I did a Toni and went to Random.org to pick the winner of my contest. And the lucky guy is…

L.A.!

Congratulations, LA, you mama’s boy I hope you and your mom love this Mother Earth Bag!

And for everybody who joined, thank you SO much! You may not have won today, but I have two other contest that you just might win! Get a chance to win a Wii Night package from Redbox or a Jansport bag from Bratpack!

Mother Earth Bags are available over at their Multiply store. Flour sack bags starts at only Php 65, while printed canvas bags starts at Php 95. Perfect for the holidays!

Popularity: 11% [?]

Yup, our favorite bad dancer is back from yet another trip! After traveling for fourteen months through 42 countries, Matt Harding is back with another video of him dancing around the world.

Whereas in previous travels he was shown dancing in front of landmarks across the globe, this year’s theme was dancing badly with the locals. My favorite? Matt dancing with the Indian ladies, Bollywood style!

As one comment in this video’s page in YouTube says, “This is the closest attempt at world peace ive (sic) ever seen.”

Popularity: 33% [?]

We check in at Krystal Lodge (some signs spell it as Crystal Lodge), then went off to settle in our hut. We have asked Mai, Krystal Lodge’s manager about boats we can use for island hopping. She refered Eran, a seasoned guide, who proceeded to tell us about the must see places for island hopping. We told Eran that before anything else, we wanted to have lunch.

Eran took us to the town center, and as we walk, none of us could really believe that we’re already in Coron. After settling in a carinderia, Eran left us to tend to his other contacts. He came back just as we were finishing, and we were off to an informal tour of Coron town. The town is quite small. You can easily walk from one place to another, though if you’re tired, you can hail a tricycle.

Sayuri with Coron Mayor Marjo Reyes

 
Tricycles are the main public tranport option in the small town of Coron. There are jeepneys and busses, but they are only for traveling long distances. A ride in the tricycle costs Php 7 each around town, and I was surprised that the tricycle driver actually gave me change and didn’t overcharge. For longer distances, like to Mabentangin pool and Maquinit Hot Spring, you’d have to agree on a fee beforehand. These two places are more than 2 or 3 kilometers from town (Maquinit is about 4 kilometers away), and if you’re going there, you have to ask your driver to wait or come back for you. We paid Php 125 for a two way trip to Mabentaning, and Php 200 one way from Maquinit into town.

Be proud you are a teacher. The future depends on you.

 
Walking through Coron town, we passed through the town hall. Right across it was a basketball court there Coron Mayor Marjo Reyes was playing. We were astounded that we can just walk into town and meet and have a chat with the mayor. Like any homeowners, Mayor Reyes welcomed us into Coron, his home. And like any homeowners, he apologized at how dirty the town is. We were shocked at this — less than ten minutes ago, we were all marveling at how clean and orderly Coron was. According to the mayor, Coron is already dirty; it used to be so clean and they’re working towards bringing it back to its pristine state. Dang. I wonder if Manila mayors can promise and deliver the same?

We walked into the public elementary school, where we saw a building that has been standing since the time of the Japanese occupation. There’s also some rumors going around that there’s gold underneath this building. Hmmmmm.

Fishies!

 
Back into the town center we go, heading this time to the market to buy dinner. Ferdz and Marc picked out a couple of fishes, and one huge lapu-lapu, and 3/4 kilo of shrimp. We also bought two kilos of rice, some tomatoes, onions and calamansi to go with the grilled fish. This trip to the market set us back around Php 550. Krystal lodge has cooking facilities, which you can use for a small fee. Eran was an all around guide; he even cooked our shrimp and rice for us. We took our seafood haul back to the lodge, and set off for Mt. Tapyas.

Where in the Philippines is Gert Boyle?

 
I didn’t read much about Coron prior to coming here, but I received a text from a friend who’s been there before that he climed 700+ steps to reach its summit. We walked from the lodge to the jump off point, a feat in itself quite taxing. There are several benches lining the steps should you get weary, and about four that’s covered. Gail and I stopped at the first covered rest stop and chatted about… things. We never thought we’d ever go up to the summit, but when a caucasian coupled passed us on their way up AND down, we got up and started climbing. Just a short climb from where we stopped was a picnic area. The area was built in a plateu, so it was mostly walking on flat ground and a couple of gradual steps. We passed Marc going down on the way up. He was going back to the lodge, after going up and taking photos from the summit. There wasn’t any shops selling cold drinks at the top, so it’s advisable to bring some bottled water when going up Mt. Tapyas.

