Hello :)
After several deliberations with my inner selves, I decided to continue my blog in a different content management site.
Please follow my next adventures on my new blog, Ms. Jack of All Trades :)
https://nicoleannelopez.wordpress.com/
Thank you very much :)
Sabado, Mayo 14, 2016
Linggo, Marso 13, 2016
Valentine's Day at Malangaan Cave
Hello again. I'm posting a new blog again due to recommendations of several officemates upon reading my Taal blog. Thank you to those who expressed their appreciation. Lots of love from me to you. :)
Since I am single and don't have any plans for Valentine's Day, my closest office friends decided to go on a trip. Since all of us are from different towns of Bulacan, we decided to explore a good destination within Bulacan. Thanks to the following blogs of The Lost Kid Travels and Byaherong Barat, we came up with Malangaan Cave in Sitio Tukod, San Rafael.
We started our journey around 8 in the morning. Just outside the convenience we started our bargain for a tricycle ride to Sitio Tukod. Some offered 500 to a two-way ride but we found it expensive since we still don't know how far Sitio Tukod is from Angat. Here's an idea if you wanted to know:
Upon asking several tricycle drivers, someone offered us a two-way ride from only 300 pesos. Meet Kuya Jasper of Angat TODA (Body No. 123). If you're planning to go to Malangaan and will be commuting from Angat, I recommend you to get him as you're driver. Why? You'll soon find out. Kuya Jasper can't be contacted via phone since he told us he doesn't have one. According to him, just ask for his tricycle's body number.
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| A stolen shot of Kuya Jasper |
And so the journey continues on a tricycle ride from Angat to Sitio Tukod. It was a smooth ride across the green scenes of countryside San Rafael until we came to a rough road which signaled us that we're almost near or destination. When we arrived in the entrance to Malangaan, we were welcomed by two kids, Rodmar and Jerry. This is why I wanted to post my blogs as soon as got home from the trip itself). Since they were the first to approach us, we decided to get them as out guides for this trip. To get your vehicle to Malangaan, you have to cross a stream and there was a crossing fee - 10 for 2-wheelers, 15 for 3-wheelers and 30 for 4-wheelers. We paid 15 for Kuya Jasper's tricycle and what we saw first is the Malangaan Spring.
Few steps from the spring, we finally saw the rib-like rock formations of the cave. These formations stretches approximately 250 meters and I found myself in awe while walking in between them.
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| Beware: Lost Kid in Action |
Our guides assisted us on climbing one of the high parts of the rock formations and believe me, the struggle is real. For the first time in my life, I felt like I will be using my life insurance any moment now.
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 (credits to Yunyce for the last picture) |
Minutes of climbing and tantrums, we finally reach a high point in the rock formations. It makes me feel like I'm on El Nido's Taraw Cliff.
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If you played the video above, you can see that Kuya Jasper was also with us during the climb. Now you know why we recommend him. The moment we arrived at the area, he asked the three of us if we can swim. Since we all can't, he told us he would stay close in the spring to assist us if ever the need arises. Instead of just staying in his tricycle and sleep while he wait for us to come back, joined us in the trail. He also helped us through the hard climbs and to where we should step our foot to climb safely. It's as if we had three guides in this trip. For that, thumbs up for Kuya Jasper!
After hardships on climbing up to this point and climbing down to safety, our guides invited to explore the deep dark parts of the cave. When we decided to go, Rodmar insists that we can't since someone stole the flashlight that he brought for the trail. Unfortunately, we have to go back to Spring area to ask for someone else's flashlight. That was then we met Kuya Kulot, another guide in the area who provided us with not one, not two, but three flashlights. Luckily, he also joined in the trail to the dark parts of the cave. Now we have four guides for this trip.
The path inside the cave is definitely not easy. There is a part that you have to crawl your way to the passage, which is really hard especially when you have to insert your arms pass by first and you let your abdominal and leg muscles do the thing. Seriously, I felt like I was doing a worm dance by that time. But once you passed through that tough passage, you will arrive in a high-ceiling part of the cave where you will see a lot of calcite formations, which somehow lessens your stress of pushing yourself though the path.
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| Again, the struggle is real (credits to Yunyce for these three pictures) |
The cave experience was so much. Unfortunately we noticed some concerns on the cave. There were no measures being implemented to conserve the beauty of it. It can be noticed in the pictures below that vandals are seen in the rock formations. Also, the calcite formations in the cave are being taken by some visitors, making their crystal-like luster to disappear. Calcite formations during the trail can only be seen on high-ceiling areas or on areas not easily reached by people. I hope that the local government, visitors and locals around the area would help each other in preserving the natural beauty of the cave.
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| Notice the vandals on the cave walls </3 |
This trip taught me that great things can still be found on places near you - places that don't necessary need a plane or a boat ride. You just have to learn to appreciate them. Till my next adventure. :)
Martes, Marso 8, 2016
CDO-Camiguin-Bukidnon-Iligan 2015
Hello there. Nicole here and it's good to be in the zone for blogging again. This one should be posted months ago, but I just had the time recently to post this one. I considered this trip the highlight of my 2015 travel plans.
Last January 2015, my office friends invited me to join them in an out of town trip since Cebu Pacific had a seat sale by that time, and I decided to join ('coz it will be my first flight. Hehe). After minutes of deliberation, we decided to visit Cagayan de Oro and its nearby provinces on the second week of November. Yunyce (an officemate and close friend of mine) was the one who came up with our travel plan. Compared to other CDO tour packages, theirs are comparatively cheaper.
We were divided into two batches (since we can't all be on leave at the same time on office). Batch one is comprised of 4 persons and left for CDO on November 12, while batch 2 is composed of 7. and left on November 14. Since I'm part of batch 2, I will only be sharing pictures of us from the batch.
First plane ride was awesome. Hahaha. Sorry if I had to include this one. Well I found my first plane ride epic because we were actually paged in Terminal 3 for being late from boarding time (flight schedule was tight by that time due to APEC). Our light went smoothly and fortunately, I didn't experienced any jetlag. I just had the airplane ears that really bugged me that time.
We arrived at Laguindingan Airport around 12 in the afternoon and was picked up by the batch 1 peeps. After checking to Rich Manor, we head to an afternoon adrenaline rush on CDO river rapids. Before the actual rafting activity, sumptuous lunch was organized by Red Rafts. We had a buffet of buttered shrimp and fried chicken which I actually enjoyed because I love shrimp dishes. Several burps and we head for our first rafting experience. We took advanced rafting and it was such an awesome experience! Our rafting guides are loaded with jokes to keep us laughing despite the tension on every rapids. Falling from the raft is normal. Just make sure you follow your guides' instructions and you'll be good to finish this activity :)
After getting back to the manor, we had dinner at Boy Zugba which is just a few walks away, I must day it's a thumbs up for the food. Yunyce and I decided to shared on a sisig meal by that time because the serving is too much if we ordered one for each other. I recommend that you dine at the main area of the establishment. We dined on the reserved area and I'm sure I just saw some relatives of Roscuro from The Tales of Despereaux movie, which can really ruin your appetite.
Day 2 of CCBI tour started early, as early as 3 in the morning. Our van driver picked us from the manor to Port of Balingoan and we boarded the first trip of ferry to Camiguin. Since this is my first ferry experience, I made sure I'll have some pictures to commerate this experience.
We arrived on Port of Benoni in Guinisiliban, Camiguin already in broad daylight. See our arrival video below. :D
To keep us full for the rest of our day in Camiguin, we had a buffet brunch at Checkpoint Food Palace. It was owned by a foreigner and he was really hands on attending to us. Thumbs for their bacon and soup.
First stop in Camiguin is what the people call their 'gem', the White Island. Before riding a boat, we were advised to rent a snorkeling gear and a life jacket since the tour includes snorkeling in a marine sanctuary near the island. White Island is just 15 minutes boat ride from the Camiguin mainland and waves are not those you should be afraid of. Several minutes on the boat and you'll notice that the water will turn from deep to sky blue, signaling that we are near the island.
And so we arrived at the island! The scorching sun didn't stopped us from wandering around and capturing any scenery or pose that we wanted to do.
After several minutes, our boatman asked us for snorkeling in an area several meters away from the island. I was in awe with its sky blue waters. The reef formations were nice to see but I found the activity tiring since the waves by that time were strong that I found it hard to help myself go back up our boat.
After the White Island, we explored Camiguin by land and we first headed to the Sunken Cemetery Cross. The entrance to the cemetery is free, but if you want to cross from the shore to the Cross, you have to swim your way using the rope seen in the picture below (and that is not for free anymore). Nice souvenirs can be found here like ref magnets, and you can find volunteer photographers that can teach you some poses fit for view. Just give them something to compensate for their effort (my friends gave 20 pesos per person, I think).
Next, we visited the Catarman Old Church Ruins, which were what's left of the iconic church after the volcanic catastrophe in the island. In here, I found and bought lanzones which costs 20 pesos per kilo. YOU READ THAT WRITE. IT'S FREAKING 20 PESOS PER KILO. This is the point in the trip where I wished I should have bought a bigger luggage capacity in Cebu Pac.
We next headed to Soda pool in Catarman, which is famous for it's sweet, potable water. The deepest part of the pool is 7 feet deep and since I already forgot my nine-month swimming skills when I'm still in my mother's womb, I just lingered in the side of the pool. Also, it's fresh water so no need to worry if you want to open your eyes underwater.
Since our ferry schedule leaves around 4:30 in the afternoon, we decided to have one last stop which is Tuasan Falls in Brgy Maiinit, Catarman. On our way to the falls, we passed by this mini-store that sells 'Kiping', or potato flakes topped with generous amount of sweet caramelized coconut sauce. My friends enjoyed it, and my glutinous self had four of these, I think.
Few walks from the store is the majestic view of Tuasan Falls. First thing I did was I dipped my feet in the crystal clear water and believe me, it's so cold despite the heat of the afternoon sun. We didn't linger much near the falls since some residents told us that several debris like rocks sometimes fall along with the water, which is pretty dangerous.
Day 3 of our tour is for some adrenaline rush activities in Dahilayan Forest Park, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. I will upload the videos here so you can see how every activity that I have tried works.
Dahilayan's zipline course (which is Asia's first longest zipline) is consists of three parts, for which the first is the most exciting of the three. From the park, you have to ride an L300 van to the first zipline part's load area. I found myself nervous for the first part of the run (I'm afraid that my hands or my GoPro will hit nearby branches), but enjoyed the rest of it since I was witnessing the top view of the park. So far the best zipline I have experienced in my life! I included a short video of my zipline experience below :)
Dahilayan Forest Park's Sky Jump
If you're a first timer in Dahilayan, I recommend you to try their Drop Zone which is their flagship activity as of the time. Drop Zone will suspend you to a height of 120 feet then will make you experience pendulum swing until you come to a full stop. This is what made me enjoy Dahilayan. It's the first time in my life that I fell vertically with my head falling first (which again IS SO FREAKING AWESOME!!!) Here's a video of me and Yunyce on our tandem DropZone experience.
We had lunch at Del Monte Clubhouse at Bukidnon which is famous for their beef steak, and we feasted on a warm and delicious bulalo dinner at Sattae Grill back at Cagayan de Oro.
Day 4 of our tour is around Iligan City, Lanao del Norte. Since it will be the last day of the trip, we dropped by on Vjandep for pasalubong, which is famous for their pastel products. First stop on Iligan is the famous entry on Sibika books, the Maria Cristina Falls. An entrance fee is needed since the area was owned by an electric company. Maria Cristina Falls is a natural power source so expect that you will not be able to swim your way near it ('cause the current is strong). Might as well enjoy the view of the majestic falls instead.
If you love peanuts, you can drop by at Cheding's Peanut Store and a variety of peanuts delicacies awaits you. A friendly tip: if you're looking for a ref magnet of Iligan, you find one here. :)
Due to APEC, our flight was moved to a later time so we had to stay the rest of the hours on the airport. Around 12 midnight, the night view of Manila welcomed us back to reality.
To sum up everything that I spent, here's a rough breakdown:
If you're not the 'ma-pasalubong' type of traveler, you'll surely spend a smaller amount than the above. Since it's my first time in CCBI, I think it's not bad to do things that I want to experience and buy things that I want to have. Well, I must say, this CCBI trip made me feel that travelling cannot just make you escape reality, it makes you more motivated to face reality - the reality that working hard can get you to more places that are as good or even better than these.
Rafting pictures and video :)
Day 2 of CCBI tour started early, as early as 3 in the morning. Our van driver picked us from the manor to Port of Balingoan and we boarded the first trip of ferry to Camiguin. Since this is my first ferry experience, I made sure I'll have some pictures to commerate this experience.
We arrived on Port of Benoni in Guinisiliban, Camiguin already in broad daylight. See our arrival video below. :D
First stop in Camiguin is what the people call their 'gem', the White Island. Before riding a boat, we were advised to rent a snorkeling gear and a life jacket since the tour includes snorkeling in a marine sanctuary near the island. White Island is just 15 minutes boat ride from the Camiguin mainland and waves are not those you should be afraid of. Several minutes on the boat and you'll notice that the water will turn from deep to sky blue, signaling that we are near the island.
And so we arrived at the island! The scorching sun didn't stopped us from wandering around and capturing any scenery or pose that we wanted to do.
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| Pictures on White Island (credits to Raf Atienza and his 39" GoPole for the last pic) |
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| Some snorkeling pictures |
After the White Island, we explored Camiguin by land and we first headed to the Sunken Cemetery Cross. The entrance to the cemetery is free, but if you want to cross from the shore to the Cross, you have to swim your way using the rope seen in the picture below (and that is not for free anymore). Nice souvenirs can be found here like ref magnets, and you can find volunteer photographers that can teach you some poses fit for view. Just give them something to compensate for their effort (my friends gave 20 pesos per person, I think).
 |
| Sunken Cemetery Cross |
Next, we visited the Catarman Old Church Ruins, which were what's left of the iconic church after the volcanic catastrophe in the island. In here, I found and bought lanzones which costs 20 pesos per kilo. YOU READ THAT WRITE. IT'S FREAKING 20 PESOS PER KILO. This is the point in the trip where I wished I should have bought a bigger luggage capacity in Cebu Pac.
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| Old Church Ruins |
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| CCBI peeps at Soda Pool |
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| Kiping monsters >:D |
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| Some pictures on Tuasan falls (credits again to Raf Atienza for the last picture) |
Day 3 of our tour is for some adrenaline rush activities in Dahilayan Forest Park, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. I will upload the videos here so you can see how every activity that I have tried works.
Dahilayan's zipline course (which is Asia's first longest zipline) is consists of three parts, for which the first is the most exciting of the three. From the park, you have to ride an L300 van to the first zipline part's load area. I found myself nervous for the first part of the run (I'm afraid that my hands or my GoPro will hit nearby branches), but enjoyed the rest of it since I was witnessing the top view of the park. So far the best zipline I have experienced in my life! I included a short video of my zipline experience below :)
Zipline pictures and video
Next is SkyJump which is basically just jumping from a 60 feet high tower. Well this one's not an easy one (I can still feel the fear that I have experienced on this one while typing this part) because you have to face the fear of standing on the jump area while cold wind brushes to your skin (and I'm a 'lamigin' person) and you have a trampoline which is 60 feet away from you. Another thrill on this one, after facing the fear to stand and jump from the jump area, is that it's your very own self falling freely for 30 feet without feeling any safety gears, which should save you from falling to your death (WHICH IS TRULY AN AMAZING ADRENALINE EXPERIENCE!!). The next 30 feet would make you feel that God above has heard your prayers to bring you home (Les Miserables feels). I just found myself lying on the trampoline since the fear and the excitement made my knees weak. Watch my SkyJump video below :)
Dahilayan Forest Park's Sky Jump
If you're a first timer in Dahilayan, I recommend you to try their Drop Zone which is their flagship activity as of the time. Drop Zone will suspend you to a height of 120 feet then will make you experience pendulum swing until you come to a full stop. This is what made me enjoy Dahilayan. It's the first time in my life that I fell vertically with my head falling first (which again IS SO FREAKING AWESOME!!!) Here's a video of me and Yunyce on our tandem DropZone experience.
