Zambales Island Tour

In my tours, I get to meet different kinds of people. My April 25 to 26 tour was composed of 15 people whose common denominator is that they are all former college classmates. My other tour was made up of two groups. One was former high school friends who even having graduated 10 years ago, have still managed to keep in touch with each other. The other group on the other hand was employees of a known company in Eastwood. I am amazed that despite their busy schedules, they have taken the commitment to make time for their outing just so that they will be reunited.

As a tour organizer, I get to see wonderful scenery, meet new people, have fun & get paid doing it. But hey, it's not all fun.

There are also hitches like delays and a possibility of having 1 or 2 difficult participant. It can be that they are hard to please or that they just have high expectations. As they say, it's part of the game and I don't mind if I do encounter guests such as those. Then there are also the long hours & the physical demands of the work.

As of now, I see myself counting miles.

For more pics, visit http://www.travelplus.multiply.com/

The Birth of Travel Plus

I love to travel, seeing new places and going on road trips. In my frequent travels, I have had some bad experiences like getting lost or mixed-up reservations leaving me & my family no place to go to after a long trip. And since I am in charge of my brood, I find myself in the market and kitchen attending to the food of the group and missing all the fun.

It is because of this that I have found the need for a tour organizer. With today's fast paced lifestyle & heavy workload, who has the time to coordinate everything? Sure D-I-Y vacations can save you a few bucks and if you have the time and patience, why not? But in the end, after computing everything, the few bucks saved is not worth the lost time and frayed nerves.

Thus, Travel Plus was born. Still in its early stages, my pet business is something that keeps me on my toes. I have to admit that I'm still learning and at times can be a bit stressful. But I am enjoying every minute of it. Visit my multiply site at www.travelplus.multiply.com.

Visiting Sagada

Where can you find a place that is so serene and blessed by nature? Where the people are kind and accommodating? Where the way of life is so simple.... seemingly untouched by the rapid changes in our society not because they do not have access to it but because they want to protect their way of life?

Where else but in the beautiful Sagada, Mountain Province. It is a place that would entail twelve to thirteen hours travel from Manila.

For a family of six, bringing our own vehicle was the most logical thing to do. We took the Baguio route going there and the Banaue route going home. There was around 3 hours of bumpy and butt aching ride as the only road leading to Sagada is not all cemented.








What makes the bumpy ride worthwhile is that you are treated by a spectacular view of nature.

Sagada is known for its scenery & caves. So we wasted no time in visiting its famous Sumaging cave. One must register at the municipal hall upon arrival before you can tour the town. They have an organized Guides Association who will accompany you when you do your chosen adventure. The rates are all standardized so there is no worry of being overcharged. Getting a guide is a must especially when you visit the caves and go hiking as it is easy to get lost and once inside the limestone caves, it is very slippery. We availed 2 guides since we are a group of 6, mostly kids who would need assistance. I must say that the guides were worth it. Since I have 2 little boys ages 5 & 6, they easily carried them on their shoulders when treading the slippery rocks inside the caves. They are skilled mountaineers and they really know their way around.

The experience of going inside the cave was quite difficult for me at first but later on got the hang of it. The guides took our hands on the parts where one would be required to go up or down on steep stones. Inside, you will be amazed at the magnificent stalactite formation and as you go deeper in the cave, fresh cold water will be a welcome refresher. Treading carefully is a must as the lime stones can be very slippery. There are portions wherein they asked us to go barefoot, coached us where to pass or how to climb the rope. My kids never complained and were excited by what they are seeing. They even took a dip in the cold water. To say that it was a thrilling experience is an understatement. The exhilaration of exploring the huge cave and making it out was truly unforgettable. One thing though that I really found hard was the part of going up to the mouth of the cave. It was a long climb up that I was really panting. Whew!

The next day, we went hiking for the Kiltepan view. Reaching the top, one would be awed by the magnificent scenery it offers. The mountain terrains and the Sagada terraces are so awesome. Some visitors go there to have a picnic and admire their surroundings. Definitely a photographer's haven.

There were so many places that we went to see like the Bokkeng waterfalls where the kids enjoyed a swim. The Hanging coffins, Burial caves, Echo Valley & St. Mary church are also among the places that we visited. Going to the burial sites require silence & respect as the natives or Ifugaos treat these places as holy.

Finally, after a day of adventure & sightseeing, what better way to cap the day but with a big cup of freshly brewed coffee from Bana cafe. Their coffee is superb at a super low price of Php 20.00! Coffee beans are grown locally there so you could just imagine its freshness that comes with the aroma. Complement your coffee with a Lemon Pie Meringue from Lemon Pie house for only Php18.00. Then sit back and relax your weary muscles from all the hiking you made.

The Baguio weekend getaway

Deciding to make use of the long weekend last week, we all went to Baguio together with my brother's family. It was a last minute decision to go because of the rainy weather. So Friday, night, I was running all over the house preparing the things to bring for the long trip.

Saturday 6am, we were all dressed up & ready to leave. The kids were all excited to spend the weekend there with their cousins. Seeing that the weather is okay, we trekked Kennon Road to save on time. We aimed to be in Baguio by noon.

The house we rented was new with 3 rooms. Two rooms has 2 beds each and the big room has 4 beds. It has hot water ( a must!), TV, ref, stove & gas & kitchen utensils. It even had a small balcony. It was conveniently located near SM Baguio.

Going to Baguio is already a yearly thing for us and even if we've been through this place a lot of times already, it still never fails to bring wonderful memories to the family. It managed to retain the beauty of its nature. The only complaint I have is the seemingly worsening air pollution coming from the public utility vehicles.

But in the end, it was a good R & R for the whole family. I'm sure my kids enjoyed it as much as we did.

Zambales

I am writing this post in Villa Veneranda resort here in Iba, Zambales for a much needed R & R. A definite stress buster! This is already Day 2 of our vacation and we plan to stay here for a week. The atmosphere of being in the province is a welcome alternative to the chaos and pollution of Manila. As I write this, my kids are taking a swim and playing. I always make it a point to bring them here every summer and they always look forward to this with great anticipation.

As a mom, I believe that bringing your kids to the province enriches their character. Why? Simply because it takes them away from the television, computers and malls. These things that seems like a way of life already for a person residing in the city. It is also a chance for them to be exposed to the Zambalenos and see how life is so simple here. All of my kids except the eldest go gaga over riding a tricycle. Since I do not know who could be reading this blog and for the benefit of non-Filipino readers, it would be best to explain what a tricycle is. A tricycle is a motorcyle wherein a small and open carriage is attached. The carriage can accomodate 2 to 3 passengers. It is the usual mode of transportation in the province. When going to the "bayan" or town, they would prefer riding a tricycle than our van.

Aside from this, they meet the kids of some of the workers here and later on becomes their playmates. Here, they seldom watch television. Usually they would feed the monkeys and rabbits and run around the place. The fresh air and sunshine brings a rosy glow to their skin.

Tomorrow, we plan to go to Potipot island. I'll share our experiences there. Till the next post.