Summer Trek in Mt Pulag (Benguet, Philippines)

Five degrees C at the camp base of Mt Pulag. One-and-a-half hours to reach the summit and  witness the sea of clouds on top of the mountains. Mt Pulag is the second highest mountain in the Philippines and also declared as a natural park.

Surfing paradise in the Philippines

Coming soon... in the northern part of the Philippines. 
6-7 hours from Manila by bus.

Blog My Town: Panagbenga - Flower Festival (Baguio, Philippines)

Blog My Town: Sibuyan Island (Romblon, Philippines)

Blog My Town:Grande Island, Subic Bay (Philippines)

LAST WEEKEND TOGETHER WITH MY OFFICEMATES, we had a wonderful time in one of the islets in the north part of Luzon. A former American naval base, Subic Bay has something to offer for those who love nature and this is because of Grande Island. From banana boating to trekking, and from birdwatching to historical walk tour, the island will always bring excitement and surprises for everyone.

GRANDE ISLAND IS not only for group tours, but it is also ideal for honeymooners and family get-together. The accommodation has the amenities to enjoy – a free wifi connection, hot/cold shower and free-flowing coffee and especially for those units fronting the beach area facing the bay.

Discovering Calatagan (Batangas)...I found Stilts Beach Resort

PART OF MY OFFICE WORK is to engage with other employees. In the corporate world, it refers to Employee Engagement (EE) which provides programs that allow employees to take part and share their time, skills and other resources to have fun and to help other people who are in need (particularly in time of natural disasters). My present work entails organizing events and activities that make employees enjoy their jobs or have time to relax and mingle, interact with other employees (not within their unit/department or business line).

Two weeks ago, together with the EE core team, we visited several resorts in the south of Metro Manila. One of them is situated at the south-western side of Taal Volcano - Calatagan, Batangas. It takes 3.5 hours to reach the place via the curvy-scenic roads from Tagaytay area - overlooking the stillness landscape of beautiful volcano, Taal Volcano and surrounded by a lake!

Unexpectedly, the place is so beautiful as our eyes looking straight to the crystal clear greenish water where the cottages are standing! Stunning and perfect scenery for people who reside in Metro Manila. This is a perfect place for the employees, just to spend overnight and enjoy the company of others thru team building activities. I dont know if the guests have time to sleep, as the place is really inviting to stay awake all the time, not to miss the white sand and the star fish ready to be touched just few steps away from the coast!

STILTS (Calatagan Beach Resort) is the name of the beach resort. Originally, the resort is not accessible to everyone - which means that it is exclusive for members. With the present management, it is invitational and no "walk-in" guests. I really admire the way the place is operated and maintained... with the amenities and its natural landscape, definitely a place to be discovered and explored!

If our corporate outing will be approved, definitely visiting the beach resort in March 2012 will be something to be remembered - another travelling experience to be treasured and shared in my blogsite. So, for those travellers out there, there is no reason not to miss this resort in Calatagan while visiting Manila especially this summer.

INSTEAD OF VISITING the busy coasts of Boracay and El Nido (Palawan), stay in Stilts and you can still enjoy your vacation without really travelling far from Manila!

On A Rainbow: join on the journey to London 2012 Olympics

Free visit to Japan...but blog it!

TWO WEEKS AGO, IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT JAPAN TOURISM AGENCY (JTA) is giving out 10,000 free tickets to travel to Japan next year. After the earthquake devastation early this year, Japan is offering free roundtrips to boost its tourism industry which is badly affected by the fear of radiation and regular earthquakes.

But there is a twist! Applicants are required to write in details their travel plans, including an explanation what they expect from the trip. Selected applicants are expected to finance their own meals and accommodation. Finally, they are required to blog or post on line a review of their travel experiences. Aspiring applications could begin signing up as early as next April 2012.

For more details, regularly check the official website of Japan Tourism Agency.

UPDATES: (Source - JTA 04 Feb 2012). This program is not approved by the Japanese government. Read more: Visit Japan.

