Tomorrow marks another historic day for the Philippines, once again, citizens will be given a chance to pick the people who will lead them in the next three years.

Candidates have laid out their platforms and program of government (or do they?), it’s now time to choose from the applicants. After all the bickering and stone-throwing, we after all have the final decision. It’s our vote that would put them in power.

“The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” ― Abraham Lincoln

“I will not vote, nothing’s change, and I give up.” a friend told me. He has a point, with the current political situation, it looks hopeless. Politicians breaking promises and merely serving their own personal interest. But I still believe that if we use this right responsibly, we can show them who holds the real power in this country. Will that happen? I hope so.

“A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.” ― Theodore Roosevelt

As always, I will use the same formula that I’ve used before, “vote for lesser evil,” as of now, I’ve decided to vote for 5 senators, 1 Party List, a governor, a vice-governor, 2 Provincial Board Members, a congressman, a mayor, a vice mayor and 2 councilors. The list might be trimmed but surely no more additions.

Only if we use our voting right wisely and responsibly, we might see a brighter future for us, so please, vote wisely!

That’s how I could simply describe our recently concluded Indochina tour. I’ve listed the “planned” itinerary below, changes have been made as necessary. I will keep on updating this post each time I’ve done post for each of the destinations.

Itinerary:

Day 0 (19 March 2013) – Tuesday
22:30 – Take the late night Cebu Pacific flight (5J 744) from Manila (MNL) to Ha Noi (HAN), ETA Ha Noi 00:30 (Hotel was booked)

Day 1 (20 March 2013) – Wednesday
07:00 – Wake-up call, breakfast
08:00 – Leave hotel for Halong Bay day tour, I booked the $50 including hotel transfer & lunch on the boat in advance.
18:30 – ETA hotel, dinner, roam around
22:00 (or earlier) – ZZZZ

Day 2 (21 March 2013) – Thursday
07:00 – Wake up, freshen up
08:00 – Breakfast outside the hotel, visit Ho Chi Mihn Mausoleum
10:00 – Travel to Noi Bai International Airport (HAN)
12:20 – Take flight no. VN931 from HAN (Hanoi) to LPQ (Luang Prabang)
13:45 – ETA LPQ (Luang Prabang) find hotel or hostel
15:00 – onwards – Roam around the place, retire for the night

Day 3 (22 March 2013) – Friday
07:00 – Wake up, freshen up & breakfast
08:00 – 17:00 – take the Luang Prabang Day Trip (Elephant ride, Pak Uo cave, whiskey village & falls)
18:00 – onwards – Dinner and visit the night market & retire for the night.

Day 4 (23 March 2013) – Saturday
07:00 – Wake up, freshen up & breakfast
08:00 – 17:00 Travel from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, by VIP bus $12.
17:00 – onwards – find hostel, dinner & retire for the night.

Day 5 (24 March 2013) – Sunday
07:00 – Wake up, freshen up & take breakfast
08:00 – 17:00 – Take Vientiane Day tour
18:00 – travel to Nong Kai
19:15 – take the night train from Nong Kai to Bangkok

Day 6 (25 March 2013) – Monday
08:00 – Arrive in Bangkok
08:30 – 12:00 – Find hostel, relax, lunch
13:00 – 15:00 Take Bangkok half day Tour
16:00 – Travel to Ayutthaya, find hotel, take dinner & retire for the night

Day 7 (26 March 2013) – Tuesday
06:00 – Rise & shine, breakfast
07:30 – Take the Ayutthaya temples day tour
18:00 – Dinner & retire for the night

Day 8 (27 March 2013) – Wednesday
05:00 – Rise & shine, breakfast
06:00 – Travel back to Bangkok
09:00 – Take the bus from Bangkok (Northern Bus Station) to Siem Reap (via Aranyaprathet & Poipet border crossing)
16:00 – ETA Siam Reap, find guest house and roam around the city, dinner & retire for the night

Day 9 (28 March 2013) – Thursday
06:00 – Wake up, freshen up & breakfast
07:00 – 18:00 – take the Siem Reap day tour
19:00 – onwards – dinner, roam & retire for the night

Day 10 (29 March 2013) – Friday
06:00 – Wake up, freshen up & breakfast
07:00 – 13:00 bus ride from Siem Reap to Phnom Pehn
14:00 – onwards – find guest house, roam, dinner & retire for the night

Day 11 (30 March 2013) – Saturday
06:00 – Wake up, freshen up & breakfast
07:00 – 18:00 – Phnom Pehn day tour
19:00 – onwards – dinner, roam & zzz

Day 12 (31 March 2013) – Sunday
06:00 – Wake up, freshen up & breakfast
07:00 – 13:30 – Phnom Pehn to Ho Chi Mihn (Saigon)
14:30 – onwards – roam, dinner & ZZZZ

Day 13 (01 April 2013) – Monday
06:00 – Wake up, freshen up & breakfast
07:00 – 18:00 Ho Chi Mihn day tour
19:00 – dinner then proceed to the airport

Day 14 (02 April 2013) – Tuesday
01:00 – 04:30 – Flight from Ho Chi Mihn (SGN) to MNL

Luang Prabang is a World Heritage city, there are several interesting cultural and tourism spots to visit in the province. I’m glad we were able to cover most of them during our short visit.

