(Photo Credit: Brian Sahagun.  Others: Ayla, AJ, Jerome, Deneb, Leia, Rex) 

July 11, 2008.  10pm, we were headed to Bicol for Travel Factor’s UBBE (Ultimate Beach Bumming Experience) Calaguas chapter.  Our seat assignment was in the first row left side, which is the row opposite the driver’s side.  I was happy that we got the first row since I’m claustrophobic.  The extra space where the back of another chair should be but isn’t, helps, which means more leg room for Bubba too.  Unfortunately, a mini-cooler is installed in the front seats, which actually made the leg space smaller.  I was fidgeting all night trying to give more space to Bubba knowing that he was having a hard time positioning his long legs.  At one point, I had it resting on top of my legs since there was more room diagonally.  I barely had any sleep plus the drive was like going through a snake’s path.  I had to wake up once in a while to see if the bus driver was maneuvering safely.

 

5am, we arrived at Daet and made a brief stop for breakfast and toilet break.  I was so excited to stretch and more excited that we are so near our destination point.  Though a big part of me dreaded the boat ride, which I heard prior to the trip was 2 hours (if we’re lucky!).  Knowing this is my perennial dilemma, how responsible of me to forget to bring a sack of Bonamin. 

8am, we set off to the Island via a huge fishing boat.  30 minutes into the boat ride, I fell asleep.  I woke up just in time to see that we were some meters away from a spotless stretch of sand.  The waves weren’t very strong that morning thus we were able to arrive at Calaguas Island in a short of 2 hours.

A small community is the only occupant of the island.  There were no other “tourists” around except for us.  The island looked almost deserted which added to the charisma of the place.  Soft white sand greeted my feet as I set foot on the land.  As usual practice, Leia initiated the brief introduction of the group and gave us our assigned camping tents.  Bubba and I agreed on a location and set our tent, which wasn’t so hard to do as I initially thought.

 

Lunchtime, we all gathered to the main area to feast on the lunch prepared by the Bicol boys who were also our guide around town.  After lunch, I read the book I brought (the one I haven’t finished since Anawangin) and fell asleep.  When I got up, I headed straight to the beach where Ced and the rest were. 

That afternoon, after 20 minutes of rules orientation, we played Ultimate Frisbee –or at least tried to play.  The wind wasn’t cooperating.  The strong winds drove us to play different local games instead -Patintero, and a game similar to cops and robbers where you have bases, I forget what they called it but Leia passionately proposed that we play it.  It was fun but it was so hard to run on sand, which made for a good workout. 

Dark clouds loomed near and we had to transfer camp.  With combined efforts, Bubba and I moved the tent and resettled it in its new location, under a tree.  We also had to improvise an outer cover just to make sure that rainwater wouldn’t go inside. 

Drinking and social time enthused immediately after our hearty dinner.  Leia and Gerry were our resident bartenders who came up with different concoctions –Bailey’s ala Gran Ma!  An hour or so later, we exited to retreat to our bunks and catch on much needed sleep.  In the wee hours of the morning, it rained.  Thank heavens we didn’t get wet but there was practically no air inside the tent.  I kept getting up to open the flap and let some air in.

I have to give props to the drinking group left outside who braved the drizzle and were still having fun under the rain, singing and engrossed in muffled chatter. 

The next morning I got up earlier than Bubba and walked along the beach.  A few minutes later, I decided to wake him up by tickling his feet that were sticking out of the tent.  One of the things I love about Bubba is: it is very rare that he wakes up with a groan.  We basked in the beautiful morning walking on the beach.

(Photo: Need to poop… lest not forsake morning rituals.)

By 9am, we were in our assigned boats again returning to Daet shores.  Bubba said the trip back was shorter than the trip going there.  I want to disagree but I was asleep for most part of the first boat ride so I can’t really tell.  Upon reaching shore, we moved our things back to the bus again.  While waiting for others to load their stuff, Bubba and I treated some of the local kids to ice cream, which was loads of fun.  Nothing brightens one’s day like a kid’s smile.

