The Amazing Race Philippines Season 2 Auditions

This could be your adventure of a lifetime!

TV5 and internationally renowned independent production company activeTV Asia will launch the second season of The Amazing Race Philippines (a reality game show based on the American series The Amazing Race) this 2014. Derek Ramsay returns as its host.


And the search is on for couples or pairs (with pre-existing relationships) who meet the following requirements:

- Filipino citizens
- Aged 21 years old and above
- Physically and mentally fit
- With valid passorts
- Bursting with personality(!)
- At least one member must have a driver's license who can drive automatic transmission and manual transmission

The Amazing Race Philippines Team will be holding on-ground auditions on these dates:

June 20- Matina Town Square, Davao
June 22- Marqee Mall, Pampanga​
June 28- Eastwood City Libis, Quezon City

Visit the show's website for more details: www.theamazingrace.ph/

"It is like a voyage of discovery into unknown lands, seeking not for new territory but for new knowledge. It should appeal to those with a good sense of adventure."
~ Frederick Sanger

 
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Lemuhen Cultural Dance Troupe Inc. And The Dance Born From A Dream

They wore the shyest of smiles. Their welcome, so warm and affable that it felt like coming home to long lost relatives. But they're total strangers to us. The residents of Baranggay Badtasan in Kiamba, Sarangani Province had been waiting all early morning for our entourage — composed of SOCCSKSARGEN and Luzon-based bloggers.

The air was dense with jovial anticipation.

The Lemuhen Cultural Dance Troupe Inc. about to perform T'boli dances. The T'boli are one of the indigenous peoples of South Cotabato.

Under a hut modeled afer a traditional T'boli house, a long table was prettily ornamented with bright red, plaid tablecloth. The sleepless and famished (and hungover) I was drawn towards the elements on the table: Boiled plantain, boiled sweet potato and kamoteng ube (purple yam), sumang (rice cake cooked in palm or banana leaves) kamoteng kahoy (cassava), steamed rice wrapped in leaves, and nelut onuk which is native chicken stewed in a bamboo stalk over a fire pit for two hours. Pancit bihon guisado (Filipino noodle dish) was the odd one out only cause it's the most familiar to the Manila-raised traveler, me.

Top: Nelut Onuk, native chicken stewed in bamboo for two hours. Bottom Left: Bamboo where the chicken was cooked. Bottom right: Rice wrapped in leaves.   

A short prayer led by Lyn Lambago, founder of Lemuhen Cultural Dance Troupe Inc., commenced the simple feast. Lyn also gave us a brief introduction to traditional T'boli food before we all dug in. The T'boli fare is simple yet tasty, and made with ingredients that can be harvested off their land.

I had a bite of almost everything. The native chicken, no doubt, was the celebrity of the spread. The crowd favorite. We loved it so much that some of us fenced using our forks for the last few pieces.

A bashful performance. Reflects how gentle the T'boli people are.  

Breakfast wasn't the main event though. It was simply a prelude to a T'boli dance performed by the Lemuhen Cultural Dance Troupe. The dancers, all young — no more than mid-teen, were taught by the founder Lyn herself. She who established the dance troupe whose main objective is to preserve traditional dance. A side quest of Lyn's is to help the youngsters with their education. In fact, sponsors are welcome to donate cash to fund their school supplies.

Timid. Cute.   

We were shown snippets of various T'boli dances by the young ones such as: Madal semgewet (courtship dance), madal soyow (warrior dance) and madal betaku (witch dance). The real treat was the dance that Lyn learned from a dream which she performed herself. She calls it madal tahu. A years-in-the-making choreography that requires one to dance mostly on tiptoes. Lyn, who's on the heavy side, pointed out how difficult it is for her to perform it these days. But according to her, because of spiritual guidance, she manages to do it.

The kids of Baranggay Badtasan cheekily peek from downstairs of the T'boli house.

After the performances, we were ushered upstairs the T'Boli house. Its interior walls are adorned with traditional T'boli clothes. In one corner, hung a blown-up photo of the troupe printed on a tarpaulin. Lyn beamed with pride as she related the story of how this project came into realization. And she thanked Sarangani Governor Steve Solon's better half Michelle Lopez-Solon for her tireless assistance. 