Our second day in Luang Prabang started early, we woke up at 5AM to witness the Monks Alms Giving ceremony.

Alms Giving

The tourism office told us that it monks march down the Sisavangvong Road while the faithful were waiting to give them ‘alms’ which will be their only food for the day, sticky rice and other food stuffs are being collected in their basket.

The ritual is one of its kind, to me its sacred and highly revered yet seeing tourist getting in their way is a blatant disrespect of the culture and religious practice, I just hope that though we enjoy watching and documenting the practice, we must learn how to respect and let the ritual flow unobstructed.

The Best Rice Soup Ever

After the spirit uplifting experience, it’s time to fill our stomach. They say that to fully understand one’s culture is to experience its food, and to know them well, you must visit the market.

Every morning the small alley fronting our hotel turns into a morning market, unlike the night market where they sell mostly souvenir items, t-shirts, etc, the morning market is all about food, fish, meat and vegetables rules this alley and the adjacent street.

Walking further, we found an eatery near Mekong River, communicating with the waiter was hard, I struggle to ask him what is a good Laotian breakfast, then he said “rice soup?” that sounds good. We ordered 2 rice soups with tea, Lao coffee and a bread that looks like bitso-bitso to me (without the sugar coating).

The rice soup looks like an ordinary “lugaw” to me, but upon tasting it, it’s way better than any lugaw that I’ve even tasted. The mushroom added some woody taste to it, then add the rich spicy/herby flavor. I finished my soup sweating and wanted some more.

As much as I want to eat more, it was 7AM and we’re an hour away from our scheduled day tour, we wanted to visit the Royal Palace Museum before leaving for the tour.

Royal Palace Museum

The Royal Palace Museum was built in 1904 during the French colonial era for King Sisavang Vong and his family. The palace was then converted into a national museum in 1975 following the communists rule in the country.

The museum holds many important historical, cultural, political & religious relics & documents about Laos. As expected, cameras & slippers are not allowed inside the museum, lockers with locks are provided for visitors to store their important belongings. The Royal Palace Museum is open from 7AM to 5PM and charges 30,000 Kips (more or less $4 US) per person as entrance fee.

Worrying about being late in our appointment, we didn’t stay long inside the museum, we need to be at the pick-up point before 8AM.

The van was on time, inside the van were 2 couples and a Brazilian looking guy, in front was the driver and a young guide named Sung. We headed northeast to our first destination, the elephant conservation area.

It took us about 45 minutes to arrive at the elephant village, the driver dropped 5 of us there while he brings the 2 passengers for another tour. I’ve learned that the young couple was Austrian and the the guy was indeed a Brazilian, he introduced himself as Brunno, an exchange student in Australia, he’s spending his last month in this part of the globe to travel South East Asia.

Elephant Ride

Two elephants were there, named Khun & Khan, they saddled them and we are ready to ride. Khun was our elephant, honestly, I’m a bit hesitant in taking the ride, the only animal I’ve ridden was a carabao when I was 10 years old. But Khun was a gentle giant, despite his constant chow stops, the ride was relatively smooth.

It was about a 30 minutes ride around the neighboring forest, after the ride, we were given a chance to pet & feed the elephants, bananas are available for 5,000 kips for the elephants to eat.

Next on our itinerary was a visit to the caves of Pak Ou (literary translated as mouth of Ou River), it was about 30 minutes travel from the elephant village.

Pak Ou Caves

There’s short boat ride crossing the Mekkong River before you reach the two (2) caves in Pak Ou. The Tham Ting (lower cave) and the Tham Theung (upper cave) have been a place of worship for local villagers for Eight (8) centuries. It requires at least 300 steps before one could reach the upper cave (Tham Theung), the caves houses an estimated 4,000 Buddha sculptures, 2,500 of which are located in the lower cave (Tham Ting) and the number is still growing.

From Pak Ou Village, we headed back to the elephant village for lunch, choices were Chicken & Rice or Pork & Rice, my choice, chicken. Lunch was served with a bottle of water that reminded me of the muriatic acid bottle. It was not the best free lunch that I had but it was filling.

After lunch, the Austrian couple took the Basic Mahout (how to control an elephant) Training & elephant bathing session while we travel to the Whiskey Village.

Whiskey Village

Three (3) shots of different rice wine varieties welcomed us at the Whiskey Village, I took the first 2, but I stayed away from the lao-lao. That’s more than 80% alcohol! It’s not all about wine or whiskey in Whiskey Village, villager’s also make products other than the famous intoxicating drink. Weaving and handicraft has a strong presence in the area, there are also souvenir shops that sells everything from coins to table runners.

