Adopted Citizen of Baler

Haler Baler! Hahah! This is my first travel blog post for 2018. Wanderlust is so much fun you know. Baler is the capital of the province of Aurora, Philippines. Although, I’m here for some business purposes. To be exact, I’m currently doing an ocular visit. Nag part-time kasi ako sa company ng tita ko which is an event organizer firm, and as of the moment, we’re handling a wedding at ang gusto ng couples ay sa isang beach ganapin ang kasal nila. So I’m currently here in  Diguisit Beach because I was assigned by my auntie to check the beaches here in Aurora kung saan maganda, of course, Baler agad ang naisip ko. Even though I’m here for business, why not savor the moment, yeah? minsan lang naman e. Libre pa ang travel expenses so lets rock kahit isang gabi lang hahaha!

So even before, third favorite beach destination ko ang Diguisit Beach (first one is Puerto Princesa and the second is the Sabang beach) and sa lahat ng napuntahan ko kanina dito sa Baler, I find this place perfect for the wedding we’re handling. It’s semi-white sand beach, it’s a serene place because of its stunning view of the rock formation good for picture taking. There are Nipa huts and resorts nearby as well. Although, everyone who wants to visit this place should be extra careful.  Be very cautious because  it could dangerous. Especially when the waves are strong and walking on rocks is slippery. When you’re told not to go to certain areas, listen. But overall, thumbs up to this beach.

Aside from here, I went to Sabang kanina. It’s a little bit of a long-drive from there to Diguisit. Both beaches are fantastic. What I like with Sabang beach is that it’s perfect for surfing and I love surfing. If you want to learn how to surf, you could for only 380 PhP. The place is also good for swimming. The beach is long and even though there are a lot of people, you’ll not feel crowded. Sobrang peaceful and relaxing sa Sabang guys. The only reason I like Diguisit more for the wedding is because of the view and that Sabang is hella perfect for the couple’s honeymoon hehe! But of course, I’ll let the lovebirds choose for themselves.

Here are some of the other photos I took kanina.

I love to be here. I love the solitude. I love the peaceful serenity. Before, I hate being alone but now, I came to realize, being a lone wolf sometimes is actually good. You know why? Because the best part of being alone is that your really don’t have to answer to anybody. You do what you want.

Anyway, that would be all for now. Thanks guys! If you have the time and you just want to relax yourself, make sure to visit Baler, it’s the perfect place for anybody.

Christmas at House Takamoto

I’ve been celebrating Christmas in Japan for over 6 years. Laging sa Japan kami nag-celebrate ng pasko except last year when I celebrated the Holiday in Europe. Pero ngayon lang ako naka-celebrate ng pasko dito na mas malawak ang pagiisip or should I say, I’m more mature now than my previous Christmas celebration here kaya naman mas naintindihan ko ang difference ng Christmas dito sa Japan with Philippines’.

For starters, Christmas here isn’t a religious celebration. It’s more of a bonding time to spend with your family, friends or if you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Last night, naramdaman ko talaga na single ako huhu. I have friends here in Japan and they all have girlfriends. In my surprise, they actually booked hotels for you know, couple thingy. Basically, ang Christmas eve and Christmas day itself is the peak season for couple bang bang jingle bells hahahah!

Another thing is napansin kong mahilig sila sa fried foods during this Holiday. Most of our foods in our Noche Buena last night were mostly fried, some are grilled tapos kaunti lang yung seafood. Actually, what we prepared for our Noche Buena was Filipino foods kasi gusto daw kumain ng stepdad ko ng lutong pinoy kahit pa almost araw araw kami nagluto ang mom for them, iba pa rin talaga kapag sa may occasion ka kakain ng lutong Pinoy. Then meron pa silang hinanda na strawberry cake, yung parang favorite ni Erza ng Fairy Tail. I guess it’s tradition here in Japan to eat such kasi lagi kaming may ganun e hahaha. 

Anyway, here’s some of our handa last night, Christmas eve:

Of course, may sushi and tempura

And some lutong Pinoy…

And syempre, hindi ata mawawala ang personal favorite kong croissant at sa akin lang ito hahaha! I don’t even know where they got it but I’m happy na meron.

