We woke up (well, I did, some of them woke up at 5-ish) at around 7-ish to get ready for the day’s trip. We were scheduled to go island hopping (who knew Quezon had islands? I used to think Quezon was just one big chunk of land) and beach swimming. We ate the breakfast prepared by Villa Anita and proceeded to our day’s itinerary. (There was always an overflowing and overwhelming amount of food, we usually had so many leftovers. It seemed like they were preparing for twenty people instead of just 8! Plus the two tour guides!)

Our first stop was at the Chapel of the Holy Eucharist overlooking the sea and the islands which we would be visiting. It was a small makeshift chapel, but the garden was beautiful and well maintained. We then proceeded to the pier where we would be riding the boat to our destinations. One of our companions, Missy, was afraid of riding boats and this was a first for her. She was a bit hesistant at first but she overcame it. (Yay missy!) Here’s her picture, she’s the one wearing red (well, we were all in red since it was Jeff’s birthday) with the blue Jansport backpack. 

The sea and the weather were very cooperative. The waters were calm and the skies were perfect for sun-bathing (I wanted a nice tan!). The boat ride to our first destination (unfortunately, I forgot the island’s name, boo me) was around 20 minutes or so. I kept Missy company to take her mind away from the water. I kept pointing out nice views and scenic spots. Here are some pictures of our surroundings: 

Eager to start swimming, we proceeded to the water after dropping off our stuff inside a kubo upon arriving on the first island. The locals then warned us to look around for dikya or jellyfish since the rainy season has already started. Apparently, the jellyfish proliferate during this time of the year and they are roaming around the beaches. One of the locals then proceeded to grab jellyfish from the water and showed it to us. Eep! He started out with small ones then moved on to take humongous ones from the water. (The ones in the picture are the smaller ones)

How he saw them I have no freaking idea. They were transparent! (Jellyfishes are dangerous especially when their tentacles hit you. The best remedy for it - vinegar). 

We explored the island a for a while, but there wasn’t really much to explore, the island was about three meters of beach and then you’ll reach a huge chunk of rock. (It was already the cliffside). Again, here are some photos of the cliff side:

After a few more photo ops, we rode the boat again to proceed to the next island where we would be spending the rest of the morning swimming. Since we were the only ones there, it felt as if we owned the beach! The sun was up and the sea was safe from dikyas (the local boatmen placed a net around the are to “filter” out the jellyfish, they also roamed the area where we would swim to scout for dikyas) so we didn’t waste any time and went on swimming. I didn’t take much pictures during this time because I was too busy basking in the sun (I wanted a nice tan remember? And I hear salt water isn’t good for cameras, hehe). Lunch was prepared by a local catering service and was served in one of the huts on the island. It was a gastronomic feast of sarsiadong isda, pritong isda, inihaw na liempo, chopseut, enseladang mangga, sibuyas at kamatis with bagoong on the side. The bagoong is worth emphasizing becuase it isn’t the usual bagoong we have together with kare-kare or hilaw na mangga. The preparation was different, it was as if it was fried instead of sauteed. It was more sweet and spicy rather than salty. (YUM!) Of course, we had buko too, they were even freshly picked from the trees!

It was already drizzling when we woke up from our siesta (buhay-baboy, yes, haha). We were still in our swimwear so we just stood on the shore, letting the rain wash the saltwater away. The rain was so hard at one point the nearby islands disappeared. It was such a fun ending to a nice swim on the beach. We danced, we sang and took photos while bathing in the rain. 

The island hopping journey ended around mid-afternoon and we went back to the resort to wash up. We left an hour later for one last stop - Kiwa, where the locals were weaving rafia to make bags, wallets, pouches, placemats etc. The items were really cheap, and they were really nice too. (My camera was already dying so I don’t take much pictures).

When we finally got back to Villa Anita and roamed the area. We were all dead tired from the day’s trip so a massage seemed like a good idea. The tour guides were so accomodating (no, they didn’t massage us, hahaha) they called for masahistas. The one hour full body massage was cheap too, only 150 pesos (the running rate in Manila is around 250 and up). After the very relaxing massage, we had dinner and sang the half the night away. We also played our own version of taboo (Pinoy taboo made by Jeff and Arlene). 

