Tinuy-an Falls and Hinatuan River

Who are you with?  Why are you alone? Don’t you have friends or a boyfriend? The questions I have to answer time and time again during my solo trip to Surigao last October 11-14. It even got me thinking if I really do have friends. Do I? Alright, I think I have a few good friends but they can’t be travelling with me all the time, or at least I thought. J On my first day I explored the so called “Niagara of the Philippines”, Tinuy-an falls,  the widest most beautiful falls I have seen so far and the bluest river (but it’s not sad) of Hinatuan, the Enchanted River.

I arrived in Butuan in Thursday (last Oct. 14) at around 15:00, ask around and was directed to ride a multicab bound to Butuan terminal  (fare is 20PHP). Multicab ride is around 40 minutes including multiple stops. At the multicab there was a lady and his guy friend who were quite amused at hearing me speak in Bisaya, asked where I was headed and the lady offered to accompany me to the bus terminal as she is headed to Mangagoy as well, however, knowing that I can also ride a van I inquired about it and did not ride the bus leaving at 16:00. At the entrance of the terminal there are dispatchers and they told me to wait and assured me that a van will pass by, after waiting for almost an hour however I asked them in a serious and pleading tone (the lady in distress kind of way J) if the van will ever arrive, and they said it will but they don’t know when, it was at that notion that I opted to take the bus, I am guessing the van going to Mangagoy leaves in the evening, just a calculated guess so don’t expect it. J

To make the long story short, I rode the bus leaving at 17:00, it was a sweaty, long and bumpy ride but I managed with all that is within me to take a nap when evening came because I haven't slept since the night of the previous day and I am certain I looked so wasted as one passenger kind of looked at me with so much concern and he was like, “Where are you staying? I can help you find a good place”. I wouldn't want to judge him of course but because he was a guy, I just smiled and I guess he knew what that meant.

I arrived at Mangagoy at 22:00, I agreed to the first man who approached me for a ride because I don’t really have time to ask around and told him to bring me to a cheap and safe hostel just so I can have some place to sleep. He took me to “Sleep In”, which is by the way just a walking distance from the highway, you can just walk and ask around if its daytime, they have different types of rooms they even have air-conditioned ones but I opted for the fan room for  150PHP.

I woke up really early the next morning with the help of my phone alarm at 5:00, I did not allow myself to indulge in morning laziness because I knew I need to be back to Butuan that same day for me to travel to  Siargao the following day, and I must say I am very proud to keep up with my itinerary. :D I left for for Tinuy-an at 6:00 and arrived at 7:00 riding their famous habal-habal installed with a roof.

It was a long ride, yes, but the road is no longer bumpy just a lot of difficult hilly ascents and descents which is scary at times but I had to trust the driver.  Along the road the driver – Kuya Julie (he is a man and married with kids but I don’t know why the Julie), asked me where I’m headed next so I said Hinatuan, he said he could take me there directly after tinuy-an to save me the hassle of transferring rides. I didn't agree  at first because the deal for him to take me to and from Tinuy-an is only 300PHP and going straight to Hinatuan will cost me 1000PHP, so I said I will think about it.  After exploring Tinuy-an and seeing how he was really a trustworthy man (left him all my things) I decided to hire him for the entire day at 900PHP, I was able to negotiate 100php. If I took the alternative transpo I could ride a bus to Hinatuan which is at 30PHP and ride another Habal2 for 300PHP as per the locals but I was already having a friend and If there is anything I can buy, why not buy time right?

The falls was truly breathtaking, I guess I could say it was a moment that took my breath away but I had to fight and get it back because I had to live. Kidding aside, I really am thankful to God for giving me the courage and assuring my safety for that trip because I was able to see how beautiful it really was that pictures you see can’t justify it. You may not appreciate the  first level of the falls being the closest to the entrance but the second one, which is mostly what is depicted in the pictures is the highest and the widest, you can’t really get under it because the current is so strong. The third and the fourth levels however, are not that wide and long but there you can immerse yourself under the falls and see the seemingly carved rock walls and the lush green trees that makes the place more heavenly. Going up to the third and fourth level requires that you get a guide and I strongly suggest that you get one because the way is very slippery and this place does not hold a record of zero fatality rate, at least one dies every year as per the guide so saying be careful can’t be stressed enough.