It was actually Ma'm Michelle who invited us bloggers to come over and experience the adventures that Sarangani offers.

Lemuhen Cultural Dance Troupe Inc. with SOCCSKSARGEN and Luzon-based bloggers and Ma'm Michelle Lopez-Solon.  

And Baranggay Badtasan was a great place to start. The morning event was a preamble to the Sarangani familiarization trip that tapped all five senses. We couldn't wait to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch more (especially the, uhm, touch part — wait for the future posts!).

Visiting Sarangani? Go Sarangani Travel can help you organize your trip. Visit their web page https://www.facebook.com/gosaranganitravel and send them your inquiry.

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2014 Thus Far: The First Quarter

We had the temerity to change.

Finally.

Towards the end of 2013, we moved in our little shack (okay, it's not really little and not really a shack, but it's cute to call it such) in the Philippines. It's been gobbling half of our income for a year and five months now, and has pushed me to the breaking point. Three months on since we spent our first night in it, am still not coping well with this settling down situation although the hubby and I took preparatory measures.

More on that drama some other day.

Green Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.  

For now, let me blabber about all the jaunts and shindigs that kept me sane during the first quarter of 2014. And a heartbreak that shattered me into pieces. Here's the year thus far...

First day of the year, woke up to a sparsely furnished room. A room that hubby and I can finally call ours. The night before, we were able to celebrate New Year's Eve with my parents after missing the previous two in the Philippines.

Attended Jacob Maentz's The Forgotten Ten Photography Exhibition in Yuchengco Museum. The exhibit showcased a year and a half of Jacob’s documentary work from various indigenous communities around the Philippines.

Impromptu Baguio trip with Melo of www.outoftownblog.com and Julius of www.lakwastserongtsnelas.blogspot.com. Finally entered the Laperal White House, chanced upon the Ifugao Bamboo Carving Art Exhibit there, and luckily met Philippine Bamboo Foundation President Edgardo Manda.

Co-organized a The Linden Suites staycation which I dubbed Pajama Party Wherein We Don't Wear Pajamas for Pinoy travel bloggers. Sabrina of www.justonewayticket.com and Kate of www.adventurouskate.com also joined the Pinoy food pig-out and videoke madness.

Vacationed in Siargao for the first time and was hosted by Buddha's Surf Resort. Celebrated Melo's name day with an island hopping tour. And nope, we didn't surf cause our lazy arses would rather hammock-surf.

Blindly jumped in an exploration semi-conducted by fellow travel blogger Edgar of eazytraveler.com. Destination, Sulu. The night before my flight, my father was confined in a hospital for tests after a mass was found in his brain. I left him with a heavy heart. I left because that's what he wanted. He who passed me the travel bug would rather see me in photos exploring an unfamiliar place, than see me weeping in pain by his side.

Celebrated the hubby's birthday at White Beach, Puerto Galera over authentic Italian pizza and a stunning sunset. Day after, we partied like there's no tomorrow (and like there's no toddler in tow) with two other travel bloggers. Learned the basics of poi dancing whilst inebriated on the same night.

My sister, daughter Luna and I trooped to Mt. Malasimbo for the Malasimbo Music & Arts Fest for the first time. Went mainly for Jose Gonzalez. Mishka Adams was a plus. Eating a P40(!) balut was one of the night's highlights.

Broke out of my blogger shell and agreed to be a "reviewer" for Pop Talk's Third Anniversary Special. The show brought me to Boracay. It was my second visit on the island. Day before the trip, my father was again rushed to the hospital. Apparently, he had a silent stroke. And once again, he let me go while he was confined. He said, "I want to see you on TV again."

The Pop Talk crew encouraged me to face my fear of the deep. After much whining and yapping and almost-sobbing, I dove down a colossal aquarium for an "ocean walk".

From Boracay, went straight to The Circle Hostel in La Union with a bunch of new faces — except for my homegirl Christine of www.jovialwanderer.com. Even though I was feeling under the weather, I tried surfing for the first time, and was able to stand on the board on my first attempt! I was the most surprised of all.

