Team Injury Independence Day Manila City Tour (Part 1)

At first I thought this was just a joke. We were laughing when we talked about this. I didn’t know they were serious. (Initial reaction was “Huwat?”) Well I guess if you are a part of a jolly and adventurous team you will be forced to look at the deepest roots of those unnoticeable place.

June 12, 2012 (06/12/2012) First Stop: Manila Zoo

I was still in grade school when I last visited Manila Zoo. I remember a monkey throwing his poopoo to the people around him and making funny faces during my last visit. Today, when you enter Manila Zoo, you will be greeted by a big elephant on the right side. 

Then further to your right are the cages of the reptiles. Here I saw different kinds of snakes. The setup was almost the same as that of Harry Potter’s when the boa went out of the cage after Harry talked to him in “parseltounge.” I prayed that none of the visitors that day knew “parseltounge.” (Hahahaha!)

We passed by the crocodiles and the zebras. And then here comes the tigers. And the birds. Lots of birds.

After we roamed around we hoped to drop by at the adventure park where we can meet and greet the animals. Through the help of “ate” we were able to go inside the adventure park for free! Yay! 

See the pot-bellied pig? So lazy the pig was just sitting all day. I will not notice it if it’s not called out by one of our friends. But thanks to his laziness I was able to get a good shot beside him. :D

And then there goes the birds. No I am NOT afraid of birds. But birds with large beaks on my arms and directly looking at my eyes are different stories. I cried because of them. HAHAHA!

Then here goes the white monkey who was so kind to let us take pictures with him. It is trained. And look, it wears a diaper!

And how could I forget to have a picture with the repltiles?;)

It’s also fun to experience a fun-filled morning with the animals. At least in the middle of the jungle I know there are still animals in it.

So long Manila Zoo!:)

Baler – A place like no other

Baler is a 3^rd class municipality in Aurora, Philippines. It is situated seven hours away from the hustle and bustle of Metro Manila perfect for a summer getaway and hideout from the scrupulous media.

Baler secludes itself from the visitors because of too much hassle going there. Seven hours of at times rough road drive not to mention the steep curves and the possibility of meeting rebels drive tourists away. But for those who are brave, a paradise awaits.

Ditumabo Falls

Ditumabo Falls is located within a watershed and can be reached by trekking 20-30 mins from the jump-off point. It is no longer a part of Baler, Aurora but a pride of San Luis, Aurora. The falls is powerful enough to provide electricity to nearby villages hence a 1.2 Megawatt hydroelectric power generation system was built. 

The water was very cold I had cramps on both feet. Nevertheless the team enjoyed swimming and taking pictures of themselves.

Ermita Hill

If you want to take a vantage point of the Pacific Ocean, you should go to Ermita hill in Brgy. Zabali, Baler that is a 10 minute ride from the town proper. Locals and tourists hang out here to have lunch or picnic because of the scenic and relaxing view, fresh air and a free parking space.

 It is said that from the Spanish times, the Ermita Hill was utilized as a spy-hole to warn for possible invaders.

Diguisit Bay

Take the road less traveled and be mesmerized with Diguisit Bay. 

The bay is covered with “dead” corals (I hope the ones under are still alive.) not suited for bare foot walking along the shore. 

What really amazed me was the view of the islets in the area. So fine and pristine, I couldn’t get enough of them plus the very clear waters you can’t resist but swim. 

Dicasalarin Cove

Famous to the locals but not so famous to the tourists is the Dicasalarin Cove owned by Sen Angara himself. It was but pure luck that we were able to reach the area and had a dip in its pristine waters. Trekking is good but if you have a car better use it!

Surfing all the way!

Inggitera de primera!  

I was not able to surf in Baler because I was too lazy and too scared of the sun. It was shining so brightly!

When my travel mates showed me their pictures I promised myself I’ll do it in La Union. (Wait and see surfers. :P )

Balete Tree Park

I don’t know if this is the biggest Balete tree in the world but this is definitely the biggest Balete Tree I’ve seen. They say it is the Millennium Tree standing for more than 600 years. 

People can climb the tree and see stunning view from the top. It felt creepy inside the tree though.

#credits to Paul for the pictures!=)

Mythical Cristobal

Another mountain adventure with Team Injury – this time it’s in Mt Cristobal.

Dubbed as the devil’s mountain Mt Cristobal is situated at the back of Mt Banahaw (Holy Mountain) standing at 1470 MASL. One thing that makes Cristobal an “it” mountain to climb is to see or experience whether the “mysterious” stories are true or not. 

Our group started to climb at 2 in the afternoon after our chartered jeepney dropped us off at the jump off. It took us 45 minutes of pure assault before we reach the first and only water source along the trail. It was an old house where the caretaker lives. We did not meet the caretaker when we were there so we just filled our water containers, relaxed a bit and then went on. Along the trail you can see a small but meaningful sign saying “Move quietly.”  The trail was friendly even though majority of it was assault. The air was unusually cold which add up to the relaxed atmosphere. 

