Tag: travel

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2007 May 27 La Mesa Ecopark, Quezon City, Metro Manila

_IGP1454Went with some officemates to the La Mesa Ecopark in Quezon City. It’s supposed to be a photo shoot but either cameras are unavailable or the photographers aren’t so it became more of a picnic with a bit of photo shooting thrown in.

La Mesa Ecopark is a project of ABS-CBN‘s Bantay Kalikasan, an environment advocacy group who essentially created the park from jungle. The resulting park is an oasis of vegetation in the midst of the sprawling city. It has a saltwater pool, a flower terrace, an amphitheater, a butterfly trail, an orchidarium, a fishing area, a big picnic area, a biking area, and a boating area among others.

The park is well organized and managed. There was just a bit of a hassle getting our DSLRs inside (but not point-and-shoots wth?!?). It was also a bit crowded when we went but otherwise it was nice. We strolled through the various areas taking pictures. We were done by late afternoon. The place is not that big and a day is about sufficient.

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2007 May 5 to 6 Puerto Galera, Mindoro

IMGP1651Went with the IT Department to Puerto Galera in Mindoro last weekend. I decided to drive to make it more convenient for the girls as well as for GPS data gathering. So with my Garmin Foretrex GPS unit recording a track, I picked up the girls from various points early in the morning. The rest of the boys took the bus.

The trip took about 3 hours taking us through the South Luzon Expressway, the Star Tollway, several national roads, and finally to the Batangas Port where we caught the 5AM boat.

We were informed that boats are scheduled at 15-minute intervals. To our– and the other passengers’– irritation, “15-minute intervals” actually was just one boat waiting for a whole hour! Thankfully, the boat eventually filled up and finally left the pier and in about 2 hours we were in White Beach in Puerto Galera. Aby– who organized the trip (Thanks Aby!)– and her friend Maica welcomed us to our accommodations.

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2007 April 28 to 29 Putipot, Zambales

IMGP1015Just came back from a spur of the moment, sort of, trip to Putipot, a small scenic island off Zambales. Bing and I had been planning a trip to Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte but that plan was shelved when we couldn’t achieve critical mass.

The alternate plan was to go to Putipot but at the critical last few days, interest kind of waned. So instead I set a dinner with friend and Crissy whose birthday I forgot. Coincidentally, Erwin had a planned trip to Putipot on the same weekend but he canceled to join the dinner.

Come friday, the dinner had to be canceled due to various reasons (read: I don’t wanna dwell into it). Left with nothing to do, I called Bing and Erwin and asked them if they still wanted to go.They did. So at 4AM we were on the way to Putipot.

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2007 April 15 Divers Sanctuary, Balayan, Batangas

Went to Divers Sanctuary yesterday with Erwin to attend an underwater wedding, two in fact, organized by diver friends at Scuba1. It’s not really something recognized by either the church or the government. It is just a memorable occasion for soon-to-be wed couples who love scuba diving.

It was my first time to witness an underwater wedding. Aside from the novelty of it all, what made it more interesting is that I was suddenly pressed into being the ring bearer. I was given two pairs of rings and was wondering where’s the best place to put them. I finally decided to put them on my own fingers. I made it a point to make sure they were snug and tight.

But as I was preparing my gear aboard the bamboo platform which will take us over the wedding dive site, I heard a distinctive tinkle. With dread I checked my fingers and confirmed my fears: One ring has fallen off! We tried to look for it but it was nowhere to be found.

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2007 April 7 – Avilon Zoo, Montalban, Rizal

IMGP0377My brother and I took my sister and her family to the Avilon Zoo yesterday.

Getting there is a small adventure in itself. From Commonwealth Ave., turn right towards Batasan Complex. At the Batasan Complex, turn right to the Batasan-San Mateo Road. At the end of the road, turn left to the Marikina-San Mateo Road. Keep going until you see a Total gasoline station to your right. Take the first left towards the Eastwood Greenview Subdivision. You will enter a rotonda. Exit the rotonda after the subdivision gate and follow the dirt road till you see the Avilon Zoo sign.

Parking is spacious and free. Entrance is P200 per person. You have the option to hire a guide for your group for an extra P350. This is recommended since the zoo is laid out in a rather convoluted manner. The guided tour takes about 2 hrs and takes you through areas designated for reptiles, mammals, birds, snakes, spiders, and arapaimas. Arapaimas are one of the zoo’s highlights. They are supposedly the world’s largest freshwater fishes. The small ones gobble chicken heads whole while the big ones eat bangus whole.

There is a rest, food, refreshment, and souvenir area at the entrance as well as at the halfway point. At the entrance, you can also choose to take a boat into the lagoon where scary big arapaimas lurk. Since the tour involves a lot of walking, it is recommended that you take advantage of these two areas.