Mt. Apo : Reaching The Top

      "Mount Apo is a large solfataric, potentially-active stratovolcano in the island of Mindanao, Philippines. With an altitude of 3,412 metres (11,194 ft) above sea level, it is the highest mountain in the country and is located between Davao City and Davao del Sur province in Region XI and Cotabato province in Region XII. The peak overlooks Davao City 40 kilometres (25 mi) to the northeast, Digos City 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the southeast, and Kidapawan City 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the west.

        Apo, which means "ancestor", is flat-topped mountain with three peaks and is capped by a 500-metre-wide (1,600 ft) volcanic crater containing a small crater lake. The date of its most recent eruption is unknown, and none are verified in historical times.

      The volcano is one of the most popular climbing destinations in the Philippines with the summit, on the average, takes two days to reach. The first recorded climb was on October 10, 1880, by a party led by Joaquin Rajal, then Spanish governor of Davao."~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Apo

i have always wanted to reach the top of it . i have always wished that someday i could somewhat converse with mr. sun a bit closer while he sits quietly over the bed of clouds.  i have always had this strong desire to experience the great adventure of looking at the world in a different perspective.

finally, it happened! 

March 27-31, 2013. Malumpini - Mt. Apo Route

my tag all throughout the journey

meet kaykay... the mountain dog... 
she trekked with us until she reached her home.. 
i just wish someday Niji can come with me too...

hello jinibibi... she's the lady who tagged me along.. so thankful!

our colorful socks and gloves to fight the cold nights

breakfast at the camp...

walking in paradise...

almost there but not quite..

i don't drink sodas that much.. but it's a relief that they sell some at the mountains..
beating the scorching heat while on trail break...

mt. apo summit... almost!

guess who climbed the peak too.. hello there butchokoy!

tres marias on top...

and yes... without a doubt.. i finally reached the peak!!!

happy girl in her happy place...


MT. APO THROUGH MY EYES
seeing the beauty of nature from my point of view

indeed... when you want something so bad, all the universe conspires to make it happen!

i'm so in love with you Mr. Sun... always and forever!!!

it's time to go down now...

our ride, the jeepney...

AND WE CONQUERED IT TOGETHER...
thank you for tagging me along...
very much thankful for the experience
and the new set of friends i gained...

TAKE VACATIONS.
GO AS MANY PLACES AS YOU CAN.
YOU CAN ALWAYS MAKE MONEY,
YOU CAN'T ALWAYS MAKE MEMORIES!

YOLO!

10 Things I Could Not Forget About Peter

so who is this Peter i am referring to? he is this guy who we met at TIKI Bar in Puerto Princesa Palawan. we only spent basically one whole night with him, talking and drinking and nothing more. we had a few hours to spend cos he had to go to El Nido. so if it was just for a night, then you might be wondering why i am talking about him here. it's simple! there are things that i could not forget about him.

here are the 10 THINGS THAT I COULD NOT FORGET ABOUT PETER:

1. having RED BULL after getting drunk. after drinking Smoker's Special as my second drink for the night, i felt different. i got a bit drunk.but i still managed to get myself a bottle of SanMig Strong Ice after. so i jokingly told Jeni that she and her new found friend, who happened to be Peter, should send me back to the hotel if things come to worst. i really got drunk. it was Peter who said "Red Bull works for me." so i had to order one and gave him my bottle of beer to finish. indeed, it did some magic to me. now i know how i could survive my drunken nights. lol.
2. he reminds me of the song GOD GAVE ME YOU. no it was not for me. he told us a funny story about him going out in Palawan and dancing with this girl when suddenly the music changed. they started playing God Gave Me You instead. awkward to the highest level! haha. i could really tell that the bars in Puerto have a pretty bad song selection. i can't even understand why Tiki Bar plays BUKAS NA LANG KITA MAMAHALIN every night!!!
3. everything is worth a try cos you only live once. i kept on telling him that that night. we were trying to lure him into getting up the stage to sing. he started listening/practicing his Nirvana songs  on his phone which i suppose he would use when he comes up the stage. too bad we didn't notice it was the band's last set. that night could have been a blast if that performance went through. haha.
4. he is living the life that i have been wanting all my life. at a young age, he is very much well travelled. i envy him for having the kind of job that he has now. i envy him for travelling for months and going to places he desires. he can go wherever and whenever he wants. that is definitely LIFE for me.
5. KARMA. we have the same thinking when it comes to this.when you are good to people, good things will come to you. what you give, you receive and you receive more. that's basically what he believes, and i couldn't agree more.
6. one down on my bucketlist: have a decent conversation about anything under the sun with somebody i totally don't know. contrary to what other people think, we only had ONE night to spend. we just met each other at a bar in Puerto and had to part ways before sunrise. no we didn't talk about our personal issues. he and jeni talked first before i got drunk and joined them. our conversations were basically about how to enjoy that night and just merely anything that comes to mind. it was really fun.(My Wishlist)
7. another one down on my bucketlist: treat a total stranger. okay Peter is not really a stranger now. but going back to that night, he was somewhat like that. i got him drunk, forcing him to drink 3 shots of Jose Cuervo in like 5 minutes. that's after having some other drinks. but don't get me wrong,  i did have a clean intention. i even promised the two of them that i'll treat them to coffee after and then we'll send him home when we're done.
8. coffee and muffins. i keep my promises. we went out to find a nice place to have coffee when the bar was starting to close. the nearest we could possibly find was Dunkin Donuts. i am not really a fan of donuts so i got us 3 muffins and 3 large cups of coffee. had some serious talks about life. and this time Peter got me thinking.
9. a broken promise: not a coincidence. i am a believer of fate. i have this big faith on fate. i don't think that there is such a thing as coincidence. everything happens for a reason and that's my personal judgment. honestly, i didn't have plans of going to Palawan on a January. i was not supposed to take that flight with jeni. kathleen knows that so well. an opportunity came and that time i was thinking it was a good time to finally break a promise that me and my past made as part of that moving on thing. and i told jeni that we should go there to celebrate for passing (i kinda mastered the positive thinking thing. i truly believe that what the mind can conceive, the body can achieve. that's how i think. that is the secret i've been practicing ever since.guess that worked on my exams. lol). well i think the whole universe conspired to make things happen. that night with P got me thinking about my life; my past, my present and my future. i believe we were meant to meet that night to make me realize a lot of things. our conversations were not that specific. they were not pointing on my personal issues. jeni and i were more interested in his travels and adventures. but those few hours with him was indeed enlightening. i could have been to another place that time, but something brought me there. those conversations were made to happen, those stories were made to inspire. that time when he showed me that skydiving video and told me he has plans of doing that, i got pretty amazed. at the back of my mind i was thinking, i envy this man for knowing what he truly wants to do with his life.
10. that hug, that kiss and those beautiful eyes. no i wasn't hitting on him that night. i swear i never did that. it was just a good night with an old friend and a new one.clean fun, i should say. besides, he told us that we were the best Filipinos he has ever met. and that was quite flattering. i hope he really meant what he said. lol. we walked him to his place which was just a few blocks away after our coffee time. he both gave us a goodbye hug and a kiss on the cheek. i suppose that was his way of saying thank you. but i could not forget that hug. that hug was just perfectly tight and comforting. and for the first time, it came from somebody who i barely know. i must confess, it felt kinda amusing. no we didn't kiss. but thinking about that moment now, i swear i should have kissed him that night. 

we still talk and find time to reconnect every now and then but i don't know if our paths would cross again for real. i am hoping that it would though. and as i have said to him, if we'd see each other again then that would not be out of coincidence. and if that night was the only chance we had, then i would gladly say thank you for those inspiring hours P. you were the first person who ever did that. i will never ever forget you.

One Wednesday Night

November 21, 2012

Abreeza Mall

i met up with Mi Amegas (my friends in my nursing class) on a wednesday night. as usual i was the last person to arrive given my super duper far place. i had to go back home after work to get D3 (my ever reliable camera) and at the same time change. 

