Beyond the Photo: Beach Bumming in Bagasbas

The ultimate beach bumming experience is when you have an absolutely nothing to do except waste the day on the shore under the summer sun - down a few drinks, read a book you've been dying to finish, pick a few sticks of bbq street food, and dive into the wild waves that playfully spit you back out to the shore. Relieved that we survived our one-week romp through the Bicol Region, we savored the downtime in Bagasbas - the last stop in our trip with our crazy itinerary behind us.

Bagasbas Beach. Daet, Camarines Norte - April 2011.

This was our BUSY schedule: We left Cubao in Manila Palm Sunday. Holy Monday we swam with Whale Sharks in Donsol, visited the ruins of Cagsawa, tried to get a glimpse of Mt. Mayon  (she skillfully hid behind a thick cloud) and spent the night in Camsur Watersports Complex after miserably failing at wakeboarding. Holy Tuesday we hied off to logistically elusive Caramoan but finally arrived before sunset despite the transportation challenges. Holy Wednesday we went on an early morning island hopping tour of the Caramoan Islands and had an amazing breakfast on a secluded white-sand island, we headed to Naga right after and caught onward bus to Daet. My sister Marija joined the trip at this point, our shuttle van picked her up in Pili. Holy Thursday we braved the waves on a rickety boat for 2hours on the way to jaw-droppingly-pretty Calaguas Islands where we spent the whole day with JM's clan - which meant we were free to act like kids in a family beach picnic. Which brings us to...

Good Friday - with all to-dos masterfully crossed out of our ambitious checklist, we could finally wind down and take things slow. We allowed ourselves to sleep in late, have a prolonged and lazy breakfast, and play  around with the kids. We headed to Bagasbas to bask in the morning sun, and it was simply magical feeling to have nothing to do looming over you. Finally we could exhale deeply, relax our clenched muscles and just let time run its course without worrying. We could have tried surfing, but we were simply too lazy even for that, and just opted to skimboard. Walked around town after that, went back home and slept some more. Ahhhhhh, a perfect way to end a great adventure. 

Beyond the Photo: Distress Call

Once... we were in the middle of a punishing six-hour trek up the Singnapan Valley and through the Matalingajan mountain range when my mobile phone started ringing wildly - it was so alien amidst the gentle sounds of the rainforest.

Anna taking an overseas call in the heart of the rainforest

For four days we were staying with a Tau't Bato family and the ten days prior we were with a Palaw'an community on the other coast of Southern Palawan up Mount Gantung. The areas were so remote we had minimal access to the modern world, until that moment.

I answered the call, and a lady with a thick aussie accent anxiously inquired if I was Raffy Vicente, and asked to talk to Anna immediately. It was Anna's MOM!! We found it so amusing at first, your mum calls out of the blue while trekking in the heart of the rainforest.

Turns out she was in a semi-panic and wanted to check our condition because a typhoon was about to hit the Philippines and was on a direct collision course with Southern Palawan. Anna assured her that we were okay, it was sunny in fact with great blue skies and I told them that we get typhoons all the time and staying safe wouldn't be problem. So we carried on, reached Rizal  town after several more hours, spent the night by the beach and rode off to Puerto Princesa before sunrise the next day.

In Puerto, we ambled to a convenience store to get supplies and our jaws dropped when we saw the newspaper headlines: TYPHOON SENDONG. Hundreds dead - in just one night as mammoth flash floods washed away towns in Northern Mindanao. Barely a week before Christmas, it brought unprecedented devastation that affected hundreds of thousands of  families.

We were unbelievably lucky. Turns out Anna's mum was not overreacting at all.

*Beyond The Photo will be a series of travel snapshots and the personal stories behind it. We all get a flood of memories surrounding that moment captured in a photo - and that's what I want to share.

Batanes Travel Guide & Notes + Top 10 Moments

It's been over 2 years since my epic Batanes adventure, only getting around to sharing this guide now. I am super sorry!! hehehe. Hope that people will still find this guide to be helpful, relevant and inspiring. If you've booked your Batanes trip and are in the planning process - I hope this guide will be a good reference to refine and help you prioritize your itinerary. If you're still thinking of going to Batanes - I hope this pushes you to actually book because it's one of the most awesome places in the Philippines!

