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Jungles And Mud Karts In Puerto Galera

As I walked along the road, the sun beat down. The jungle canopy stretched overhead; protecting me from the hottest sun rays, but many still landed on my back. I drank a mouthful of cold water. Sweat dripped down my back. A motorcycle sped past, spitting exhaust fumes into the atmosphere as it disappeared around a corner. Where was I? I was in Puerto Galera, a small town on the island of Oriental Mindoro.

Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro

Roughly 4 hours from Manila, Puerto Galera is a popular town for weekend getaways. It attracts tourists of all types. The Filipinos congregate around White Beach, a popular nightlife district, while the foreigners tend to set up camp around Sabang. I was staying at a Puerto Galera resort in the middle, approximately 10 minutes motorcycle ride from White Beach and Sabang.

Today, I’d forsaken the motorcycle for my own two legs. I was on my way to Sabang, one of the tourist areas.

BadLadz Resort

I had the pleasure of meeting readers on the road while in Cambodia. These were unexpected encounters and it was nice that they spared their time even if they were tired from a long day of temple-hopping. I wrote 20 articles about Siem Reap during my trip last year which has become a guide for … Read more

Old Tourist Couple in Siem Reap, Cambodia

I was hanging out with newfound friends at one of the fish massage areas near the Angkor Night Market in Siem Reap. My friends tried the Doctor Fish Spa and were giggling so hard when the fishes ate the dead skin cells of their feet. I was laughing at their reactions when an old tourist … Read more

Things to Do If I Go Back to Macau

As I was scanning through old photos in my laptop’s hard drive, I came across an album of my Macau trip 2 years ago. This was the first time I stepped foot on international soil and because of this, I realized that I could go to different places if I really wanted to.

Anyway, looking at the pictures of Macau, I can’t help but think about what I’ll do if I go back for the second time.

Bungy Jump at the Macau Tower (again!)

I can’t get enough of my bungy jumping experience at the Macau tower that I want to do it again. I know it’s something that I need to prepare myself for since the price of the bungee is expensive. However, I already have a card that gives me a discounted rate so I wouldn’t mind using it for this death-defying stunt.

Maybe this time I’ll try falling backwards, or maybe I’ll do a tandem bungy. Whatever happens, I shouldn’t miss out on another exhilirating experience.

Senado Square Food

I’m a sucker for free food that’s why I will have a quick stop at the Senado Square because of the free samples that are being offered left and right.

On the way to the Ruins of St. Paul, store attendants offer free taste of beef jerkies, cookies, and snacks that they are selling. With so many people around, I don’t think they’d notice if I keep going back for more. I remember that those cookies actually served as my lunch for that day!

About 15 minutes away from Paoay Lake, we went to the sand dunes of Suba, Ilocos Norte for a quick stop. This was not supposed to be part of our itinerary but since we had a few minutes to spare, we were lucky to be given the time to check the place out.

Quick Stop at Suba Sand Dunes
Paoay, Ilocos Norte

view from the bus

“Guys, 10 minutes only!” Ivan of Ivan About Town said that we shouldn’t take long as we still had some activities lined up for the rest of the day.

I was happy to have the chance to step down the bus and not just stare at the place from afar that I hurriedly took my camera out and stepped foot on the sand.

Lakbay Norte 3 Victory Liner Bus in Paoay

One of the movies I’m looking forward to watching is “On the Road” which is based on a book with the same title. This was written by Jack Kerouac and despite being in the travelling scene for quite some time, I’ve only heard about Jack and his famous book recently.

I seldom get to watch movies but I fancy these road trip diary scenes as they had inspired me to do what I’m doing in the present. Here’s a trailer of the movie below.

The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow Roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars, and in the middle, you see the blue center-light pop, and everybody goes ahh… – On The Road, by Jack Kerouac

I didn’t realize it’s been a month since I took a flight from Manila to Vietnam to start my backpacking journey in Southeast Asia and become location-independent. I travelled to Ho Chi Minh City and Mui Ne in Vietnam, Siem Reap in Cambodia, and Bangkok in Thailand.

I didn’t maximize the number of days before my passport expired for each country as this month was more of a vacation than anything else. Despite the sudden change of locations, I came across a few realizations and learned some lessons along the way.

1. Stay healthy!

I overdosed on spicy food in Thailand but I still kept eating them. I also didn’t watch what I ate that I ended up having diarrhea for a couple of days.

I can’t afford to get sick. Aside from the cost of medicines, I also wasted time trying to recover my health. I could’ve used the opportunity to work on other jobs that would allow me to generate more income. Or I could’ve used the time to explore other areas in Bangkok.

Thai Food – spicy!

So I’ve been late on the news and I found out that Filipinos have easier access to direct flights from Manila to Cambodia courtesy of Cebu Pacific Airlines. I’m currently based in Siem Reap and I was told that the airline seats are fully booked for April 2012 onwards!

Cebu Pacific Air is set to roll out these Manila to Siem Reap flights 3 times a week starting April 19. I know I’ve had my fair share of adventures during my trip last year and now because of this Cebu Pacific flight, the Philippines can fly directly to Cambodia.

Normally, travellers will have to go by land from Bangkok to Siem Reap or Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap and it would take at least 9 hours via bus from Bangkok and 14 hours from Ho Chi Minh. But with this recent news, this is a welcome treat for those who want to see the great Angkor Wat temple.

