I’m proud of myself for going to the opening of the 12th Hot Air Balloon Festival, considering that I only went there alone and left the house at 3:30 am just so I can catch the flying of the hot air balloons (which was only from 5:30 - 7:00 am)
I only commuted going to the place. It was quite an adventure especially considering that it was still dark and I didn’t really know how to go to Clark. I only had with me directions that my uncle gave me. Good thing they were pretty straightforward. I boarded the bus going to Manaoag and went down at the Dau Terminal. Then I got a jeep going to the C-Point, then boarded a jeep going to Clark.
I got there a little before 6am. There were a lot of people already…a lot were photographers actually. It was pretty intimidating seeing their cameras and pretty lenses. As if the sight of those wasn’t enought to make me wish for a DSLR, my Olympus camera had topak again. It has been acting up for a couple of weeks already. Sometimes it operates perfectly, but there are times when it just decides to conk up on me. Sometimes you can’t shoot a picture no matter how hard you press it. And when you use zoom in, it zooms out when you’re shooting already. I really don’t know what’s wrong and it ’s frustrating me since sometimes it would work perfectly then after a few seconds, topak again. *sigh* I love my camera and I really hope it gets fixed pretty soon. I might have to bring it to a service center (hopefully it wouldn’t cost me much).
Anyway, back to the hot air balloons. Well, they were pretty mesmerizing. I really hope I can ride those things at some point in my life. I was just really frustrated that I wasn’t able to make better shots with the restrictions of my camera at its topak moment. Anyway, here are some shots I made.
Our boracay trip was really superb! We had an island hopping trip planned out in the morning. Our boat fetched us at Panoly’s beach front which was really convenient. Since we slept really late, it was hard getting up so we ended up eating our breakfast on the boat, which was actually fun anyways. We took note of not finishing up all the bread so we’ll still have some for snorkeling.
The waves were a bit rough that day but we didn’t let it spoil our fun. First stop was Crysal Cove which was really nice since there weren’t too much people. There were a couple of caves that you can visit there. You’ll also get a pretty nice view at the top.
Next stop was crocodile island where we snorkeled for a bit. We didn’t stay long since the waves were not really cooperating. We just decided to go to Puka Beach. Going there was really scary because of the waves. A couple of times, the waves would splash inside our boat. I was really scared that our boat would turn over. Good thing we were able to arrive at Puka Beach safely.
We ate at Puka Beach and had a short swim and of course some photo ops. We really had a lot of fun!
After checking out our room and fixing our stuff and having a late lunch and quick shower, we decided to get our welcome drinks at the Voodoo bar. It had a really nice ambiance since it’s right infront of the beach. One can watch the beautiful sunset while sipping your cocktails.
a nice refreshing welcome drink
The waiter was actually very friendly and even referred to us to Junjun the son of the caretaker of the Panoly who can tour us around the island with his boat. In just a few minutes, Junjun approached us and discussed with us the details of our tour and how much it would cost us. It was just great that he’d fetch us right at the Panoly’s beachfront (meaning we won’t have to go up the rough road to go to station 3).
Junjun drawing a map of our island tour
We then just strolled by the beach and enjoyed the whiteness of Boracay’s white sand. It was really amazing. It was so white and so fine…like flour…actually, it reminds me of polvoron.
Lying on the whitest and finest sand I’ve ever seen!
Well, unfortunately the one right infront of Panoly has rocks with lumot which is a bit icky to swim in. You can either go to the right, the one in front of the Shangri-la being constructed or to the left after the rock where the water is much clearer and conducive for swimming. We also went around the Panonly Resort to check out the other facilities. We were really happy to find a swimming pool and even a jacuzzi. There was even a mini bar at the pool wherein you can sit with your legs dipped into the pool.
After a few minutes, we experience our first boracay sunset. It was really nice and breathtaking.
It was a clear day when we left manila. Our flight was delayed by 9 minutes (does cebu pacific still fly on time?). Unfortunately, it was raining when we got to Kalibo. We were praying really hard that it stops since we don’t want to arrive to a soggy boracay.
We road a van going to Caticlan which costs Php275 per person since our boat ride will be paid by the Panoly since we had an initial pick-up arrangement from Caticlan to the hotel. It took us around an hour to reach the port. We got really excited when we were about to board the boat since the sun started to shining. Just in time! There were some Panoly guys waiting for us at the port who carried our stuff and loaded in their shuttle. The Panoly is relatively far since it’s farther than Stations 1,2, and 3. The reviews weren’t joking that the road going down the Panoly was rough. It was actually an understatement. The rain prior made the road even worse. We were really dreading passing by that road in case we need to go to the white beach. It’s either we walk there or rent the shuttle which is Php400.00 one-way!
Rough road
The Panoly itself is really nice. We even got an upgraded room for free since there weren’t much guests since it’s off-peak season. It has a little kitchen and we have our own veranda. We were pretty hungry when we got to our room. It was around 3pm already and we haven’t had our lunch yet. Good thing we bought Andok’s just before boarding the boat at Caticlan.
I went to Tagaytay last week to finalize some details for one of the weddings I’m organizing. I really love going to Tagaytay. It’s literally a breath of fresh air!
Their wedding is going to be at Nurture Spa, which is a really great choice for a destination wedding. The ambiance is just perfect for these kinds of moments. I’m sure their guests will enjoy their garden reception.
It’s easy to go to the place, although at some point you might feel that you’re getting lost already since it’s a bit of a long ride from the main road. If you plan to go there and you’re coming from the Rotonda, just turn right after Figaro (near Starbucks, Leslie’s, etc). Just go straight (it’s a long road) and turn left when you reach a fork. You wouldn’t miss it if you follow the signs. Although I suggest they make those signs bigger so it’s easier to see. If you’re commuting, you can just ride a tricycle which would cost you Php50.
The long trip is usually worth it, specially after seeing their refreshing garden. It’s so relaxing to just sit and read a book there and just enjoy the ambiance. The breezy air of Tagaytay is just an icing on the cake.
They offer different spa packages as well as overnight accommodations which you might want to check out. Visit their site for more information.
I’m back from boracay! That was such a fun trip! A little bitin actually. Taking a vacation there should atleast be a week! I hope to go back soon for a longer stay. Boracay sand is unbelievably soooo fine! Boracay sunset is also such a magnificent sight!
I’m still organizing the pictures and brewing up my post so please bear with me. For now, I’ll leave you with some boracay sunset pictures. Enjoy!
I was initially planning on making a different travel route. Originally I was thinking of traveling ALONE to dumaguete-siquijor-bohol on October. That was when I was on my soul searching phase. But now that I’m a bit enlightened already, I don’t feel like like doing that trip alone. Well, since my hubby can’t take a long leave of absence from work, we just decided to take a shorter trip. At least we’re together! That’s so much more fun than traveling alone, right? So after a couple of discussions and pondering, we decided to just go to Boracay since we both haven’t been there. We’ve already booked our tickets but we haven’t really finalized our accommodation plans. Hopefully we get to make reservations this week already. I’m just sooo excited! This is really something to look forward to.
