Up Close with the Wonders of Nature : Exploring Underground River

One of my dreams came true this month :

A chance to visit the famous Underground River....... Check!

Underground River or Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is an 8.2 kilometer navigable river located in the mountains of St. Paul. It was included in the final shortlist of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Wow!!!

It's quite a long trip getting there. From the city we traveled for almost 2 hours to the municipality of Sabang. While most part of the trip was convenient since 99% of the roads are paved except for that rocky road that lasted for about 5 minutes which I called "abortion road". It was so rough and bumpy that you would most definitely have a miscarriage had you were pregnant. There was also a rollercoaster road where we shouted at the top of our lungs coz it felt like riding a rollercoaster. You see? We're not even on the underground river yet, but the trip going there was super exhilarating!

Puerto Princesa is also called as "A City In The Forest" because of the lush trees and mountains. Passing through the countryside, Abbet our tour guide who is so funny and bubbly, introduced us to their famous mountains. Check this out : their mountains got names. I mean like almost every one of them. I took a quick picture of them and here's what I got :

Mc Donald's mountain. because its peak has somewhat letter M on them.

tres marias. notice the three slopes. that's how it got its name.

cleopatra's needle. the one in the center. i don't  know why it's called like that. it doesn't  look like a needle to me hehe...

We also passed by elephant mountain which really looked like... a bird! No. Seriously, an elephant of course. I wasn't able to take a pic because I didn't get a clearer view.

It was almost 9AM when we finally reached Sabang. We took a 10-minute boat ride cruising St. Paul's bay on our way to my dream destination. I was awed by the majestic sight along the way. The water was so calm and inviting. With mountains as backdrop, it was a totally refreshing sight!

Then we took a short walk along the monkey trail. We were advised by our tour guide not to carry cellophanes coz the monkey might snatch them thinking there's food inside.

                                                                               the monkey trail

When we got to the registration area, we quickly signed in our names and took the hardhat and lifevest. We're ready to go inside the cave! Yaaayyy!!!!

It's totally dark inside with lots of bats and balinsasayao birds. Our only source of light is the spotlight on the front of the boat. Most of my companions were afraid coz it's their first time to go inside a cave. I on the other hand, was so amazed with the different rock formations. I marveled at how delicately and perfectly were they sculpted by nature. The boatman told us not to put our hands on the water because they are preserving its cleanliness. But I joked there might be crocodiles as Abbet told us 60% of their rivers were inhabited by crocodiles. We don't wanna leave Palawan with an amputated hand so we're totally hands off water haha!

                                              this one resembles a face of a man, right?

                                                                                   a giant candle-like

                                        the nativity scene. again, i wasn't able to capture it perfectly.

There were rock formations like giant mushroom, jellyfish, corn, dinosaur, zebra, etc., but because of poor lighting conditions plus I'm using a point-and-shoot camera and I don't have an external flash with me, the results weren't very good.

It took us 45 minutes to cover the 1.8 kilometers. In case we want to explore more, we need to secure a special permit for that. I would really love to. But  my friends? They're itching to go back.

                                                                        on our way out

I've visited many caves before and have seen lots of crystals that glow in the dark, fantastic stalagmites and stalactites, but I truly enjoyed my experience in Underground River. Communing with nature has never been this good. It made me appreciate them more and I felt blessed to have experienced up close (and personal haha!) the wonderful creations of God.

Trip To The Last Frontier : Honda Bay Island Hopping

So I just got back from my 3-day vacay. I'm still feeling a bit dizzy, sleepy and exhausted from all the outdoor activities we did. Nevertheless I am so glad that after a year of waiting, anticipating and planning, not to mention sleepless nights and that moronic poem I posted on my blog, I finally had the chance to visit my dream destination last Sunday.

Palawan is one of the most beautiful places in the country. Its scenic attractions left tourists and locals alike in awe. It offers a wide variety of beautiful spots that will truly fascinate adventure seekers and nature lovers.