Click here to download The Budget Traveller Batanes Travel Guide & Notes

The Budget Traveller Batanes Travel Guide & Notes I pepared includes the following:

• Summary of things to do in Batanes - in around Basco, Batan Island & Sabtang Island
• List of towns & villages and their main attractions
• Summary of awesome lookout view points
• Places to eat
• Budget and cost of goods/services listing
• Contact directory of restaurants, lodging, tour operators & service providers

Click here to download The Budget Traveller Batanes Travel Guide & Notes

Getting that out of the way, here's a rundown of my Top 10 Batanes Moments

1. Claiming SanTan's Canteen as our hangout spot. We wasted our hours here reading, drinking Kalinga coffee, eating BBQ & devouring the BEST burgers. The book exchange was a big plus too!

2. Discovering one of the best pizzas in my life at Casa Napoli! The owner Xavier worked with Italians in a cruise ship, and wonderfully makes do with scarce ingredients on the island. He also has a secret stock of Lavazza coffee - which he gladly shared with us :-)

Casa Napoli

3. The climb to Mt. Iraya was EPIC. What we thought would be a leisurely climb turned out to be a 9.5 hour test of spirits. It rained hard before we reached the summit. We crawled through mud & instant waterfalls. The wind was punishing at the summit - we were freezing, still drenched in rain. But we got a spectacular glimpse of the whole island on our way down, thankfully.

With my cousin Laida at the summit of Mount Iraya - wet and chilly

4. Discovering the Ivatan villages of Sabtang Island - Savidud, Chavayan, Nakanmuan and Sumnanga. It's like being transported to some fairy tale land with stone houses and breathtaking landscapes.

Old Ivatan lady walking the streets of Sumnanga Village, Sabtang Island

One of the stone houses standing proudly in Chavayan Village, Sabtang Island 

5. The 45minute boat crossing between Ivana and Sabtang was like Laida said, a 4x4 ride through the seas. The Ivatan boats don't have a "katig" because the waves don't have a real wave pattern, they sprout out from all around. It was wild!

On the commuter boat crossing from Sabtang to Ivana

6. The trip to Mahatao, on foot. Fresh from the airport - with no sleep from our New Year celebrations - we ventured on foot to Mahatao. Half-way through the 8km way, we decided to take a trike. Once in Mahatao, we walked to the lighthouse... it turned out to be another 3km. Waaaaah! The locals think we're funny.

7. Biking to Valugan bay, With joints and muscles still reeling from the prior day's abuse from the Iraya climb. We had to walk some parts, and I had to push Laida for "bwelo" at some point. But it was fun, and the Valugan Boulder Beach was a spectacular sight to behold.

Valugan Boulder Beach

8. SEAIR canceling our flight - two times, and forcing us to extend 4 days. Good thing they covered our lodging and food - we moved from Ivatan Lodge to Batanes Seaside Resort (hot water! a proper breakfast! cable tv!). But I never ever had my blood boiling as much in my life - SEAIR handled things very very poorly, they were frustrating, I just felt helpless.... I don't want to think about it anymore.

At the Basco Airport, on the phone with SEAir officials as we trying to secure a flight home

9. Waking up on our 2nd to the last day to find the most beautiful rainbow I've ever seen! It was so clear from end to end, rising from the middle of the sea and ending with the Basco lighthouse at its foot. It was actually a double rainbow - but the 2nd one not so clear in the photo.

Beautiful rainbow seen from the rooftop of Batanes Seaside Resort

 
10. Swimming on our last day, the moment we saw the sun come out. It was quick but fun - for the sake of taking underwater photos! hahaha. The water was cold and very clear, the current was strong though. Scary.

Click here to download The Budget Traveller Batanes Travel Guide & Notes

Pawikan (Sea Turtle) Conservation Tour

All species of pawikan (sea turtle) are considered endangered, and a huge responsibility for conservation rests on our shoulders since our shores are a favorite nesting ground. The amazing thing about sea turtles is that females always go back to lay eggs in the same beach where they were born - they know exactly where it is 25years later!