Tapos nung nag-12 na, you know what it is, exchange gift time. Ang nabunot ko kasi is yung little brother ko, I got him a new pair of running shoes since he’s a part of their school’s track and field at yung gamit niyang sapatos ay gusto nang sumuko, I decided to buy him a new one. Ang nakabunot naman sa akin is yung stepdad ko and he gave me this.

I really appreciate it because he knows what I want. and talagang naghanap pa siya ng English version. Bata palang kasi ako, mahilig na ako maglaro ng Super Mario and having this brings back childhood memories. Sobrang masaya ako, except PSP ang meron ako at wala akong DS so I don’t know how am I suppose to play it hahaha.

Okay so that was last night. Ngayong Christmas day mismo, wala naman masyadong ganap kanina. Nagbatuhan lang kami ng snowballs. But tonight, magba-bar kami. Walwalan na this!

So far, I really do enjoy my stay here in Japan, especially the Christmas experience here. It’s not really far from my Filipino or Italian kind of celebration, after all, Christmas is all about happiness and sharing. What I realized throughout this holiday season is that as you grow older, your Christmas wish list goes shorter because as you mature, what you want for Christmas can’t be bought with money.

Have a blessed Christmas everyone!

 

 

Festival of Lights 2017

It’s the time of the year again. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Since my professor posted on our group that we wouldn’t be having a class tonight, I quickly grabbed the opportunity to watch and enjoy the colorful spectacle at Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati. The Festival of Lights is an annual show that opened last November 9 pero ngayon lang ako nagkaroon ng pagkakataong makanood ngayong taon kaya naman hindi ko na sinayang.

Here’s the first part of the show, it’s like the appetizer for the main course.

Beautiful isn’t it? patikim palang yan. The trees were covered in multitude colored Christmas lights and synchronized to dance with medley of Christmas songs. It’s a beloved holiday tradition to visit the show every year for some Filipinos (that includes me). Aside from the Christmas lights, it features laser lights and haze machines to add a more dramatic experience. Although hindi masyado nakita sa video yung haze dahil malayo ako. I chose the spot because it’s already crowded kaya walang magandang spot para umupo at manood sa malapit.

Here’s the main show.

This symphony of lights and sounds runs daily from 6 PM to 10 PM with intervals of 30 minutes each show. Best of all, it’s free. Each set runs about 5-6 minutes each and the show is until January 7, 2018 only.

Bring your friends and family and enjoy the dazzling lights and Christmas songs. Since the Festival of Lights is located in Ayala Triangle Gardens, you can have a simple picnic in the park grounds, just don’t leave your trash okay? Or you can try-out some restaurants in the parks. There are also budget friendly fast foods and convenience store nearby like Mcdo and 7 eleven.

It’s a magical experience for me. This is the first time for me to watch the show alone. Rather than feeling lonely, mas na-enjoy ko siya kasi walang nangungulit na “papicture naman oh” hahaha! I’ll be bringing my family with me next time.

So guys, doon sa mga hindi pa nakakanood, I’m encouraging you to take time and watch the show. I can vouch that it’ll be a wonderful experience for you. Mas maganda panoorin sa personal. 🙂

P.S. I apologize for attaching a unnecessary selfie. I just love the photo, I’m color blue ahahaha!

Quick Visit to Vigan City

And yet another late post.

Since last night was a blast, I wasn’t able to go to work today. I’m having the worst hangover right now. I can’t even remember what happened after the 21 shots. I’m so dead to my boss. Anyway, hindi na mahalaga yun (talaga lang pre?), so I just decided to share to you what happened to me last Saturday after I get back to Manila.

I arrived at around 3:30 PM in Manila. I need to adjust to the time difference once again. As a welcoming party and as well as a early birthday celebration, my Tita, together with my sis, and cousins, Renz and CJ, treated me for some sweets and latte in Le Jardin Cafe in BGC.

It was one of my favorite place (you know how much I love coffees and sweets).You should try the place. It’s truly remarkable with its French ambiance well kasi French style naman talaga siya hahah. The foods are great, the coffees, I’m telling you, they’re worth to try. The place was tastefully designed, although it was revamped from the original Le Jardin restaurant, the vibe was completely different from before, but they consistently offer the same wonderful experience. The staffs are friendly too. Dito ko din nakilala si Chef Hasset sa Le Jardin kaya naman nalungkot ako ng malaman ko yung balitang pumanaw na din si Kuya Hisham, ang bunso nilang kapatid. They are three brothers who died one after another because of liver cancer. Naawa ako sa mom nila because I know, nothing is more painful for a mother than witnessing all your three sons dying one by one before you. I pray for their souls and they may find peace.