The Whiskey Village is home to more or less 100 families, a temple and a small monastery is located in the heart of the village. One thing noticeable about houses in Laos is the large satellite dishes, I asked our guide about it, and according to him, those satellite dishes are fetching television signals from Thailand, although there’s a significant difference in their language, Laotians could easily understand Thai.

It was about 3PM and the heat was killing me, we waited for the Austrian couple by the roadside, they were still busy giving bath to Khun & Khan.

Ten more minutes or so, the van rolled in front of us and we are on our way to the Kuang Si Falls.

It was about 30 minutes drive from the Whiskey Village to Kuang Si, the road conditions didn’t help to give me some rest while traveling.

The driver gave us just 45 minutes to tour the place.

Kuang Si Waterfalls

What I thought was just a falls turned out to be a park with bear conservation area, waterfalls & a resort. The park houses bears that were saved from hunters and poachers, how sad to see that we need to place them in a cage to keep them alive.

Honestly, I was expecting see a tall/big a$$ waterfall, like the Kairukan Falls in Bataan & Katibawasan Falls in Camiguin Island, instead, a beautiful series of cascading water falls welcomed us in the site.

Tourists are allowed to swim on her water, damn! I should have brought an extra shorts! Nonetheless, it was a beautiful sight to see.

It was almost 6PM when the day tour ended, we were tired and hungry, instead of the fancy $10-20 dinner, we opted to try the street buffet. The eat all you can buffet costs 10,000 Kips, about $1.30 and it offers traditional Laotian cuisine.

One more round at the night market and we’re ready to hit the sack to get ready for our 12 hour journey to Vientiane the next morning.

I woke him up to open the door for me, I’m starving for some Pho. I ate Pho Ba at the same resto which I had it yesterday, nothing beats a hot soup for breakfast.

After breakfast, I went back to the hotel to pack my things and leave for Noi Bai Airport. I booked the taxi at 8AM, it’s gonna be a 45 minutes drive to the airport, my wife will be arriving at around 10AM, I still have enough time to rest while waiting for her arrival.

The taxi was waiting for me when I went down, the driver placed my backpack on the trunk & we’re on the road. Hanoi roads were much busier during the morning, there’s much honking and more motorcycles squeezing their way through the traffic.

As promised, we arrived at Noi Bai International Airport after 45 minutes, the driver dropped me at the departure area, since I need to fetch my wife at the arrival area, I went down and waited there. I had a coffee, a real coffee (not the Vietnamese coffee whom Nick would refer as gun powder + condensed milk) this time.

I’m constantly watching the departure/arrival schedule on the monitor near the coffee shop and as soon as I saw that my wife’s plane has arrived, I went to the “greeter’s area” to wait for her. Another 30-45 minutes have passed and we’re together again.

It was 10 minutes past 10AM, we hurriedly went to the Vietnam Airlines’ check-in counter to check in our luggage, our flight to Luang Prabang was scheduled at 12:30PM. We just waited until our flight (VN 931) to Luang Prabang was called.

Finally at 12:15, it’s time to board. Although I was not surprise to see a small plane, but seeing an ATR 42/72 was the last thing in my mind. It was my first time to see this plane in action, to me it looks like a refurbished Vietnam war warplane! Don’t get me wrong, I was not the only one surprised, even the other passengers were surprised to see the plane.

The plane ride went well, although it was bumpy at some times but overall it was a good ride. We arrived at Luang Prabang International Airport a few minutes before 2PM.

Laos requires VOA (Visa on arrival) for non-ASEAN passport holders, for me, my passport needs only an arrival stamp, it feels good to be Filipino!

After the customs & immigration clearances, we head out and looked for tourist assistance center, there, we asked for a guesthouse and transport service to the city. They gave us a van and a guesthouse, Golden Lotus Guest House, it’s located near Wat Mai Monastery.

The transportation from LPQ (Luang Prabang Airport) to the guest house cost us 50,000 Kip or about $6.50 ($1 = 7710 Kip) for about 10-15 minutes drive on a Hyundai Starex.

The receptionist gladly welcomed us and assigned a room on the second floor for us, one thing noticeable is that, no shoes/slippers allowed inside the guest room, you must leave it outside. Hotel rate was $20 a night, a large & tidy room with one queen size bed, wooden floor, a window facing east (with the view of Wat Mai Monastery) and of course stable WIFI connection.

After settling down, I went outside, there are 3 things that I need to do, (1) change some $$$, (2) find a tour office, and (3) find a bus ticket sales office for LPQ (Luang Prabang) to VTE (Vientiane).

It didn’t take me long to find a tourism office, the first office that I visited offered me:

• Elephant Ride
• Visit to the Pak Ou Cave
• Visit to the Whiskey Village
• Free entrance to all the destinations
• Air-con van ride
• Free lunch & a bottle of water per participant

All for $50/pax, it doesn’t sound good to me, so I left that office & went to the next tourism office, here’s the offer:

• Elephant Ride
• Visit to the Pak Ou Cave
• Visit to the Whiskey Village
• Kuang Si Waterfalls
• Free entrance (fee) to all the destinations
• Air-con van ride
• Free lunch & a bottle of water per participant

The additional destination looks interesting and the price, $40/pax, a better bargain. I booked a day tour for 2 persons and since they also sells bus tickets to Vientiane, I also bought the trip ticket, each ticket (VIP seating bus) costs 150,000 Kip (or more or less $20).

