i don't like scuba diving...

...when water is below 25C! brrrrrrr!

been months since my solemates and i dove together. and the inch thick dust our SCUBA equipment has gathered can tell you how much we all wanted to breathe dry compressed air soon.

thus the day-trip dive Z & L planned became a reminiscent of our bellarocca escapade (deserves a separate posting), when all 5 of us - wandersoles plus G are present. the world was still asleep but there we were, 6 girls, giddily chants for the awesome dives ahead!

830ish we were already parking at Planet Dive. oh Planet Dive! i luv how the words roll on my tongue. i miss the resort big time, especially after diving 5 weekends without fail last August-September (till i flew to US). glad to have also all my girlfriends agree to join me in PD, my turf! :-)

10ish off we're off to Sombrero island. we requested our DM to dive Batok, which he easily said yes to. dive plan was to dive Batok but to continue hovering till we reach Beatrice (one of my favorite dive spots). volunteered to do the first jump, and oh boy!!! sun was up, but water was rather cold!!! but then again we were warned during the brief, and we thought we're here to brave the cold waters of Anilao!

true enough, halfway through of the dive, i'm getting uncomfortable already. i thought the water is getting even colder. my dive computer registered 24C. brrrrr. plus there was a moderately strong current too. it could have been a different story if there was a good visibility so i can enjoy the sea life. we're close to Beatrice when our DM gave us the daisy chain signal already.

back on the boat, inspite it not being a 'macho' dive, head felt like being hammered. good thing, DM decided to go back to resort and have our lunch first before proceeding to our second dive.

lunch as always was great! buttered tulingan + pork bbq (skipped it though) + vegetable salad + sweetened banana slice = happy diver.

2ish we headed back to the waters re-energised. second spot was Mainit, so we're looking forward to seeing white-tip shark around 70ft below. descent was easier cuz there was no current initially. but after 10mins has lapsed i felt the hammering again on my head. boooo! even with gloves on top of my 3mm wet suit to insulate me, the 24C water can spoil what could have been a great dive. if not for the huge hawksbill sea turtle we saw and the numerous cute little nudis, it felt like forever underwater. so i made up my mind and signaled to my buddy, i'm going ahead. i'll just finish my safety stops and i'd surface to water.

on our way back to the resort, all i can think about was to lie my back on the deck and be warm under the sun. i knew i insisted to my solemates that i want to have at least 3 dives, but with water like that, i'd rather chill under the gorgeous sunset on the deck.

our dive fix may have been far from being great, but with crazy beautiful company, lovely sunset and good conversation, i can't think of a better way to kick-off wandersoles' 2010! i'm pretty sure it's gonna be a swell ride once more! :-)

so do i really dislike SCUBA diving now?? no way!!! only when it's effin cold like that! :-)

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- photos courtesy of my solemates, indayguapa & wanderlass

- cross-posted to coffee mug

CDO woohoo!

because of our extended stay in camiguin (blame it to the white island chill :p), we crunched all our adventures to a day. we arrived cdo 8ish, and even a spur-of-the-moment idea of seeing transformers at sm cdo, turned out to be not viable cos it’s mall has closed at 8pm. haaay. we decided instead a night of gastronomic delight at fiesta sa balsa sa sugbahan. (similar to dampa or seaside here in manila). this one deserves 4 stars. food is great especially the tinolang maya maya (like nilagang baka of tagalogs)! and i like how they undercooked the veggies :-) if only not for the slow service, i can give it a 5.

called it a night at 11. we need to be up the next day 5ish to be ready for the 6am pick up time of the rafting team.

barely 8ish, our adventure has started. woot woot! thanks to L we did not take the basic course but the extreme as he has advised.

extreme white water rafting course = 21 rapids = 18.5 kilometers = 1,001 action photos! woopeee!

more shots here.

and our zipline, canopy walk…geeez! i heard J & S cussing me whilst they're on the platform 120 ft above the ground! they said it was all my idea…and that i’m crazy and all…hahah! but after the activities…all they can think of is SPECTACULAR!

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* if you wish to experience the helluva fun, feel free to email us at wandersoles@gmail.com. we'd be glad to answer your queries on budget, bookings & accommodation. we'd luv to share the fun!

