Trip Lang #10 - Sea of Clouds - Mt.Pulag

What would be the best way to spend your birthday than to be on top of the mountain enjoying the sea of clouds. I decided this is what I want for my birthday this year so I booked a trip with Travel Factor. Mt.Pulag, located in the province of Benguet, is the highest peak in Luzon. Famous for its cold weather and sea of clouds.

This is the second time me and Alvin joined an organized trip with the people we don't really know and have never met before. The first was our Caramoan Trip in Bicol. We had a lot of preparation for this Pulag trip knowing that this is going to be different from the usual camping activities we've done in several mountains. A lot of hesitations were there because I don't know what to expect. I've traveled to a cold mountain before specifically in the small town of Lambak in Sultan Kudarat but that was ages ago.

Well, my dilemma really was the kind of clothes to bring. This was answered by the primer that was sent to us days before the trip. I've also comb the net for blogs of people who've been to Mt.Pulag to know or at least have an idea about their experiences, the do's and the don'ts too. So with my furry jacket and other winter gears, we started our adventure.

December 6, 2013 when we started our journey. Meeting place was Victory Liner Terminal in Cubao. We met Ron, one of the Travel Factor's guide. He have given us our shirts and bag tags which were included on our tour package. We waited for 10:30PM for the Victory Bus to leave. Travel time was 5-8 hours to Baguio so there is not much for us to do but sleep through it. There were two stop-overs along the way where we had the chance to eat and use the restroom.

It was thirty minutes past the hour of four when we got off the bus in Baguio. It was chilly! There, awaits our service to the Ranger Station, the jump off to Mt.Pulag. The jeep was huge! After loading our back packs, we had our breakfast at Good Taste in Lapu-Lapu street. They serve food like crazy because one order can make two persons full for a very cheap amount not even equivalent to a quarter pounder burger in McDonalds. It was amazing and really tasted good.

After eating we went straight (rather zigzag) to DENR to have our orientation for conquering Mt.Pulag trip. This is a requirement for all hikers/climbers no matter which trail you will take. Us, took the Ambangeg-Ambangeg route. A three to four hours hike and the easiest among all the trail. The trip was about almost two hours with one stop-over to use the restroom. Lucky those who have Pulag as their home town.

The DENR head lectured us of what to do and what not to do when climbing Mt.Pulag. She has shared a brief history and some folklore of the place. Then, another one hour ride to the Ranger's Station. As far as I can remember, there were never a straight road the entire trip. The best and scariest part was passing through a narrow, zigzag road just inches away from cliff. The original road going to the ranger station was under construction so we have to go through this new way and again, inches away from chasm.

An hour of heart-pounding ride and we reached the Ranger Station. We had to repack our things to make sure we have just the necessary stuff for the climb. Clothes intended for our trip back home were packed in another bag and left on the ranger's room. We had our lunch and started our 3 hour trek at 1 PM.

The entire trek was filled with beautiful scenery and a lot of breath taking view... I mean, literally breath taking. The trail was easy but maybe because of the high altitude, it was hard for someone like me who had hit the gym ages ago. With every breath comes a new and magnificent view of the Benguet Mountain. The remarkable beauty of Mt. Pulag is something someone would treasure forever.

We passed through the Pine Forest, then the Mossy Forest. We've reached camp 1 after about more than an hour of slightly inclined trek. We stopped to rest before continuing our journey for another two hours. Along the way we had to put our rain coats because it was drizzling. Though it was not that much water coming down, it is enough to make your clothes wet if you continue without any protection.

Walking in the wet ground of Pulag and looking up the mossy trees made me realize I was so lucky to be able to see such nature's beauty. The trek was a bit hard for me, so I picture myself in the sea of clouds to keep me going. Then around past 4 in the afternoon we reached camp 2. It was zero visibility due to fog when we arrived. A few meters more from camp 2 was the area where Travel Factor pitched our tent. We had difficulty pitching our tent because two of the poles were smashed. Thanks to the head band that was given to me as a birthday present by my friend Erna, we were able to improvise something to make it sturdy enough for an overnight shelter.

It was starting to get really really cold so I decided to change my sweat-wet-clothes. I changed in to my Furry Coat which I bought solely for this purpose (hahaha! I know! F na F!). About an hour after we arrived, the fogs were gone. Just about time for sun set. The surrounding was covered with golden-blue light. Then, Mount Pulag showed us what she's famous for, her sea of clouds. Just see the picture below for its awesomeness.

  

Magnificent, this word is not enough to express the beauty that was presented upon us. I feel so blessed that God gave me this view just few hours from my birthday. A very lovely present that I'll hold and treasure for as long as I live. A scenery so pure you will feel like an angel standing before the carpet of clouds. The clouds were just with in my reach. I swear I felt wings have suddenly span my back and I'm about to fly.

