2013: My Year in Pictures

This year has been a really amazing year for me as a lot of things happened in 2013 that are so overwhelming, I couldn't believe that I did all that myself. I thought I'll be having a tough one because I welcomed it with a bad start. But then, I thought to myself that I should just be the bigger person and should not let the bad things consume me to the point that I should just wish this year would end. So I bounced back, burned the bridges and let it just light my way to happiness which I am currently experiencing now. :)

So in summary, I've nursed a heartbreak, lost my job, lost a lot of weight, bounced back, got a new job, learned my 4th language, got a new car, made my business grew, met new people, traveled a lot, lot, and just traveled a whole lot more. Did I mention that enough? :)

Everyone knew that I just found bliss in traveling and I always say that becoming a traveler is my new found self which I intend to keep for the rest of my life. I've gone places this year and I'm always longing to see more. I've become fascinated with going somewhere, meeting new people, experiencing adventure to a whole new level and learning new things along the way. There's been a lot of firsts for me and I can't say I've seen it all, but I'm super happy with all the places I've been in!

So in review, I'd like to look back at what happened this year:

1. I've visited 7 beaches this year. One beach is definitely different from another and it's with the experience and the people you're with. 

Sunset at Anawangin Cove, Zambales.

Quezon Island, Alaminos, Pangasinan

Sunset at Burot Beach in Calatagan, Batangas. 

Alubijod Cove, Guimaras Island. First pristine beach I've seen. 

Cagbalete Island, Mauban Quezon, where we got stranded for two days. LOL.

Pink Beach, Great Sta. Cruz Island. My dream beach!

White Beach, Malamawi Island, Basilan

2. I'm no mountaineer, but I managed to climb 4 mountains this year! 

Mt. Pundaquit, Zambales

Mt. Natib in Orani, Bataan. The most challenging mountain I've ever climbed!

Mt. Manalmon, Sitio Madlum, San Miguel, Bulacan

Mt. Pulag, Bokod, Benguet. The highlight of my travels this year! I finally saw the sea of clouds!!!

3. I love waterfalls and seeing 11 of it this year is such an amazing experience!

Pasukulan Falls, Mt. Natib, Orani, Bataan. Oh you gave me the most epic cramps ever, but you're so beautiful, I didn't mind anyway.

7 Falls at Mambukal Resort, Bacolod

Merloquet Falls, Sibulao, Zamboanga City.

Cabunbata Falls, Isabela, Basilan

Tabiawan Falls, Isabela, Basilan

4. Just some random things here, for the first time in my llife, I...

...let go of my long locks and rocked a pixie haircut! I didn't know it was bagay for me, LOL.

..learned how to pitch a tent, then got drunk and sleep on the beach under the stars

 ..went caving at the Madlum Cave, where I learned there's a level of difficulty in each cave.

..crossed a monkey bridge at the Madlum River

..River crossing. I like the feeling of that cold rush of water.

..gone rock climbing (Mt. Natib.. this! I'd never imagined myself climbing that 80 degree rock assault!)

..explored Iloilo City and Guimaras all by myself.

..wore a bikini (cheers to summer! XD)

..rode a habal-habal ride

..learned how to surf

...seen the MassKara festival in Bacolod and danced like crazy kids in a street party.

..met strangers on Instagram and eventually became my best travel buddies! I'm glad I took the chance! :D

..and many other firsts that I've experienced this year! I feel super happy, blessed and thankful that He's always guiding me towards making everything happen this year. I am also thankful to all the new people I met this year, especially my travel buddies whom I just met on Instagram. Without them, all this wouldn't be possible or probably wouldn't be as fun as this. I also learned that it's never too late to get out of your comfort zone and start living your dream and besides, it's been fun and I intend to do it again next year! ;)

Tickled Pink at the Great Santa Cruz Island

For the second part of our Zamboanga-Basilan adventure series, we went to Sta. Cruz Island and my dream of going to a pink beach just came true that weekend! You could imagine my joy when I saw it in person! 

PINK BEACH!!! Ohhh BLISS! 

I first learned about the famed pink beach when it was featured on Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho last year. Being in love with the color itself, I thought that someday I'm gonna visit this place...and here I am! Spending an entire day on the beach of my dreams! :) Okay so it happened on the 2nd day of our Zamboanga tour, my friends and I woke up early to get to the boat we arranged for a schedule that day. We went out as early as 6AM so we could still have time to go the market and buy our food because we're going to cook there. We also bought drinking water as there is no water source on the island.

From Chang-V we rode a jeepney again going to the market and after shopping, we walked for a short distance from the market to Paseo del Mar, where our reserved boat was waiting for us. BTW, a little trivia here, there are two islands--Great Sta. Cruz Island and Little Sta. Cruz Island. Travelers are off limits to the little island because that's where the navy guards are stationed so don't bother bugging your guide to take you there.

