It's the last day of May! I've been home for just a handful of days since the RCS left for the US in April, then Masbate, Bicol right on time for my birthday on the 1st of May. A few weeks after that, we went to Candon, Ilocos Sur to perform at their 1st music festival. That last one, being the shortest of all the trips, is the one I've been able to sum up (somewhat poorly) in a short video. I'm writing this from Iloilo, while on another work trip, so for now, I'll just share the link below. * The skipping on the[...]
the category
adventure
I had quite the adventure last Monday, and leading up to it. I had been wanting to hike up Mt. Masalakot and Nalayag Rocks since I saw photos of its monolith, but this guy from Instagram warned me that there had been news of militia in the area in September. That's never a risk I want to take, despite assurances that they leave civilians alone. So I looked for another option, defaulting back to my favorite province of Rizal. 1st Choice Mt. Lubog was a promising choice, its altitude and difficulty pe[...]
After foiled plans to go to Bangkok (the forecasts predicted daily thunderstorms) and Bali (late booking during peak season made everything absurdly expensive), we decided on a more practical destination that we were sure to enjoy even with minimal planning. Ry and I drove up to Baguio for his short, and only, vacation leave of the year. Not wanting to just replicate our previous trips, we asked friends who live in or frequent the mountain city for new things to try. The response was a list of food, breweries, vie[...]
adventure / bicol / camarines sur / city / countryside / explore / Filipino / inventions / iriga / mountain / Mt. Asog / only in the philippines / outdoors / Philippines / pinoy / tracks / train / transportation / Travel / volcano
Rail Skating: Only in the Philippines?
Back after an extremely long hiatus ✌? I have so many stories pending that are waiting to be told, but let's start with something light and unexpected. After having just returned from London, we went to a small city in Bicol for work. Camarines Sur is famous for its untouched natural beauty like white sand beaches, and lush mountains and volcanoes with hundreds of hot and cold springs and waterfalls. We didn't have time for any of those, but wanted to try something different. One of the guys assigned to take us[...]
adventure / beach / explore / hike / hiker / hiking / ilocos norte / mindanao / mountain / nature / outdoors / Philippines / tourism / Travel / traveler / vacation / waterfalls
Fly, Work, Fly, Work
I am terrible at this. I missed all of May (my birth month!) when I wanted to share about the trips leading to my birthday. I went to Camiguin and Ilocos Norte in a span of two weeks, and I was exhausted but so, so content. https://www.instagram.com/p/BTJU773hTM-/?taken-by=kaichypoo https://www.instagram.com/p/BTL8Q2lhMwa/?taken-by=kaichypoo https://www.instagram.com/p/BTL-UdaBbKc/?taken-by=kaichypoo https://www.instagram.com/p/BTOslfvhkA5/?taken-by=kaichypoo https://www.instagram.com/p/BTSfs3lBU_k/?taken-by=k[...]
adventure / artifacts / bambike / barbara's / casa manila / church / colony / cultural / dance / explore / intramuros / Manila / old manila walks / Philippines / religious / rondalla / spanish / tour / tourism / Travel / vintage
Old Manila, New Eyes
On palm Sunday, I was a tourist in my country's own capital upon the invitation of one of my best girls, Clarissa. She wanted to show her Romanian friend around, who was in town for the weekend; so through a simple Google search, she found Old Manila Walks and easily booked and paid online. I didn't know which tour outfit she picked, but when I arrived at the meeting place, I was told to look for a certain Ivan. When I saw the man holding the telltale blue umbrella, I recognized him from a few years[...]
adventure / baras / bridge / cafe katerina / explore / forest / georeserve / hammock / hanging / hiking / Mabuhaykers / masungi / mountains / nature / Philippines / Rizal / spiderweb / tourism / Travel
Masungi Georeserve: Benchmark of Conservation
The iconic giant spiderweb made of steel wiresSince Masungi opened its gates to the public in December of 2015, I've been intrigued by the photos on my social media feeds. Visits are by reservation only, so after two foiled plans of going, I was invited by fellow Mabuhaykers with only two days notice and finally went. Lately, spontaneous has always worked out the best for me, despite my propensity for thorough research and detailed itineraries. Located in Baras, Rizal, it was just a surprising hour and a half[...]
adventure / australia / beach / canyon / destination / explore / hollywood / itinerary / mountains / nature / new york / new zealand / Philippines / tourism / Travel / traveler / trip / vacation / waterfalls
The Catch-Up Storybook: Half a Year
I've been away. I didn't realize that 6, almost 7, months had passed since my last entry. Since the last one was written at a sad time for me, some of you might've wondered if I had given this up altogether; but no, I'm still here. Just taking it one day at a time. Let's see, I was sick for half of August, but still managed a trip to my favorite island, Coron. https://www.instagram.com/p/BJhxkxRDNpk/ https://www.instagram.com/p/BJjuQZlj0ox/ https://www.instagram.com/p/BJo2ZargF7F/ https://www.instagram.com/[...]
adventure / anxiety / Bruce / collage / domestication / family / love / Masterchef / migration / move / picture / prayer / priming / sister / station of the cross / Sundays / Sydney / world
A Part Apart
Getting tipsy at a wine fair, Christmases, graduation, family trips, and the long-distance runs we joined last year For the past weeks, since she'd finalised paperwork and itinerary, my sister has been out with friends having mini-despedidas for her #CountdownToSydney. The latter half of this week was spent at home, packing and arranging last minute details for her trip. During this time, I was priming myself for her departure, reminding myself that she'll be back sooner than I think. One year might see[...]
adventure / bibliophile / books / codes / computers / dreams / driving / fantasy / fiction / Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore / mystery / reading / review / Robin Sloan / technology / traffic / typography / young adult
Reading Dangerously
That morning light and tree-cast shadowsIt was a combination of I-Couldn't-Put-It-Down and The-Traffic-Is-Stressing-Me-Out that made me whip out the book I'd been reading. I had reached the plot twist, and it was making me antsy. At the climax of most books, I have this bad habit of glancing ahead, wanting to find a word or phrase to lessen the weight of not knowing what's about to happen... and then I feel guilty the moment I glean exactly that, regretting I did not wait for the proper build up. I finish[...]