Whee!

 
After several rest stops, Gail and I finally reached the summit. Yay, my second mountain for the year! Who’d have thought? We made it just in time — the sun has set, the last rays of light setting off beautiful colors in the horizon. When it got dark, the cross on top of Mt. Tapyas lit up. Even with this shining beacon, majority of Coron is still uninhabited, so the stars can be clearly seen in the sky.

The Cross atop Mt. Tapyas

 
Leaving nothing behind but memories (heehee), we started our descent back into town. The path was lit by several lamp post, but there are areas when it gets really dark. It was lucky that I brought my flash light along. We made it all the way down without stopping, but by the time we reached the bottom, our legs has turned into jelly. Stopping for some cold drinks at the first sari-sari store we came upon, we waited for a tricycle to come along. We gingerly got in and within a minute, we were at the Krystal Lodge, where a sumptous dinner of fresh shrimp awaited. The shrimp was simply boiled, but it was the best shrimp we’ve ever tasted. Dinner was even better with great company and conversation, and after hours of talking about mangroves, coffee and rabid fanboys, we retired to our huts to get some much needed sleep. We’re island hopping tomorrow.

Popularity: 40% [?]

The thing about having other people plan for trips is that I end up not researching about the place. Sure, I’ve read about Coron in my Lonely Planet book, as well as Dive Guide in the Philippines, but other than that, I didn’t really do as much research as I did for my earlier trips. That said, I don’t have any idea what Coron would be like.

Can’t get enough of the scenery

 
I sat on an aisle seat on the flight to Busuanga, so I didn’t really see the terrain as the plane drew near the island. When we finally landed though, I was pleased to see plenty of green mountains all around me. The runway of the Francisco Reyes airport was surprisingly paved, and a bigger airport terminal was being constructed; a clear sign that there’s a huge influx of tourists lately, and that they’re obviously expecting the numbers to rise.

Pang Friendster.

 
Inside the small airport, we were asked to fill out a form declaring our names, nationality and purpose of visit. It’s similar to filling out an embarkation card when you enter a country. There are no baggage carousels in this airport — you have to pick out your luggage from the contraption where they put in the luggage after unloading from the plane. Seair provides a jeep transport to the town. Oddly enough, the sign up top says “Club Paradise,” which is on the other side of Busuanga. Unless you have somebody picking you up, this jeep is your only ride into town. For Php150, it may seem pricey, but it’s a pretty long drive and gasoline is not cheap on the island. I asked our tricycle driver and as of last Sunday, June 8, he said gasoline is priced at Php63 per liter and rising by Php1 everyday.

We’re in Coron!

 
Majority of the road from the YKR airport to Coron town is still unpaved. However, it wasn’t a bumpy ride. The roads are pretty flat, and is already primed for laying on concrete. In fact, the local government have already started on paving the road from the airport and into town, and you’ll see portions of concrete roads along the way. Though not bumpy, the is the dust that gets kicked up by passing vehicles on certain areas.

The rickety wooden bridge. And the Mangrove. Hee.

 
The ride into town was actually quite pleasant. The jeep has huge windows so you can gape at the towering mountain ranges, and animals that roam free. Gail, Eric and I reveled that you can stick out your arm and camera and take photos, without any danger of it getting swiped or hit by a passing vehicle. The air felt so refreshing and to add to the wind streaming in through the windows, the driver of the jeep opened up the windshield.

Our neighbors

 
The jeep’s last stop is at Seair’s office, but if they’re passing your resort, they can drop you off there. Knowing that we had reservations at Krystal Lodge, the jeep stopped at the path that leads to our accomodation. When I saw the small alley that marked the entrance, I began to wonder what kind of accomodation Ferdz booked for us. We walked through a narrow concrete alley, and when we stepped on the wooden walkway, I knew we were already on the water already.