After an hour of dipping and jumping on its cold waters, I figured I had to leave for Hinatuan as I had to see the fish feeding at 12:00. Leaving from Tinuy-an at 8:00, we arrived at Hintu-an at 10:00 so I had spent more of my time at the river, which is good because there were more people there and a lifeguard, they also hold a record of zero fatality rate so I felt it was really safe to go swimming there alone.

I was amazed at seeing that it really was colored so blue, but I was more amazed when I tasted that it was salty. I didn’t drink form it of course, but you can’t be dipping in waters and not tasting it somehow, so why is the water salty? I have no idea, my guess is maybe it was close to the sea?

I had someone take pictures of me at Tinuy-an, but I thought who would take pictures of me here? Being the resourceful that I am, I saw a cottage and talked to the man who was sitting there, discovering that he was the life guard I left him my camera and he became my instant photographer. I also had my early lunch before diving in the blue waters and I must say they have the cheapest seafood on earth. J

While dipping, the thing I enjoyed the most was balancing myself in between two big balls in what seems to be a life line they have installed near the cottage not very far from the bluest part on the right side of the river, that is until I saw the fish getting ready for feeding. Boy, the fishes were too big and too many and they really come out at around 12:00 noon expectant of their portion, this I could say is truly magical and enchanting.

I left at around 12:40 and was able to ride a van heading back to Butuan at 13:15. I was blessed with a very good weather and had meet really good people including Kuya Julie that day, it was trip I’d do all over again.

I am sharing with you my itinerary and expenses. My dinner for day zero by the way was the lanzones I bought on the bus station which I ate on the bus and my breakfast the next day was cup noodles and bread I have bought with me from MLA. J This is Kuya Julie’s contact number if you are interested : 09168719168.

Day 0

15:05 arrive airport.. Ride multicab to butuan terminal (20 PHP)

15:40 arrive at terminal

17:00 bus to Mangagoy (240 PHP)

21:45 arrived at mangagoy, ride tricycle to hostel (50 PHP)

22:00 arrived at hostel (150 PHP)

Day 1 - 6:00 to tinuy-an8:00- left tinuy-an (tricycle 900 PHP for whole day)

10:00 arrive enchanted,.

10:30 early lunch

12:40 head back to main road for  butuan..

13:15  van back to butuan..

Below are some photos but you may visit my fb page and like for more photos. J

https://www.facebook.com/timelessterry

ain't there a rainbow always after the rain? the second level of Tinuy-an but is the main attraction

on the way up

3rd level

4th level

yes, that is Kuya Julie and me in a roofed habal-habal on the way to Hinatuan - Enchanted river, pictures below.

The Climb that Broke My Knee (Kota Kinabalu – A Reminisce)

A picture, a piso fare and a goal to have at least one out of the country trip a year made me book the flight to Kota Kinabalu with two other Mountaineer friends last November 2012.

We booked the reservation for the climb online via Sutera Sanctuary Lodges  - this and Mountain Torq (who owns the via ferrata - but you can still avail of this even if you book via Sutera Lodges) are the ones officially managing and taking care of Mt. Kota Kinabalu so there are not much  variations in the prices, the only caveat is to book your reservation in advance because they have a maximum number of people allowed to climb daily and chances are the date maybe full if you book your climb near your climb date.

In Sabah, you will meet a lot of Filipinos as this place is just 560 miles away from Sulu and some people have come here through boats (which is illegal) so they are mostly from Mindanao. I think it is not easy to do this illegal migration now though as I believe they have tightened their boundary securities already. They speak Tagalog but their dialect are the ones spoken in Mindanao - ie. Tausug.

