Nap Time Rocks!

facade

some hide behind sarcasm, wit, or charm. what kind is yours?

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paoay church, laoag | May 2010 | canon eos 400d rebel xti

Plantation Bay

where: Plantation Bay – Lapu-Lapu island, Cebu

Plantation Bay is one big man-made “beach” resort. Its salt and fresh water pools are vast and large enough to accommodate hundreds of visitors at any given time. I’d say it’s a great venue for company/family outings whether big or small, weddings, parties, conventions (they have a convention hall), and for just vacationing.

how to get there: coming from off-island, via air flights are daily; land at Mactan International Airport

how much: rates vary from P7k+ to P10k+/room/night; but we paid for the P7k  room good for 6-8 people; w/ bunk beds and a double-size bed

what to do: the beach front is not so good which is why the resort was made to compensate for it; when you go there several boatmen will ask you if you want to go island hopping. i wasn’t able to go because of the tight schedule (read: we weren’t really there for leisure, medyo lang) but could have been worth trying

also try kayaking (in the man-made salt water pool slash beach) and eating at the beach side restaurant, al fresco. just tune out the performer when she comes on later =) let’s just say she wasn’t exactly setting good ambience, except if you want good ol’ tacky b-grade entertainment.

When in Iloilo…

do as ilonggos would because you’d be in for really good food at surprisingly low prices.

where: Tatoy’s, a local (and quite known) seafood restaurant by the sea

what to eat: the native chicken inasal, grilled tuna, and loads of fresh talaba! (or oysters for some of you out there)

how much: all these plus ‘side dishes’ of rice, vegetables, and drinks for 3 people will cost you around P500 only. (a plate of oysters costs only about P50)

tatoy’s is a local hot spot for good (and affordable food) but if you want to go all cowboy and fresh seafood right off the market, try Bacolod’s* inasalan and manokan. since the bacolod city proper is quite navigable via taxi or tricycle, you can ask to be brought to the area where the paluto restaurants are. be warned though because these are roadside establishments; not a place for the unadventurous. you shop for seafood at a mini market beside the strip and have them cooked the way you want it. buttered shrimps, anyone?

where to stay: Mo2 Westown Hotel which has the El Dorado Waterpark and is right across a whole slew of bars and restaurants that come alive at night (read: gimikan)

what can i say?: i love it. i’d love to come back and explore the island (guimarras especially) and have more talaba! awesome.

Read on for maps..

*a 45-minute fast craft (a type of ferry boat) ride from iloilo; ticket costs around P200-P300; daily skeds to and fro, from 630am to 5pm

More »

Quaint litte Tagaytay getaway

where: Tagaytay Econo Hotel, a quaint little hotel right at the end of where the sta. rosa-tagaytay road meets the tagaytay-calamba road

how much: we paid for P4k++ for a room good for 4-5 people

must do: hang around the top deck where there are 2 large cottages or in the sala/veranda (2ndfl) overlooking the lake, whip out your laptop and go online courtesy of free wifi

overall rating: 4 of 5 stars

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click photos for a larger view

the old, old world

i’ve always wondered about how it would be like to live during the black and white spanish era.

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The Paoay church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte. One of the 4 oldest heritage church sites in the country and UNESCO-preserved. May 2010.

reefs

somewhere above the water.

i’m so looking forward to seeing you again.

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PWN, Mar 2009 | Canon EOS 400D Rebel Xti

in about 20 days…

but this time i will be prepared.

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PWN, 2009 | Canon EOS 400D Rebel Xti

2 of 100 islands

technically, this is still the 1st island i went to and photographed at the 100 Islands National Park but i just can’t help it. it’s so pretty!

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100 Islands National Park, Alaminos, Pangasinan | April 2010 | Canon EOS Rebel Xti 400D |

Hindi plastik [LP

tunay na mga litrato ng National Geographic photographers, sa NG store sa Singapore.

hay, wish ko talaga magtrabaho for NG.

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Real photos of Nat Geo photographers in an NG store in Singapore. I really wish that I could work for NG.

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LP theme this week: Plastic

Sg | June 2009 | Canon 400D Rebel Xti

Magaling, magaling [LP]

kung paano ginagawa ang mga icons na ganito, hindi ko alam. they’re good at what they do, or dahil din matagal na nilang ginagawa ito sa kultura ng mga Malay (which is predominantly Islamic pala).

ito so far ang pinakamataas na statue ng isang Hindu god na nakita ko sa Asya, na mukhang mas mahaba ang height kesa sa reclining Buddha ng Thailand (kung patatayuin). it stands at the foot of rock formations with sheer drops. hindi rin masyado kita sa tabi nito ang 270+ na steps paakyat sa cave na ginawang temple. hindi na ako nakapasok dahil hindi siya kasama sa itinerary namin at medyo nagmamadali na rin.

nakarating ka na ba sa Malaysia at nakita mo na rin ba ito?

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Litratong Pinoy theme ngayong linggo: Magaling/Husay

Feb 2010 | right outside of KL, Malaysia | Canon EOS 400D Rebel Xti

Batik [LP]

isa sa mga exhibit sa Sentosa Island sa Singapore.

