A Touch of History

I had a very productive weekend! I was able to finish 5 challenge layouts! It was a little due to the fact that my daughter's homework for this week didn't require much effort from me so I didn't need to allot any of my time for that.

Anyway, here is one of the layouts I completed last weekend.

Elements from Vintage Birthday collaboration kit by Digital Scrapbooking CH designers

This is for Digidesignresort's Scraplift Challenge for July. We were given a gorgeous layout from bombalurina59 to scraplift:

DDR Gallery link

I used a photo I took at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. I just realize now that I never did get to make a dedicated post for our trip there. Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is a resort located in the mountains of Bagac, Bataan. They took some old colonial buildings from around the country, and transported them brick by brick to this resort and rebuilt them. Amazing right?

The main attraction for me is the old University of the Philippines building that used to be located in Manila. This was before the University moved to it's sprawling campus in Diliman.

Once upon a time, my dear old alma mater only had one building. Now, the entire campus is the size of a small town :)

Here's a photo of some of the old houses there.

Some of the villas are available for overnight stay but the rates are a little steep considering there really isn't much to do in this resort in the evening and it's far from the city. When we were there last summer though, the dinner set-up is outside, in the "plaza" in front of an old hotel that used to be located in Manila.

details of the building

They also have this cultural show where some performers performed native dances from the Philippines but I think they only have this during the summer months when the resort get plenty of guests. There's also the beach but the beach in this area is not really that beautiful.

The resort offers day-tours where tour guides take tourists around the resort and shares the history of each building included in the tour. For more information, you can visit the resort's website here.

The day I willingly got pushed off a mountain

Guess what? I tried riding a zip line for the first time! Though at the time I agreed to do it, I had no idea what I was in for.

See, I had thoughts of zipping from one tree to another and I thought that was not so bad. So off we went... high into the mountains of B'lakayo in General Santos, Mindanao (Southern Philippines). When we finally got there, my heart nearly gave out when I saw the cable... it was stretching out from the top of one mountain down to somewhere on the other mountain!

But since we already went all the way there... we decided to get harnessed and start hiking up that mountain to get to the starting platform.

It was the 7-minute hike that felt like forever. I am so out of shape. When we got to the top, I didn't want to move anymore... but this was waiting for me...

See the cable?

 Heart, don't fail me now... courage, don't desert me...

Photo taken by my husband (he had the camera). This is the view as you are about to jump off the mountain.

According to the resort owner, the entire ride will only take 35 seconds. It is currently the fastest zip line ride in the Philippines... and we had to pick this zip line for our first try huh?

And soon, it was my turn... *gulp* I held on for dear life and gave the go ahead to be pushed off.

That white speck in the middle... that's me :)

The first 5-10 seconds felt like falling... and falling very fast. I swore to myself I will not disgrace myself my screaming but... I totally DID! :-/ Ten seconds has never felt so LONG! But after that, the rest of the ride was fun. 

And the view was spectacular!

From top left: the mountains; the path on the way to the hike trail to the mountain.. other people were going to try the zipline; the view of the launching platform where we came from; view of the trees down below.

And then the first ride was over too quickly. Yeah... you heard that... FIRST. Because you have to zip down the SECOND cable to go back to the mountain where we came from.

The second ride also takes 35 seconds on a shorter cable, which means the speed is slower and the incline less steep. I enjoyed this second ride better.

View of the other side of the mountain. And then the tree tops.

And our adventure was over and it was time for a somewhat long walk back to the resort's receiving area to have lunch.

That's hubby!

What a great way to end 2011!

PS. If you're wondering where our daughter was while all this is happening, we left her at grandma's ;)

Christmas Vacation Photos

The day before we returned to Manila, my sister-in-law and her husband took me and my husband for a short trip to a dive resort in Saranggani: Lemlunay Resort. Nope, we did not go diving. We only stayed there for a few hours so we only used the pool. Our camera lens broken the previous day, I only used my camera phone (Nokia N95) to take these photos.

They have cabin rooms for rent for guests who are staying the night.

They have an infinity pool.

I saw a lot of cactus trees like this one growing around this resort.

I think this cactus is really pretty.

We left Andrea at her grandmother's house. For one we left too early (around 6AM). Another thing, she was still recovering from her hospital stay. Yep, my precious princess got sick and had to be confined at the hospital for a few days because she was dehydrated. According to the doctor there, she had gastro-enteritis... which was weird because we completed our Rotavirus shots which was supposed to prevent that.

this just breaks my heart everytime I see it :(

Watching her cry in pain as they were putting the IV on her was probably the most painful most difficult thing I ever had to experience in my life. Much more painful than giving birth to her. To add to my worries... we were far from home... and far from the pediatrician we trust. Andrea got better though. We were at the hospital for 3 days and was released on December 24... in time to celebrate Christmas Eve with our family.