The Pawikan Conservation Center located in Morong, Bataan is run by locals who work purely as volunteers - and they actually used to be poachers. Realizing the need for conservation, they organized themselves into an association and they have been running the center for 12 years now. Every single night they patrol the shore, move eggs to the protected area and release the baby turtles. They've released over 52,000 hatchlings so far! With an estimate of only 1% of hatchlings making it into adulthood, they know that every single egg will make a difference. 

I hope my turtle comes swimming back to the shores of Morong after 25 years to lay her own batch of 100 turtle eggs!! :-) 

We also had time for a sidetrip to the Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valor) up in Mount Samat, Pilar Bataan. This serves as a memorial for the brave American and Filipino soldiers in the Battle of Marlon Bataan, survivors of whom were later led on the the Bataan Death March. The shrine is a moving reminder of the horrors of war and the gallantry of people who fought in it. 

I joined this awesome tour organized by Route +63 Sustainable Travels Inc. Check their website for other upcoming trips! :-) www.route63travels.com

Entrance to the Center. They have several dorm rooms and private rooms available for overnight stays, or one can opt to pitch a tent in their camping grounds. Not to worry - clean public showers are available.

 Chairperson of the center giving a very educational talk about sea turtles - their habitat, mating habits, conservation issues, and a history of the volunteer work that they've been doing here.

The hatchling area, where nests uncovered from the beach are moved for protection. Each nest can contain 100-200 eggs, and will take almost 2 months for full incubation. Turtles dig their way up and out of the sand once they hatch. 

We were lucky to witness hatchlings digging their way out of the sand and into the world! They're still covered in sand, as one can see. Look at their opal-like eyes... kinda creepy. Hehehe 

This is our group under Route +63 Sustainable Travels Inc.! As part of the package, they took care of the transportation from Manila t Balanga, Bataan via bus, transfers to Morong and back, 4 meals (lunch, dinner, breakfast and lunch on Day 2), accommodation at the center, and the sidetrip to Dambana ng Kagitingan.

My sea turtle! We woke up early the 2nd day - 6:00am to be exact - to take part in releasing the hatchlings into the sea. We watched them scamer on the sand and find their way into the water, with the waves finally eating them up. Pretty cool too when they start swimming with nothing but their tiny heads jutting out of the water

The Pawikan Consevation Center's beachfront during sunset, with kids playing around.

View of the Pawikan Conservation Center from the beach

Travel Insurance Claim... Success!

OK, I hope you were able to read my past entry about the terribly frustrating flight cancellations experiences (emphasis on the plurality!) we had with SEAIR during our Batanes trip early this year. If you haven't, you can read my post here: Top 5 Ways to Avoid Delays when Flying SEAIR to Batanes.

My last piece of advise was to get Travel Insurance. Talking to the insurance company over the phone while we were still in Batanes - figuring out what to do with our canceled flight - made me feel like the process for claiming would be easy enough. That merits a whole different post altogether... it took over 4months of constant follow-ups, escalations and threats, appeals to emotion and what have you. The important thing is... WE DID GET OUR CHECKS!!

They paid us P1,000 for every day the flight was delayed, so my cousin and I got a total of P4,000 each. This is aside from SEAIR covering our extra 4 days lodging and food of course. Now this amount for me was still not enough to compensate for the ticket to Tagbilaran I had to forfeit, the wedding I missed, and even the lost work days since I had to extend my leave at work. At the end of the day, this is still better than nothing and a good enough ROI for the P250 we paid for travel insurance.

So next time you travel... get travel insurance!

I'm actually thinking of getting an annual plan now, might be more cost-effective VS getting per trip. If you have experience with Travel Insurance plans and providers, hope you can share.

My Entry! Natgeo Traveler Photo Contest

Sunset Drama Over Port Barton

The clashing energy of the sun's last rays slowly being engulfed by night clouds - this is the drama that transpires daily over Port Barton's last moments of light.

With the setting sun out of view as it drowns over the dark horizon, the clouds and the sky take center stage as it puts on this show of rich colors and textures dancing elegantly and transforming every second.