March ended with the beginning of our Cairns-Sydney roadtrip. Found ourselves in a paradisiacal place called The Great Barrier Reef.

Where we are now...

Just finished our 9-day Cairns-Sydney roadtrip yesterday — a journey of about 3,000 kilometers — and we intend to hibernate here in my mum-in-law's house until we leave Australia late April. The season's perfect for swimming in sheets anyway. And for devising our lives for the second quarter, which may include one long haul flight, and a lot more sun-basking — wherein I expect to finally try on the swimmies and kaftans I fished from Zalora.

Huh? What house?


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Sulu Sojourn: Reconnaissance

"He'll die for you."

It wasn't a line fished out of a zombie-romance flick. Nor lyrics of some mawkish glam rock song. It was literal to the core, delivered with utmost nonchalance by a first lieutenant nicknamed Mac as he thumbed towards the officer behind me.

The words sent a chill up my spine.

Just minutes prior, fellow traveler Edgar — who convinced me to book a flight at the last minute —  and I arrived at the relatively young Jolo Airport. Mac and a slew of marines escorted us to a van that was to be our service for the four-day trip. It had to be a private vehicle, I was told, because the marines' pick up trucks are sometimes assaulted with grenades. I slouched on my seat and barely said anything throughout the ride to our first stop.

This one never left my side. Bualu Bat Sanctuary, Maimbung.  

So in what context was Mac's statement raised then? I must have smelt of fear. No thanks to the old lady I sat next to earlier aboard the turboprop plane from Zamboanga whose uncalled welcome remarks consisted of a vague historical timeline, a list of people who got killed within a three-kilometer radius from the runway where we were taxiing, and an advice to wear the hijab.  

She rounded up with "Enjoy Sulu!". Enjoy. The verb seemed like a challenge.

First meal on the island. They stood guard while I gobbled my tiyula itum (black soup).

I attempted to sweep away morbid thoughts as I soaked up the jolt of morning rush through my window. Jolo the capital, resembled other Southeast Asian Islamic cities. Mosques, hijabs, halal food stalls, discreet/nonexistent pubs. The streets were abuzz and locals went about their business as if the socio-political turmoil in the island province is no more than an urban legend.

 Beautiful. Deserted.

On our day one itinerary — and when I say 'itinerary' I mean a computer-printed itinerary in a spreadsheet layout, bulleted by military time  — which Mac constructed, were sights that serve as prelude to cultural immersion. Museum, the provincial capitol, old Spanish towers. I'm usually not the itinerary kind of backpacker, but for that trip it was imperative to let go of the helm.

To follow whims. To entrust one's life. 

My distress somehow faded as the day progressed. Never felt like I was under any kind of threat, and I wondered if escorts were really necessary or we were simply babied so the marines could mark a good impression.

 Raja Baginda (reputed first Muslim ruler of Sulu) Shrine in Camp Bud Datu.

Approaching sundown, we were rushed (they wouldn't risk joyriding in the dark) to Bud Datu where the 9th Marine Battalion was encamped. Had dinner and a few beers with the officers on a balcony overlooking the capital and a mountain territory of Islamist separatist group Abu Sayyaf, before slumbering in a room setup for visiting commanders.

That night was devoid of unease. Even though we chewed on stories of casualty, of sorrow, of boredom, of finding love in a seemingly hopeless place. I drew an early conclusion that Sulu, at least at that time, wasn't as menacing as I the outsider assumed. That the place could easily be explored by a brave few when not under fire.

In the next two days, unfortunately, my sentiments made a total turnaround.

View atop Camp Bud Datu.
Mac began his day two prologue in the van with some random report. "Meron pa sigurong bente na andun sa bundok (There are probably twenty people left on the mountain.).", he was referring to kidnap victims. Apparently separatists and extremists are always on the prowl.

Why he shared this piece of information? I must have smelt of ridiculous courage. And he didn't want to take chances.

"He'll die for you.", the words from yesterday echoed and resonated.