Watch out for my final installment on this series: Discover BonPen - Day Three!

*****

To know more about Discover BonPen, visit their multiply site here. 

Their website is already up! You can view it here. 

*****

All photos are taken by Paula. 

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My interest for traveling was sparked a few years ago when my friends and I visited Bangkok. I think that was in November of 2007. It was the first time that I traveled (for fun!) with friends (though my mom and brother went too). It was a different experience, unlike when I was younger where I only traveled with family. (Don’t get me wrong, traveling with family IS fun - especially when your ‘rents pay for everything, haha, but traveling with friends is a different experience, it’s just different!). We booked our flights, booked our hotels, booked day tours upon arrival in Bangkok and basically did everything ourselves. The experience was so unlike the guided tours we used to have. Both kinds of trips have their pros and cons but let’s not digress. This is not the intended topic for this blog. hehe. 

Since then, this group of friends and I have made it a point to go out of the country at least once a year (last year we visited two, HK and TW) and visit a new local destination at least once also (two and counting for this year, Bacolod and Quezon!). We would schedule our trips during the summer breaks and semestral breaks to accommodate longer vacations. (Oh the joys of being a student in a school that is does not follow the trimester scheme and of having friends who do not have to file for VLs! haha). Decembers were no-nos for us since we are all part of a Church choir and we have to sing during this season, besides, it’s the time for family! Nevertheless, I really started to appreciate visiting new places, local or foreign, discovering new cultures, tasting new delicacies, seeing new sights and just experiencing something new in general. 

Now, my friends and I are always on the lookout for airline sales, zero-fares and the likes. Philippineairlines.com and cebupacificair.com are two of my most visited sites (google chrome shows this whenever I open a new tab, haha. The others are plurk, facebook and my blog.). I’m always surfing the internet for new possible destinations (that is, when I don’t have anything else to do). I even want to buy a Philippine map just to pin all the places I’ve been to and pin the ones I still want to visit. This gave me the idea for this series of blogs that I am starting. I love to travel and I love to blog (when I have the time and the inspiration! haha) so why not combine these two?

Next Stop is a series of blogs on the places I want to visit both in the Philippines and around the world. I’ll do a little bit of research on the places I want to see, the things I want to do, the food I want to eat, the experiences I want to try and write blogs about them. This will not only help me know the place more, but I hope it will also strengthen my resolve to visit that dream destination. Join me as I visit these places virtually (for now! hopefully I’ll be able to visit them PHYSICALLY sometime in the future) and let’s conquer the Philippines and world one destination at a time. 

Are you ready? :D

Watch out for my NEXT STOP. :D

 

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After so many days, finally, I am writing again! *woot*

After about 3 hours of endless driving, we finally arrived at the Queen Margaret hotel in Lucena City, Quezon. This was the first pitstop of our BonPen escapade and this was also the place where we would meet our tour guides for the next three days. 

We introduced ourselves to our tourguides over a breakfast of Lucban Longganisa and Garlic Rice. The meal was a welcome change to the chips and bread that kept our rumbling stomachs at bay throughout the trip to Quezon. (Well, some of them didn’t eat breakfast, I had a sausage and egg mcmuffin from mcdo. :) )

The dish had a serving of scrambled eggs, lucban longganisa and garlic rice with atchara on the side. (It took me a while to figure out that it was atchara, it was dry, unlike the atchara that I am used to). After the meal, we went on our merry way to our next stop, the Conversion of St. Paul Church in Pitogo, Quezon. 

It was approximately an hour ride from Lucena to Pitogo, with ten of us fitting into one tiny Ford Everest. (Well it was tiny when there were ten of you! :D) The only ones comfortable was the one driving, and the three people at the back - they had all the luck). 

