Itineraries will be uploaded... soon!
Friday, December 27, 2013
Monday, June 18, 2012
It's more fun... in Ilocos!
The trip was so tiring but our adventure here was memorable.
We felt like we were back from Spanish era.
Filipino history and culture are still alive here.
Ilocos Norte is one of the amazing places in the Philippines.
Most of all, local people are trustworthy.
Itinerary to Ilocos Norte
1st Day: VIGAN City
- Travel by bus from Manila (Florida Terminal) to Vigan. Bus fare = 640 PHP/person; 2 hours trip
- Arrived at Calle Crisologo and bagnet breakfast at Barbecue Reyes
- Vigan city kalesa tour ( rate = 100 PHP/hour, finished within 5 hours)
St. Augustine Parish Church
Bantay Bell Tower
Hidden Garden
Pagburnayan Pottery
Baluarte ni Chavit
Loom weaving
Crisologo Museum
- Merienda/dinner at Café Uno
Miki noodle soup with bagnet
Crispy Longganisa Burger
- Hopping around at Plaza Salcedo, St. Paul Cathedral and Plaza Maestro
- Evening walk at calle crisologo
2nd Day: LAOAG City
- Travel by bus from Vigan to Laoag (266 PHP for 2 person)
- One day city tour by tricycle with Kuya Wawie ( Contact him weeks before your trip at 09069729377. He was reliable and knowledgeable about the place. His tour rate is only 800 PHP)
Lunch at Saramsam Café (Saramsam pasta and Poque-poque pizza)
Museum of Ilocos Norte (with entrance fee: P20)
Tobacco Monopoly Monument
Sinking Bell Tower
St. William's Cathedral
Malacanang of the North
Paoay Lake
Musoleum of Marcos in Batac
Paoay Church
Merienda at Herencia Café (located infront of the Paoay Church)
Laoag Sand Dunes ( four wheel drive adventure for 1500 PHP)
Empanada food trip at JMs Empanada Canteen
- Went to our hotel in Pagudpud (luckily, Kuya Wawie saw his friend in van who sends their tourist to Saud, Pagudpud)
3rd Day: PAGUDPUD
- Travel by bus from Vigan to Laoag (266 PHP for 2 person)
- One day city tour with Kuya Arnel (09186890723; tour rate = 1000 PHP)
1) South Bound Tour
Bangui View Deck
Kapurpurawan Rock Formation
Cape Bojeador Lighthouse
Bangui Wind Mills
2) North Bound Tour
Patapat Viaduct
Paraiso ni Anton
Agua Grande
Timangtang Rock
Bantay Abot Cave
Blue Lagoon (Maira-ira Beach with entrance fee 40PHP/person)
- Back to our hotel near Saud beach
- Went to Saud beach
3rd Day: Back to Manila
Food trip
Recommended place to stay:
- Hotel Salcedo de Vigan
- (http://www.hotelsalcedodevigan.com/index.htm) - the rate per night is not cheap but we like their hotel and their bedroom is comfy and very clean :)
- Chalet Bami House at Saud, Pagudpud
- (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g676742-d2188104-Reviews-Chalet_Bami_Guest_House-Pagudpud_Ilocos_Region_Luzon.html) (+63) 919 8526265 /(+63) 908 484223)
- room is not spacious and not too fancy but the owner gave us a discounted and you can even use their kitchen to cook; they are also very accomodating
For more details, please visit http://itsmorefuninthephilippines.com/ilocos-norte/
Friday, March 2, 2012
One Day in Tarak Ridge: A Successful Day Hike Challenge
After the sad news which happened in Mt. Batulao last Thursday, I decided to cancel my plan to go there. Instead, I joined Sir Reynold on his plan to day hike on Mt. Tarak Ridge.
We met early at 3:30AM at Five Star Bus Terminal in Cubao and departed at 4:00AM to Mariveles. We have not slept that much last night, so we decided to take that opportunity to get some sleep. At around 7:00AM we arrived at Barangay Alasasin and headed to the Barangay Hall to register. While eating our breakfast, two mountaineers came by also to register. We greeted them with respect and introduced ourselves. Then we all started our trek after our breakfast.
After our 30 minutes walk, we arrived at the couple’s hut where they happily welcomed us. We have also seen all the banners displayed and left by other groups who visited the place.
