2008: My year of adventure!

Early in the year, I was already foreseeing that 2008 would be my year of travel. Of course, thinking about it is one thing, and fulfilling it is another, so I'm only happy to find that I did end up visiting a LOT of places this year. Some I've never gone to, others not so new. But regardless of destination, what's so heartwarming is that all trips were packed with new adventures that continues to make me want to go back for more.

I know, I know, it may sound overly optimistic, but what can I say? The company is always great, the experiences fun, the activities and conversations unpredictable. I'm doubting if I can go on as much trips in 2009, but I'd rather not think about that at the moment ..

For now, I'd just like to rundown on where I went in 2008, say a BIG THANKS to Him who made it possible, and of course, to everyone who experienced all these things with me and made all these plans a reality, and hopefully, I'd get to travel with you guys again in the future!

   

January – Puerto Galera, Mindoro Oriental

Couldn't have kicked off 2008 any better than with a sunshiney trip to the beach! My first time in Puerto Galera was spent not in the more popular “swimming” spot of White Beach, but in the divers' area called La Laguna Beach (so yes, I really do have to go back there). But I wasn't so bummed with the lack of powdery white sand and long shores for sun-bathing. Instead, was pleasantly surprised with our lodging (nice view, spacious aircon room, value for money!) and satisfied with having enough space to lay our sarongs and sun-bathe (thanks to a cooperative weather, of course!) Something major to remember for future trips in La Laguna, though: Bring lots of food or order your dishes early, because resto services are VERY VERY slow!



February – Manalmon, Bulacan*

Not really an expedition but I'm counting this in because it was very memorable. We were supposed to camp out overnight and boulder for two days, but was met with very bad weather. What I ended up doing (with a handful of our group) was just hike through the muddy trail and cross the rushing rivers to the boulder area, and then back to the parking lot again. So even if I only spent a few hours in Manalmon, even if the plans didn't push through, it was such a reminder on other beautiful things that one can appreciate – nature, fresh air, flowing fresh water. It left me so hungry for more.

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March – Baguio*

Finally, a real climbing trip! We were a party of two cars to Baguio to catch (some) cold weather-bouldering before summer fully kicked in. In the daytime, we visited Asin and Lamtang, hopped across boulders, and attempted to climb whatever surface we can (including the pipe holes of an unused dam – or was it a sewage system?) At night, we stayed in a friend's big, comfy house that had a fireplace where we attempted to make  smores using mini marshmallows, chocolate bars, graham crackers, and barbecue sticks. Miel ended up making his own version of a “flambe”. It was also then when I first discovered Honey on the Rock, a resto by the Cathedral that serves scrumptious, filling organic food! Something I will visit for sure when I go back to Baguio.



March-April – Hong Kong*

Second bouldering trip of the year! And first shopping trip of the year ;) Miel, Dennis, Xtian, Buddy, Niknok and Jules went to join the HK Bouldering Invitational, while Nana, Alex and I went to boulder outdoors. Sad to say we weren't so happy with our first day of bouldering...spent more time hiking and searching for a climbable rock than anything #@&^!!!...but we were appeased with the Shek-O boulders, where we got to crimp and pull on more stuff. Granite was so tough on the skin but served me some lessons. As usual, we stayed in the “First Class Guest House” in Tsim Sha Tsui. Cheap, not-so-clean, but definitely practical because it's so central and has easy access to our favorite climbing shops. And what is Hong Kong without the shopping, right? :)



April – Caylabne Bay Resort, Ternate, Cavite (MB Summer Outing)

Summer means beach, and for our Company Outing, we went to Caylabne (which my mom later on  told me was formerly known as Marbella – a resort we visited when I was a kid!) It was a cove hidden somewhere in Cavite, not so big, but ideal for a company like ours which had only about 25 employees at that time. We spent the day swimming, gossiping in the pools and beaches, throwing frisbees, and counting the dead jellyfish that lay on the shore. Note that I don't know if the deaths were caused by the resort or some freak of nature (global warming, most likely), but it was such a depressing sight. On the brighter side of things, Caylabne also offered some kayak + other equipment rentals for those who want to visit with family and friends.