On my first day in Puerto Princesa (the capital city of Palawan which by the way is sooooo clean. How I wish all mayors in the Philippines will set Mayor Hagedorn as an example. He's an environmentalist, and together with the people of Palawan they worked hard to preserve the riches and bounty of Palawan) we hopped off to Honda Bay. Honda Bay is known as "the last frontier" and is home to famous white sand beaches, magnificent landscape, amazing corals and beautiful rainforests. It's one of the country's premiere tourist destination and ideal for diving and snorkeling.

Honda Bay consists of 9 islands and several islets. We rented a van from the city and took a 20-minute ride to the wharf. The good thing is that they have a regulated boat rental system that saves you a lot of time. We only paid Php 2,000.00 for the boat rental which for me is already a good deal considering back in my  place, island hopping would cost each person around Php 2,000 - 3,000.

Our first stop is in Starfish Island. But before we reached Starfish, we passed by Lu-Li Island.

Lu-Li derived its name from "lulubog-lilitaw", a tagalog word which means sink (lulubog) and appear or resurface (lilitaw). During high tide you can't see the shoreline and the sand. Only the resthouse. And when it's low tide you can see the magnificent sandbar sprawling the island.

                                            sandbar in Lu-li

And this is the Starfish Island where we had our lunch and took a lot of crazy pictures. The sun was scorching hot that time prohibiting us from roaming around the island.

We found lots of starfishes here...

Even this gigantic one!

Nah! Don't be fooled. Just some sorta camera trick hehehe...

Next stop is Snake Island. There are no snakes here. It is named so because it's shaped like a slithering snake.

I wish I had a clearer picture of this. I swear it really looked like a big snake from a distance. We did snorkeling here and OHMYGOD the corals are so colorful and I was amazed by the schools of fishes sorrounding it. Another wishful thinking : I Wish I Had An Underwater Camera. But I don't have!

Some of the famous islands in honda bay are the Cowrie Island, Senyorita Island which is the breeding site of Lapu-lapu fish, and Bat Island where you can see hundreds of bats flying out at sundown.

Our last stop was in Pandan Island. This island is fully developed unlike Snake Island

We also did snorkeling here and I got to see a lot of Nemo's siblings. Yeah!!! Damn you underwater camera!!! The fishes were oh-so-colorful and oh-so-cute. It feels like I'm inside an aquarium. And that sight will forever be on my mind coz I don't have a single picture of it.

Of all the islands I've been to - Pandan Island is the most awesome!

We were suppose to go to Pambato Coral Reef for more snorkeling but it was closed for a month for fish breeding. We'll try our luck next time haha!

Anyway, do you know my greatest dream? Aside from travelling to different places? I dreamed of visiting even 1% of Philippines total island. Now don't you laugh at me! Yes you! I see you mocking laugh at me huhuhuhu... That wasn't too much to ask for!

Philippines has 7,107 islands. Well now I guess it's too much to ask for... I already  been to 20 islands - 7,087 more to go waaaaahh! Goodluck to me! Coz even in the next lifetime I don't think I would be able to do that. I should stick to that swimming lesson instead!

Notes to Self :

I'm a terrible promise-breaker. Not to other people but to myself. I would say that I'm not gonna do this, that I'll do that but I always end up slacking off.

So I created a list of the things I wanted to take note of. I would take a look at this from time to time and see if I was able to do it.

Note to Self # 1 : I will eat more bananas.

I have hypokalemia (potassium deficiency) and bananas are great at keeping your potassium in normal levels. Apparently, banana is NOT my favorite fruit and I don't like eating it. I've been disobeying doctor's order. 1 banana a day is enough to keep me away from the hospital. Was that too hard for me to do? Hell yeah!!!

And now the symptoms of hypokalemia such as muscle weakness, muscle cramp is waving hello at me these past few days. Oh no!

Note to Self # 2 : Never book a go-lite flight ever again!