Next stop was the lunch at Kusina ni Anghel.  We shared a table with Jaja and Brian.  After lunch, we headed to Bagasbas beach where we’re supposed to spend an afternoon of surfing.  Unfortunately, when we got there, it was flat.  There were no waves. 

Although Bagasbas beach wasn’t white, their sand was soft.  The group drowned their surfing sorrows to playing intimate (that’s not a typo of ultimate. Har har.) Frisbee.  Bubba’s group won.  Too bad Jaja was not around to win it for us (tee-hee).  I greatly enjoyed the afternoon lounging at Bagasbas beach, bonding with Ced, Ayla, Jerome, AJ, Cha, Wai, Gerry, Rex, Deneb and Leia in the water.  Afterwards, we tried our skills against skimboarding.  Although surfing could have been more fun, skim wasn’t so bad.  It was interesting to try it out and learn how to do the skips.  Skimboarding proved to be challenging for the rest of us except Gerry, but Cha and Rex incurred the biggest blows.

Learned a few pointers on skimboarding.  Tried Langka shake for the first time.  More memorable, my eyes have unearthed another beautiful island in the Philippines.  New friends were made.  I missed some people from the previous trips while having fun with new ones.  I miss Madz, Marc, Tinio, Francis, Jolly, Maan, Zarah, Karen, Joan, Divine et al.  It would have been great if they were with us during the trip.  Calaguas Island is definitely the Boracay of the North as people claims it to be.  The beach was as beautiful and the water was as clear and cool.  If it weren’t so difficult to go here (at least difficult for me because I have anxiety over boat rides), I’d be back in a heartbeat and become oblivious to the rest of the Philippines.

We travel initially to lose ourselves, and we travel next to find ourselves.  –Pico Iyer

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/506/08_0712-_Calaguas_Island

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/507/08_0712-_Calaguas_Ayla_Set

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/508/08_0712-_Calaguas_Brian_Set

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/510/08_0712-_Calaguas_Deneb_Set

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/510/08_0712-_Calaguas_Deneb_Set

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/511/08_0712-_Calaguas_Leia_Set

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/517/08_0712-_Calaguas_AJ_Set

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/518/08_0712-_Calaguas_Jerome

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/512/08_0712-_Calaguas_Rex_Set

Our discussions mostly revolve around work nowadays.  Yapping about work in the car, over dinner or while at events.  We are too tired to even think of anything else aside from work.  On the side, I have to attend to a lot of responsibilities at home too.  After weeks of us both being overly worked at the office, Bubba suggested that we should take a day out just for the two of us.  He asked me to block my Sunday.

Sunday, I thought we were going malling, which other than last Sunday afternoon, we haven’t done in quite a while (months!).  You know, go to a mall, window shop, people watch, eat whatever.  It’s quite mundane but I was pretty excited about it.

He called me just about before he picked me up and told me to bring a jacket because we were going to Tagaytay.  I asked if he was serious because it was raining.  The drive was short and fun, singing (other people would categorize it as shouting) along with the iPod.  We arrived at 12nn in time for our lunch reservation at Buon Giorno.

The rain has stopped (the snow has passed nyuk nyuk).  Sitting comfortably at the Opium area, we studied Buon Giorno’s extensive menu.  Celebrity spotting: Geli de Belen and Ariel Rivera with family. 

On the Table:

Focaccia Bread (Free)

Zuppa di Zucca Arrosto (split into two) PHP 134

Thick and creamy roasted pumpkin soup complimented the cold weather.

Tini Vino (1 bottle)

Semi-sweet Spanish wine which is cheaper to order by the bottle than glass.  Joel, our table attendant, was kind enough to check the different wines available.  Other than the food, his accommodating attitude and earnestness make me want to go back that afternoon to snack on pizza. 

Pescatora alla Puttanesca PHP 286

An assortment of seafood on spicy and peppery tomato sauce served with linguini pasta.   

Carre de Agnello Con Salsa Al Vino Rasso PHP 554

Herb-crusted roasted rack of lamb with red wine sauce.  4 racks of lamb that was done medium well as arranged were cooked perfectly.  The mashed potato that was served with it can use a little pepper but we were very happy with the lamb.