May – La Luz Resort, San Juan, Batangas (CKC Summer Outing)

Beach #2 was La Luz Resort for The Chocolate Kiss Cafe staff outing. It was my first time in that place, and was quite eager to check it out because I've heard of San Juan, Batangas resorts so many times from different people. Turns out that it's really a group-outing sort of place because it has plenty of large cottages where everyone can just dump their things and jump right into long coastline. The long coast, however, is shared with different resorts on opposite sides, but the water is of course open to anyone as long as you're willing to swim the whole stretch. Some bad news: I lost my frisbee there, so just make sure you keep an eye out on your things (or have someone watch over for you) as you relax in the salted sea.



May – Donsol, Sorsogon*

Wow, I had a lot of beach visits this year :) But this one was to go swimming with the whales, and swimming with the whales we did! A trip I would recommend to anyone who isn't afraid to jump in the water. The experience of being face to face (oh alright, more like on top of) the whaleshark is impossible to describe, but if I had to use one word, I'd choose HIGH. And the whole trip itself is easy! Just fly to Legaspi and take a one-hour land trip to Donsol (cheaper if you rent a van with a group, of course.) May is already off-season, so we took longer in finding the whales, so if you're planning a trip, go March to April.



June – Subic

A spontaneous weekend getaway is always fun, and this was one of them. Miel wanted to join the Beach Ultimate competition in Subic, and I sure didn't mind getting more sun. Got to “baptize” Cali's new car and ride on SCTEX (woohoo!) Then the cool surprise was our accommodation, which was a military barrack. Yes, it was half-dome shaped with bunkbed “cabins” and a single aircon unit cooling the whole thing. Yes, communal bathroom. No, not the best price, but the experience was worth it. ;) Took it easy with the girls as the boys had all the action on the beach, but at night, we all gulped down beer and chit-chatted away.



August – Dumaguete

I've wanted to go back to Dumaguete since my first taste in 2001 (?), and the city was just as laid-back and romantic as I remembered it to be. I love the small size of the town, and its resulting slow pace, topped off with picturesque Baywalk sunset and tree-brimmed Siliman University. Many  firsts for me on this trip: First NAIA 3 flight, first out-of-Manila disc tournament, and first time to stay in a YMCA. Favorite memories would be competing in a track oval field (not a wall! Wow!) and Payag Bar which sponsored the tournament and let us turn their kubo into a mosh pit.



September – Singapore

This was my first Singapore that wasn't just a sidetrip or a stopover (to Thailand or Malasysia), and my experiences completely changed how I feel about the city. I used to see SG as just a shoppers' paradise, but this trip allowed me to see the more cultural side of Singapore – and I loved it! A smörgåsbord of art shows, theatrical performances, and cultural events are available to you at any day of the year, each in one train ride, and that kind of availability and accessibility just sends a tingle up my spine. Though I was in the city for work training, cooped up in a conference room from 9am to 6pm for five days,  Singapore's efficient transport system let me visit the Hello Kitty Lantern Festival, ride the DHL Balloon, climb, shop for books, gear and gadgets, drink n dance in a bar, and meet up and feast with old friends all around. SO much to do, my time wasn't enough.



October-November – Yanghshuo/Hong Kong

THE climbing trip of the year. Something in the works for 2 years, and only happened now. And the 2-week trip turned out much better than I ever expected it to be. Despite the rainy weather in Yangshuo, though Miel and I took the long/less comfortable route of taking the land trip from HK to Yanghshuo and back, I was immensely grateful and inspired simply by being surrounded by countless limestone towers and good vibes, care of my climbing compadres. I didn't get to climb too many hard routes, but I completely appreciated earning new engrams and getting back into lead climbing shape! And even if you're not a climber, I'd still recommend Yanghsuo as a travel destination because it's such a quaint place. Think Boracay vibe, with quiet restos at day/funky parties at night, but set in mountains and crisp, cool weather rather than beaches and coconut trees. Then aside from the lively town, you have a handful of scenic spots to visit in the daytime. It's such a pretty place, and a  hardcore climbing area, that I think I'm going back in 2009 :)

December – Tali Beach, Nasugbu, Batangas

We wound up the year with trips to Tali Beach, hosted by Miel. The beach itself isn't anything special (many corals/seaweeds by the shore), but the house we stayed in is the perfect family getaway, and the cove, as it turned out, hosted the perfect bouldering spot. So the frequent trips to Tali became more for climbing than swimming. And with or without a decent meal (our second trip was spent munching on junkfood from 9am to 7pm), with or without the agitation of taking climbing to the next level, they were always accompanied by good energy and friends, which pretty much sums up what all of my travels are about.

