Baguio City for the nth time

Feeling short of our 2 night stay in Bolinao, Pangasinan, we headed straight to Baguio City. GPS directed us to a route passing Lingayen then to La Union then up to Marcos Highway to Baguio. If it hadn't been for my GPS, I would have drove back to Tarlac then take the normal route via Pangasinan. The Lingayen route saved us 2-3 hours of driving time.

Baguio is a very special place for me and Mayfel. This is where we... uhmmm... by the way, did you know that Baguio came from the word bigjiw which is an Igorot term for a moss? Anyways.. let's carry on. We visit Baguio at least once a year even if we are already running out of places to go.

Whenever we are in the city, we stay at the Golden Pine Hotel. They are by far the most inexpensive hotel in Baguio with the best amenities that I know of. Rooms with AC, carpeted floor, bath tub, free WiFi, etc.

The next day, I decided to take Mayfel and the kids to the strawberry farm since it's one of the places in the City where they haven't been to and I also want to test how extensive my GPS's map is. I want them to experience picking strawberries but we were disappointed to learn that it is not the season, December is. So we just settled with a few photo-ops, bought a few strawberries and left. Guess we'll just be back in December then. hehehe

We headed back to the city and went to Camp John Hay for a few more photo-ops. But when we're there.. I can't seem to figure my way to the places I used to visit so we just stopped to withdraw cash, take a leak, take a few photos (including main image above) then went to Mines View Park instead for some pasalubong.

Mines View Park hasn't changed much for me to take photos. The only thing worth a photo for me now is the gigantic dog that welcomes you to the park. For P50, you are allowed to take 3 photos with the dog. I remember the last family picture we had with the dog a few years back, it was only me, Mayfel and Xyza then. Now, we have Ethan so we thought it would be a great opportunity for a new family photo.

We still have a few more hours till the sun sets, we just decided to drop by SM Baguio to buy a few things, relax and watch the sun set which also marks the last of our 5 day vacation.

Bolinao, Pangasinan - Revisited

2010 has been a very busy year for me and Mayfel and we were dying to have a short vacation to unwind and relax. We had a few places in mind but I decided to take Mayfel and the kids somewhere they haven't been to.

It's been almost two years since I've last been to Bolinao (see this post) for a business trip. Here is where I was able to use my first non-SLR digital camera and where I received the news from my wife that I will be a father for the second time so this place is quite memorable for me.

It was raining like hell and we are already delayed for a couple of hours from our ETA because my new GPS navigator directed us on a route with 20Km of rough road just because it is 8Km shorter that the normal route. When we finally arrived at the resort, it was almost 6pm. Because the rain is not showing any sign that it will stop anytime soon, Mayfel and I were already planning of leaving in the morning, though it will totally break Xyza's heart if we do, if the weather does not get better in the morning. Good thing, sun was up the next morning and we were had a chance to take the kids for a dip.

We took the kids for a short stroll at the beach for a few photo-ops. The water is quiet and shallow, you can literally walk about a kilometer off the beach and not get any part of your body wet except your feet. We didn't go too far off the beach though, it was too tiring to walk on wet sand and Mayfel was also too afraid to do so. She thinks a tsunami will hit any moment and we will have no chance to run! hehehe...

Breakfast not being the priority that morning, when lunch time came we were all starving. We drove 10 kilometers to the town proper to buy a few stuffs for Ethan then off to the restaurant that I read in a blog, Tummy Teasers in Brgy Arnedo. Their servings are big but very affordable. Mayfel loved their Kare-kare and says that it is the best kare-kare she'd ever tasted.

We were glad that we finally had a chance to have our vacation.. but.. we thought, "2 nights was too short".. so we decided to go straight to Baguio and stay for 2 nights more. :)

Bolinao, Pangasinan

It was my first time to go to Bolinao and just like what I do on my other first-time-trips, I look for facts, routes and photos of the place to make me a bit familiarized with the place. The photos I saw of Bolinao made me more excited. Even though I'll be going there for an official business trip and not a vacation, I was still excited because I will be able to try out my new camera.