 

It was raining when we finally arrived at our first stop in Pitogo, the Conversion of St. Paul Church. It was one of the oldest churches in the area, however, it was already renovated so the only remnants of the original church was its stone frame. Here’s on of my favorite features of the Church, the stained glass depicting the conversion of St. Paul (this was the moment he was blinded by a light and Jesus spoke to him): 

The story behind the name Pitogo is that in the olden times (during the Spanish Period), the people found the statue of St. Paul under a Pitogo tree (Cycas chamberlainii Br. & Kienh, yes, I had to insert that, haha) and thus named the area Pitogo. This is the said statue: (They already repainted it though)

We were also allowed to climb the Church’s bell tower to see the view from the top and also to see the very, very old bells. The climb to the top was scary, considering the stairs was spiral and steep. There was a point in the climb where you had to stoop to fit. The view on top was breathtaking though and it was worth the climb. The way down was even scarier because there was no light. You had to feel the next step with your foot before really stepping. 

After the visiting the church, we then walked our way towards the Watch Tower, which used to be the location where the locals would lookout for incoming boats and ships. If I remember it correctly, it used to be the highest point in the area but now, only a small part of the original tower is visible, the rest is buried under. 

It was then time for lunch when we arrived at the house of an ex-mayor who so kindly opened his doors for tourists visiting Pitogo. Attorney, as he is fondly called by the people, was very hospitable, relating to us the history of his ancestral home. The former president Manuel L. Quezon (after whom the whole province is named) used to visit that house and even slept in one of the beds there. Attorney prepared a sumptuous lunch for us, consisting of Halabos na hipon, Sinigang na Hipon, Adobong Manok, Steamed Crab, Fresh Lumpia, Fried Lumpia, Laing, Ampalaya and more. Of course there was fresh buko, Quezon being the coconut capital of the Philippines. (Seriously, there were coconut trees everywhere you looked! And the trees there were unlike the coconut trees in Manila. They were taller and a bit lankier).

We then rested for a while after being satiated, the cool weather (it was slightly drizzling) making us more sleepy. We stayed at the veranda overlooking the street, exchanging places on the four rocking chairs available. (Some of us took the opportunity to take pictures and roam the rest of the house). 

After visiting that ancestral home, we made our way to the town of Unisan, where more ancestral houses can be seen. We weren’t able to walk and take pictures though because the weather was uncooperative. Afterwards, we proceeded to the Church of the Luminous Cross of Grace located in the town of Agdangan. To know more about this pilgrimage site, visit their website here. We weren’t allowed to take pictures so I don’t have any to show. :)

We finally made our way to the resort where we stayed for the next two nights, Villa Anita, in the town of Padre Burgos. We rested for a while, swam for a while longer, ate dinner and sang (and drunk, a little!) the night away. :) We also played Jengga and Mahjong while waiting for the clock to strike twelve (it was the birthday of one of our companions, Jeff). 

We were also the only ones booked for those days in the resort so it was all ours! It was really a wonderful bonus to an already wonderful trip!

Watch out for my next entry, Discover BonPen - Day Two!

*****

To know more about Discover BonPen, visit their multiply site here. 

Their website is already up! You can view it here. 

*****

All photos are taken by Paula. 

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Magandang Huwebes mga kaibigan! Ako’y muling nagbabalik LP! Kay tagal ko ring nawala dahil sa dami ng gawain di lamang sa aking pag-aaral kundi pati na rin sa aking organisasyon sa simbahan! (Pasakalye yan para sa aking lahok ngayon, hehe) At siyempre, naaliw ako sa pagbabakasyon dahil sa bonggang-bonggang maulan na tag-araw! Kung may oras ka, bisitahin mo naman ito: Discover BonPen!

Tama na po ang pagpplug, heto po ang aking lahok para sa linggong ito: 

Ako ay miyembro ng isang organisasyon na nagngangalang Filipino-Chinese Catholic Youth. Kami ay lupon ng mga Filipino-Chinese sa buong Pilipinas. Mayroon kaming mahigit dalawampung chapter sa iba’t-ibang sulok ng Pilipinas. Mula Dagupan hanggang CDO (o Davao, alin ba ang mas malayo? Meron din sa Butuan), kami’y mayroong mga chapter. Kada dalawang taon, kami’y nagkakaroon ng National Convention kung saan ang mga miyembro ng iba’t ibang chapter ay nagtitipon sa isang lugar. Nitong nakaraang Abril, kami’y nagpunta sa Bacolod para sa ika-25 National Convention ng FCCY. 