 

Halfway through our meal, we had to transfer inside the restaurant because it started raining.  The direction of the rain was towards the veranda.  After our lovely Sunday lunch, we stopped for Quezo ice cream the Fruit in Ice Cream shop next door.  FIC serves the best quezo ice cream in Manila and Tagaytay.

Sonya’s Pampering Salon

I’ve visited Sonya’s Garden Restaurant a few times already but never tried any of their spa services.  I’ve read one review about it online.  Their services range from facials to body scrubs to full body massages.  I conservatively decided to get the Swedish massage (PHP 675) while Bubba had the Tuina (Chinese) massage (PHP785).  The couple’s room is an extra PHP100 for the hour.  Additional charges apply for additional stay.

The couple’s room is about 20 sqm with two beds and a shower.  Bubba had a male masseuse this time, Fernan.  The hour felt short.  I guess we’re used to 1 hr 30 mins to 2-hour massages.  Bubba was very much happy with his masseuse.  Fernan didn’t apply force but he knew which target points to hit.  Tuina was more on point pressure and Fernan applied it to the right spots and new spots according to Bubba.

While drinking the tea served at the receiving area, we saw familiar faces.  Carlo and Mika of Ahavia!  Bubba finds those two really cute and sweet.

Sonya’s Garden Restaurant and Country Bed and Breakfast is located at Buck Estate, Alfonso, Cavite 4123, Cavite Philippines.  Contact them at 09175335140/09285073300.

Manos Greek Tavern

After our massage, we were hungry again so we decided to get a little snack before heading to Manila.  We tried to look for Sanctuario Tagaytay that was supposed to be near 7-11, but we didn’t find it.  After passing by, Mile Hi Diner, Bag of Beans and Manos Greek Tavern, the car made a u-turn and stopped at Manos, where we had lamb gyro PHP110 and baked macaroni PHP 160. 

We reached Manila by 7pm and heard Mass in Magallanes, St. Alphonsus Church.  After mass, we decided to stop by Greenbelt to watch a movie and grab dinner.  Since the movie schedule starts at 930-950 for the Mummy, we decided to go home and watch it instead the next day.  At Greenbelt, we saw Tee Dee with a new boyfriend and she looks happy.  And we are happy for her.  God has blessed me and Chris with this relationship we’ve always prayed for and our hearts wish the same for everyone.

Link: http://www.sonyasgarden.com

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/536/08_0803-_Buon_Giorno_Tagaytay

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/537/08_0803-_Sonyas_Pampering_Salon

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/538/08_0803-_Manos_Greek_Tavern

Too busy at work and after work that my backlog on entries is piling up!

Day 2, we woke up at 8am all revved up for our planned trip to Ocean Park.  We had to pack our luggage since we were transferring to Marco Polo come evening.  We checked out YMCA (HKD 750) at 9am and deposited our things at the luggage counter.  Off we went to the station to ride the MTR going to Admiral.  I started to love HK’s MTR system.  It was so easy to go about town!!!  And so quick too.  I also love YMCA’s strategic location.  It is walking distance to the station, moneychanger, night market, to basically everything!  YMCA upgrading us to a grand suite for the price of a standard room makes me remember them in my book!  Thanks so much to Karen Z. for suggesting that we stay in YMCA.

While I have to keep inserting coins to get an ala carte card to Admiral, CW has this all access card.  We rode the train enjoying being strangers in a foreign land.  We got off at Admiral and looked for the bus that goes to Ocean Park.  There was a moving line at the ticket booth.  Package for roundtrip bus tour to Ocean Park and entrance fee is HKD 230, which is barely PHP1, 500.  We rode the double-decker bus.

 

Ocean Park

Before the HK trip, I have been asking people which between Ocean Park and Disney is better to go to.  I only had two and a half days in HK and didn’t have time for both.  CW stayed three days longer but only because he has some family business to take care of.  Since I’ve been to Disney in Japan, there was no incentive for me to go again –especially in a much smaller and populated version.  I asked my family and they all said that I’m going to enjoy more in Ocean Park.  I asked friends and got mixed recommendations.  I discussed it with CW.  If we want a nostalgic experience, then we’d hit Disneyland but if we want something new, then it’s Ocean Park. 