Having completed my tasks, I went back to the hotel to fetch my wife and do an afternoon walk, it was almost 5PM and Sisavangvong Road was slowly being transformed into a night market.

We first visited the Wat Mai & its monastery, it’s located a block away from our hotel, the setting sun adds drama to the serenity of the temple.

We walk further along Sisavongvang Road passing through the tents that is being erected, on to the next block, we saw the Haw Pha Bang (temple) and the Royal Palace Museum, we weren’t able to visit the museum since it closes at 4PM.

Just across the road is the Phousi Hill where Wat Chom Si (temple) located, I dared my wife to climb the 228 steps going to Cham Phousi, which she accepted. On the foot of the hill a smaller temple named Wat Pahouak is located, an old temple that can be a good side trip when visiting the Chom Si temple.

We hiked up to see Wat Chom Si, the hill is just 100 meters high with stairs guiding the visitors to the Chom Si Temple, entrance fee of 5,000 Kip per person is being collected mid-way of the hike. The last 190 steps is a long and winding stairway which is pretty much manageable.

From the top, you can have a great 360 degree view of the Luang Prabang City, northwest is the Mekong River and the view of the old city and Nam Kahan River on its southwest.

Also in the summit is the gilded stupa called Wat Chom Si, there’s another stairway on the east side which I dare not to go, it was getting dark so we decided to hike down and visit the night market, what I find interesting about Luang Prabang’s night market is that majority items being sold represents Luang Prabang’s (and Laos) culture & history. From t-shirt, home decor, paintings, old coins, even chopsticks & teaspoons made out of the UXO’s (unexploded ordinances) recovered in Laos.

It was dinner by the river for us, there’s a long line of restos along the Mekong River bank, it was our first taste of Laotian cuisine. We ordered Papaya Salad, Fried “River” fish (Tilapia) with veggies and Spicy Chicken Laotian style.

After dinner, we did another round of walking at the whole stretch of the night market. After about 30 minutes, 1 cappuccino and 1 banana crepe, it’s time to retire for the night and look forward to our day tour.

Incoming search terms:

• luang pha bang memorial

Ha Long literally translated as “descending dragon,” according to our guide, the place got its name from an old Vietnamese myth of a mother dragon descending from heaven to help the people in their fight to drive away the colonists. The limestone formation that is now scattered in the bay was the dragon that stayed to protect them from any threats they may face in the future.

I book the day tour a day before we left for Hanoi, I was planning to do a DIY tour, it will save us some money but I decided not to take chances, this will be the first of many sites that we’ll be visiting and might as well make it a hassle free tour.

As promised, the bus came to the hotel and picked me up at few minutes before 8:00AM, I was the first to board the bus, the driver didn’t know much English and made me feel uncomfortable. We drove heading to the “old quarter” and picked up a guy, he introduced himself as “Lucky” and told me that he’ll be our guide, he said that there will be 18 others that will be joining me in the tour.

Thirty minutes have passed and several more stops, we are now ready to proceed to our destination. the group is consisted of 1 Filipino (me), 2 Australians (George & Nick), 1 German (Julia), an Indian (Reuven) and his Cyprian girlfriend (Cristina), a Singaporean family (6 members) and a Malaysian family (5 members).

Lucky informed us that it’ll take us about 4 hours to reach Ha Long Bay, and there will be 1 pit stop along the way. He also gave us some info about Hanoi, Ha Long City & Vietnam as a whole.

It was early morning and the street was busy, motorcycles rules the street, seeing them cross carelessly makes you realize that Pinoy riders are more disciplined than they are.

The first 2 hours of the bus ride was smooth with neatly paved roads, I had a chance to bond with the new friends that I met. Reuven & Cristina works in Dubai, Nick & George are 2 middle aged Greco-Australian who loves to travel while Julia is a German Student. Laughter echoed in the bus as they talked about the funny experiences that they encountered while traveling.

I find it ironic that I could bond easier with them rather than my fellow southeast Asian brothers, the Singaporeans & Malaysians were so quiet during the ride, probably because of all the SEA (South East Asian) countries, we Pinoys can communicate in English better.

At around 10:30AM, we reached our pit stop, it was a handicraft factory, retail outlet with a resto & restroom. The products are available for sale, I’m more interested in relieving my bladder than to browse what is available for sale. Nick also offered me a cup of Vietnamese coffee, he told me that it’s the sweetest yet strongest coffee in the world, he’s right, it was half coffee (brewed) and half condensed milk, it will keep you awake and active for several hours.

After about 20 minutes of pit stop, we went through our journey, the next phase was a bumpy one, along the road, you will notice several road widening & improvements that is being implemented.

