The Long Road to Bora

It did take me quite a long time to go to this destination considering one of my longest running client in audit was a development project in this island... After looking at all those records on the islands history, it was odd not to actually be in this island...

So was finally able to visit the island... and given my attachment to the beach, I did enjoy this vacation... Nice time riding ATV going around the islang and Boracay's peak... A great view of the island at the top... Great hopping islands, snorkling, going to the caves, enjoying Boracay's setting sun... beach side massage... food tripping... and just relaxing in front of the beach...

The road doesn't end here as I'll be back to this island again... and it's sometime soon...

It's Time for Bohol

We planned this months earlier and ended up with very reasonable rates for our plane fare and hotel... so it's now time to tour Bohol...

Bohol is known for several attractions... The Chocolate Hills... Those cute little Tarsiers... the cruise at Loboc River... Baclayon Church... Blood Compact Site... The tense moment crossing the Hanging bridge... the wonderful marine life seen snorkling... and just watching those cute dolphins playing in the ocean...

A lot of attraction so little time... Thar's the variety you can see in Bohol...

A Week End in Bicol

Spent a weekend here with a plane ride to Legaspi and a bus ride back... From the plane, the first thing to welcome you is a splendid view of the perfect cone of Mayon...

After breakfast, we headed to the famous CWC complex which is popular for wake boarding... but we wend to the Lago Del Rey water park to try out the floating obstacles... Fun... Fun... Fun... then it was touring Legaspi and Naga... Next day, we had a jog at Lignon Hills wherein you get a nice view of Mayon and then the Cagsawa Ruins for the remains of the Cagsawa church and a different look at Mayon...

Then there's still Donsol... Caramoan... but those stories are meant for some other time...

Hello Saigon

I arranged my trip to Cambodia to spend one day in Saigon, Vietnam...

Just a short visit... A city tour at night... Mass at the Notre Dame Cathedral... around the market... and a cruise and dinner around Saigon... We also drop by a museum before we went home...

Hope to go back here and finish my tour... and say hello Saigon, again...

My Trip Down Under

I spent my free miles on PAL going to Sydney for several days vacation... and I did have a nice time in Sydney among family and friends...

I love the view of the Sydney Harbor... then there's those long drives to Blue Mountain, Jenolan Caves and Kiama Area... The fine white sands of Bondi... a Tour around Sydney CBD... Playing with Koalas and Kangaroos... hyper active tasmanian devils... fluffy wombats and then there's fish and chips, barbeque and ribs...

I had a real nice time in this place... and looking forward to another chance down under... maybe next time an outback experience...

Amazing Anawangin

A bus ride on Friday night... early morning in Pudaquit... and a few hours later we were on the pristine island of Anawangin...

Anawangin has such a relaxing aura... surrounded by few mountains and trees... Nice time sleeping in the beach front protected by all the trees... Next was our boat ride to Capones, which features a light house... A real effort climbing the mountain and then the light house... the reward a nice top view of the island... Last stop was the island of Camara for a swim and then was on our way back to Pudaquit...

It's really amazing seeing that there are places this pristine in the Philippines... It was indeed a nice adventure...

Palawan Escape

Funny how it took me five long years after mg first out of the country trip to have another domestic trip... Some kind of jinx... but at last, something did fell thru and it was a trip to Puerto Princesa, Palawan...

Such a big placed and packed in three days, we were able to explore a lot... from City tour starting with Crocodile Farm... to the Butterfly Sanctuary... to Mitra Farm... a day snorkling, kayaking and having fun at Dos Palmas... and there's the Palawan Underground river, which is one of the top wonders of nature...

This is just a portion of Palawan... as there are still other places worth seeing in this area...

Zooming to Subic

A few years ago, SCTEX became operational... and Subic has become a few over speeding tickets away... so was able to frequent the place for various reasons... and been able to explore the place a bit...

There is Zoobic... There are Dolphins... There is JEST... There are beaches... There are fine hotels and There is Duty Free... and there is a whole lot more to do in the former military base...

Zooming to Subic via NLEX and SCTEX is now a less hassle way to have fun in Subic's soil...

Conquering Corrigidor

We had our trip to Corrigidor way back in my days in Audit... and since this takes a ferry ride... You would immediately be treated a nice ocean view of Manila upon leaving Manila...

Corrigidor was the last fortress to fall during the war... and the place was full of ruins... museums... military structures... watch tower... and culminating in the Malinta Tunnel where a peak of history... and some tales about ghosts...

The place has been well maintained and have a significant lineage with the Philippine's history... and then was on our way back after conquering Corrigidor...

Gala sa Galera

Got my chance to go to Puerto Galera twice one for a company outing and at another time with friends... It's famous for its fine white sand beach... but we had our chance to explore the place a bit more...

The white sand beach and the marine life is a fine attraction... but our adventurous streak led as to two more falls... Tamaraw Falls and Takurong Falls... Of the two, Going to Tamaraw is much simpler... and going to Takurong is a long ride via Tricycle... then another 30-40 minutes Carabao ride and several more minutes hiking to the falls... and all the efforts is rewarded by a picturesque view of the falls...

I always look forward to the time at the beach... and hopping from one island to another... to trekking falls... and the fun times at night... that's how I came to like Puerto Galera...

Down South

Over the year's I've been around so many times in the Laguna and Batangas Area...
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From the cool Tagaytay weather... To theme Park in Sta Rosa, Laguna... Resorts in Laguna and Batangas... Deeper South in Lipa and Villa Escudero... All those fiestas in Calamba, Laguna and Batangas... and then you have all those native delicacies that varies from Bulalo as main course... Sweets and Buko Pie for Dessert... and then Kapeng Bapako for after mean coffee...
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Travelling down south has become convenient when I had a car... so for an immediate change in environment... there's always an easy drive down south...

What's in Angkor Wat?

It's one of the top wonders of the world... and visiting it once is such an experience... but I was lucky enough to go here twice... and both of the times on via a comfortable bus ride...

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What makes it so diffrent??? Simple it's 12th century architecture that still makes us wonder how well it was built... The intricately designed temples... the fusion of nature and ancient architecture over time... the stories behind the structures... and it's amazing how big the place is...

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Aside from Angkor Wat, Siem Reap also has a Cambodia Cultural Village... Cultural Shows at night and the variety of food choices... and there are also affordable accomodation... Though I've been here twice, I'd want to come back once more, this time to catch a glimpse of the sunset at Angkor Wat...

How Do You Spell Phnom Penh???

I've been to Phnom Penh several times already for the past three years... and first impression I had was a look back at Philippines decades ago... though it's catching up at a steady pace...
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Phnom Penh is the center of Cambodia... and going around the city, there's Pagoda structures... an Independence Monument... Wat Pnom... Museums... Historical Sites and the Royal Palace... Also, they have nice hotels, being able to stay in Intercontinental and Raffles Place Le Royale in my visits...
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Well, Phnom Penh is more than a word that's tricky to spell... It's also an interesting place to visit..

Hangzhou's West Lake

I have several visit in one of China's cosmopolitan cities, Hangzhou... and most of which are short visits, I still was able to sneak a visit at Hangzhou's west lake...
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What's in the west lake??? A large lake with a picturesque landscape and have a strong tie to China's culture... and you can take a cruise around or just walk around and then its the main area in Hangzhou... It such a serene site to look at...
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It's also nice to dine and just go around the city... and interesting to note that it has a sister city in Philippines...a place to familiar, Baguio...

Freezing in Shandong

Shandong... Visited this place twice... One was a just for meeting and the other a few days with our audit team... and it was a bit different experience from staying in the other cities in China...

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First thing, I notice was the foggy effect and the fields that had a feel of those Red Alert scenes from Russia... and then the next was the freezing temperature 0 degrees and lower... waah.. I didn't came prepared... So I just stacked several layers of cloths for some warmth.... We visited a park in Zibo City... Chinese structure + freezing weather...

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It was nice to drop by these remote town... and then another unique experience... being stranded in the airport for more than 10 hours because of the foggy weather...

Towering Macau

Had a 1 hour ferry ride from HK... and wahlah... I'm on the soils of Macau...

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There was a theme park just outside the ferry terminal... and then I was on my way to the Macau Tower... What to do??? Jump a top the Macau Tower... too expensive... Climb the peak of the Tower... too exhausting Sky Walk around the tower... ok that'll be good... so had my time sky walking outside Macau tower... Nice time... Up next, the Ruins of St. Paul and Senado Square...

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And on my way back... I'll do try to visit those casinos next time in step in the soils of Macau...

Looking at Malaysia's Twin Tower

Been to Malaysia twice... First on a day trip to Kuala Lumpur and the next just a meeting in Johour Barough... Short stint but at least I was able to see some of their better attraction...

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Petronas Tower, the former tallest skyscraper... It still is the best looking among the world's tallest... Had also a nice time in Putra Jaya... the landscapes were great... About Johour Barough, I can't remember much except for the traffic going to Singapore...

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Malaysia is a big country and I guess, there's still more places to travel like Kota Kinbalu...

Singapore Swing

The Red Dot... In terms of land area, Singapore is just a red dot in the world map... but in terms of impact... Singapore is more than a red dot... I've been here so many times and I do enjoy my time here since some of my friends are based here...

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Sentosa heads the visit list... and there's Jurong Bird Park... Night Safari... Snow City Botanical Garden... Clark Quay... Merlion Park... East Coast Park... China Town... a walk at Orchard Road... their newest attraction the Singapore Flyer... and of course, there'll be more to come... and all these come with the comfort of an efficient transport system...