View from our hut

 
The pathway turned into a rickety wooden bridge, made with several planks of wood, some more wobbly than others. Paranoid thoughts ran into overdrive. What if I trip while walking? What if I drop something and it slid through the gaps? And is that a person I see hiding in the mangrove? (heehee)

All these thoughts were pushed aside as we took in the view from our hut. We had a clear view of Coron island, and with this stunning mix of blues and greens, falling into the water (and monsters in the mangrove) is the furthest thing in my mind.

Popularity: 27% [?]

I just came back from one of the most beautiful places on Earth: Palawan. Together with some blogger friends and a little help from Seair, we found ourselves in Coron for a weekend break from the city and all the stress we get from work.

Vilid for passage

 
We had amazing time together; we were all dreading the time we’d have to leave and go back to the reality of daily life. My intoduction back to my reality was pretty harsh: 12 or so e-mails were from eBay notifying me about items I bid on, and items I won. I never went anywhere near a computer during the three days I was out of town, and I certainly never viewed the items I won.

It quickly dawned on me: my eBay account was used without my consent. I logged into eBay, and to my surprise, I was still able to use my old password. I quickly sent an email to the seller explaining my situation then changed the password, as well as the secret question. I switch browser tabs to view my e-mail. Apparently, while I was doing this (or maybe during the time I was spaced out right after I realized what happened), the fake Nina sent the seller a message, asking about shipping costs. The words toy collector, Philippines, travelling and Australia in one sentence stood out the most. Either it was a really freaky coincidence, or the hacker read my eBay profile and dug through my eBay messages (which is pretty empty), or worse; the person knows about me through my blogs, which is a really disturbing thought.

Missing the sun and stars

This experience left me with a heavy feeling. It pains me to know that people would do this kind of thing to others. I am left being wary of people, with the knowledge that whatever people read on my sites can, may and will be used against me in one way or another. At the same time, I feel humiliated and humbled because I used to think that this kind of thing would never happen to me.

Oh well, what’s done is done, and I’ve already sorted things out with eBay. The only thing I can do now is to learn from this experience. But I wonder, will this make me blog less? Will I blog now from with less personal details? Will justwandering cease to be a personal travel blog? I’m excited to start posting about my first trip to Coron, Palawan, but this episode was too distracting that I’d have to put my first post about Coron back for a day or until I can start thinking clearly.

I’m cheering myself up by looking at my Coron pictures. This was taken while climbing up Mt. Tapyas

If ever you find yourself victimised by identity theft (particularly eBay), here are some lessons I learned from this experience:

1. Change your password ASAP. If you can’t log in anymore using your password, the thief has probably already changed it. Contact the admin, and request for a temporary password. This of course would entail giving them details to verify that you are indeed the owner of the said account.
2. Use passwords that are a mix of letters and numbers, as well as lowercase and uppercase characters.
3. Don’t use the same password for all services. If possible, use different passwords for different websites.
4. Ebay has Live Chat Help; the link can be found in their front page. There is sometimes a cue for service, and waiting time can take 5 minutes. The Customer Support Agent would NEVER ask you for your password.
5. If your password has to be reset, the agent would assign you a temporary password, to be sent to your e-mail address. Use this password to sign into the url given in the e-mail. You will then be asked to change your password.
6. Double check whether the e-mail account you registered with on eBay has been compromised as well. To be on the safe side, change the password as well.

Okay, I find myself nodding off as I write this. Time to hit the sack; apart from the 2-hour nap I had after arriving at home, I haven’t slept since 7am yesterday. Coron budget, Seair’s Dornier and Krystal Lodge review, underwater photos and island hopping activities coming up in the coming days.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Five months ago, I lamented that I haven’t been to Tagaytay yet, though it’s only an hour an a half from Manila. Now as we start on the sixth month of 2008, I’m quite proud to say that I’ve already been to Tagaytay three times. First time was the trip with my sister-in-law and nephews (which I’ve yet to blog about), second was the Southern Sojourn with Verdana Homes and Our Awesome Planet, and the third was just last Saturday with friend from the Rice Bowl Journals forum.

