Why Hello Again, Hong Kong!

After my parents decided to book a ticket to Hong Kong, I can't help, but feel ecstatic thinking about being back to the very first out of the country trip I've been to circa 2010 with my siblings and my brother's wife.

What made this trip even extra special is that it falls, not only on my birth month, but exactly on my birthday! I, without a doubt, loved my birthday gift since I get to travel outside the country with my family sans my father, whose passport was still in the embassy for visa approval and brother, who couldn't file a vacation leave. I'm sure it would've been a happier trip with them. I'm definitely hoping for a complete family trip next time!

High Tide to Low Tide: Oslob

Another week of April calls for another adventure. It's certainly a wonderful time to be basking under the sun and fully appreciate the fine sand and calm waves. Well, the truth is that I don't want to get tanned, but I do enjoy swimming and floating in the water while staring at the clear blue sky.

After months of wanting to get back to my favorite element, I finally got the chance to do so with my boyfriend's relatives. Oslob is well-known for whale shark watching and entry point to Sumilon Island.

A For April, B For Bacolod

Started the month enjoying the rice fields on our way to the City of Smiles at a faster speed because my boyfriend thought we were on a race track.

Before enjoying the scenery, I initially thought I'd only end up picturing out how Bacolod looks like in my bed since it was reported that Mt. Kanlaon started to make some volcanic movement again. Good thing it wasn't as bad as it sounded like on the news, though.

March-ing Our Way To Summer: Aloguinsan

It's been months since my last quick vacation and being a proud wanderlust, I can't help myself from thinking which place will I be traveling to next.

Just like any other ordinary days, I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed, checking my friends' whereabouts and actually feeling envious on some of my friends' travel photos. Then came my friend's post of her quick trip to Aloguinsan that instantly caught my attention. The place is just grandeur for me to miss out.

For someone who is pretty much ecstatic when it comes to adventures, I immediately texted my friends about my planned road trip to Aloguinsan together with the boyfriend and vowed to join us on our whole day trip.

It's going to be a long entry since we visited three (3) places in one day.

Away From Home on a Weekend: Manila

Months before December, while waiting for our flight to Kuala Lumpur, my boyfriend's family, together with their friends, were planning a 3-day trip to Manila. The boyfriend immediately asked me if I wanted to come with them. Since I was too focused with my studies for the past three years and I wanted to finally enjoy life after school, I gave my big yes.

Then came the day where I had to pack my stuff in preparation for our early morning flight. Though I've been to Manila (and have actually stayed there for nearly two months), I still felt extremely excited; I don't know, but maybe because I get to visit new places with people I'm finally comfortable with. I may be excited, but sad to say, we missed our flight to Manila and it's truly annoying to hear how much the rebooking costs (overpricing, indeed).

Inside the plane, I got to witness the sun rising and the clouds gradually getting more visible. Such a delightful morning, indeed.

After spending almost an hour inside the plane, we've finally reached the land of Manila.

October Weekend Get-Away: Moalboal

It's truly an advantage to be living in a place surrounded by bodies of water and mountains since get-aways are much easier to plan. If you seek for an extraordinary adventure, canyoneering is always open for you to avail; if you want to unwind at the beach, variety of resorts are much willing to welcome you; if you don't want any adventure related to water, mountain climbing in Osmeña Peak is ready for you to explore.

Whichever your preference is, you can always go and plan with your friends given that you have the time and budget in doing so... and don't forget the good weather, of course.

Selamat Detang Ke Malaysia!

If there's another memorable experience that happened to me this year, it would be my very first adventure to Malaysia. With their famous slogan, "Malaysia truly Asia", who'd want to miss the opportunity to see what Kuala Lumpur has to offer?

Six days (or five days and a half) of immersing ourselves with Malaysian food was a very challenging game for most of us since we're accustomed to eating pork on a daily basis... or maybe just for some of us.

(Hello, photo heavy post)

See You Again, Summer!

Summer, as we all know, is the perfect time for get-aways with your family and friends. Instead of staring at the wall or facing your phones for hours, why not plan for an extremely fun adventures just to make your summer worthwhile?

I'm going to give you a glimpse of my adventures last April and May. It may be a bit too late to share this, but I still hope I can give you an idea as to where you can enjoy your summer slash semestral break (for this year).

We're Back, Leyte!

True, I haven't blogged for a very long time due to the fact that I'm constantly searching for life outside the four corners of my secret hideout, a.k.a my room. Now that I'm back to the kind of life I normally do, I sort of miss those carefree times I've spent with my cousins and the adopted piranha, my boyfriend in Leyte.

Apparently, I don't own a spell that casts time reversion nor do I have a time machine to bring me back to those days, but I do have the power to recall those precious moments I've spent with them. 

What keeps me (or us) craving for this place is the calmness it instills. Seeing this view after two years made me appreciate simple things even more. I'm just glad the people residing in the barrio where our mom or dad grew up kept the place the way it was before, except for the cemented road to the beach. 

DAY 1:

And as usual, we arrived in our lola's house with less than two hours of sleep (sleepless for some), had early breakfast, and immediately went out to witness the beautiful sunrise at the beach and look for some sea urchins and starfishes.

After spending an hour at the beach, we went home to catch some sleep. That's for our first morning in Leyte.

Tatay Ade's Beach Resort, Buscayan

Our first afternoon in Leyte was spent at the beach, again. Same saltiness, same sky, but different barrio. The boys actually enjoyed swimming with their goggles and snorkels on, though the sea level was only below their knees. #opps

We ended the day with card games, some drinks, and chit-chats. Nothing special, really, but still memorable for us.

DAY 2:

Let's just say, day two is much enticing to blog about than day one since we visited two new places. 