Since we both love animals, you know where we headed.  I missed the chance to go to Ocean Park and Disneyland when I didn’t go with my family to another trip to Hong Kong.  I thought it was all going to be a shopping trip and city tours again.

We arrived Ocean Park around 11am.  We had to take three long elevator rides to get to the top.  Once on the top, we decided to grab brunch first since it was going to be a long day at the theme park.  I ordered ribs, sausage and fries while CW got the fish, sausage and fries.  He was served chicken though instead of fish.  He didn’t mind since we were both excited to eat.  I saw some Chinese eating with their hands.  Upon closer inspection, I saw that they had plastic gloves on.  I decided to try it, much to CW’s amusement.  After 10 minutes, I gave up and ate with fork and knife.

In a nutshell, I really think Ocean Park was a good choice.  I enjoyed the exhausting yet exciting day spent there watching the dolphin/sea lion show, seeing different animals like sharks, jellyfish, manta rays, and the rest of the 10,000 leagues under the sea.  I totally adore the panda and can stand there for hours watching them eat leaves.  For some reason, CW and I thought of Joyce.  Haha.  I still cannot believe I got talked into riding the Mine Train.  I still remember CW’s voice, “Think of it as a prep for Bungee in Macau.”  I know it was a kiddie ride for most but it was a whoop ass ride for me!!!  Good thing I had an excuse not to ride the Abyss (dextroscoliosis) or I’d get cardiac arrest as I strap on the safety belt!!! 

 

We went back to hotel after Ocean Park.  It was 6pm on my watch and we had to freshen up before dinner and night market.  We walked to the night market.  It was already bustling by 8pm.  Since I’ve shopped myself out the day before at Tung Chung, I only grabbed a few insignificant items.  CW has got to be the only guy I know who can expire me with shopping.  Aren’t boys supposed to hate shopping?  I don’t know many boys who have the patience for it as much as he does.  While shopping, we grabbed this street food, crispy and spicy squid.  It was so yummy I had to buy another one before dinner!  We had a late dinner at 930pm.  By 10pm, we were in a cab (HKD 30) on our way to Marco Polo.

The second night found us sharing a room with Chris’ parents at Marco Polo (approx. HKD 1,400).  While YMCA is conveniently situated in Yau Ma Tei, Marco Polo is appropriately located at the high-end district in Tsim Sha Tsui, where all the designer labels are.  Marco Polo is 15-20 minutes walk to Jordan where the male night market is, while YMCA is a few blocks from the ladies market. 

 

 

Day 3 and Musings coming up!

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/473/08_0608-_HK_Day_2

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/474/08_0608-_Ocean_Park  

My youngest sister, Joanne, won a raffle in one of those Chinese gatherings.  The prize was a roundtrip airfare to Hong Kong via Philippine Airlines.  She gave it to me since she just took a trip to HK (and I was left behind… boo-hoo!)  The time they went to Hong Kong was my trip to Malaysia with Bubba.  Too bad that I wasn’t able to go with them, but I guess good karma finds its way and now my missed HK trip got around the bend. 

At first, I was not too excited to go since I’ve been to HK and I’m not really that excited to shop.  The initial plan was to backpack alone.  Then that got me excited.  The idea of traveling alone (A Lone) was thrilling.  I was ready to do a Lost in Translation reenactment.  Schedule meetings with our channel affiliates there.  And do my damn best to AVOID a Hostel scenario or at least save my liver.  But when I had to move my flight from March to June, because of the Nokia event, Bubba and I decided to travel together.

Friday at work was super stressful.  I didn’t even have time to get excited about the trip.  My mind was still running 120mph about work even at 12 midnight and I had to wake up at 5am to make it to our 8am flight.  Bubba and his dad picked me around 530am and we were just in time to check in at 6am.  Of course, Bubba had to scold me for bringing my old favorite pink luggage.  You see the only airline carrier that flies to Baguio ruined this favorite luggage of mine.  I had an event to manage in Baguio (2006) and the company had to fly me in to save time.  I saw a huge crack on the hard case during the airport-hotel transfer.  I taped the crack and insisted on strutting the same stroller.  The cracks only got bigger as my travels piled on.  (Later on, I’d find out that Bubba was right.  I should have bought another luggage or borrowed my mom’s instead)  

While waiting for boarding at the lounge, Bubba and I had Lay’s Kettle Chips Mesquite Barbeque for breakfast and did a catch-up on any work-related stories we might have missed out on.

