zoom zoom with mazda cx-7

"Anything Goes!" This was the theme of our road trip. And true enough, the 45 hours following our departure from my house was filled with the most random of events imaginable! Begining with this sunrise in Tarlac City.

We got lucky again. This time Mazda Philippines loaned us a gorgeous Mazda CX-7 2010 to test out. We tossed a coin and it was decided that we zoom north.



Way before Boracay became a household name for summer and weekend getaways, there was Baguio City. It is situated ±1500m above sea level and known for its cooler temperature compared to the rest of the country. It is about 250km north of Manila and takes between 5 hours drive via SCTEC and the famous Kennon Road.

Baguio is known as the Summer Capital of the Philippines. It was the favorite (and as a kid, seems like the only) destination of family vacation and friends excursion. People pack the city specially during holy week and Christmas holiday, so that's why way before backpacking was popular in the Philippines, they already have a lot of guest houses and hostels in the 70's. For many years, it was the most famous tourist spot in the Philippines. Until the tragedy of the 1990 earthquake that devastated the whole city.

Today Baguio City is back on its feet. But it has gotten overcrowded, dirty, and traffic jam is a fact of life. Life is bustling, that's for sure. The temparature is still cool though. I was afraid the climate change has caught up there.

Baguio City Country Club for brunch

Eco trailing at Tan-Awan Village

Strawberry picking at Trinidad Valley

I have no photos but between above and below activities, we found ourselves joining the motorcade campaign of Baguio city mayor hopeful Mark Go. He incidentally is the father of one of our dive buddy. Unfortunately he came to a far 2nd place in the race.

A bit of culture at Ben Cab Museum

After what we thought was a fully packed yet balanced day in Baguio City, we decided to head down to La Union. Zara's family owns a rest house in San Juan, and we decided to spend the night there and hit the beach tomorrow. Maybe even do a bit of surfing.

There was a sign.

It says alternate route via Circumferential Road. The road less traveled, off the beaten track, alternative always sounds good. The sky is still white and La Union takes 1.5hours from Baguio. We decided to go for it.

And we were rewarded with the most scenic view as we ride into the sunset...

The sky got dark and we realized it's been more than 1.5hours and we don't look anywhere near La Union. We also noticed the road got a little bit rough. Actually a lot! At times, it doesn't even look like there is road ahead!

And then a road block! This is after about half an hour of steep and really rough downhill ride.



It's a joke! The road is closed because they were concreting this morning. But it's absolutely unimaginable to go back! The road is narrow (one lane narrow) and we've been traveling for 2 hours already. The sky is black and there were no street light/lamps. Actually the few and scattered houses we saw along the way doesn't seem to have electricity.

What boggles me is how the hell did the responsible person decide to concrete this particular 20m portion when there were kilometers and kilometers of unpaved roads before and after this part? H.O.W?

We came out of the car, jumped on the concrete a few, and decided it's cured! Let's drive through it and continue. But oops! a group of men showed themselves and inquired what we were doing. We relayed our predicament and offered our solution. They wouldn't let us! These guys are the contractors and said that they need to allow proper concrete curing or they will not get paid. They proposed the car to pass through the side of the road, wall of the mountain, the non-road. They said that the mayor did the same this morning. Fine! Let's see what Mazda CX-7 is made of! hahaha!

And it passed the test! And we move along.

And we're happy that we finally hit the ground. But somehow found ourselves in the middle of a big flat land, no road, no light, no houses. We don't know which direction to go. We saw tire tracks but they all lead to the river...

We came out of the car again and surveyed the river. It's shallow but bottom is soft. Do we dare cross the car? What if it sank? Or got stuck in the soft bottom and we couldn't pull it out? But all the tire tracks went this way...

We had the headlight on and decided to take a moment and wait for inpiration. Maybe a car will pass by here, and we can ask for direction. Then we saw 2 lights at the other side of the river coming our way. It might be a motocycle for the headlight seem small. Then as it came nearer, we realized it's not a bike but 2 men with flashlights. They came over to see if we needed help, awwwww... so we were assured that the car can cross the river and they gave us direction to La Union.

The following day is less eventful. We basically just lie on the beach. We periodically came out to take our meal at the resorts then went back to our mission to lounge. It was frightfully 39 degrees! Luckily we were able to charm our way to squat under one of the surf board rental shed.





We ended up not surfing because of the exhausting heat, except for Lu-ann who tried it for the first time despite growing up stone's throw away from Siargao.

she eventually stood up, but i fell back to sleep already

The final verdict: Mazda CX-7 is one super smooth ride! It was pretty inside and out. It looks like a stylish sedan. It was spacious with sufficient leg room and very easy to drive. If I'm in the market for an SUV, I would definitely consider it. It was stable during the rough mountain terrain. It glided smoothly during the river crossing. And the airconditioner put the 39 degrees temparature outside to shame!

Tubbataha: The Underwater Wonder

And so it happened!