What has college done to you as a person?

 
We started early. Rather, we tried. We were set to meet up at 8am at Greenbelt 3, but seeing as I was still chatting to Anna D and Mela at 2 am, I had a feeling we’d be starting a bit late. Nevertheless, I left early. I was running on leftover energy from work, and I figured I better get to Makati before I doze off. The plan was to take the MRT then walk from the Ayala Station to Greenbelt. But as I was contemplating the walk, an empty taxi came and I hopped in. It was 7:03 am then. EDSA was pleasantly devoid of traffic. There’s a number of private cars and public busses on the highway, but traffic was light and when I stepped out of the cab, it was only 7:19 am.

How’s this for branding?

 
Most of the group prefered to meet at Starbucks. However, since I was freakishly early and prefer Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s food, I decided to have breakfast there and just head on to Starbucks afterwards. After scarfing down my order of Eggs Ben and finishing one edition of Bounce Magazine, Ming and Mela arrived and we headed to Starbucks where Peter was waiting. While waiting for Anna D to arrive, we tried figuring out how to fit a 35mm film on Mela’s pinhole Holga. Thanks to Starbuck’s tissue and Tazo brochure, I think we were able to do a decent job at it. Here’s to hoping it actually worked lol.

Mela, Peter and Ming at the Kanin Club

 
By 9:30, we were off. As Peter predicted, traffic was starting to build up on the southbound lane. Though it was moving, traffic slowed down in a number of areas, owing to the extensive construction in the South Luzon Expressway. After exiting at Sta. Rosa though, traffic became considerably light and soon enough, we were at Paseo de Sta. Rosa. It was still early for lunch, so we checked out the outlet stores. Speedo, Nike, Adidas, Levi’s and other store have considerable markdowns. I’m just happy that I only have enough money for the day, else I’d have gone on a major shopping spree.

With Anna D at the Kanin Club

 
After scouring all the stores, we settled for an early lunch at Kanin Club. It was lucky we did, because halfway through our meal, people started streaming in and the restaurant filled up. The group let me order, and I ordered my favorites from our previous feast: Crispy Liempo, Crispy Dinuguan, Chicken Curry, Loaded Fried Rice, Tinapa Fried Rice and KC Turon. I was glad to hear their murmurs of delight while eating each dish. Even Ming, who wasn’t Filipino tried and liked the dinuguan. He says he eats something similar to betamax back in Thailand, so eating pig’s blood isn’t anything new. We were so stuffed by the meal that we opted to just have the turon packed and eaten in Tagaytay.

The chosen valley

 
We were all for lounging, and Peter knew just the place. The Cliffhouse is a bit further from the area where Starbucks and Leslie’s is. Though the view isn’t better, the ambiance definitely is. There weren’t that many people at Cliffhouse and there are chairs under huge umbrellas that protects you from the sun and the rain, which makes the place pefect to sit back and relax.

Inside the Bag of Bean’s garden

 
All that lounging around made us all sleepy, so we headed to Bag of Beans to get a shot of caffeine. We were welcomed by six or so kids and teens all vying for our attention and trying to sell us something. After wading through the bodies, we found the stairs that lead down to the garden. It was great being inside Bag of Bean’s garden. It was as if you’re in a different place altogether. Though Bag of Beans was along the national highway, you can just faintly hear the traffic as it whiz by. There are plenty of tables under the shade of trees, and lots of flowers and plants that give the place a vibrant hue. Those who prefer to get out of nature, can opt to sit inside the covered, screened area. Bag of Bean’s specialty was their English pies and local kapeng Barako. I would have loved to try the Barako coffee, but I prefered to cool down with an iced mocha and a beef and vegestable pie.

Aya is not happy with the burger

 
We were quite content to just sit and enjoy the atmosphere and the company of good friends, but Peter had to go home early, so we headed to our last stop. Mela shared that “you haven’t been to Tagaytay if you haven’t eaten a mushroom burger.” I’ve been hearing about this mushroom burger since highschool; a couple of high school friends would always eat at their branch in West Avenue or at their stall inside SM North EDSA’s food court. I’ve never been able to try it, so I was looking forward to trying one though I was already quite full. After all that hype, I was quite disappointed. The burger smelled really great, but it didn’t really deliver. The patty was too small, so when you bite into one, the dominant taste is the store-bought nothing-special burger bun. Curiosity satisfied, we piled back into the car and headed down to Manila.

