Curbside Stories

I am so blessed to be able to see the magnificence of the Horseshoe Bend in Arizona. I took this photo using an iPhone 8. This is the kind of things that I love to do--nature and photography. The 1-mile hike was definitely worth it.

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...

The first mountain that I climbed was Mount Batulao. It holds a special place in my heart because I got to conquer it with my son. I find happiness and fulfillment the entire trek despite its extreme physical demand. Every ascent to steeper terrain was so hard that I thought about quitting a couple of times. Each time I think of how far away I am from the start and how close I am to the summit, it fuels me again to just move forward. I guess the lesson is, to achieve happiness and fulfillment, you have to work hard for it.

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.

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 ...

The white beach of Bangui Bay in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. Click on the photo  for a larger view. Summertime has officially begun in the Philippines and of course a vacation is not complete if you will not spend a day or two in one of the island nation's famous beaches. I was lucky to have the opportunity to take a day off from work and fulfill one task in my bucket list--visit the Ilocos Region. The Ilocos Region is composed of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan provinces situated in the northwestern part of Luzon and is bordered by the South China Sea in the west and Cordillera Administrative Region in the east. This is the beach that greeted us on our first day. The first destination of our Ilocos Tour is Pagudpud, it is 562 kilometers away from Metro Manila or more or less 9 hours non-stop drive but it was all worth it. We left the house at 8 in the evening and arrived at 5 in the morning the next day. We did not have prior hotel reservations but we ...

This is a late post. Before the start of the first regular work-day of the new year, my family and I went to Kaybiang Tunnel in Maragondon, Cavite. It is a new road that leads to Nasugbu, Batangas. This is not a regular road-tunnel, though... it is the first in Cavite. It boasts a spectacular view of the South China Sea and the mountainous side of Cavite. When it was formally opened last year by President Noynoy Aquino, it opened a new gate for adventure seekers like me. It is around 40 minutes drive from our house. There is no traffic. When we got there, there were a bunch of motorcycle riders going to and fro the tunnel. There were also families who pull over from time to time to take pictures of the magnificent view. This photo was taken halfway through the tunnel. My son enjoyed screaming and hearing his echo. That's me. Obviously, the tunnel is 96 kilometers away from the Rizal Park in Manila. This photo was taken from the Nasugbu side of t...