Seafood – they have lots of this, so if you are into seafood, ( not seefood - the diet where when you see food you eat it? :P) you will love Kota. They are affordable too; I remember the food ranging from 5-10 RM. They are very much into spices as well, but unfortunately I am not – so I made sure I know what’s in the food first before I order.

So here’s the deal, you will be accommodated at Sutera Lodges at noon of your first day – but this not the day you will climb so you don’t have to book for another hotel before going there for rest, if you booked your flights to arrive early in the morning you can go straight from the Airport to Kota Kinabalu’s Park Headquarters. Inclusive in the booking for climbing Kota are accommodation for two nights, dinner on the first day, Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner on the second day, (very early) Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on the third day but you have to make it on or before 18:00 back on the Park Headquarters for you to be able to catch the buffet for your last dinner at Sutera.

The climb starts on the second day as early as 7:00 but maybe late depending on how early you are and your guides – the earlier the better. In our case we were the ones waiting for the car to take us to the jump off. It’s a long climb, and I mean really long specially on your third day and they have lots of stairs. On the second day we started the hike at around 9:00, had our lunch at around 13:00 and we were at KM 3.0 by this time if I’m right. We arrived at the next shelter (Laban Rata) before the summit at around 15:00.

Upon arrival at Laban Rata we inquired about how we can register/pay for us to take the via ferrata on our way down from the summit because when we inquired for it at the Park HQ they were not able to process a credit card payment for some reasons and told us to do it Laban Rata. We were waiting for almost forever before the payment went through and we actually almost gave up as they said it was because of the weather when finally the payment went through and we were able to book it. But then again the via ferrata route will depend on whether the next day the sun will show up or not.

You have to rest early at Laban Rata as you need to wake up at around 01:00 for you need have an ealry breakfast before the hike for the summit which commence at 2:00 for you to be able to reach the summit before sunrise. At around 5:00 we arrived at the summit, took pictures and headed to the meet up point for the via Ferrata (you will be briefed on your second day as to where you will meet and the time you need to catch for the decent) start point for our way down back to Laban Rata.

We arrived at around 10:00 at Laban Rata, took the early lunch, rested and at around 12:00 we started the descent as we need to reach the Park HQ before 6:00 so we can still avail of the dinner buffet and this non-stop hike broke my knees. We were at KM 3.0 before the Park HQ when my knees just gave up, we were on the stairs and I almost slipped as it just wouldn’t hold my legs anymore and so we have to rest for me to regain some strength.

I actually kind of carried myself through my hands on our way down using two poles but I thank God I made it without having someone to carry me. And that my friend is how I injured my knees, honestly - not really it wasn’t the long hike; it was the lack of preparation before the climb. So take it from me and prepare, prepare and prepare before a major climb. The good news is I am now on the road to complete healing, yes I believe I can heal completely, nothing is impossible with God. :D

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here are some photos:

I suugest you book through Sutera because Mountain Torq doesn't have any accomodation at the Headquarters, and you will miss the fireplace.. :P

We will make it through the stairs.. nanana..

When you see this heavenly stairway, you are close to having rest at Laban Rata - really close so cheer up!

I honestly loved the flowers, but more than that I wanted to rest... :D

the best part of the climb... descent via ferrata

the mossy forest connecting to the other half of the via ferrata trail - there's an option to go only for the first half..

As I said, the most fun part.. :)

congratulate me.. :)

ok, its not part of the climb but it's cool.. :D

Cambodia-Vietnam in 3 Days

We are rich out there, want to count millions? Visit these places.

So we only had three days - spend one of that traveling and you'll get one day for each country. Honestly, there were some misunderstanding with the booking because when they told me about the trip they said five days, well, they were not looking at the time frames of the booked dates. I just realized it was only three days when I got the copy of my ticket. Since we bought it on a piso fare (you pretty much know the airline) I really can't complain as I know how hard it is to book such seats and just made plans to just fit our three days with whatever we can do with the country's main attractions. My advice, check the actual time and date of the tickets before you say yes if you want a longer vacation because I had 4 days of leave from work but can only enjoy 3 of them and that is just sad.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the trip due to the fact that there - we can travel cheap. What's expensive is the travel tax and terminal fee - where is the government spending all these money? Travelers should organize one rally at Mendiola one of these days - let me know, I'll definitely join. Alright, enough of the rant I'll make a separate blog for that :). To let you know how cheap my travel was, I spent roughly around 7k PhP minus airport bogus. I'll give you an outline with my expenses at the end of my blog.