He who will die for me. He who let out a muffled snicker while I sweat under his three-kilo helmet. Oh how we killed waiting time.
I put my guard back up. And it stayed on for the remaining days of our trip that was a mishmash of island hopping with fourteen marines, armed with heavy artillery; driving through no man's lands, and sometimes trudging on them; trying out wayside cafeterias, where the marines themselves are afraid to dine in; and crossing bamboo bridges in a water village to catch weavers of pis (local woven textile) do their magic.

A looker that can mask bedlam. "Floating Cottage", Maimbung Bay.

We were introduced to a band of government officials, more marine officers, a member of the MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front), civilian women who "guard" their municipality at night (against invaders), and a community rebuilding their reclaimed area. Their choice of staying in their respective hometowns amidst the on and off unrest, to me, is unfathomable. They live in anxiety. Not the I-need-dibs-to-pay-the-bills kind of anxiety that attacks every month, but the I-could-lose-a-house-or-loved-one kind of constant anxiety. My first world issues here are nothing but trivial.

Kept pristine, perhaps by conflict. Teomabal Island.

Was I surprised with this realization? Let's just say I was caught off-guard by something else.

Reconnaissance, or simply recon, is an exploratory mission to gather information about an enemy's territory. It wasn't my objective, but I underwent a recon of sorts. My enemies: doubt, fear, and an adolescent ignorance. I studied them. Overcame them. Handed my life to strangers who would literally catch a bullet for me, and I didn't even know their names. Lent my occasionally stuck up ears to folks whose narratives are bereft of social media lingo.

Sunrise view from Mt. Bayug Eco-Cultural Park. Depicting hope.

I tasted victory, but there was nothing to celebrate about. Similar to my first world issues, my personal victory is trivial here as well.

I left the province with a change in character. Akin to a soldier who left the battlefield... There's simply no turning back to my old self.

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Buddha's Surf Resort, Siargao: Surf's Up, Feet Up

Our twin-engine turboprop bird unsteadily circled above the island for about twenty minutes. The air was tense inside the cabin. Not so much because we were terrified of a rough touchdown, but because we were worried about not touching down at all. That the near-zero visibility will force the pilots to abort landing.

The captain came on as I tugged my daughter Luna's seat belt tighter. I caught "Try... South quadrant... Approach...". In case you missed it — "Try"!

I tugged my seat belt tighter.

Buddha's Surf Resort, nestled amidst towering coconut trees.

A few more minutes passed, then finally, the sound of screeching tires. Not the kind of landing I was bracing myself for. Twas relatively smooth. Eerily calm under the glum weather.

I heaved a sigh of relief.

A thirst-quenching island welcome.  

The hubby, my daughter and I hopped off the plane and huddled to share a brolly we grabbed from the ground staff at the foot of the stairs. We joined our travel buddies Melo of Out Of Town Blog, Ron of Flip Travels, and Lai of Pinay Travelista at Sayak Airport's teensy arrivals hall. Soon as we got our backpacks, we headed to the airport's parking lot and were ushered by a driver to his van where three foreigners from our flight were already waiting.

Ze icon.   A van ride from Siargao's Sayak airport to General Luna costs P300 per person (one way) and can easily be arranged upon arrival (if heading straight to another town, hire a habal-habal). Trip lasts forty minutes, and passengers are dropped off at the doorstep of their respective hotels. Our accommodation was booked beforehand so we simply uttered Buddha's Surf Resort to the driver before conking out.

Wall art at Buddha's Surf Resort's restaurant.  

Buddha's Surf Resort lies between the municipality of General Luna and the famous surfing spot Cloud 9 (where the annual Siargao International Surfing Cup is held). A convenient location for both surfers and non-surfers. The staff promptly assisted us in unloading our luggage when we arrived and led us to the reception-slash-restaurant. Our stay was a sponsored one and the manager, Chris (with a crown of gorgeous curly locks similar to that of the hubby's before middle age deprived him of hair), gave us a quick intro of the resort as we sipped our welcome drinks.

