Uncontainable April!

The Traveling Havaianas has been on a roll this April! For me, summer ain’t complete without these essentials: Havaianas, Nikon camera, and a great sense of adventure. Here’s a taste of some my exploits that made me quite busy all throughout the month:

Davao City.

What I came for: A local trip for 3 days.

What I saw: Eden Nature Park and Resort. This 80-hectare park is just approximately 40 km. south of Davao City or 45 mins. drive going up from the city proper. It’s like going for a quick drive to Baguio. Enjoyed the cool crisp mountain air and took photos of pine trees, gardens, and peacocks. We even camped out for the day, brought and cooked food in one of the campsites in the area.

What I conquered: My fear of durian. Well, not exactly. I’ve never tasted durian because of its pungent smell (even durian candies, jams or tarts) but when I’ve tried durian coffee, I deeply recommend that this is a must in Davao. You can get one in Bluegre Café or buy last minute in the airport.

One of the peacocks in Eden Nature Park.

Aliwan Fiesta.

What I came for: The Aliwan Fiesta in Quirino Grandstand to shoot with Zone V-ers.

What I saw: Contingents from the most popular festivals throughout the Philippines vying for a million-peso stake and for the prestige of being the best of the best. I love the color, diversity, ingenuity of each province represented. To name a few, some of the festivals who competed were: Panagbenga Festival of Baguio, Kalakachara Festival of Batangas, Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo, Kadayawan Festival of Davao, and Lembuhong Festival in South Cotabato.

What I conquered: To be honest, I’ve never experienced shooting in a fiesta before this so I didn’t know how it feels like. Since it was my first time, shooting this HUGE gathering of our Philippine festivals with massive contingents of streetdancers (not to mention competing photographers!) was already a feat for me.

This is just some of the colors in the festival.

Senakulo on a Good Friday.

What I came for: The Senakulo in Cainta, Rizal to shoot with Zone V-ers.

What I saw: The devotees who depicted the Stations of the Cross and the crucifixion of Christ were almost real, with the props, colorful costumes, acting, the works. (It wasn't really like in Cutud, Pampanga where it was hot, bloody, and dusty.)

What I conquered: It was another first for me—first time to shoot this part of Filipino culture. The most challenging part here actually is rising up early to get to our meeting place at 6:00am and shooting under the heat of the sun from 7:00-10:00am which already felt like being under the highest noon.

Just so you know, Master Willie dV got his winning shot for 7 Deadly Sins from this man last year. Here's my take on him.

Skit.

Green Water Rafting.

What I came for: Went back for a relaxing time, not on the beach, but on the green water lakes of San Pablo, Laguna.

What I saw: The three out of the seven lakes of San Pablo: Pandin Lake, its twin lake Yanbo, and Sampalok Lake. We took a ride on a bamboo raft and sipped fresh buko juice as we enjoyed the refreshing hues of greens and blues in Pandin Lake. We then crossed over a plateau to see the neighboring Lake Yambo. After endless FB profile-picturing, we rested under a balete tree, which was our jump-off point for a swim in the lake. We also visited Café Lago overlooking Sampalok Lake and met with its owners Mr. Mandy Marino and his wife, environmentalist and promoter of San Pablo lakes, who would gladly tell its visitors about the story of the lake’s re-birth.

What I conquered: Being able to find those hidden serene lakes in Laguna. It was so hidden that we always get lost finding them! If you’re the type who easily gets frustrated, you need to have a lot of patience and a sense of direction and humor.



Baguio Countryside.

What I came for: Another local trip for 5 days.

What I saw: Since I’ve seen most of the tourist-y spots in the city of Baguio, I took a sidetrip to its countryside. I've always wanted to check out BenCab Museum and Tam-awan Village which are both a bit far off from the city. Not only did I visit the artworks of Benedicto Cabrera (or BenCab as he is more popularly known) and other fellow artists, I also saw and took photos of the breathtaking scenery of the gardens, forests, and surrounding mountains in the BenCab Museum. I also went to Tam-awan Village, which has become a venue of art exhibits and workshops and gives visitors a deeper understanding of the Cordillera culture. I thought I could catch some artists there (I heard they can sketch your profile right there) but unfortunately, there was none at that time.

What I conquered: I went on a solo traveler and art appreciation mode. I took an FX to Kawang rd. in Baguio market. Then I rode a jeepney in that terminal going to Km. 6 Asin Road for the BenCab Museum. A 15-20 mins. breezy ride. Then I rode another jeep going to Quezon Hill Road from Asin Road for Tam-awan Village. In short, I just commuted alone with just a map, a camera, and a bit of courage with me. No problem in commuting because of the cool breeze!




Subic International Triathlon.

What I came for: To shoot our company’s triathlon team in the Subic International Triathlon (SubIT 2011).