We met early at 3:30AM at Five Star Bus Terminal in Cubao and departed at 4:00AM to Mariveles. We have not slept that much last night, so we decided to take that opportunity to get some sleep. At around 7:00AM we arrived at Barangay Alasasin and headed to the Barangay Hall to register. While eating our breakfast, two mountaineers came by also to register. We greeted them with respect and introduced ourselves. Then we all started our trek after our breakfast.After our 30 minutes walk, we arrived at the couple’s hut where they happily welcomed us. We have also seen all the banners displayed and left by other groups who visited the place.
Along the trail, we met a boy who carried a ‘bayawak’ around his shoulder. We asked him what he will do with the animal and responded that he will sell it for a cost of 300PHP. We offered to pay him 50PHP but he refused. We just told to the boy that ‘sana yan na ang huling panghuhuli mo nyan ha’ and then left to continue our trek.
The first part of our trek took us 3 hours to finish and ended at the Papaya River. We rested for a while waiting for the two newly met friends but noticed that they were a bit slow so we decided to continue and had our lunch on the ridge.
Following the trail signs, we’ve noticed that the trail is starting to become steep. Mount Tarak is said to have gotten its name from the local word “tarik” (steep). With the help of the vines and roots of the trees, we managed to climb up easily.
Following the trail signs, we’ve noticed that the trail is starting to become steep. Mount Tarak is said to have gotten its name from the local word “tarik” (steep). With the help of the vines and roots of the trees, we managed to climb up easily.
When we reached the camp site, we unfortunately found some left over trash – cook set, poles, bottle and wraps of jelly ace and candies. Similar to what we have started before with fellow mountaineers 'The Black Propaganda' in Mount Cristobal, we collected these wastes and brought it with us. We believe that this should always be highlighted in all mountaineer’s objectives for every climb. God created these mountains for us to protect & love them and not to destroy them.
We started our lunch around 1:30pm. Then we rested for a while and waited for the two mountaineers but they didn’t show up. While exploring the place, we experienced difficulty finding for the next trail going to the ridge and summit. Sir Reynold and I were discussing if we were lost but the trash left on the site was a proof that we were on the right trail.
We tried to navigate again the trail, unfortunately we only found the dead end. Since we have limited time, we decided to return back to the jump off, prepared our things and prayed for guidance. Descending the ridge was not that easy, one mistake might give you an awful end. The rocks and soils were not stable to step on. But thank God for his guidance, we managed to overcome this challenge.
We tried to navigate again the trail, unfortunately we only found the dead end. Since we have limited time, we decided to return back to the jump off, prepared our things and prayed for guidance. Descending the ridge was not that easy, one mistake might give you an awful end. The rocks and soils were not stable to step on. But thank God for his guidance, we managed to overcome this challenge.
Passing via gully, we reached the papaya river and return back to the trail. I started to take some photos along the trail and very much happy with the results. We returned to the couples hut around 4:30 in the afternoon and Tatay offered his black coffee and chatted for a while. After our coffee break, we said our thanks and went back to the Barangay Hall since we needed to reach the highway before 6:30pm to catch the last trip back to Manila. Luckily, we were blessed to get a bus going back to Manila on time, after our dinner and wash up in the barangay.
Although we were not able to reach the summit but Sir Reynold and I had enjoyed this day hike challenge in Mt. Tarak Ridge. We were so thankful that God give us enough strength, guidance and good weather to finish our day hike.
Thank you Lord for these scratches and lesions I had experience during the climb, with these my virtue and passion will take me higher and further. :)
Here are some transportation details for your reference:
Manila to Brgy. Alasasin - 267Php (Five Star Bus rate as of March 2012)
Registration - 40Php
Brgy Alasasin to Manila - 267Php
Thank you for reading our blog. Have a safe trek always!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Discovering Dalat City, Vietnam
Since it was our first time to travel Vietnam, my partner and I searched for a new trekking adventure and luckily found Dalat city on web. We sent our inquiries to agents by email, googled the places to visit, booked our hotel and viola!