This is my 10th podcast episode and I’ve had the opportunity to talk to a travel blogger who works as a Virtual Assistant. This job allows her to have a bit of flexibility with her schedule as she can work from home or work anywhere so long as she’s connected to the internet.

Episode 10 of my Podcast Interview Series

Nina of JustWandering.org

A pioneer female travel blogger in the Philippines, Nina blogs at JustWandering.org. She and her website won the best Travel Blog in the 2010 Philippine Blog Awards, and also won the Best Travel Blog in the Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards 2011. It’s such a great feat knowing she competed against other top bloggers in other countries in the Asia Pacific.

She may look shy, but Nina has already bungy jumped from the Macau Tower and has travelled solo to so many countries already.

I was really nervous during this interview and it showed when I listened to the finished product. Nina also admitted that she was was also conscious on how she sounds but it’s something that we were both trying to overcome. That’s why I’m really glad that she said yes to this podcast. We were also joined by her friend, Hazel and James of JourneyingJames.com.

Interview Location: Va’ Pensiero, Araneta Coliseum, Cubao
Photo Credits: Cla Ines of http://cgines.wordpress.com/

Formerly known as Hotel Vida, the Widus Resort and Casino hotel in Clark, Pampanga was the last place we checked in during our Lakbay Norte 3 trip. This was a nice and relaxing place to cap off our eight-day adventure to different parts of North Luzon.

Widus Resort and Casino Hotel in Clark, Pampanga
January 28, 2012

Hotel Widus, Clark, Pampanga

To be honest, I didn’t expect a lot from this hotel. I was just happy to rest after a long day of pampering. But when I saw our King Bed and Single bed room, I was amazed.

our room in Hotel Widus

One of my most favorite hotels during our Lakbay Norte 3 trip was Hotel Manor in Baguio City. We arrived after our Airsoft game at the Baguio Country Club and it was nice to see the place all lit up.

The Manor Hotel
January 26, 2012

night scene in Hotel Manor

When we arrived at the lobby, chandeliers and a fireplace greeted us. There was also a band at the Piano Bar and I could see an old couple dancing to the song being played. It was a nice welcome after a tiring day of activities and it made me want to go directly to my room so I could change and then explore the other parts of the hotel.

lobby of Hotel Manor

I arrived in Ho Chi Minh and saw you at the lobby while you were reading your book. You were waiting for me and your eyes showed how tired you were after your flight from Singapore. I just came from a stressful day myself and almost never made it passed the immigration in Manila.

But we showed up and we finally saw each other after a year and a half. That was all that mattered.

White Sand Dunes, Mui Ne, Vietnam

Vietnam and Cambodia, we gave ourselves a week of pure vacation and we made sure to find time for this quick respite despite our busy schedules.

The sand dunes and the fishing village in Mui Ne, the temples of Angkor Wat, the night life in Siem Reap. All of them were great backdrops as we rediscovered each other. I wanted time to stop so we could bask in those moments longer.

Red Sand Dunes, Mui Ne, Vietnam

After six hours of travel time from Tuguegarao, we arrived we arrived at the Kapuluan Vista Resort in Pagudpud to have lunch. The resort, hotel, and restaurant is owned by couple Mr. Mike and Alma Oida and they’ve been running the place since 2006.

Lunch at Kapuluan Vista Resort
Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

Kapuluan Vista Resort, Hotel and Restaurant

They gave us a preview of the food that they serve in the restaurant. What was striking about their menu is that the ingredients are taken from their garden. Their items are prepared fresh, with no preservatives added. Don’t panic they’re organic!

1. Flower Decoration, 2. Kapuluan Kinilaw (Polynesian Style), 3. Cabbage Parsley Soup, 4. Bagnet Ceviche

I love the water. Even as a kid, we would always go to the beach or pools during weekends. We’d normally take a swim, build sand castles, jump into the sea, and do just about any activity available. I’ve developed this fascination that even as a grownup, I’d be willing to try any physical exercise that involves water.

Lakbay Norte 3: Surfing at Blue Lagoon
Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

steady now
(photo by Marcos)

I prefer experimenting with watersports and it’s only a few that I’ve done so far – skimboarding in Argao, Cebu and kneeboarding in Camarines Sur. Both of which, I know I’m not good at but I’m happy to have at least tried them.

I remember the time when I rode my first (and only) wave in Siargao. One hour wasn’t enough but my body couldn’t take it anymore as I easily got tired. I also never had a picture of me standing on the board, until now.

cone-shaped islands

Jungles And Mud Karts In Puerto Galera

Meeting Readers On the Road

Old Tourist Couple in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Things to Do If I Go Back to Macau

Bungy Jump at the Macau Tower (again!)

Senado Square Food

Suba Sand Dunes in Paoay, Ilocos Norte

On the Road Movie Trailer

7 Lessons from My First Month on the Road

1. Stay healthy!

Cebu Pac Manila to Siem Reap, Cambodia Flights

Podcast Interview with Nina of JustWandering.org

Nina of JustWandering.org

Widus Resort and Casino Hotel in Clark, Pampanga

The Manor Hotel in Baguio City

Your Suitcase, My Backpack

Lunch at Kapuluan Vista Resort, Pagudpud

Surfing at Blue Lagoon in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte