Foot and Fire

The Karsts lining the Campomanes Bay is verdant unlike the ones I saw in Halong Bay, Vietnam and Coron and El Nido, Palawan... One can't appreciate the karsts immediately because they appear to be a forest except for a few bald area as photographed above... Of course, this is a good news because greens still grow in the rocky mountain... We left our home base temporarily for a boat tour. We went to Obong Cave in Hinobaan first which took us 45 minutes by small boat. We passed by many areas, including the "Pulo" which is the first stop for most boat tours. The photo below is the pulo and the next two photos  are the shots of an opening from end to end. I observed that there is still a live portion of the rock in the "cave." One tourist touched it, a no-no action because it has the tendency to die after being in contact with human sweat, skin and human bacteria. There should be a warning of sort. Tour-guiding is not yet a commodity here. Lastly, I should neve...

      This is the most photogenic islet of Isla Gigantes. It can be taken after scaling the limestone-and-rock formation on one side of the island and while one is on top, one has to stand on the edge of the rock and click a camera for this souvenir photo that has become the poster photo of Isla Gigantes.  But the visit to Isla Gigantes does not start or end in Cabugaw Gamay, the location of the above photo. In fact, we started at Bantigue Sandbar where we had the undying jump shot and unlimited swim, then we proceeded to Cabugaw Gamay where we had our crowded photo shoot for that poster photo..., From there, we stopped at Antonia Island where we enjoyed a quick snack from their tiny sari sari store. Here, one can also climb to see the cave but we did not do the spelunking here since we would be doing one in Gigantes Norte where Gigantes Hideaway Resort, our accommodation, is located.  From there, we went to Tangke, a lagoon which should be visited ...

Perched beside the national highway, the Church of Boljoon, its Rectory and Escuela Catolica are all a wonderful stopover when one is from Cebu City going to Oslob; it is just about two hours from Oslob. Aside from its oldness, the church ground has been an archaeological site for Japanese goods that dates back before our pre-historic period. (I will be featuring the museum in the next entry.) When one is in the side of the church one can look beyond the highway and lavish at the sight of the blue oceans and white sand aside from the giant karsts and hills standing in protection and beside it.  *** Inside the Boljoon Church. *** The history of the Church of Boljoon *** I don't know if this shot will still make the code effective.  Please try and let me know. *** *** *** The Escuela Catolica which is still used  by old women teaching catechism today. *** *** *** The church and the ...

This is one of the many photos I got with karsts on it.  The pristine beach, the fine white sand and the smiles of the tour guides  will always be the feature of this tour. This is from EL NIDO, Palawan, Philippines! *** This is one of the many karsts I photographed in Halong Bay, North of Vietnam.  The monstrosity and the number of karts will amaze any traveller. ** I decided that my El Nido Trip vs Halong Bay Cruise are two different experiences. I encourage all Filipinos to take the El Nido trip as one can really appreciate the truest sense of the word archipelago when one gets to see the beaches and karsts there; it also made me prouder of our natural riches. Friend Doc Judy Ann, a certified traveller and top-notch photographer, says, "One should see El Nido in his lifetime... Truly a wonder of nature... God's gift to mankind... I would want to visit El Nido again and again..." Meanwhile, my multi-awarded photographer friend Bernadet...

TWO DAYS IN EL NIDO El Nido beachfront is inviting especially that we reached the place just before sunset. We swam just a little after sunset which starved us and sent us searching for a good dinner thereafter. We want to have dinner in the beachfront but it is full house and for a company of nine, we have to be waitlisted. We found a Thai-inspired resto that we chose because they can accomodate us right away and we seem to like the reggae band on the resto next door. The discomfort of town's regular brown-out from 6 am to 2 pm and limited water supply which we woke up to in El Nido kicked our patience out. But once we started the tour and as we approached the karsts and the same got clearer and clearer, our memory of the discomfort also got blurry. We started the day with Tour A. We rented the boat for P2,500 for the whole day, mask and snorkel (P75 each) and two kayaks (P700 each). We started the day with the secret lagoon, then the small and big lagoon which ...

     After my Palawan vacation together with my parents, cousin and friends, I decided that it is indeed the ultimate destination that represents our archipelagic riches, with her string of islands, fine white sand stretches of beaches, giant karsts, cool caves, different corals, colorful fishes, lush mangroves, and infinite series of blue waters. Added to that riches is our signature Filipino smile which can easily be found everywhere in Palawan, from the tour guides, the boatmen and often, the Visayan-speaking pedestrians. Our day started with a meeting at the airport. My cousin Cooky with her two friends Sharon and Marissa emerged in the airport fresh from their respective hectic nursing duty at St. Luke's Medical Center, and two more friends of hers, Jo and Jess, a mother and daughter tandem, came from Iloilo City while I and my parents and family friend Nida, came in the airport in travel lite mode. And the fun began! TWO DAYS IN CORON TOWN AND C...

Tour C is a must tour. It gives one an overview of the karsts up close and personal as well as enjoy the white sand beach of El Nido. We started the day with photo taking before the giant karst in Secret Beach which also has a small cave. Then we went to the Matinloc Shrine where we had a nice time touring the abandoned hotel and climbing the karst. We then had our lunch at Talisay beach. We then headed to the Hidden Beach where we entered a small entrance in a big karst, only to be welcomed by a small beach inside. After that, we capped the day in Helicopter Island which is also a white sand beach but we did not enjoy the waters as it was windy and the waves are big. This is a picturesque part of El Nido too. Matinloc Shrine *** My father inside the Matinloc Shrine *** Sto. Nino inside the cave in Matinloc Shrine *** Giant clam shell *** Above the abandoned hotel in Matinloc Shrine *** A beautiful Karst in the entrance of the sh...