Faces and Places

I think that the world is so wide yet it does make way for people to meet along the way. So no matter how the world is often called a big paradigm, our roads will somehow meet. This is a tribute to the many faces whom I’ve met in my travels. To the ones who have shown me the beauty of life, the wonders of nature, the wisdom and knowledge that people often share and the learning process that we continue to live up to. Sometimes, the body and spirit may be tired. But somehow, we find inspiration along the way. It is because fate and destiny willed us to. That’s what I’ve been hearing these past few days.

But I remember that the first instance is fate. But the second instance must be through one’s own doing. To visit the place where you have once journeyed and meet the people again. To be in contact with the many faces. My friend uses “The Notebook” dialogue that says, “If someone seriously wants to be a part of your life, he will seriously make an effort to be in it”. So this is in response to another friend’s thought that after fate has initiated, it’s time to make your own efforts.

So I’m making this effort to get back to the many places I have been to and the many faces I have met along the way. They may have been near or far. Faces I intend to see more and faces that is quite impossible to search on. But I will remember every spark, every cherished moment and every healing. The people I’ve missed and the people I will always treasure. From Bohol to Cebu, Thailand, Puerto Princesa, Coron, Zambales, Manila, La Union, Baguio and the more places and faces I intend to explore and meet, I will hold everything dearly. For you have made me smile, laugh and savor each experience.

"Bugoy" managing the ropes

"Gerwin" the boatman in one of his shy boy pictures

Kuya Jude, Zy and me lounging at one of Sunz en Coron Nipa Huts

With new found friends and the bouldered- star fish at Dos Palmas

Memories of Coron

I always believed what Forrest Gump said in the movie, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you’ll never know what you’ll get”. My life has been one full of surprises, sometimes they may not be happy ones but in the end I would always look back and smile once in a while and be proud of what I’ve been through or where I have gone to.

I’m talking about places I’ve visited, of people I have met along the way and the experiences that has nurtured me in every sense. Perhaps, one of the most memorable experiences I will forever instill in my heart is going to Coron. I think the place well deserved the credit and applause that Boracay and Puerto Princesa Palawan boasts of.

Coron is a place for the island and sea lovers. It has a threshold of islands by which you can reach through a boat. Even El Nido which I was told was one of the splendid places that Palawan also offers can be reached by boat. Although the journey to the island were mostly long. You can feel the sea breeze humming and batting your face. You can feel the water whipping through your boat or sprinkling your face or feet at various occasions while you journey in your boat. Renting the whole boat may be quite expensive, especially if you want it all to yourself. But you can get it cheaper by joining in with some visitors. As it is in business, expenses are always cheaper by the bulk.

I have never been to a hotspring that Maquinit has really been. The waters has really been therapeutic. If you like going to the spa then this one is for you. But mind you, the ride may be long and bumpy. If a lake would awe you, why not go to the Kayangan Lake? Mostly consisting of salt and fresh water combination. Why not indulge yourself in in swimming with the fishes? Then go to the white sand beaches of Malcapuya and Banana Island. Even at 2 feet deep, you’ll find yourself living with the fishes. Oh, I wish I was a mermaid!

There really are various places to enjoy in the Philiippines. I hear Coron is going to be the next Boracay. Let’s see how Coron would fair with Boracay. Boracay, wait for me!

Thrice the fun in the waters of Bulog Island

Note: For inquiries about travels to Coron, please  contact Lot at these numbers : 09107244736 or 09276701968. She is a resident of Coron not in anyway associated with any travel agencies.