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Swinging Singapore is a yearly thing but I guess development is fast that they come up with something new every time...

Shanghai Days

Was able to go to Shanghai two times... One for a long due diligence review and another time for a few days of meeting... The first time, I was practically left here to finish some unresolvable work so was able to explore the place... and learn to use chop sticks in the process... The second was more to appreciate the view of the Bund and the TV tower...

Shanghai is the business center of China... and it has several places to visit... The TV Tower, which the 3rd tallest tower in the world... the nice night view of the well-lighted The Bund area... Street Shopping at Nanjing Road... The different temples and garden... The night life in Xintiandi... The People's square...

It's not as easy to navigate the place but if you can have a colleague base their to provide all the Chinese translations of your destinations then you're all set and can travel via cab... Then there's also an established MRT system, a ferry system and also a high speed rail all the way to the airport...

Traveling Taipei

Taipei has also been a frequent stop over with some of the Company's business are centered in this area... Been here for long and short visit and there's still some place to explore...

They have the current tallest skyscraper Taipei 101... then they have the ocean front view of Tam Shui and Fisherman's Wharf... Taipei Zoo... Political Structures sucks CKS ans SYS memorial hall... Botanical Garden... Natural edifice like the Queen's head in Yehliu... Parks like Yangmingshan... Mountains... Temples... Maokong Gondola that brings you to the mountain peaks to have coffee or tea... and then their famous night market...

I really like the cooler weather here and the convenience of the MRT System that you can navigate the place even if some of the signs are in Chinese... then there's also their bullet train that brings you south of Taiwan...

Peak a Boo HK

I've been to HK so many times already... and yet I always look forward to my visits here...

I've been practically everywhere here... Ocean Park, Teddy Bear Kingdom, Floating Restaurant at Aberdeen, Stanley Market, Avenue of the Star, Snoopy's World, Tsing Ma Bridge, Buddha 'sShrine, Ngong Ping 360, Victoria Harbour, Symphony of Lights, Victoria Peak, Hong Kong Park and Disneyland... Then there's all the shopping in Central and Causeway Bay with all those enticing sales promo...

It's such an easy place to explore with MTR, star ferry, the tram and the bus system... and Hong Kong is gifted with such a nice harbour that blends so well with all the skyscrapers that surround it... whether seen from a top in The Peak or from the sides of Tsim Sha Tsui or Wan Chai...

Ho Ho Holland

On the way back to Philippines from Paris... Decided to take an earlier connecting flight to Holland... and take a day tour around Holland... Just a short visit but I did have an appreciation of the place...

Amsterdam is a named from a dam blocking the Amster River... so the place is under sea level having a very cool climate... and the house are structured leaning sideways to each other... I was able to visit the some cheese and shoe factory... the wind mills... and the red light district...

A short visit to Holland... and such an interesting place... I wonder what happens at night in the red light district (=>)...

Bonjour Paris

It took me a quarter of a century before I really needed a passport and a Visa... I felt jinxed on foreign travel since every travel before this did not push through for some reasons... and here's my first foreign trip a 17 day stay in Paris... What could I ask more???

Even if this was work... I had the convenience of time and the ease of Metro transport to go around... Arc D' Triumph... Bateaux Moques... Champes Elysee... Eiffel Tower... Notre Dame... The Louvre... Versailles... Sacre Couer... Artist Village and Disneyland Paris... Our client also made sure that we'd be able to savor the wide variety of food in Paris...

It's been a good adventure... The walks... The food and the structures... and honestly, I'd like to come back to see the brighter lights of the Eiffel Tower... and the long sunny days that comes with spring and summer... and maybe catch the sun set at 11 pm or midnight...

A Stay in CDO and Iligan

CDO and Iligan has so much wonders... Iligan has Maria Christina Falls and Tinago Falls... CDO has its white water river rafting and several natural attractions and then there's nearby Camiguin... Unfortunately, these have to stay on my "to visit" list...

Was able to go to CDO and Iligan via a short audit engagement there... Nothing much... Seafood delicies and food was great... Night life was fun... and we were able to squeeze in a visit to an Ecopark in CDO... Well, the cost of white water river rafting then was still a high price given my meager income then...

Come time, it's gonna be a place I'd like to go back to... This time to enjoy its wonders...

Around Davao

I was stuck here for several days for an audit engagement years ago... and as grand a city Davao is... I don't recall being able to explore much... but of course, there are a lot of things that I did appreciate in the place...

The white sand beach in Samal... The Balete trees on the way to the Beach... The Philippine eagle... The night life... The seafoods... and Durian (it does not smell that bad when you are eating it a bit drunk=>)...

Well I hope for another chance around Davao... and this time it won't be work...