Ang nakikita niyo sa larawan sa itaas ay ang aming chapter t-shirt na dinisenyo ng ating ka-LP na si Jeprocks.

Ito naman ang likod ng nasabing t-shirt, ako naman ang nagdiesnyo nito. Hehe. :)

Kami ay mga miyembro ng FCCY sa St. Peter the Apostle Parish. Ang inspirasyon ng disenyo ng tshirt na ito ay nagmula sa aming patron na si San Pedro na isang mangingisda. Isang araw habang siya’y nanghuhuli ng isda, siya ay tinawag ng ating Panginoon at sinabing “Sumunod kayo sa akin at gagawin ko kayong mga mangingisda ng mga tao” (Mateo 4:19). Kaya ang nakalagay sa likod ng Tshirt namin ay Fishers of Men. 

Ang disenyo naman sa harap ay mga karakter sa salitang Chinese. Sa totoo lang, ang lahat ng mga ito ay nangangahulugang “isda”, iba-iba lamang ang sulat. Pinakikita dito ang pagkakabuo ng kasalukuyang sulat ng salitang isda sa wikang intsik mula sa sinaunang paraang ng pagsulat nito. Ang nais iparating ng disenyong ito ay ang pagkakadugtong-dugtong nga mga henerasyon ng mga naging miyembro ng FCCY at ang mga kasalukuyang miyembro nito. 

Ito po ang MISYON naming ma miyembro ng FCCY-St. Peter, maging mga mangingisda ng tao at sila’y ibalik sa ating Panginoon. 

(Hay! Nahirapan ako sa pagsusulat sa Pilipino ha! Dapat na ngang magbalik-LP para mahasa uli ang aking pagsusulat). 

Salamat sa pagbisita ka-LP! Sana’y nagustuhan mo ang aking lahok! :)

Para sa ibang mga lahok, pumunta sa 

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Discover BonPen! is a tour of the third district of the province of Quezon. BonPen stands for Bondoc Peninsula, the southeastern part of the huge Quezon province. It is a 3-4 hour drive from Manila (depending on how fast your driver is and the traffic on slex and in Laguna, haha). It consists of several towns (I won’t mention them all here, just visit their site for more info) showcasing several tourist attractions such as churches, beaches, cultural experiences and many more. The different towns have different highlights: some are beautiful because of their old churches, while others are breathtaking because of their forests and hidden waterfalls. Still, some others are ideal for tourists who want to just sit, stare and relax the afternoon away on private beaches, away from the bustling city life of Manila.

We visited BonPen last may 13-15. :)

The people in BonPen are very accommodating and hospitable. The tour guides were more like PAs than guides because of all the attention they gave us. (This of course is meant in a very very good way).  The caretakers of each tourist spot were all smiles and were always ready to answer any question we might have had. One ex-mayor in Pitogo was even accomodating enough to share his ancestral home for us to see. He even prepared a sumptuous feast for us and let us stay at his home to rest before proceeding to our other destinations. 

Discover BonPen! is customizable according to your dream vacation. If you’re into sunbathing and beaches, a whole day island-hopping trip can be included in your package. If you want to visit old churches and pilgrimage sites, there are also several places you can visit. If you’re a nature person, then you can trek to waterfalls and stuff like that. :) They can also take you to places where they make local products such as rafia (woven bags and others), lambanog etc. 

The beauty of BonPen lies in its untouched natural sceneries, pristine and amazingly very calm waters and hospitable people. In the next few blog entries I’ll be making, I’ll let you Discover BonPen! for yourself, and hopefully, you’ll be encouraged to visit it as well. :D

*****

To know more about Discover BonPen, visit their multiply site here. 

******

Photos taken by Paula, GMP, Arlene and Jeff.

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