ISLA SIARGAO

BUHAY ISLA SA LOOOB NG LIMANG ARAW (ISLAND LIFE IN FIVE DAYS)

DAY 1 AND 2

I have finished my blog about all the other places I’ve been in order to write this piece for my 22nd birthday. It is such an overwhelming experience to be able to travel independently. I always keep in mind that I have to forget about all the stress the city life gives me before I go to Siargao, Surigao del Norte, Philippines.

There’s a lot of places, beaches, islands, resorts, activities to discover, but I chose this place. I am not a good swimmer, but I managed to do cliff jumps and snorkeling without a life vest.

There’s just a lot of people and tourists who watch you conquer your fears. This place, I suppose, is a combination of all the other places in the Philippines. Palawan (Puerto Princesa, Coron, and El Nido), Cebu, La Union or Baler for the surfing experience. Though Siargao has the most impressive waves and this is where I was able to witness the 24th national surfing cup personally!

On September 28, and every time of this year until the first week of October, they hold the international surfing competition and we have our own representatives here in PH as well. It is the time of the year that they hold the competition as it’s the perfect time for high tides and big waves.

There are locals from Siargao who had been practicing the whole time as they can have the island to themselves when it’s not time yet for the surfing cup. This is an advantage for them. Though the winner was from San Diego, CA, @maramatokong from Kermit Surf Resort (a friend of the ‘gwapitos’) landed second place, I’m still proud I was able to witness it with my own eyes.

At the opening of the 24th surfing competition.

On the first day...
All the surfers were just walkig to the cloud 9 beach with their bare feet, shorts, sexy body, and surfing boards. Only Skyjet and Philippine Airlines offer a direct flight to Siargao though and it might get a bit expensive if you book it like a month or week before your flight. Some of those people that I was able to be with in the island hopping activities booked their airfare for only Php2, 400.00 to Php3, 000 roundtrip with PAL from Clarke Pampanga, as they were on sale and it was their first time to do the direct flight. Since I was not able to catch that promo, I booked with Cebu Pacific around two months before the flight which had cost me Php6,958.00 in total for my round trip. There’s a transit in Cebu. So from Manila, NAIA terminal 3, I boarded to Mactan Cebu airport at 5:30am then waited at the Cebu airport for 3 hours before my flight to Siargao.

Photo taken by: @grybxx (insta)

Good thing you can sit down at one of the cafes at the aiport and review your itinerary. So far, I was following a tight budget. Php12, 000 was my pocket money. There's no atm machine in the island! If there is, it's going to be far for sure. So make sure you withdraw enough cash once you're at the airport.

At exactly 12:00 PM, I was at the Sayak airport already. There’s going to be vans lined up and everyone knows where Villa Solaria is or wherever you booked your stay with. It will be Php300.00 per way. It was a one hour ride to the place. You’ll be able to pass by General Luna where everything that I’ve researched for in the internet came to reality!

The Shaka Cafe, Kermit Surf Resort, Bravo Beach Resort, Kokai Resort, Viento Del Mar, Bleu Resort, Barrel, Souvenir shops and tattoo bars, Primitivo, White Banana Beach and Harana (which are just beside Villa Solaria) were all happening on the first day! There’s not a part of the road where you cannot see coconut trees! It is true the coconut trees were lined up as if someone really planted them with their own hands. I was too overwhelmed with where I was. Everyone will be.

It is also inevitable that when you plan out of town trips, there will be friends who won’t be able to make it therefore leaving just a few in the actual travel experience. But I had to go, I had my leaves fixed, my mood set, and my eyes ready to witness whatever there is to see in this place everyone had been talking about.

When I talk about going to this place, everyone would be in awe and would envy me. Because it’s every city person’s dream (wink).

Of course, it was the opening of the competition, so I went to Cloud 9 beach. It was just a 10-minute walk from Villa Solaria. Entrance was free due to the event. Beside the famous Cloud 9 was the Jacking horse, most common beach for beginner surfers. Rate is Php500.00 with instructor. Php200.00 if you’re just renting the surf board for an hour and Php400.00-500.00 for the whole day.