  Rooms are housed in a building separate from the restaurant and communal lounge area.
Resort Amenities:

All rooms have air conditioning and hot water
Daily housekeeping
En-suite bathroom for each room
Free Wi-Fi throughout the resort
From January 2014 all direct bookings include breakfast

Oh that humongous key chain. You certainly can't lose something like that.  

Accommodation

 

Although the property's quite vast, the resort is currently offering only five rooms. Which guarantees guests seclusion. My family was given the superior room while the others were assigned in the family room.

The superior room on the second level was every bit ideal for our family of three. Its floor space is insanely immense. The bed, although too high for our toddler to climb on, is colossal as well and had pristine sheets when we checked in (I still dream of its softness 'til this very day). There's a flat screen telly and a hard drive that contains heaps of movies. A desk that made us digital nomads cheer, and a private balcony where we whiled away the rainy afternoons. And oh, there's a Loudbasstard amplifier in the room which we weren't able to use but raved about anyway. Its rate as of writing is P2,650 per night (about UD$60), brekkie included.

The superior room's private balcony.
One of the three beds in the spacious family room.  

The family room on the ground level has two adjoining rooms with two aircon units. It also has a flat screen telly, a desk, and a balcony with deck chairs. Current price is P3,000 (US $67) + P100 (US $2.20) per head, includes brekkie.

Standard room is at P2,200 (US $50) per night. And guests could choose either queen or twin bed.

Buddha's Surf Resort's restaurant.  

The Food. Oooh man, the food!

The restaurant's menu has a pretty wide range of food and beverages. For starters, the brekkie choices included in the room rates are tops. The Big Buddha Breakfast is enough to last me 'til mid-arvo, and the banana pancakes (the fluffy kind, not the Thai kind) are simply amazeballs. Loved their bowl of muesli too.

Big Buddha Breakfast for the big appetite.   Their mains are also smashin'! My faves are the chicken in red curry (recommended by the staff, and not as spicy as it may seem), chicken adobo, and carbonara (super duper creamy). 

The resort takes pride of their Thai-themed menu. Am not a big fan of their pad thai but I fell for their chicken mango cashew salad (cause of unavailability, they added pineapple instead of mango, which surprisingly came out well).

Upon request and with proper lead time, the kitchen can whip up a feast for a party.

On Thursdays, local artists perform at the communal lounge area. It's open to the public and you could request for your food to be served  there.

Activities

Buddha's Surf Resort is totes equipped for surfing lessons. Surfboards, motorbikes to transport guests and their boards, and pro instructors — like Marlo who *ahem* recently rubbed elbows/boards (lol) with a rockstar. In the water.

Cause Marlo's cool like that. Photo from Buddha's Surf Resort's Facebook fan page.
Slacklining. Where I applied most of my morning energy on. This local showed me how it's done backwards.  

If you're a non-surfer, there are other activities that the resort can host/arrange for you. From kite surfing to diving to fishing to kayaking to stand up paddle surfing. They also organize island hopping trips. 

Won't be surprised if you'd rather 'waste time' at your balcony, sitting on a deck chair with your feet up, staring at nothing in particular. Like we did.

So will we actually spend our dibs for a resort like this? Definitely! In fact we extended our stay at our own expense — okay wait, we only intended to because the resort owner didn't let us pay for the last night as well. But yah know, the thought's there.

Buddha’s Surf Resort 
Catangnan, General Luna
Siargao Island, Surigao Del Norte
Philippines
Email: buddha@siargaosurf.com
Mobile number:  +63 (0)9199 456789 (SMS only)  +63 (0)9282 079631 (all calls)


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2013 Year-Ender: When Travel Turned Into A Black Hole

And I got sucked in.

In 2012, we were armed with all sorts of excuses: Extended honeymoon stage. A break from the mundane. Discounted airfares for tots. "Still saving up for a house (and/or still haven't decided where to buy)". Backpacking while young. Living in the now... The list went on and echoed through the beginning of 2013. 2012, no doubt was a wild child.

2013 on the other hand started out quite prim, then morphed into some bad arse that broke out of its cage named 'settling down'. The call of elsewhere was much too strong and we ran free. Directionless, that we eventually found ourselves in a black hole that is long termish travel (again).

