2011 Giant Lantern Festival in Pampanga

Last Saturday, December 17, I went to see the Giant Lantern Festival in San Fernando, Pampanga. The wet weather in Metro Manila that Saturday afternoon didn’t deter me from going.

Callao Cave

Callao Cave is perhaps the most popular tourist attraction of Cagayan Province. I first came to know about this place when I went to a travel expo a few years back. The image of a chapel in a cavern captivated me. I knew I must see this place.

Callao Cave is one of the many caves in Peñablanca town. The discovery of a 67,000-year-old human fossil in the cave system of Callao made my trip even more interesting.

The Emerald River of Pinacanauan

Pinacanauan River in Peñablanca, Cagayan, is one of the most picturesque rivers I’ve been to. The river is a popular destination for kayaking and watching the circadian flight of bats. Also, it is a tributary of Cagayan River, the longest and largest river in the Philippines.

I got to see and experience crossing this river when I went to see Callao Cave last year. Had I taken the route that goes directly to Callao Cave from Tuguegarao City, I would have missed experiencing the beauty of this river. Good thing I took the other route, which brought me to the riverbank of Pinacanauan River.

Potipot Island

Earlier this year, my cousin and I went to Potipot Island. It’s our second time to be here, but our first time to spend overnight on the island.

We left Parañaque late in the morning. After several hours of driving over 260 kilometers of well-paved roads, we reached Uacon, Candelaria. Several beach resorts dot the shore in Uacon, the gateway to Potipot Island.

Legoland

I grew up playing Lego. I’ve been fascinated by this plastic bricks made by a Danish company since I was two years old. I still play Lego occasionally up until now. (Sshh.....)

The Nativity

I was three at that time, but I can still vividly remember how my babysitter gathered my Lego Firehouse set, scattered on the floor, into the dustbin and dumped them to a pile of leaves she was burning. My mom was utterly shocked with what she saw; she was only able to save a third of it.

Reminiscing Road Trips of Yore

I found this photo while rummaging through my baul. The photo brought back memories of past road trips we had. This ever-dependable vehicle brought us to many places in Panay and later on in Luzon. I’m proud to say that we circumnavigated the island of Panay in this vehicle.

From Nonoc Falls to Balagbag Falls

Nonoc Falls was all mine. Nobody was there except myself. There was still drizzling when I reached the falls. I took shelter at a hut near the falls, unpacked my food, and had a quick meal of pancit canton, pork chop and rice.

Nonoc Falls

I rested a bit before plunging into the pool by the falls. The cool water was so refreshing. I would have lingered longer if not for my plan to pass by Balagbag Falls before I head back home.

Finding Nonoc Falls

The coastal town of Real, Quezon, lies on the east coast of Luzon facing the Pacific Ocean. Travel time to this idyllic town is between four to five hours driving over 145 kilometers of road from Manila.

image by: wikimedia.org

One Friday morning of November, I embarked on my third trip to Real, Quezon, to see Nonoc Falls. Although this was my third time, I was still filled with excitement; it’s my first solo trip to Real.

Christmas in the City

Christmas is in the air! See the different Christmas displays in Metro Manila.

Musical Fountain at Rizal Park, Manila

 Cultural Center of the Philippines, Pasay

Sightseeing Baler (Part 2)

From Natulo Falls, we hopped on the tricycle driven by Syder and headed to out last destination – Ermita Hill. Along the way, we passed a rockslide, which blocked half of the road.

We made a quick stop at Tromba Marina, which is located at the base of Ermita Hill. Tromba Marina is a shrine commemorating the tragedy that befell Baler when a tsunami hit the town in 1735. The sculptures show a family of seven scrambling up to safety. The seven figures represent the seven families that survived the tragedy by seeking refuge at Ermita Hill.

Gen. MacArthur Car in Baler

There’s a black sedan at one corner of Quezon Park in Baler, Aurora. It’s a 1937 Cadillac Cabriolet built for President Manuel L. Quezon. On November 4, 1937, it arrived in the Philippines. It was handed over to Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1938.

Inside Museo de Baler

Museo de Baler is found right behind the Quezon Park in Baler, Aurora. On the façade of this two-story red brick structure are relief sculptures depicting the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, the history and development of Baler. Toym Imao was commissioned to do the sculptures. 

A skylight spanning the middle of the museum provides natural illumination in the predominantly earth tone hues of the interior.

Sightseeing Baler (Part 1)

From Aragon House we went back to Quezon Park where we had lunch at an eatery across Aurora Memorial Hospital in Barangay Reserva, Baler, Aurora.

Squid Adobo

Tanigue Steak

Baler Surfers

Hundreds of people trooped to Baler for the Surf & Music Festival 2011. During the 3-day event Labasin Beach in Sabang, Baler was filled with surfers from beginners to pro.

How to Surf

Steps in Surfing

1. Paddle

Historical Tour of Baler

After having breakfast, we hopped on a trike to the booking office of Genesis Bus to reserve seats for our trip back to Manila the following day. From the booking office, Labasin Beach in Sabang is merely walking distance.

Since we didn’t have any room reservations, we checked all resorts and inns we passed along the way in Sabang. All of them were fully booked since Baler is hosting the Surf & Music Festival.

Our campsite before a deluge of campers came 

Baler Bound

Baler, capital of Aurora Province, is roughly 230 kilometers north of Manila. Today, Baler is known as a surfing destination although the town is steeped in history.