December – Tagaytay Highlands

Though Tagaytay Highlands has never been one of my top Tagaytay destinations (read: pricey amenities, pricey food that don't taste good), it continues to expand and recently opened up a restaurant that I might actually come back for. The place is called Bistro Saratoga in the Tagaytay Midlands part, serving salads, sandwiches and pasta using vegetables and herbs grown in fields where the actual resto is situated. I also liked it for its architecture, which is much more modest than the humongous club houses adorned with large plants and ceramics that you know cost a fortune. So the next time you do drop by Tagaytay Highlands, I advise you head on to Bistro Saratoga. My other Highlands must-visit: Geraldine's Soda Fountain, for the 60's ambience.

Hope you were able to pick up some interesting points in my stories, whether it be a travel advice or climbing realization or whatever random insight. I'm looking forward to more adventures to 2009 – more in quality or quantity! – and hopefully, I will do a better job at documentation and story-telling.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!


*Stole some pics from Miel, Nana and Ge. Thanks, guys! :)

Yangshuo adventure

How to recount this whole trip?!? To describe the task of recording everything that made it special as “tough” would be an understatement. I know I won’t be able relay all the things I want to, but for my poor memory’s sake, here’s a crude attempt…

View underhill Moonhill, one of the major tourist destinations and climbing crags in Yangshuo

This is probably one of biggest adventures Miel and I have lined up after the month-long Thailand trip in 2005 (post-graduation). Going to Yangshuo has also been on our calendar since early last year. We already actually bought a ticket for an October 2007 trip. Unfortunately, Miel suffered an ACL injury maybe two months prior to that schedule, forcing us to cancel our bookings and postpone the trip to this year.

And so finally, it pushed through. One very obvious blessing of our trip’s postponement was how an international climbing festival was organized around the same time of our trip. The First North Face/Black Diamond Yangshuo Climbing Festival is an event open to any climber willing to travel to the area and pay the registration fee of HKD 300 (but HKD 200 for early birds, like us!) We couldn’t have been any happier to catch the event, especially being first-timers to Yangshuo, as we imagined it to be the perfect venue to acquaint ourselves with the climbing area while meeting many climbers along the way.

But getting our asses to Yangshuo was an adventure in itself already. Yangshuo is a town in the mountainous region of Guangxi Province. Since it is in the south of China with no airport (nearest airport is in Guilin City which is two hours drive away as well), we decided to take the cheaper route of flying to Hong Kong city, taking a train to the border, crossing the border to China, and taking a ten-hour bus from Shenzhen to Yangshuo. Our good friend from Hong Kong, June, was supposed to take this bus trip with us. Unfortunately she got caught up with work and couldn’t take the bus with us, allowing our adventure to start earlier than expected.

Thankfully, doing the border-cross and bus-station-search by ourselves wasn’t as bad as we expected. The bus was also a big surprise because it was the first “sleeper bus” I’ve ever seen – instead of bus seats, the it had bunk beds and pillows and comforters so you can truly sleep throughout the trip!

The first real challenge Miel and I faced was when the bus driver dropped us in the middle road somewhere in Yangshuo, around 6:30 in the morning, instead of the bus station which we were “briefed” to be left off. Lugging a big duffel each, and Miel carrying his board bag on one arm, walking around the streets with no person speaking English easily made both Miel and I tired and cranky. So we decided that only one of us should roam the streets to find our hotel, while another is left with all the bags. And we decided that I do the looking while he waits and plays with his PSP. Fair deal, I’d rather walk than sit, not doing anything.

