Philippines – Page 5 – soloflighted.com

Zambales Trip: Exploring Anawangin Cove

I woke up from an afternoon nap under pine trees in Anawangin cove when I decided to go to the beach. The white sand turned black with a simple sweep of its layer. It wasn’t actually white in the first place; more of greyish – its shade depended on the sun’s brightness. Black or white, … Read more

Zambales Trip: An Afternoon Nap Under Pine Trees in Anawangin Cove

Coming from an uncomfortable sleep in Olongapo City, we proceeded to San Antonio, Zambales, via bus so we could journey to Anawangin Cove. It was only a two-hour bus ride and we were lucky enough to have seats reserved by Anton and his wife, Teresa. The bus was almost full since a number of couch … Read more

Cagayan Trip: Palaui Island Highlights

I gave up 3 months of traveling because I suddenly became busy with work and money. I didn’t get to enjoy my summer which was such a rare case for this travel blogger. But I’m not complaining as much; managing how to travel to 4 countries and 8 local destinations within 8 months was such … Read more

Zambales Trip: Standing on Top of the Lighthouse in Capones Island

“There’s an earthquake!” I heard a girl panicking as she felt a sudden shake from where she was standing.
“It’s just me guys.” I replied hastily to calm her down and show that it was just my legs that were trembling which produced the sudden movement. I was on top of the lighthouse in Capones Island during our Zambales Trip, literally.

Capones Island, Zambales
February 22, 2011

view from the top of Capones Lighthouse, Zambales

They were also wondering where the voice came from as they couldn’t see my face. One of the men in charge of the lighthouse pointed his finger towards me to reassure the girl that there was no natural calamity happening at the time.

lighthouse in Capones | my feet on top of the tower

We were trekking after a photo op with golden cogon grasses in the island of Capones in order to see the lighthouse as this has been a famous landmark which my companions wanted to visit since they’ve never reached the tower.

looks like dinosaur to me

With the number of crazy things I do during my travels, it’s inevitable that accidents happen. During our Sagada trip, I slipped and hit my head on a rock in Bomod-ok Falls.

Bomod-ok Falls aka the Big Falls
Sagada, Mountain Province
March 5, 2011

stepping slowly
Photo by Doi

It was an hour’s worth of hiking along the rice paddies but it wasn’t that hard as we were trekking down a mountain. The weather was also cold which helped in keeping us from sweating. When I saw the waterfalls, I was happy that we finally reached our destination.

beautiful Bomod-ok Falls in Sagada, Mountain Province

My main objective in Zambales was to visit Nagsasa Cove but when Anton and his wife introduced us to Capones island, it became an unexpected highlight. Months ago, I had an affair with big red ants and cogon grass in the island of Guimaras. Little did I know that a golden sea with the same … Read more

Davao City: Solo Travel to My Hometown

My mind was switching back and forth, hesitant if I was going to push through with a trip to Davao that I already booked months before. Sitting at my desk in the office, a lot of questions came to mind: Where will I stay? How much do I have left? Should I even bother?

It was only a day after a one-week vacation in Bangkok and Cambodia, yet I already had another ticket scheduled for the next. A temporary break in my hometown; something that was also long overdue.

I almost decided to just let it pass and continue with my work. I only paid around 200 Php for the airline promo fare so it wasn’t much of a loss if I didn’t push through. Besides, I didn’t even have a concrete plan.

But it didn’t convince me enough to cancel the trip altogether. I’ve been waiting for a long time to go back to Davao just to see how it’s been; without visiting people I know and just doing things my way. I already filed for a vacation leave so it was only me that was stopping myself from pushing through. But I’m glad that I did go and board the plane.

Arriving in Davao

Armed with a knock-off Lonely Planet guide book and my backpack and gadgets, I arrived in Davao without a clear sense of goal. But in the end, I visited my younger brother, met other PTB members and bloggers, and ate one of my favorite fruits–durian.