In 1979, Apocalypse Now, an American war film was shot in Baler. Is it said the surfboards left by the production crew gave birth to the surfing culture that is now prevalent in Baler.

Our trip to Baler was initially set on May of this year. It was postponed indefinitely after Typhoon Bebeng hit Aurora just days before our scheduled departure.

Waking Up in Mahabang Buhangin

I woke up at 4:30 a.m. lying on the beach. I was stargazing the previous night and was too lazy and tired to get to the hut. It’s not often I get to sleep on a beach on a starry night.

I went to the hut, got my camera and set it up for the sunrise. It looked like I had luck in capturing the sunrise here than in Puraran, Catanduanes or Caramoan, Camarines Sur.

Calaguas: Mahabang Buhangin in Pictures

Mahabang Buhangin - the gem of Tinago Island, Calaguas Group of Islands.

Part 2: Sailing and Trekking to Calaguas

At the breakwater by the mouth of the river, we found a boat going to Mangcawayan in Tinaga Island, one of the two main islands of Calaguas Group. As soon as they started loading the boat I approached the boatman and inquired if they could take us to Mangcawayan. His response that was we can ride with them if there’s space left after the locals and all the supplies were loaded.

The boat was laden with bags of cement, boards of plywood and whatnots. Looks like our chance of riding this boat to Tinaga Island seemed bleak. Despite that we lingered by the breakwater.

Part 1: Going to Calaguas

We checked out of the EcoVillage at 5 a.m. Good thing a service shuttle dropped us off at the highway just in time to catch a passing bus bound for Naga. A Daet-bound van left just as we were approaching the terminal.

Naga bound!

A Night in CamSur Watersports Complex

From Sabang, we took the van to Naga City. It was a bit late to proceed to Daet, Camarines Norte when we arrived in Naga.

In Naga we went to SM City, which is conveniently located across the bus, jeepney and van terminals. We went around the mall to kill some time and bought some foodstuffs at the supermarket for our trip to Calaguas the next day.

We weren’t so keen of spending the night in Naga so we hopped on a jeep to CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC) in Pili.

Leaving Caramoan

The sunrise was still elusive even in Caramoan,. I took a peek outside the tent at five in the morning and the horizon was blanketed with clouds. Knowing that I won’t be seeing the sunrise I went back to sleep.

An overcast morning in Caramoan

Around 7:00 a.m. we woke up, had breakfast and then started to pack our stuffs away. By 9:00 a.m. we were ready to go. A motorbike was our ride to Guijalo Port passing through Centro, the town proper of Caramoan.

Island Hopping in Caramoan

One and a half hours later after leaving Codon Port in San Andres, Catanduanes, Mang Rey, our boatman, docked in Matukad Island. I marveled at the karst  rock formation and explored the beachfront. We didn't go to the top of the rocks to see the lagoon and have a glimpse of a panoramic view of the island since we are short of time.

Approaching Matukad Island

Baler Adventures Coming Soon!

Follow the adventures of oboi laboy in Baler, Aurora. Soon!

Crossing Maqueda Channel to Caramoan

Most visitors to Caramoan in Camarines Sur normally take the pumpboat from Sabang Port in San Jose to Guijalo Port in Caramoan then to Barangay Paniman via motor bike or tricycle. Paniman is the jump off point to the majestic karst islands and cliffs of Caramoan.

Codon Port (San Andres)

Alternately, one can take the route to Paniman via Codon Port in San Andres, Catanduanes. I love adventure and I am always up for the unexpected and my cousin shares the same outlook on traveling. And so we took chances in taking this route to Caramoan instead of going through the circuitous way via Tabaco City to Sabang Port in San Jose or Nato Port in Sagñay, Camarines Sur.

Caramoan Bound

From Baras we took a bus to Virac. The road back to Virac is scenic and it snakes along the coast, around the mountains and crosses Bato River. Travel time was roughly one hour to Virac.

Hello Baler!

Oboi Laboy goes to Baler for the Surf & Music Festival 2011!

Adieu Puraran

It’s our last day in Puraran. I was awake as early as four thirty. Sunrise was still obscured by the clouds. Today was more cloudy that yesterday. I’ve been disconnected from the rest of the world unmindful that Typhoon Quiel was battering Northern Luzon.

Under the Sea in Puraran

Puraran is not just all about surfing. Another good activity to do here is snorkeling. The perfect time to snorkel in Puraran is during low tide. One can spend hours marveling at the beautiful creatures underwater.

Day 2 in Puraran Beach

Woke up at 5 a.m. the follow day hoping to catch the sunrise. But clouds were covering much of the horizon. I was a wee bit disappointed because of that. I lingered on the beach hoping the clouds would clear up.

As I patiently wait by the beach I noticed a number of locals are starting to gather at the beach not far from where I am. A fishing boat soon came on shore and offloaded some fresh catch of the day. The locals were there to buy some of their catch.

Day 1 in Puraran Beach

The other passenger that rode with us in the tricycle from Baras town owns Putting Baybay Beach Resort. His wife manages the resort and she’s very nice and accommodating to us. We pitched our tent near one of the beach side shed that they own. She only charged us P50.

Low Tide at Puraran Beach

This is Puraran beach during low tide. No waves just still waters reflecting the beauty of the Puraran. It's also best time to explore Tibo Rock - the rock outcrop in front of the beach.