Our hearts were set to Tubbataha this season, even if it means we had to put our faith in Expedition Fleet once again. It's funny how we were all mum about the whole thing, up to the night before we leave for Puerto Princesa, a complete opposite to the noise barrage we created the first time. Obviously we were afraid to jinx ourselves. Vangie, Zara, and I purposely didn't book the last flight to Puerto Princesa, so that we have room for flight cancellation or delays. We were skeptical like that. :)

When the boat set sail at 7:00 p.m., we were bursting with excitement but tried (really hard) to conceal it. Stephen would periodically remind everyone, bawal magsaya (no display of happiness), because the last time, we also sailed, but ended up in Mamburao (hence, the group name). It was deja vu when the boat manager did his briefing. We were rowdy and cracked plenty of inside jokes that we had to explain to our boat mates what happened the last time (flashback: Almost Tubbataha). We were 10 from the old gang and made up half of the divers.

I awoke the next day and heard Lau-tzu said:
"The journey of a thousand miles brought you to Tubbataha.

Tubbataha was everything promised and more! The minute we back rolled into the water, I'm transported into a fantasy world of bedazzling colors and shapes. It was feast for the eyes to have enchanting wall of corals to one side and bottomless abyss of blue on another.

For 50 minutes every time, I feel like a part of the underwater world, finning weighlessly alongside free swimming pelagics: sharks! school of jacks, barracudas, sea turtles, rays, wrasses, groupers, and all those I have yet to consult my fish book.

Now speaking of sharks, everyone I know knew the sharks had been elusive to me. With almost a hundred dives before this trip, I have never seen one! I warned my dive buddies that I am a living shark repellant.

But Tubbataha broke this spell. On my very first dive at the ATOL, I encountered my first to 50th shark!

And the succeeding dives after, we continue to encounter them.

Delsan is a super highway at rush hour where it literally confused us where to focus our attention. We saw a turtle digging as if the world depended on it, then came a densely packed school of jacks on the left, then to our right a long school of barracuda trailed by a couple of white tip sharks. Seriously, were we in Shark Tale?

slide photos by Neil Que, Stephen David, & DM Padoy

This is also where I dove the deepest at 40m. I actually didn’t realize it was already so deep because of the incredible visibility.

I was told by many that by third day, I’ll be tired of sharks. They were obviously kidding. On our last day of diving, at the Shark Airport, where full grown sharks rest at shallow depth, my heart still beats like mad at the the close encounters. It was a fantastic way to wrap this dive expedition.

clip by Zara Arzadon

Life in Tubbataha is out of this world.

Literally, it's "eat, dive, sleep, repeat."

We did 4 dives per day and food is served 5 times a day. If we were not doing either, we were talking about diving, reading books on fish, watching videos about the ocean, or looking at photos and videos taken that morning dives.

During the introduction by the boat manager at the beginning of the trip, he told us that we will be hearing bells a few times a day. This will only mean two things, either it’s time to eat, or it’s time to dive. And if we were confused which is which, he suggested to just touch your hair. If hair is wet, it’s time to eat. If it’s dry, it’s time to dive. It's funny but we've heard the line the last time. :)

This trip was made 10x more memorable because it was shared with a bunch of my closest buddies. I'm super glad I decided to rebook for this trip. Who else but your dearest friends would celebrate your 100th dive with a full production? We set aside time for photo shoot and a surprise awarding of my SDI Advance Rescue C-Card by my friend and instructor, Neil Q.

photos by Stephen P. David

On our last day, we visited the ranger station on a beautiful islet of white sand. A team of rangers is stationed all year round to police the reef. We went over to say hello, photo ops, and bought souvenirs that help fund the Tubbataha organization.

The one with the Ranger Station

As if life is not already perfect, every night, we were greeted by the most glorious sunset. A firework of colors that left everyone enthralled and breathless as we prepare to rest for another wonderful day of diving.

Roll Call of Mamburao 10

Zara, Vangie, Monette, Bembong, Kriz, Neil, Stephen, Michael, Bernard, and yours truly.

Tubbataha Dive Log:

Day One (April 17, 2010)
Dive # 1: Amos Rock
Dive # 2: Gorgonian Channel
Dive # 3: Wall St. - Amos Rock
Dive # 4: South Park

Day Two (April 18, 2010)
Dive # 5: Ko-ok - South Islet
Dive # 6: Lighthouse
Dive # 7: Staghorn
Dive # 8: Delsan Wreck/Crack

Day Three (April 19, 2010)
Dive # 9: Delsan Wreck/Crack
Dive # 10: Delsan Wreck/Crack
Dive # 11: Delsan Wreck/Crack
Dive # 12: Staghorn/Triggerfish City

Day Four (April 20, 2010)
Dive # 13: Black Rock
Dive # 14: Black Rock
Dive # 15: Malayan Wreck
Dive # 16: Ranger Station

Day Five (April 21, 2010)
Dive # 17: Washing Machine
Dive # 18: Shark Airport
Dive # 19: Washing Machine
Dive # 20: Washing Machine

Additional Note:

On April 6, 2010, Republic Act No. 10067 was signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal. The landmark law establishes a 10-mile buffer zone around the park and increases the penalty of violators where the fund will be for the sole use of its management.