UPDATES: (Source - JTA, 14 October 2011). According to JTA, this initiative still under review of the Japanese government and no definite approval yet. If this iniative is approved, JTA will officially announce on its website and thru the local Japan National Tourism Organization on Facebook (http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/fb/index.html) . It is also reported of some frauds related to this promotional travel.

A moment in time - with the beautiful ladies

INSPIRED BY ONE OF THE BLOGGERS, this is sharing my special moment, a time to reflect of the rare moments in the past, something special or extraordinary that I wanted to share with my readers.

Some people are really lucky to have beautiful bodies, and with talents as well. I had the chance to meet the reigning Miss Philippines- Universe 2011, Shamcey Supsup during our alumni homecoming last May 2011. Her mother is one of the alumni of my postgrad university, Asian Institute of Technology. She was invited by her mother to be the guest in our raffle draw promo. Shamcey was also chosen as the 3rd runner-up in the recent Miss Universe 2011 held San Paolo, Brazil last 12 May 2011.

Another beauty is the 2010 Miss World, Ms. Sandra Mills from USA. I was in PICC for the regular Sunday church service when I met this tall, slim beauty holder. She was there in the preparation for this year's Miss World Philippines pageant where she is one of the guests of the show held last weekend (September 18).

These are rare moments with the beautiful people... But remember that being beautiful or gorgeous is not based in our physical appearance alone, our inner personality also counts. We are beautiful people in our very own special way!

My homecoming... a new local travel opportunity

THIS IS MY FIRST JOURNAL AFTER MY return to my home country, the Philippines last May 2011. After 5 years living abroad, I decided to go back to Manila and continue to practice my profession in the protection, conservation and preservation (even utilization in a sustainable way) of the country's natural resources.

I joined an American firm that provides consulting services in various sectors: mining, construction, real estate, government, etc. For the past three months, I have already involved in different projects that focus on mining exploration, watershed management, water and air quality monitoring, water and waste utilization.

I already toured around Metro Manila and its neighbouring towns and cities. Visiting the Philippine islands is exciting - meeting with interesting people; encountering new culture; exploring stunning landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes; watching live entertainment events/shows; and most importantly reconnecting with relatives and old friends!

My current officework entails travels to other regions in the country and I will feature some of them in my future journals. Expect more images of my local travels!

TITANIC turns 100: truly made in Belfast (Northern Ireland)

THIS YEAR IS THE CELEBRATION OF THE 100th anniversary of the liner. Titanic 100 is part of the annual festival launched on 31 March 2011 and will end in 31 May. The main highlight of the festival includes an exhibition showcasing the work of RJ Welch - the official photographer for Harland and Wolff (the company who built the ship), where huge framed photos on display in the ciy hall grounds of Belfast.

Belfast is the only city in the world that celebrates significant centennial anniversaries/events in relation to Titanic. Aside from the launch of RM Titanic on 31 May 1911, the other two anniversaries include: the opening of the Thompson Dry Dock (1 April 1911) and the launch of Nomadic (25 April 1911).

This 2-month festival also features SS Nomadic with a second exhibition at the city hall that focuses on the ship's contruction and the current restoration programme, including rare artefacts from both the tender and the White Star Line.

The Titanic Memorial is also found within the ground of Belfast City Hall which is dedicated to those people (1,517) who died in the disaster on 14 April 1912.

DID YOU KNOW THAT (source: Northern Ireland Tourist Board)... the first class cuisine on Titanic matched the world's finest restaurants and hotels. First class diners enjoyed 11 course meals, with wine served for nearly every course. You can enjoy a recreation of the last first class menu at the Rayanne House guesthouse in Holywood (Northern Ireland) and discover its fascinating link to Titanic. In addition, a state-of-the-art 6-storey building, Titanic Belfast will be opened in April 2012 - the centennary celebration of the ship's maiden voyage!

If you are interested to find more of the forthcoming events, visit GotoBelfast and DiscoverNorthernIreland websites.

The Catacombs: An underground tourist attraction in Paris

PARIS IS WELL KNOWN AS THE CITY OF LOVE, CITY OF MADNESS and the City of Lights. But on the other hand, it is also the city of secrets - it has a darker side that lies beneath its surface.