Huh! But I just did last week. I'm such a moron and I never learned from my experience a couple of months back. Go-lite means you have no check-in baggage. When you decide at the last minute to have your baggage checked in instead of handcarrying them (because you exceeded the 7kls limit and I always do), they will make you pay an additional 400 pesos for the first 15kls. Not a smart move especially when you know that the difference between go-lite and non go-lite is just 100 pesos. Come on janjan! You're really stupid.

Note to Self # 3 : Save, save, save money for the next trip

I always say that but I never did.

Note to Self # 4 : Try going out on friendly...errrgghh.. BLIND dates (again)

I've been single for quite sometime because I refuse to go out on dates anymore. No I'm not a man-hater. And no I don't have phobia with men. With all the disastrous, disappointing, disdaining dates I went through, having another blind date doesn't seem appealing to me.

Note to Self # 5 : Consider career change or look for another job

I love my job BUT I've been in this track for almost four years now. I want something else. Challenge myself more. Learn more. Explore.

But whenever I think of the friends I'll leave behind, finding another job seems to be the most difficult thing to do.

Note to Self # 6 : Take mother to an out of town trip for a leisure. Or spa, massage, derma - the girly things you know.

She deserves it!

Note to Self # 7 : Take swimming lessons!

That's right! I'm an island wanderer yet I don't know how to swim. Really. And I meant swimming in the most basic sense. So when we do snorkeling, you can identify me as the one wearing the orange thing - the lifevest!

By the way, I've been getting spam comments lately. You'll notice I enabled the word verification thing to avoid them. I had a theory why these unwanted, annoying spams are pestering my blog....and that leads me to :

Note to Self # 8 : Never use the word "COME ON!" on my blogpost title.

You remember that post about an award where you have to give 10 facts about yourself? That has been getting spams because I wrote this as my title : Some things you should know about...Me (COME ON! Act like your interested!)

I suspect the word "Come On" played a huge part for v%@gr@-related comments to land in my post hahaha!

I Miss You Dad

Today marks the 15th death year anniversary of my father. 15 years have passed yet it seemed like it was just yesterday when I woke up to the sound of my mother's weep. It still seemed surreal to me until now.

I'm a certified daddy's girl. Losing him at such a tender age of 13 was difficult and painful. It was hard growing up without your old man beside you. His pieces of advice are encouraging, helps me make it through the hard day. His gentle pat on the shoulder gives comfort. Nothing beats the warm hug and love from a father.

To Dad:

I know you're happier wherever you are.

I know you're watching over me.

I know I made you proud because you've seen me making my way around and I became a better person, stronger than I was before.

We missed you. But we can only find comfort in the thought that someday when the time is right we will see each other again...

I Have The Most A-W-E-S-O-M-E Bloggy Friends!

Guys! I just wanna say THANK YOU for all your comments and advices on my previous post. Those crap, I mean those words mean a lot to me haha! I'm happy I decided to share it with you coz now I'm feeling better and lighter. I could never go wrong with my awesome bloggy friends nyaaaaahhhhh!

So here I'm sending my precious tweety bird to drop this Thank You message right at your doorstep.

And wait. I brought flowers to match.

I wasn't trying to spoil you, okay? It's my way of showing I appreciate the deed. You guys are amazing and you are all like....

sunshine on a cloudy day!

For the first time I can't think of a title...

I'm back! Finally. After 5 days of MIA.

I didn't go anywhere. I wasn't even planning on a blog strike (if there is such a thing), nor a temporary hiatus from writing. I've been through a lot of things lately and I was going through baffling emotions. You know how it is being a girl, so.... And I don't wanna go through the details.

After days of sorting my thoughts I finally came up with something to write. Thanks to Gnetch by the way. This genius girl invented the bloggenator pill claiming to cure writer's block in all serious forms, and other silly excuses you can think of whenever you're too dumb to create a post. And this wonder pill do create miracles. You see, I haven't popped a single pill yet in my mouth but my fingers are gunning for the keyboard already! Well I tried calling the number but the voice on the other line said : "Hey idiot, what makes you think you can afford to buy the pill? Get your ass up and start writing NOW!"

