyone else and makes sure no one goes past the line of good, clean fun. Mami Tina is a great adventure partner because she supports us wherever we want to go but will definitely warn me if, say, the mountain I want to trek up is too much for my asthma.
•JB – I put him next to Mami as he is her favorite son. We don’t take it against him right Mei? Hahaha! He is undoubtedly kind-hearted and well grounded. JB’s a bit of an introvert, but I am at times surprised at how much insight he can offer. And since he is an introvert, he too, is low maintenance. JB is the perfect companion for chill adventures like road trips and late night bonfires.
•Ray-Ray – the group’s “Ate” or big sister. What’s special about Ray2 is that, even if we don’t see her too often, she makes sure that we are loved by her. I miss you Ray!
•Mei-Mei – But of course! The spear header! He has a knack for finding places and generally not getting lost. No wonder he has tons of public relation skills. He is a kind of companion who would probably find the best route to our destinations, leaving us more time to actually enjoy where we're going.
•And then, there’s ME, Lil. I am more of the - you-live-only-once (YOLO) friend. I am game to do all high-adrenaline activities, seek out the secret hideouts, and try the most bizarre delicacies despite the fact that I have the most irritable tummy patterns hahaha! It is just because, I really want each adventure to be a memorable one.
We are given a lot of choices in this world. And one of those is the freedom to choose your friends. Not just friends, but great travel companions. An adventure isn't complete wihout them, Buena Familia, my favorite people in the world! With them I found the perfect travel and adventure buddies. #travelgoals #friendshipgoals
The Buena Familia (minus the boys), travels to the Northern Philippines on an epic road trip adventure covering Paoay, Laoag, Pagudpud and Vigan. We explore the best local spots in each city. We would come to find that Ilocos is one of the most unknown and best kept secret in the Philippines. We visited the famous Paoay Church which is declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the Philippine government in 1973 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the collective group of Baroque Churches of the Philippines in 1993. The Paoay sand dunes as we take a jeep a go 4x4 extreme off-roading and sand boarding in the desert. Kapurpurawan Rock formation in Burgos, Ilocos norte, Patapat Viaduct, the Blue Lagoon Hannas beach resort in Pagudpud which is known as the Boracay of the North. We also went to Vigan in Ilocos Sur to taste the best foods that this historic city has to offer.
There’s this one article I’ve
read before. Seven travels to help heal your broken heart, the title of the
article says. I cannot anymore enumerate all 7, blame it on short term memory loss,
but I remembered, one of the travels mentioned is Mountain Climbing (it’s
actually number 1 on that list). I for one is not a mountain girl. Yes, I grew
up in the mountainous town of Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur. But I never intended
to be a mountaineer. Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against it. It just
happens that, I am more of a beach person (Lil Mermaid as some of my friends
call me). Anyway, one of the odds is that, I got invited to a “fun climb” to
Mt.Talamitam on the first weekend of March 2017. I thought to myself, hey why
don’t I give it a try?
Fast forward to March 4, 2017. I
found myself in a bus bound for Nasugbu, Batangas. We registered at the jump
off point. We were a group of 12, so the locals required us to have a guide.
We then started trekking. Chin-wagging
and sharing some laughs. At first I was still ok. But after 30 mins into the
climb, I was already panting. Out of respect and shame, I still went thru the
trek with the group. Until some minutes later I felt nauseous. I sat down
grappling to that very thin oxygen up there. I heard two wheezes while
breathing, I panicked! And yes, I am asthmatic. I thought I couldn’t do it
anymore. I told the rest of the group to go ahead and I’ll just catch up. After
some cheering from the group, I got up and went on!
The climb was then smooth. It
drizzled a little but it wasn’t bothersome. We did a few more take five’s,
picture takings, water breaks, etc. The only thing on my mind at that time was
reaching the summit of Mt.Talamitam!
It was when I was at the summit
of this mountain, in awe of the beauty before me, I uttered, “This is it,
finally!” It was like love at first sight. The view up there was so incredible,
that I was not able to keep in the deluge of my emotions. I shed a tear, yes
it’s true! I loved every minute of catching my breath and carrying the heavy
load of my backpack. I didn’t care if I am dirty, sweaty, and devoid of any
make-up, which is very unlikely of me. I didn’t care how I look as long as I am
comfortable. I felt free of all worries.
Now going back to the article. Moving
on from heartbreak is never easy. Breaking away from your usual routine and
trying something new usually helps, and travel easily fulfills these
requirements. The act of traveling in itself, especially to a new place, can be
an effective balm to a broken heart. Now I understand why Mountain Climbing was
number 1 on that list. Just like the heartbroken climbers (not that I am
heartbroken as well lol) I was able to reach the summit of this mountain
and stood at the top feeling a sense of accomplishment and release. Reaching
the mountaintop can somehow give that measure of confidence that if you can
climb a mountain, perhaps you can also survive a broken heart.
Plus, the trail, especially as
difficult as Mt. Talamitam, demands your full attention. For the several hours
during your climb and descent at least, your misery and woes will be pushed to
the backseat as you face the beauty and danger of the mountain.
This climb to Mt.Talamitam is my
first and legit climb. Somehow at the end of it all, I can now tell myself that
I did something that is way out of my comfort zone and yeah, I did something worthwhile.