So ayun medyo napahaba ang kwento ko, i-fast forward na natin kung bakit ako napunta sa Vigan. It was Kuya Renz’ idea to bring me there. Aside from Arjay, him and his brother, CJ are my bestfriends. It was a treat from him na dalin ako sa Vigan. Although I’ve been there for like ten thousand times, I still love going there. Every year, before my dad died, we always visit Vigan on my birthday because we both love the place but after he died in 2013, it was 11 days before my birthday, I stopped going there. Ngayon gusto ni Kuya Renz na balikan namin yun for my 21st birthday. He managed to rent for a private airplane, mayaman kasi ‘tong hinayupak na ‘to e hahaha. All three of us, Me, him and CJ went for a short visit to Vigan City.

It was a walk through history in Calle Crisologo, Vigan City, not only because of the Spanish era architectural design of the houses, but my memories with my dad here.

My dad will always drink a beer here on my birthdays, only him because I was still underage during those times, he died before I turned 18. This time, on my 21st birthday, it’s my turn to drink a beer for him. This San Miguel Apple Beer is for you dad, I know you prefer red horse more, but please understand. I’m kinda tired from all these flights and travel shizz hahaha!

By the way guys, when you hear the city, Vigan, what comes to your mind? I know that the first thing that comes to your mind is its famed street, lined up of old architectural structures built during the Spanish era. Fun fact, Calle Crisologo is named after a prominent son of Ilocos, Mena Pecson Crisologo, this street is famous for being preserved to retain its Spanish colonial architecture legacy that makes it a good tourist spot here in the Philippines. So to all my fellow travel-addict wanderlust from other countries, visit Vigan City, Philippines.

If ever visit Calle Crisologo, what you can mostly see are souvenir shops, cafes, bars and hotels which are previously ancestral homes. Here is where you can find Vigan’s best products, ranging from food to hand-woven items. What completes the experience is the horse carrriages or what we call, “calesa“. From then and now, it was used as transportation to get from one place to another. You can hire for a calesa tour for your own to see the other famous attractions around the city.

Since it has a scenic background of bricked walls, perfect spot talaga ang lugar to take photos. Walang wala talagan sinabi ang Calle Malibay ahahahah! Kidding aside, these houses have survived many calamities because its architectural style was not built for splendor alone, but for survival. The street is undeniably more beautiful at night as the cobblestone streets starts to brightened up by aesthetic lamps, perfect for those who want to stay the night (like what we did).

It would be best to visit the place during the early morning or by late afternoon so it’s not too humid. We just stayed until 9 AM in the morning the next day, Sunday because we need to get back to Manila for my birthday celebration. Our visit in Vigan City was quick and yet, it was memorable. I never thought that I would be visiting this place again. Maybe it was my dad’s doing, you think?

If you happen find the urge to visit, Vigan, I promise you, it will be worth it. Have a great historical tour at Vigan City!

 

21 and over

It’s my 21st birthday! Finally, I’m a certified adult now! Oh wait, isn’t that bad? Doesn’t it mean that life will be giving you more responsibilities? Meeeeh.

I’m living for 21 years now, ang tanda ko na, but  for me, I am still a child. I am still curious about the silliest things. I am still afraid when people ask me what I want in life because honestly, I don’t know what I want in life. Everything perhaps? Everything that I want to accomplish in life for as long as I can. Ha! Too ambitious! Being 21 years old, I can’t help myself from being scared of what lies beyond the future. Nasa tamang edad na ako para maging independent. I’m aware that I wouldn’t be swimming in smooth water but rather, a harsh one. But I’m ready to dive in and swim against the current. That’s how I was raised by my family.

