Category: Philippines

Bohol: The Chocolate Hills

Typhoon Glenda (International Name: Rammasun) has come and gone, at least in my part of the country. But the rains and strong winds are still here. And another storm is set to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility. ‘Tis the way of things in my country during this time of the year. The only thing we can do is be prepared, pray, and have faith. And go on as before. Or try to.

Back when we were in elementary school and first learned of the Chocolate Hills in Bohol, I bet we all imagined giant Hershey’s Kisses that we can lick and gobble up. “Giant chocolates! What fun!”

And then we grow older, and we know better.  Continue reading “Bohol: The Chocolate Hills” →

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Bohol: The ShipHaus

You may have seen heard of it already, or seen it featured on Rated K or some other similar magazine show. I haven’t. I rarely get to watch those shows, you see. So I was just going with the flow when, while driving through the roads in Tagbilaran late in the afternoon, our guide Cris suggested we stop by one of the newest tourist attractions in Bohol, the ShipHaus. What I saw afterwards amazed me. Continue reading “Bohol: The ShipHaus” →

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Bohol: Loboc River Cruise

Bohol was one of the places in the Philippines I’ve always wanted to visit, but never got around to, primarily because of budget reasons. It’s not one of the cheaper places to visit, you see. So when we found ourselves in Cebu May of last year and discovered we had a couple of days free, we decided to sail to Bohol and check out what we could in the limited time we have. This was pre-Bohol earthquake and pre-Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), by the way.  Continue reading “Bohol: Loboc River Cruise” →

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Bakun, The Last Frontier

If I had a bucket list of local peaks or mountains I wanted to scale, Mt. Kabunian in Bakun would be one of them. I hope to be able to do that soon, hopefully next year. But I was able to catch a glimpse of “him” October last year, when I tagged along on a weekend immersion trip with my Ma-dear. It was only supposed to pay a visit to a couple of hydro plants, but there is a surprise at the end, so read on. Continue reading “Bakun, The Last Frontier” →

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Trailblazing Tinglayan Pt 4: End of Trail

When you look back at an adventure, how do you evaluate it? Part by part, or taken as a whole? Personally, I can honestly say that this adventure is one for the books!

(By the time this is posted, I will be in the middle of another adventure, which you’ll probably seen posted on this blog as well.)

(This is the last of a multi-part post series on Trailblazing Tinglayan 2014, the Mt. Mosimos Climb. Check out Parts 1, 2, and 3 of the series here, here, and here.) Continue reading “Trailblazing Tinglayan Pt 4: End of Trail” →

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Trailblazing Tinglayan Pt 3: Up & Down

“It’s all downhill from here.”

It has an ominous ring to it, doesn’t it? I honestly could not remember the last time I spent so much hours walking DOWN. Hell on the knees and killer on the toes, if you ask me.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

(This is the third part of a multi-part post series on Trailblazing Tinglayan 2014, the Mt. Mosimos Climb. Check out Part 1 and 2 of the series here and here, respectively.) Continue reading “Trailblazing Tinglayan Pt 3: Up & Down” →

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Trailblazing Tinglayan Pt 2: It’s Home

“Balay”, in the local dialect, means “house” or “home”. The village of Balay in the Tuglao West barangay, however, apparently got its name from a plant, the exact details of which are hazy to me, so I won’t delve into it to avoid errors. From the Tuglao West barangay proper, we set off for Balay, the “jump-off” point for Mt. Mosimos.

(This is the second part of a multi-part post series on Trailblazing Tinglayan 2014, the Mt. Mosimos Climb. Check out Part 1 of the series here.) Continue reading “Trailblazing Tinglayan Pt 2: It’s Home” →

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Trailblazing Tinglayan 2014 Pt 1: Go West

Trailblaze. v. 1. to blaze a trail through (a forest, wilderness, or the like) for others to follow. 2. to be a pioneer in (a particular subject, technique, etc.)

Weeks ago, the original destination for our Holy Week “vacation” was the Bakun Trio. A little more than a week before the slated hiking dates, the destination changed: it’s to be Tinglayan, Kalinga. Significantly farther than the original plan, and much more “unpredictable”. My pals and I are already getting used to NOT knowing a whole lot of what to expect prior to a hike or an adventure. This one, dubbed “Trailblazing Tinglayan 2014” is completely new territory. We were totally in the dark as to what to expect this time around.  Continue reading “Trailblazing Tinglayan 2014 Pt 1: Go West” →

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