Quoting from bolonaoph.com:
"Bolinao is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 61,068 people in 12,182 households. The people generally speak Ilocano and Panggalatok but they also have their own unique language called Bolinao, brought in by Sambal settlers during colonial rule. Most people generally understand and speak English.

On November 18, 2007, Bolinao challenged the historical fact that the first Mass was held on March 31, 1521, Easter Sunday, at Limasawa in Southern Leyte. Memorial markers (donated by Italian priest Luigi Malamocco, 62, from Odorico's hometown of Friuli, Italy) were set in the town's church and on Santiago Island, claiming that in 1324, Franciscan missionaries led by an Italian priest named Odorico celebrated a thanksgiving Mass thereat and also baptized natives."

I had a chance to visit the Church of St. James at the town's center, I am not sure if it's the same church where they claim that the first mass was held but it's the only church there so I guess this is it.

Facts: Do you know why most catholic churches have extra pathways in front before entering the church front door? It's because according to priests, the purpose is to give church goers extra time to reflect and prepare themselves, emotionally, spiritually and physically before facing our Creator. --source: bolinaoph.com

One of the landmarks Bolinao is known for is Cape Bolinao Lighthouse. Of course, I wouldn't pass out with the chance to take a photo of a 101 year old historical beauty. :)

Quoting from heritageconservation.wordpress.com:
"For 101 years now, the Cape Bolinao lighthouse stands proud atop Punta Piedra Point in Barangay Patar in Bolinao, Pangasinan, guiding ships and vessels cruising the international passage along the South China Sea.

Nestled amid trees, the lighthouse was built in 1905 by Filipino, British and American engineers. It is one of the five major lighthouses in the country and the second tallest, next to the Cape Bojeador lighthouse in Burgos, Ilocos Norte."

Bolinao is about 5 1/2 to 6 hour bus ride from Manila. Arriving at Bolinao, you'll still have to take a tricycle to the resort of your choice. Fares are Php20 per person but you can arrange a special trip for about Php100 to Php150 depending on how good you haggle. Arriving at the resort, the first thing you'll notice is the sound of the waves that seems to never end. Unlike other beaches I've been to where waves have a 2 or 1 1/2 second interval, Bolinao's waves are continuous. Excited, after checking in, we went straight to the beach to be surprised as to how far the waves are. The water is only about knee-deep from the beach to the waves several meters away. We can still see people walking from afar close to the waves that from where we are seems to be 3 to 4 feet taller than them. Resort staffs say that beyond the breakwater would be a sudden 100 feet drop. I was got scared so much, didn't set foot on the water on my 7 days stay there.. yep, not even a dip.

Located several meters from the main road, hidden by the coconut trees, is Bolinao's Enchanted Cave. Another popular destinations for tourists. To enter the cave, you need to pay Php30 or Php50 if you want to take a dip. This is my first time to enter a cave so my excitement was overflowing. The time we were there, a group of tourist from Ilocos were also visiting that made the place very crowded. Only 10 people were allowed to enter the cave at a time, all taking pictures and talking at the same time... very irritating. My Enchanted cave experience is very disappointing.. it's warm, dark, moist, and full of yapping people. I wonder how someone can take a dip on the 30 meter wide pool inside the cave with all these tourists walking in every 10 minutes or so.

For me, the whole Bolinao experience is pretty enjoying. I had a chance to take a number of good photos and was able to visit a few historical places as well. I can't wait to experience Bolinao on summer, when waves are hopefully calmer and can't eat me whole. :)

Puerto Del Sol Resort

Puerto Del Sol Resort

Puerto Del Sol Resort

Treasures of Bolinao Resort

Treasures of Bolinao Resort

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my new hobby..

It was in the summer of '94 when I won 2nd Place on a Photography contest on a Nationwide Leadership Training Camp by the Philippine National Red Cross for volunteers all over the country. I didn't get to see the 2 photos I took but I'd bet it was good, or else I wouldn't have won (unless there are only 2 participants and 1 of them was me). None of the participants on the activity was a professional photographer, this is our first time to ever use an SLR camera. After a very very brief session about how the camera works and a few descriptions about shutter speeds, apertures, proper camera handling, etc. We were each given 20mins to find our subjects and shoot. It took me around 5mins to find a subject that I like, not because I am good at composing photos but because I was not comfortable walking around with someone following me, the owner of the SLR camera we're using.