I could make up a bunch of reasons why we're postponing domesticity. But for today I'll use portraits and landscapes to back me up.

Eriyadu Island Resort, North Male Atoll, Maldives.
1. Australia

Clockwise from top left: 1. Bro-in-law's beautiful wedding in Curzon Hall, a sandstone manor built in the 1890s. 2. Bondi Beach, finally, after so many New South Wales visits. 3. Luna's third birthday at ze Persian in-laws' house. 4. Selfeet with  my Bensimon sneakers, Sydney Harbour Bridge.

2. Philippines

Clockwise from top left: 1. Thunderbird Poro Point, San Fernando, La Union for the hubby's birthday. 2. T'nalak Festival, South Cotabato. 3. Tattooed by one of the (there's a protégé) last mambabatoks in Kalinga. 4. Hapao Rice Terraces trek, Ifugao.  

3. Myanmar

Clockwise from top left: 1. Consulting a map at Yangon International Airport (photo by Ron of fliptravels.com). 2. Luna vs. angry birds. Yangon city center walking tour (photo by Ron). 3. Sunrise at Old Bagan. 4. Bare feet and templed-out (photo also by Ron).  

4. Singapore

Clockwise from top left: 1. We love Hotel Re! Nope, not a sponsored post. 2. Catching up with sis. 3. Supertrees Grove. 4. Marina Bay Sands.

5. Laos

Clockwise from top left: 1. Wat Si Saket, Vientiane. 2. Vang Vieng. Party central no more. 3. B-52 bomb crater in Xiangkhouang Province. 4. The mysterious Plain of Jars, also in Xiangkhouang Province.
6. Turkey

Clockwise from top left: 1. Blue Mosque, Istanbul. 2. Goreme Open Air Museum, Cappadocia. 3. Oldest temple in the world, Gobekli Tepe (older than the wheel, they say). 4. Pamukkale or "Cotton Castle". Calcite-covered mountain in Denizli Province.

7.  Armenia

Clockwise from top left: 1. One of our afternoon walks around Armenia's capital, Yerevan. 2. Khor Virap, an Armenian Apostolic Church monastery in Ararat valley. 3. UNESCO World Heritage Site Monastery of Geghard, partially carved out of a mountain. 4. The Armenian Genocide Museum.

8. Georgia (Yes, it's a country!)

Clockwise from top left: 1. Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Georgian Orthodox cathedral, Mtskheta. 2. Crossing the border by foot to Azerbaijan for Davit Gareji Monastery. 3. Ancient rock-hewn town Uplistsikhe, Eastern Georgia. 4. Former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's house in Gori.

9. Nepal

Clockwise from top left 1. Climbing Fasidega Temple, Bhaktapur Durbar Square. 2. Luna sits in a kindergarten class/day care center for two days. 3. View of Himalayan peaks from our room's balcony in Nagarkot. 4. UNESCO World Heritage Site Boudhanath, Kathmandu.  

10. Malaysia

Clockwise from top left 1. Hotel Puri, a Peranakan ancestral home housed in a gorgeous structure built in the 1800s. 2. Nyonya Laksa. 3. Christ Church, 18th century Anglican church. One of Melaka's well-known landmarks. 4. Walking tour around UNESCO World Heritage Site Melaka.

12. Maldives

 

Clockwise from top left 1. Artificial Hulhumale Island. 2. A Maldivian 'bench'. 3. Eriyadu Island Resort. 4. Chili patties. Or something like that.      If your black hole is this bewitching, will you try to crawl out of it?     

 

This year-ender post is my entry to the Pinoy Travel Bloggers’ Blog Carnival for December 2013 with the theme “The Pinoy Travel Bloggers Closing the Curtains on 2013: Love, Learn and Living”, hosted by Brenna Bustamante of The Philippine Travelogue.




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2013 Thus Far: The Third Quarter

Woke up under an argentine sky. On my almost two decades-old, Peanuts printed sheet. Philippine home now, and will be gone again all too soon. Where to? Hopefully to a shack sitting on a Byron Bay trailer park which we're eyeing to live in for months. You read that right. Months.