To go to the Great Sta.Cruz Island, you need to rent a boat for 1,000 pesos and it can hold a maximum of 10 people. If you're on a budget, you can ask the tourism office for scheduled trips with a different group so you can hitch a ride going there. We also paid a small terminal fee and we had an armed escort with us; when I say armed, a soldier with a rifle. The tourism office will never allow you to go to the island without one, it's for safety and security purposes. :)

See what I mean? 

The short ride just took us 10-15 minutes before reaching the island and we were the only ones there, aside from the souvenir vendors who I think lives there, we pretty much enjoyed the island all by ourselves.

Ohhh I'm super happy! The sand really is pink, especially on the shoreline, where sand meets the sea.

If you look closer you'll see the tiny bits of red Organ Pipe corals washed ashore, giving the sand its pinkish color.

We also got a chance to have a quick tour at the now restricted area of the Badjao Cemetery, where burials have been prohibited since 1975. I didn't take pictures in respect of the departed. 

For some reason, the sand at this part is finer than the shore where we took off from our boat. Almost like Boracay sand according to my friends. (I can't tell coz I haven't been there :D) You may also shop for souvenirs here in the island, they sell a variety of products from jewelries to ref magnets to key chains. 

This black coral branch looks interesting. Too bad I can't take it home.

We prepared our lunch on the island, they have grilling stations provided. If you need to change into dry clothes after swimming, there are changing rooms are available, but you can't take a bath though because there's no water. We had a scrumptious feast of seafood for lunch which we cooked there (except for the rice) using the available grilling stations. We found someone selling crabs for about 300 pesos and he even steamed it for us!

Beach food! :)

Aside from pigging ourselves out, my travel buddies posed gamely for a beach photoshoot. I am a photographer and I told them to trust me when I tell them pose for a "pa-hot" shot so I could picture them in good angles. From portraits to jumpshots, we took pictures till we got tired of it. Anyway, meet Team Zamboanga LOL.

Anne (traveladik on Instagram)

Je (ezzydangerous on Instagram)

Jay (gladjaytor on Instagram)

Jep (jepepips on Instagram)

Jumpshot! (That's Little Sta. Cruz island behind us)

Oh and I shouldn't forget my personal bodyguard, the Clone Trooper. LOL.

We left the island around 3pm as no one is allowed to stay before it gets dark and we were escorted by our armed guide until we reached the mainland. 

That boat full of guides and armed escorts makes you feel really safe in Sta. Cruz Island. Zamboanga really cares for the safety of their tourists. :)

Brat face. 
I don't wanna leave yet. -_-

I find my stay at the Pink Beach too short to enjoy my time there. I love beach camping and this was one of the beaches I'd love to pitch a tent on. However, I could only relish the  feeling of that pinkish sand rubbing between my toes, and that is something I'll never forget; I am so overwhelmed that I was able to go to my dream destination that day! :)

I survived Zamboanga and Basilan! Part One

I made it! 

I thought I'm only limited to explore Luzon and Visayas, but I went to Mindanao, baby! I made it to the farthest part of the country that never in my wildest dreams I've ever set foot on. It was a fun-filled weekend as we toured around Zamboanga and Basilan to explore its beauty. I was still in awe as I write this because I still feel overwhelmed by the experience at this time!

Blame sponteneity for this trip (I think we've already mastered it. XD) since everything happened in a blur, all of a sudden, I booked myself to some destination without any plans whatsoever--6 months ahead of date. I was like, what the heck, just go with the flow. I'm starting to become an adventurer now, so I know I'll be fine.  ..and I also got certified lakwatseros/lakwatsera with me, I'm sure it's gonna be a blast.

I went to Zamboanga with 4 of my travel buddies whom I just met on Instagram. We've been places already prior to this, but this particular trip was something we've anticipated for the longest time. BTW, we choose an early flight so we can start our day early too. 

I love seeing a sunrise on the plane.

We arrived around 7am and went straight ahead to Chang-V Pension House which is just a jeepney ride away from the airport. For newbies in Zamboanga City, getting to and from around downtown and other places is easy, you just need to ride a jeepney. The fare varies from 8-15 pesos depending on the location. To get to Chang-V Pension House, you need to ride the Canelar jeepney and alight the Atilano Compound, which is marked by Gerry's Grill restaurant in front. You'll never miss it. (photo by @jepepips)

It's the only place in the compound that has an available family room and for a group of 5 people, it's Php1,000 per night. It's pretty cheap since we're gonna be staying for 3 nights there. However, you may explore the compound and check out the other pension houses.

After a quick rest, we rode a jeepney going downtown to explore the city. The fare is just 8 pesos and it's a quick 5 minute ride from the pension house. Mind you, it's safe now in Zamboanga. The chaos has ended and it's pretty safe to roam around even when you have your gadgets with you.