Okay enough with poetic words. Ang celebration ko lang ay napaka simple. Just a simple gathering. Ayoko nang uminom or magwalwal. Okay na sa akin yung dinner lang para makatipid na din. Besides, mas marami pa akong kailangan pagkagastusan sa pangaraw-araw. Kasama ko lang magcecelebrate yung family ko ofcourse and yung iba kong childhood friends and pinsan na ka-close. Yung mga MAPUAN friends ko kasi e hindi talaga pwede gawa ng Sunday ngayon. Their families should come first. I could set a different day to celebrate with them naman para hindi makaabala sa kanila. 

Pero hindi ba sabi ko naman sa inyo, wala nang inom inom? Wala din naman akong kawala doon. Ito kasing si Kuya Renz ang pasimuno. October palang pinaghahandaan na yung mga alak pang 21 shots daw. Naging tradition na din naming magtotropa magmula nung nag-debut si Kuya Nathan, ginagawa yun, kaya yung mga sumunod e wala nang choice kundi sundin ang tradisyon hahah! 

Kung tutuusin, sobrang rush na ang pagsasagawa ng 21st birthday celebration ko. Grabe, sobrang bigat ng pinagdaanan ko throughout the preparation. I’ve became so melodramatic over some things. My tito scolded me every night. Blaming me for not doing anything. Aba matindi! Matindi talaga. Sa isip isip ko bakit pa kailangan paghandaan yan, ano ko babae? So napagpasyahan ko ayusin nalang for a pool party.

Also, my friends always asked me, “Bro gusto mo ba talagang magdebut party?” “Perahin mo nalang.” I honesty don’t want to have a debut party. Medyo nababaduyan kasi ako. The factthat it’s once in a lifetime experience made me refuse that thought, “Dadating din ako diyan, magkaka-pera din naman ako sa trabaho soon.” I told myself, Which is true! If we could celebrate our debut (for both boy and girls) party 5 or 10 years after, why not diba? Kaso hindi, it’s either you go for it or not. Opportunity yan hindi lang halata hahah! Not all boys are fortunate enough to have a fancy 21st celebration. Yung iba nga masaya na sa isang cake at bote ng empi lights, sino ako para tanggihan ang magarbong celebration na hindi naman ako nagaayos?  Kalalakeng tao pabebe hahah!

So there you go guys, my 21 years old self’s thoughts for today. Happy birthday to me. And to all who’s celebrating their birthday today, happy birthday to you all. God bless you!

 

 

 

London Escapade

Yoohoo what’s up blog! I’m in London and it’s currently 1:41pm here. I arrived like 8 or 9 am here. I’m not sure, my body haven’t adjusted yet to the time difference here. If I’m not mistaken, 8 hours ang difference ng time dito sa oras sa Pilipinas. I wasn’t able to get enough sleep lalo na noong nasa byahe kanina. Non-stop 13 hours ang byahe from Manila, and I’m telling you medyo nakakaurat sa eroplano lalo na pag walang kausap. Sobrang bangag na ako. I tried my best to sleep but I failed. The lack of sleep won’t give me enough energy to get me through the day, I guess. I’ll just be hitting the sack early tonight. Which is why I have decided to open my blog and write instead of lying down with my eyes shut forcing myself to sleep.

So… London. It was my first time to visit London. And when I stepped out of the plane, first thing that came to my mind is the nursery rhyme, “London Bridge is falling down.” hahaha! Agad bumungad mukha ni Tito Mel. He is my dad’s brodie and ngayon nalang uli kami nagkita after mamatay ni dad 4 years ago. After ng batian namin at kaunting kamustahan, agad niya ako tinour sa London malapit sa place kung saan ako manunuluyan. My fatigue from the long-ass flight was relieved after wandering around London.

What I love about London is its remarkable structures. London is probably best known for its West End musicals, Big Ben, and the Queen’s Guards with their tall fury hats. But I’ve discovered that apart from these postcard attractions, the city also has a rich sense of structural arts. It’s not only the buildings but the roads, the cars, the bridges, and everything else. I love the environment and the ambiance.

Here are some the photos I took while tito Mel is touring me around. These are just a few of what I’ve captured. Fuck fudge the limited photo storage here in WordPress.

In a span of 4 hours, ang dami kong napuntahan and nadiscover. It’s only my first day (and the day is still far from over), I’m excited of what London might show me in the next 4 days of my trip here.