Dahilayan Forest Park's Drop Zone
Day 4 of our tour is around Iligan City, Lanao del Norte. Since it will be the last day of the trip, we dropped by on Vjandep for pasalubong, which is famous for their pastel products. First stop on Iligan is the famous entry on Sibika books, the Maria Cristina Falls. An entrance fee is needed since the area was owned by an electric company. Maria Cristina Falls is a natural power source so expect that you will not be able to swim your way near it ('cause the current is strong). Might as well enjoy the view of the majestic falls instead.
Next stop is Tinago Falls which is just a few minutes away from Maria Cristina. A parking fee will be necessary here and a guide fee per head, which includes a want-to-sawa rent of life vest. You will realize why it is called Tinago (means "hidden" in Tagalog) when you start traversing a long set of stairs down to the falls. Might as well come here with just light loads because it will be a huge effort to bring those up when you leave the place. Well, the scenery is worth the effort. Just take a look.
We spent most of our time here - cliff jumping all over, paddling around the falls, etc. Take a look at the preview of what awaits you here at Tinago Falls.
Next (and last stop) is Mimbalot Falls. This one has an adjacent mini-resort. Unlike Tinago Falls, you can't swim around this one. Also, the land area above the falls is already residential which diminishes the natural view of the scenery. you can have a better comfort room experience in Mimbalot compared to Tinago Falls. Just make sure you have someone around to wait for you while you are doing your thing since the restrooms are not that well exclusive (no ceiling and easy-to-barge doors).
If you love peanuts, you can drop by at Cheding's Peanut Store and a variety of peanuts delicacies awaits you. A friendly tip: if you're looking for a ref magnet of Iligan, you find one here. :)
Due to APEC, our flight was moved to a later time so we had to stay the rest of the hours on the airport. Around 12 midnight, the night view of Manila welcomed us back to reality.
To sum up everything that I spent, here's a rough breakdown:
Activity | Amount (PHP) |
| Pre-Tour Expenses | |
| Airfare | 800 |
| Tour fee | 5531 |
| Day 1: Cagayan de Oro | |
| Lunch buffet by Red Rafts | 200 |
| Tip to Kuya Guide on rafting | 50 |
| Dinner at Boy Zugba | 113 |
| Day 2: Camiguin | |
| Breakfast buffet at Checkpoint Food Place | 150 |
| Rent for snorkeling set | 180 |
| Candle at Camiguin Church Ruins | 3 |
| Entrance to Soda Pool | 30 |
| Dinner at Centrio | 139 |
| Day 3: Bukidnon | |
| Breakfast at Chowking | 106 |
| Dahilayan Additional Fee | 400 |
| Dahilayan pictures | 250 |
| Lunch at Del Monte Clubhouse | 225 |
| Dinner at Sattae Grill | 98 |
| Day 4: Iligan | |
| Pasalubong from Vjandep | 701 |
| Breakfast at Jollibee | 80 |
| Ma. Cristina Falls entrance | 35 |
| Tinago Falls entrance | 50 |
| Tinago Falls parking fee | 20 |
| Tinago Falls guide fee | 50 |
| Mimbalot Falls entrance fee | 50 |
| Lunch at Mang Inasal | 109 |
| Pasalubong at Chedeng's House of Peanuts | 155 |
| Dinner at Laguindingan Airport | 50 |
| Laguindingan Airport Fee | 200 |
| Total: | 9775 |
If you're not the 'ma-pasalubong' type of traveler, you'll surely spend a smaller amount than the above. Since it's my first time in CCBI, I think it's not bad to do things that I want to experience and buy things that I want to have. Well, I must say, this CCBI trip made me feel that travelling cannot just make you escape reality, it makes you more motivated to face reality - the reality that working hard can get you to more places that are as good or even better than these.
This is your wanderlust Nicole. Till my next adventure. :)
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