We left Tuesday night (July 2) - 19:45 MLA and we arrived at around 22:00 at Cambodia, we have a 1-hour time difference so basically the travel time is 3 hours -  my farthest air travel so far. We checked in at Velkommen Guesthouse and prepped ourselves to have dinner in what they called the "Pub Street" and we had the experience of riding a "Tuk-tuk" to take us there.

The next day - we woke up early to begin our half-day tour of their temples that was supposed to commence at 8:00 but we were a bit late. We are a group of 8 so it wasn't expensive for us to be on a group tour - where we hired a van but I envy those who rode in their rented bicycles. The van cost us 65 USD but you can rent a bike for 2-4 USD for the whole day, however, if you think bike is just too much effort and you want to save your energy you can rent one Tuk-Tuk for 12USD for one whole day (if my source was right :P). We were advised to not wear shorts (I wasn't planning to wear one anyway) but we saw some ladies wearing shorts and they were allowed to view the temples but you can not get into some places they consider "holy". This thing is not advisable for kids, specially if they don't appreciate history unless they love walking because it involves a lot of walking and more walking.

We were done with the temple tour at around 14:00 so we got back to the guest house while my other friends inquired about the buses bound to Vietnam and we have agreed to take the bus leaving at midnight. so we still had time to sleep a bit. Little did we know that we are actually going to ride two buses and that we had to change buses at Phnom Penh where we have to wait for almost 2 hours for the other bus to take us to Saigon. If I had only known - which I did not, I would prefer to stay in Phnom Penh for half a day and take the bus to Vietnam at noon so we can catch the early Chu Chi tunnels tour the next day. To sum up the travel time - 6 hours Siem Reap to Phnom Penh and more or less 5 hours from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh (formerly Saigon) including stop overs and Boarder Checks.

Saigon, which reminds me of Lea Salonga is a city of Motorbikes. There are more Motorbikes than cars, and they ride it like a boss - you know they drive it like crazy (lost for words :P). We arrived at Saigon at around 13:00, rested at MyMy's guesthouse and then at 16:00 left to try their french influenced dishes which is more like American to me, or are these dishes the same? I loved the bread from the restaurant - Bready, and yes you read it right, it is indeed Bready, (sounds like Freddy :P) recommended by the Inn Keeper at MyMy's guesthouse (both our cambodia and vietnamn hostels can be found at hostelworld)..

After the dinner we went to explore their night market, I was hoping to find a bag for hiking and traveling the same but I did not really like the stitches and overall quality of bags there so in short I didn't buy anything. We went home and while they go out to have some drinks, I stayed in the guesthouse and slept. And yes, I'm not really into night life, just in case you wanna know. :)

The next day we had to wake up early again because the bus for the Chu Chi tunnels is leaving at 7:00. The trip to the Chu Chi tunnels is a bit long - around 2 hours and 30 minutes. We had a stop-over at a factory of sorts where they make hand maid Vietnam products, where we also had our brunch.Buses is for 5USD (100K Dong), while the entrance is 90 K Dong. Of course you will have a tour while the guide tells you about their history which is really awful and makes you glad you are a Filipino but would make you appreciate Viet Cong's patriotism and there's a free snack/lunch whichever term you prefer where they served cassava and tea. :)

It was the only scheduled activity we had for the day and rest was to be spent buying "pasalubong", but I decided to visit their war museum by myself and it was worth it, well, not that I enjoyed but I get the chance to get a glimpse of how horrific their war was. The Museum closes at 17:00 daily and the entrance is 15K Dong.

I spent the rest of my day at the night market after eating at KFC - yes I have to try this :).and just made sure to be back at the guesthouse at 19:00 to prepare for our flight back home.