It was great that we had witness the sunset because the next morning, all we've seen were fogs and loads and loads of fogs. No clearing and in fact it rained until we started our descend.

Like any mountains we've climbed, going down is the easiest part. However, due to exhaustion and weariness, we decided to hire a porter and we've met two of the youngest porter in Mt.Pulag, Kara and Jula. They were amazing!

Kara and Jula

Team Travel Factor

We were back at the ranger station around 11:30 in the morning. We bought a few key-chain and scarf souvenirs from a local store We've taken a very very very cold bath. As in freezing cold bath I can't stress enough before eating lunch and started our journey home.

Part of the itinerary is to drop by Ambuklao Dam where we've taken souvenir pictures before heading back to Baguio City. Our bus was scheduled to leave at 9PM and we have 3 more hours before departure so we decided to eat dinner at 50's Diner and buy some Baguio specialties for pasalubong.

This trip was a totally different celebration from any other birthdays that I had but this is the most meaningful of all. One with nature and will always be. Let's continue making memories!




Expenses and Itinerary



Travel Factor Site

Trip Lang #9 - Puerto Princesa Palawan

Sunday, November 24, 2013

It was about two months ago when I saw an Air Asia ticket sale. Like the impulsive freak that I am, I made a reservation right away for a round trip ticket to Puerto Princesa, Palawan for two. I paid Php2,489.91 for round trip tickets for me and my partner Alvin.

On the eve of November 23, I tried so hard to get some decent sleep so I have enough energy for our trip. However, just like the trips that I had before, I failed to doze off because of excitement and the fear of not being able to wake up on time for our flight. Hahaha. I know, control freak right.

It was 4:00 in the morning when I got up and checked all our stuff to make sure we got everything we need. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 7:35 AM and we have to be at the airport at least two hours before the flight. We left at 15 past 5AM. We headed to Terminal 4, the old domestic airport. It took us 30-45 minutes to get there. We didn't have any problems checking in because we only have our carry-on with us. We are flying on Air Asia Zest Z2 422. I traveled with Air Asia to Boracay before and I didn't have any problems. We know that Zest Air and Air Asia have merged recently and I have heard rumors that Zest Air have delayed flights always so I was kind of expecting that ours would be the same but I was surprised. Our flight was on time, in fact, it landed 15 minutes earlier from our scheduled arrival in Puerto Princesa Airport (PPS).

Of course, along with vacation is cam-whoring so from Manila Domestic Airport (MNL), to inside of the airplane, to PPS, we've taken lots of memories to share.

Upon arriving, we were welcomed by showers of rain. We looked for the person from the hotel who's picking us up at the airport. After 5 mins of waiting, we heard someone yelled "Oberoi" from a distance. We approached the man and he escorted us to the van that'll take us to the resort. We waited for two more persons who will be staying in the same resort as we are. The travel time to Royal Oberoi Resort took us about 15 to 20 minutes.

We were greeted by the receptionist named "Icey". We registered and checked the tours we have booked prior and confirmed some details. Then, the housekeeping lady ushered us to our room. She discussed the main features of the room that we can utilize during our stay. The room was very nice with a separate living area and bedroom, a mini bar, TV, has its spacious bathroom and what I love the most, a view of the pool area.

Check in time was supposed to be 2PM but they allowed us to check in early since there were only few guests in the resort that day. They've also given us our welcome drinks. We were starving so we decided to order breakfast before taking a nap. Our tour guide would be picking us up by 1:30PM for our city tour. So after an hour of nap, we went out to check the surroundings. Thank God the rain has stopped.

It was almost 2PM when our guide, Gil arrived. There are four more ladies in the van plus two children. We joined them along with the couple who were also staying in Oberoi. Our first stop, the famous Crocodile Farm. We had our 30 minutes tour where we met Mac-Mac. He is the biggest salt water crocodile in the farm. When I said biggest, he was like "humongously-big". Totally scary on his size. The lady at the farm also showed us the crocodile hatch lings, different birds that were captured for protection and of course, the souvenir shops! Hahaha. We spent quite a long period of time buying items for pasalubong. Who would ever miss to taste the exotic crocodile meat? Though the thought of eating it gave me goose bumps, I decided to try it anyway. Alas! It tasted good! They said the meat kind of tasted like chicken but it’s not. The texture is different and it has a distinct flavor. Not chicken, not pork and definitely not beef. It is delicious for an exotic food.

Next, we visited Mitra's Ranch which is owned by the late Ramon Mitra who have become a Congressman representing Palawan and later on became a Senator. We took pictures over looking the Honda Bay Islands. They have zipline activities, trampoline, horse back riding, etc. but we did not try those because we have time restrictions for the tour.

