We took a ro-ro (roll on, roll off) ferry (Fare is Php 135.00 one-way) at 5:00 AM from Camiguin (I think it was from the Benoni Port) to Balingoan Port. Balingoan Port is around 2 hours away from CDO proper and it is a different from the Macabalan port where we boarded the Paras Sea Cat.

The view of Camiguin when we left above and the view of Camiguin when we arrived below.

We arrived at Balingoan port at around 6:30 AM and met up with our driver, Kuya Adonis (Van rental cost – Php 3,500.00, not including gas. I believe the standard is about Php 2,000.00-2,500.00, but we were charged more due to distance covered by our custom itinerary.) and we headed off to begin our CDO adventures, which included the most anticipated Mapawa River Trek, the Dahilayan Adventure Park for what is supposedly Asia’s longest zipline and the vast Del Monte Plantation.

To be honest, Kuya Adonis wasn’t so confident that we could do everything within the day but we gave it a shot anyway. Look out for parts 2 and 3 of our day 1 CDO adventure!

Do check out my earlier post on what we did the day before in Camiguin and how to do everything within a day.

Note: some pictures were taken from the cameras of my travel buddies.

I was really happy to have come across this book on eBay. Printed in 2001, you could definitely see hints of his current style of work but just more rough, raw even. It’s great to see where he came from and how his work has evolved into what it is now.

Signed and numbered!

We tried to cram as many activities as we could in Camiguin into one day so that we could spend more time & do more things in Cagayan De Oro. Taking the 4:20AM flight going to Cagayan De Oro via Cebu Pacific. Immediately after we landed, we headed to Tagbilaran Macabalan Port which was only less than 20 minutes away from the airport to catch our ferry, the Paras Sea Cat.

The Paras Sea Cat only goes to Camiguin once per day. It leaves Cagayan De Oro at 8:30AM and back at 4:00PM. Tickets are priced at Php 500.00 for regular seating, which is air-conditioned and quite comfy, while business class is priced at Php 700.00. In my opinion, the business class seats aren’t worth the difference. The regular seats are good enough for the short ride. The Paras Sea Cat runs daily except for Thursday.

It takes around 2 hours from Tagbilaran Port to Camiguin. Immediately after we arrive in Camiguin, we meet up with our driver/guide Frank (Frank Pojas 9205405582. Php 1,500.00 for 8 hours) and he took us to our bangka/boat which brought us to Mantigue Island. It only took 10-15 minutes from the port to the beach where the bangka/boat was waiting for us.

Mantigue Island is a small island with a powdery white beach front. It’s a great spot for snorkeling as the island is surrounded by corals and small fishes.

We had a quick lunch on Matigue Island before leaving. Feasting on some fresh catch of that day, we had grilled fish which kinda tasted like tuna, seaweed salad and some variety of shellfish which was unfamiliar to us.

Next up was Katibawasan Falls. I’ve always been a fan of waterfalls and it was amazing to see one this high. The total height of the waterfall is supposedly around 260 feet!

After the falls, we made our way to what we considered the highlight of our Camiguin trip, which was White Island or Medan Island. It’s not really an island but rather a sandbar.

From what we were told, the ‘island’ is only visible when the tide is low. We were really lucky to have a chance to visit this sandbar. The sand was so white, soft and powdery. We just wanted to sit back and just stay there forever.

After lazing a bit in White Island, we forced ourselves to get moving so that we could catch the sunset by the Sunken Cemetery. The Sunken Cemetery is  probably one of the most photographed places in Camiguin. It really used to be a cemetery and part of the island, but the land surrounding the cemetery collapsed after a volcanic eruption.

We finished topped off the trip with a visit to Ardent Hot Springs, where they have 6 hot spring pools with varying temperatures. The coldest pool’s temperature is at around 29-degrees celsius while the hottest is at 39-degrees. It was a great way to end the day and soak our tired bodies.

Our final destination for the day was the Paras Beach Resort. I think the owners of the resort is same as the ones who own the Sea Cat. I vaguely recall our guide saying that the family of some Congressman or Governor are the owners. Definitely a decent place to stay at with great service. And a plus is that it’s only about 10 minutes away from White Island, so if there’s extra time to kill, you could still head back out the next day.

I really enjoyed watching this film. It’s definitely not for viewers who are looking for action-packed sequences or huge explosions. In fact, you might be wondering throughout the film where the story is leading to.

One of things that I liked about Lost In Translation, the pace was slow and felt like a journey. The same can be said here, instead of a movie, it feels more like a period in the lives of the characters and we, as viewers, have tagged along to have a glimpse into their lives.

The film stars Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning, who is the younger sister of Dakota Fanning. It’s about a Hollywood hotshot who’s living the fast but empty life. He receives a visit from his daughter who suddenly has to stay with him while his ex-wife has stuff to deal with. This meeting forces not only a lifestyle change but changes his way of looking at life.

Definitely one of the best films I’ve seen in a while. I would highly recommend this to all.

*Note: As a point of reference, this is the view of a casual movie viewer. I am neither educated nor an expert in films/movies and any reviews read here should be taken with a grain of salt.

The past few years I’ve been experiencing a decline in what we term as “Christmas Spirit”. This year’s “Spirit” level was probably the lowest ever. Even with all the festivities, parties, decorations and songs playing in the radios and malls, I didn’t feel that it was the holiday season. The only thing that really stuck with me throughout the holiday season was the horrible traffic everywhere.
But.. I’m not a total Scrooge (yet!).  There are still things I enjoy about the holidays and one of those things are family reunions.

Drove up to Tagaytay for lunch. I was trying out different shots and couldn’t decide which one to post so I’m gonna post all three and let me know which one you like best (The 1st one is up top).

My cousin brought the mighty beast of food, lechon (roasted pig).

Some staples – grilled squid & fried lumpia rolls.

My uncle’s most excellent oyster cake. It’s a slight variation from what my Dad does. I think it might be a family recipe of sorts.

Some ube (yam) for dessert (I love ube!). And of course, another holiday dessert staple of mine – pastillas!

Drove back to down to Manila around 5pM and we got to my grandmother’s house late so I wasn’t able to take any food photos.

So I just kept on taking pictures of the lights and decorations.

And some more.

This was a happy day. Hoping for more happy days in 2011.

The other part of it is to document glimpses of my life. Let’s see how that goes.

Please bear with me as I try to learn how to compose my shots better and to fully learn/understand how this camera works. For now, the first few shots below .