This was taken with a film camera, the old-fashioned way. Untouched by any modern-day photo-editing technology.

Check ount my National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest entry here!

VIDEO: Batanes, Philippines Adventure

So when my friends ask what I did in Batanes.... I just stare back for a few moments, and slowly blurt out with escalating intensity - "I went to BATANES!!"

Unlike other banner destinations thriving on the throngs of tour group travelers, cookie-cutter itineraries and themed attractions - a visit to Batanes is about experiencing a land not pretending to be anything else but what it has naturally grown to be. The awesome landscape, truly the most helpful and gentle people in the country, functionally beautiful architecture, wild boat rides and endlessly crashing seascapes - this seems like the best way to get away from the familiarity of daily life without leaving the country. Can't wait to go back!

Enjoy this short video of our trip!

ROOM REVIEW: Rosanna's Cottages, El Nido Palawan Philippines

Rosanna’s Cottages was ranked as the top budget pick in El Nido by Lonely Planet, and had praises all over the internet. That made it one of our top picks, so we went around and checked other places first, and ended up deciding that Rosanna’s was going to be our home for the next days to. We got their deluxe room on the 2^nd floor, with a private balcony overlooking the beach and Cadlao Island.

Location – it’s a little off center, nearer to the edge of the road leading to the highway than it is to the center of town. El Nido’s a small town though, everything’s within a 5minute walk. It’s in a less crowded hence more quiet part of the beach. From the street, it’s right across Balay Tubay – one of my personal favorite hangout places in town. The location is excellent, if you ask me.

Facilities – the reception area (a counter by the main gate) has some maps and books. The staff can happily arrange tours for you too. Best thing about the location is that they have a beachfront, with a gate opening right on to the beach. The room itself has a large dresser, electric fan and a table with a couple of chairs. Another set of chairs are available out on the balcony too.

Bed – We had 2 beds – a queen size and a single. The beds were really so-so, it was a little lumpy, but the sheets were clean and the pillows were ok enough. Again, this isn’t a deluxe hotel - don’t expect goose down pillows and heavenly mattresses. No need for a mosquito net here for the bed, the entire room has screens guarding the doors and windows, keeping the notorious mosquitoes of Palawan away.

Toilet  & Bath – it’s a sparse comfort room, with your basic shower, toilet and a sink. Again nothing fancy here (no bathtub, if you’re wondering). The water pressure in EL Nido is adequate, I wouldn’t say strong. There was one brief moment when water disappeared while I was in the shower, but it went back on a full force after a couple minutes.

Budget – we paid P900/night for the deluxe room – now that’s a little steep for El Nido, where you can find places for less than P200 a night. But for the comfort, peaceful atmosphere, to die for view and that island getaway vibe – I think this is a price you can’t beat.

Overall, I highly recommend the place. The location is perfect if you want to rest and get away from the busy crowds. For breakfast we order from Balay Tubay and have it served by the balcony. The best part really is that balcony opening out to a majestic view of the beach, the sea and Cadlao Island – it’s just your picture perfect El Nido escape.

Contact Information:

0920-6054631 / 0929-7063647

Rosannascottages_elnido@yahoo.com

http://rosannas.multiply.com

*please note that the numbers listed for Rosanna's in Lonely Planet and the Jens Peters guide are incorrect

Top 5 Ways to Avoid Delays when Flying SEAIR to Batanes

During my recent trip to Batanes, I experienced first-hand the perils of flying to a place with notoriously unpredictable weather, fluctuating passenger traffic and a single air carrier acting like it has everyone at its mercy. Bleh! My experience with SEAIR has really been horrible, their customer service and concern for passengers is non-existent, probably because they know passengers have no other choice. It's actually good that they fly to Basco - it's a public service for the local citizens and for tourists - but please, get your act together! At least give your paying passengers the service they deserve and live up to your SEAIR CARES statement.

ANYWAY, I don't want to delve into that. Let's move forward! Hahaha! I had my flight delayed twice, and a total of 4 days. The locals say the record so far is 2weeks stranded in the island, so I still had it good. For the good of the traveling public, I decided to compile this list of practical tips from my personal experience that will help you around possible flight delays and other similar problems. I hope you will find this helpful.



