I met Joni 3 years ago through Jeff’s friend Deej, Joni’s boyfriend. At first, we usually saw each other whenever there were surf trips and I came to know Joni as soft-spoken, intelligent and someone who I can have great conversations with. A photographer and blogger, our trips were well-documented…

Upon reading the last line in the quote above, I felt disappointed in myself. Where did the “photographer” (just a hobbyist, really) and the “blogger” in me go? Whatever happened to the “trips well-documented”?

More importantly, will I ever win my blogging mojo back?

So for the sake of looking back on my 2011 travels that I may share them here as we start the year 2012 –since I don’t really have the energy to go through and document them one by one– let me just give the summary:

Hong Kong

In January, our boss invited Deej and me to join him in a Sqwishland event in Hong Kong. Out of the three times I’ve been to Hong Kong, I consider the trip last year the best one, weather-wise! (I would say December-February is the best time to visit Hong Kong.) And of course, I will never ever get enough of Disneyland Hong Kong. <3

Cebu and Bohol

In February, I planned a trip to Cebu and Bohol for me and some friends from the office—from booking the flights and hotel, to preparing the itinerary. The new thing I did on this trip was to try out the zip line at the Loboc Ecotourism Adventure Park. My second time in Bohol and fourth in Cebu, I have once again proven the phrase “the more the merrier!”

Zambales

The only summer beach trip I went to in March last year was to Nagsasa Cove with girlfriends. I extremely enjoyed basking in the beauty of nature and bonding with friends, but I can’t say the same for our camping site which was frog-invested! Eek.

Bauan

In September, Sarj and I mustered enough courage to cross out one item from our Bucket List: becoming a certified scuba diver! Our checkout dives at Dive & Trek in Bauan, Batangas almost caused me to develop thalassophobia (I had to look up the exact term for Fear of Open Water, LOL). However, when we moved on to our “fun dives”, I realized how enjoyable and relaxing diving really is! The last 3 dives we did was, for lack of a better term, nakakakilig. It’s too bad my dive buddy is not here in the Philippines. I can’t just go on a diving trip by myself anytime I want.

Singapore

They say a trip has to be spontaneous if you want it to push through… and I couldn’t agree more! During one of our Skype chats last year, Bheng and I spontaneously booked return tickets to Singapore for October. We realized it’s been a while since the three of us spent some quality time together that we took Sarj’s invitation for us to come visit her too seriously. And of course, CebuPacific’s 50% Seat Sale only but hastened our decision.

Thoroughly enjoyed my third time in Singapore with these lovely ladies!

Korea

No doubt the best place I’ve been to last year is Seoul! Saw it in its lovely autumn state in November and felt the coldest weather I have yet to experience. Thanks to Jep and Vanny’s dedication to come up with a comprehensive itinerary, the Korea trip was a complete success. How apt would it have been if I was also into Koreanovelas or K-Pop! But the place itself is enough to make a tourist like me fall in love with it.

They say it’s lovelier there in Spring – I must go back.

Well I must give myself a pat in the back for successfully writing and finishing this post… after such a long, long time! *Crossing my fingers* that I may keep up this blogging thing. For trips this 2012, let’s see if I can get them well-documented.

Happy New Year!

Below is the entry I wrote for Palace Adventures which is really just a summary of our “ocular visit.” Just thought I’d share it in here, too. If you’re a close friend of mine, you know that there’s more to this entry than its positive, upbeat tone. LOL.

Read on!

I knew that my first time in Australia (and my first trip outside Asia!) was going to be special, but I didn’t expect it was going to be an adventure. And what an adventure it was! Australia is a very beautiful country that has a lot of surprises in store for its first-time visitors. You think the central business district is lovely? Wait ’til you see the beaches.

I was given a chance by Palace Adventures to visit the exciting places outside Brisbane. First stop: Hervey Bay.

I particularly loved how peaceful it was in Hervey Bay, a place often visited by backpackers from all over the world. We stayed at the cozy Palace Adventures dorm where we had access to pretty much whatever we needed.

A visit to Hervey Bay is incomplete without seeing the whales. And that’s what we made sure we didn’t miss: a whole afternoon spent watching and waiting for the humpback whales! These amazing marine mammals didn’t disappoint us. They kept going around our boat, bobbing up and down the water, and just strutting their stuff. Apparently, they love to do people-watching the same way we do whale-watching. It was like watching the Discovery Channel live!

Dolphins also came out to play that day (more like, steal the show).

Next stop: Fraser Island!

