It used to be known by locals (and by that, I mean, those in Benguet) as “Philex Ridge” until, on October 31, 2015, it was officially launched with its new name, Mt. Ulap. Before that official launch, and before massive numbers of local and foreign tourists descended on the place with their day-hikes and trail runs, I was able to tag along a group of friends and check it out.
Continue reading “Walkin’ on Air… at Mt. Ulap, Itogon, Benguet”
We all love surprises, especially if they are the beautiful kind, and hidden somewhere in the Batad area is a waterfall that totally fits the bill. Now that I think about it, it is the first ever waterfall that I laid eyes on up close, and I feel blessed that my first waterfall experience – which I found utterly mesmerizing – was not a fluke.
Continue reading “Tappiyah Waterfalls of Batad”
They say some things are sweeter the second time around. In case of travel or, to be more precise, visiting one place for the second time, that could be a hit or a miss. It’s a hit if the place, which you absolutely loved the first time around, did not change or, even if it did, it changed only in good ways. It’s a miss if it’s the opposite: the changes weren’t good. How was my second visit to the Batad Rice Terraces, you ask? Read on.
Continue reading “The Batad Rice Terraces”
The key phrase for this 5-part posting arc is “Plan B is for Batad”. It’s a bit of a long story, but I’ll try to make it short: early February we made plans to climb Mt. Bulusan in Irosin, Sorsogon during the Holy Week, and we were able to sort everything out. The week before Holy Week, news about Typhoon Maysak wreaking havoc and doing a direct hit in that region made us scramble and look for a Plan B. So we rearranged the Mt. Bulusan details for Labor Day weekend, and proceeded up north, instead, to Batad, Ifugao. Continue reading “The Road to Batad”
The morning of the second day of our Christmas Ed Kapangan adventure began way too early, but with so much excitement for what lies ahead, I do not really mind. (By the way, I hope y’all had a nice Christmas.)
Continue reading “6th Christmas Ed Kapangan, Benguet (Day 2)”
Here’s a sad fact: my roots are in Kapangan, but I am not fully acquainted with it, having been born in Baguio and spent most of my life in La Trinidad and Baguio, with the occasional visits to my grandma in Kapangan, and other relatives in Tublay and Atok. I was aware that the Christmas Ed Kapangan (translates to “Christmas in Kapangan”) has been going on annually and, this time, I was especially keen that I join. Before anything else, though, let me just greet you all a very merry Christmas!! Continue reading “6th Christmas Ed Kapangan, Benguet (Day 1)”
(Well, I did say this week is close to being one of those “Hell Weeks”, didn’t I. And it’s going to be the same next week, too. Oh, joy. #DifficultiesOfBeingAnAdult)
I was looking for a fitting way to wrap up this series of Boracay-in-August posts, and what better way than to take a look at it in the evening? Continue reading “(Non) Summer in Boracay 4: "Eveningscapes"”
Next to April-March, August-September is the second-busiest couple of months for me because it’s that time of the year when I’ve to draw up the Budget Proposal of our Department for the next Budget Year. It’s exhausting work and, piled on top of my regular (and irregular) functions, it spells out “Hell Weeks” for me.
I cannot wait until August 20 comes (so I can get a reprieve by catching Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno in the cinema) and September 19 finally rolls around so I can watch CNBLUE in concert. Simple joys, really.
On a day tour or island-hopping gig in Boracay, one of the major pit stops is Crystal Cove.
Continue reading “(Non) Summer in Boracay 3: Crystal Cove”
When you find yourself in a tropical island, it’s a crime to NOT get in the water. If there are smaller islands about, the most logical activity to do would be to go island-hopping. And that’s exactly what we did. Continue reading “(Non) Summer in Boracay 2: "Afternoonscape"”
You say “Philippines”, and “beaches” won’t be far behind. And when you lump the two words together, what’s the most common name that comes to mind? Yes. Boracay.
This is another one of those “major throwback” posts which I am blogging about because (1) I had three of the awesomest fangirlfriends for company; (2) I wish it’ll happen again (post-Yale, Jane?); (3) Hey, it IS Boracay; and (4) this is where I discovered that humans and lobsters are separated by merely a few hours in the sun (sans sunblock); and (5) it was HELLA. FUN.
Continue reading “(Non) Summer in Boracay 1: "Morning-scape"”
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