What I saw: Hundreds of top foreign triathletes for the Elite category and local triathlon teams for Men and Women Adult and Relay Team competition. Triathlon is indeed the fastest growing sport. The number of participants definitely grew from last year making this year’s staging more tough and exciting. Unfortunately, I also witnessed several bike accidents; a friend of mine being one of them. This event is definitely action-filled! You’ll never know what will happen!

What I conquered: Being able to wake up at the wee hours of 3:00am for the call time (2 days in a row), stay under the sweltering Subic sun, follow them everywhere, it was worth it… All for the love of my company’s team!




Whew! So that’s how The Traveling Havaianas roll, as she lives her life to the full. ‘Til the next adventure!

An Exciting and Appetizing Way to the Sun in San Pablo, Laguna

My closest friends at work normally see each other every week (the cue is just a text to each other, "Location?!" then we meet up in a Starbs hideout) but we hardly have a chance to go out of town together. These three girls are travel junkies and we've been looking for a sure-fire fun roadtrip this time. Finally, one Saturday, we decided to go for an easy drive to San Pablo, Laguna.

We went off to a not-so-planned roadtrip, with only a map from a website description of Viaje del Sol (Way of the Sun) adventure guiding us. I only Googled about it that morning and good thing I was able to contact Mr. Mandy Marino, an environmentalist and promoter of San Pablo lakes and the brainchild of Café Lago in San Pablo City. We left Alabang almost 10:00am already and arrived Café Lago by the Sampaloc Lake about lunch time. (Of course, if you want to maximize your day trip, you HAVE to leave Manila early morning.)

Sampaloc Lake with the view of the blue mountain -- Mt. Cristobal

(You might get distracted by the good view of Sampaloc Lake and miss Café Lago. It's in front of the pumpkin slide facing Sampaloc Lake.)

Café Lago is inside Mr. Marino's wonderful abode, where he turned the receiving area to a quaint café. He was very accommodating and we had a good chat with him while we waited for the lunch to be served to us. He shared the places to visit in the area and also his causes that made the San Pablo lakes beautiful once again. Sampaloc Lake, in particular, used to stink and was polluted and congested because of the bars, night clubs, and squatters beside the lake. Mr. Marino was instrumental in slowly turning it back to its original beauty. He organized a group of advocates to protest and call the attention of the local officials. Thanks to volunteers like him who gave back to the environment, friends and families can now spend relaxing weekends like this beside the lake.

Thanks and good job Mr. Marino!

Two of my lovely travel buddies who I call Pards and Sweets.

Inside the homey café

Top to bottom: Fresh fried tilapia, cream dory sa gata and lengua.

After a sumptuous lunch, Mr. Marino gave us the Viaje del Sol map and contact to our tour guide in the lakes. San Pablo is known for the City of Seven Lakes so we never missed to tour two of its lakes -- Pandin Lake and its twin Yanbo.

We kinda got lost looking for Brgy. Sto. Angel where we would meet our tour guide for Pandin Lake. We finally saw a vacant lot where a small 'Pandin' sign is posted. We quickly changed to our swimming clothes in a little house in the lot (with the permission of the owner) since we knew we're going to take a dip in the lake. We trekked the trail to the lake under the hot sun for a good 15 minutes. It was just like an oasis seeing the cool, pristine lake ahead.

We hopped on a bamboo raft as we explored Pandin Lake with several women paddling our raft. It's these women who are wives of the fishermen and lived nearby managing the lake tour. Asked why it's mostly women who are guiding the tourists, they feel that female guests may feel uncomfortable if men are driving the rafts especially they wear something skimpy for swimming. That's how they respect tourists.

The tour has a fee of P180 each, which includes a fresh buko juice. Being a beach person myself, it's only now I appreciate the different feeling inside a green, tranquil lake.

Refreshing hues of greens and blues in Pandin Lake

After we crossed over the other side of Pandin Lake, we stopped over a plateau for a five-minute hike to see the glimpse of the twin lake, Lake Yambo. After going down from the top, we rested under a balete tree, which was our jump-off point for a swim in the lake.

Manang "parking" our bamboo raft under the tree.

Diving to the serene lake!

Pards was joining the Subic International Triathlon and Iron Man in Cam Sur, so it was good warm-up and practice for her to swim from the end of the lake to the start, while we paddled the raft going back, keeping an eye on her.

By sunset, we were in Sitio de Amor Farm Resort to do some “ocular” in the place. It's an orchard fit for garden weddings, bed and breakfast, or team building sessions. Apologies to the owners if we were gate crashers. They don't accept walk-ins and it's by appointment only. Nevertheless, the husband owner was still kind enough to accomodate us and tour us around despite the hour.

Sunset view in the infinity pool of Sitio de Amor Farm Resort

Inside one of the dining areas.

We then had our dinner in the Spanish ancestral home turned fine dining restaurant, Sulyap Gallery Cafe. Its interiors and furnitures are all antique types with a vintagey feel and romantic ambiance. Obviously, it doesn't have aircon but the cool breeze from the windows makes the experience more relaxing as we ended of our Viaje adventure.