Since I got here in London, I already made a point of trying the British foods located here in London especially the almighty meal, the English breakfast which is I’m looking forward getting some tomorrow and I want to try the afternoon tea, which is a tradition here. This morning, I already tried the fish and chips. It’s truly world-over. It was delicious. I ate it paired with mushy peas and garnished with salt and vinegar! Real good sir! For the simple reason, I didn’t feel alone to be here, together with my tito, all my amigos are present. They are my father side cousins and this is one big reunion for us. Two of them are my best friends, Arjay and Julie. They were in London a couple of days already. As I’ve got my hands full with work nitong nakaraang linggo, it sucks na hindi ako nakasabay sa flight nila last week. Ang dami ko tuloy na-missed. Anyway, Julie promised to me to Notting Hill (cos Iwanted to see the bookshop and the famous blue door). Great times with friends, eh? Lahat ng iyan ay bukas nalang. Langya ang hirap mag-adjust ng oras sa magkaibang bansa lalo na kung walong oras ang pagitan. 

But as I have said, it’s only my first day, I still have a couple of days to adjust my sense of time and discover new things of this stranger land.

Hiatus at Puerto Princesa (Part II)

Yo! Medyo nabitin ako dun sa blog post ko kagabi so here I am doing a 2nd part for my Puerto Princesa trip. By the way, I’m back in Manila now and I’m telling you, may jetlag (tama ba spelling?) pa ko at sobrang bitiiiiin! Yesterday, I toured you to my Underground River adventure, today I’ll be telling you the story of my first night and my second day in Puerto Princesa.

The package that I booked includes a 2-days 1-night stay accommodation in Marianne Home Inn, airport transfers, and Honda Bay tour. I paid a total of 12,000 pesos for this deal.

That day na pagdating ko galing airport, I was informed that Marianne Home Inn was full that whole day so they have to transfer me to Balay Inato. At first glance, this is  a little inconvenience for me but it’s actually a blessing in disguise because it gave me the opportunity to taste the Puerto Princesa’s best chicken barbecue.

My travel from airport was quick thanks to the complimentary transport courtesy of the hotel. The hotel clerk immediately ushered me to my room and then they gave me a  glass of iced tea to quench my thirst. Too bad there’s no complimentary breakfast. Balay Inato is far from the city proper and other restaurants but I decided not eat my breakfast there. Nagpahinga lang ako sandali sa kwarto ko then I immediately started my tour. I want to try other cuisines from the restaurants located in the city.

Balay Inato is both an inn and a restaurant. Pag pasok mo palang you’ll be greeted by the delicious odor of food. Their restaurant sure made my stomach grumble after returning from my first day tour. Since I’m really hungry that night,I decided to dine in their restaurant: the Haim Chicken Inato.

The restaurant was established in 1999. I heard that it is dubbed as the best chicken house in Palawan. I look at it as Palawan’s version of Chicken Bacolod, which they call as Chicken Inato. Aside from chicken inato, they also offer authentic Filipino dishes thus making this restaurant a perfect place for foreigners who want try Filipino dishes.

The restaurant has a native Filipino ambiance. Yung dining areas ay mga cottages that looks like a bahay kubo that are completed with sawali and Filipino ethnic designs. Kung kasama mo pamilya mo or if you are on a date with your better half, it’s a perfect place to dine in privacy so if you ever visit the place, make sure to snag one bahay kubo for your dinner date.

I ordered sinigang na hipon (230 PhP), and their specialty chicken inato (90 PhP). I also ordered a glass of mango juice (50 PhP).

The chicken inato came with a cup of rice (mga tatlong subo ko lang huhu) and atsara. It really looked like the chicken inasal of Bacolod. I am not sure which is better between chicken inato and chicken inasal. What I am sure about is that the chicken inato tastes better the grilled chicken of Mang Inasal.

Gustong gusto ko lagi na may sabaw kapag kumakain ako ng kanin. Chicken Inato is delicious, no doubt about that but the star of  night is the sinigang na hipon. I really enjoyed eating this sinigang, specifically the hipon. I think that the shrimp are fresh from the sea that’s why Haim’s sinigang tasted really good.

One cup of rice isn’t enough for a kanin person like me. my stomach is begging for more. Since I like to try other seafood dishes of Palawan, I decided to try Haim’s other specialty which is the inafish. It costs 150 PhP.  Inafish is just grilled tuna with a cup of rice, atsara, a slice of pipino, and two slices of tomato. I can confidently say that that this dish tastes good.

I enjoyed my dinner at Haim Chicken Inato. The ambience is really good. Their “bahay kubo” gave me the privacy that I want. Best of all is the food, especially My favorite sinigang na hipon. I guess I’ll come back to this restaurant because of the sinigang na hipon if I get the chance to visit Puerto Princesa again in the future.

Well that’s the end of my night yesterday. The rest of what happened that night, I might just keep it to myself hehe.

My second day (since it’s my last day in Puerto Princesa) is pasalubong day. But before that and I still got the time naman, I went to visit Plaza Cuartel first. In preparation for this, I ate breakfast in Haim. They just gave me the normal breakfast meal of rice with omelette paired with tocino and dried fish.  Nothing much to shout about. I have no complaint since this is a complimentary breakfast. Actually, the breakfast was enough to fill my stomach as preparation to my agenda for today.

— Fast Forward —

I read a lot of books of warfare and from what I have learned, war brings the best and worst in people. A few people rose up to become heroes and served as beacons of hope in the midst of suffering and darkness. On the other hand, there were people who used the war to unleash their evil side. This evil side of humanity was what I discovered during our visit to Plaza Cuartel in Puerto Princesa.

Sa unang tingin, Plaza Cuartel is just a normal park but in the middle of it is an image that reminds every visitors of its gruesome past. The image is showing an emaciated man tied by a barbed wire and burned from below. This marker is the grim reminder of the event that took place on December 15, 1944.

Lets have a short history squad. In the year 1944, the Allied Forces started the campaign to retake our beloved country from the Japanese. General I Shall Return successfully landed in Leyte in October. The Japanese soldiers in Puerto Princesa decided to kill all prisoners because of their impending defeat. It was in the 14th day of December 1944 when they ordered all prisoners to go inside the air-raid tunnel. They then poured aviation fuel into the tunnels and set them afire. They also threw grenades to surely kill them. Any prisoner who went out of the tunnel were killed by machine guns.

Those who managed to escape the massacre were hunted down by the Sushi soldiers. Of the 154 American POWs in Plaza Cuartel, Only 11 lived to tell the tale.

Near the entrance of the Plaza Cuartel is a small gate to a room which seems to have nothing important. I peeked through the gate and I discovered the entrance to the tunnels where the prisoners were burned alive.

It was a horrifying experience for me because I imagined what happened (and I know my imagination is less gruesome than what truly happened). I asked how a human being can do such inhumane act to another human being.  This visit to Plaza Cuartel was a little depressing but it was worth it. I learned a little history and saw how war promotes atrocities such the one that happened in Plaza Cuartel.

Kung galing ka sa Immaculate Conception Cathedral, and you want to visit this place, it’s just a few steps away. No worries if you’re coming from other places because it can be reached easily by riding a tricylcle anywhere in Puerto Princesa. What’s more interesting, there’s no entrance fee so you don’t have to pay anything. If you get to visit Puerto Princesa, never miss this place. The place is unique in Puerto Princesa because it is the best relic of the Second World War because of the barbarity that happened in that place.

After lunch, syempre pahinga sandali, I finally went to get some pasalubong for my family back in Manila. One thing that I envy with the residents of Palawan is their fresh seafood and by fresh I mean that they’re freshly harvested from the sea and not freshly picked from cold storage in supermarkets.

I went to local palengke to buy some dried dangit. Danggit is the Visayan (or Cebuano) name for the rabbitfish or spinefoot. And it’s my favorite so whenever I visit Cebu, I will always buy some.

Danggit is not the only dried seafood that is for sale. There’s dried squid, dried anchovies, tuyo, daing, and many more. There are nuts too. Of course, sweets are also available.

I checked out other food items in the palengke but I just bought the dried danggit. Well, I’m contented with dried danggit anyway.

So there you go guys, my entire adventure in Puerto Princesa. I must say, it’s short but it’s full of colors. I learned new things, I get to meet new friends, discovered something I never thought I could do. Salamat talaga sa Diyos na nabigyan ako ng gantong pagkakataon and many thanks to you guys dahil sinamahan niyo din ako sa paglalakbay na ito. This is not the last time for me to do a travel blog. Abangan nating lahat yan.