Outdoor camping is something I do once in a while, but my experience on Fraser Island was totally different. It was all new to me: meeting backpackers all the way from the other side of the globe, having a tour of the island aboard a 4wd, encountering a dingo, seeing bodies of water of different shapes and sizes, witnessing an actual shipwreck, and being on top of a cliff watching dolphins and whales play in the water below. And only on Fraser Island did I see stars that clear and bright!

Here are some of the tourist spots on Fraser Island we went to see:

Basin Lake

Lake Birrabeen

Champagne Pools

Eli Creek

Maheno Shipwreck

Lake Mackenzie

Now I understand why backpackers are raving about Fraser Island tours. Fraser Island backpacking is definitely an experience you won’t soon forget.

Last and final stop: The Whitsundays!

From the Brisbane domestic airport, we flew all the way to Proserpine to get to Airlie Beach. Just like Hervey Bay, Airlie Beach is also a well-known tourist destination where everything is quiet and simple. It is the place to have a relaxing vacation. Walking up and down the Main Street, having a cup of joe and freshly-baked sausage rolls at Brumby’s, enjoying free wifi at McDonald’s, bird-watching at the man-made Airlie Beach Lagoon, and strolling around town via the Bicentennial Walkway are just some of the carefree things we did. The weather is just perfect even at winter: not too hot, not too cold. After spending two days in Whitsundays, I can definitely say that it has become one of my favorite places.

For a tourist like me, it’s a must to go sailing in Whitsunday Islands, the Abel Point marina being the departure point. This is to see first-hand the lovely scenery of Australia’s Queensland coast bordered by the Great Barrier Reef. It is admirable how the natural beauty of the beaches are being preserved making the group of Whitsunday Islands a national park.

We went sailing on the beautiful sailboat called “Waltzing Matilda” and I gotta say, the Waltzing Matilda has the friendliest crew! They made our stay in the boat very comfortable. And the food prepared for us was just exquisite, I’d love to go back just to enjoy it again. We sailed from one point to another to go snorkeling or just chill out on the beach — it was great time to kick back and relax.

Spectacular view of the Whitehaven Beach

Hill Inlet

The course we took: Abel Point → Dumbell Island → Esk Island → Tongue Bay → Airlie Beach

The Whitsunday Islands tour has made me a happy tourist!

Thank you, Palace Adventures, for the tour of a lifetime!

The endangered Tarsier found in Bohol, Philippines

Squirmy Squirt in Tanjung Benoa, Bali

Ack! I almost died. 0_0

Pagasa's long-lost cousin

Monkey business in Uluwatu, Bali

Shark attack at the Siam Ocean World in Bangkok

Aboard elephant named "Tombun" in Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Tigers in Thailand make great pets!

Kangaroos in Brisbane, Australia

And... my fave picture with a koala at the Koala Sanctuary

I hope I’d have the chance to see more not-so-common animals around the world to add to my Matanglawin Chronicles.

On the plane three weeks ago, just before we landed in Bali, Indonesia, I was already at the “Love” part of the book, which is the third and final part. You have to read this excerpt:

Ah–I should have known. I should have known that I would have a 25 percent chance of guessing Mario’s real name. In Bali, if I may digress, there are only four names that the majority of the population give to their children, regardless of whether the baby is a boy or a girl. The names are Wayan (pronounced “Why-Ann”), Made (“mah-DAY”), Nyoman and Ketut. Translated, these names mean simply First, Second, Third and Fourth, and they connote birth order. If you have a fifth child, you start the name cycle all over again so that the fifth child is really known as something like: “Wayan to the Second Power.” And so forth. If you have twins, you name them in the order they came out. Because there are basically only four names in Bali (higher-caste elites have their own selection of names) it’s totally possible (indeed, quite common) that two Wayans would marry each other. And then their firstborn would be named, of course: Wayan.

After I read this, I almost laughed because, come on, it sounds ridiculous. BALINESE PEOPLE HAD ONLY 4 NAMES? ARE YOU SERIOUS?? I had to find out if this was true or not.

In the duration of our trip, I met four Balinese tour guides, and believe it or not, all four of them were named “Ketut,” which tells us that each of them is the fourth child in their respective families. I must have talked to two locals to confirm what I read in the book, and indeed it was true.

The guy on the left who let me drive a speedboat is named "Ketut". But he rather people call him "Philip Morris."

Our tour guide/driver during the Cultural Tour was also named "Ketut". This guy is so patient with us. He had to wait for us for hours because we never show up on time. Sir, our deepest apologies. We're on Filipino time.

Another "Ketut" guided us through the Belikah Temple, the biggest temple in Bali. At the end of the tour, I asked him if he had a Facebook account. He just looked at me quizzically.