After that, I looked for whatever’s looking for at night, a place to chill. There’s the famous Shaka Cafe near the Cloud 9 but it only serves breakfast meals from 7am-5pm so I went for a mexican cuisine near Cloud 9 then headed to Harana (just passed by) as the party during Friday nights are at Octopus and Jungle disco according to the locals. Then I found White Banana Beach Club, it was serenity and peace that I found there, the beach is right in front of you and there were couches everywhere. Beach couches I mean. so I settled down and listened to the live music. I love local artists in the islands, they’re incredibly great!

On the Second day...
KUYA BEBOT’S ISLAND AND LAND TOURS

So I was lucky, upon going out on my first day, there’s this one woman who approached me after settling down in a small room if I had booked for my tours already which I was exactly looking for. It was Php 1700.00 for the first set of tour for my birthday, three island tour (Naked island, Daku Island, and Guyam Island with Sohoton Cove – a cave hike adventure with underwater cave swimming experience and cliff diving) and Php1,600.00 for the second set, the day after my birthday, at Sugba Lagoon in Del Carmen with Magpupungko Rock Pools.

So I said yes instantly as it was within my budget expectations.

First stop was in Sohoton cove, it was a 2-3 hour boat ride. Here, I proved that if there’s an airplane jet lag, there’s a boat jet lag. For real!

I'm smiling but jet lag is real!

First activity was going to the cave underwater. It’s just a 6 minute boat ride from Sohoton stop, where you have to wear an engineer’s cap (LOL) for the stalactites and stalagmites. First was we had to swim undewater for 15-20 seconds with a guide holding your neck down and dragging you to swim underwater in order to enter the cave.

The first time for me was unforgettable, I almost was not able to breathe but thank God I made it! So make sure that you breathe slowly and properly before asking the guide to drag you down the waters. It’s too delicate to just go under without breathing properly you might get drowned. It's a 15-20 second underwater pass for God's sake.

Second was climbing up a cave to the diving platform. It was my first time to jump in a platform, it’s the only way out, so you have to jump!

Third was riding in a very small boat, good for only two persons, so it’s just me and the bangkero whose name’s Raul. He willingy took photos of me, gave me one of his pastries as I told him I was hungry and it’s my birthday (LOL) and that he even thought it was my eighteenth birthday! Haha.

We headed to the jelly fish area. There’s not much to see here, I was more impressed actually with the very blue water that even a white jelly fish can be seen! And there’s the brown jelly fish while we were paddling, I enjoyed my unsolicited photoshoot with kuya Raul.

I gave a tip, it’s what he deserves and my genuine smile of course. He said I was his fourth boat passenger of the day and that he loves all of his customers. Wow!

After that small boat trip, the most awaited part, the buffet meal! It was exactly 12:00 NN when we finished the activities. I ate all the seafoods available, because, I won’t be able to eat them everyday in Manila.

The Naked Island

After lunch time, we already headed to the three famous islands. It took us around 2 hours from Sohoton Cove to the Naked Island. Literally, this island is bare. And it’s so hot it strikes your skin inside. Please make sure you have a sunblock lotion at least with SPF 50-150. It will help with the burning of the direct heat of the sun.

The three islands were just a few minutes boat ride apart. So the next was Daku (meaning big) Island. The biggest of the three. Beside it was a private resort but they let us enter at the the area and you can ask the boat men to order you a fresh buko juice for only Php40.00.

The last island was the Guyam Island. It’s where I witnessed the most beautiful sunset ever in my life.

It was 6:00pm when the tour ended. Then I immediately took a bath as I had to prepare for my birthday night. I decided to go to Bravo Beach Resort at 8:00pm and ordered the most delicious Creme Brulee with Mango. I jammed with the local artists with my song Down the Road. Everyone welcomed every artist and I was so happy with the crowd at that night. This is the first birthday gig I had and it was so pleasant! One of the artists invited me to jam for the second time singing Love Story of Taylor Swift. Of course!

The signal for internet is slow, so since I had to do a ‘mass thank you’ in social media as almost everyone who knew me greeted me on my very special day, I had to thank them. You’ll get to know  lot of people and you’ll know who really cares.

After the dinner and jam, I watched the moonlight at the beach, it was a calm night, full moon, and breezy. I walked at the beach with a new friend Louie and he told me about the party schedules. The party at that night was at Harana, just beside my place so we went there, all vehicles and motorcycles were there, a lot of people partying. So we opted for a more quiet place, the beach front and drank beer together talking about tattoos and music and life.

I believe you’ll get to realize how simple life can be and how being happy can be as simple in an island full of beautiful and kind people.

The night ended solemnly with Glynn, who said “hi” to every beautiful girl,  Louie, who accompanied me in my song, gave me party schedules and experience island vibe at night, and his brother who played the guitar for me at the jam as well.

It was a very long day that I had, and I’m in love with this kind of celebration.

Thank you for taking the time! Did you enjoy it? Then visit the island as well!

If you must need contact information, get ate Gladys’ number at 09493098866. She will immediately contact kuya Bebot and include you in the amazing tours!

See my third to fifth day on my other article:

Siargao – Sugba Lagoon, Magpupungko, Bend Tree, White  Banan Beach club Experience.

IG: @chasingmeagan
FB: @ Meagan Mangoma

One Ilocos Norte

Ilocos and Its Forever Crowning Glory – Local Tourist Destinations

The Saud Beach in the afternoon

This is probably one of the hardest features on my blog that I’ll be writing because it’s in my own hometown. It actually deserves an advertisement, for free, from me and from any other Ilokano (local person from Ilocos region in the Philippines) writers, I believe.

It’s not going to be hard, it’s going to be challenging because it’s where I came from and that I should establish a very good impression to everyone who’ll read this. I won’t try as hard though, I’ll make the photos as a proof instead (wink).

Burgos Lighthouse

Many of you might have heard about Ilocos a hundred times from your peers or read around twenty blogs about how refreshing it is to be in a place that is home to beaches and Spanish historical places with of course, the famous Ferdinand Marcos who lead the Philippines for two decades.

 I’ll focus instead at the place I’ve been constantly visiting with my family since I was six or seven years old – Saud, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.

Of course, I won’t bore you with a single place, other than Pagudpud’s Saud Beach, there’s a lot of treasures you could see for yourself on your way to the island life.
The Hidden Treasure and The Mini Batanes of the North (both located in Caunayan, Pagudpud).

There are also places like Paoay (famous for the Paoay Sand Dunes and Paoay Church), The Rock sand that formed like a boat (Kapurpurawan Beach), The Wishing Tree, where you can drop any amount of money at its fortress, Burgos Light House, Bangui Wind Mills, Patapat Bridge (a very long bridge), an abandoned mansion lying above the sea and at the end of the bridge, and Paraiso ni Anton (a very fresh water coming from the mountains).

Instead of the usual beach outing, we went to the Patapat Viaduct, the Vista Grande Resort where naturally fresh and cold water run. There’s vey big rocks all around the place that if you don’t old to them, you’ll be swept by the strong flow of the water.

It was quite an adventure that I had here. And it was home at the same time. I was with my family and cousins. This was a two day trip over the weekend and I was able to do these things:

Day 1
At 10:00am, we took the road to Saud. You can stop over at the town of Pasuquin where the famous ‘biscocho’ (a type of bread) is located. This is the only store that sells freshly baked ‘biscochos’.

Just before the Burgos Light House, we stopped over at the famous ‘Balete Tree’ in town which people believed as a wishing tree. Then we were on the way up to the light house. It was all our first time to go there. Entrance fee is only Php20.00 and someone will offer you a photo op where they are good at doing panoramas! At the front of the house, it looked like you were standing in a big ship. And beside the light house (originally called Cape Bojeador) was already the open view of the sea. It perhaps served as a place for people of Burgos to see any activities or people coming to and from the light house.