According to wikipedia, the name derives from the acronym of the Latin phrase 'Dat Aliis Laetitiam Aliis Temperiem' ("Giving Pleasure to Some, Freshness to Others"), which the French colonial government used in their official emblem of Đà Lạt. In reality, the name Da Lat derived he average temperature is 18°C - 25°C. from the language of the local ethnic group Lạt and its original meaning is "Stream of the Lạt". Moreover, it is also called 'Le Petit Paris' by other bloggers and the average temperature is 18°C - 25°C.
According to wikipedia, the name derives from the acronym of the Latin phrase 'Dat Aliis Laetitiam Aliis Temperiem' ("Giving Pleasure to Some, Freshness to Others"), which the French colonial government used in their official emblem of Đà Lạt. In reality, the name Da Lat derived he average temperature is 18°C - 25°C. from the language of the local ethnic group Lạt and its original meaning is "Stream of the Lạt". Moreover, it is also called 'Le Petit Paris' by other bloggers and the average temperature is 18°C - 25°C.
We packed our stuff and flew from Manila to Ho Chi Minh. Then from Ho Chi Minh we took Phuong Trang bus company's first trip (5:00 AM) and headed to Dalat for 7 tiring hours (with only two stop overs)!
It was a very long trip but along the way we noticed some of the houses with (medium) life-size statue of Mama Mary in the balcony, locals drink their coffee while looking at the passersby, and of course crowded street with people on their bicycles and motorbikes!
We immdiately knew that we were in Dalat when we saw the pine trees along the zigzag road. After reaching Dalat city around 1:00 PM, a free van was already available to drop us in our hotel. We instantly fell in love with the city and realized that we made the right choice! Most importantly, it was a good thing that we had checked the weather before coming here, since it was 18 degrees cold! For Asian tourists like us, it is cold :)
We stayed in Hotel Du Parc which according to its history is one of the oldest hotels in Dalat since 1932. It has an old French architecture and it seems like we were in a different era. It's interesting that they had retained their old-style elevator and was working normally.
We stayed in Hotel Du Parc which according to its history is one of the oldest hotels in Dalat since 1932. It has an old French architecture and it seems like we were in a different era. It's interesting that they had retained their old-style elevator and was working normally.
After settling our things in the hotel, we stroll outside to familiarize ourselves in the neighborhood. There were available taxi drivers outside the hotel and we decided to take their service for our city tour at 2:00 PM before it gets dark.
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| at Hotel Du Parc |
First in our list, we visited the Hang Nga guesthouse (The Crazy House). It is a unique hotel and gallery which they opened to the public but of course, visitors are required to pay an entrance fee. The design looks odd but interesting, other cave rooms or sections are interconnected by a narrow bridge which reminded us of 'Ponce Suites' and 'The Agong House' in Davao city (Philippines).
There were times that we feel like we need to consume Alice' DRINK ME potion just to fit inside the room. For non-acrophobics, you can (baby) walk straight to the rooftop for a nice view of the city (remember to walk carefully).
There were times that we feel like we need to consume Alice' DRINK ME potion just to fit inside the room. For non-acrophobics, you can (baby) walk straight to the rooftop for a nice view of the city (remember to walk carefully).
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| intricate & weird design |
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| Len drinks Alice's potion |
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| stair climb to the roof top |
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| Mon at the roof top... freedom! |
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| Truc Lam Pagoda |
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| lovely Hydrangea flower |
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| scenic Truc Lam lake |
Our driver drove us down to Truc Lam lake to see more of its view. The lake was so serene and it looks a bit dramatic in our photos :)
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| Truk Lam lake |
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| dramatic sunset view of Truc Lam lake |
It was already late that afternoon, and so we decided to move to our next destination - Thung Lung Tinh Yeu or The Valley of Love. This place was initially called by French as Vallee D'amour and considered as the most romantic and lyrical place of Dalat.
Getting into this park requires an entrance fee. It is surrounded by flowers and the theme is mostly about love. The park also has recreational activities such as horse riding, bicycle service, canoes & pedal services and entertainment areas. It also has inns and camping site. But what we most like in this place is the view of the lake.
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| it's all about love |
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| poetic view of the lake |
Last in our list was Linh Son Pagoda. Unfortunately, it was too dark already when we get there hence we never get chance to explore it. There's nothing much to see here anyway.