We reached the port 30 minutes after noon, countless tourist were waiting to get boarded on the boat, our guide, Lucky went inside the terminal building to purchase our tickets while we waited outside. A few minutes passed and we’re ready to board Hai Thanh 18 (our designated boat).

Since it’s past noon, lunch was immediately served, steamed fish (Tilapia), prawns, Vietnamese spring rolls, sauteed mixed veggies and so much more were served. Although lunch is free, drinks are not. They charge $2 for beer & soda & $1 for water. I was not able to (really) finish my lunch, as soon as I saw the beautiful rock formations, I excused myself from the group and watched the islets come closely into view.

I just watched in awe to these wondrous creation, I can’t imagine how could those islets came into form, whether it was due to the violent movements of tectonic plates or the queen dragon descending from the heavens, I really don’t care, all I can say is that it was a good job.

Part of the tour is a visit to one of the many floating villages in Halong Bay, the village has everything in it, including a primary school.

The purpose of the visit is for us to know more how these people live, in turn we were invited to hop on the boat and take the tour to the 2 caves, all for $5 per person. I joined, Julia, George & Nick on one boat and ventured into 35 minutes of silent tour, our paddler, an elderly Vietnamese woman don’t know how to speak English.

What I’ve learned from our guide is that those caves are the locals refuge during the stormy season. We left the village and continue sailing, this time, the boat crew started selling souvenir items, I bought 1 fridge magnet for a dollar and headed to upper deck to enjoy the view, our next stop will be at the “Heaven’s Cave.”

Heaven’s Cave didn’t impress me much, I guess the alterations (lighting, etc) didn’t suit my taste, nonetheless, I still enjoy the tour inside the cave.

The cave was our last destination, it’s now time to leave Ha Long Bay, the trip is quieter now. I guess we are too exhausted to even discuss anything. Along the way, I received a text message from my wife (thanks SMART roaming service) informing me that her flight was cancelled, instead she will be arriving in Hanoi 10:00 of March 21, that’s 2 hours before our flight to Luang Prabang.

We are back in Hanoi by 8:30PM, I dropped off my camera at the hotel room & went out to find a place to eat, I found a restaurant just around the corner and it was almost full, I checked the menu & ordered something that looks edible. It was Bit Tet or Beef Steak with fries & egg served with baguette. The meal was so good that 1 baguette was not enough, I need to order another!

After dinner, I stayed at the lobby of the hotel, the receptionist asked me if I wanted him to call a taxi, I agreed without asking for the price. Then he asked me to pay him $25 for my ride from the hotel to the airport, damn! last night’s taxi ride was a rip-off!

Well, I guess that’s the price I have to pay for rushing. It was a long and tiring day, I need to retire early for the night and prepare for my next adventure, Luang Prabang in Laos.

Growing up, we were taught of its tragic past in school. But more than it’s history, the region’s culture has fascinated me for a long time.

My journey in discovering this “mystical” place came into reality on March 19, 2013. My wife and I had planned of the tour for about 3 months prior, I did an intensive (mostly online) research about the details of the trip and prepared what I called an “untested” Indochina trip itinerary. The planned trip was for 14 days, covering 4 countries & 8 cities, it includes 3 air travels, 1 train ride, 4 short bus rides (anything sorter than 4 hours), 4 long hours of bus rides and several places of interest and activities to visit & do.

We came to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal III several hours before the flight, upon arrival, we dined at a Japanese resto inside the terminal and waited for the check-in notice to be flashed on the screen. While waiting for the check-in notice, I painfully paid for my travel tax costing me 1,620 Pesos, damn! I hate taxes!

About 3 hours before the flight, the check-in notice for Cebu Pacific flight # 5J744 flashed on the screen and we moved on to check in our baggage. Upon check-in, we were informed that my wife needs to have a pre-stamped visa from the Vietnamese Embassy. I was shocked, all the while I thought that anybody can enter Vietnam without a visa. My wife is Canadian (at least her citizenship is), and according to the lady on the check in counter told us that only those who bear ASEAN passports requires no visa when entering Vietnam.

It’s time for plan B (or plan C), we stepped back and talked about the situation, several plans came out, and it was discussed intensively. Finally, my wife allowed me to go on and we booked her flight for the next day hoping that she’ll get a visa from the Vietnamese Embassy in Manila. It was the most reasonable decision, if we both stay and book another flight, it cost us more.

That sucks! Although disappointed, I went on with the original plan, but disappointment comes in bunches, the originally slated 22:30 flight was delayed, then we were asked to transfer into another boarding gate. Finally at 23:00 we were allowed to board the plane, and we are bound to Hanoi!

The flight took about 2 and a half hours, I slept for about half of the flight, I was awaken when it was time to descend. We reached Noi Bai International Airport at around 1AM local time. The immigration and customs clearance was fast and hassle free for me, upon exiting the airport, I was approached by a local guy offering me a ride to my hotel. I bargained for the price, he reached for his phone & punched 45 (minutes of travel) then 40 (distance in kilometers) and then 35 (amount in USD). I don’t know what came into my mind that I accepted the offer, it was a day after that I realized that it was a rip-off!