Thank you squad! Stay stylin! Stay willin! Peace out!

 

Hiatus at Puerto Princesa

Palawan has always been my favorite beach destination. Napakalinis kasi talaga dito and I definitely love the locals here, their hospitality is unrivaled. This is not my first time to visit Puerto Princesa but it’s the first time for me to travel here alone. I enjoy this because this is the kind of solitude where my thoughts are my only companion.

Nakaalis ako ng manila at around 5am since that’s the time of my flight and I reached here at around 6:30am via Philippine Airlines.The very first thing I did here is to visit Immaculate Conception Cathedral. Of course, I would like to give my gratitude first to God for giving me this kind of opportunity. Napakalaking bagay neto sakin para maipahinga ko naman ang sarili ko, hindi ba? 

Anyway let me tour you a bit. Puerto Princesa City doesn’t have plenty of historical sites like Cebu or Manila. But despite of that, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral is impressive. I guess that it is the biggest church in the whole island of Palawan. I was welcomed by the words “Haec Est Domus Dei” as I enter the church which means “This is the house of God”.

The church’s altar is simple but elegant. The best part is that the tabernacle is located at the center, which is its proper place. Sa taas nung tabernacle is the image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.

My visit to Puerto Princesa’s church was short but meaningful. I’m glad that I managed to visit Him in His house in Puerto Princesa. This adventure wouldn’t be possible without Him.

The next thing I did was to book a tour to the underground river. Alam niyo ba, the first time I visited here in Puerto Princesa, I don’t want to visit the underground river. I told myself that there’s nothing to see in the underground river. It’s just rocks and darkness, it would be boring. Pero akala ko lang pala yun. Namangha ako sa nakita ko sa loob nito. I’ve never had enough of this place so I came to visit it again and besides, my Puerto Princesa trip will be incomplete if I will not go to the underground river.

I found a tour agency that helped me book a tour to the underground river. They helped me  get the entry permits and arranged my land travel to Sabang Wharf, then boat trip to the underground river, and even the buffet lunch. They got everything covered.

Siguro  mga  3 hours and 30 minutes yung travelling and waiting time after reaching the beach of the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.

I was so amazed by how clear the seas, and the cliffs? lumuwa mata ko sa ganda!

To reach the entrance of the underground river which is located under the foot of Mt. St. Paul Range, we have to walk through the forest trail. Hindi naman siya nakakatako lakaran since there’s a clear path naman between the trees and tsaka may kasama naman.  I didn’t took any photos while walking in the forest because I was advised by the tour guide to be careful of our belongings because the monkeys around there would try to steal our stuffs. I don’t want any those vicious sneaky animals steal my camera! Other tourists are so unfortunate because they got their things stolen by these apes.

After a short walk through the forest, I finally saw it again. the entrance to the Puerto Princesa Underground River.

 

The place is beautiful. The water is of blue-green tint. It’s no wonder that the early inhabitants of Palawan considered the underground river as the home of the spirits. They didn’t enter the cave out of respect to their deities.

After waiting for about 30 minutes, it’s finally our turn to ride the paddle boat. I’m so amazed by how this cave looks from the moment we entered. It’s so awesome to think that the stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and all other rock formations inside the cave took hundreds of years to form.

Nakita nung boatman namin na sobrang na-amazed ang lahat kaya sabi niya, wag daw buksan ng sobrang laki yung mga bibig namin, this is to prevent us from catching cold cave water or the hot bat shit. It’s funny but it is true though. Right above us, I saw like hundreds of Batman’s children staring down at us. I bet they are so annoyed with us hoomans for always interrupting their beauty sleep. Well, at least they didn’t showered us with poops.

Aside from telling funny jokes that almost made me fall from the boat (ang hirap pag mababaw ang kaligayahan), our boatman a.k.a tour guide shared a bit of history and scientific information. He told us that stalactites and stalagmites were form by dripping cave waters that contain dissolved minerals. Columns, on the other hand, form when the stalactites and stalagmites finally joined as one.

May pinakita siya sa amin na rock formation that is about to become a column hundred years from now.

Looking at the rock formations is like looking at the clouds in the sky. You need to unleash your imagination to enjoy the journey. Our boatman is good in imagining things and he brought us to the vegetable section, cathedral, the face of Jesus, the image Nativity scene, and many more.