The only place I truly went for a nature-trip was Isla Reta in Samal Island; a beautiful place to spend a night with friends over drinks under Talisay trees. I can still recall the fallen leaves on the sandy beach – how they add drama to gloomy landscape.

Isla Reta, Samal Island

and still keep your full-time job! In one of my blog articles last month, I discussed how I was able to travel to 4 countries within 4 months and still maintained my full-time job in a BPO company. I’m writing this entry as a second part of that blog post. Seldom do people know that … Read more

Sagada Trip: Crazy Toploading from Banaue to Bontoc

Toploading from Banaue to Bontoc was an adventure itself as we headed our way to Sagada, Mountain Province. Imagine the wind brushing the sides of your face. You see a spectacular view of the mountain and rice fields. You inhale the scent of tall pine trees and see a couple of waterfalls every now and … Read more

Moalboal, Cebu: A Beach Fix from the Office and School

One of the easier beaches to access when you have limited time in Cebu is Moalboal. It’s a quick beach fix whenever there’s a need for you to get away from the city while enjoying the sun, sand, and water.

I’m a beach boy at heart. I used to spend weekends with my cousins in different beaches in Davao which may have resulted to my fondness of taking a dip in salt water when opportunities arise. With so many beaches I’ve featured in this blog, I wonder why I haven’t been able to create a write-up about this nice retreat when it’s very much accessible from the city.

hut under the heat of the sun

I also have a couple of fond memories of Moalboal. Those occasions were spent with colleagues at work and with classmates in school – both of which I was able to do at the same time. Remembering those times when I had to work at night and then study during the day, I found my much-needed stress buster in this beach.

Moalboal beach
photo by Bangbang

Just came back from a trip to Sagada, Mountain Province and I still have to sort my pictures according to albums but let me post this quick teaser of this recent break. I’m more of a beach person but I also appreciate a different scene once in awhile. Sagada was able to do that for … Read more

Won a Mountain Hardwear Scrambler Backpack from R.O.X. Philippines

I claimed a backpack that I won from a contest that was organized by R.O.X. Philippines. The Backpack for Bloggers was a contest on Facebook wherein participants were tasked to write about their most memorable Outdoor adventure for 2010. In my case, I shared my bungy jumping experience at the Macau tower which is hands down the best moment as I conquered my fear of heights and I achieved one of my goals that I planned for over a year. Heck, I still can’t stop talking about it as it’s always something I’m proud of doing.

I received the news that I won the bag some time in January but it took me awhile to get it since I’m from Cebu and they needed to ship it to the R.O.X. branch in Ayala Center. Recently, I just had a trip in Zambales and decided to drop by Manila before heading back home. Just shows how anxious I am to get the prize.

Mountain Hardwear Scrambler

Just got home from another set of adventures during our trip from Cebu to Clark wherein we headed to Zambales to experience and see the amazing views of their islands and coves.

I’ve been meaning to visit this part of the Philippines ever since I saw photos of pine trees on the beach and the vast landscape. Took me about two years to finally reach this province and I’m glad to have conquered it.

Beach on one side, lake on the other. Pine trees in between and mountain ranges at the back. I’ll be posting more entries about each spot in the future. I just thought I’d share a couple of snapshots because I don’t think I’ll be able to write my experiences any time soon.

ANAWANGIN COVE

This is the most famous among all the spots in Zambales and I fell in the process of going down from a climb. I’ve a couple of scars that will soon vanish in due time. Will write more about it later.

Anawangin Cove, Zambales

pine trees on the beach

NAGSASA COVE

Nagsasa Cove was the main spot I wanted to visit because of how everybody said it’s a better option compared to Anawangin. I still prefer this cove though. It’s indeed peaceful because there aren’t as many travellers as Anawangin.

wide landscape (photo by Doi)

You just came from a long vacation and now you’re leaving again?

The expression on his face was priceless. There was no need to answer as I understood that it was a rhetorical question. I just had to smile to eliminate the moment of silence between his eyes and my smirk.