Boarding was right on schedule.  I started getting excited that this is another voyage with Bubbaroo.  I was able to catch a few winks during the flight while Bubba watched The Adventures of Christine.  I woke up as breakfast was served. 

Celebrity spotting: Fidel V. Ramos and Dong Puno on the same flight. 

Scheduled arrival was delayed by 10minutes because of the heavy rain.  When I got my luggage, another part of the hard case chipped off.  Bubba shook his head several times and before he can say “I told you so” the 5^th time, I gave him THE EYE.  We saw photographer Rosah Lee at the airport too with her colleagues.  Somehow, we always manage to bump into her.

At the airport, we went to counter B13 for our airport transfer to the hotel via shuttle.  Unfortunately, the shuttle can’t bring us to the hotel since some of the roads are blocked.  Panic in the disco room.  We have to take the MTR.

After staring at the map for the longest time and debating which stop to take, Bubba finally followed my lead of getting off at Kowloon stop.  Hahaha, I really have to mention that, don’t I?  Instead of MTR, we decided to use the Airport Express Train.  We got our tickets at the Customer Service booth for 70 HKD per head.  At Kowloon, a cab took us to our hotel, YMCA International.  The cab fare was 30 HKD plus an additional 11 HKD for I don’t know what (I think there’s an extra 5 HKD for each luggage, but who knows why it’s 11).  We made the reservation at YMCA online about a month ago.  Check-in time is at 2pm but when we got there at 11am, they said they can have the room ready by an hour.  We walked a few blocks and checked out some stores within the area.  We decided to have lunch at Yoshinoya (yea, yea how boring) since we were so famished and we didn’t want to test anything first.

After 1 hr and 15 mins, we returned to the hotel to find out that they upgraded us to a suite at no extra charge!  Sweet!  We went to our room and settled first.  Bubba brought bug spray for the bed sheets (I was just discussing it with him 2 weeks ago that with all of our travels, it’s best that we bring bed bug spray?  It’s always safe to be preventive!  Sigh, isn’t he so dependable?)  We took an afternoon nappy since we were up so early.  At 4pm, we were headed to the electronics haven via the MTR.  The rain was on and off.  At 6pm, we headed to Tung Chung Station to check out the mall there that was like a factory outlet.  Adidas, Nike, Ralph Lauren, Segue, Armani Exchange, Calvin Klein are some of the stores distributed within the 5 levels of the mall.  I stopped by Roxy and stayed for an hour.  I didn’t go to Hong Kong with shopping as the end in mind.  I came out buying 6 items since the board shorts cost only PHP 1,200!  Cheap!  I bought two board shorts and some shirts.  I bought one tank top for Jaymie.  I hope she likes pink as much as I do *cross fingers*  I ended up spending PHP 6,000++ for the 6 items, which rounds it to about 1K per item.  Not.  Bad.  At.  All!  Although I still have several parfums, I decided to buy another bottle of Kenzo.  I only buy my perfumes either abroad or at Rustan’s –safest place to get an original.

At 930pm, we finally agreed to have dinner at the food arena inside the mall.  Bubba ordered duck and assorted meat, while I got a curry seafood bowl.  Be careful in ordering iced tea because it tastes just like hot tea (bitter/herbal) but cold.  We instantly remembered that the MTR might be closing soon, so we hurried to the station.  

By 10pm, we were lounging at the den of our room watching Bloomberg.  Bubba had to watch from the TV in the bedroom since he wanted to watch the Discovery channel.  But after a while, relented and sat in one of the chairs beside me.  He fell asleep while I was computing the day’s expenses.  Part of the itinerary was to check out some bars and get some drinks.  But based from his snoring, I know he is dreaming way past lala land so after cleaning up and preparing our luggage for tomorrow (since we were transferring to Marco Polo hotel for the second night), I carried his 190 lb mass to the bedroom.  Okay, I know I would have broken all the bones in my body doing that so instead of carrying, I assisted him with his one arm around my shoulder. 