*originally posted from here

zambales secret: anawangin cove + capones lighthouse sidetrip

i am a bit frustrated lately since I have not been to an out of town trip ever since my january surfing trip to crystal beach. partly of my own doing because i enrolled in basic photography class for five saturdays until the first week of march, so weekend road trips are out of the question for now. the day trip i was looking forward to - hot air balloon festival in clark - i was not able to go to because of work. =(

so until i finally finish my 5-weekend photography class, i content myself with researching on new places to discover, planning trips for the summer (and the rest of the year) and reminiscing about the places i have been to and long to go back to, one of which is anawangin in zambales.

anawangin is one of zambales' secret spots - well not so secret anymore i guess. it used to be known to a handful, mostly mountaineers who trek through Mt. Pundaquit (a 5-hour trek) or Mt. Balingkilat (a 2-day trek) and commences in paradise that is anawangin cove. nowadays, even adventurous beach bummers are in on this secret and head to anawangin for a weekend of serenity in the sun, sand & sea.

i have been to anawangin a total of three times last year - march during holy week, may to end the summer & november. it is so accessible and easy to find - from subic, it is around an hour away, taking the straight road to iba, zambales and the only major turn is upon entry to san antonio to reach brgy. pundaquit. bancas can be hired for around P800-P2500 depending on the size of the banca, the number of the passengers and the stops you want to take (capones or camara island stopover), this is where haggling skills come into play. after a 30-minute picturesque banca ride from the shores of barangay pundaquit, the banca makes a turn and from afar you glimpse the white sandy beach and the pine trees of anawangin cove set against mountain ranges.

anawangin is not for the resort-type, 5-star hotel vacationers as there are no resorts in the cove. there are makeshift restrooms -4 plyboards nailed together to provide privacy from the rest of the camp but offers a view of the blue skies or moonlit sky while you are doing your thing . there is weak or no cellphone signal at all, no electricity, just the light provided by the moon & the stars at night, no sari-sari stores or restaurants, just your personal provisions and food that you cook on your campfire. but the essentials are there, sun, sand, sea, pine trees, hillsides and deep well water. on the right side of the cove the caretakers charge P150/person, while on the middle part they charge P50. they say this is for keeping the cove clean and maintaining the deepwell. but P50 or P150 is a small price to pay for paradise. these caretakers sell potable drinking water, sometimes ice and chopped wood for cooking & bonfire if you don't fancy walking around the forest and collecting dry twigs & leaves.

necessities to bring for an enjoyable anawangin trip - tents, sleeping bags, light jacket, flashlight, drinking water (lots of it), food & utensils, first-aid kit, off lotion (although i haven't encountered any mosquitos the three times i was there), waterproof blanket or bag to keep essential things dry, like cameras! of course never forget the cameras! non-essentials but nice to have - marshmallows for bonfire, board-games, rubber shoes for trekking the nearby hillsides, acoustic guitar, body board or skim-board, a nice big ice chest filled with ice, sodas & alcohol!

to maximize an overnight trip to anawangin, arrive early, before sunrise and leave early afternoon-around after lunch the next day while the sea is still calm and to give you time to detour to capones island to visit the lighthouse. a stopover to capones can be tricky, you have to ask your boatman of the wave and tide conditions since the shore on capones is rocky and difficult to dock during low tide or strong waves. but once you manage to reach the shore and take the kinda steep climb to the lighthouse, your efforts will be rewarded with a unencumbered view of endless horizon on one side and the majestic mountains of zambales on the other. the lighthouse itself also provides an interesting subject in photographs.

i can't get enough of anawangin and i definitely will go back. maybe the next time i go i should try trekking via mt. pundaquit. anyone interested?

hearts day with kites and balloons

it was a wonderful weekend out of town, different from the previous valentines i have experienced so far. armed with good vibes and spunky spirit, the secret society decided to celebrate the hearts day neither inside some fancy restaurants nor posh hotel ballrooms but there on the green field of Clark, with a thousand more spectators, waited patiently for the first hot air balloon to take off.

it’s amazing to see so many people up on their feet before the sun peeked its first rays against mt.arayat that served as the fest’s backdrop. the morning breeze that seemingly reminded me of what i miss living outside a crowded city was highlighted with quiet laughter of playing kids whilst chasing for flying kites. and the clear blue sky set a perfect contrast to the burst of colours presented by lifting-off hot air balloons, dancing paragliders and sky divers.

the number of cars parked side by side and the jam just before the SLEX exit were clear indicators of how strong local tourism is. if only all festivals in the country would be as well marketed as this, hefty revenue from tourism sector can be really promising.

it’s my 3^rd year attending the festival but its novelty has not faded a bit. the sight of flying kites brings back fond memories of my childhood. friends who came with me know how excited i was to fly a kite that morning. it’s like me going back to the days when i have less cares. and the emancipation that the taking off hot air balloons gives me whilst i lay there on the grass field is something i really needed these days. the hectic city life can easily gets into you that you sometimes lose balance of it all and moments such as that is all that you need to refocus and recharge.

but the fair would just be another fair like the past years i’ve attended if i have not decided to celebrate it with my fellow wandersoles (sans indayguapa) and N & M – collectively the secret society. no one can jazz up a day more than the combined energy of these crazy beautiful peeps. :-)