Afterwhich, we headed to the sanctuary. Plainly, this is a place of sharp rocks and clear waters. We held a short picnic session and headed directly to Bangui. At the top of the hill, there’s a place where tourists could buy delicacies and have a view of the many windmills surrounding Bangui and Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. This is for free! It’s picture perfect!

And then we were for Saud already. You might want to shop first at their main town before heading to the beach place to save a little time and money.

It was nostalgia, seeing the place together with my parents again after 14 years maybe. I remember that big shell which was a sign that we were already near the place. Tarpaulins all around directing you to the beach.

We finally arrived at our relatives’ place, it was my uncle’s widow and her daughter with her cute grandson in the house. It was already 3:00pm, usually it will just take you two hours to go there if without stop overs.

When you ride a public transportation by the way, from the city of Laoag where the airport is near as well (30-45 mins ride), you can ride at the Pagudpud terminal or GMW bus liner. Just tell the driver to drop you off at the town of Pagudpud.

Then there’ll be a line of tricycle ready to take you to your destination. There are a lot of hotels at the beach and they are cheap, you won’t regret coming here. You may want to check or book online if you’e planning ahead (which I suggest for you to know where the most tranquil or convenient place is).

There was no rest, though it was cloudy, we headed to the main beach. They offer water activities in some resorts like trying water sailing with a professional teacher. I was just too afraid to be taken by the big waves, so I di not try. LOL.

It was the best time of the day to visit the little Batanes of the North. It was a one hour tricycle drive for Php200.00-Php300.00 back and forth. Haggle, haggle, haggle!
At night, you may want to camp instead of staying at your home for Php150.00-Php200.00. There’s a place for you to grill and do hotdog party except for doing a bonfire. This is a white-sand beach, okay.

Day 2
In the morning, catch the sunrise at the beach and indulge yourself in a good breakfast. There’s a lot of fishermen who sell freshly fetched fishes at around 6:00am in the main beach.

Since we were a big group, we decided to go to the Patapat bridge all the way to Paraiso ni Anton. That trip could take you two hours each way and depending if you’re going to stay for the Vista Grande for a dip.
We were done at around 3:00pm and for the two remaining hours, the others used for a drink and beach waves. That burned me.


We were at Laoag city by 7:00pm, exactly a two hour ride this time as I needed to go back to Manila.
If you’re looking forward as well to go to Hannah’s beach resort, you will pass by the place when you’re on your way to the Patapat Viaduct.


If you want to try the Paoay Sand Dunes, it’s going to be a different route and this includes a 4X4 desert-like ride for Php2500.00 for a group of at most 5-7 people.

For Ilocano cuisines, like longganisa and empanada, they are all over the town.
In Ilocos Sur, what I could recomend is in Viga, Ilcoos Sur. They already have a food park that could satisfy all your cravings!
There’s museums and Calle Crisologo. Feel the old vibe!

Other than those mentioned above, there’s just a lot of places you can check out here in our town. Well, of course the Sinking Bell Tower is still sinking. While it’s still there, take a photo. They say it sinks about 3 inches every years. It’s a quite long journey for the tower still.

Thank you for dropping by! Check my IG @chasingmeagan. And facebook at Meagan Mangoma. Message or comment down what you think.

Mabuhay, Ilocos!

Club Balai Isabel, Talisay, Batangas ITI

It was my sister’s twentieth birthday. Two decades of living life on earth. I laugh at how mom would rant about her not doing the household chores sometimes when she calls and that she just wants her out of the house. But you can’t blame how time spoiled kids these days, how social media had so much influence in our characters and being. Still, it’s a matter of good discipline that we should always have.

But whatever it is that you'd like to do on your birthday, like visit a place you've never been to which I was constantly doing since I turned 20 or just being with your family if your work is away from home is perfectly fine.

When your sister's bod is Victoria Secret bod ready and yours like, **crickets** 😂

So I filed a leave on a Thursday and Friday, got approved as my sister’s birthday fell on a Saturday. It’s actually a fun fact that me and my two sisters’ birthdays fall all on a Saturday this year! I was about to go home in Ilocos but later on, I found out that she already booked for an out of town staycation in Tagaytay. Jeeezzz. I went with them instead. It was in Club Balai Isabel in Talisay Batangas. I researched the place soon as I heard the plan. And decided it’s not bad to do another trip. It was June 15, two weeks after my Coron Palawan getaway. Yayks!

I was the one who researched the guide to the place. At 9:00am, we hopped on a bus at Jam Liner terminal with ‘Tanauan/Lipa Batangas’ signage. Fare is Php70.00-80.00 We got off at the dropping point in Tanauan then rode a tricycle to Talisay jeep teminal near Mcdonald’s for Php10.00 each. The jeepney will have the signboard ‘Talisay’ and ask the driver to drop you off at Talisay church for Php25.00 each, he’ll stop near the church and you can either ride another tricycle or walk from there to Club Balai Isabel. The place is just near a gasoline station and Bulalo house that had a very good menu. 

THE COMMERCIAL BUILDING NEAR CLUB BALAI ISABEL

 The drinks were named after hollywood stars like Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber and many more!

Their Bulalo is the best so far. It was just called the Bulalo house. And there was even a convenience store around and atm machines. So you won’t be running out of options here. When we entered the gates, they asked for the reservation details like the name of the person who reserved for that day. Then we entered the place, saw these e-jeeps inside and started taking photos with them.

ROAMING AROUND THE CLUB BEFORE CHECK IN

It’s best that while you wait for your room to be fixed after you provide check in details at the concierge, you roam around with one of the ready drivers at the reception area to drive you using the E-jeep. You can even leave your bags at the counter and they’ll give you claim cards for free!

What added with the fun was that there were only three of us in the jeepney. It’s an open one like the one they use in country clubs, and eveything is seen! Lucky us that we had a talkative guide, Gio.

The Church Inside
Not allowed for wedsings though.

It was like 30 minutes going around the place as it was a vast area, much more than I imagined.

We were ready to rest for a while before soaking in the pool areas. The room was okay. Not really that impressive and they also warned us that wifi in the rooms were designed to be slow and almost not letting you connect, which was a fact, because they want to let people connect more to each other rather than to social media. Moreover, it was like you’re in a luxurious place inside a mini jungle, it was full of trees and the theme was beige and brown.

The Waterpark (php500.00 each)

LOOKING FOR A PASTRY SHOP

Since it was a birthday night for my sissy, we opted to do the grocery first before finally starting our Club Balai Isabel experience. There was no legit pastry shop like Red Ribbon or Cookie House in the area. So we had to look for an ordinary bakery  as our tricycle helped us get around. We found this yema cake, chose the flowers to put as its design and candles. It was a simple one.

THE E-JEEP and CLUB TOUR EXPERIENCE

There was a water park in the area, a place where you can play billiards and darts. A badminton and basketball court. A pavillion. A botanical garden. There were even mansions inside where a family can stay there for Php10, 000 a night if I remember it right.

The reception area

If you want to use their facilities for free, you can just drop by at the reception area, leave a valid ID and get the equipment for whatever you want to play and return if for an hour. There’s one for badminton, basketball, volleyball, billiards, and darts. Any succeeding fees will be charged after an hour. After an hour of rest, we changed to comfortable clothes and played billiards til 6pm.

It was a bit rainy, lucky we are that it jut rained in the afternoon then solemn at night.

There were three pools in the area. The main pool was the one near the restaurant. Locals also offer a trip to taal volcano (php1200.00 per boat which can accommodate up to 4 persons).

We had free music at night. There was a wepdding and they had reggae music around. There are assigned smoking areas by the way. There’s one near the deck where while you enjoy the scenery, you can smoke and have a short talk with whoever you’re with. We spent the dinner night by the main pool area where the bar and restaurant was. Overlooking the shore and a glimpse of the stars. It’s a cold night and there was this singer who they always hire for night jams and she plays the piano well and makes the mainstream songs sound lilke ballad or bossa nova.

Twinning! Same dress I wore when I slept with my gin. 

I came from a night shift this day, no sleep yet since 6pm yesterday and it’s already around 12midnight of Saturday when we slept. Instead of finishing the lime juice mixed with gin and my favorite Nova junk food as ‘pulutan’, I slept unconsciously and woke up to my pink dress with my boho earring on, feeling cold, wearing still the make up I put on the night before. Haha

It was a rainy day that surprised our morning. Thankfully, when we checked out, the rain already stopped yet still cloudy. I still had time for a shoot at the main pool before finally packing up. The route going back to Manila is just a reverse cycle of the route I gave you earlier. ;)

If you’re looking for tips or if you have questions, drop your comments below!

Other places at the Club:

Kape Kumintang

They also offer some juice and cocktails, aside from coffee.

The buffet area on breakfast
(all are availabe to all breakfast preferences)
Whether you're a Filipino, American, Aussie, you can find your preferred breakfast menu here.

Thanks for reading! Until next time!

Nagsasa & Anawangin Cove Zambales via Mt. Bira-Bira

Your beach babies, monsieur.

Okay, so this trip had cost each of us, Php1, 300.00. Transportation, food, tour guide fee, boat rental with island tour were already included. Yes!

Four months ago, in April 14, at night, me and my sister went to one of the nearest summertowns in Manila. I decided to tag my sister along as it’s summer, it’s her vacation in school and is not doing anything at home anyway.

Of course, as I had been mentioning in my blogs like the one in Magsasa Beach Cove and Mt. Ulap trail (which you can check here at meaganstravelogue.blogspot.com), Jie invited me again to this day hike and island tour. We have this shared desire for mountains and cliffs and beaches. Just like any other independent and single girl would, when they are invited by their friends and they say yes without second thoughts, their answer’s a straight ‘yes’. In Filipino language, they are “kaladkarin”. LOL

So we took a cab to Eton Centris in Quezon City where the meeting place is. They’ve let me sit beside a man who I think for God’s sake hadn’t had any girlfriend in his life. So I just went with the flow and enjoyed the trip with of course, my own playlist on spotify. As far as I remember, there were 13 of us in the van. It was a four hour trip to Zambales and we arrived at the house of the tour guides. We were guided by this little dark man who walks so fast, he’s for the fast and furious haha. Before leaving, we had our light breakfast at their place, a hotdog, egg and sandwich was enough then. Luckily, I haven’t encountered a tour guide that’s not accommodating yet.

God it was a very beautiful morning. At 4:00 am, the starlight zone was still at its brightest, big, and feels so near. They were shining as if the sun won’t substitute their glimmer and glamour anymore. And my eyes were shining so bright like they are that morning. What made me feel more native is the aura of the locals. They were kind, smiles widely and cares so much like my parents do.

MT. BIRA-BIRA (BINABALIK-BALIKAN) – You’ll keep coming back for this.

We started the trail right after we ate. I always wanted to go first when I do trekking. I want to see the view first before my co-hikers do. Even if kuya Rodel was walking fast and furious, I managed to be at his pace. So is my sister’s pace, she was tired but she had long legs so she didn’t have trouble catching up. Haha!

It was a four-hour hike. We started while it was dark. So if you come here, make sure to bring flashlights and trail foods like biscuits and of course, water. As the sun rose at 6:00am, the mountains became orange. What once was dark spot with a sky full of stars became green and orange, and a combination of it with the blue skies above. Sweat and fatigue will be well paid I said. So here I'm sharing you some of my photos from Instagram (@chasingmeagan).

Of course, the view is amazing. There’s this top of the mountain spot where you’ll see the sea extending to the other city there may be across it. It’s like you own the world here. It was very open. And it translates to you feeling open. To yourself and to the other people. This brought my mind to liberation. I have been independent for two years now. And being liberated is a part of it. Being separated and alone but not feeling lonely is something that I think highly of as a gift. Not everyone can have that positive vibe and view in life. I have been saying this in almost every blog I post.

You can refer to (@meagansmotivations.blogpot.com) where I kept talking about seeing the bright in the dark and the positive in negative. Even if your boyfriend already cheated on you, you see the advantage in it. It’s never easy to manage our own life much more than we manage other people’s emotion towards us. It’s something that I adore so much when I see women like me who live independently.

So we descended, at 8:00am, the sun’s heat was striking tremendously but we kept up with it because we’re almost at our destination.

THE ZAMBALES BEACH COVE

So I unpacked my whole wheat bread and everyone joked around, that there should not be a diet plan. We were tired and should eat more. But I still stayed with the plan as the food there was pretty expensive like one gallon costs Php200 and I’ve got bikini shoot to do with my sister!

THE PHOTOSHOOT!

Fast forward to dressing up, removing the marks of tiredness, me and my sister Jessa took a bath together in

one of the rest rooms and put on our bikinis! I wore a stripe one, color blue and transparent light brown square pants. We arrived at the hut and they were watching. We flaunted, because we can! And everyone should be able to do that, no body shaming please.

So we got another company, my sister’s other half at that time who became our photographer. We achieved part of the bloggers Vern and Verniece Enciso’s H&M bikini posts, hi girls! Except that it was not photographed by a professional one and we didn’t have too sexy bodies yet. LOL.

Guys, you will be able to have a lot of time to spend here, you can stay until 4:00pm, take some dip in the sea, take a deep breath of the fresh air because you don’t encounter this everyday when you are living in the metro, drink alcohol, talk about life in the island, play some cool music, do a cartwheel by the shore because there are no pebbles to pick. The sand was a bit dark. Of course Zambales is not a place for white beaches like Palawan. But it’s a place where the sea is surrounded by beautiful mountains.

A small bridge going to the camp site.

Afterwhich, we were picked by the boat and did the island hopping. From NAGSASA COVE we headed to ANAWANGIN COVE. We were about to go to the island where they let tourists do cliff jump but my friends at the time were too drunk and our boat almost got wrecked at the sea. So we got help from the other sailing boats and stayed at Anawangin cove where there’s bridge, where you can camp, no entrance fees.

There was even a big pond there. It is very Instagram photo friendly. In this area, only few people stay as it is for those who wants to spend the night by camping in a mini forest.

After getting our boat fixed, we went on a roller coaster ride at the beach. The sea was not so calm and the fun was more on the journey to our destination. Again, another realization, the challenge most of the time contains more of the excitement when you are still on your way to your dreams than when you already reached it. It’s amazing how you will look back and smile as you imagine how tough ad rough it has been for you all along. But you still thank God for your life. That you are able to do things you want to.

And dream requires every sacrifice you will ever be able to give. Every mistake you will be committing is waiting for you right there. Time, effort, commitment, strength, bravery, determination, courage, money, everything will cost you for your dream. It’s risky, but it’s going to be worthwhile. Of course, there’s reality and expectation. Know what you are able to do and do it. Action and dream is not too far from each other. Remember that when you start moving, you start moving. Slowly as may seem, but you’re on your way.

So going back!

We went home at 7:00pm after we took a bath at one of the houses at the main port which offer their comfort rooms and extension for charging for public use at a minimal payment, around Php20.00, and arrived in Manila at 11:00pm as it was traffic at SLEX. It was a day to remember. Another memory to cherish.

If you have questions, ask me and leave your comments here.

Thank you so much!

‘Til next time! ;)

Some cute sized guitar keychains are everywhere! (Php 30.00)

Sunset at Anawangin Cove.

Middle of the day at Nagsasa Cove.

A small lake at Anawangin Cove.

MT. ULAP, BENGUET, PHILIPPINES

You can actually see these photos on my instagram @chasingmeagan.

It has been three years since I went to Baguio. I stayed here for two months, through the summer of my third year in college. I rendered my on the job training here, one month for a publishing firm for the writing field, the Luzon Morning Sun and ABS-CBN for my production experience. It was fun, nevertheless, it was so much more fun when I went here using my own money for the first time. My friend Jie invited me to this adventure (as she always do). LOL. I remember, we occupied the same place when we were rendering our OJT here in Baguio. Who knew that after three years, we’ll be scheduled to do an adventure here?