We're quite traveled-out. And back in July I found myself searching for the old and familiar more often. Like swinging by pubs I used to frequent. Or being needed by friends. Or watching the local news before a simple dinner of boiled veggies with buro.

Our nomadic family managed to wind down this third quarter, finally. 

Birthday in Cebu with the family.  

Hearing the word "adventure" these days conjures images of a worn out me with a longer-than-Miley's tongue out, dangling like a dog's. So we'll pass up on exhaustion, sleeplessness, and starvation... For now. We're embracing the humdrum.

Let's take a look at this year's third quarter and its glorious laziness.

Traveled — more like, slacked — in Phuket, Thailand for two weeks. My sister flew from Singapore where she works to slack with us. We ate Pad Thai and honey-lime Thai pancake everyday.

Because of Luna's obsession with elephants, we took her elephant trekking in Phuket even though we do not approve of enslaving elephants for entertainment. The baby elephant in shackles which Luna called 'Dumbo', had bloody feet, prolly cause he/she tried breaking away from the chains.

Watched a Filipino acoustic band in Karon, Phuket for two nights. One of the best cover bands I've seen play live, or maybe I just had too much Chang Beer on both occasions.

We cut our Thailand trip short (we initially planned to stay for a month) so I could join the Allah Valley Tour 2013 organized by AVLDA and LGSP-LED. During the five-day trip we: Hiked Mt. Melibingoy and camped at Lake Holon, met National Living Treasure awardee Be Lang Dulay, ziplined above Lake Sebu's falls, bird watched in Baras Bird Sanctuary, and attended the T'nalak Festival. 

Pinay Travel Junkie partners with Keen footwear! An American shoe manufacturing company based in Portland, Oregon. Quite excited to write the review, because I am now a huge fan (I'd love to buy Luna a pair too!). And to be honest, I didn't even know such brand exists until they contacted me.

Discovered the "hostel of awesome" Pink Manila Hostel. The lone hostel in Manila that has a pool. Stayed for a couple of nights and although my parents' condo's just nearby, my staycation felt like I was in the middle of a backpacking trip. The hostel's atmosphere can do that to you.

Celebrated my birthday with the whole family and fellow travel bloggers in Cebu. Finally checked in eye-candy Mövenpick Hotel. Also visited historic city Carcar.

Headed straight to Hungduan, Ifugao after getting out of the airport, off a Cebu-Manila flight. Hiked Hapao and Hungduan Terraces with another group of travel bloggers over the weekend.Trip highlight: Watching 'The Conjuring' in a pitch-dark, Ifugao house-style hut.

Flew to Australia a day after the Ifugao jaunt concluded. Ate Persian food at the in-law's house everyday for two weeks (it's a big mystery why I still fit in my pants right now). We mainly did reunions with the hubby's family and... Shopped. 

On our last day in Sydney, we squeezed in our hectic schedule a quickie hike through Garigal National Park. 

Flight back to the Philippines closed the third quarter.

On to the last quarter... 

So will our nth plan of settling down once and for all push through? Let's wait three more months to find out.

 

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Mt Melibingoy (Mt Parker) and Lake Holon (Lake Maughan), T'boli, South Cotabato: All Hail This Hike!

There were a couple of thoughts battling in my head: Do I wrap my arms around the habal-habal (motorcycle) driver or do I cling on Edgar the Eazy Traveler's long legs for dear life? I was sandwiched between the two men. We, along with the whole group's lunch packed in a box and tied under our seat, were wobbling our way to Brgy. Salacafe. The road was unforgiving.

Then I concluded, if the habal-habal were to flip over, we'll all go down with it. Fo sho.

  Pet name Pocahontas since 1995.  

So I let my hands freely feel the rush of the wind. I swayed with every turn. Shifted my arse with every bump. Cheered with Edgar whenever our habal-habal was on the lead even though there wasn't any actual race. An hour burned easily.

Before we knew it, we were at the jump-off point.

  Edgar insisted we get on this habal-habal. For what reason? I dunno. [Photo by Louie of Nomad Perspectives]  

The rest of our motley crew trickled by twos aboard respective habal-habals, a few minutes in between. James of Journeying James flashed his newly acquired scratches with a wide smile when he arrived, as if he just purchased some rare novelty souvenir. Speaking of flipping motorcycles, theirs did, apparently. Shortly after we all left the municipal tourism office of T'boli.

Lunch, after being unfastened from our habal-habal, was served straight away. And we began our trek when everybody licked their styros clean.

"You look like you're not wearing shorts." Yoshke of The Poor Traveler commented as he snapped this photo. I smiled in between huffs.  

Our guide and overseer for the trek (make that, for the entire trip), Louie of Nomad Perspectives, led the way. Not only is he a fellow travel blogger, he also works for Allah Valley Landscape Development Alliance (funded by LGSP-LED) who invited us for the familiarization tour. He has trudged the trail a ridiculous amount of times, which made him the perfect person for the task.

Climbing Mt. Melibingoy, also known as Mt. Parker. [Photo by Edgar of Eazy Traveler]

Mt. Melibingoy also called Mt. Parker (after an American General named Frank Parker who claimed to have discovered it), towering at about 1,750 MASL tall, is a dormant volcano. The objective of our group was not to summit its peak, but to camp at the bank of its gorgeous crater lake, Lake Holon also called Lake Maughan (after another American who was with Parker when he crashed during a survey operation).

Life on the edge. A viewpoint partially concealed from the trail, about halfway the course. Louie was gripping my flourescent-hued top while I sit and relax and take this in.
The lushest I've trekked.

The supposed two-hour trek on our itinerary was stretched to four. No, not because we ventured into further territory. But because some of us, myself included, got too preoccupied with our huffing and puffing (I must have asked "Are we there yet?" a dozen times). And well... Also because of our countless stops for pitcher plants, stick insects, wild berries, endemic flowers, tall trees and vines waiting to strangle unsuspecting trekkers.

How easily were we amused. We giggled all the way from Brgy. Salacafe through sleepy Sitio Nabol up until Kutong Busaw (1,500 MASL) — the view point for Lake Holon where we laid our weary bones under the roof of an open cottage that had seen better days.

We must have spent fifteen long minutes gawking at this. So I say it again, how easily were we amused.  

What now?! Dennis of Love Mindanao, plans his next step.

Beyond that point, it was all business for everyone. A peek at the obstructed view was a tease that drove us nuts. And so we all pushed on to the final stretch, another half-hour descent down to one of the country's cleanest bodies of water, without much procrastination. Throughout the trek, menacing gray clouds hovered above — but they remained empty threats. They merely shielded us from the sun.

The weather was more than ideal. And I called it, 'tent weather'.

One of the country's cleanest inland bodies of water.

Waking up to paradise.

The camp site was newly cleared and the scent of freshly slashed wild grass was still lingering in the air. We quickly dumped our backpacks in tents pitched for us by the support team. While the others climbed aboard wooden canoes, I sat on a rock. I watched them drift away. My mind too, drifted to far-flung places

Lake Holon reflected the sky that magically cleared.

I suddenly thought of the trek back the day after and how much more difficult it would be for me. Cause this... This is a sight that's hard to walk away from.

Because we felt like we're on a T'boli tourism brochure.

How to get to Mt. Melibingoy/Mt. Parker:

The municipality of T'boli, South Cotabato is about an hour and a half drive from General Santos City. Or forty-five minutes by public transport from Koronadal City/Marbel.

Mt Melibingoy/Mt. Parker hike can be arranged through the tourism office located near T'boli's municipal hall (just off the Surallah-T'boli Road).

Trip begins with a forty-five to one hour habal-habal (motorcycle) ride from the municipality center to the jump-off at Brgy. Salacafe. Part of the ride is on unpaved, bumpy road and weaves through banana farms.

Trek to Lake Holon/Lake Maughan via Salacafe trail takes about three to four hours. Remember to arrange for pick up the next day, it could be difficult to get a ride back.


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