Learn to Fly: Angeles City Flying Club

"Now I'm looking to the sky to save me 

Looking for a sign of life 

Looking for something to help me burn out bright 

I'm looking for a complication Looking 'cause I'm tired of lying 

Make my way back home when I learn to fly high."

- Foo Fighters, Learn to Fly

People commonly think that learning to fly a plane is one of those impossible aspirations, just relegated to a far away dream that one can only wish for. I was surprised to learn that there was such a thing as the Angeles City Flying Club - a hub for light aircraft hobbyists and pilots and dreamland for those who wants to learn to fly.

The club is composed of trained and experts pilots, light aircraft owners and flying enthusiasts. They offer intro flights for first timers, where they demonstrate the basics of flying a light aircraft and you get to control an actual plane in flight. When I took my intro flight, my captain was an actual commercial pilot based in HK, and he would spend his weekends in Pampanga with the Angeles City Flying club, to get to fly for fun.

The trial intro flight stars at PHP 1,650 for a 15 minute flying experience.

Angeles City Flying Club - Pampanga Rates

What can I saw? It was totally awesome experience!!! The take off, circling around, following the river and approaching the magnificent Mt. Arayat - it all felt so unreal. The closest thing I can compare it to is a roller coaster that seems to move 10x slower but intensity of the rush you feel is 100x more thrilling. Roller coasters happen so fast, there's no time to process how you feel, you just scream your guts out and it's done. But flying a plane - gliding with the wind, seeing the ground moving farther and farther away, your altitude going higher until your view of the land becomes wider and greater - hard to compare this exhilarating feeling to anything else.

With the intro flight too, you get to control the plane! Once in the air, navigation basically involves the pedals which makes the aircraft go right or left, and the hand lever that directs it up or down. The controls are mechanically duplicated or mirrored for the passenger and the pilot - so we both have our own pedals, but if the pilot pushes down, my pedal pushes down too. If I pull the lever, his lever gets pulled too. It's a way of making sure that a wayward student doesn't crash the plane.. because it's quite easy to do that hehe.

Angeles City Flying Club - Pampanga

Angeles City Flying Club - Pampanga

Angeles City Flying Club - Pampanga

Angeles City Flying Club - Pampanga

Angeles City Flying Club - Pampanga

This is highly recommend for anyone whose dream is to fly! :-)

For more information and map for directions on how to get to the Angeles City Flying Club, see links below. You can also try having lunch at Abe's Farm, - which is in the same town and just about 10mins away from the flying club.

Angeles City Flying Club - Pampanga About

Angeles City Flying Club - Pampanga Map Directions

Meditative Mornings: Cafe Loka, Siargao

My mornings in Siargao consisted of rising from bed while it was still dark, sauntering down the beach-side trail to Cloud 9 that was lined with coconut trees and modest bungalows, admiring the sunrise as it wrestled with the clouds and slowly bathed the island with its glorious rays, heading back to Ocean 101 for a light continental breakfast, and winding down in Cafe Loka for a proper cup of coffee.

Cafe Loka, Siargao Cloud 9

Cafe Loka opened at 8:00 AM, and I would be hanging around the porch a few minutes before then while watching the staff arrange tables & chairs and prep for official opening. Different island characters would be walking by this time of day, spotters checking out the waves, surfers with their boards heading out, local vendors peddling suman rice cakes, kids in uniform preparing for class, and a lot more. One morning a little girl in a neat dress - I guess she was about 5 - ambled down the path lugging a cash box and handed it to the staff. With her task completed, she then demanded a cookie from the guy, the little hoodlum with hungry smiling eyes. I would later see she was the daughter of the cafe's proprietor.

Cafe Loka, Siargao Cloud 9

Cafe Loka, Siargao Cloud 9

I relished my quiet meditative mornings at Cafe Loka. By my table, coffee cup an arm's reach away, I barely had to look up for this splendid view to mesmerize me. When immersed in nature, in all its expanse and majesty - the sea, mountains, waves, winding rivers, clouds, blue skies and starry nights -  they all have the same fundamental effect on me. It clears my mind and my point of view, strips away all the man-made constraints clouding my head. It reminds me of how small a speck I am in this world, more so my problems - hence it shouldn't stop me from doing what I must do. I feel enabled, capable, inspired, powerful, driven.