The whole experience gave me a glimpse about photography, got me excited and wanted discover more. But the cost of SLR cameras, lenses, films, developing and other photography-stuffs held me back. Several years, a wife and a daughter later.. I was reunited with my urge for photography, thanks to the good image quality of my mobile phone camera, the Sony Ericsson P990i. I received good comments on the photos I took on my trip to Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte using my mobile phone and they are suggesting I get a DSLR. But I can't afford to buy a DSLR right now so I looked for a cheaper alternative, a point-and-shoot camera that has manual modes that would allow me to play with different exposures and settings. Then I found the Canon Powershot A590IS. It's no DSLR, but for a beginner like my, it would do. The A590IS has a manual mode that I hope would help me understand more about the technicalities of photography (shutter speeds, ISO, aperture, etc.) before I shell out a huge amount of cash on an entry-level DSLR.

A week after buying my camera, I had the chance to go to Bolinao, Pangasinan for an official business trip. The trip gave me a chance to try out my camera. The images I posted on this article are the first and the last of the shots I took during the trip using my A590IS. More photos of Bolinao will be on my next post (or you can just visit my Flickr page).

Birthday Bash!

The last week of September is our week. September 19 is Mayfel's birthday (my wife), the 26th is our anniversary and the 27th is my birthday. It's a triple celebration and this year is our 5th year together and we can't decide how to celebrate it. Last week, while I was going through my files, I saw our photos from our trip to Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, Philippines two years ago. I thought it would be a nice way to celebrate our 5th year and birthdays so I told Mayfel about it and she loved the idea. On Thursday evening, September 25, we plan t

o go back to Pagudpud and (hopefully) enjoy our trip this time. If only we had known that our first trip there would only end with problems and issues between our trip-buddies, we wouldn't even had gone. Most of the good memories of that trip was ruined because of them. This time, it's only me, my wife and my daughter, Xyza, together with my trusted and well known friend and his family who's going.

After the trip was scheduled and finalized, I browsed through my files to look for the map to Pagudpud that I created before. The map was created using Google Earth together with some GPS data i found on the internet. I imported the file and found out that the route to

Pagudpud has now hi-res images available. So I re-traced the roads again and after 10 hours, I came up with version 2 of my map which is, for me, 95% more accurate (see for yourself!). I decided to make my map available for those who want to visit Pagudpud.


Click the link below or right-click and choose "save target as" to download:

Pagudpud Route v.2.0 (pagudpud_route_2.0.kmz) {74.7KB}


Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte is at the northern tip of the Philippines. Getting there by car or bus would take at least 10+ hours of travel time. Taking a plane to Laoag then a bus ride to Pagudpud is way shorter but you'll be missing the chance to appreciate the scenery on the way there. For us, going there by car is the best option. This will allow us to go on side-trips on some of the tourist spots on the nearby towns (Paoay Church, Bangui Windmills, Fort Ilocandia, Vigan, etc). Also, we'll be free to stop anytime, anywhere if we want to take a photo or two. Wouldn't get that much freedom if you're on a bus or on a plane. =)

Photos from: http://abaniko.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html

The spotlight's on you today! Happy 23rd Birthday!!! {09-19-2008}

This one goes out to my one and only loving wife. Happy 23rd Birthday! I rarely give out greetings, I'm too lazy to do that, but of course, this one's an exemption, this one's special. Mommy, you're getting older already yet still very young at heart. I hope that this is not just another number added to your age but an opportunity for you grow even more, intellectually, spritually and morally, and a chance to be stronger to face several more years of trials and successes that will come your way. But fret not, 'coz for every trial that blocks you, look back, you''ll always find me there, behind you, to hold your hand and help you surpass whatever obstacle comes (naks!). But I hope you're not expecting me to throw out romantic lines here... plus, I'm saving that for another date (clue *wink* ). For now, I just want to wish you a very very very happy birthday and congratulations (you're 23 na!)!

I Love You, Mommy Mayfel!