Going Up and Down to Leyte

Tacloban has been an early destination for several work engagement in my career... It was more of going up and down in the province of Leyte... crossing San Juanico Bridge to Samar and drilling down south to Ormoc, Baybay, Maasin and Sogod towns...

Since it was work, I wasn't able to go around so my best memories of these places are the variety of seafoods they offer... then there's Mc Arthur Park, a site in hisory and then there's San Juanico Bridge which is the longest bridge in the country...

Despite not being to see much, I did have a blast in the road trip around Leyte... and taking a glimpse of several areas in this region...

Cebu Cebu

I had my chance to go to Cebu in the middle term of my last year in college for a JPIA convention... It was my very first plane ride ever... Nothing much as this was a short visit... Taoist Temple... Larshan at Night... Magellan's Cross and just a tour around the city...

I got my chance to get back a few years after for an audit engagement and I realized that Cebu has several different personalities... The oldest city in the country with all its religious and historical edifice... A cosmopolitan city being the queen city of the South with the high end hotels and malls... and then there's the Tops where you can see the top view of the city... the food in Sutukil and Larshan... and then there are the numerous fine white sand beaches...

There's so much variety in this place called... Cebu...

My Second Home

When I started working, I ended up staying in Makati.. The business center in the Philippines... and aside from all the number of business based here... We also have the luxury malls that has provided a nice alternative to the warm weather during weekends...

Somehow, the key feature I like the place is it has two distinct identity... A busy hub during weekdays... and a slightly deserted city on weekends... Just a nice change of pace to break the busy day monotony that work brings... The malls are just a few minutes drive away... Nice restaurants... nice shops and all the walking room available shifting from one mall to another...

I'm now occupying a studio apartment room beside my sisters studio room and it's now my second home apart from my home town - Baguio...

Traveling in the Center

I've been to Tarlac - Pampanga - Cabanatuan Area and somehow, it doesn't provide much recall on places I've been to... These three areas are in the center of the road going to Manila...

We did have a chance to see Expo Filipino while it was still available on our way back from our college field trip... Luisita Mall in Tarlac and also another mall in Cabanatuan... That's all of what I recall from back then... A few years ago on my first drive to Baguio, we did stop by Isdaan at Gerona, Tarlac and I did like how they conceptualize the place... Large structures... Floating structures... Fish Feeding... Nice array of food... Entertainment... Break Plates to release some stress on a wall... Fountains...

Obviously, I still have a lot more to explore in traveling in the center...

A Trip Back in Time in Ilocos

Been in Ilocos Sur for meetings and conventions during JPIA days... and it was like stepping out of a time machine back in time as the place has old historic churches and then there's the cobble stone streets in the center of Vigan complete with kalesa...

Funny how almost all town being named from Saints (San and Santa)... Santa Lucia, Santa Maria, San Juan and one town ran out of Saints and is just called Santa... Of course, aside from a view of history, there's also the fine white sand beaches and nice bridges and all those delicacies I like, Vigan Longanisa, Bagnet, Kalamay and their Chichacorn...

Then I'm just 50% of Ilocos... I'll have my time up North but for now I'll have to settle for a trip back to time in Ilocos...

100 Islands and More

Pangasinan is among the biggest provinces in the Philippines... and sure have its many wonders... Alaminos has its hundred islands... Dagupan is the center of the province... Calasiao has its famous Puto... Manaoag has its Shrine and Church... Lingayen has its share in history of the country... and Urdaneta has its Traffic(=>)...

Been here numerous time since I have several college friends based here... as well as family outings in this area... It's such a big place that each place its own features... its own delicacies and festivals... and then there's all the islands and seas surrounding the province...

Hundred islands is already so much but the place has a lot more to offer...

La La Land

I've spent so many childhood summers in this place as we we often would end up at our relatives place in between school years...

Growing up, I'd always relate La Union with the wide beaches along the Bauang area... and just biking around Naguilian... and just go around to its capital, San Fernando...

And going back just a few years ago, I realized that there's one more wonder that I failed to see all those summer... It was the picturesque view of the Sunset... The South China Sea has indeed a nice peak of the setting sun in La La Land...

The Place I Call Home

It's called the summer capital... the city of pines... the land where 'Penagbenga ' is celebrated... and where the climate is cool and the walks uphill... and for me, I call it simply as HOME...

What sets home apart... it will always be the climate.. the honest to goodness cab drivers that would return up to the last centavos of your change... the uphill climbs and the curvaceous roads... the lower cost way of life... the strolls in Session road... the high caliber of education... the family and the friends that has existed all this years...

The list could go on... after all, I do call this place home... the largest chunk of my life has been spent in the mountainous terrains of Baguio City...

I wanted to start a new section of my blogs which is just to focus on my other passion which is travel... and what best way to start it with than the place I call home...