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| Linh Son Pagoda |
On our 2nd day, we did enjoy our sumptuous breakfast buffet in the hotel since we need all the energy for our next adventure. Our 'Hard Core trekking in Tiger Cave Falls' tour guide confirmed that he will arrive at 7:00 AM which we have pre-arranged via Vietnam Jeep Tours.
According to a legend, a ferocious tiger lives in the cave of this mountain, hence the name. It was a 6 hrs trek and immediately noticed a large hectare of coffee trees. The climate was so cool but the long, steepy trek could not control our body from sweating :)) . Warning: make sure to wear long sleeves shirt and trekking pants to prevent you from sharp grass.
In the mountain, we have also seen the local habitats of Chil Hill Tribe, coffee beans being dried up along the trail, flowers, sacks of coffee to be delivered, steepy and grassy trail, pine trees and the tiger cave falls. We've crossed at least 3 long bridges and we were also amazed with the locals who can even drive their motorbikes on these bridges! But what scares(Len) us the most was crossing to the bridge with no wooden boards to step on. It was indeed a great trekking experience for us doing it outside our country.
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| waterfall near the tiger cave |
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| small tiger cave |
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| inside the cave |
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| tall trees, grassy & steepy trails |
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| coffee fruit |
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| dried coffee beans |
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| Chil Hill Tribe Village “Lieng Tro” |
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| sack full of coffee beans |
At lunch, we were surprised that our guide prepared banh mih (which is similar to a small French baguette) and slices of fruits. It was our first time to try banh mi and we loved it! We had a wonderful lunch overlooking the river. It could have been better if only we had time to nap ^_^
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| our trekking guide busy preparing our lunch |
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| our yummy banh mi with lots of veggies, cheese, meat & spicy sauce! |
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| picnic lunch overlooking the river |
After our 6 hours trek, our guide asked us to come to their office for document signing. Indeed we were so tired and hungry but happy of what we had accomplished that day. We ran off to Lien Hoa bakery located in the market, and bought one piece for each bread we found interesting to taste for our snacks :)
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| Mon, which is which?! :P |
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| for coffee addicts! |
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| we liked everything except for the bun with shredded pork |
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| dinner at V cafe |
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| at the city centre |
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| freezing and drizzling night at the city centre |
For our 3rd and final day in Dalat, we forced ourselves to wake up at 4:00 AM to capture the sunrise at Xuan Huong lake. We walked down from our hotel to the lake, unfortunately it was drizzling and the sunrise didn't show up. But we still managed to capture some nice photos using our point & shoot, underwater, shock proof camera ^_^.
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| Xuan Huong Lake |
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| Xuan Huong Lake |
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| Xuan Huong Lake |
We walked back to our hotel for a heavy breakfast and visited the nearby lovely and scenic cathedral, historical hotel, houses and buildings for another photo op :) .
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| the cathedral's front view |
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| exquisite cathedral |
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| communication tower which according to some looks like the eiffel tower in the evening from afar. |
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| Dalat Palace hotel |
By the way, please make sure to ask your hotel receptionist to arrange your pick up from the hotel to the bus station.
It was indeed a great and satisfying discovery for us who are both newbies in Vietnam. Definitely, we will come back again to Dalat and include Mui Ne in our plan.
For your information, in case you wish to visit Dalat we have indicated some important details below:
- Phuong Trang bus station at Pham Ngu Lao street, Ho Chi Minh (only 180,000 VN dong per person from HCM to Dalat and the bus leaves every 1hr)
- Vietnam Jeep Tours - is all about the passion for adventure inspired by the love for the great nature, distant destinations, the old time Jeep in particular as a mean of discovery and many other outdoor activities that beyond your expectation.
http://www.vietnamjeeptours.com/ Adventure@vietnamjeeptours.com
Add: 108 Le Lai, District 1, HCMC. Vietnam
Tel: 08 6290.6577 - Fax: 08 6290.6577
cell: +84 909 602 370 - Hotel Du Parc, Dalat (http://www.hotelduparc.vn/)
- City tour arrangement with taxi driver may cost 200,000 to 300,000 VN dong
- You may also visit other tourist destinations such as Prenn falls, Datanla waterfall, Langbiang mountain, Chicken village, Dalat railway station, Bao Dai's summer place & etc. which you can arrange with your tour agents or taxi drivers.
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