Greens and blues

 
This is definitely one of the best weekend daytrips I’ve had. Daytrips, though cheap and highly enticing, are often tiring. It involved traveling to and fro in the same day, then having a long list of activities. This Tagaytay daytrip, though short, was enough to de-stress everybody. Can’t wait to go back, guys! Amanda, Anna L., Argee, Angeli and Ain: you better be join us next time!

Directory of places we went to:

Kanin Club
Paseo de Sta. Rosa, Laguna
Phone: (049) 544-0332
West Gate, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa
Phone: 771-1400
E-mail: kaninclub@gmail.com

Cliffhouse Tagaytay
General Emilio Aguinaldo Highway
Tagaytay City, Cavite

Bag of Beans
115 Aguinaldo Highway
Mendez Crossing West
Tagaytay City
Phone: +63 46 413 4356, +63 46 413 2724
Mobile: +63920 954 6369, +63920 954 6370
Website: www.bagofbeanstagaytay.com

Mushroom Burger
Tagaytay-Batangas Highway
Kaybagal South, Tagaytay City
Tel. No.(046) 413-13-30

Popularity: 29% [?]

This is the third part of a series of posts about my weekend trip to Donsol, Sorsogon for the Whaleshark experience. Previous posts in this series includes the budget for this Donsol trip (download Excel file here), and my musings about being back in Bicol after almost 6 years.

The Tourist Center is the starting point of the whale shark interaction experience. You are required to register and pay the interaction fee (Php100 for residents, Php300 for foreigners). This is also where you hire a boat, a crew and the Butanding Interaction Officer (BIO). Each boat is only allowed to carry 7 passengers (excluding the crew), and costs Php3,500 for the whole caboodle. If there are only two of you, the Php3,500 fee can be a huge amount, even if you split it. However, you can easily find and form a group of seven, since there’s a number of travelers traveling alone in these parts.

I didn’t have an underwater camera so I will try to distract you with random photos like this.

 
Owen and I were supposed to join the other guests from our resort. Due to a mix up, there were only one spot left in their group. Luckily, another group was also missing one passenger, so we decided to split and join the groups.

Before heading out to sea, everyone is required to watch the video briefing. Basically, it tells you about the whale shark and the proper way of behaving during the interaction. Once you finish (or when your boat is ready), you board the boat to start looking for these gentle giants.

Getting ready to dive

 
The best time for butanding watching they say is between December to May, where there is less rain and more sunny days. It was uncharacteristically rainy that week in the Bicol region. Well, it rains in Bicol throughout the year, but we had some unusually hard rainfall that time. The skies were clearing up, but it was still overcast and drizzles every hour or so. Sunshine is important for whale shark watching; visibility is greatly reduced if the sun isn’t out.

The interaction guidelines says that when one boat spots a whale shark, the other boats can’t go near and stalk the same whale shark. It also outlines that there can only be a certain number of people in the water at the same time. However, due to the weather and the poor visibility, the boats crowded around the same area, following the same butanding.

Too many people swimming

 
Christine, who I saw at the Manila domestic airport and who has gone Butanding watching before, said that the whale shark would suddenly pop out of nowhere. Having a slight fear of drowning, I find this a bit disturbing. When we were in the water though, BIO Jun took my hand and swam with me to see the Butanding. He was pointing at something in the water and I was really straining to see what he was pointing at. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I see a grey shape dotted with spots. It’s a butanding!

This is my only photo of the butanding. Pfft. But there’s always next time, right?

 
It’s as if the sun suddenly came out from behind the clouds to give us additional meters of visibility. That and the butanding was swimming close to the surface. It was huge! It really was a sight to behold. Though I didn’t have an underwater camera with me (because I am an idiot), that’s one picture that I will always remember.

We came back to the boat triumphant and exhilarated. We’ve already seen one, and we’re looking forward to see more! Our group saw a couple more after that, so by 11am, we were ready to head back to land.

