Hotels
Like the bottles of soda in the back of the multicab, my nerves were a-rattle. There was a nagging thought at the back of my mind as yet to be fully formed, but already it was frustrating me.
I scowled at the windshield. Beyond the glass, the road stretched. It was flanked by swaths of farmland from where the roadside piles of cabbages and squash had likely come from. A verdant hill loomed in the distance – I could just make out the teeny white of a dome almost lost among the green. Beyond the hill, thick clouds gathered. The haze seemed to spill into the road as we approached, descending with a startling chill which did nothing to help me make sense of my thoughts.
Hotels
Albay Accommodations | A Quiet Retreat at Mirisbiris Garden and Nature Center
Sunday, August 27, 2017
When my friend Rome told me about Mirisbiris, I almost panicked. I thought he meant Misibis. This and that place isn't really within my means. Fortunately, all was cleared up when he sent me Mirisbiris' website and connected me with its owners husband-and-wife Chris and Glenda Newhall. In the website, I found photos of a quaint bed-and-breakfast surrounded by lots of greens. It also supplied me with more information and what I learned piqued my interest. The place, it turns out, was a not-for-profit establishment and employs locals to maintain it. The profit goes to a number of scholars (most of which are children of its employees) and towards a community livelihood organization. There's also an organic farm and botanical garden, and it's apparently very near the beach.
Offering a full range of services, accommodations, and activities, Villa Jhoana is the top choice to suit your business or pleasure needs whenever in the Art Capital. Located near Angono’s town proper, a walking distance to all the hotspots and commercial establishments, the mansion-type resort was recently renovated in 2012. Its new façade and structural improvements made it even more appealing not only to locals but also to residents of nearby towns such as Binangonan and Taytay.
The resort offers seven indulgent guest rooms complete with plasma flat screen, air-conditioning, mini fridge, toiletries, and a private bath with hot and cold shower. It also has a 24-Hour Front Desk, a swimming pool with a slide, free parking, room service, non-smoking rooms/floors, bar/lounge, and, of course – free Wi-Fi access.
Villa Jhoana is also great for conferences, seminars, and social banquets. The place is a popular venue for debuts, wedding receptions, and even photo shoots!
It was December 9th, Dennis and my 9th anniversary. We were planning to go to Abra but after finding out from the local tourism office that the Kaparkan Falls – the main reason we wanted to go there in the first place – was closed for the season, we decided to change plans. We almost ended up staying in and spending the day at home, but at the last minute, we changed our minds, slung our bags on our shoulders and found ourselves on a bus to Anilao – headed to Masasa Beach.
We were prepared to stay the night in Anilao, having read from other blogs that the passenger boats from the port to the island of Tingloy halted operations at 4PM. We arrived at the Anilao Port quarter to 5PM.
We saw that people were huddling over a sheet of yellow paper. Not far off, a uniformed man with his arms crossed watched the scene.
"Magandang hapon po," I began, assuming that the man was a Coast Guard. "Meron pa po ba byahe pa-Tingloy?"
"Meron pa. Sulat na kayo pangalan dun," he replied as he pointed to his left where the crowd was gathering. "Hanggang 80 lang p'wede sumakay."
We nodded our thanks and waited for our turn to write. Anxiety growing as I watched the number of passengers go over 70, but we were able to secure numbers 74 and 75. We also found out that boats are willing to sail even after 4PM if there are still many passengers.
It was already dark when we arrived at Tingloy. During the boat ride, we were seated beside a woman who asked if we already had a place to stay. We said we had none yet, and she offered her niece's homestay. We said we'd like to stay there, and so we tagged along with her, bringing us to our home for the next two days.
After our humble dinner of canned tuna, we slept fitfully, for electricity is cut off at 10PM and resumes at 12noon. For two days, we endured sleeping without any ventilation. The nights in Tingloy, for some reason, are breeze-less. I remember wondering if it would have been better if we slept in a tent on the beach. But we were tent-less and so we endured. I found out much too late that there were homestays that had generators.
In any event, we woke up very early the next day. It was a Saturday and we were glad the beach was still clear of tents. We went around to photograph the island and it was beautiful. When there was enough daylight, we made arrangements to go snorkeling. And for just Php100, we were able to see the thriving marine life of Masasa. It was amazing how rich the waters are. The corrals were huge and vibrant. The fish were plenty and came in torrents.
After snorkeling and a bit of swimming in Masasa's clear, cool waters, we went back to our accommodation to have lunch and to wash up. We took a nap and at around 3PM, we went for a walk to see more of the island.