That's how it worked for me. 

Hey Gnetch I think I should have a cut in this, aryt? I'm getting my marketing skills into action hahaha!

So Gnetch, accept this Nobel Prize medal from Alfred Nobel himself.

*this is just a sick joke...wahhahahahhahaahhhahahahhaha!

Anyway, I just want to share something personal with you guys (coz you're all so good to me and I treat you like my real-life friends). I usually don't talk about matters of the heart in my blog because I JUST DON'T WANT TO. Sometimes I feel like I'm not being true to my blog title. between me and my thoughts is suppose to be a personal blog reflecting every bit of emotions and thoughts by the author.

Last week, a fellow blogger wrote a very emotional post about "L". Hey, that's Love, not Lust. okay? I envied her profoundness, sincerity and honesty to show the delicate side of her. 

I wished I had that courage...

Last month I wrote a post about EXes baggage.

Definition of EXes Baggage :

It's a post breakup syndrome where one finds herself stuck in the middle of nowhere. It is the feeling when you knew you have to move on, or tried to move on with the rest of the world, but you simply can't because of the guilt, disappointment, grudge, sorrow you've been carrying along with you.

source : janjan's dictionary

I don't know why  I came up with that. Maybe because I felt more comfortable divulging it to someone who doesn't know me personally. Or because I think that most bloggers are less judgemental. Or maybe I just felt the urge to unburden myself with the ghost from the past. Or because I wanna share to everyone what my friends didn't know. The unedited side of the story.

But sadly, that post remained in my draft until now. I couldn't bring myself to publish it. Maybe someday when strength will find me.

**********

P.S. 

Speaking of the devil/loser/douchebag... did you know that he sent a friend request on Facebook just yesterday? I was flabbergasted when I saw it. Why such a big deal? - you might ask. Well, I'm not good at dealing with EXtra-terrestrial people. I'm not a good sport. I can't pretend like I'm fine and hey we can be best of friends after everything that happened. I mean what's the point? Why only now? Why? Why? After __years of no communication he will just pop up with a friend request and an e-mail asking how am I doing??? WTF?!

Up until now I don't know what am I gonna do about it. Ignore or accept? Geezzz...

Thought This Is Cute So Here Goes...

My first post for the month... Waaah! Time flies so fast. We're halfway through the year, which means, christmas is drawing near.

I don't sound excited do I?

Anyhoo, two of my bloggy friends were into this "IF I WERE" meme and tagged all of their followers. Thanks Mitch and Meg for sharing it with us.

I find it cute. I was tempted to do the same. So here I am giving in to temptation haha!

Here goes my version guys :

If I were a month, I'd be August (obviously. it's my birth month)
If I were a day of the week, I'd be Wednesday
If I were a time of day, I'd be sunrise
If I were a planet, I'd be Venus.
If I were an animal, I'd be a bird
If I were a direction, I'd be straight ahead
If I were a piece of furniture, I'd be DEDON's Orbit 

If I were a liquid, I'd be Vodka Cruiser (drink it and you'll know why)
If I were a gemstone, I'd be diamond
If I were a tree, I'd be a maple
If I were a tool, I'd be a cellphone
If I were a flower, I'd be tulips
If I were a kind of weather, I'd be a cool sunny day
If I were a musical instrument, I'd be a violin
If I were a color, I'd be shades of pink
If I were an emotion, I'd be happiness
If I were a fruit, I'd be a cherry
If I were a sound, I'd be a water flowing down the creek
If I were an element, I'd be fire
If I were a car, I'd be a porsche
If I were a food, I'd be a sweet dessert
If I were a place, I'd be a mountain peak
If I were a material, I'd be leather
If I were a taste, I'd be sweet
If I were a scent, I'd be floral
If I were a body part, I'd be the eyes
If I were a pair of shoes, I'd be a 4-inch boots (huh!)
If I were a facial expression, I'd be an encouraging nod

As for the tagging, I'm sharing this to ALL MY FRIENDS. Go grab it guys!