No excuses, but I think I was so pissed of the mishaps that happened, plus it was past 2AM (Philippine time), as promised, 45 minutes later we are in front of the Hanoi Garnet Hotel, surprisingly, the hotel was closed, I should have researched more, apparently, hotels in Vietnam closes at midnight and will only be open at 7 in the morning.

The driver was about to leave me but I forced him to stay with me (well, he can’t leave me, I’m still holding the 35USD tightly in my hand), he checked the sign & called the hotel, thankfully someone answered the phone and opened the door. I handed the $35 to the driver and was about to enter the hotel when he stopped me, he’s protesting about the crumpled 1 dollar bills that I handed him, I told him that’s all I have and dismissed him by entering the hotel.

The room that was assigned to me was at the 4th floor (the lobby was not counted as first floor), it was large with 2 queen size beds and window view a tidy bathroom. I would say a good buy for $20 a night, the only thing I didn’t like was it’s too far from the “old quarter” which is the city center.

A few minutes after checking in, I was snoring.

The morning After

I woke up at 6 the next morning, I was anticipating a full day at Halong Bay, I took my bath and went down 30 minutes later, the hotel attendant was still sleeping! Upon seeing me, he woke up and opened the door, there’s not much to go around in our place, I know I’ve seen a KFC resto a block away from the hotel, but who needs KFC when you’re in Vietnam, it’s time to try authentic Pho and do it local style.

I found an eatery serving Pho about 100 meters away from the hotel, the waitress can’t speak English but she was quick to point the menu for me and its corresponding price, Pho Ba (beef) costs 40,000 Vietnamese Dong or $2 a bowl. I ordered 1 and enjoyed my breakfast sweating, the soup was hot and so as the weather. I could safely say that it was the best Pho that I ever tasted.

While dining, I noticed an old man (probably the resto owner) smoking tobacco in an odd looking bamboo pipe, as curious as I am, I approached him and asked if I can take a photo, of course all in sign & demo language, he agreed and invited me to try it, which I did, I almost choked on the smoke that came out of the pipe, it was pure unfiltered tobacco. I thank the guy for being nice and left the resto tummy filled with Pho & lungs filled with tobacco smoke.

I went back to the hotel and waited for the bus that would bring me to Halong Bay for a full day tour.

After securing all the things that we need, we are ready to board the motorized boat, it was large, measuring about 30 feet in length and could carry at least 40 people. The trip to Calaguas Islands was estimated to take more or less 3 hours.

The Calaguas Group of Islands

Calaguas is a group of islands in the province of Camarines Norte, it includes the major islands of Tinaga Island and Guintinua Island, the minor Maculabo Island, as well as several other minor islands. Tinaga & Guintinua are under the jurisdiction of the Municipality of Vinzons while Maculabo is under the town of Paracale.

Our destination was at the island of Tinaga where the Mahabang Buhangin beach is located.

The boat ride was bumpy, waves of about 4-6 feet were smashing our boat, it was almost summer time and the waves were supposed to be calmer, I can’t imagine how it looks like during the monsoon season.

Finally, after two (or more) hours, we’ve reached the Mahabang Buhangin beach, and I was just speechless, the blue water, pristine white sand and the sense of peace & serenity makes you feel that you are in paradise.

Yet paradise will have to wait, as a non-practicing chef, I volunteered to be one of the kitchen staff, so while others were enjoying ‘paradise’ we were stuck in our makeshift kitchen and prepared lunch for 30+ people.

The scorching heat of the sun did not prevent them from enjoying the beach, for me, how can anyone resist it? It was so beautiful to be ignored.

After lunch everyone seems to settle down a bit, shots of Grand Matador was roaming around, hunting every booze ready bellies around. I had a shot or 2 and that’s it, I had a duty to perform and I don’t wanna be cooking while I’m drunk.

Although busy cooking, I didn’t miss enjoying the sunset, we were located east which gives us an unobstructed view of the beautiful sunset.

After dinner, it was time for the socials, it was Sir Jason’s birthday and we gave him birthday party SMB Mountaineer style. As usual, there was endless supply of booze, we drank, talked and basically had fun under the bright moon light.

It was about midnight and I’m a shot short of being wasted, I decided to sleep, rain started pouring which made me sleep better.

Good Morning Calaguas!

I was up early (about 5AM), everybody else were snoring, I saw Sir Jim about to start his morning walk, I joined him for a walk, finally, I was able to enjoy the island, I’m not a beach person but I know how to appreciate it.

After walking along the beach, it was time for a short dip in its water, it was refreshing.

After breakfast (which was prepared by the ladies), it was time to break camp and it’s time to leave the island.

The banca ride back to Paracale was bumpier, taller waves were hitting our boat, good thing the boat captain was experienced enough to make it a less scarier ride.

From the port, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up, they were kind enough to let us use the bathroom for a minimal fee. We left Paracale a few minutes past noon, lunch was in a carinderia about 20 minutes drive from the town. Then, it was a long drive home, but the trip will not be complete without stopping by Lolo Ompo’s for another dinner feast.