Fore more tubbataha info: www.tubbatahareef.org

the evil sisters promote Philippine diving

Wandersoles in Marinduque!

Tour of the Gluttons

Inspired by Travel Channel's Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations' Philippines edition, which we just watched again (with our guest /friend Ram), we decided to do our own Pampanga food tour. And we wasted no time.

As with most north bound trips, meet up is at our flat. We even had a movie night/sleep over to ensure that nobody will be late the next day. Just for the record, we watched (1) Drag me to Hell and (2) Temptation Island.

Technically, our first stop was at McDonalds in West Avenue. It was already 11 when we head out of the house and everyone was hungry. Plus some wanted to try their reintroduced twister fries. But in no time at all, we were cruising along SCTEX (the usual way). There was a bit of a déjà vu feel to this, with banggigay's Gabriel, indayguapa driving, and sctex @160kph. ;)

Aling Lucing's Sisig

The inevitable official first stop of our food trip: Aling Lucing's carinderia in Angeles for the most famous sisig in the Philippines!! A chain of Aling Lucing's Sisig has opened all over, even in Manila, but we wanted to go to where it all began. And not just anywhere in Angeles, because there are already several branches in Angeles, but at the original carienderia!

SISIG, for your info, is a popular Filipino dish and pulutan (something you eat while drinking) and legend has it that it was invented by Aling Lucing when she decided it's too wasteful to throw away pig heads. She minced pork ears, face, skin, whatnot and cook them in oil, chilli, onion, vinegar, pepper corn, soy sauce, then serve in sizzling plate with calamansi (local lime). Yum! makes me crave for it again. Note that we had 3 orders of sisig on our table for 6 people. All you need is rice actually. The true test of good food is if you don't have an ambiance to go with it and it's still wicked. Look at the left end of above photo, how there was an ongoing renovation next door.

After stuffing ourselves full (fool), we decided to take a walk around the charming town. Time check: 2.30pm.

Holy Rosary Catholic Church

This beautiful Byzantine inspired church began its construction in 1877 and was finally completed in 1896. It was with the combined effort of people of Angeles, which at that time was a relatively new town, recently separated from San Fernando, Pampanga. The church did not change so much since it's completion in 1896 even after the pull out of Spanish and World War II.

The Aetas in Angeles

Record has it that the Aetas were not so welcome in Angeles long time ago. The locals even had religious processions in the belief that it will drive the Aetas away. The recent volcanic eruption of Mt Pinatubo has displaced them from their ancestral homes and now you find them begging for survival. But we found a group a few meters from the church selling fruits who seem assimilated to the Angeles society. The playful children had a fun time posing for us.

Everybody's Cafe

After being stuck at Nepo Mart due to sudden monsoon rain for about an hour, everybody got hungry again. And what more fitting restuarant than Everybody's Cafe: The Home of Authentic Kapampangan Food. Find below some of the (un)usual food they serve. They also serve food we consider not so unusual.

camaru-crispy cricket adobo

batute-stuffed froggie

After dinner, we decided it's too early to head home, so how about night cap? And where would be most logical to go? Quezon City? Of course not! We headed further north -- to Subic! We chilled at Pier1 with a few beers and kinilaw na tanigue. But first, we had to take picture of this. Me and Inday at least. :)

SUBIC BAY

Historic Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya is the ancient capital of Thailand from from 1351 to 1767. Known as the Golden Age of Siam, it was the period when Thailand was at its richest and most powerful. It fell from the Burmese invasion in 1767 but remnants of its past glory are found in the architectural ruins all over the city. The Historic Park has been listed as UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991. Today it is a popular day trip destination of visitors coming to Bangkok. It is easily reachable by renting a taxi, taking train, or bus.

We were deciding between this and Damnoen Sanduak. While it must be delightful to take photos of the colorful and busy floating market, culture/architecture is always my priority coming to a new place. Luckily Ayutthaya has elephant park that I used to lure my sisters to agree. We hired a taxi to take us to Ayutthaya, around, and back. The price was 1000 baht + 300 baht for toll fees. I think it's a fair price enough.

Elephant is the national symbol of Thailand. It played a special role in Thai history and religion. Modern day elephants though, have little use and is facing a significant decline in number. I saw a few fund raising drives organized by different groups for its conservation.

Our first stop is the Elephant Ride Park in Thanon Pathon. We were giddy with excitement seeing so many elephants up close and the chance to ride them! The ride costs from 200 baht (10 min) on a short loop around the ruin of Wat Ket. It's quite bumpy and not very comfortable, so 10minutes is just fine for the experience and photo op, he he.

The park (forgot to get its name)also has shows by 2 baby elephants. You can take a photo with them for 40 baht and they can do all sorts of tricks. Very cute!

After lunch, we started visiting the sites. There are over 50 sites to visit, but we only have time for 3 key temples and monasteries. It would be so interesting to stay a couple of days and explore the other temples and ruins. really special walking inside these walls. It's just so amazing to be standing on the same ground, very spot, and touch the walls those people been to 7 to 8 centuries ago. I felt like being transported back in time.

Wat Mahathat

Wat Yai Chaimongkhol

Wat Chai Watthana Ram

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