Mayan hammocks

Vacationing in the beautiful Camiguin island in the southern province of the Philippines is one for the the books!  We got lost in the beauty of the island which boast of clean white sandy beach, picturesque ocean view and swaying palm trees.  Each one of us have our own favorite spot in the island and we’ve been leisurely lounging on weaved rattan and mayan hammocks on days that we just wanted to read a good book or sleep.   A worthwhile vacation package for my family!

Check our great finds.

mom’s fave – a purple string hammock

sis loved this white one

a sturdy local rattan hammock that withstand the weight of my dad

I favored this colorful string mayan hammock

It spelled F-U-N!

My aunt and her money…

Lenten vacation is over!  Considerably too short days off from school but we had a spiritually filled vacation and great bonding moments with loved ones as well.   Of course, we intently celebrated the season of faith with reflection, fast and prayers.  I knew that there were times that I am unfaithful to my Christian covenant  and I felt undeserving  but it is really amazing that still many blessing and graces come my way.

One blessing is that we have a considerate, loving and generous aunt who unselfishly shares her time and money!  She sponsored us her 10 nieces and nephews to an out of town trip to a place we know we youngsters can’t afford to reach unless a good soul will treat us. Choosing the best place to go out of the many choices destinations we have in mind was hard because each one of us has preferences.   We have to think and act fast before Aunt Susie changes her mind- knowing her impatient mood.

So we all agreed to go to Coron Palawan to savor the bounty and beauty of the place.  Their promo pics found on website would speak for itself.   I will post our pictures later on because I have some catching up to do with my project which I temporarily shelved to seize and enjoy the moment.

Club Paradise- a tropical island resort we hope to see and it was answered prayers for all of us to see and savor the exotic marine life, white sand beach, sun, good food, fun shared with my cousins.

we basked in the sun… got suntanned but nobody cares!

Our stay in the island was a taste of paradise indeed!   And Aunt Susie would always run every time she sees all10 of us coming to give her a tight, group hug in deep appreciation for her generosity.  And I am too excited to recount to my friends our heavenly get away in the island of Coron in Northern Palawan, Philippines.

photo credits:  www.clubparadisepalawan.com

Maxi Cosi Mico infant seat

Goodness gracious!  That is what we can all muttered when this drunk driver irresponsibly took his baby for a ride one Saturday evening and his van was in a collision with a taxi somewhere down the road.   Onlookers gave a big sigh of relief when they saw the little boy (about 6 months old) safely tucked in a Maxi Cosi Mico infant seat and although crying helplessly because of the impact, he was found safe.  Still, he was brought to a nearby hospital along with his father who had cuts and bruises, dazed and confused.

It was found out too that the man is not wearing his seat belt- another violation.   Thankfully, he still managed to buckle up his baby which saved the boy from serious injuries.

Well, again it was another case of drunk driving….  Of course, it caused traffic jam and I was late for my movie date.

Exciting mode of transportation

I got so excited knowing I will soon have the chance to try riding a “habal-haba” because this summer vacation, I will accompany an aunt to the province where this famous modified motorcycles abound.

Wiki described  Habal-Habal as a motorcycle modified to seat more than two persons. It is in use in provinces in the Philippines where jeepneys and tricycles cannot stand the rough, steep terrain and narrow roads, such as the mountains of Mindanao. It is also called the “Skylab“. According to some sources, this name is either taken from the space station, or a contraction of the phrase “sakay na, lab (get on, love)!”.

I heard the most complex ones can sit around 13 passengers including the driver.  I wonder if they can accommodate me and my aunt’s luggage.   We will see and I will keep you posted.

CozyWinters.com heated motorcycle clothing

Uncle Ted and his motorcycle gang are planning for a long distance bike ride.   They are looking forward to the experience of braving the cold winter days  on long trips.   They raved about not feeling get tired easily unlike during summer days when heat and exhaustion are the number one deterrent to their plans.

I was convinced to go with the group, confident that I can also brave the cold weather because Uncle Ted promised to buy me CozyWinters.com heated motorcycle clothing if I will go along.   I was super excited when I checked online how  the new gear and suit I will soon have.  Well Uncle Ted really got good taste and I can’t help but rave with his collection of fashionable, durable heated jacket and pants with matching gloves.

Excited me!

Emergency roadside assistance

Traveling by far is what we considered one of the most enjoyable bonding time for our family and we go at great lengths on the road out on group tours.   On holidays that we are free from school and work, we always seize the opportunity to visit relatives by organizing convoys of 3-5 cars the most.  Because traveling in a group is fun and most enjoyable.

We plan ahead of time and it is a must to have our vehicles thoroughly checked; tires, oil, brakes,engine before we embark on a long journey.   Nonetheless, even how equip you are, there are still eventualities that sometimes happen beyond our control which causes delay, hassles and even frustrations especially to those with small children or elderly on board.

However, we always rest with the thought that there are  on stand- by emergency roadside assistance which is an invaluable program available to help us anytime.    We stood witness on how we were assisted when my cousin Jim had a seizure attack halfway our  trip to the coast and he received appropriate and timely medical intervention.

So, out of town trips still tops our priority list!  No worries, really!

Kayaking and snorkeling for the first time

Last month’s out of town trip was by far the best family bonding moments we had because our activities allowed us to interact more with one another unlike the ones we had when we had our Asian trips, which was centered mainly with visits to  theme parks and shopping.