Day 1: City Tour

Our first stop was the city's famous city hall. The facade has an interesting vintage feel to it and according to my friend who lives there, a city ordinance has been made for all of their government buildings to look like Spanish colonial houses.

Even this BPI building looks cool too. :D (photo by @jepepips)

This is to preserve the city's culture and heritage; Zamboanga is Asia's Latin City afterall. It's even prettier at night. Check this out.

Christmas is in the air! :D

Across the city hall is the old Plaza Pershing. They say it has been reopened on 2011 after it's renovation.

For our first food stop, we ate at Tsokolate which serves the best moist chocolate cake ever!

It's a must try! It's only 35 pesos!

They also have interesting interior too, from Christmas figures to aquarium tables, to old vintage stuff alike.

After our late breakfast, we went to Paseo del Mar to check with the tourism office there on how to get to Santa Cruz island, where we will spend our second day. So, we settled our reservations because everyone must register their names for security reasons. 

Paseo del Mar, the best place where you can view the sunset in Zamboanga City.

We explored the area more and this is where we found the Vinta! It's so cool seeing one upclose. It's like reliving the images you see on your old grade school books.

Ohhh those colors! 

It was super hot and we wouldn't want the mid-noon sun to scorch us before we even hit the beach so we decided to take a Vinta ride later before the sun sets so its much cooler.

We then walked a short distance ahead of Paseo del Mar to Plaza del Pilar where a mini fort is located. It's like a mini walled city of Intramuros, and according to Wikipedia, "it's a military defense fortress built by the Spanish colonial government". However, since it's a weekend, the gates and the museum are closed to so we couldn't see what's inside. Boo.

Then across the street is the Fort Pilar Shrine, or Nuesta Senora La Virgen del Pilar. It's like a garden church where a mass is held in the open area. Interesting note here, when you see the altar, it's filled with pencils. 

They say that the students leave it there prior to taking their bar exams, then use it afterwards to get their blessing. (photo by @jepepips)

We resumed our city tour after taking a nap then went for our much awaited Vinta ride at Paseo del Mar. It only costs 50 pesos, but if you're feeling generous, you could give a tip. The ride was short, just about 10 minutes, I guess, for a quick photo op on the famous vinta. It's like reliving my childhood memory of just seeing these colorful sails on my text books, but now, I'm riding one! XD

Vinta ride. More fun only in Zamboanga City! 

Aside from a riding a vinta, there are also other things you could do at Paseo del Mar. You could watch the sunset while eating Zamboanga's Knickerbocker.

Sunset + Knickerbocker = B.L.I.S.S.

It's a tasty mixture of fruits (watermelon, mango, melon, coconut, banana and gulaman jelly) with milk and strawberry or vanilla ice cream on top. It's their own version of halo-halo. Aside from Knickerbocker, Paseo del Mar offers a wide variety of food choices, from grilled food to burgers to pizza. You may eat your heart out while watching the beautiful sunset, overlooking Little Santa Cruz Island.

Just look that at picturesque Zamboanga sunset. Simply beautiful for words!

Last part of our day trip is we went to Alavar Seafood Restaurant to try their Curacha dish, served with their famous Alavar sauce. 

*drools*

It's my first time eating something like this and my buddies did a good job in pushing me to try it. I'm like, if it's not fish or shrimp, I won't eat it. But this one was different, it's Curacha with Alavar sauce! Only served here in Zamboanga City! Funny thing is, my friends taught me how to eat Curacha LOL. I'm such a noob. 

It was a tiring day, but we still have 4 more days to enjoy our trip! The next part of my blog will take you to the famed pink beach! Before I forget, here's the suggested itinerary and expenses for today's trip, keep in mind that this is a shared budget for a group of five though but I hope you find it useful. 

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DAY 1: Zamboanga City Tour

7AM - ETA Zamboanga

7:15AM - Arrival at Chang V Pension House

9:00AM - Start city tour

9:10AM - Zamboanga City Hall, Plaza Pershing

9:30AM - Breakfast at Tsokolate

10:30AM - Paseo del Mar

11:15AM - Plaza del Pilar

11:30AM- Church visit

11:45AM - Buy groceries downtown

1:00PM - head back to inn for siesta

3PM - Lunch/Merienda at Paseo del Mar

4PM - Vinta ride

5PM - Sunset watching

6:30PM - Dinner at Alavar Seafood Restaurant

8PM - go home

Budget: (in pesos)

8 - jeep to Canelar from airport

8 - jeep to downtown

65 -Blueberry Cheesecake at Tsokolate

8 - jeep going back to inn

8 - jeep going downtown 

65 - Knickerbocker

120 - pizza

9 - jeep to Alavar Seafood Restaurant

180 - shared dinner

200 - shared room rate