If you ask me, will it be my last? The answer is NO! Am I up for another climb?
Hell YES! ;)
Here are some photos taken by me
and other members of the group. May these shots show that our climb was truly
TalamitAMAZING!
Team "Fun Climb" at the summit of Mt.Talamitam
Photo Credits: Tey
Photo Credits: Jams
Of course! How could I forget? Special shoutout to our organizer, Sir Jams!
“El Nido is known as the
Philippines’ last frontier, and if you’re looking for magnificent beaches in an
unspoiled setting, it’s a perfect place for you to vacation.” – Tripadvisor
Palawan holds a very special
place in my heart. The place made a lasting impression on me. It is still my
most favorite of favorites until now. I even repeatedly tell my friends, “If I
ever go missing one day, this is where you can find me”.
My friends and I went to Coron on
the first quarter of 2016. That trip sparked our eagerness to see El Nido to
find out what it has to offer (and which is better lol). We’re so lucky to get
to see it on the Valentines week of 2017.
You know that in El Nido, Island
Hopping Tour is as easy as choosing A, B, C and D. What you might not know is
that there is a new addition, Tour E, which includes Nacpan Beach and Mt. Taraw
which I think you can do on a DIY (that’s just me).
Everybody also knows that the
most popular tours are A and C. And no contest at all, Tour C is the best so it
is where everybody goes. The 2nd option is always Tour A which is equally good.
We’ve been to the latter on our first day and I can attest to why it is
frequented by tourists. Much to our despair though, due to unfavorable weather
conditions during our stay, the coast guard restricted the other tours
including Tour C.
Tour A is packed with
breathtaking lagoons. Our first stop is the Small Lagoon. The water is
naturally turquoise. We swam our way to a narrow entrance, and got stoked while
inside the Small Lagoon. There are a lot of territorial fishes in the area though,
its natural defense mechanism against predators is to attack and bite them. By predators,
that would mean us, they see us as such so beware of them. Some of my friends
got bitten by territorial fishes. But nothing so serious, yes it can startle
you but it’s not life threatening.
Attempted to do the "circle of friends" pose, but failed lol!
We headed to Shimizu Island for
lunch. Aside from minor snorkeling and basking in the sun, there’s nothing so
special about this island. But the view you get from crystal clear water and the jagged limestone
cliffs around is extremely unforgettable. It’s even a great way to stare at
them while having your lunch.
Secret Lagoon is our next stop. The
waves were challenging! We stopped at the end of some huge rocks then I asked,
where are we heading? Then I finally realized what we were about to do next. We
passed through a hole until we were inside, and witnessed an enclosed lagoon.
The Big Lagoon is my personal favorite! The entrance towards
the big lagoon was just so surreal and magical that I literally cried. It feels
like we’re entering a different realm. It was so beautiful! I’ll let the
pictures do the talking now hahahaha! #blabbermouth
Our final stop is the Seven Commando Beach. Unlike Shimizu Island,
the sand in Seven Commando beach is so fine. It is comparable to the sand in
Calaguas, but of darker shade. With its white beach, clear water plus limestone
cliffs, it will really satisfy your every craving for relaxation in an island
paradise. It is the nearest island to El Nido town, which is why this is the last
island to explore. We waited for the sun to set, then head back to town to wrap
up our tour.
Our day 2 is supposed to be spent
for Tour C, but as I’ve said earlier, it is restricted because of the weather.
Safety first. Since we were already there, we just resorted to do spontaneous sidetrip
to Nacpan and experience the zipline at the Las Cabanas Resort while waiting
for the sunset by the beach.
Surprisingly, the view at Nacpan Beach did not disappoint us. This side of El Nido is like a breath of fresh
air. It is the other side of El Nido which will make you realize that the place
is diverse and multi-faceted. The water in Nacpan beach is in this weird
fluorescent blue that it literally looks like the exit to the Gatorade factory!
The landscape is incredible. One downside though, because Nacpan is still untouched,
you’re just limited to sunbathing and swimming. Be careful still. The waves are
somewhat tricky, I consider myself as a good swimmer, but I almost drowned.
Thanks to Odette and JB for saving my life! I’m ok guys, no worries ;)
We ended our day by gearing up on
a little trek and zipline. I have a minor fear of heights (with emphasis on the
minor lol), but it didn’t stop me. I fed my hunger for adrenaline rush by
experiencing the zipline. Which I did not regret, coz the view from the top is
just so --- (insert adjective here). #noragrets
We capped it all off by chillaxing by the beach at Las Cabanas Resort while waiting for the sunset. Ordered some drinks and took a
timelapse video (as shown below). It wouldn’t be a perfect island experience
without a perfect sunset and El Nido has a lot of them. I’ve witnessed a number
of sunsets, but each is unique making it worth capturing.
Our trip to El Nido was not so
perfect. All of us experienced excruciating stomach pain that made some of us
missed day 2 and stayed at the hotel, the cause is still unknown up to now. But
in general, the trip is one for the books! I want to end this on a positive
note, coz despite all these inconveniences of El Nido, the beauty of this place
makes it all worth it!
Here’s the sunset timelapse video
that I took on our last day in El Nido.