Baker's Hill was next. We roam around their grounds where statues of Disney characters are positioned all around the area. Our tour guide said that the owner of Baker's Hill was originally from Marikina City. A family of baker who moved and decided to put up another bakery in Palawan. Since the location is far from the town proper, they have decided to convert their backyard in to a mini park where families can spend they're weekend with their kids. Eventually, it became famous for it's "Hopia" and became part of the city tour for the tourist, local and foreign.

After 30 minutes of enjoying Baker's Hill we head to two of the souvenir shops in town. Got some more stuff for Pasalubong before we went to Puerto Princesa's version of Bay Walk. The place looked a lot like Manila Bay minus the famous sunset. It was a running tour which lasted 5 minutes so we were not able to take pictures. Then comes Plaza Cuartel and Cathedral which is adjacent to each other. Plaza Cuartel was the place where American Soldier's were burned alive by Japanese Soldiers who captured them from a battle. It was almost dusk when we visited these two places so the setting of the sun added some more creepiness to the place.

We ended the tour with a short prayer at the cathedral. Gil and our driver took us back to the resort. We put our things down and ordered dinner at resort's Grand Palm Pavilion Restaurant. Starving, I ordered Tuna Steak and Alvin ordered Chili Crabs. The prices of their dishes look expensive at first but looking at how big the servings were, the money you spend is worth all the cents. Delicious is not enough to express how tasty and good they prepare the food. I'm missing it already.

After a night of pig out, we decided to take a dip in their clover shaped pool. The night was cold but the water is warm enough for a night swimming. The water calm our tired and weary muscles. We spent about an hour swimming and drinking on the pool bar. I had a cosmopolitan and beer to warm my body from the cold breeze. It was almost an hour of swimming when we felt it was time to rest and be ready for a whole day activities the following day.

We were up by 6:30 the next morning. We ordered breakfast (free) with crabs and veggies. Halfway done with our breakfast when our tour guide arrived and picked us up for the Underground River Tour (URT). Hustling, we grabbed our stuff and traveled two hours to Sabang Port. There were boats waiting for tourist on queue to be transported to the National Park's entrance. The boat trip lasted for about 15 to 20 minutes.

It was 100 meters of walking on a paved way to the entrance of the cave. Another attraction just about a few meters from the registration area is the ranger station where you'll see monkeys and monitor lizards freely roaming the area. We were told to be very careful of our belonging as there were instances of monkeys snatching bags, hats, and small stuff from tourists. The surrounding is abundant with trees and wild life. There is a part where salt and river water meets and the color nature unfold, exceptional. No wonder this has became one of the seven wonders of the world. Such beauty.

Entering the cave, we were guided by a very jolly boat man who explained and showed us all the rock formation inside the cave. From different forms of vegetable figures, saints and other religious formations, stalagmites and stalactites, they were all amazing. Bats are all around and the entrance stinks a little bit which is a sign that the area where they live is protected. I wished I had an SLR camera so I can capture all the beauty the cave has to share. The cave is about 5 kilometers long but we were only able to reach the part after the cathedral which took us a total of 45 minutes round trip. Our guide said we can explore the rest of the cave but that would require a special permit from the city of Puerto Princesa.

It was almost 12 noon when we went back to Sabang Port where we had our buffet lunch included on the URT package. A sumptuous selection of seafood, meat, vegetables and dessert were available for us and the rest of the tourists who had the same tour. The high light of our lunch, eating the exotic edible Mangrove Worms dipped in vinegar. It was slimy, gooey, tasted like oyster and looked disgusting. The texture of the worm is similar to "Nata de Coco" minus the sweet flavor. A must try for the brave of hearts.

After lunch we head back to the resort and made a side trip at Ugong Rock where we tried spelunking. I have had experience more difficult spelunking when we have explored Mt. Manalmon in Bulacan before so this was easy. The only difficult thing is catching your breath, especially if it was ages ago since you've hit the gym. We stayed for a total of two hours then continue our journey to Royel Oberoi. The original plan was to join the firefly watching tour in Iwahig River by 6PM, however the weather did not permit us. So, we suit ourselves and enjoy the resort instead.

On our last day, we were supposed to join the whole day Honda Bay Tour but we were time restrained so we decided to do our own City Tour by visiting places we failed to visit during the actual guided city tour. This time, we took the public transportation, tricycle and multicab.

