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.

Blog My Town: Sibuyan Island (Romblon, Philippines)

Boracay: The Philippine island paradise

I FOUND OUT TODAY THAT BORACAY ISLAND is chosen as one of the best travel destinations in the world organized by TripAdvisor (the leading travel site in the cyberspace). Ranked 9 in the World listand number onein Asia, beating Maldives and three of the islands in Thailand, Boracay is the best destination in the 2010 Travelers' Choice Award under the "beach and sun" category.

Boracay is one of the 7,107 islands in the Philippines and part of the central group of islands in the country. The Philippines is an archipelago in Southeast Asia comprising of 3 major groups of islands: Luzon (north), Visayas (central) and Mindanao (south) and out of 7,107 islands, only 4000 are inhabited. The Philippines is blessed with beautiful forests and beaches.

Few months ago, the Philippines was in the headline again after the unexpected hostage drama in Manila City when 8 Chinese nationals from Hongkong were killed in the incident. It is anticipated that this will affect the tourism industry of the country, consequently will bring a big impact to Boracay as one of the popular beach destinations of foreign visitors from neighbouring countries, including China and Hongkong.

Boracay: The Philippine Island Paradise Slideshow: Reymos’s trip to Boracay, Visayas, Philippines was created by TripAdvisor. See another Boracay slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

Honestly, when I visited the island in April 2010, I observed that the majority are local tourists and there are so many things to explore in the area. I have been here in several occasions but only this recent visit that I really enjoyed and travelled around the island together with foreign friends. Aside from feeding Nemo and his friends during our snorkelling, we also did the island hopping and visited some underground caves. We did the reef walk, as if strolling under water with a helmet. The accommodation is affordable, including a selection of excellent water rides, food and entertainment.

A morning plunge in the sea and strolling in the beach while watching the sunset are just one of the things you could enjoy in the island. Did you know that Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino boxer owns a beach resort in the island?

NOTE: The original travel journal was posted in JPGMagazine website as the Story of the Week No.39 last September 2010.

Sojourn in Motion: Mournes Mountains inspire C.S. Lewis

MOUNTAIN CLIMBING OR TREKKING IS NOT my cup of tea but when the opportunity comes, I will not hesitate to join and prepare my snickers! This is not the extreme climbing but I could categorise this as "slow trekking" or maybe just we say "walking". My home country, the Philippines is naturally-endowed with beautiful rugged mountains, and one of them is found in my hometown, Sibuyan Island, called the Mount Guiting-Guiting (as scissor blades' shape). But mountain climbing back then is the least I could do for economic and safety reasons. Three years ago, this trekking opportunity came, not while I was living in the Philippines but rather at the birthplace of ill-fated Titanic ship and popular Irish writer, C.S. Lewis.

Mournes: Exploring Nature at Its Best Slideshow: Reymos’s trip from Downpatrick, County Down, United Kingdom to New Castle N Ireland (near Craigavon, County Armagh) was created by TripAdvisor. See another Craigavon slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

The Mountains of Mournes are the highest grounds and natural-reserved protected areas which serve as the main source of potable water for Northern Ireland and some part of the Irish region. Mournes is composed of several mountains and Slieve Donard and Slieve Biennan are the most popular peaks for climbers/trekkers because of the difficulties of reaching their peaks; the former is the hishest summit while the latter is the third highest peak with magnificent view - overlooking the south of Ireland.

My first visit to Mournes was organised by Whiteabbey Presbyterian Church in cold month of December. It was a long drive (1.5 hours) to Newcastle where the mountains stand beautifully alongside of the crystal clear blue sea. A wonderful sunny but chilly day, it was enjoyable experience ascending this magnificent peak of Slieve Donard.

My 5-hour walk from the foot of Donard Forest was paved off as the towering natural ground of 849 metres high (2,786 ft) sets before in front of me; with several mini waterfalls along the way. It was -4 degrees C during our climb and my clothes and shoes were not enough to cover me from the freezing wind!

The second time, I joined again the church members to climbed the 3rd highest peak of the mountains, Slieve Binnian. Seeing again the Mournes reminds me of the books written by C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia. The Mournes inspired Lewis to write this series of novels for children. Unfortunately, I havent read any of the stories, except that I watched the film - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as adapted from the books.

While ascending the mountains, the panoramic view is astonishing - combined with brown, yellow and green colours infront of us which dominates the skyline! It was a glorious Easter Monday with sunny spell and the frequent touch of the cold wind.

Before we proceeded to the peak of Slieve Binnian, we had our lunch besides the small lake and the atmosphere is surreal having such special moment having with nature - appreciating the wonderful gifts from God! As soon as we finished filling our hungry stomachs, we started our journey and finally reached the foot of Slieve Binnian where the catchment areas for the water source of Northern Ireland take over the view, including the coastline of the Republic of Ireland. Tiny bits of hails struck our faces while ascending the peak!

I can not explain the feeling of being there - at the top of the mountain watching the well-curved mountains of Mournes, including the icy tip of Slieve Donard, some of the uniformily laid-out stones - the Mournes Wall, the green spots of pine trees and the blue ocean below. It took us almost 2.5 hours to reach the top confronting our fears to be carried away by the freezing wind and not to mention the slippery sloping ground while descending the peak. Descending the icy peak of Slieve Binnian provided us another view of Mournes, where green fields and farms meet with the coastline, including the whistling sound coming from the wind passing through the gaps between the stones of the Mournes Wall.

Another testimony of nature at its best and it deserves to be admired. A place not to be missed while visiting the Irish region.For future trips, click here for additional information: MOURNES

Giant's Causeway - Revisited

I AM NOT A GEOLOGIST BUT I have basic knowledge and understanding of land and rock formations. No need to browse a text book or an online source to have a full grasp of this stunning rock form located in Northern Ireland (UK) being maintained by the National Trust. This is commonly known as the Giant's Causeway which is declared in 1986 as one of UNESCO's heritage sites.

The Giant's Causeway is formed by a volcanic eruption, creating a pattern of more than 40,000 hexagonal shape rocks, uniformly-laden along the coast. There is also a legend about this formation which astonishes everyone and which builds up everyone's curiousity to find out more about it. While walking towards the main attraction, you could find interesting rock features such as: the camel, the granny, wishing chair, chimney tops, giant's boot and the organ (music). Well, can you find them from the pictures below?

My first visit to this heritage site was in 2006 during a chilly and windy day. After three years, I decided to see it again and the feeling was magical as if these rocks are inviting me to touch their smooth black surfaces under the heat of the sun!

Visiting the site during spring and summer time is something not to be missed while in Northern Ireland - the birthplace of Titanic!

Some of the images taken during the coastal trip, including the hanging rope bridge (some of the photos were taken by my Irish friend).