Please see below for our itinerary and summary of expenses:

Day 0 - July 2	19:45	Flight
	22:00	Arrival	Taxi to guest house- 10 USD/8pax; Hostel 2USD/night
	23:00	Dinner	3-5 USD depends on your choice; Tuktuk ride - 8usd/8pax (back and forth)
Day 1 - July 3	6:00	Wake Up Call
	7:00	Break Fast	3-5 USD
	8:30	Temple Tour	Van - 65 USD/8pax (with free bottles of water); entrance - 20USD
	12:00	Lunch	5-10 USD
	13:00	Resume Temple Tour
	14:00	Ride back to guesthouse
		Rest, eat, slepp	food at 3-5 USD but still depends on your appetite
Day 2 - July 3	0:00	Ride Bus to Phnom Penh	28 USD, this includes the bus to Saigon
	6:00	Arrive at Phnom Penh	Hostel 30USD/ 8pax 2nights
	6:30	Biscuits for breakfast :P
	8:00	Ride Bus to Saigon
	12:00	Stop-over	Lunch 7-10 USD
	13:00	Arive at Saigon	Taxi to gusethouse - 4usd/8pax
	14:00	Early Dinner	5-10 USD
	17:00	Night /market
Day 3 - July 4	7:00	Left for Chu-chi Tunnels	Bus at 5 USD back and forth
	8:00	Stop-over (breakfast)	3-5 USD
	9:30	Arrived at Chu-Chi tunnels	Entrance 90K Dong (20K Dong = 1 USD)
	11:30	lunch-snacks (depends on you)	free - cassava and tea
	13:00	Ride back to City
	15:30	Dropped off at War Museum	Entrance 15K Dong
	17:00	Early Dinner	5-10 USD

here are some of photos:

that famous spot at Angkor Wat

that moment when you want to be Angelina Jolie.. but then I thought I'd rather be me..

it's called blocking...

helmet for one doollar... :) Vietnamn streets

Stop-over before the chu-chi tunnels..

my original group and my pseudo group, :P

so here I am again...

War museum on a rainy afternoon..

more war museum...

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Finally Meeting Calaguas

Calaguas is one gorgeous Island - can be an understatement. I was planning to visit this place way back the last quarter of 2012 but wasn’t able to. Finally, last Holy Week – March 28-31, I along with my three mountaineer friends finally had the chance to greet this charming Island.

First thing’s first - how to get there? Simple, if you are going by bus – which we did, ride a bus going to Daet, as far as I know buses leaving for Daet have terminals in Pasay and Alabang. When you reach Daet, you’d know because the Conductor will wake you up (and I’m assuming you’d be asleep like I was J), from there, depending on the time you arrive you can ride another bus going to Paracale but if you arrive before 7am you need to ride a tricycle to take you to the bus station of Paracale bound buses . You will be dropped near the port if you tell the conductor of course. If you already have your contact you just have to meet with them and buy your food at the market and off you go to an almost 2-hour boat ride. If you are going by plane however, I have no idea how you can get there, sorry. J

As I have said the Island is gorgeous, except that they are now putting in some bar or I don’t know because we didn’t go near the place where we heard the disco music is coming from. If they are going to turn this place into something like Boracay, this place’s fame will end before its starts. No offense, I know some people like to party in a beach but most of the time people get away from the city to experience the serenity of these beautiful remote areas. I mean if you want to party, why not in the city? We have already turned Boracay and Galera into some Disco Islands, can’t we spare this one? I hope the Government people running this Island will come to realize the importance of keeping the Island in its original state and form (which is solid and liquid :D). Okay, what I’m trying to say is they should keep it the way God created it - serene and beautiful where the only music you’d hear is of nature. And if I could I would suggest they build huts not buildings to keep its laid back ambiance and provide comfort at the same time for those people who can’t stand tents (specially those who have kids – I know its hard :P).