"Ketut" #4, owner of a small boat and married to a Japanese woman, brought us out to sea to where the waves are. This one kept saying "Sorry, sorry, I know little English only."

I don’t know about you, but I find this fact really fascinating! It’s the first thing I tell people whenever I’m being asked about our Bali trip. These four Balinese names are not just nicknames. These are real formal names. One local even told me that it’s against the law if they don’t use these customary names on their birth certificates.

Aside from this, I also learned other OMGfacts-esque information about Bali thanks to Elizabeth Gilbert, author of “Eat, Pray, Love.” In all the places I’ve been to outside the Philippines, so far I got most interested in Bali and its people. How admirable of them to have preserved their culture this way despite the foreign influences and all the tourists roaming their little island everyday!

The newest group of Filipinos made happy by the island of Bali. Yes, we *had to* wear those sarongs otherwise they won't let us in the vicinity.

In Bali, my name would have been Nyoman, because I’m the third child in our family. What would have been yours?

The Taal Basilica was established in 1575 by the Augustinians, with San Martin de Tours as patron saint. Read what Wikipedia has to say about it. And apparently, it’s where Ogie Alcasid and Michelle van Eimeren got married in 1996. But we all know how that marriage ended.

Across the Taal Church are rows of heritage houses, also known as “Little Vigan”, because it’s second to Vigan in the quantity of heritage houses that were preserved since the Spanish Colonial Period.

You know those inscriptions hanging on the walls of churches, temples, or shrines? And those leaflets being passed around at tourist spots? I (try to) read them all. Knowing more about a place makes exploring it more real. It’s like adding colors to your imagination when you try to relive the significant events that occurred there years ago.

Our country may be tagged as one of the worst nations in the world because of our greedy political figures (and all the inhumane killings), but it’s good to be reminded that there are still beautiful things to see and experience here.

Macau

More pictures here!

Macau is just how I expected it would be. Casinos left and right, Chinese establishments all over the place, and since it’s not that far from the Philippines, I expected the place to be equally hot and humid! But I loved the experience just the same. Especially that night Deej and I walked around the place to take pictures, to loiter, and to eat. One to two days are enough to get a good grasp of Macau, in my opinion. And Sarj wasn’t kidding when she told me that everything (well, almost everything) is just walking distance. That’s how small the place is.

One of the things I like about being raised in a third world country is how easy it is for me to appreciate beautiful things and places. Show me a colorful skyline with dancing lights, a uniquely-shaped building, a mall with an artificial blue sky disguised as Venice, historical churches, or a musical water fountain display and I’d be whipping out my camera to start shooting or recording, seemingly caught in a trance. To totally enjoy the trip, it really helps for a traveler not to be uptight and ashamed to act like a tourist.

Hong Kong

More pictures here!

It was my second time in Hong Kong, but this time I didn’t get to see the tourist spots that I planned to see but instead I had the chance to find the shopping places hidden in the streets of Kowloon and Hong Kong Islands. I’m not really into shopping when I’m traveling but this is fine since I’ve already seen most of the tourist attractions in Hong Kong with Mae three months ago. Among these are: The Peak, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, the Ngong Ping 360, the largest outdoor and seated Buddha in the world, the attractions along the waterfront (Space Museum, Avenue of Stars, The Clock Tower), A Symphony of Lights, and of course, the place that has made me a happy person again, Disneyland!

After spending a total of 7 days in Hong Kong this year, I think I can say that it’s a place I can imagine myself staying in for a period of time without worrying much about being an outsider. It’s such a safe, tourist-friendly place that it’s almost heartbreaking when I’m reminded of how far behind the Philippines is compared to her neighboring countries. Then again, they don’t have our beautiful beaches which I wouldn’t trade!

Bacolod City

More pictures here!

Since two years ago, after my folks moved to Manila, I only fly back to Bacolod for special occasions (weddings, official reunions, my dad’s funeral). But the trip home last month wasn’t for anything special. It was just a long weekend and the round trip plane ticket I bought was very cheap. Plus my friends have successfully convinced me to book the flight by luring me with plans to get together. So I did! Because I’m hopelessly gullible like that. And we did have a blast at our slumber parties and reunion dinners.

I also took the chance to visit Papa’s grave for the first time since his funeral last February.  My situation reminds me of Emily in A Lot Like Love. She lives in CA but her mother’s grave is in NY. Because she lives far away, she only gets to visit the cemetery once in a while.

One thing about this that’s driving me insane is how they misprinted my dad’s name. My auntie blames the guys who made the headstone, but I don’t. Evidently, my good-for-nothing of an uncle has screwed up the name as he was the one who was placed in charge. My dad is a Jr., not a Sr.! Now there are two Pio B. Ang Sr.’s in Greenhills Chinese Cemetery. It’s soooo frustrating. I mean, how hard is it to get a name right?

