May - Going to Far South Palawan

Another paradise of the Philippine island, Palawan.  When we hear the place Palawan, the primary thought that would enter your mind is the Underground River.  Unfortunately, it was one of the most disappointing part of my trip.  I wasn't able to see it.  They said that I have to book at least a month or two so I can be secured of a pass.  The tricycle driver who took me to my hotel told me that it wasn't the case before when it has not been considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  He said that the maximum no. of visitors that lines up to see it was 200 persons but when it was declared as a wonder of the world the maximum no. of visitors was maximized to 800 persons per day.  Nevertheless, I didn't wanna waste my time and money so I headed to famous tourist spots that are on my list.  I had late lunch at Ka Ugong, it was more of a restaubar set-up.  I had thought of roaming around the city and see how transportation works.  I noticed that they don't have jeepneys.  They only have a different kind of tricycle and multicabs as public transporatation.  Most of the tourists take tour packages for convenience purposes.  It includes van and a driver as the tourist guide.

I stopped in a salon to have my nails done.  I had to pay P100 for the manicure but I got more than a service, I got tips from ate on the best way and the cheapest way to roam around.  She told me where to take a multicab that says what vehicle should I look for and where to get off.  I went to Baker's hill.  It was a 45 minute ride away from the city but only cost me P15.  The multicab driver dropped me off at the road which will lead me to Baker's Hill.  There's already a tricycle driver waiting for passengers going inside the village.  He asked me if I want to wait for more passengers so I could have a cheaper fare but when I asked him how much it would cost me if I'll go alone he told me that it's P20 so I gave him a go.  That's one thing that I really like about Palawan.  The people are honest and they won't really take advantage of you knowing that you are a tourist.

Baker's Hill is a sanctuary made to entice people from buying their freshly baked products just like Baguio's Old Shepherd. 

The trip from Baker's hill to the city took me about 45 minutes.  I got tired and since I have not really had a decent sleep, I went back to my hotel and just had my chocolate muffins as my dinner.  It was really tasty and chocolatey.  I want to go back for more but I had thought of the time.  It's not gonna be that easy to go back there commuting.  The next day I woke up really early so I won't miss the bus going to Honda Bay Shore.  Honda Bay Shore is the port where the Dos Palmas boat is waiting for us.  The travel time to Honda Bay is only 45 minutes yet it could be faster if we didn't pick up passengers from other Hotels.  When I saw the boat, I grew excited.  It has a painting of Dos Palmas resort in front of it.  The staffs and crews are very nice and friendly and they even let me drive the boat for 5 minutes.

The passengers that I have ridden with started to stand up and take series of photos as we go near the resort.  The crews even sounded like tour guides telling us the names of the islands that we pass by.  After 30 minutes of water travel, we reached the resort.  We were welcomed by the sound of gongs which reminds me that we are in the Southern part of the country.  It was pretty scary because the kidnap for ransom incident is still fresh in my memory.  I was hoping and praying that the terrorist group wont attack and think of going to Dos Palmas that day.  I saw the villas were the missionaries and the staffs were held hostage then I proceeded to the orientation area.  The people are very warm and we had welcome drinks.  They said it's syrup in a goblet...very creative...

The very topmost priority that I have is to have my photo taken on the bridge leading to the reception area.  Since I travelled alone, I had to ask a staff's help to take my photo and yes mission accomplished.  After 2 minutes I got my pictures and I like them.

April - Back in Boracay

I left my heart in Boracay and I'm gonna get it back.  It has not been a month yet since I left Boracay last month but I couldn't get over it so I joined my friends in booking a flight back to Boracay on May.  It will be another blast for sure.  The best beach in the country, the crazy parties along the shore and the coolest people.  There were several events that were held in Boracay that time which was attended by famous celebrities such as Derek Ramsay and Anne Curtis-Smith.

March - The Paradise of Boracay

I would always call Boracay as Paradise Island.  Everybody who have been here would say "I love Boracay" or "I will certainly go back to Boracay".  Why?  Simply because it offers everything.  Beside from the sun, sand and beach set up, it is the best party place in the country.  This is the place where you could forget the stressful life that you left in the city.  All are on their relax mode which makes a vacation trully fun and enjoyable.