The Catacombs occupies abandoned quarries located 20 metres beneath the ground of the city. It served as an alternative burial location when the city suffered from serious diseases and famine in the years leading up to the French revolution. Between 1785 and 1787, remains from various cemeteries were removed and then skeletons were sorted and neatly stacked according to type. The transfer of human remains from other urban burial sites continued until 1870s and the Catacombs became the final resting place of an estimated 6 million former Partisans.

Paris Catacombs is modelled after the Roman Catacombs covering a surface of 11,000 square metres, the labyrinth of corridors open to the public is 1.7 km long, but the collective reach of the networks of underground tunnels is approximately 300 km. To date, it is a popular tourist attraction which opens from Tuesday to Sunday (10am to 5pm, 4pm is the last admission) with a minimal entrance fee.

I visited Paris in September 2008 and the Catacombs is one of the must-see tourist attractions at the City of Lights!

FOR MORE INFO ON PLACES TO VISIT IN PARIS, PLEASE CLICK HERE...

A glimpse of Prince William and Kate's royal wedding

A final walk after their wedding vows inside Westminster Abbey, London, UK
The first kiss happened at Buckingham Palace Balcony
Finally, the second kiss of the newly-wed couple which brought the crowd to cheers!

Performing Arts: A new trend why I travel around...

ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS I ENJOYED TRAVELLING IS WATCHING LIVE PERFORMANCES. During the past years, I already watched more than a couple of dozens of live events and theatrical productions - from West End to Broadway, from the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila to the Grand Opera House in Belfast.

Aside from visiting museums, monuments, heritage sites or places with tourist interest, I do love to attend or watch musicals, festivals and concerts. This is another way of embracing the beauty of travelling thru performing arts which allows tourists, travellers and the like to experience the host's art and culture - showcasing real talents of the locals and to some extent our very own Filipino performers.

Some of these musicals that I watched in the past include: Miss Saigon, Phantom of Opera, Titanic, West Side Story, Footloose, Sound of Music, Les Miserables, Billy Elliot, and live performances include: Enrique Iglesias concert, Blue concert, Michael Learns to Rock, WestLife, BackStreet Boys, U2, Kylie Minogue, etc.

BILLY ELLIOT. One of the best and entertaining musicals ever that Ive watched in West End. The choreography, the cast, the music and of course the talented portrayal of Leon Cooke as Billy. An adaptation from the film of the same title, a story of the young boy who wants to make a difference and making his life meaningful at the end. Determination and support from parents are the key to success, regardless of hardships and trials. Leon Cooke was playing as Billy when I watched in 2007.

LES MISERABLES. I had the chance to watch this one of the longest running musicals in West End last September 2007. Unfortunatetly, it was not Lea Salonga playing Eponine. The production was great - from backdraft to stage set-up! There is always a good reason to watch it again in West End or Broadway! The clip is featuring Lea singing, On My Own. Very moving scene.

MISS SAIGON. Filipino artists around the world are the priceless possession of my home country, Philippines as my history books says as the Pearl of the Orient Sea! One of them is Lea Salonga. I had the chance to watch her in CCP for her portrayal as Kim for the long running musical, Miss Saigon. And then, I watched the musical again in 2006 when the UK production did their British tour in Northern Ireland. I was really proud because the main cast, including The Engineer, and the dancers were Filipino talents. Brilliant production from Cameron!

Overall, if I will be given another chance to watched these performances, Im looking forward to enjoy the productions of Miss Saigon, Billy Elliot and Phantom of Opera. I'm also looking forward to watching one of the longest running musicals, The Lion King.

Note: For more additional information about these live productions, visit my other blogsite, Play-Musical-Concert which also provide my personal reviews of these performances, including clips/videos courtesy of Youtube.

Pic-a-boo 601: St Patrick's Celebration in Belfast

Belfast city centre, Northern Ireland (17/03/2011).

Click the photo collage to get a better look of the images. Very year, it is getting better and better. More groups are joining the celebration despite the religious differences in Northern Ireland. There is a myth that all the snakes in Ireland vanished because St. Patrick killed them all.