L-R: angel, angie, dada, melai, darcy, aldy and me

it has been months since i saw these pretty ladies again. though we constantly send each other messages, it's still different from bonding physically. plus angie is literally miles away too. we are all busy doing our own stuff, but we still see to it that we bond and see each other every now and then. 

angie and kaykay (her daughter) had to leave us early due to a prior commitment. but before they left she handed me over two things from the land down under; one from her and one from jay (her hubby).

thank you JAY for this cute australian glass map paper weight

thank you ANGIE for this Perth ref magnet. it's actually on our ref now. lol

spending some quality time with the people who you consider as friends is really priceless. it doesn't matter if the meeting's just for a few minutes, a few hours or the whole day. but it's the act of retying the knot of friendship which matters the most.

gelo is getting big now. and we are getting older too. haha. i just couldn't help but laugh when darcy said gelo doesn't want to go to school when it's raining and says " ayokong magskul. sabi man ni tita ceara wala daw klase kase basa ang blackboard" (i don't want to go to school. tita ceara said we don't have  classes cos the blackboard is wet)  . they still have to convince him much just to dress up and go to his classes. hahahahaha... oh gosh silly me! after hearing that, i talked to gelo and said "magpasok ka na sa skul kahit nagaulan ha. nagtalk na kami ni teacher. bumili na siya sa akin ng magic chalk para makawrite pa din sya sa blackboard kahit basa." (you go to school even though it's raining. i already talked to your teacher and she bought a magic chalk from me which writes even when the blackboard is wet.). hahaha.. you just have to lie sometimes. lol. i just realized, i really have some special powers when it comes to kids. i can convince them easily.  guess we are on the same wavelength. hahaha

Gelo Gelo Gelo Dear

after our reminiscing the past dinner, dada and angel had to leave us. so that leaves aldy, darcy, melai, gelo and me for a little bonding extension.

comfort rooms are called as such for a reason. lol

after our chitchat and picture taking underneath the mall's christmas tree, we decided to try the XRider Roller Coaster Ride. we were laughing all the time. i was actually laughing at aldygirl's reactions who as at the middle.. laughtrip, i should say. it was not because of the ride, but it was because of aldy hahaha.

 

such an unforgettable experience. super laughtrip. 

i really had fun from dinner til the end.see you all in december Mi Amegas! mwaaaaaaah!

Gino's Burger: A Must Try

i finally had my first taste of Gino's Boom Burgers...

my charcoal-grilled dinner on a saturday night.

it's a good thing that Mamma Maria's Pizzeria near Sychar Hotel now serves Gino's Burgers.

it's much accessible and comfortable as compared to the main branch which also closes really early.

  

here's my first ever charcoal-grilled Gino's Burger...

100% Pure Beef Burger Patty stuffed with  Bacon, Mushroom and Cheese

indeed, it is what they say it is.. Deliciously Juicy!

if you are into burgers and has that male appetite but wants something budget-friendly,

Gino's Burger is a MUST TRY.

indeed, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

How to get to Gino’s Burgers:

Yu Uy Tong Building

Lapu-lapu St. near cor. Sobrecary St.

Agdao, Davao City

Tel. No. (082) 2262659

Mamma Maria's Pizzeria

Address: Sychar Hotel Building Iñigo Street, Davao City

Tel. No.: 082 221 4411

you only live once!

Paraw Sailing in Boracay

Why do i love BORACAY?

Paraw Sailing is a must try when you go to Boracay. 

It's best to do while watching the famous Boracay Sunset.

The wind.. the waves.. Such an amazing experience. 

Truly Thrilling and Exciting...

The word paraw also parao is related to proa and may be used to denote a boat. However, the term for boats (with or without outriggers) in the Philippine islands without sails or layag are typically called vanca or bangka.

The paraw has three major elements that make it a paraw and not another type of boat. These elements are the bangka, the katig and the layag. Motorized versions of bangkas (with outriggers) are commonly known as Pump Boat and are used for inter-island travel.

Paraws are known to sail between 11 to 17 knots (20~31 km/h) or approximate the speed of the wind. The outriggers (ama) or katig, made of wood or more commonly, bamboo, may be straight or curve upward much like skis and provide stability. 

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraw)