Day 3: Rafting is my Thing

Lesgow, Mindanao! 

Day 1: Camiguin Countryside Tour

Day 2: White Island Bumming 

Day 3: Let's Fly in Bukidnon  

Booooo! It's been more than a month after this trip and I haven't finished my kwentos yet. Anube, I'm so tamad! #not I was just very busy with my career woes and school paper. Gawd. Just thinking of my overdue papers makes me want to go back in Bukidnon to zipline while shouting my heart out. Profanity included. Wahaha. *just kidding* 

So after the very exciting zipline adventure in Bukidnon, we did another adventure, but this time in Cagayan de Oro. You know, the ever famous white water rafting. :) Part of our tour package with Brenda was the white water rafting with the The Red Rafts. We arrived from Bukidnon just in time for a very delicioso lunch prepared by the people from The Red Rafts. Super sarap! We had our sea food fix - grilled tuna belly and shrimps. We also had chicken inasal, softdrinks, bottled water and banana. 

Sarap!! (grabbed from Apple)

We rode a jeep going to the starting point. From there, we wore our vests, helmets and tons of sunblock lotion courtesy of Apple. :p With Apple on the trip, I had everything I need, sunblock lotion included. 

I was dark na even before we started. :P

Okay, I just wanted to show that I was wearing my oh so reliable top which I wore on my Sagada trip and Dalampasigan team outing, too. Kidding aside, make sure you're wearing long-sleeved shirts to protect you from the sun. Otherwise, bring rash guards. 

REaaaaddyy! :p

Our guide gave us a pep talk before starting the whitewater rafting adventure. He gave us a lecture on paddling. Hmm, I think I'm ready to join the dragonboat club at work. :p During the rafting itself, we had three guides with us plus the photographer on a separate boat. We took the basic course with the 14 rapids, and they told us that the most difficult rapid would be the one on the 11th. 

So, how is this whitewater rafting? Well, to start the rafting experience, the guide will tell you to "lock your feet"  in the raft pocket. Then, the paddling will begin which must be synchronize with the counting. Each time you're done with a rapid, the guide will shout "high five". Ooops, make sure you'd be smiling all throughout the adventure because kuya, the photographer, will always be around taking your pictures using his drool worthy DSLR. Lock your feet, smile, paddle, smile, high five, smile. Ang fun lang. We got our dose of adrenaline rush. 

On our first rapid and the bring it on moment :p

The High Five

On areas where the current are not strong, the guides will let you go down the raft and swim. I tried once. But since I was just nagpapanggap na swimmer, I had a hard time going back on the raft. 

I was that far from the raft!

The guides told us that the formation of the rock changed after the Typhoon Sendong so they had to be used to again to the rapids. Still, the white water was very exciting because of the occasional paddling and non-stop whining. :p Anyhow, I think when you try the white water rafting adventure, just go with the flow. Feel the current, and move your body with it. Take it from me, I'm a rafting expert now. :p Ooops, I forgot to mention that *ehem* our raft never overturned and no one from the group fell off the raft. :)

And that's for our Mindanao leg!! Now, I owe you the itinerary and expenses. I will try to squeeze that on my very toxic schedule. Promise! :) #itsmorefuninthePhilippines

Day 3: Let's Fly in Bukidnon

Lesgow, Mindanao! 

Day 1: Camiguin Countryside Tour

Day 2: White Island Bumming

We were in Cagayan de Oro again on the night of our second day. We stayed in Victoria Suites which is quite a letdown compared to Bahay Bakasyunan sa Camiguin. But well, Victoria Suites is the typical accommodation for a budget travel. The good point though - they have a wifi connection but really bad network signal in the room. :p 

The next morning, we headed to Bukidnon for the Asia's longest zipline at the Dahilayan Adventure Park. On our way to Dahilayan, we passed by the Del Monte's pineapple plantation at Camp Philips. We grabbed the chance to take a bite on the giant pineapple. *kidding*

I can eat this in a month! :p

We reached the Dahilayan Adventure Park in around two hours. I didn't want to admit on my friends but I was kinda scared then. I think of myself as adventurous .. but scared. I will try something just for the heck of it - EdgeCoaster in Cebu, cave connection in Sagada and even Space Shuttle Max in Enchanted Kingdom.