14th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

I went to the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta at Clark, Angeles with my family last Sunday. We left Manila at 5:00 AM and were at Clark by 6:30. We saw the balloons as they were getting inflated while we were inside the car looking for a parking space. But after that, we had to get in the long line for additional tickets so while my mom stood in line for us, I went with MG and Lester to the nearby Ministop to get breakfast. MG was able to take these photos of the hot air balloons in flight.

Beautiful aren't they? Oh, is that a floating mug???

I saw a Coke balloon from a distance but I didn't see it in the air so I'm not sure if it was just a giant balloon (I didn't see it in the grounds though) or a hot air balloon. Too bad we didn't get a photo.

After the hot air balloons disappeared in the horizon, the airshow started. It was my first time to see an airshow live.

A plane flying upside down. It flew like this for a few seconds.

Can you see the pilot? This was taken with MG's telephoto lens. In the original hi-res photo, you can zoom in and actually see the pilot's profile. Amazing! It's good to know that those expensive lenses actually do have a purpose. I had to resize the photos for faster uploading though.

Two planes: the plane on the left is flying upside down.

Another one of those planes... I forgot what these are called.

Puerto Galera - How to Get There

Dear friends,

I know summer is approaching when I start receiving text messages asking me how to go to White Beach, Puerto Galera. Every year, I never fail to receive at least one inquiry. And sure enough, I received the first inquiry for this year this morning!

I gave most of you this spiel before. I decided to just write it down to save myself the P1.00 per text message that I spend replying to all your inquiries. I think my total text spiel is about 5 messages long right? Now, the next person who asks is getting a URL, and I save P5.00 (sorry Smart).

By the way, let me first clarify that my last trip to White Beach, Puerto Galera was in May of 2005 so I'm not sure about rates anymore. A friend of mine who went last year told me they haven't changed much.

How to go to Puerto Galera from anywhere in Metro Manila and surrounding areas:

Step 1: Take a cab and tell the cab driver to take you the JAC Liner station in Kamias.
I know there are other bus lines and stations but this is the only one I know (so JAC Liner, thank me for the free promotion.)

Step 2. Take the bus going to Batangas Pier.
Bus rates from Kamias should be around P200 I think, I am not sure) one way. Travel time is between 3-4 hours if you start out early (and by early, I mean before the sun rises over Metro Manila).

Step 3. When you get to the Pier, look for the ticket counter for M/B Brian or M/B Natividad.
These 2 will take you directly to White Beach. I STRONGLY suggest you take only either one of these 2. They have the most boats going to and from White Beach. I think during peak season, either one will have a boat leaving the pier every 30 minutes. I think fare is around P300 one way. I really don't remember.

When you get to the pier, there will be other people who will offer to take you on different boats to White Beach. What most of them really mean is... you will get to White Beach eventually. Other boats dock somewhere "near" White Beach where they tell you you can take a "shuttle" to White Beach. And when they say "shuttle", they will not always mean airconditioned vans... it can mean any vehicle that will not offer you protection as you traverse the dustiest roads imaginable (I exaggerate, but trust me, the experience was not pleasant). There are other boats that will really take you to White Beach directly, and at a cheaper price. I don't know. What I do know is I have several friends who got waylaid because they took those boats. One of my friends took a boat that they overloaded probably hoping they won't be inspected but they were so they had to let other passengers off... passengers who paid because they wanted to leave at that time and will now have to wait for the return trip of that same boat (4 hours wait?) fron White Beach.

So if you're my friend, I STRONGLY suggest you just go with M/B Brian or M/B Natividad. If we're not friends, you can be as adventurous in your choices as you want, I don't care :)

Step 4. Make sure you are near the loading dock a few minutes before your scheduled departure so you are one of the first in line to board the boat.
You can choose seats with the least probability of getting wet. I'm joking... sit anywhere you want, it doesn't matter, you will probably get wet wherever you sit anyway. But if you are near the front of the line, you and your friends can choose seats where you will all be together. You can start taking pictures on the boat. Pang-Friendster/Multiply/Facebook din yun.