Cafe Loka, Siargao Cloud 9

Cafe Loka, Siargao Cloud 9

An excerpt from my journal entry dated November 10, 2014:

"Walked to Cloud 9 and found Cafe Loka. Must say it's quite sensational to have a good cup of coffee early morning in a windy beach. The cool wind brushing my legs and sending a tingling chill to my spine, hot cup of coffee in my hands, the strong bitter aroma, the forceful pounding of waves in the distance, the incessant woosh of the moving current - keeps you in a trance. Until the electric hummmm of the coffee grinder wakes you up."

Here are a few more photos of  Cafe Loka at dusk, taken from the beach and the boardwalk. It is quite the glowing invitation to come over and have a cup of coffee (or a shake, or a sandwich, or a salad, or a slice of home-baked cake...) and just watch the world keep turning.

Cafe Loka, Siargao Cloud 9

Cafe Loka, Siargao Cloud 9

Cafe Loka, Siargao Cloud 9

Downing Drinks: Cool Spot Bar, Siargao

"Had a couple too many beers last night at this bar across 101 run by a Korean castaway. Pretty cool warm place with this bar counter decked in strip lights, a ref covered in skulls, and Bon Jovi playing in the background."

- Journal entry, November 11, 2014

Cool Spot Bar, Cloud 9 Siargao - Pale Pilsen beer with free Popcorn! 

There was this bar I always passed by when going through the roadside gate of Ocean 101, and it piqued my interest because it was always aglow with warm yellow lights and electric hues emanating from a huge iMac sitting on the counter. It was also always empty, and I made a mental note to try hanging out there at least once.

The night I had a couple too many beers happened after hanging out at dusk on the Cloud 9 platform, and I decided to walk back to Ocean 101 via the road instead of the shoreline pathway. It rained softly but steadily the whole way back, which I didn't mind until it suddenly started to pummel down hard. My brisk walk turned into a sprint, and as I passed by its gate the warm and dry bar called out to me and I couldn't resist. I barged in the bar (which was really the decked out garage of the house), running as if some crazy dog was chasing me. There was one Spaniard on a rattan hammock watching TV, and no other customers. I sat by the bar, ordered a beer and the bartender served it with a bowl of popcorn - complimentary munchies for every order. I tried to conceal a smile. Perfect.

Cool Spot Bar, Cloud 9 Siargao - surf board rental, pool table, dining area, movie screenings at night

Thus started our daily pre-dinner and post-dinner drinks at the bar across the road, away from the busy and overly-friendly atmosphere of Ocean 101's dining area. We met Skol, the Korean castaway who runs the place, he opened it just a few months back after moving to Siargao from Boracay, where he was a tour guide for over 10 years. The music was always good, Anna was surprised when they played an obscure Australian band that she's seen perform in a friend's bar in Sydney. The food, while limited to barchow, was just right - I loved the Sashimi, they served it together with a unusual side dish - I forget what it was but I remember how surprised I was that it went so well together and that it wasn't a more popular pairing. I think it was a pickled vegetable or a fruit or some sauce. Hmmmm. What I also admired was that dinner time Skol would always stop working to eat dinner with his entire staff together in one table - they'd have rice, share the same ulam, and they'd just talk and share stories over dinner.

Cool Spot Bar, Cloud 9 Siargao - funky car decked out in lights

Cool Spot Bar, Cloud 9 Siargao - the bar where cocktails are served double shot all the time haha

Detail of the ref design / sticker - SKULLS

There would only be a few other guests, which gave us a chance to chat properly without having to raise our voices, and we would engage Skol is some random banter occasionally. My last night in Siargao a couple of guys came in while we were having our pre-dinner beers, and when we got back after dinner they were stinking drunk after downing half a lapad of Tanduay. They were so drunk they kept falling all over the place, one would help the other and they both crash and the chairs end up in disarray. When the bartenders finally manage to help them up, they prep to depart, but not before facing each other and doing a pep talk in a foreign language I couldn't identify. I imagined that they were telling each other in their madly inebriated state that "we can do this, we can walk back home together. focus." The next morning as we walked to Cloud 9 to catch the sunrise, we found the 2 boys shattered limp lying on the beach. They never got to their rooms, they succumbed to the power of Tanduay and expired on the beach. But hey, I wouldn't mind waking up with the perfect sunrise greeting me.

Oh and when I got home, I asked Anna who stayed behind to inquire if the bar had a name - yes, it was called Cool Spot.

