Baguio


Travel Blog by Jen

Baguio is the Summer Capital of the Philippines.  Baguio still draws a lot of visitors, mainly city dwellers, to its cool climate.  During the cold months of December to February, temperature drops to as low as 8-degrees Celsius.

Pine trees still grow here especially inside Camp Jon Hay.  Personally, I think that staying inside CJH is the closest one could get to experiencing the 'old Baguio.'   Lots of new developments like malls and hotels can now be found here that make this mountainous province more city-like.  I still like going up here despite that and the six-hour travel time.  I love the cool air, the parks, the fresh flowers, vegetables and strawberries!

If you are new here, these are the things and places you shouldn't miss:


* Stay in Camp John Hay Manor.  The accommodation is nice and the area on which it sits is ideal for walking or running.  Lots of pine trees here!  There are many restaurants and shops inside as well as a golf course.


Camp John Hay Manor



Camp John Hay Manor's cozy interior




* Visit The Bell House and its Amphitheater.  This is located inside Camp John Hay. This was the original vacation home of General Franklin Bell, the Commanding General of the Philippines in 1911.




A beautiful garden named after Franklin Bell.  This amphitheatre
was designed for outdoor performances and is now a popular
place for weddings and other events.

* Go to Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad.  At the time we were there in December, the strawberries weren't ripe for picking yet.  Nonetheless, we had a good time just going through the field and looking at the fresh produce.  Aside from strawberries, other vegetables are also grown here like iceberg lettuce and some other greens. 

Just outside the field, vendors sell pre-packed strawberries, strawberry taho and strawberry dirty ice cream :)



Strawberry fields forever


'pretending' to pick strawberries



fresh lettuce


* Eat in Cafe By The Ruins. Now a restaurant transformed from the ruins of the home of the first Governor of Baguio, Phelps Whitmarsh.  The house was built in 1900's and was destroyed during World War II.  The restaurant serves organic food and showcases local art.  Sometimes, painting lessons are held here.
art lesson in Cafe By The Ruins


Fresh green salad, adobo flakes and organic rice



* Have lunch or dinner in Forest House.  I like its cozy log cabin interior and their mix of international and local cuisine.







* Visit The Mansion, the official summer residence of the President of the Philippines.  I don't think people are allowed to go inside the mansion, but just a little past the iron gates.  The Mansion is said to have been patterned after the Buckingham Palace in London.





* Ride a horse in Wright Park -  a very 'Baguio' thing to do :)

Picture from Aenet 



* Visit Burnham Park.   Take a boat ride on the lake perhaps?


(Photo by Jean and Ray Burnham)


* Buy goods in Baguio City Market.  Anything and everything is sold here.


Photo from Cityknown

* Enjoy a fresh strawberry shake.  This cannot get any fresher here!



* Other photos are Skycab's own.


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I Swam with the Whalesharks!

Travel Blog by Jen
March 26, 2007


I have always wanted to see the whalesharks in Donsol ever since they have gained popularity among local and foreign tourists. I think it was good that I had no expectations whatsoever because the experience became unique for me :)


Donsol, Sorsogon can be reached via Legazpi City, Albay.   Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines fly to Legazpi City and the travel time is just one hour.  Vans for hire bound for Donsol are available at the Satellite Market for another one-hour ride.  For this trip, I had already pre-arranged our transfers and accommodation through the Donsol Municipal Tourism Office.  

Our guide, Jeffrey Adrao, suggested that we proceed with the whaleshark encounter already.  The weather was good and it was still early enough to get a boat.  He said that it's better to take advantage of the good weather then so that if we don't get to see any whales that day, we still have the next day to catch them.  It made sense. 

We arrived at the Vistor Center at about 9:30 am. Tourists are required to fill out registration forms and pay the required fees at the counter. An audio-visual orientation followed soon after in the viewing room.


The Visitor Center


My brother filling out the Registration Form



We were then introduced to our BIO (Butanding Interaction Officer), Omar Nepomuceno, who gave us a few tips and instructions about the dive.

With Omar Nepomuceno (center), our BIO


He said that the most important thing to remember is to TRUST HIM and to HAVE NO FEAR! When he says jump, dive, paddle, swim --- just do it, or we might miss the opportunity of a close encounter!  

And so we set forth on our adventure, with our BIO, our guides and our spotter.  Since we were all nervous and scared to do this, our BIO said that he'll swim with us one by one.  We all decided to wear life vests first, as a precaution.  And so we waited for the whaleshark...


Spotters standing high up on the boats in search of whalesharks


all set!  *jitters inside!*



waiting, searching...