We arrived at the campsite (we camped at the swamp area) at 6:30pm. We immediately set our camp because we start to feel colder. We only used a beach tent and it was not enough to make us feel warm. 

It was a very long night for me. I was not able to sleep. The mysteries of the mountain kept me awake as if I was guarding myself from those entities. My mind was wide awake. I prayed so hard that sun will rise faster than usual.

It was 7:00Am when we went up to the “peak” of the mountain. We had a view of the so-called seven lakes. I was surprised to see my friend “Itchie” at the “peak”. I didn’t know we were in the same place at the same time. 

Anyway, after picture perfect moments we went down to pack our things and head back to the jump off. We literally ran down the trail until we reached the old house. 

From then on I knew what “Move quietly” means.

~Till then.  

A Hundred! Hundred! Hundred! Islands of Pangasinan (A close encounter with armalites!)

This tourist destination is NOT actually in my list of places to visit. It never amazed me (from the pictures I saw and posted on the net.) But I have to take back my words. I was really surprised that somewhere in Pangasinan there is a paradise called “hundred islands.”

We started the journey 7PM one Friday night of May. We rented a van c/o my Ofismate Munik.  It was a smooth journey. We were laughing and telling stories inside the van. It was fun and we almost forgot to eat dinner. After a few hours in the expressway, manong driver stopped at a station along NLEX for dinner break. We went inside Mang Inasal and ate. Suddenly two military men entered the fast food chain looking for the driver of our rented van. They were carrying fire arms. No they’re not the pistol or the Lito Lapid famous caliber .45. They were carrying armalites! (Those big guns that can fire a “sawa” of bullets carried over the shoulder and can go bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Unlimited.)  The manager of Mang Inasal hesitantly asked our group who owned our rented van. I was like, “Ano meron kay manager?”-looking at his facial expression. Our driver spoke and everything is like “WOW! Kami na ang hinahabol ng mga naka-armalite!”

I was not afraid at first because I know we did not do anything wrong. I was not just sure with our driver though. (Har har har!) I’m sorry kuya driver. I don’t know you personally.

A police patrol (I mean a lot of policemen) arrived a few minutes, ready to apprehend our driver.  I began to feel nervous when they started questioning him for papers and other documents. What if our driver is a kidnapper? What if he is actually a rapist? (Oh dear Lord please save us.)

After a few minutes of investigation our driver was cleared and the policemen explained the situation. They told us that a lot of van driver and van passengers were kidnapped along Bulacan lately. They received a call that our van was suspected of kidnapping someone because when we passed by the toll gate we were loud and laughing while our driver and our officemate “Jem” wore poker faces in front. (So much for not reacting to the Jokes and the stories JEM! Hahahaha.)

So there’s the story of the armalites. We can now go back to the real thing.=)

We arrived at our destination around 3AM and went to sleep right away. Thanks to the friend of Utsi we had a place to stay. 

Utsi and I woke up early and went to the market place to buy foodies for the day. I was amazed how cheap things can be in the province. I bought “tupig” and “puto” for the team since I know some of them are not yet exposed to Pangasinan delicacies. 

After a big breakfast we went to the Lucap wharf to buy some “pasalubong.” We had to do this before our island hopping because the shops will be closed at 5PM and we didn’t know what time we would finish the island tour. 

At exactly 8AM we loaded our boat with food and some personal stuff then off we went to the islands. I did this in Coron and in Surigao del SUr. So I want to pose in front of the boat again – now in Pangasinan. 

It was a few minutes before we reached the spots. I was not good at memorizing the names of the islands so I will just post a photo. 

Most memorable experience:

Nope it’s not the close encounter with the armalites!

The most memorable experience I had was experiencing “cliff diving.” Yep! I jumped not once but twice! Ha ha ha! If only we had enough time I will jump 5 times to overcome my fear of heights. Well I guess it’s a to-see-is-to-believe kind of thing. Unlucky for me I was not able to photograph myself jumping. He he he. Next time I’ll bring an underwater camera. (Oh! I need to buy an underwater camera first.) I’ll just bring a friend who has an underwater camera instead. (Insert BIG smile!)

Cliff diving was a rush of adrenaline. That was the longest 2 seconds of my life. The moment you decide to jump and the moment you jump only take a split of a second. But that split of a second is very important. I had to shout before I jump to release the tension. Then when my body reached the water, I knew I was safe. PS: Don’t try this at home. 

Till next time guys. I don’t have a “sulit” trip today because almost everything has been paid by our team budget. 

Hoping to travel with Team Injury soon. :D