Baler

More pictures here!

The trip to Baler last weekend was an interesting one, mainly because I got to know more about their history at the Museo de Baler and got to see the church where the actual Siege of Baler took place in 1898-1899. The first time I went to Baler two years ago I had no idea how rich the history of the place was, I’m glad I had another chance.

Learning about the history and culture of a particular place is something that I find very captivating. As a result, I downloaded the movie “Baler” and watched it the other night. It’s definitely a love story — a tragic one — but it pretty much showed the gist of what happened during the siege. It’s good to see Pinoy filmmakers getting into epic or period films too and not just the usual flimsy horror and tutti fruity flicks.

Hopefully the next time we go back to Baler, there will be better waves!

Last but not the least..

We celebrated Deej’s birthday this month! He turned 25 on August 25. That’s him above beside his humongous 35″ pizza from El Buono Pizza. PIZZZZZAAAAA!!!

Now that September’s here, everyone’s raving about Christmas being just around the corner. There’s something about knowing that Christmas is nearing that makes me sad, so I’m obviously not looking forward to it. Maybe it’s because it’s the first Christmas without Papa… or maybe it’s because a month after Christmas I’ll be turning a year older again… Ugh. I hate QLC.

But, despite the grief, life is still good! Goodbye, August. Hello, September. =)

The one thing I wanted to do when I go back to Cebu was try out “Skywalk Extreme” at Crown Regency Hotel and I was so happy that we were able to do that the first night! Mae led the way as she has already been there earlier this year. The P600 we paid for already included the entrance fee, one ride (choice between Skywalk and Edge Coaster), and a hearty buffet meal. Sulit!

The next day we went to Mactan Shrine (or Lapu-Lapu Shrine), Taoist Temple (for the 3rd time!!), and had dinner at Tops, a mountaintop place overlooking the whole of Cebu City.

For two nights, we stayed in Casa Escano but on the last day, we transferred to Shangri-La Mactan and sacrificed a few bucks. Riz, fortunately, has friends in high places (her mom called up her aunt who is connected to Shangri-La to ask for a free room upgrade) so for just one night, we got to pretend we’re rich by staying in Shangri-La. The truth is though, we only had cup noodles and oatmeal for dinner!

After that Skywalk experience, my next favorite is Shangri-La Mactan. The place is so beautiful! See for yourself:

The three of us obviously have not gotten tired of each other yet, because we’re now planning for our next trip. Welcome us with open arms, Hong Kong! Except you, H1N1 virus.

More Cebu pictures here, here, here, here, and here.

Here are the places I’ve been to this summer:

SINGAPORE

MALAYSIA

PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN

BAGUIO CITY

Mae and I almost decided to fly to Cagayan de Oro for Labor Day weekend. We wanted to experience the renowned whitewater rafting, and to finally set foot in Mindanao(!!!). But since May 1st is only two weeks away, round trip airfare costs P5,000 or more. Eek. Maybe next time then.

I find it fun exploring the Philippines, cos it’s one thing to be proud of your country just by sitting in a chair and watching TV — whole other thing to actually get up from your chair, go places, and witness the “beauty” first-hand. LOVE YOUR OWN!

I wish I had more trips to tourist destinations in the Philippines in the remaining days of the summer. But due to the peak season still in full swing, I shouldn’t even bother checking the airline websites. Looking forward to other trips I’ve scheduled later this year, though.

Let’s Find Some Beautiful Place To Get Lost

Was tagged by Riz to browse through my stock photos, find that one place I want to go back to this very minute, put the words, “Let’s find some beautiful place to get lost” on it, then post it up. I choose Malaysia.

I regret that I only spent less than 24 hours in this country. Checking on travel websites now, there’s obviously more to Malaysia than just Sunway Lagoon, the famous Petronas Twin Towers, and the KL Tower. I would love the chance to go back and check out other spots.

Where have you been and where are you off to this summer?

3. Forfeited if ticket is unused.
4. Non-rebookable / Non-endorsable / Non-upgradable

… I decided to take the trip by myself. For soul-searching? LOL. It wasn’t that hard finding my way in Caticlan-Boracay as I only had to go with the flow of the crowd and ask around. I kept in mind to not act like a complete ignorant tourist lest some locals take advantage of me.

I stayed at Isla Gecko Resort where Sarah reserved us a room. Their wifi service was not so good so I still had to resort to using Smart 3g to connect to the web. On my first night in Boracay, I just stayed in the hotel room because it was too dark and I didn’t know my way to the beach yet. Isla Gecko is a minute-walk to and from the beach.