1. PEAK SEASON IS THE TIME TO GO - this is a cliche, but really the most practical thing to do because there are apparently 2 primary reasons why flights get canceled or delayed: (1) Bad Weather, and (2) Not Enough Passengers. Best time to go when weather is good and more predictable is March - July, according to the locals. The second reason is what people whisper about as the secret reason. Of course when I confronted SEAIR they said this is not true. Flying during peak season means most of the inbound and outbound flights are fully booked, so it will be a safe bet for most passengers.

2. PICK THE FIRST FLIGHT - seasonally, SEAIR adds more flights to generate additional  passengers. But most of the travel agencies who book for them push their passengers to the earlier flight or the fixed daily schedule. Related to what I said in the previous item, a flight that has more passengers will have a smaller chance of being canceled. I think the seasonal flights that they add have a higher risk of being canceled - because they open a new flight, book only half the seats... well that's my theory. What we experienced personally was that our group was split into 2 flights back to Manila. The first group flew on sked, we on the 2nd trip had to stay an extra 4days after it was canceled.


3. VALIDATE WIND CONDITIONS - what I found out is that SEAIR planes only have the capability to fly in wind conditions less then 26 knots. Anything more than that, means that a flight can be delayed or canceled altogether. Visit the website www.windfinder.com and search for Basco wind conditions. They have a 1week forecast, which seems accurate. One time, the BCTA lady said that the wind was going to be over 30knots in 3 days. True enough on that day, the flight was canceled due to strong winds. Check our winds conditions in Tuguegarao too, since the plane flies through there. If it's more than 26knots, there'sa big chance it will be delayed or canceled.


4. CHECK FLIGHT STATUS IN ADVANCE - apparently SEAIR changes schedules and moves flights around, but they're not too proactive in informing their passengers about it. What happend in our case was that we were informed our flight back to Manila was canceled only 2 days before the actual flight. With some information from the travel agency we were talking to, we found out that they actually canceled the flight as early as 2weeks before. The travel agency of course informed their passengers about the change, so they were able to rebook people accordingly. Since we purchased online, no one from SEAIR took the initiative to inform us until it was too late. So to be sure, check every now and then leading up to your flight to see if there are any changes.

5. WHEN CANCELED, REBOOK ASAP - if and when your flights gets canceled, SEAIR will probably say one of two things: (1) There will be an additional flight on XX date, we are moving all passengers there, or (2) We are trying to get an additional flight, we will keep you posted. Hmmm, do you notice the glaring difference? Hehe. If you hear Number 1 - that's a good sign. But if their statement sounds like Number 2 - chances are it won't happen. I personally heard that so many times and it never materialized. Take matters in your own hands, call the hotline, look for the next earliest flight and have your ticket rebooked. Don't wait for them to do this for you, because seats might run out.

My last piece of advise, make sure you GET TRAVEL INSURANCE because you will never really know what will happen. This is just P250 per head when you buy the ticket through SEAIR. You can get coverage of P1,000 per day because of flight delays, on top of other benefits like accident and medical insurance. This is a valuable enough reason to protect you from any mishaps.

I also got the following numbers from the BCTA office of some people from SEIAR you can bug in case of problems. Remember that BCTA is just their ground crew and logistics handler in Basco, so they really can't do a lot in case of problems like this. Better to call SEAIR directly:

Patrick Tan - VP for Commercial Affairs (09197432552)
Leo Gimena - Executive Assistant to the VP (09178547480)

Good luck on your travels!!

Map of El Nido, Palawan Philippines

Hope you guys find this map of El Nido, Palawan helpful. I got this for free from one of the local establishments during my recent trip to El Nido, and scanned it (apologies for the crooked scanning!). I Think the local tourism office created this map and gives it away to visitors.

It's a simple map with all of the essentials - you have a listing of lodging options with contact information, restaurants and major establishments, and quick information for the traveller staying in El Nido.

Click Here to Download Full Map (1600 x 1515)