First stop, the butterfly farm where we met the Palaw-an, the original people of the place. They showed us how they live on a daily basis and how they do their stuffs like baskets, hunting, making fire, etc.. The farm holds different species of butterflies and other insects. What caught my attention was the two domesticated bear cat. They have their own cage but the two bear cat have the freedom to go out of the pen and roam around the farm. The lady that showed us the place said they were rescued by a mountaineer beside their dead mother. The mountaineer donated them to the butterfly farm so both can be taken cared off. The place was small but they hold so many interesting insects.

After an hour of stay in the butterfly farm, we took another tricycle to Binuatan Creations. It is a place where they made hand crafted and woven bags and other stuff made of Buntal, Cogon Grass and other materials. The locals were very friendly to offer us to try weaving. It was amazing how fast they can weave and create such art. So I tried weaving, and yes, I sucked at it. Hahaha. I'd rather buy the finish product for now than ruin everything.

It was lunch time when we left Binuatan. Original plan was to go to down town and check out the museum but we went to Badjao Seafront Restaurant instead. From Binuatan, we walked 3 blocks to get to the main high way so we can hopped in a multi-cab going to Junction.

While waiting for a multicab, we saw a local version of transformers Decepticon made by TESDA students. It was cool and entertaining. I never thought seeing such an awesome modern creation here in Palawan.
Next stop, Badjao Seafront Restaurant. Starving, we got off at Junction (same place where Tiki Bar is located) and hopped in to another tricycle and travel for 15 minutes to the place. 

We called the day before to arrange our reservation so upon arriving, we were guided towards a table overlooking the sea and mangroves. The spot was very relaxing and a great venue for seafood pig-out. And what do you know, it was indeed a pig-out lunch. Tuna, Marlin, Buttered Shrimp, Sinigang and fruits all for our consumption. Burp! Excuse me. That was a lot for us. Hehehe..

After about an hour and a half in Badjao, we headed back to town to check out the Palawan Heritage Museum. Our last stop before we officially end our Palawan Vacation. History tripping this time, we entered the museum and learned a lot about Palawan and its culture. It was very informative and my first time to experience a 3D narrator in one part that told us facts about the place. 

Our flight back to Manila was scheduled to leave at 6:50PM. After the visit to Heritage Museum, we went back to the resort to check out. We waited for the van that will bring us to the airport. Packing our things for our flight back, I promised myself that I am returning to this place to experience the things we've missed. This vacation was indeed rejuvenating and a great escape from the hustle and bustle of the metro living. Our Palawan Vacation has ended but one thing is for sure, our adventures has definitely not. Let's plan the next trip, shall we. :-D


Here are the expenses from our Palawan Trip

Trip Lang #8 - Gypsy Magic Resto Bar, Curious & Cafe - Cloud 9 Antipolo

I didn't have any out of town nor trip that worth blogging for the past months so I've been quiet all this time. We have several night outs on weekends but these mostly consist of drinking beers and long chit chats. It was not a practice for me to write about my night outs before but after visiting these two spots I thought I'll share my experiences dining and drinking on these bars.

It all started with a road trip and all of us doesn't want to go home yet. It was me, Alvin my partner, Dash,  and Ryan. Before, we normally stay within the vicinity of Eastwood to drink. Credit goes to Rinaldi, one of our colleagues who suggested Gypsy Bar to the rest of the team a few weeks before that day. We decided to try and experience the place which later on attracted on two more companions, MC and Jhun.

Gypsy Magic Resto Bar is a simple place for barkadas, colleagues and friends to hang out. Their patrons are college students from the nearby universities in Katipunan and Cubao.

What's amazing with this place is that they offer a very good price for booze. A bucket of Red Horse Stallion only costs 199 pesos. The first time we set foot on the place, our total damage was around 1100 pesos with 2 buckets and what feels like unlimited order of appetizers because we ordered so much food that might be equivalent to around 2000 pesos from all other bars. It was really a budget friendly bar, the main reason why we go back to this place again and again. The money you pay for the food is totally worth it. My favorite appetizer to order is the chicken fingers (<150 pesos) and potato wedges (<100).

This place is highly recommended for people who wants to enjoy drinking without their pockets screaming. Great place to have intimate moments with close friends (just stay away from groups of college students, their a bit too noisy).

Another new discovery for me is the famous Cloud 9 in Antipolo.

I've heard of this place many times but didn't have the chance to try it. It was another weekend where we didn't have anywhere to go, we decided to drive going to Antipolo and ended up driving trough the narrow vertical road towards Cloud 9.

It was no different from other bars except for the over looking view of the metro at night with lights that glimmers from the buildings and houses like fireflies. One great and unusual thing for me was the 3 guys that serenades the whole place. They go from one table to another (for tips) playing song and you can request whatever song you want as long as they know it. The place was very romantic and is best for couple bonding and intimate moments with your close friends.