The Calaguas Islands Adventure was another successful activity, kudos SMB Mountaineers, more trips and climb in the future.

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As “advance party” of our summer outing in Calaguas Islands, we have to leave Manila a day early. Sir Jim (vehicle owner & designated driver), Ma’am Joanne, Ma’am Dottie, Sir Rheign & me left Bacoor (Cavite) a few minutes after 5:00AM of March 1, 2013 and headed our way to the town of Paracale in Camarines Norte.

Our tasks were, (1) to secure a boat ride for 27 participants from the Paracale fishport to Mahabang Buhangin Beach in Calaguas Islands, (2) to arrange a special trip for 22 persons from Paracale to Manila, and (3) to do the marketing for our foods in the island.

Considering that it was Friday and almost rush hour, the travel along the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) was light and flowing.

Good Morning SLEx

It was a smooth and free-flowing traffic until we exited SLEx, the travel from Turbina to Sto. Tomas, Batangas slowed down considering that this area is an industrial and you can see workers rushing their way to work.

Despite some bottle necks at San Pablo City, Candelaria, and Lucena City, the travel was enjoyable, the team’s spirit was high, we were laughing on each others jokes and the stories and discussion ranges from music, cartoons, movies and a lot more. Before we know it, we’ve reached the town of Gumaca, it was almost lunch time so we decided to stop and took our lunch at Lolo Ompo’s.

Slippery when wet

Truck Parking Area

Lamon Bay at the Background

Lolo Ompo’s Gumaca Branch

Pig out moment

For lunch we had Bulalo, Grilled Tuna (tail), Fried Squid, Ampalaya with Egg, and Ensaladang Talong with Tomatoes and Salted Egg. The meal was more enjoyable with a great view of Lamon Bay and the silhouette view of Alabat Island. A great view, combined with delicious meal (not to mention reasonable price), what else can you ask?

We decided to stay a while at Lolo Ompo’s to rest, after about half an hour, we’re back on the road, we need to go to Daet first before going back to Paracale, most of the bus terminals are located in the town of Daet.

Three hours and several (dizzying) winding roads and we’ve reached Daet. First order of business was to arrange a special trip (Paracale to Manila) for the other 22 participants. We talked to the teller at the Philtranco Bus Line but unfortunately, they can’t do the special trip.

Since we cannot do anything about it, we decided to just take a short tour of Daet, what else can better represent a town but its culture and that includes its churches, we visited the St. John the Baptist (Parroquia de San Juan Bautista) Parish which was erected by Franciscan Friars in 1611.

Parroquia de San Juan Bautista (Daet, Camarines Norte)

Altar of Parroquia de San Juan Bautista

After visiting the church, we stopped by a 7-11 branch to buy some refreshments, we then headed our back to Paracale. Travel time from Daet to Paracale was about 30-40 minutes.

The road to Paracale

Before we tackle the next order of business, we passed by the Our Lady of Candelaria Parish, like the St. John the Baptist Church in Daet, this church in Paracale was also built in 1611 by the Franciscan Friars.

Parroquia De Nuestra Senora de Candelaria (Paracale, Camarines Norte)

We then searched for the boat operators at the community near the fishport, the result was frustrating, we wanted a big boat that can carry all 27 passengers, what we got was 3 separate boat and costs more than our budget.

Paracale Beach Front

Although unsure of our boat ride, we decided to find a hotel where we can spend a night, we found Paliza del Rio Tourist Inn along Sta. Rosa Street. The hotel is new and offering a reasonable price, a good place to stay and take a rest before heading to the island.

Surprisingly, the front desk clerk offered us a boat ride, the price fits our budget so we grabbed it. Relieved, we are now ready to take our dinner, dinner was balut, ihaw-ihaw and Indian mango at the road side followed by pancit, fries, flaming chicken and a bottle of beer at a local bar.

The beer’s effect came so quickly, I was down and out a few minutes upon arriving in our room.

It was a good thing though, I had a much needed rest to prepare for our adventure in Calaguas Islands.

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We’re back in Manabu Peak for a fun climb and BMC (Basic Mountaineering Course) for the new members of our mountaineering club (SMB Mountaineers). It was the same time last year when we did a dayhike at Manabu Peak as sort of continuation of our Basic Mountaineering Course.

Of the 14 climbers this year, 4 including me were returnees, and the rest were first time Manabu Peak climbers. Joining us is an expat couple from Canada, 3 first time climbers and 3 fairly newbies.

The group converged at the Fiesta Mall in Lipa City, Batangas at around 9:30AM, we did our last minute shopping and were off to the jump-off point at Sulok, Bgy. Sta. Cruz, Sto. Tomas, Batangas.

At the jump-off point, we did the first part of the Basic Mountaineering Course, which was (1) How to pack & Basic mountaineering equipment (2) Trail Management & LNT (Leave no trace), then we had our lunch and started our hike at around noon.