World of Fun Activities
There are lots of things that you can do in Boracay beside from Food Trip and drinking.  They offer a wide range of packages from Kite Boarding to Banana Boating.

Here are some of the activities that I tried while I was there:

Banana Boat

Helmet Diving

Fish Feeding

Island Hopping



Sunset Watching

Fire Dancing

Checking out some Caves





February - Hearts Day at Work

This month I will not be going out of town. My calendar suggests that I go out with college friends within Manila since one of our friends from the States is coming over for a short visit but on top of that our company also had its Valentine celebration which will be my highlight for this month's blog.

Club GXS had its Valentine’s Day special with the theme “Your Heart, My Song.” They organized different activities to make GXS employees feel that love is indeed in the air:  

-          They made it easier for our employees to get a present for their loved ones through their Valentine’s Day Merchandise, which was made available at very reasonable prices.  There were of course the usual flowers, bears, chocolates and cupcakes- simple gifts that can make everyone smile.

-          Nothing beats a love note written on paper with You’ve Got Mail: Delivered to you Straight from the Heart. Employees had a chance to write the words “I love you” on Valentine’s cards and sweep their girlfriends/ boyfriends off their feet.                                            

-          What better way to show your being a certified Don Romantico aside from poetry and songs? Club GXS brought this alive with the good old classic “Harana,” a Filipino tradition in which men sing while their lady love listens and looks at them from the balcony. There was no balcony though and it was not under the moon light. Club GXS formed a group who went around different workstations to serenade some of our employees.  It was lovely to once again hear those ‘80s love songs and to watch the expressions of some of our colleagues when they see the singing group approach them.

January - Laguna's Enchanted Kingdom

Enchanted Kingdom is Philippines' version of Disneyland and Universal Studios.  It is located in Sta. Rosa Laguna just an hour drive from Makati. 

It was January 14th, Saturday after my shift.  My co-workers decided to spend the day at Enchanted Kingdom.  Since our shift ends at 6 am, we tried to kill time by having breakfast first at Mcdonald's Valero.  We headed to Joy's mansion in San Pedro Laguna right after so we can have some rest.  The plan is to go to EK after lunch.  For lunch, we had Shakey's bunch of lunch delivered. 

After lunch we took a few photos at Joy's place since they really have a nice family house and then she drove us to Enchanted Kingdom.  We didn't expect that huge crowd that day.  The parking space is vast yet full of buses from different provincial schools having their field trips.

When we got there, it was almost 4pm already and we looked for the nearest possible ride that we could have.  The lines are really long so we ended up lining up for bump cars.  We stayed on the line for almost an hour right before we could have our turn.  But even if it took us so long to ride the cars and bump each other.  We still enjoyed each minute that we were on it.  It feels like going back to childhood.

And now we are ready to get wet.  Next on our line up is the Jungle Log Jam.  It's a ride were you ride a log that passes through a trail that goes up and down and of course theres water on the side so you won't really escape getting wet.  Jenny was scared of taking such ride and good thing that she was able to overcome it.

We wanted to try other rides too but due to lack of time and the long lane we just took what are available and has a short lane.  The next ride wont really seem thrilling for adults like us because it's like riding a regular swing but since the people that I was with are really fun-loving and up for anything we enjoyed the Flying Fiesta as well.  I was praying hard that the facility wont give and that nobody gets hurt since it just came from a minor repair.

We also stopped in some souvenir shops and bought some trinkets for my nieces and nephew and for Cyndee's baby.  I got cute pens, a cellphone accessory, coloring books and some toys that when soaked in water will become big and sticky.  To bad we didn't get a chance to watch Journey to the center of the Earth in Rialto because we were time constraint.

Finally, our much awaited ride that has the longest line ever in EK is the Rio Grande Rapid.  I think it took us more than an hour to take our turn.  We were even able to watch the fireworks from outside while waiting for our turn.  Well it was worth the wait since almost everybody got wet and it was really fun.

Introduction

They say that if your feet has a mole, you won't stay in one place alone.  Well that's not true to all.  I don't have a mole on my feet but I can't stand a month without seeing a new place and experiencing a life from such beauty.  I guess it's not the mole, its the strong desire to grow and understand how things are that surround you make each life story rich and colorful.

For 2012, I have conquered some beautiful places in the Philippines and around Asia and I'll be glad to share my experiences to all.