The Sting Ray Lurking the Shallow Waters

Finding Nemo in Coron

Frolicking and Jumping in the Island

Uncover

Perhaps I thought I would never write in my blog again. maybe i owe my blog a lot these past few days. i've been quite busy... mostly too busy to write... but here i go again... thinking what i would write...
since my last blog I've gone to Coron to visit such wonderful place where the seas and oceans are brimming with wonderful creatures... the landscapes... the sights... the waters... the fishes left me in awe.... That even though the waves were whisking hard against the boat or wetting my face there was too much excitement to see... I am afraid of the waters because I might drown in it... too profusely drowned to cling on to a life jacket... yet i enjoyed the wonders and the mystery of the place...
I also went to Zambales to visit my brother at the PMMA and after which I stayed at the Crystal Beach Resort with friends... Then dwell on a heart-stopping adventure at the treetop adventure at subic zambales... I had fun... real fun... an excitement where more than my heart could consume... it was freedom from within... to soar heights beyond wonder...
Now too busy in some other things, I still enjoyed living the life... spiced by every moment... a twinkle in the eyes... a pen to write of some sort...
I will discover the world more... make journeys anew... and see where it will lead me too... in turn, i will learn, savor each feeling and see which roads i would soon uncover... i am not afraid of what awaits...

From water to hills to water in Coron

Kayangan lake

Malcapuya Waters of Coron, Busuanga

Obviously, the tree top adventure at subic

on the tree top with lhedz and bro

they call it the superman zipline... in our case, call it superwoman!!!

Silent Drill at PMA and PMMA

Had the opportunity to be at Philippine Military Academy this weekend and luckily there was a roving aer on his motorcycle who approached us and invited us to see the silent drill that the cadets were performing in their stadium. Watching them brings back the same memory when I was in Philippine Merchant Marine Academy watching the silent drill back in September. As I take my seat, I can't help but make a comparison of the two. Both are really a sight to behold, if you're looking for a way to de-stress away from those cheering competitions that universities have, the academies actually have silent drills where they make excellent formation and exhibition with their rifle or in PMMA's case - the sword. I can't express how much they would hand their rifles to the next person in such a fast and entirely coordinated way. Also, the choreography is just so amazing that you can't help but wonder. But in both circumstances, I mean watching both PMA and PMMA do the rifle thing, I was so scarred every time they point their gun up and shot a bullet. It made my heart beat even faster whenever that happens. Relatively that is according to my opinion, I found the formation of the PMA class more appealing than what I've seen in PMMA. But no offense, I do find the marching of PMMA more precise and coordinated. Why? Maybe because of this fact. PMA has for its performers that time their 2013 class, meaning they were new plebes or first years in common parlance while PMMA had their upper or first class performing the silent drill. But clearly, the differences are really slim, I remember PMMA starting out their drill forming a HI word while PMA had for their style the same word. While in ending, PMMA has said BYE but PMA had CU! It seems that PMA is attuned to texting...but not a jejemon (hahaha). Also, I noticed that PMMA introduced another arm in their list...the sword. There were two cadets doing the spinning thing for the sword the longest possible time they can hold. But the greatest part of those drills was the second to the last act that will really get your jaw dropping and you laughing! It's when they dance to the tune of the music. Imagine how hard their bodies are when dancing. But mind you, some but not all are great dancers. PMA started doing Micheal Jackson moves with the music and ended up with a Justin Bieber song "...Baby, baby, baby, oh...". The funny thing is that PMMA last September had the same thing in their dance list... Bieber's "Baby" song. It seems that both academies are Bieber fanatics...lol!

PMMA rifle firing? Makes my heart beat faster!

PMMA cadets courtesy of my brother's picture taking at San Narciso Zambales

U formation at PMA courtesy of friend Normelly

Philippines or Thailand?

Snapshots from the Philippines:

Finding Nemo in Dos Palmas, Palawan

Snorkelling in Dos Palmas, Palawan

Chocolate Hills, Bohol

Tarsier

Loboc River, Bohol

Mag-aso Falls, Bohol

Did you know that Thailand has the most number of foreign visitors in Asia yearly amounting as per statistics more than 4M while the Philippines has only around 1M foreign visitors?
But did you know that the Philippines has much more beautiful natural resources than Thailand? Well, that's according to my own perception. Why? Let us make a few comparisons.
In Thailand, we went to  Erawan Falls, a fellow traveler who came from Cyprus saw us sitting near benches and asked why we weren't taking a bath at the falls. We replied that we didn't bring any extra clothes but he concluded that we may have been so used to falls for there are a lot of falls here in the Philippines. True enough, the Philippines has many falls one of which is the Mag-aso falls in Bohol which is more natural than the Erawan Falls I think.
While there are khlongs or canals in Thailand and the famous Chao Phraya river, although the view is spectacular at night with Chao Phraya river it is not that pristine clean. Going to Bohol's Loac-Loaoy river in the floating restaurants, I think the river is much more pristine clean.
We've tried going to Pattaya beach also in Thailand, you have to travel to the islands to get somewhere conducive to get a decent swim. But I've been to Dos Palmas Palawan and the waters there are really clean and full of nature's beautiful sea creatures which you can see within a few meters deep. Snorkeling is very nice. Our boat even bumped into a dolphin on our way going back. Although I have not been to Bora (which is somewhere next on my list), they say it's beautiful but Thailand has Phuket which I also haven't been to but both places they say are overpriced destinations.
I had the pleasure riding an elephant in Kanchanaburi Thailand but also had the pleasure of seeing a Tarsier in Bohol. Which one is more rare? An elephant or a tarsier?
But if you want to find some place where almost everything is cheap, go to Thailand. You can get a room for less than 1,000 pesos in their guest houses while the Philippines have pension houses In Cebu and Bohol that costs more than that. While we have Divisoria here, try Chinatown and Chatuchak in Bangkok and their products are good deals. For more shopping, visit Siam Square which is bigger than MOA. If we have churches here, the most amazing temples come from Thailand, their structures are really a sight to behold. If we have delicious sea foods here in the Philippines, Thailand has delicious fruits indulged in spices. But sad to say, that Thailand is much cleaner than the Philippines. We even ended visiting temples and roads being cleaned with water. Hey, that's not done here in the Philippines, well, hardly.
Do you know what word we first learned in Thai? It was "hong nam" meaning toilet because when we were full with all the foods and drinks, it's our next stop...hahaha. You can have a decent meal there for 50pesos at a near stand with shakes at 25pesos - real natural fruits!


Snapshots from Thailand

River Rafting in Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Squeezed up in a Tuk-tuk at Thailand

In a Temple or "wat" in Bangkok

Walking Street, Pattaya, Thailand

Another "wat" in Thailand

Pattaya Beach

Erawan Falls

Splendid Architecture at a "Wat" near Khao San Road

taksiyapo

 

Taksiyapo is a wall found at Isdaan Gerona, Tarlac which they say belongs to the famous actress Heart Evangelista and her family.  (Although my unverified sources say it is, please correct me if I'm wrong!) But anyway, despite not knowing the real meaning of it except it

is supposed to be the one you have to shout in anger before throwing a plate, cup or even a television on the wall and trying to hit a few wall posts that you find more or less related to what angered you, it really is there for one aim and that is to express your anger. Technically, I'm not the one who would love to throw things around even in anger but as humans we all feel angered by a thing or two sometimes. And sometimes we need to express how we really feel inside. Sometimes it's much better to be true to yourself than pretend everything's fine. But of course the consequences are not that harmonious especially since anger is a negative emotion. But as a student of life, the bottom line is that we take consequences for our actions be it good or bad. As they say, we need to live life to the fullest and every emotion we have is all part of life be it positive or negative. Emotions make us real humans after all.

Just don't get into the habit of throwing things every now and then. Why? Obviously, it's costly! lol!

travels of a wanderer

wonderful places to rejuvenate the spirit and relax the mind...

 dos palmas, palawan

 underground river, sabang, palawan

science discovery center, MOA, manila

halo halo de iloko, san fernando city, la union

 PMMA San Narciso, Zambales

 Kanchanaburi, Thailand

 

 Damnoen Saduak, Thailand

 with Pam at a mall at Pattaya, Thailand

Sunset at a beach in Bauang, La Union

Isdaan at Gerona, Tarlac

 Bohol Beach Club, Bohol

Chocolate Hills, Bohol

Pangasinan

Pagudpod, San Fernando City, La Union

with a Tarsier at Bohol (we have the same eyes don't you think?hahaha)