Yet again, it turns out that we weren’t too far off the hotel. Just about 15 minutes walk away, I saw the bus stop (a reference point) and Fawlty Towers, the hotel where June booked all of us to stay at. So I immediately walked back to where Miel was waiting so we could lug our baggage some more and finally check in.

By the afternoon, we’ve figured out that Fawlty Towers is only a 2-minute walk away from West Street, which is the “center” of the town frequented by tourists (both local and foreign) and is packed with restaurants, bars, shopping stalls and backpackers’ hotels. We’ve also managed to find the climbing shops and registration area for the event – making me feel both comfortable and excited, finally seeing a handful of other climbers. Our first evening was quite uneventful, though, as the event briefing was not providing any new information from what we’ve already read in a bunch of flyers. But it wasn’t so bad either, because it meant we can sleep early and have adequate rest for the next day – our first day of climbing.

From Day 1 of climbing, everything just picked up. Being amidst many other climbers, regardless of nationality, age and language spoken, made me feel very positive and just focused on what I was in Yangshuo for, which was climbing. Despite the terrible weather (in the 10 days we were there, the sun only came out in two days), despite some locals ripping us off and charging us nonsense, despite the work emails I had to make in between, there was too much good going that I was only compelled to throw all the negative vibe to the wind and savor every moment.

Again, it would be difficult for me tell what happened every single minute of every single day (even if I was just ten days), but allow me to go into LIST FORMAT in sharing my favorite experiences/thoughts:

• The town was very easy to fall in love with. West Street, a very busy area packed with people, is enveloped by a beautiful scenery of mountains and mist. I keep saying it’s almost like Boracay with its shops and nightlife, except instead of beaches, you have mountains. And the weather is just fine for climbing! (Except when it’s raining, of course!)
• Excellent climbing, both in quantity and quality. Yanghsuo already has 33 crags, but with a gazillion more mountains left unexplored, I’m pretty sure that number can easily expand! The climbing areas are very accessible, with minimal hikes needed. Then the routes are just so, so good! I’ve never experienced getting on a natural line that has all types of hold in one: Crimps, slopers, jugs, pockets, doing face-climbing, laybacks, underclings – a single route that demands you to apply all kinds of climbing techniques! And I don’t think I’ve ever crimped as hard because I couldn’t feel my fingertips with the cold anymore! They’ve got all kinds of limestone – flat, sustained, clean/smooth, textured, overhanging, tufas, cracks…it seems to be all there. The place is so nice that we’re already planning a trip there next year. There’s just so much to experience and accomplish and work on, and there’s so much to learn in terms of climbing style and expanding one’s climbing experience!
• New friends made. On our first climbing day after the event, Miel and I rented a bike and found ourselves in a crag with some of the sponsored athletes who graced the event. By the end of the day, they were nice enough to invite us to climb with them the next day, and we’ve been hanging out with them for the rest of the trip. We developed a routine of meeting after breakfast, taking a van to and from the crag together, going home to freshen up, then having drinks before dinner, during dinner, and having dinner. They’re super nice and cool and talented and I hope to climb with them again in the future.
• There were so many new things to do and try out. It was endless. The food, the drinks, the shopping, the bargaining, the people – both climbers and non-climbers, the massage, the mode of transportation, the hikes, the  weather…Every moment was an opportunity to learn about the local culture, and to reflect and appreciate your own.
  

SIGH. And it was just for ten days. Miel and I were both so bummed out when our last night came to a close, with the word BITTERSWEET plastered on my mind the whole time. It felt like just when were starting to get settled in with the weather, the climbing, and meeting more people to climb with, already we had to leave. So many other climbs to try and send, so many other good food to eat!

But all good things must come to an end. We have to hit the lows to feel the highs. And it just gives us more reason to come back to Yangshuo.

On the bigger scheme of things, it gives us more reason to celebrate this lifestyle we chose to live. This trip was one perfect reason of why we keep working hard, saving up, and why we keep finding ways to just go out there and climb.

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*Thanks to Joe for helping us get into the festival. Thanks to June for letting us crash in her HK apartment and introducing us to the "big" people. See you guys again soon!
**Pictures now up! Click here!

Destination: Yangshuo

After two years of waiting...the trip is finally pushing through.

Can't wait to climb new rock!!!!!