Popularity: 35% [?]

Are you headed for Singapore this coming June to September? If you are, do you fancy a side trip to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Padang or Phuket via TigerAirways?

This week, we don’t blame you if you need to take a second look at our fares. Starting from S$0.99*, they’re so low that it’s hard to believe it the first time! And that’s not all - this offer is valid for travel between June and September, which means you can even start planning for two holidays instead of one! So snap them up quickly at www.tigerairways.com now!

Source: TigerAirways mailing list email

Ticket sales starts today, March 3, 2008, and end on March 10, or until the seats run out. Sale fares are valid only for flights to and from Singapore.

With this promo, round trip tickets to Bangkok only costs SG$ 147.98, or approximately Php 4,327.19. Fares from Clark to Singapore has also been lowered to SG$19.99 or US$12.83, bringing the round trip fares down to US$100.34 (Php 4,079.98).

As with all airline seat sales, read the fine print carefully! These tickets are usually non-refundable and can cost an extra for re-booking.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Tasmania is quite unlike the other Australian states. This is mainly because of its location. All of Australia’s six states are in the mainland, except for Tasmania. This small island 240 kilometers south of the mainland prides itself as being the “Natural State;” the island is generally unspoilt, with 37% of its land in reserve, National Park and World Heritage sites. (Thank you Wikipedia!)

We went to the nearby beach and I saw this rock covered in what I thought was black pebbles. They turned out to be baby mussels.

 
Hobart, Tasmania’s capital, is the second city founded in Australia, next to Sydney. It is the island’s main gateway to the rest of Australia and the world. It is also one of the main port for ships headed to Antarctica, and recently, regular flight service.

Bob the dog loves going to the beach.

 
When people hear that I planned on heading over to Tasmania, they all gushed at how beautiful the place was, and how Hobart has such beautiful buildings. After hearding all their praises, I couldn’t wait to go to Tasmania.

If this is the view you wake up to everyday, would you ever have a bad day?

 
I was supposed to go by myself, as a birthday present. I got the hot air balloon ride instead, and I thought I would have to kiss my Tasmanian trip goodbye. There was something else planned for me, it seemed. My brother-in-law received an invitation from an old client and friends to spend Christmas in Tasmania. With careful juggling of our busy schedule, we finally booked our flights in and out of Hobart.

Flying kites on a clear day

 
We didn’t really stay in Hobart. From the airport, we just made a quick stop to pick up supplies from the city and headed an hour and a half out of Hobart and into Police Point, where our host have a farm. Upon seeing the gorgeous plot of land (and my equally wonderful room), I was glad I didn’t go to Hobart alone.

This is one of the plants that is pretty abundant in the beaches and the mountain.

 
After the busy couple of weeks we’ve had, it was great to be able to relax in Tasmania. The views from the house was splendid: fields of hay, towering trees, the sparkling blue Huon, and the mountains of Cygnet across the river. It rained a lot during our stay there, and for once I didn’t really mind it. The rains keep Tasmania fertile, and it leaves us with spectacular rainbows.

They stick to your shoes and pants, so better wear your trainers and pants when you go hiking in Tasmania.

 
In my previous post, I said Tasmania was the most beautiful place I’ve been to in Australia. I guess I said that because it was so unlike the rest of Australia. Where as the mainland is mostly dry and barren, in Tasmania you’re never far from water.

There are no chestnuts, but there is a fire. Perfect for warming up on a chilly night.

 
While standing on Recherche Bay, soaking in the beauty we see before us, my sister turns to me and said it reminds her of our parent’s hometown, Bulusan. I then realize what it is about Tasmania that charmed me most. If you’re like me who grew up in Manila, one of the reasons you’d like Melbourne and Sydney is because it’s so different from Manila. The charm of Tasmania on the otherhand, is that it reminds you of the Philippines.

The most memorable toilet I have encountered in 2007. Yes, that is sawdust you see inside the toilet. Absolutely no water in this potty.

Then again, it may have just been the homesickness and the excitement about going home that’s talking. But given the chance, Tasmania ranks high on the places I’d always go back to.

Popularity: 40% [?]