To be continued… Hong Kong Day 2

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/472#  

The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.  ~G.K. Chesterton

Certainly one of the better years to discover more of the Philippines!!!

When I first read about Anton’s entry (Link: http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2008/05/genki-umbrellas.html) on Genki umbrellas, flashbacks of my 2006 Japan trip flooded my mind.  It was almost a 1-month affair getting immersed with Japanese culture.  Tokyo, Osaka, Kagawa, Shikoku are among the key areas that were visited.  We went to several different locations but I was especially mesmerized during our tour in Ritsurin Park. 

Ritsurin Park is one of the most famous and most beautiful historical parks located in the city of Takamatsu in Japan.  The park, which is renowned for its landscaping, is considered as one of the city’s main attractions.  Ritsurin Park occupies 185 acres, which makes the walk in the park a tour of almost two hours.  The 75-hectare land includes a natural pine forest, a zoo, an art gallery, a museum and a store where they sell crafts.  Several lakes within the park are sanctuary to thousands of koi.  Amidst big mountains as backdrop, there are various bridges, footpaths and small hills that offer a majestic view of the entire park and the surrounding scenery.  A view of Mt. Shuin can be seen at the western point of the park.

Our tour was almost cut short because of the predicted drizzle that afternoon.  What came to our rescue was the Genki Umby that we brought along with us.  My very first time to watch the rain straight on. 

Share your Genki Umby photo with Anton (Link: http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2008/05/genki-umby.html#more) and acquire a free Japan-popularized umbrella.  If I were joining the contest, there are three photos with the Genki Umbrella that I can submit minus the witty captions.  You can also buy these cute umbrellas in bulk from Anton.

We used the May 1 holiday to go out of town for our company outing.  Tovee was nice enough to lend us the De Guzman’s rest house in Batangas.  Too bad it was high tide and we weren’t able to lounge or swim by the beach.  Good thing the pool was maintained well and looked inviting.  As I was about to swim, a bee came buzzing by… and landed right smack to my leg and STUNG me.

 

Oh boy was I stung!  Most friends are impressed with my threshold for physical pain (no, my masochism doesn’t have anything to do with it ——I’m just keeeeeding, human rights people get off my back.)  I can hold it out better in a dentist chair than most guys who’d wince at the sound of the drill.  Not because I had a dozen of cavity gaps that needed to be filled.  Although that is true.  I fell down the stairs flat on my face before a big party and got 2 bruises as big as my hands.  I was sore all over, but managed to smile and be the designated photographer the whole night.  A car driven by a student driver backed up and hit me on the back.  Threw me a meter away.  I was in an artist’ house in Puerto Galera taking a shower when I slipped and gashed my hands in the process to break my fall (this was bad).  The bathroom was two-storey, if you can imagine, and the walls had spikes.

This photo shows the group drinking.  I am not part of it because geeks like me sleep at 10pm.

 

The Battle with the Bee

 

Again, boy was I stung!  I swatted the bee away and it left its stinger attached to my leg.  I was in so much pain.  Yssah, my savior of the day, was trying to hold me down so she can pull out the stinger, which looked like a tiny splinter with white hairs on it.  I couldn’t describe the pain but it was something I haven’t felt before.  The area around the sting felt semi-paralyzed and electrified… it was tingling, throbbing… PAINFUL.  For some weird reason, when I see Yssah’s hand going nearer my leg, it hurts more and I just had to move away.  Trying to keep my manliness (I’m a man behind the clothes.  Really.), I tried my best not to show that I’m hurt.  But I kept yelping in pain.  I don’t remember anything that has made me bark like that.

 

Finally, Tovee was able to find a plucker that helped Yssah pull out the stinger.  The pain subsided immensely after that.  I wish I wasn’t the casualty but how many can actually say that they have been stung by a bee?  I was especially picked out.  And to be a