I particularly like that they have something like a common kitchen where you can grill and cook but you have to bring your own cooking paraphernalia. Calaguas also has some pretty neighbors and I am not sure if they currently offered Island Hopping - it wasn’t offered to us and I didn’t bother to ask because the boat fare taking as to and from the island is enough for our pockets already, but I think it is something really worth discovering. Looking at those Islands we pass by I can only dream of owning one and turning it into a private resort – if you might as well dream, dream big right? Anyway, they should also cultivate a snorkeling area so visitors can do more (I can remember rexona’s summer advert – Do More ad maybe they should pay me for it) :D.

Since I’ve already said too much I want to make one more recommendation, Bagasbas will make a really good side trip specially for those folks  into surfing. From Paracale’s port you can ride a tricycle or you can actually just walk to the Van Station (a station for Vans – not sure if this word is already on the dictionary), for a Van that will take you to Daet. Just ask around and trust me the station is really near so if you think you can walk with all your luggage just walk don’t listen to tricycle drivers asking you to ride. You will not be dropped off the beach immediately and you will need to ride a tricycle to take you to the beach. There are a lot of mini-hotels where you can bargain for your price – 375 per head is the cheapest we got due to the peak season as Ate Ada would say – I’ll give you her contact below.

We live in a country called the Pearl of the Orient, blessed with fascinating Islands. I hope and pray that we learn to take care of it and become good stewards of what God has given us.

Please see below for a sample Itinerary (the first time that I’m doing this) and the pictures to peek into the what Calaguas and Bagasbas has to offer:

Day 0 (March 28) 20:30 – Ride the bus bound to Daet (479 PHP/pax)

Day 1 (March 29) 4:30 – arrive at Daet and Breakfast (at ate Fe’s carenderia near the bus station)

   5:30 – ride bus to Paracale (30 PHP/pax)

   6:30 – Arrived at Paracale and bought foods

   7:30 – Boat Ride to Calaguas (we have no contact – we hired the boat there 2500 PHP)

  9:30 – arrived at Calaguas port

We settled our things (pitch tent etc.) and cooked our food, had our lunch and enjoyed the Island. You can basically fill in your own itinerary from this point onwards. We left Calaguas the next day (March 30)  at around 15:30, please see the next day’s itinerary below:

Day2 (March 30) 15:30 – Boat Ride back to Paracale (2500 PHP covers back and forth transpo)

                                  17:00 – arrived at paracale

                                  17:30 – Van ride to Bagasbas (60 PHP)

                                  18:30 – arrived at Bagasbas – and dinner at HOTPOT

                                  19:30 – Trike ride to Bagasbas beach (20 PHP/pax)

                                  20:00 - arrived at Bagasbas beach and settled at White Wave Resort

You can contact Ate Ana (for White Beach Resort) at this number : 0921-744-8427. They have pretty decent rooms and you can bargain if its not the peak season (quoting her). The next day on March 31 we did surfing in the morning and in the afternoon (and that includes breakfast and lunch so to speak) and left for Bagasbas beach at around 16:00.

                                  16:30 – dinner at KSarap

                                  17:30 – Headed to the bus station for Alabang (490 PHP)

Enjoy the pictures below taken by Jonah Ong.

the three ladies- Seia, Terry (me) and Jen (L-R) walking along the beach... the black crow spotted by Jonah and the ever beautiful sunset at calaguas :)

What's cooking? Jen and me... this is how you cook at calaguas

Jen with Ate Fe...

Kain-kain din pag may time..

Thanks to Jen's magic fire (I forgot what its called really) we had a safe and environment friendly campfire...

Laro-laro din pag may time... Jen, me, Seia and Jonah (L-R)

Jonah's jump shot on a hot black saturday afternoon...

okay, you know us already...

Ready for surfing at Bagasbas

their turn.. alternate so someone's left to take pictures...

the four of us enjoying the waves, Jonah (the only Rose, we were the thorns), Jen, Seia and me (L-R; T-B)

this is one of my favorite me-picture from Calaguas... :D

I hope you enjoyed reading and the pictures but seeing the place first hand is even more fun... Till next time..