Why not bring your date here next time?

While our orders were being prepared, we went inside Sulyap Arts and Antiques to look around the antique collections like wooden furnitures, carvings, and religious icons.

Old school cameras!

As for the food, they weren't really memorable for me. Can't believe I actually forgot what we ordered. Anyway, it's still something you shouldn't miss if you're in for an art and culture tour.

I know we still missed a lot of establishments in the Viaje del Sol in Laguna and Quezon. A day is never enough to visit all of them. But at least we've explored places new to us where we've enjoyed every minute of it!

* * *

For more details of the Viaje del Sol routes, visit: http://www.casasanpablo.com/viajedelsol.htm

For Pandin Lake tour arrangements, call Mr. Mandy Marino: 0917-5016694.

Shooting around Laguna Bay Loop

“Meeting time at McDo Silver City at 4am,” said one of the Zone V Camera Club members regarding our Laguna Bay loop On-The-Spot shoot (OTS) the night before. Deep inside, I was saying, “Are you serious?” But I replied “Sure!” and I really did come on the agreed time. Who was I to complain—it’s actually a privilege to shoot and participate in the Club’s first OTS of the year. With my sched blocked off for that event, I was motivated to come up with great photos to submit in March’s contest. Along the way, I realized this is also going to be one of the hardest shoots for me yet since I found out that there should be no editing / post-processing / cropping even on the cam. The challenge is, you have to have the right settings even before you click. Good luck to me, I thought. Nevertheless, I was determined to have a great time shooting and bonding with the gang.

The sunrise must have shaken off our sleepiness that early morning because as soon as the sun started to peep out of the clouds, we went down our cars and prepared our full battle gear—cameras, tripods, filters, the works. We caught the beautiful sunrise in one of the viewing decks in Antipolo, Rizal together with the residents and motor bikers who were resting and sipping their coffees. The morning sunshine made the fishponds in the bay and the mountains looked like gold.

We seemed to have warmed up already after numerous clicks on our cams so we were ready to go to our next destination in Paete, Laguna where a local councilor was waiting for us to tour around Paete.

But wait, along the way, along the vast plains of Mabitac, Laguna, we saw several farmers toiling under the sun. No questions asked, we went down immediately as it was another photo op moment. “Ngiti ka dyan! Baka mapadala ang litrato sa Amerika! (Smile! Your photo might be sent to America!)” said one of the farmers to his fellow.

We reached Paete and met with Councilor Obet Pascual. He first toured us to a couple of churches (where interestingly, I saw an old man with a weather beaten face that says he has lived through a lot), then to Wawa Park where fishermen set out to fish and dried small shrimps under the sun. After smelling quite fishy, we then went to the councilor’s brother-in-law who had a carving business, which Paete is known for. He said we actually went on the same date of their carving festival where they showcase all the great works of different carvers in their town. Unfortunately, it was scheduled in the afternoon, we were already in Cavinti by that time. We also went to a hill called Tatlong Krus (and by this time I felt dizzy because of the heat), with Matabungka Falls down its slopes.

"I've seen it all... Today is just like one of those days..."

A bicycle under the sun, waiting for a Wawa Park fisherman to ride it.

Three heads soon to be carved and become works of art.

Tatlong Krus pilgrimage.

At lunch time, we finally caught up and had lunch with the other group who started shooting around the town. Thank God for pancit ulam and other orders as I could already hear my stomach rumbling. It was like a feast with the rest of the members, sharing meals, catching up with jokes and stories.

After more shots around town, such as the paper mache products being painted on the side streets, we then set out mid afternoon to Caliraya Resort in Cavinti, Laguna where the rest would stay for the night. Others still got busy shooting around, while the rest hung out for a while and ordered merienda and a round of cold beer. Another group went out on a different shoot mission to Pagsanjan Falls.

Everyone was looking forward to the reservoir and sunset shots in the late afternoon. This was one of my favorite memories in the OTS when we went to the reservoir—suddenly everyone was like child again, excited to go down the slopes to have a better view, find a better angle, to take the best shots.

Here's my take on the Cavinti reservoir. Everyone must have a stock photo of it. :)

And of course, my favorite: sunset shot!

My group set-off to Manila after sunset. Our last leg of the loop tour was at Pagsanjan, Laguna where we shot this monument which every car, bus, jeep, tricycle passes thru whenever you go in and out of Pagsanjan.

The whole OTS experience with no editing / post-processing / cropping was quite liberating for me. I realized that sometimes the best photos are those that happen “serendipitously.” What made it more fun was being able to shoot with a group of people who share the same level of enjoyment for photography—people who love looking at and looking for beauty. I’m already looking forward to the next OTS with my Havs (or this time, my Sanuk) and cam. :)