Family and Fun

Needless to say, the purpose of my coming home is to spend time with my family. I’ve already told you about my grandparents 60th anniversary celebration in my previous blog that became a mini-family reunion from my father side of the family. It was an occasion worth remembering.

Bayeta and Church Family

So, let’s talk about my mother’s family. Most of them are living in the Visayas and Mindanao. But there are some distant relatives whom we’ve met long time ago in the southern part of Palawan.

I’d like to introduce my aunt to you, also known as mommy Nelly. She is literally my mom’s best cousin. They’re so closed with each other even though they’re just third cousins. They shared fun and problems of being moms. She’s very generous and her laugh is so contagious.

My mama Edith and mommy Nelly on the way to the hill

We decided to visit her and her family in Rizal, Palawan the day after my grandparents anniversary celebration. We as in myself, my parents, and my eldest niece Rhian, woke up early the next day. The van picked us up in my sister’s house at around 3 a.m. We’ve arranged this before hand to make sure we have seats because vehicles are limited going to that place. The journey begun with torrential rains. It’s disappointing not to see the sunrise.

The perks of travelling with you mom is that you feel safe. I slept like a baby the entire trip to the south until we encountered a little mishap. One truck got stuck on the road in the town of Quezon due to heavy rains, that four-wheeled vehicles had no way of passing through. I wasn’t able to capture the scene because of heavy rains and I don’t have a waterproof device for taking photos, but it was really an ordeal. We ended up transferring to another van which was travelling back to Puerto Princesa from Rizal and those who were boarding that van also transferred in our van. But it wasn’t an easy feat, I almost fell flat on my face because of the steep, muddy and slippery road that we needed to traverse going to the other van. With our muddy shoes, we continued our journey to Rizal town.

My father’s face says it all.

We arrived in Rizal town.

 

We arrived in town at almost 9 a.m. We ate our breakfast in one local eatery and waited for a van going to my aunt’s place. It was already noon when we arrived at mommy Nelly’s home. We were greeted with a refreshing buko salad and a very nice view from the window.

Buko salad made by my cousin

Picture perfect view from a window

I rested and freshened up after a sumptuous lunch. It was sunny in the afternoon and we decided to hike and visit the hill owned by mommy Nelly’s family. We’re so excited! It was not a far journey but it was very scenic. I took so many photos and it’s my pleasure to share them with you. Please refer to the description for more information.

 

Wonderful low lying clouds

Getting ready for our hike

The weather was pleasant for a walk

Group photo at the foot of the hill

This banana plant survived from a landslide

Ascent to the hill

My nephew playing monkey

Daddy Mario and the mountains

My niece Rhian and the sea

Picked some flowers for photos

My cousin and her family

You’re looking at South China Sea

Another silly group shot

It was already sunset when we head back down from the hill. It was a refreshing hike indeed.

Hiking back home after visiting my cousin’s house

We cooked and ate a simple but nutritious dinner with everyone. Something that I’ve missed the most. We called it “bulad” or dried fish, fermented fish (ginamos), and fern (pako) salad. It was yummy!

Bulad, ginamos, and pako. Simply delicious!

I’ve never slept so easily in my entire adult life than that night. It’s so comforting not to hear any vehicle engines humming while you’re in bed. Only the crickets and the sound of nature were the noises being heard at night. I woke up very early just to catch the sunrise. It was so peaceful and beautiful. My family was using a solar power energy because there’s no electricity in that area yet. Every time the sun shines, it’s truly a blessing to everyone.

Rizal, Palawan sunrise

Our visit wouldn’t be completed without some furry friends. My aunt has two dogs, a male and a female. They had five puppies and they’re so cute.

Papa and mama dogs

Baby dogs

We took one last group shot before heading back to the city. Even though our time was limited, this trip was very productive especially for my mother. She was able to visit and bond with her cousin. It was also very rewarding that despite the bad weather and a little mishap, we’re able to arrive safe and sound.

And here’s me, taking a selfie while saying goodbye to my family in Rizal. I wished I had more time but I have a long journey back home to my husband the next day.

I hope you enjoyed reading my stories. See you on the next one.

 

Puting Buhangin (White Sand) Beach

I attended my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary last January. It was one of the most memorable times of my adult life. It became a family reunion as well. I was able to reconnect with my older relatives and meet some additions to our big family.

After the celebration, we still had time to explore the local tourist sites in the area. We particularly visited a hidden white sand beach, locally called Puting buhangin.

Puting Buhangin Beach(local name) is located at Purok Magsasaka, Barangay Mangingisda, Puerto Princesa City

I was so amazed that Palawan, despite being a high profile tourist destination in the country, this place was almost empty. There were some young people and local kids roaming around, taking selfies, and playing tags. Aside from them, there’s no tourist, foreigner in particular in sight, which also meant that we have the beach all to ourselves. Might as well enjoy it no matter how short our time was.

We’re not prepared since this was just a spur of the moment. We’re not able to bring swimsuits but we still enjoyed our time spent in this beautiful and peaceful beach.

It was almost sundown when we finished our little escapade but it was all worth it.

More stories on my next blog about my journey back home…

Up in the Sky

You know that feeling when you really want to touch those fluffy, cottony and soft clouds while you are travelling on an airplane?

Exciting isn’t it?

Well, I was able to witness and captured this specific scenery on my way back to Palawan (my home province).

A wonderful start to a memorable journey back home…

More stories on my next blog… Stay tuned!

 

Canlaon: Century-Old Banyan Tree and more…

May 1, 2016 – It’s Holiday in the Philippines and the best way to spend it is to travel and visit a not so new but undiscovered place. We’ve been to the City of Canlaon before but in a different part and with a different purpose.