Manabu Peak is relatively an “easy” mountain to hike, trekking it would only take an hour and a half to 2 hours depending on the skills and experience of the climbers.

We are scheduled to take the Grotto trail going up then via the old trail in our descent, but we missed seeing the fork crossing, instead we took the old trail going up, I suspected that the new hut being built at station 4 has blocked the view of the fork crossing. It was a blessing in disguise, at least for me, at least I can now experience both trails.

After an hour of climbing, we reached the famous “coffee shop” at station 5 where we rested, had a refreshing buko juice and what else, freshly brewed coffee. The buko costs 10 Pesos a piece and the coffee, it was for free! The hut owner sells Alamid (Civet cat) coffee and the coffee was for tasting purposes.

The rest at station 5 was long, it was more than an hour, based on our calculation, we might reach the campsite in 30 minutes which will be hot during the mid-day or early afternoon.

We resumed the trek at around 2:30PM, it was when the inclined assault started, the rest didn’t help at all, I need to really warm up again to revive the momentum. It took around 15 minutes to regain my momentum and 15 more minutes and we’ve reached the campsite.

Unlike last year, the campsite was almost empty this year, there were at least 2 groups that were pitching their tents. We picked the more secluded campsite, a very good one. We pitched our tent and waited until 5:00PM before assaulting the summit.

It was less than 10 minutes from the campsite to the summit, although I’ve been there before, but each time, the views and experience differs. This only proves that you see something new each time you visit the mountain. The refreshing view of the nearby mountains surely makes the return to this peak worthwhile.

We went back to the campsite before sunset, it was time to prepare dinner, rice, spam, spicy mix veggies, corned beef, fried dried squid and meatballs spaghetti (c/o our expat companions) is what we feasted on. Chow was good, then it’s time for some fun time, while the shot glass (of Mojito Tequila) is being passed, it was time for introduction and feedbacks regarding the climb, followed by an informal discussion on camp management & trail management.

The cold was bearable, although I would admit that I regret not bringing my jacket. But not even the almost freezing cold would stop us from enjoying the night. It was only when we downed the 2 bottles of Mojito Tequila that we have to call it a night.

I slept well during the night, the cold and windy weather didn’t bother me at all. I was the first to get up the next morning, it was around 6:00AM, the rest of the group were still soundly sleeping. I boiled the water for my coffee and enjoyed it while just enjoying the beauty of the new morning.

Half an hour have passed and most of the team woke up, it was breakfast time, noodles and bread was served. After breakfast, it was time to break the camp and prepare for descent. Before going down, some final tips on trail management and a primer on radio communication was conducted.

We started the descent by going back to the summit for our group photo and went down using the grotto trail. It started to drizzle which made us a little bit worried, thank God it was just a short drizzle.

It took us at least an hour before we reached the grotto, we briefly rested there and continued on towards the jump-off point. We reached the jump-off area, waiting for us was a hefty lunch, native chicken tinola and pinakbet that we asked from the locals to cook for us.

The lunch was great, it made me feel sleepy. But not yet, I need to freshen up and head home to do my sleeping there. By 2:30PM, everybody was ready to head home.

Manabu Peak maybe considered an easy mountain to scale, it may not be as challenging as other mountains but every journey offers different experience, different people and a different kind of fun.

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We went back to Sitio San Pedro of Barangay Iba, San Jose, Tarlac to fulfill our promise to the students and faculty of San Pedro Elementary School during the TarLakbay Aral in June of 2012.

It was almost noon when we reached the village, the kids were there eagerly waiting for our arrival, the teachers did a great job of keeping the kids busy inside the classrooms.

Upon our arrival, we gathered the kids with the traditional opening ceremony and sent them to their respective rooms and lunch was served.

Unlike the last time that we served pancit, juice and cheese bread, this time a more hefty meal of rice, grilled chicken, cheese bread and juice.

After lunch, it was party time, each grade level has prepared a number to show their talents to us, even the teachers were involved in the preparation and presentation.

We then distributed the gift to them, additional school supplies, toys, candies, etc were given to each students. For the school, we gave used text books, a globe, dictionaries, tent materials (for the kid’s camping needs) and a few sports supply.

The program ended at around 4PM, we then proceeded to our camp site, a place they call as “Saipan Beach.” It’s a picnic site near the river, we pitched our tent and I went swimming in the dark, the water was cold, a good relief for a tired body.

After dinner, the elders of the Abeling tribe celebrated a traditional rite of welcoming guest to the tribe, as we were told, it was the first time the rite was celebrated, we were happy that these people considered us as one of them.

The welcoming rite was followed by the induction of the new members of the group, and the traditional socials. By midnight, most of the participants have called it a night, that includes me, my body was tired and I needed some sleep.

Nothing beats waking up with a view of the river, it was a relaxing view, it makes you think of moving out of the city and live there. But some good things never lasts, like all of the adventures that we had, we need to leave the place and face the reality of life in the urban jungle.

What’s more important is the smile, joy and happiness that we shared with the kids of Sitio San Pedro, that would last a lifetime.

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