When the spotter sees a whaleshark, the boatmen will position the boat in an intersecting point ahead of the whalesharks.  It is thus very important that when the BIO signals for you to dive, that you really follow him... or else, you might be too late.
 

jumped from the boat and now chasing the whaleshark




When I was already in the water, I couldn't see anything because of the bubbles the jump made and the greenish color of the water.  I spun myself 360-degrees looking out for the whaleshark.  Still nothing.

And then just a few minutes later, I was staring at this huge mouth, slightly opened, heading towards me.  OH MY GOD.  Totally freaked out, but my BIO was there and signalled for me to swim alongside this gentle giant. 



its spotted head


its fin


I was just by its tail when our BIO posed for the camera!


The encounter was amazing!  Truly a very unique and thrilling experience to commune with the largest and gentlest shark in the world.  We had 7 sightings;  some of the butandings  were mature, while some were still very young.  We ended the the encounter at 2:00pm.  We could have actually continued if we wanted to but we were all so tired and hungry already from all the swimming!

The Vistor Center issued us a Certifcate of Recognition with the details of the encounter:  our names, date, time, and the number of whaleshark sightings!



This is us after:  tired, hungry and oh-so-thrilled with
the Butanding Encounter!

In the evening, we took the Firefly Watching Tour. Hundreds of fireflies inhabit the mangroves that stand along the banks of Donsol River.  During the short boat ride, we saw fishermen catching crabs/shrimp in the dark.  It is just too bad that my camera did not capture decent enough pictures of the fireflies to post here. 
* * * *


We stayed in at South Coast Resort in DonsolIt is a very simple property with only 2 rooms being rented out to tourists at that time.  The room smelled of fresh paint, clearly indicating that we were probably one of the first few guests who have stayed here.



South Coast Resort

The room we occupied was basic yet clean. It had a working air-conditioner and a private toilet with no hot water though. There was also no television. South Cosast doesn't have an on-site restaurant but the ladies of the house will gladly cook whatever you request within reason. The best thing about this resort is its location. It's a few minutes away from the Visitor Center, where people register for the Whaleshark Encounter. If one were to do several whaleshark encounters, it is ideal to arrive at the Visitor Center early. As there is a limit to the number of boats sent out to sea per day, it is good to be ahead of the rest.



the very simple room


cottages outside that overlook the sea

We asked the women of the house to cook lunch for us.  Our only requests were seafood and laing (taro leaves cooked in coconut milk) -- a traditional Bicolono dish.  We had our lunch on a floating raft just by the resort's beachfront.  It was a nice finish to the day's major activity :)




our own "floating restaurant"

Our lunch:  Fish, Shrimp, Binagoongan and Laing
* All photos are Skycab's own. 


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Magayon Mayon

Travel Blog by Jen
March 24-26, 2007

After our Whaleshark Encounter in Donsol, we headed off to Legazpi City. Having only seen Mayon Volcano in postcards, we were excited to see it for real. The locals say that this volcano is 'shy' as its peak,  more often than not, is covered by clouds.  Mayon can actually be glimpsed from Legazpi Airport.


Our guides toured us around the city.  We drove up to a view deck to see Mayon in its full glory. From atop, one can see Legazpi airport and the whole town. The locals come here to hang out to enjoy the space and the fresh air. There were a number of vendors selling barbeque, hotdog and balut (chick embryo). The sun was setting then and the sky was a lovely play of orange, pink and pale blue. It was a perfect day for the volcano to show itself.



So glad that Mayon showed herself!

Looks like Mt. Calvary, right?  This spot is part of the view deck.
a Legazpi sunset

View of Albay down below


We then went to the Cagsawa ruins in Daraga.  The road going there was muddy, rockt  and still had a bit of lahar.





Only the belfry remains as an eerie reminder of Mayon's fury on Febuary 1, 1814. The eruption buried the town of Cagsawa in lava flows killing about 1,200 people. Many of them sought refuge in the town's church, thinking that would be saved. Today, this spot has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Albay. 



Cagsawa Ruins with the shy Mayon Volcano in the background




view of the top from inside the belfry

There were a lot of kids who sold postcards and pictures to tourists.

In the evening, our guides took us to what they said is their most poular street.  It had rows and rows of stalls that sold lugaw (rice porridge with beef), mami (chicken noodle soup), and all sorts of street food.  We picked a spot and ate as the locals did. What a fun experience! :)



Filling our sticks with fishballs and kwek-kwek (boiled egg)

the street scene -- still so very alive at night


about to have our lugaw and mami with our guides




ingredients of chicken noodle soup


* All photos are Skycab's own.


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