The Dahilayan Adventure Park is offering three ziplines - 150m, 320m and 820m. I have the zipline jitters on the 150m. Syempre, first time. :) I told the attendant twice to ensure that I'm safe, paranoid much lang. :p

Prepping up (grabbed from Apple)

So the usual, I kept on screaming during the ride! Kiber. It was a good stress reliever. I felt like I've unloaded my stress and frustrations at that time. At sa second zipline, medyo chill na. :)

Pa-smile smile na lang.:)

For the last and the longest zipline, we needed to ride an open 4WD to the launch tower. It was a bumpy ride to an uphill road. In the launch tower, we had to be in a full body harness for the last zipline.

Feeling a little safer, I guess. :)

But to be honest, my scare meter suddenly went up. Coward much? :) But it was a fun ride after all. The view from the top was superb.

More fun in the Philippines, indeed. :)

It was an exciting morning. Our day 3 was packed with adventure. We had our white water rafting in the afternoon. Enjoy yun, promise. :) So, expect my rafting kwento next. :)

Dahilayan Adventure Park L-R Tsina, Apple, Dwin, EA, Jelai

Camiguin: Chillax sa Bahay Bakasyunan

I travel on budget. For me, I just need a place to stay while I explore the place of interest. It doesn't need to be fancy, but it has to suit my budget. :)

Bahay Bakasyunan sa Camiguin (BBC) looks fab in their website. Add the tagline "The Premier Resort Vacation of the South". Kaboom. Can we afford that? :p But it's been months after our last vacation, so why not indulge a little? :p Kuya Teddy quoted us for a tour package plus BBC accomodation. Shoot sa banga ang budget. :)

We arrived a little late on BBC since we did the countryside tour already. We were too tired so we did not get to explore the resort during that time. But even at first glance, the resort exceeded our expectations. We stayed in the hammock stargazing though. Saya. :)

Aw.:)

In the morning, we were able to see what BBC has to offer. I thought, I was still browsing their site. Ganda lang. :p We had photo ops by the hammock finally. :p

Forgive my bagong gising look. Bagong gising talaga ako niyan. :p

We had a hot choco to jumpstart our White Island bumming. We brought our breakfast in the island, remember? Then, after being sunkissed in White Island, Kuya Teddy offered to take us to Katibawasan Falls, but we chose to stay in BBC. Minsan lang mag-feeling richie rich, lubusin na. :) We were supposed to check out by 12nn but we asked if we could stay longer in the resort. They agreed, the downside though was we need to take our shower in the common restroom. We didn't mind. We felt like we owned the place and we got to enjoy BBC all by ourselves.

Woot, woot. :)

We spent our time swimming and sleeping in the hammock on our three-hour extension. Syempre, photo ops galore pa din. :)

Smile lang ng smile. :)

We then took our bonggang lunch in their Oceanside Bar  & Grill. Bakasyon mode talaga. :p

Lunch time! :)

Our stay in BBC was just short. But we all loved the vibe of the resort. The staff were very accommodating and the food was excellent. Plus point pa, solo namin yung place. Sabi ko nga sa twitter, babalik kami. ;)

Day 2: White Island Bumming

Lesgow, Mindanao!

Day 1: Camiguin Countryside Tour 

I am on an unlimited data plan in Globe. I can check my mail, tweet, FB, YouTube, and all anytime and anywhere! FYI though, this is NOT about Globe. This is supposed to be a Camiguin blog entry. But hey, I was able to check in White Island. Ang bongga! With Globe, abot ko ang mundo! :p

Bongga mo, Globe!

Enough of my being a proud Globe user, White Island is in Camiguin. We beach bummed there last January 19. It was part of our tour package with Kuya Teddy. We were supposed to leave the resort at 6am but we were turistas, so we slept longer. :p On the night before, we advised the resto to packed our breakfast. By around 7am, we were heading to White Island. We needed to ride a boat to reach the island. 

Bakit parang pa-demure ako? :p

In few minutes, we were there na! White Island is nothing but a sand bar in the middle of the sea. But it's a wow, Philippines! K fine, #itsmorefuninthephilippines ! White Island is a wonderful place. You could just get lost in that piece of heaven! :)

Piece of heaven

We had a breakfast in the sand! :p Bongga, ansabe ng breakfast in bed dyan? :p

Anlasa ng white sand? :p

Right after the hearty breakfast (hindi na ako slim!), we took a dip, photo ops, rolled in the sand (just kidding!), beach bummed, kwento and more photo ops! Very chillax. :p

Yes, we were in Camiguin. Obvious ba? :p

 By around 10am, we headed back in the resort. Stop over muna sa port.

