Frustrated traveler
You know what I’ve always wanted to do ever since shows like Lonely Planet / Globe Trekker started fascinating me? It’s to travel around the Philippines and eventually to other parts of the world sans the packaged tours.
I’ve been doing my usual round of blog hopping and got glued to browsing through the archives of some of the Filipino travelogue blogs in my blog roll like Ivan About Town, Rough Groove, and Byahilo and other blogs linked from their blogs. Their pictures whet my travel appetite.
Damn, some time after college, I’ll go on a road trip by the Pan-Philippine Highway! Here, by the way are the notable trips I had last year:
Banaue, Ifugao & Sagada, Mt. Province
(The blog entries are here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, and Part 7. Photos can be found here.)
I went to the North Luzon highlands with some UP students on an Art Studies field trip last March. I actually lied to my parents because I told them this is a field trip for one of my classes, which isn’t true! I just tagged along with Patti and her classmates.
That was a wonderful trip. I never realized how majestic it is up there in the mountains. Going there will pretty much destroy much of one’s notions of a Philippines that’s all tropical and all beaches. The picture below is one of my favorites. It’s Patti and we were on top of our jeepney on the way to Sagada. It was an exhilarating ride, with cold crisp mountain air gushing at our faces. And it felt like we were about to be thrown off the cliffs at every curve in the highway.
Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro
(I never finished chronicling this trip. Here are the unfinished blog entries nonetheless: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. Photos can be found here)
This was a trip last April with some of my friends in UP Cinema Arts Society care of Patti, whose maternal family is from Puerto Galera. What makes this trip notable is that we stayed with a family who actually lives there, we almost avoided much of the Manila crowd that swarms the town every summer season. We went to this secluded and very rocky beach right below a cliff (which we, obviously had to limb down) at Sinandingan. Then we also went to an abandoned lighthouse on the edge of a beautiful cliff (WOW, this entry is full of cliffs) a few minutes walk from the house where we stayed.
Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental & Camiguin
(here are the blog entries: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. Photos can be found here.)
This was a trip with my family last May. It was only my second time in Mindanao and my first in Cagayan do Oro and Camiguin. It was a nice trip, though as always, there’s a part of me that always stays reserved whenever I’m traveling with my family. It was a fun trip, nonetheless.
Other trips
Well, we also went to Subic. And of course, the occasional family trips to my maternal and paternal hometowns in Bulacan and Cavite. Browse through my travelogues, for other trips in the past.
ultimate sagada trekkie here.
ive refered a lot of people to a certain guesthouse up there that the owner has already offered me to stay there for free any time i like. Did you try to blog while you were up there? Naka wifi na sila. hehe
The College of Architecture has trips every semester. I try to tag along whenever possible. They leave UP Friday night and come back in time for class on Monday. Let me know if you’re interested.
Wonderful photos. I lived in Cagayan de Oro for over 10 years and never got to visit Camiguin. I should be punished for this.
uh!!..how i envy you!!.. when i was still in the philippines.. all i’ve been to was just my regular provincial route: manila-laguna-bicol.. weeeh!!..
I’ve always wanted to travel around the Philippines. I’ve been nowhere except for my hometown Cebu, Manila airport (like 11 years ago) and Davao airport. That’s all. It seems that I even know more about other countries. What a shame.
Your pictures look great. Makes me wanna pack my bags now and head home. Soon, soon. Dropping by!
BENJ: nope, i don’t have my own laptop to bring around with me, actually. hehe. though, id keep that tip in mind. id like to visit sagada again, this time with less people around me. lol
IVAN: i’ll keep your offer in mind. however, one of the things that actually hinder me from pursuing this lust for travel is that im really just too preoccupied with academic and extra-curricular activities in school. haay.
DYLAN: tsk, tsk. hehe.
CHINO & JUICE: lol. when you get back here, traveling around the country can be part of your to-do list.
that’s the spirit! what’s the point of visiting sagada with a dozen people?! I did it alone last summer- met a lot of people there (mostly foreigners). They agreed to split the fees for guides. You gotta love the great balance of calm and danger. Let’s all do it Ian Wright style!
They have Smart wifi and Sky Cable up there now. haha. I’ve refered a good number of people to the guest house I stayed in. I was told I’ll be free of charge for life. I hope they mean it. haha
I was in Camiguin when I was 3 (I lived in CDO for 2 years). I can barely remember it.
sama ka sa susunod pag malapit lang byahe ko!