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Litratong Pinoy theme ngayong linggo: Batik/mantsa (spots)

082009 | Singapore | unprocessed

Please do not…

leave your things unattended:

kuha namin ni P, isang film collaboration kung saan ginamit niya ang film at pagkatapos ay ako naman ang nag-load nito sa kamera. ang result? double exposure. =)

ito namang litrato sa taas ay kuha nung New Year 2008 sa isang gas station papuntang Subic. hindi namin malaman kung saan dapat mag-cr ang mga babae kasi mali naman yung tinuturo nung karatula. kaya tawa kami ng tawa. labo =)

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sa wakas nakasali ulit ako ng LP!

Sa mga pag-lakad ko… [lp]

marami na rin akong nakitang dahilan para ma-amaze ng todo sa gumawa nito. not like i’ve been around the world. lalo na siguro no? southeast asia palang nagalaan ko. shempre ok sana kung around the world someday, pero ok lang. lilibutin ko muna ang Pilipinas. promise ko yun sa sarili ko eh.

sa isa sa mga lakad ko recently, ito ang nakita ko.

at ito. wala ka nga lang makikita sa litrato, pero alam mo ba kung saan to?

nakarating ka na dito? grabe pala talaga pag nakapasok ka sa underground river na to. talagang ma-aamaze ka sa galing ng formations doon. isa talaga ang Palawan sa mga last frontiers of nature. alam niyo bang pwedeng mawala na yun in a few years’ time? binenta kasi ng gobyerno natin ang rights na idevelop ang pinakamahabang stretch ng beach sa Pilipinas na matatagpuan lang sa Palawan (nalimutan ko yung town, San Juan yata) para gawing Boracay II. haaay. yun lang ang masasabi ko.

kayo, ano ang pinaka-favorite niyong lakad?

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salamat sa Admin ng LP para sa opportunity na makapag-share ng isa sa mga lakad ko dito sa Pinas. sakto talaga ang theme dahil gala talaga ako sana nagustuhan ninyo!

Palawan, part 2

i’m all the more convinced how blessed the our country is with natural wonders. if what i saw in puerto princessa are some of nature’s 7 wonders, then the world hasn’t really seen much of what we have.

grabe, sa busuanga lang, the islands there are.. hmm. i don’t even have words for it! that’s in busuanga (at Club Paradise in march). walang sinabi ang Hunda Bay. no,  didn’t misspell that. basta, Unda ang root word niya pala. well, at least that’s what it says on the tourist board at the port.

Brgy. Sabang beach front, lunch stop over

like i always say, nothing beats traveling with good company. my trip to palawan wasn’t exactly all r&r. but one thing i like about this group is we all have the same philosophy: all work and no play makes a dull employee! hehe.

ang buko, bow. lunch at Brgy. Sabang stop over

if i gained another pound, blame it on the seafoods. hay, i love the food there. fresh, big servings, and mura! we had beach front buffet lunch on the way, and that was such a good way to start the week.

a natural rock outcropping found on the way to the underground river cove

i promised myself that i will take pictures of the scenery in palawan, even if cliche or how many times it’s been photographed by a million other people. i still had to have them too.

i won’t post much of what i saw inside the caves of the subterranean river; i’ll save that for later.  it’s enough to say that it deserves to be on the 7 wonders list.

the mouth of the underground river caves

the ‘cathedral’ formations inside will actually have full impact when, you’re standing at the wharf (before boarding the boat going to the underground river), you see 2 lumps of mountain looming starboard of the wharf. it’s almost impossible to believe that they’re almost completely hollow inside. our guide said that of all 8.2km of the river, there’s a dome area as big as Makati City. sort of like the grand finale of the river tour. unfortunately though, only 4.2km is navigable for tourists so we only got to see 2 of the highest peaks of the caves. even then, it’s such an overwhelming experience.

an authentic Vietnamese meal, w/ homemade rice noodles and the best garlic toasted bread

tired and appetites worked up, never mind the stench of the river all thanks to bat crap and urine, we stopped over at the Vietnamese Village. it used to be a settlement site for Vietnamese refugees and now there’s just 2 families living there making a living out of making rice noodles for Pho Hoa. trivia but they do have a restaurant there that make the best noodle soups.

the king crab, the biggest crab i’ve seen by far

also a must try is The Legend’s Tours package, which brings you to all of Puerto Princessa’s must see places, and a side trip of buffet lunch (food will always, always be part of our itinerary) at the Pandan Island beach front (again). fishermen there offer the fresh catch of the day like rock lobsters and king crabs.

unfortunately though, some of their catch include momma lobsters and momma crabs that still have their (millions of) eggs attached to them. the locals usually set them free.

so there you go for now. if you plan to visit puerto princessa (or busuanga, that’s why this is my Palawan, part 2), and you want to know what the best things to do there are, ask me.

tayo na ulit

because i’m back! bati na tayo ulit

as always, Rexi didn’t fail me though there were times i wish i had a Canon D10 or an Olympus mu, only for convenience of course.

but the photos have to be processed, archived, and uploaded first. so ito muna.