Masbate City in Four Hours

I only had very limited time left for Masbate City as I spent for time spending time with relatives in Mandaon. I tried to make use of the few hours I had before my flight left for Manila to try and see what the city has to offer. Fortunately, the province’s capital is quite compact and can even be explored by foot. This is a mini guide for some of the well-known landmarks and tourist spots that you can see if you only have 3-5 hours like me!

Back Home in Mandaon, Masbate

I admit it. I was actually born in Manila. For some years now, I have been claiming that I am Bisaya and was born in my mother’s province, Masbate. Growing up, I have always thought I was Masbateno. It is not a rare sight that people from my mother’s hometown of Tumalaytay would visit and often stay at our house that I somehow associated myself with their culture, even picking up Minasbate, the local dialect, unconsciously, which surprised a lot of my relatives. I have only been there once when I was five years old and thanks to seat sales that I was finally able to grab cheap fares to Masbate this year.

Where The Heck is Taiwan's Qingshui Cliff?

There were a couple of places that I purposely left out from the usual Taroko Gorge itinerary on my first day in Hualien, so I opted to visit them the next day since I had more time - Qixingtan Beach and Qingshui Cliff. The first one is reachable by bus but Qingshui Cliff, even though still a part of the national park, is not on the tourist shuttle bus route. Most bloggers who have visited this place hired a cab but you may know very well that I like traveling by public transportation and because I’m too cheap frugal. Read on to know if it going by this option was really worth my time.

Dazed and Confused at Kaohsiung's Lotus Lake and Cijin Island

There were lots of options to pick for a place to go for my extra two days – Alishan, Cingjing Farm, Kenting, or spend more time exploring New Taipei. But for some reason, I had my heart set on going to Kaohsiung. I have seen it on some blog posts and was somehow convinced. Once I arrived in Kaohsiung however, I found it hard to find things to do that would suit my preference, and I got lost most of the time too, despite the ever-so-reliable Google Maps. It is most likely however that it is not Kaohsiung’s fault, but I was already suffering from “travel fatigue.”

The popular Dragon and Tiger Pagodas of Kaohsiung

Ilocos Norte: Gem of the North

Traveling in a big group has its perks, you could just rent a van and let your driver take you to all the nice places. Our group only had to plan for accommodations and I am glad to have met a group of frugal friendly travelers who were up for anything. For a three-day trip, our contribution per person for the land arrangements, breakfast, and homestay was only 2,200 pesos, and this also includes our short stint in Ilocos Sur. Anyhow, for the remaining two days we took our time on seeing some of the most popular attractions in the different areas of Ilocos Norte.

Bawal ang Sawi sa Palaui! (Island Homestay and Views at Cape Engaño)

Everybody has been raving about Batanes, and I have no doubt that the place is majestic. But with only one airline carrier dominating the sales for this route, it’s a no-brainer that the price of tickets are skyrocket high. In recent years, a certain island became talk of the town for having similar heavenly views, and even though it is also located way up North, the province is reachable by bus or plane. After convincing some friends to finally put this plan into motion, we were off to an 11-hour bus ride to Cagayan to finally see what everybody has been talking about.

Tayo na’t magpagulong gulong sa Palaui Island!

More Superb Sights in Cagayan: Anguib Beach and Crocodile Island

We went to Cagayan during the rainy season, but it did not stop us from going to Palaui Island. However, before even reaching our main destination, we decided to take a layover to some of the province’s notable beaches. There are actually quite a few, but some require longer travel time and extended time with our boatman such as Mapurao and Nangaramoan will add up on our transportation costs, both we cannot afford at that time. So we decided with two places that fit our budget and schedule.

A Swift Journey to Paguriran Island and Sorsogon City

We did not really have an itinerary or places to see when we risked this trip to Bicol, well of course, we knew we had to see Mt. Mayon, but we mostly relied on my phone’s lousy internet capability and the trustworthy locals whom we met on the road for their best recommendations and cheap ways on how to reach those places. The province might be not be known for its beaches, but Sorsogon also takes pride for the beauty of Subic Beach at Matnog, Sorsogon known for its white sand reminiscent of Boracay but with less crowd, less pollution and less commercialization. We were supposed to go there as we were enticed by the pictures we saw at the internet but due to budget constraints, I opted to scrap this plan and look for another place where we can still enjoy an affordable beach escapade. So we were told to take ourselves to this quaint town of Bacon. To all the meat lovers out there (like me), this is not a town that prides itself for selling bacon. Our main purpose here was to see Paguriran Island. I was worried because if it is an island then definitely we would need more money to charter a boat, just like at Subic Beach, but she assured we will have no problems so we went off and followed her advice.

The rocky lagoon that is Paguriran Island

Wandering Solo at Gumasa Beach, Glan, Sarangani

SOCCSKSARGEN was full of surprises. Upon embarking on this trip with my friends, we have already seen wonderful natural gems such as lakes, falls, lush forests, I've also experienced its culture and tried some blood-rushing activities, I felt that everything is already in this region, though there was just only one thing missing I felt that could keep a traveler's blood rushing anytime of the day - a beach. Since my two companions had to leave earlier, I had two days by myself to see the rest of what's in store for me at this part of Mindanao. The first one, I spent exploring around Lake Sebu and going food tripping around General Santos City. When we joined an outreach activity at T'boli, we met some mountaineers who recommended for us to visit Gumasa Beach of Glan, Sarangani, so I decided it was something worth doing by myself and I can also finally see the famed 'Boracay of the South' as quoted by most of the locals we have talked to.

Good Morning from Gumasa Beach

Surigao del Sur's Britania Group of Islands

It was such a delight of having been able to finally make my Mindanao trip come true. After planning for some trips that did not push through due to work constraints, my 8-day trip to this region this December finally took place. We booked a trip going to Butuan as me and my companions wanted to see Enchanted River, and the easiest way in is via Bancasi Airport. Upon doing some research, I found out that Surigao del Sur has lots to offer other than the pristine river, so I made plans to make our first two days dedicated to Surigao del Sur, and our first stop was at Britania Group of Islands located in Barangay Britania, San Agustin.

Britania, Surigao del Sur

Labor Day Weekend 2013 at Boracay

My first two labor weekends as an office employee has been very menial. I am used to taking long vacations and frankly, one day simply isn't enough. So finally, me and some friends from office booked a four-day trip to the island of Boracay. Everyone on the group admits that it was their first time going to the island so we were all so excited even months before the trip. Labor day = perfect time to get away from the stress from work!

Sunset at Boracay

Jeju’s Sunset at Jusangjeolli Cliff - Day 11 in South Korea

The previous trip to Yongduam Rock has enabled us to have a quick trip to the airport to inquire on taxi rentals. We were able to get a taxi driver who was available the next day, which was a relief. We have then decided to explore the Jungmun Resort Area for the rest of the dat. It was very easy to commute to the resort, one must just take Limousine Bus 600 from the airport and will take 50 minutes of traveling time. For the first part, we had planned to go to Jungmun Daepo Coast, also commonly known as Jusangjeolli Cliff.

The columnar joints at Jungmun Daepo Coast is Jeju's Natural Monument No. 443. This rocky cliff run for about 2 km in the coastline of Seogwipo and were formed from the basalt flows when Nokhajiak volcano erupted 14,000-25,000 years ago. The lava that has flowed to the coast of Jungmun and through the years has formed these rock pillars shaped like cubes or hexagons.

The temple by the ocean – Haedong Yonggungsa, Busan – Day 10 in South Korea

We overslept the next day due to our “hangover” with the fireworks festival last night, we were supposed to leave for the temple by 9AM but apparently were not able to, so we started our adventure by mid-noon. Our only plan for the day was to visit Haedong Yonggungsa as it was also quite far from where we are staying and our flight to Jeju was 7PM, so we had to go back early. We took a train to Haeundae station and from there, Bus 181 will be able to take you to the temple.

Haedong Yonggungsa is one of the famous temples in Busan located at the north-eastern part of the city. The name translates to “Korean Dragon Palace Temple” in English. One of the most unique points of this temple is that it is situated near the ocean, which is quite rare in South Korea as most temples in the country are found in the mountains.

Haedong Yonggungsa

Busan Fireworks Festival – Day 9 in South Korea

Welcoming the New Year with a new post. Hoping you had a very nice NY celebration yourself, and with or without any new year resolution, I hope this year, we exert more “-ER”s in what we do and aim to achieve, hardER, bettER, fastER and strongER!

This post is a continuation from our Busan tour with our Couchsurfing host and is also bit connected with New Year’s celebration as I will be featuring the fireworks display at the Busan Fireworks Festival 2012.

The fireworks show was originally planned to be held last October 27 but due to the heavy rain that day, it was postponed and re-scheduled the next day. The entire festival lasted for two days, the first day, Oct 26, featured a free concert with famous K-Pop artists - TVXQ and IU to name a few. The fireworks display is held at the Gwanggali Beach and has attracted not just Koreans, but lots of foreigners as well. Just like us, there were some tourists who visited Busan on the 26-28th to experience this festival and it also has been a tradition to the people of Busan ever since it started last 2005. The event is free for all – meaning no admission fee ;) More reasons to experience this famous festival.

Gwangan Bridge at dusk

A refreshing tour of Busan - Igidae Coastal Walk – Day 9 in South Korea

After the unfortunate turn of events yesterday, we woke up with a fresh start beginning with a very nice Korean meal from our host. I was very thankful that so far, we have stayed with very friendly and hospitable hosts and our host in Busan was especially nice as he has agreed to tour us to different places in Busan. The plan for the day was to go to Igidae Coast, UN Memorial Cemetery, Busan Cinema Center, Shinsegae and finally, go to Haeundae where the Busan Fireworks Festival will take place.

Igidae (이기대) Park is not really famous with tourist, maybe because going here would be quite tricky for first-timers as you would need to transfer trains/buses and walk before you reach the start of the trail. Igidae is one of Busan’s beautiful coastlines and is known for its spectacular views of Gwangan Bridge, Haeundae Beach, Baeksan and Jangsan Mountain, it’s not just a good place for a morning stroll, but you can also set up picnic here or fishing posts! It’s a good spot where you can take your family for a nice day out. The 5-kilometer coastal trail would be perfect for the sunny weather.

The panoramic view of Busan