The drunk boys we found on the beach the next morning

ROOM RATES: Hotel Alejandro - Tacloban, Leyte

ROOM RATES AS OF NOVEMBER, 2014:

P1,700 Standard Double
P1,900 Superior Double
P2,400 Deluxe Room
P2,600 Superior Deluxe
P2,800 Bridal Room
P3,000 Executive Room

P500 for extra bed

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Phone: +63 53 3217033
Phone: +63 53 3217510
Phone: +63 53 3217509
Phone: +63 53 3217873
Fax: +63 53 5237872
Email: hotelalejandro360@gmail.com

Hotel Alejandro Tacloban Rates

Hotel Alejandro Tacloban Contact Information

ROOM RATES: Rosvenil Hotel - Tacloban, Leyte

RATES AS OF NOVEMBER, 2014:

Rosvenil Hotel Tacloban Rates

Rosvenil Hotel Tacloban - Lovely Facade

Standard Rooms
P1,280 - Single Bed
P1,480 - Matrimonial Bed
P1,680 - Two Single Beds

Deluxe Rooms - with complimentary breakfast
P2,080 - Matrimonial Bed
P2,480 - Two Single Beds
P2,880 - Family (Matrimonial & Single Bed)
P3,780 - Suite (Matrimonial + Sofa Bed)
*Extra Bed P400

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Mobile: +63 939 9248973
Mobile: +63 917 8304757

Phone: +63 53 3212676-77
Phone: +63 53 3216009
Phone: +63 53 8320577

Address: 302 Burgos Street, Tacloban City

Rosvenil Hotel Tacloban - Front Garden

ROOM RATES: Banaue Hotel - Banaue, Ifugao

RATES AS OF JANUARY, 2015:

Banaue Hotel, Ifugao Room Rates

P2,300 Standard (Single/Twin)
P3,000 Deluxe (Single/Twin)
P7,000 Suite
Extra Bed: P650

*All rates inclusive of breakfast


CONTACT INFORMATION:
Mobile: +63 908 4007596
Mobile: +63 927 5702355
Email: pta_banauehotel@yahoo.com
Email: tieza.banauehotel@yahoo.com

ROOM RATES / REVIEW: Ocean 101 Beach Resort - Cloud 9, Siargao

RATES AS OF NOVEMBER, 2014:

Ocean 101 Resort Cloud 9 Siargao Contact Infomration

Ocean 101 Resort Cloud 9 Siargao Room Rates

P9,000 Villa Natali (Executive Suite)
Panoramic view of the sea.
AC room with satellite TV, sound system, jacuzzi and  big stylish lounge.
Up to 4 people.

P2,500 Honeymoon Cottage
Panoramic view of the sea.
AC room with satellite TV, with hot/cold shower.
Up to 2 people.

P4,000 Family Room
Air-conditioned room with hot/cold shower.
Up to 6 people.
Extra person charge of P500.

P2,000 Watefront Room
Air-conditioned room with hot/cold shower.
Up to 2 people
Extra person charge of P900

P1,300 Watefront Room
Fan-cooled room with hot/cold shower.
Up to 2 people
Extra person charge of P600

P1,400 Surfer Favorite Room
Air-conditioned room with hot/cold shower.
Up to 2 people
Extra person charge of P700

P750 Surfer Favorite Room
Fan-cooled room with hot/cold shower.
Up to 2 people
Extra person charge of P350

Upstairs Fan-cooled Room
- Beach front P600
- Two single bed P600
- Back side P500

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Mobile: +63 919 8268837
Mobile: +63 910 8480893
Mobile: +63 927 9193101
Email: michael@ocean101cloud9.com
Contact Person: Peloy Alipayo

*Credit cards accepted
**Online payment via PayPal also available

ACTUAL ROOM PHOTOS:

I booked the Upstairs Fan-cooled Room, which was a measly P500/night. It's located above the restaurant / dining hall - which is the oldest / original structure of the resort. The stairs and the floors were made of wood, they get squeaky at night. Noise was not an issue despite the location, the shared shower/toilet was a bigger concern as there was only 1 set to share for everyone who booked an Upstairs Fan Cooled Room (about eight rooms I believe). There's a balcony by the front-end where guests can hang their clothes to dry, and it has a good view of the sea and the resort grounds from there too.

My room consisted of a double bed, windows facing the newer structure holding the fancy air-conditioned rooms, there was a small side-table, a ceiling fan, and a closet. Towels are not provided.

Ocean 101 Cloud 9 Siargao - Fan Room

Ocean 101 Cloud 9 Siargao - Fan Room

Ocean 101 Cloud 9 Siargao - View from 2/F Balcony

Ocean 101 Cloud 9 Siargao Corridor to Balcony