The next morning, I walked to the beach, basked in the beauty of nature, and took some pictures. The white sand was nice, but as far as beaches go, I’ve seen better. I called my best friend to ask her what’s there to do in Bora, aside from clubbing and drinking (which I’m not into), and she suggested island hopping. A few minutes later, a local approached me and offered that I come with them, plus 3 other guests that are also from Manila, on an island hopping trip.

On the way to the crocodile island, the waves got bigger and the wind stronger, so the boat owner had to turn back and stop at this food establishment called Calirojan, near the Jetty port. As we waited, my companions had their lunch while I sat in one corner and ordered a Coke Light. I’ve almost finished off the contents of the can before I realized there was something wrong with the cola’s taste. I turned the can over and found out that it was past its Best Before date! I told the store owner about the expired Coke, but he was indifferent. I think he already knew about it.

The island hopping trip was an epic fail. We didn’t drop by the islands as planned but only sailed around two islands and went back to Station 1. I made a few friends, though. There’s this girl from Pasig City who’s staying in Bora for a month or maybe longer. The reason? After she had a big fight with her family, she shaved her head bald and traveled to Bora by herself. She’ll be coming back home only if her hair is long enough so her family wouldn’t suspect anything. Haha.

That night, I walked some more around Station 2 and took some more pictures. Boracay is so alive at night, it’s like a small city sitting on a beach. I was disappointed though, because everything in Bora is expensive. Even the medicine at the drug store!

I woke up the next day and had my breakfast before going to the beach again and do some nature- and people-watching. A few minutes later, a local lady, Ate Ainee, who was also with us on that “island hopping trip” saw me sitting alone and came to talk to me. All in all, I was asked six times by six different people why I was in Bora by myself. And all six of them had to rub it in my face by telling me “that Boracay is no fun if you’re with nobody.” I agree with them, but I really didn’t mind.

Anyway, back to Ate Ainee. She offered to take me on an ATV ride to the top of the mountain for only P500. Compared to the other activities in Bora, such as Parasailing, Banana Boat, Sea Tour Helmet, Jetskiing, which all cost P1300 or more, the ATV ride was cheap. With nothing else to do on the island, I agreed to go with her.

As it turns out, the ATV ride became the highlight of my trip! While everyone was tuned in to their televisions watching the DeLa Hoya-Pacquiao fight, I was driving toward the peak of Mt. Luho, the highest mountain in the island of Boracay (which was really not that high), overlooking the beaches, the sea, the golf course and meadow, and the luxury hotels. I loved the exhilarating feeling I got from driving that ATV!

After that mountaintop experience, I went back to Isla Gecko to pack my bags and head to Caticlan. My return flight with PAL was in Kalibo, Aklan since that’s the cheapest one Sarah and I could fine online two weeks ago (yep, cheaper than Cebu Pacific or Seair). The travel to Kalibo, aboard an L300, took more or less 90 minutes.

By 7:00pm of Sunday, I was back in Manila. The Boracay trip was quick, and it was kinda lonely, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I’m definitely coming back to give that ATV a go again. And probably try Parasailing too. It looked pretty exciting from where I was standing!

I didn’t get anything back as souvenir from Bora except a shirt and a sando for Deej. And also, a flu. I think I caught it from that cleaning lady at the hotel. *sniff*

More photos here!

Er, okay, that first paragraph didn’t sound so right. It sort of reads like I’m selling the place! Sorry. It is just too beautiful to ignore. I mean, take a look at the white sand and crystalline waters in the photos below. I’m still deciding whether the beach in Calaguas is better than the white sand beach in Pagudpud..

Aside from Calaguas island, we also went to the surfing spot in Bagasbas (it wasn’t surfing season though) drove to Tabaco City, and passed by the other towns in Bicol. Right before our flight home last Tuesday, we dropped by the famous Cagsawa Ruins and the volcano perfection that is Mount Mayon, which previously I only get to see in postcards and history books! See more photos here.

Cagsawa Ruins (steeple), the church buried by Mayon's deadliest eruption in 1814.

Mount Mayon, the volcano known for its perfect-cone shape

I can finally cross out Bicol from the list of places in the Philippines that I haven’t gone to. And it’s definitely one of the best. I’m starting to feel bad about the region I grew up in (Western Visayas) which, in my knowledge, isn’t as culturally rich as the others. But my hometown, Bacolod City, can definitely compete in the “scrumptious food for less” category. Incidentally, I have voted for Mayon Volcano as one of the new 7 wonders of the world. Have you?