Pasalubong mode na agad? ;p

We arrived at Bahay Bakasyunan by around 11am. We were supposed to check out at 12nn. But we asked if we could stay further. They said yes, but we needed to check out our rooms. Expect kwentong Bahay Bakasyunan on my next post. K? :p

Bakasyon sa Bahay-Bakasyunan!

Day 1: Camiguin Countryside Tour

Lesgow, Mindanao!

Did I mention that I went straight from work to the airport? Well, I dropped by my place to pick up my things and changed. I was hoping to get to Camiguin really early to take a really good bath. But to my horror, Kuya Teddy suggested that we proceeded with the countryside tour. Haggardness. :| 

From Benoni Port, we started our countryside tour immediately. The first stop was the Sto. Nino Cold Spring. Cheers to instant but oh so cold bath that I've been waiting for. 

Ready now? L-R Dwin, EA, Apple, Jelai, Tsina

Yun lang, you'd freeze cold with the water. But so what, we were haggardness na! :p

Sto Nino Cold Spring

Our next stop was the Gui-Ob Old Church Ruins. Kuya Teddy showed us the old chapel, the bell tower, and the century old tree. 

Jelai and Dwin

If you are familiar with that creepy local movie, Ouija, then you might have seen our next destination - the Sunken Cemetery.

We're getting there!

If you notice that rope in the picture, that was what they used to transfer us. I'm not kidding. Practicality wise, that would be quicker and easier. Believe me, look!

Kailangan may photo op sa bangka, Teh Apol?

The Sunken Cemetery is an interesting place. But creepy, yes. Maybe because it's a cemetery. According to Jelai, it's a good spot for photo op to capture the sunset though. She's the photographer in the group, she should know. :p Anyway, the guides had so many picture tricks but only Dwin tried them. Well, I did try the one with the paddle, but it didn't come out as good as Dwin's. So erase erase erase.

Moment ni Dwin :p

Last stop was the Walkway to Old Volcano and Stations of the Cross. We just stayed here for a minute or so for a group picture. We were too hungry by this time. We then went to the Terrasse International Ristorante. Okay, they made us wait here big time. But oh well, the food was awesome. We loved the pizza. We had yummy seafood pizza, cheesy cordon bleu, sweet and sour fish, bulalo and lechon kawali. It was really worth the wait. :)

Now, that was a jam-packed first day. We headed then to Bahay Bakasyunan in Camiguin which was simply awesome. More on that on my next posts. :p

Lesgow, Mindanao!

It's been awhile since my last trip. Finally, I was able to get a well-deserved break from work and school. Yehey! It's the Mindanao leg this time! :) 

I did the last minute itinerary for this trip. We were a bit hesitant to push through a vacation in Cagayan de Oro feeling that it might be a little insensitive considering the recent calamity that hit them. But according to Brenda, our CDO local contact, white water rafting is operational since Christmas. 

Hello CDO, the City of Golden Friendship with my friends!!

Kuya Gammy picked us from the airport at around 10 am. Flights got delayed. By the way, Jelai, EA and I flew with AirPhils, but Apple and Dwin took Cebu Pacific. Apple and Dwin were late for their flight so they needed to get another flight. Re-booking is more expensive.

We reached the Balingoan port at around 1pm. We paid the ferry ticket and the terminal fee. Ferry left at 1.45pm, and Kuya Teddy, our Camiguin local contact, picked us in Benoni port at 3pm. :) 

Hello Camiguin!

We started our countryside tour and stayed in Bahay Bakasyunan in Camiguin. We beach bummed in White Island the following day. Short but sweet stay in Camiguin. Watch out for my Camiguin stories. :)

Good morning, Camiguin! <3

My 2011 in a Delayed Review

A year-ender post? Deym. It's the mid of January already. I know, I'm too lazy. But I'm just enjoying my iPhone 4S to the bones that since I got it on the 24th of December I wasn't able to use my laptop until today. Namen!!!

Let's get back to the uber late year-ender post. Last 2011 -

I starred in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid via my Batulao failed attempt on the summit. 

I've been on my first volunteer work in Nueva Vizcaya through Lifeline Foundation.

I survived spelunking in Sagada.

I tried the Space Shuttle Max in Enchanted Kingdom.

I've gotten all dirty in the mudslide at Caliraya for the project's summer outing.

I beach bummed in Dalampasigan with my team.

I celebrated my third year at work in my current company.

I leveled up and got ISEB certified.

I got kindle-citement and signed up the Apple fan list.