For a change, we decided to travel locally to explore the beauty of our own country for admittedly, we have not visited yet most scenic spots in our country.  The Philippine Tourism Department’s slogan is “let’s not be strangers in our own land (huwag maging dayuhan sa sariling bayan) made quite an impact to our parents that the earlier plan to go to Singapore was instead changed in favor of Davao and Batangas and to some nearby provinces.

what an experience…

Alright, at first we did not like the idea because our mind was already set in going to Singapore, however when we reached Davao City, indeed, it was a paradise on it’s own and the place has lot of things to offer- fun, thrilling adventure, new experience.  Some says that those places are only for tourists because the package are pricey but we’ve got our money’ s worth.  Even my mom (being our financier) who has this  habit to mentally compute and calculate every cents coming out of her wallet did not complained at all.   She was the one who egged us to try kayaking and snorkeling although it is quite expensive for an hour activity but she was evidently happy and excited to let us try it so we did!

It was a new experience… first time to have tried kayaking and snorkeling!  However, we got sunburned but it’s alright… Afterall, we were there to really enjoy the water!

Fly high…

Thrilling!  We had the chance to try this ziplining craze and it was a fun experience and we were screaming for more but Mom said enough.  Lol.. she did not join us this time because according to her to overcome her fear of heights, she was convinced and dare tried soaring high overlooking the majestic Taal Lake but even if she had successfully did it, she revealed that she closed her eyes all throughout the activity.   Well, that’s how you may call it-  kill joy!  She had missed the thrill of seeing how steep or deep way down below.   That ziplining experience with her High School classmate made her swear not to try it again.   So,when we had the chance to bond as family, our convincing powers did not work out.   She instead volunteered to take our pictures.

Well, since it was my first time to have done this ziplining adventure, I was a bit nervous but feel at ease in the middle of the ride.  It was a great soaring experience at 150 feet off the ground to a scenic zipline course of 250 meters long.   I shared the same feelings with my 2 siblings and my Dad who also tried it minus our mom.

So, now that we have tried it.. we are aiming to try the longest zipline in the Philippines as we’ve heard is in Kapatagan, Digos City.

that was me soaring high!

River rafting adventure

Before I finally nodded yes  to join in a river rafting adventure in Davao City-island of Mindanao, I consulted Wikipedia and accordingly “Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. Though, I became hesitant from what I’ve read and with videos and pictures I’ve seen, I joined anyway to conquer the building up fear in me.  It is such a shame for me to back out upon seeing my sister all prepared to raft.  We were assured that experienced guides and professional life guards will join us.

Before the onset of the real thrill, we were asked to sign a waiver since it is considered as an extreme sports (whoa.. that made me a bit nervous!) , then we received our helmets and life vests.  We were gathered in a circle for initial rafting orientations and we were transported to the starting point  for the 13 km of adrenaline rush with more than 15 rapids.   There we had another basic rafting orientation like we were taught on how to put on our life vests, the basic rafting techniques and different rafting lingos we will hear as instructions.

I can’t really describe the exhilarating fun we  had!

It was more than 3 hours of braving the waters and the sun thus, we were really exhausted and famished so at the end of the activity, lunch served were gone instantly.  The experience was one for the books!   Helmets off and high five to our guide Mr. Onin for one great rafting experience!

Singapore tour…

I woke up excited and still fresh on my mind a happy dream that I would be traveling again to a place I’ve been to.   The sight was very familiar but as usual sometimes dreams can be confusing and it changes from scene to scene.   However,  at mid-day, I believed that my dream was confirmed when I checked my email and found one from my dear mom who was asking me to prepare our travel documents because we will be traveling again to  Singapore.    Really, huh!

Merlion is an emblem of Singapore…

My  vivid memories of our Singapore trip was way back 2003 when the whole family went there for a grand vacation.   Yes, that was ages ago and I thought that was the first and last trip to that city.   Quite expensive tour we had although we  managed to stay for more than 2 weeks because Mom’s best friend offered her house instead of  us paying for  hotel rooms.  She’s such a sweet friend!

Young as I was back then… I was in awe of and starry eyed  in all places of  we visited, especially Sentosa Island.  We spent whole day in the island and braved the summer heat.  The Butterfly park was an experience.!   We had a splendid walk on the island where amazingly we meet friendly peacocks, monkeys on the way.   Actually, we all got tanned even though we lavishly applied sunblock lotion and I can still remember that my mom was wearing her favorite straw hat to protect her from getting sunburn but it was of no use.  Although we turned like “toasted bread” due to long sun exposure. we don’t have any misgivings at all for we had a wonderful bonding memories together!   The Song of the Sea musical laser show of dancing fountain wrapped up our long that we we missed to visit Safari night zoo because we were all too tired and sleepy.   Next day was our visit to  Jurong Bird Park and marveled at the sight of different species!  Some places,  I can’t recall anymore… and our trip will be a refresher of sorts.

Fun summer really!  And now we are Singapore bound very soon, I know my 2 siblings and I will have real fun!  So timely that we are on semestral break for 2 weeks … temporarily off from lectures, homework, research, defense, term papers… noisy classmates… and terror professors.

There is every reason to celebrate…  the grueling examination week  is over…. I will just think about the results of the exam after I come back home from Singapore.   I know that I have answered perfectly the questions but I am not sure if all are correct answers… lol… that’s the problem…  but I am confident…. because I reviewed and studied my lessons well…. Believe!

I might not be able to blog for a while because we will be on tour but I promise to give my anecdotes of the travel and post some pictures too.