Tingloy is such a varied place. To get to the beach, one has to walk across rice fields which, at the time of our visit, were teeming with emerald young palay. The rock formations surrounding the beach were also picturesque. And the water comes in a pastel shade of blue that turned darker farther out.
A post shared by Celineism (@celineism) on
By the time we decided to explore the "Lagoon", visitors have already occupied most of the beach. The once bare shores were now festooned with multicolored tents. Away from the crowd, Dennis and I went on foot across residential houses, through a canopied walkway, eventually finding ourselves before a natural swimming pool. It was almost dusk and the soaring limestone wall next to the lagoon made for a spectacular glittering canvass for the waning sunlight.
This is the seventh installment of the Spread the Impact series -- a collection of travel narratives and guides to less-traveled places in the Philippines, with the aim to spread human impact to the environment as well as uplift the lives of communities through tourism.
We all want to wake up to a glorious sunrise. Sunrise Garden Lake Resort in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato not just offers budget accommodations but also a one-of-a-kind view of Lake Seloton.
The eco-resort sits on the banks of one of the T'boli's sacred places – the only accommodation in town that could claim that title. As a result (and provided you wake up right on time), you'd get to walk out your room and with this masterpiece: lilies dot the placid lake. Fog swirls over the calm waters and purplish light breaks over the mountain. Sunrise Garden truly is one of the most beautiful places to stay in Lake Sebu.
Because our brand of adventure during our Catanduanes trip last February 2017 required Dennis and I to hop from town to town, our home-base changes every other day. Here, we list down the places we stayed at during our motorcycling sojourn in the Happy Island of Catanduanes.
You know how sometimes you go to a place intending to make a travel guide only to get so lost in its beauty you completely forgot your purpose? That's what happened to me when Dennis and I climbed Mount Arayat with Gretchen the Filipina Explorer and her daughter Lia earlier this February.
I don't know what I expected of Mount Arayat, but it certainly is one of the most beautiful mountains I've ever been on. The trail isn't taxing. And because there are so many trees, the air is balmy and fresh.
And since there are already enough travel guides out there anyway, I'll put in some photos here instead – just so I could remember this climb. I'll make it up with a bangin' travel guide next time! :)
On the north-easternmost tip of mainland Luzon lies the town of Sta. Ana, Cagayan. This quaint second-class municipality opens up to the Pacific Ocean, holds pristine coves and white sand beaches plus an array of stunning natural landscapes.
Exploring the town's treasures may require a butt-numbing land travel and a vomit-inducing voyage across temperamental waters, but you'll find that all these are worth it once you get there.
Travel had entered my life like a dauntless winter dawn. Its bright, reassuring warmth came right when the chill in my bones and the dread in my soul felt absolute. I was trapped in a wreckage, helpless from the avalanche of my mother’s death, and travel burned amidst with a promise of salvation. Desperate to survive, I looked to it to get out.
To explore the folds of Quezon’s largest municipality is to defy today’s definition of adventure. When instant gratification in the form of prepared itineraries and detailed guides are highly in demand, General Nakar will remind you of the thrill and joy that comes with personal discovery.
Perched on the northernmost tip of mainland Quezon, about six hours from the Metro, is the municipality of General Nakar. Named in honor of Guillermo P. Nakar – a World War II hero whose guerilla forces kept fighting even after Bataan fell – the town was once part of its neighbor Infanta until President Elpidio Quirino decreed them separate in 1949.
Despite being “partially urban”, General Nakar remains devoid of the usual modern comforts. There are no fast food chains here, only karinderya. Save for the public market and some sari-sari stores, there’s no other commercial establishments. Most houses still have thatched palm fronds as roofs and halved bamboo stems as floors. Here, habal-habal is king instead of the jeepney, what with most routes comprising of rocky inclines and river-crossings. Even mobile reception is a bit unstable.
Fog swirled and slithered across the silvery waters of the lake. We were in the early stages of a Sunday morning, right before dawn, when everything took on muted shades of gray.
The gastronomic landscape of my hometown of Angono continues to improve as time goes by. Gone are the days when we're stuck with limited dining options. In addition to the number of popular local foodscapes, here's Hideout52 offering a different kind of dining experience.
This is the eighth installment of the Spread the Impact series -- a collection of travel narratives and guides to less-traveled places in the Philippines, with the aim to spread human impact to the environment as well as uplift the lives of communities through tourism.