Another day, another breathtaking view to witness and I thank God for giving us such opportunity to see such picturesque sight right before our very eyes. 

The shrine is, indeed, a spectacular sight you wouldn't want to miss if you wish to pay a visit to Maasin. The aftermath of our long walk didn't turn out pretty good, but the pain was actually all worth it.

Our Lady of the Assumption Shrine, Maasin

After we successfully climbed up the stairs with steps not less than 200, we went to the chapel to give our personal intentions.

Next stop of our trip was the relaxing, cold water of Banahaw spring in Maasin.

Banahaw Spring, Maasin

It wasn't the first time my younger cousins, who've managed to spend post-Christmas in Leyte last 2012, visited this place. It was such a waste of money and time, as what they've quoted, since the place was too crowded for them to swim around. Thankfully that time, it wasn't as crowded as how some of my cousins described it.

We've never toured around Southern Leyte back then for reasons like our parents not allowing us to travel on our own because they think we're too young for it and the inevitable rainy weather. That explains why this trip is very much memorable for all of us, most especially to my boyfriend, who've never set foot in Leyte ever since.

And then again, we spent the night playing cards, some alcoholic drinks, and chit-chats.

DAY 3:

Definitely the last and the most anticipating part of our 3-day trip. I've read good reviews about Canigao Island and since it was very much possible for us to visit the place ourselves, my cousins and I decided to include this in our plan.

Matalom, Leyte

Though this plan went a bit rocky at first, we still did the best we could just to pursue this outing. Gladly, everything went well in the end. Thank you to our aunt, who is residing in Leyte, for allowing us to spend our last day of mini vacation in Canigao Island and to God, of course, for the good weather.

Canigao Island

This beautiful paradise did meet my expectations. I felt really excited the moment I saw the island at a closer range. The crystal clear water, fine white sand – these are exactly what I've longed for years. 

While touring the place, we arrived at the untouched portion of the island and witnessed tons of corals and fishes. It's off-limits to tourists so as not to accidentally break the corals and honestly, I'm glad they've imposed this rule.

We left the place at around 4 in the afternoon. The only downside I can think of this place is their poor water supply. But overall, we did enjoy our Canigao Island adventure and we're pretty happy, as well, since we've got another story to tell when we get back to our hometown.

The moment we arrived home, we packed our things and still played cards, drank adobado (tuba) this time, and had chit-chats about our trip.

The next day, on our way to the pier, a surprising event came along. We got soaked in the rain, including our bags! It was too funny that my cousin documented such unexpected event in her iPhone. I'm glad she did, so we'll have something to look back in the future.

That ends our 3-day vacation. I'm sure 2014 will always be a memorable year for my cousins and I since it's the first time we've travelled to Leyte without our parents with us.

See you again soon, Leyte!

Road After Road

Well, this time, I won't make use of "school" as an entire excuse for not attending to my blog for a very long time. March and April was, let's just say, full of thrills. It's wholly related to school, but with a twist; we thought we lost the very goal we aimed for, the very goal each student wants to achieve — to graduate with pride and dignity.

Experience-wise, it did help me realize a lot of things and one of it is never to submit myself to that kind of situation ever again. Half of us had to go through the harsh side of reality, the very kind that's difficult to predict. It was purely a day filled with fear, shivers, and tears. That very day where I don't want to hear nor remember even up to this point.

It's over and done with, so it's time to brush it off my mind and attract myself towards the positive side. 

On the last week of April, days after our graduation, until the second week of June, most of us were apparently stuck in Manila as temporary residents. Just like our glorious days as students, we had to sit the entire day in class, absorbing all informations we can from the lecture in preparation for the board examination. Hearing that word startles me, but I know God will help us, the gutsy batch, get through this.

Almost everything is difficult in Manila, especially the communication and transportation part. We had to adapt to the environment we're in, regardless of our endless nags. Whenever we go out of the condo, we deal with notorious drivers who don't seem to care about noise pollution, jeepney drivers who stop all of a sudden to pick up passengers anywhere they want, taxi drivers who don't honor "change", and dust infesting our light-colored shirts. That's nothing new in Manila, let alone those snatchers and undying fervor.

What made me feel in awe, though, is their highly urban cities that don't match with the usual vision we have of Manila. Those tall and well-lit buildings in Makati, "New York" feels in Bonifacio Global City, classy-looking Greenhills, and et cetera totally deviated me from the typical city vibes I encounter daily.

My not-so-short stay in Manila was, indeed, a fruitful one. Not only did I learn a lot from the review, I also get to see how to cook some meals I'm very poor at from my room mates who're good in cooking, realize how difficult independent living is, meet and greet few of my good online pals, and experience the poor service of this certain airline whose name I shall not mention.

I guess I have to end this post here since I've somehow managed to wrap everything in one post and that's a big yey for me.

Until then, Manila. Until then.

April Summer Outing: Papa Kit's

While everyone else is busy booking their flight to different countries or plotting their schedules for an outing, here I am, left with loads of notes and other school stuff to deal with. I'm actually taking up regular classes on a summer vacation since it's part of our curriculum. Sad, I know.

Well, despite my ultra busy schedule, I've still managed to go and enjoy my one-day break with my cousins. Oh, the things you do for the sake of having fun!

For this year, we've decided to try something new and fun. After all the discussions and suggestions, we came up with the decision of enjoying our annual summer outing at Papa Kit's since it's jam-packed with different adventures. I guess it's about time we try something new!

The disappointing part of the place is that you need to pay every adventure you want to try. Even their restrooms aren't for free! The only thing that's free there would be their shuttle. Yet, that didn't stop us from trying their zipline and boat riding (not on the picture)!

Nature at its best!

I guess that's just about it. So much for my one-day summer vacation! :(