That's it. I know, I didn't blog that much last 2011. I had a serious heartbreak and I couldn't bring myself into writing all the messy stuff.

But my 2011 is not really bad. It was just a heartbreak, I have gazillion things to be thankful about. My Facebook status summed it up.

Bring it on, 2012! :)

#mygiftstoself

I'm a convert.

I have no patience with touch screen devices that I surprised even myself by getting, not just one, but two touch screen devices this Christmas. You know, #mygiftstoself. :) I blogged about the Kindle touch few weeks back, and I'll be getting it from Silin this week. When she got the order from Amazon, she BBM'd me these pictures.

Kindle touch to go -

Hopefully, we'll meet this week so I could get my Kindle, and she could treat us to Spiral in Sofitel. #ASA 

This another #mygifttoself is not really planned - more like an impromptu gift. It just so happened that I was up for re-contracting of my Globe plan, and my teammates bought their new mobile phones - an S2, yes, three of them!! So, nainggit ako. I decided to upgrade my plan and grabbed the iPhone 4S. :D

#applelateadapter

I was supposed to be getting it during the launch, but I wasn't able to talk to a customer representative. I just registered online, and confirmed on the text message I received. Unfortunately, I needed to claim it on SM Pampanga, which probably because my account is in Bulacan. To make the long story short, I wasn't able to get it because my work is in Manila. I don't think I'm such an Apple fan girl to go all the way to SM Pampanga. I just called in 211 and reserved my unit. It should have been delivered on the 28th. Initially, I ordered a 16gb white. But the impatient me wanted to get the unit before Christmas, so I checked SM North Edsa, Trinoma, Eastwood Mall and even Edsa Shang. Unfortunately, no iPhone 4S for me. On the 24th, I decided to check the Globe Business Center in SM Makati. I immediately told them that I have no reservation, but I would like to avail of the iPhone 4S on Plan 1799. Lucky for me, in less than three hours, I went home with my black 32gb iPhone 4S. Just in time for Christmas, sweet! :D

So there you go, I've got myself the Kindle Touch and iPhone 4S for Christmas! What about you? :)

Kindle-citement

I'm not excited. I'm not excited. *repeat 100x* But I am super excited for my Kindle Touch!!! Yehey! My gosh, it took me a year to finally get myself a Kindle Touch. Remember, this has been part of my Christmas wish list for 2010, and it's Christmas 2011 for crying out loud. :p

Mini-my-ni-mooooo!

When Amazon announced their three new Kindles, I was like - Oh my gosh, it's time to get a Kindle! I initially planned to get the cheapest one - $79. You know, I'm such a cheapskate! Fortunately, I could not imagine how to navigate it since it's not touch screen like the new one and lacks the keyboard compared to its predecessor. So, I debated on getting the Kindle Keyboard or the Kindle Touch instead. The Kindle Touch is the new model so it should have been better. But being a non-touch screen fan, I hesitated for a while and almost told my friend to get me the Kindle Keyboard. Luckily, I realized that I want the X-ray features so finally told my friend to order me the Kindle Touch. 

Silin, my Kindle should come in a ribbon, too! HAHA!

I selected this Belkin Verve Tab Folio for my Kindle Touch cover. I play it safe, so I chose the black one. By the way, I tried to search it in Amazon just now, and I could not find this cover anymore.  Hmm. My order will arrive at my friend's place by December 6, but I should still be able to get this, right? 

Black is safe!

Since I am not sooo excited - just a little, I guess - I signed up for an Amazon account last night. I also installed Kindle for PC and got myself few free ebooks. :) I'm trying to download Calibre but my internet connection is bad. :| See, I am not excited, right? :D

My friend will be coming back in the Philippines for a vacation on the third week of December. Hopefully, I could get the Kindle by then! (Paging, Silina!! :p) 

*Thanks 2dayblog, Amazon and Belkin for the pictures.

TM: 50% Done

Oooh, okay. It's been a while, right? Well, nothing much is happening in my life aside from the fact that I'm half-way through my masters!! Yehey for that!! We had our last class presentation for TM281 last October 26. Right after the presentation, we had simpleng salu-salo c/o my classmates. :D

Miss miss #TM281 friends

Last Friday though, we had our first class for TM 206. Quickie lang ang sembreak, hays. :( I'm not paid yet though. I will drop by UP this Monday to enroll TM 291 and TM 206. Oh, by the way, I don't have Saturday classes now but Monday and Friday classes. I'm free on weekends, friends, lesgo sagow! :)