Curbside Stories

The beachfront of the inn where we stayed overlooking the cluster of islands with magnificent rock formations. Caramoan is a relatively unexplored gem of Camarines Sur in the Bicol Region. If you are from Manila, you will have to endure at least 15 hours of land travel or at least 4 hours via Legazpi City in Albay if you will travel by plane. The long and winding road and frequent poor cellphone signal will get you bored so I suggest you bring something to keep you busy or might as well sleep and sacrifice seeing the breathtaking scenery along the way. We left the house before midnight on May 10 and arrived in Caramoan at around 4 in the afternoon the following day only with two brief stopovers for breakfast and toilet break. We were supposed to go to Gota Resort but unfortunately, it was under exclusive use of the Survivor  cast and crew. We ended up in a more public venue wherein inns and hostels occupy the beach front. Anyone can swim on the beach but you can't be sat...

Maragondon is a municipality in the Province of Cavite that is located 54 kilometers South-West from Manila--roughly two hours drive. Aside from the famous Trial House, wherein Andres Bonifacio was tried for treason and sedition in 1897 and later was executed in Mount Nagpatong, the municipality is also famous for the Pinagsanhan Hanging Bridge.  It is a suspension bridge at the Maragondon River that connects the town proper to Brgy. Pinagsanhan that is a common route for mountaineers going to Mount Nagpatong. The Maragondon River. There used to be rafts that take tourists to the other side of the river. There are also sari-sari stores where you can buy food and drinks.

The spectacular view from the balcony. This is my favorite photo of the trip. I have a friend who is a professional diver and he invited me to go to one of his diving trips to snorkel (because I don't dive). I immediately said yes because I badly needed a vacation. Casa Escondida Anilao Resort and Dive Center  in Mabini Circumferential Road, Mabini, Batangas. It i s 3 hours away from Manila. The resort offers 24-hour accommodations with meals included in fully air conditioned rooms, day tours and diving facilities. It is actually one of the favorite diving resorts of local celebrities. I cannot say that it is a family friendly resort since there isn't much to do for kids except for snorkeling and island hopping (the pool is 10-feet deep so swimming without a vest is not recommended), but if the kids are in to learn how to dive, this is the place. To learn more about the resort, just click on the link. The pool area. On the left is where divers prep their gears. J...

Snorkeling at Sumilon Island. Before I proceed, disregard the date and time stamp on the photos because I was too excited to use my action camera that I forgot to check the setting. Silly me! My first time in Cebu was more of a city tour and although it was fun for a first-timer in the Queen City of the South, it felt incomplete. After 3 years, I am back and it was a more adventurous and daring trip with my friends. Our tour package included 2 nights and 3 days hotel stay, swimming with the whale shark, trek to Osmena Peak, Mainit hot spring, canyoning to the Kawasan Falls, snorkeling at Pescador Island, sardine run in Moalboal and Sumilon Island sandbar stay. All of that for only 6,500 pesos. You will get a better deal if you are a group of 5 or more. We arrived at the Mactan Cebu International Airport around 7 in the morning last March 12 and we immediately headed south to Badian where we were met by our travel agent. We rode a taxi from the airport to ...

Another task erased from my bucket list but I will definitely continue doing it--mountain climbing. This climb was special because I was with my 8-year old son and my sister and two aunts. He's so brave and strong! Mount Batulao, Batangas towers more than 800 meters above sea level, with 11 peaks to brave before you reach the summit on the 12th, and although the guide said it was just a 5-kilometer trek from the foot to the summit, I think it was more than that. There are two trails but we chose the new one because it is the easier route. By the way, it's a 4/9 trail level so don't let its spectacular view fool you. For a beginner, it took us 2.5 hours to go up and 2 hours to go down. Not bad.  There are stores in every 3 or 4 peaks so you could recharge, have a toilet break, eat and drink. Camp sites are also available if you want to stay longer. You wouldn't be lost along the way because it is the only way up on trail number 2. There ar...

The mansion of the Marcos family in Batac, Ilocos Norte. We are now heading south and it's our time to visit historical landmarks of Ilocos. Our first stop is the Marcos Museum and Mausoleum in Batac, Ilocos Norte. Inside are the family's memorabilia during the Spanish, Japanese and American regime. You have to pay a minimal fee of 30 pesos to get inside. Other displays are about the love affair of Ferdinand Marcos and Imelda Romualdez. The photo above is a replica of the slippers Imelda wore when she first met Ferdinand. You will have a clear sense at how rich and influential the Marcos family is. Downstairs is where the mausoleum of Ferdinand Marcos is located. Visitors are not allowed to take photos or use any electronic device for that matter. The guards which also served as tour guides explained that frequencies and light emitted by electronic devices affects the integrity of the corpse. He also said the once a year, an Egyptian embalmer checks the co...