But this time, it was in Benguet in what they call Mt. Ulap. Ulap is an Ilokano word, it means clouds. So we’re free to call it the mountain of sea of clouds. We went up as early as 5:00am and was able to reach the peak at around 10am. It was a mind-blowing 5-hour trek, and that’s been my longest trail so far.

Climbing down the hills took us 1 and a half hour. And there was a station where you could buy souvenirs and shirts. On the way up, since it was dark and the light of the sun was slightly showing up, it looked like sunset more than that of a sunrise. It’s cold and you can see the skies are really just right in front of your face and up your head. We did not feel the heat until it was 8:00am, there’s also a pool of people, sea of people wandering, and people soul-searching. But me, I have one thing in mind, it’s to capture the grandeur a natural scene has to offer. I wanted to take my jackets off and show off to the nature, but it was not appropriate. What’s appropriate was that I conquered the trail and I survived the way up with the group.

If you’re asking how we went there, it was an organized trip by a travel partners Christian Anievas and Kaezen Lagrimas. We rented 2 vans, met at the Greenfield district in Pasig City. The travel time was no more than 5 hours.

We paid 900 pesos for the transpo and travel guide fee then we had to pay environmental fee at the barangay hall of Itogon, Benguet before we were assigned to 2 guides. Ours was nanay Susan. She was 55 years old and still had the guts to climb up there!

But if you go on your own, you can ride a bus like Victory Liner and Genesis that can be found in Cubao. The fare is around 400 for every way and upon reaching the city of Baguio, you can ride a jeepneu bound to Itogon, stop at their barangay hall and look for a group or a vacant guide who could take you up there. I was not able to ask how much it eas for every guide though as ut was already covered on our trip.

A good thing about going on a hike with a large group is that you laugh together and get tired together. I even encountered one of ABS-CBN’s staff, a familiar face from my OJT days, Armand Yaccib, now a photographer. We talked and took a photo, until my friends were looking for me already. LOL.

Going off the cliffs was easier as it only took one and a half hour. But it was a different ache, that was more of a squeeze at the back feet and back.
The vast space, the greenery, the best view I have ever seen out of the mountains I climbed, the sea of clouds playing at the top of the mountains and the biggest rocks which can be climbed any time to see how high we have been since we started climbing. That’s the definition of luxury and relaxation for most of the travelers. It’s how your clothes have been soaked from your sweat.

It’s the rest you feel in tiredness that comes with hiking here. It’s the perfect view that comes with the falling sweat on your face. It’s the laughter with the people you’re with that comes with the darkening of your face because of being near to the sun. It’s every second that you go up, it’s every meter that you walk and run that brings you closer to the peak. It’s the courage that you have when you tell yourself you can’t anymore.

They say travelling lets you see more of yourself, lets you realize more of your goals, and make you dream more. And to me, it feels like these adventure I’ve been doing had done more to me. I feel more vibrant, motivated, more positive, more forgiving, patient, beautiful, worthwhile and dreamt bigger.

After an hour of trip from the foggy mountainous from Benguet, we stopped over Good Taste in Baguio City. It was the most famous eatery in the city as it is near the mainstream destinations like the Burnham park, Baguio church, Oh My Gulay restau at the Azotea building at session road and the place for bus and jeep terminals going to the mountain province. The plce was quite big and the food tastes good enough for a restaurant that serves a large number of crowd. Moreover, its cheap! For a hundred and twenty pesos, it shall satisfy your stomach for bout 5-6 hours!

So after that good food experience, we went back to Manila at 6pm, because we were too tired, we were not able to buy local goods anymore and slept inside the van instead. You can call that part of adulting. LOL.

It was 10pm when we arrived in Manila. And the rest was sleep story and fatigue story in the morning.

Until next time! By the way, you can visit my IG @chasingmeagan and @meagan_streetphotography guys.
Thank you so much!