Step 5. When you get to White Beach and you don't have room reservations, you will have someone offering to get you a room the moment your feet touch sand.
So don't worry. Just tell your guide you want a room on the beach front. You can check out as many resorts as you want along White Beach until you find one that suits you. When your guide tells you there are no vacant rooms along the beach front, he is just probably affiliated with another resort farther back :) You can choose to eithrt ditch your guide and walk along White beach and inquire along the many establishments lining the beach front, or whine and wheedle and insist to your guide that you really, really, really want a room along the beach front and you might get lucky. Either way worked for me :)

Step 6. But before you go looking for a room, make sure you look for the M/B Brian or M/B Natividad booth along the shore to buy your return ticket first. As of 2005, you can't buy return tickets from their ticket booth in Batangas Pier. Not sure if they do now. But if they don't, make sure you buy your return tickets immediately. Especially if it's a weekend.

And there you go. You are in Puerto Galera.

Oh before I end this post, I have one more tip: Start your trip early. I am usually the sadistic b1t*ch in the group who suggests that everyone be at the bus station by 3:30AM. Yes, 3:30 AM. I have been to Puerto Galera several times in the past and I have learned to time my arrival on the beach perfectly ;)

My itinerary usually goes like this:
3:30 - 4:00 AM Bus station
4:00 - 7:00 AM Trip to Batangas Pier
7:00 AM Arrival in Batangas Pier but by this time, the earliest available ticket for boats is around 8:30 already. If you arrived much later, then you get a ticket for a later trip.
7:00 - 8:30 AM Wait for boat in Batangas Pier
8:30 - 10:30 AM boat ride to White Beach
10:30 - 11:00 AM look for accomodations. When you find one, you can't check in until afternoon yet so you look for somewhere to eat first.
11:00 - 1:00 PM lunch
1:00 PM walk back to your resort and check in
2:00 OM take a nap, because some b1t*ch made me get up at 3:30 AM! Oh wait... that was me :)

Enjoy your trip!

xoxo Janelle

Nissin Cup Noodles for the Kikay Soul

Heartwarming stories that will touch your soul (NAKS!!!)

The Ticket

All ticket-holders at Disneyland are entitled to get FASTPASS Tickets. A FASTPASS ticket will allow you to skip the looooong lines for certain rides. However, you can only get FASTPASS tickets once every few hours (I think).

Anyway, MG and I were too lazy to look for the FASTPASS booth when we got there in the morning. We tried some of the rides and lines were long but the wait wasn't that bad so we figured we don't need FASTPASS tickets anymore. That was until we reached the Indiana Jones ride in the afternoon. We've been looking forward to trying out this ride all day but when got there, the line was long, and it was posted that the average waiting time was 50 minutes. I decided to look for the FASTPASS booth then but when I found it, they have already stopped issuing FASTPASS tickets for the day. Having no other choice left, we decided to wait in line.

When we reached the line, a man approached me and asked if I want his FASTPASS tickets. I didn't understand what he was saying at first and he asked me again if I wanted his FASTPASS tickets. I couldn't believe it! He has two but he won't be using them anymore. I took the tickets and thanked him. Among all the people in line, he picked us to give his tickets to! :) MG and I were able to skip the line thanks to that wonderful stranger who decided to help 2 tired-looking tourists that day :)

The story didn't end here.

Later that night, MG and I wanted to try one more ride before we went home but we were pressed for time so we were looking for one that didn't have a long line. A teen-age girl approached me and asked me if we were on a date. I was surprised and asked her why she was asking. She told me she has 2 FASTPASS tickets to a nearby ride that she won't be using anymore and she wanted us to have them! :)

Maybe I'm just not used to having strangers helping me out but it was really nice knowing that there are still people out there like them.

Rewarding Points

I have meant to write this story since last week, because I didn't want to forget and I want to remind everyone that kindness exists in places where you least expect it.

MG and I went to the mall last week to watch The Dark Knight. When we got there, there was a 3-day sale going on so we decided to check out some of the shops before going to the movie theatre.

We were at one store, when a lady approached me and asked me if I have an Advantage Card (a type of loyalty card where you earn points every time you shop at certain stores). I said yes, thinking it was a kind of promotion stint. She then asked me if I want to use it with her purchases. She was shopping and made a big purchase but didn't have an Advantage Card so she was hoping someone else can earn the points. I was really surprised that this lady took the time to look for someone who can take her points. Normally when I go shopping and I don't have my card with me, I just tell the cashier I don't have one and don't think twice about it. I accompanied her to the register where I presented my card and thanked her for her thoughtfulness :)