I noticed that there were black crosses painted on the cave wall. I wonder if they have mysterious meaning.

Another interesting writings on the cave wall was written in 1937. Di ko masasyado mabasa kasi hindi ko suot ang salamin ko at that time but from what I saw, there’s a LT written, which means lieutenant. If my guess is right, it could be an American military officer that has mapped Palawan back in 1937 (I know some stuffs in history hehehe).

Our journey through the cave passed too quickly that we thought we spent an hour or more in the darkness. The truth is that our tour lasted around 30 minutes.

I felt happy when I saw the light at the end of our journey. St. Paul Cave may have awesome things hidden in the dark but it doesn’t beat the beauty of the sun. All the time that I spent travelling and waiting were well spent because Puerto Princesa Underground River is truly beautiful and world-class. .

Happy First Monthsary Blog!

Time flies when you’re having fun and sure it’s true. Exactly one month ago, I started this blog. Biruin mo, we’ve been together for a month already and it’s something that I am very proud to share with you squad. It has been a month of experience and wonderful memories. Oo maikli pa yan but within that one month, it has been a journey that have been stupendous and it has helped me looked at a brighter side each passing day and that’s all because of you. I couldn’t be thankful enough for you being here with me, listening (technically reading) to my countless sentiments, stories, random musing, writings and what-nots. Gumagaan ang loob ko dahil alam kong may nakikinig sa akin. All I can say is that with each day we scaled greater heights. They say writing is an art and expressing something in the form of writing is the ultimate form of communication and with this writings are heard and read, it makes every experience extra special. It gives a sense of fulfillment especially to me and of course to all of us, be able to touch the hearts of other people. And if truly not for you guys, I wouldn’t be posting this. I would just like to thank you for all the support, the encouragement, feedback and the love that you have shown to me this past month. And as a gift, I would like to share some facts about my blog.

1. I am blogging since 2013 in Tumblr, I stopped after a year because I’ve become a bit busy in my college life. I started blogging again last month, September 14, 2017 (Thursday) in blogger. That’s right, I actually went back to writing on Sept. 14 and not Sept. 16.
2. I changed it to September 16, 2017 because this is the day I transferred my blog from Blogger to WordPress. I chose wordpress over blogger because it’s much easier to customize themes in here plus I am so attracted to how this site looks like, so peaceful.
3. Here’s the sad part, I went back to writing because I kinda lost my closest friends. Well technically I didn’t really lost them, nagkatampuhan lang kasi but until now I haven’t gone in touch with them. So I need someone to talk to, bring out my sentiments para hindi ko sarilihin yung mga problema dahil I know this wouldn’t be good to my health.
4. At first I really thought that this would just be a personal blog like a virtual diary or something. I didn’t thought I would be so inspired writing some stuffs like inspirational prose or poems. I’m glad I did. It’s kind of a fulfillment to me.
5. The original domain name of this blog is unomarco but I changed it to mccoypangilinan in order to promote a more personal approach to my blog.
6. Credits to DC for I am using The Flash logo. I am a die hard fan of the scarlet speedster kasi. I’ll tell you the story about that some other time.
7. My blog tagline is Slick Slack which has a meaning not just an urban word. First, Slick means doing something in an smooth or apparently effortless way. On the other hand, Slack means anything you get or enjoy out of life that you don’t have to work for or pay for.
8. Meaning Slick Slack combined means that I am writing because it is an effortless and a free way to enjoy my life. Doing it gives me a sense of fulfillment.
9. The blog title One Hit Writer simply means that I write then I publish. That’s why if you have read some of my writings, there are typographical errors because I don’t like doing drafts or screening before publishing my post, I publicize it right away.
10. I made that animated version of me (the dude you see everytime you visit the home page) through bitmoji. He’s kinda cute isn’t he?

Again, I would like to thank every single one of you as we celebrate this blog milestone. People achieve a lot in life which leaves them a content soul. Different things motivate different people and help them achieve sense of satisfaction. For me, writing stuffs in this blog and sharing it to you squad did that. Thank you very much. This is just the start, malayo layo pa ang ating lalakbayin. Happy first monthsary!

Stay stylin! Stay willin! Peace out!