The good thing about road tripping in the countryside is that no matter how many times you’ve driven past through a certain road, you will experience a different environment or scenery. Sometimes, the field is so green but this time it looks barren.

And it is not every day that you can see something as colorful as these:

The view from Mansalanao road of the glorious Mt. Kanlaon after blowing some ashes for the past few months:

 

 

We took this route because this is newly constructed to get to Canlaon City faster. We did not see any public transport taking this road yet but there were few private vehicles, most of them were motorcycles.

We had our lunch at one of the eateries (the one that was not close due to Holiday) near the City’s public market. You know that feeling when you really want to enjoy what is being served on your table but could not because the locals were debating about who will win on the coming presidential election? I assure you that it was really an unpleasant one that even photos of what we ate is not worth sharing.

However inhospitable that was, we headed directly to our purpose after a toilet break. We drove up to the mountain where we were treated by the beautiful view, although the effect of El Nino was very evident in this place. Plant leaves looked so dry and animals were in the hunt for food and shade away from the sun.

Finally, we arrived at the location of the 300 or more year old Banyan tree. The leaves were not so green but it was still standing mightily among other tresses around.

There were local tourists when we arrive and still coming when we departed the place. Everyone looked amazed by the size of the tree. Some dared to climb, others took selfies and so do we.

I salute the locals for maintaining this huge tree and keeping the surroundings clean while caring for their playful children.

And off to our next destination, the journey was enjoyable and educational. We learned that this is how cabbage looks like while growing.

It was already late in the afternoon when we reached this place and the scenery was spectacular.

The entrance fee to enjoy the pool of the Inland Resort was Php 25, cottage rates were from Php 100 to Php 500. But since we arrived late (and the resort was about to close), our cottage was free of charge.

The pool has three levels. First, the upper part is for kids or for those who can’t swim. hehe 🙂 Second, the middle part is for adults who can swim but are afraid of deep waters. The third and last part, the lower level is for pro for obvious reasons.

Warning!!! The water is freezing cold…grrr…grrr…grrr

But surely worth a visit. A holiday well spent.

Until next time…maybe next Holiday!!!

Solar Energy

 Solar Power– Science says that it is considered renewable and is less harmful to our environment because it comes from the most natural (no extraction needed) source, the SUN. This maybe the reason why it’s popular nowadays not only in other countries but also locally. As you can tell, our country has the most sun power, why not use it to have electricity?!

We visited two Solar Power Plants in the province. One is located in Silay City…

…and the other is in the town of Manapla.

These hopefully will provide electricity to hundreds of households in the area in the future. There is a calming and peaceful feeling that this kind of project is making its way and breaking through all barriers (corruption) in our country.

Here we are supporting for this project:

Gawahon Eco- Park

Gawahon Eco Park is one of the tourist attractions located in the mountainous area of Victorias City, also known as the sugarcane capital of Negros Occidental.

March 24, 2016

It was a fine day when we departed from home with one goal in mind, to reach this wonderful place and experience its atmosphere for the first time.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by cheerful staff and have ourselves registered at its entrance office.

The adventure began… We drove up to the hill to see the man-made swimming pool.

To those who want to stay overnight or longer, there were cottages ready and are available for rent near the man-made koi pond.

After some photos were taken around the pond, we head down to the first falls where we ate our packed lunch, bought some popsicles for dessert and prepared for a hike.

The first falls (which was crowded by visitors that day) was just by the road  but we want to reach the other falls…

1st Falls  (it was lunchtime that’s why it seemed not crowded in this photo)

And the hike began; it was scenic and enjoyable.

2nd Falls

The third and fourth Falls… The first four falls were tiny and shallow but they were unique and beautiful in every way.

The fifth and sixth Falls were taller but they were not very easy to reach. Their location was on the rocky and dangerous part of the trail, to say the least.

And we hiked all the way to see this… a twin falls..but before that, we were greeted by the locals who were also enjoying the falls and the view.

We enjoyed the journey and most of all the destination…

The location is home to different species of flora and fauna unique to a tropical country, like ours. Even though we did not see them, we were treated by their joyous and constant chirping while hiking back to the first falls. Truly it was an unforgettable and nicely shared experience with friends.

For the past few years,

Sunrise is a very precious sight

To behold

It’s been a while since I’ve seen one.

Last day of the year,

Time to get up early.

Chase the rising sun;

But where?

It’s raining!!!

Well, let’s find out.

Up on the hill we go,

Our poor truck crawl with dignity

on the treacherous steep and

dangerous curve.

Indulge in the spectacular view

and serene surroundings,

you can even hear the rooster crow

from a distant village.

Alas! There it is,

Shining brightly towards us

Smiling broadly- welcoming the day.

Oh, such a beauty- a precious sight;

A true gift from Above.

 -ruby-

Hello world!

Hello Readers,

First of all, I would like to thank you for visiting my site.

It is really a pleasure to share a piece of my existence to everyone; with a hope to encourage, give hope and make you smile everytime. 

So about me, there’s really nothing much to say. I’m a married woman for more than two years now. I work as a bookkeeper in a local hardware store. My hobbies are reading, dancing, singing, crocheting, watching Youtube, visiting my Facebook page and observing (Yup, that’s really a hobby for me.haha). Basically, I’m used to a routine life but I also have a puppy and a kitty that helps my husband on distracting me of my routine.

I am not a writer but I love reading. Then one day, I overheard someone asked, “What would you really like to start? A business? A new skill? A hobby?” I answered (to myself), I really want to write! To have my own blog, to share my experiences and passions, and of course to develop my writing skills.

That’s why people, I’m encouraging you to help me in achieving my goals by sending me a message of what I need to improve and give suggestions for future posts.

Once again,

Thank You!