Thrilled to experience a new place at the turn of the year. Dumping some quick first impressions of Ko Samui, and a bunch of photos from Day 1.
the tag
nature
At this time last week, we were descending from the summit of Mt. Batulao, after enjoying the view and the slightly cooler breezes from the top. It was a relaxing trip for me as one of the rare times when I didn't need to plan or drive! Husband and wife cycling team Mel and Julius picked the destination, set the meet up point and time, and offered their SUV for 5 of us to pile into. Going Blind The first thing I do when I'm getting ready for a climb is to check if my favorite Pinoy Mountaineer has been to our cho[...]
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[...]
Surf towns have a distinct, laid-back vibe, judging from my visits to La Union, Baler, and Hale'iwa on the North Shore of Oahu. Among them all, tiny Liwliwa has got to be the chillest, stripped to the barest scene I've experienced.
On the 2nd week of December, we flew in to Dumaguete for 2 shows. On the 8th, we had a concert at the Luce Auditorium at Silliman University, followed by a Christmas tree lighting event at the plaza the next day. As with most of my work trips, so long as time permits, it doubled as a QuicKation, or so I've come to call them. Day 1 We were on a red eye flight, so breakfast was the 1st order of business when we arrived. While Casa Rubin prepared our rooms for early check-in, we ordered food at their restaurant Co[...]
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[...]
I work closely with kids 3 days a week, and the downside to that is I'm sick pretty much all of the time. I'll catch some bug on a Tuesday, reinforce it with another bug on a Wednesday, and be terribly sick on Thursday and Friday. By the time I've made a few steps to recovery, I'll catch another strain on Saturday. It's an endless cycle. This time around, I started feeling sniffly on Saturday, woke up with a scratchy throat on Sunday, got a short-lived fever on Monday, and it finally progressed into a full-blown f[...]
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[...]
These past few weeks, I've been a riot of emotions because I made one of the biggest decisions of my life. I felt muddled, unsure if my judgment was clouded, but I was sure some quiet time would help give some clarity. As with so many of my recent trips, this one happened with not much planning; a friend decided on a place and offered to provide transportation the night before, so I agreed. It was a treat for me to sit back and relax as I'm usually the one left with having to find all the details and rally people t[...]