dong ho's eskapo 3.0 (via Mowser)

Sunday, February 12, 2012

winter escape

by the time you'll be reading this post i will already be in Beijing and will travel for long hours by train to the Northeastern regions. on leave from blogging for my long awaited winter escape.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

travelers abode

we know travelers love to run away out of their abode but it is interesting to see their own rooms. featuring first three travel bloggers with their most loved spots of their room.

Nina of Just Wandering

Marky of Nomadic Experiences

Eileen of Possibly Pinay

more travel bloggers coming up on another regular eskapo series "travelers abode".

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

hiking along side the running waters of Kawasan is a great walk-in-the-park experience less the sun. i find the area clean and the trail to the falls easy to navigate. no wonder this is a great after-trek spot preferred by those who trekked Osmena Peak.

this walk includes crossing over wooden bridges and under concrete arc. passing by large flat areas with cottages and some souvenir shops. still with Edwin, Doi and Ed but this time Jerome of balintataw joined us who also came from Manila the night before.

being the most popular waterfalls in the province of Cebu, i expected a large number of tourists there as it was a Sunday but the Pacquiao-Marquez fight would have caused lesser people to be in the area.

the waterfall system of Kawasan is composed of several levels of big basins but there are two larger basins that can accommodate more people including cottages on the side. a bamboo floater brings the people under the falls without the need to swim.

the largest of the two basins is accessible without much uphill walk but will definitely be more occupied on peak season. we chose the one at the higher level which required a short uphill trek.

the best way to enjoy the clear waters is swimming in it but a near tragic experience almost happened when edwin almost drowned due to cramps. we were on the same spot almost under the falls when it happened. i tried to help but i too was loosing strength as we were still meters away from the closest rock. good that just in time ed came on a rescue.

Location:
Distance from Cebu: 97km
GPS Location:
9' 52'' 5 N
123' 23'' 53 E

How to get there:
By commuting:
[1] From Cebu City, take a bus to Badian from the Cebu South Terminal (3hours due to some stopover)
[2] From Badian, take a tricycle to Sto Tomas Chapel and start the short trek to Kawasan falls.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

islands insider - philippines

expand your travel profile and go beyond seeing places. there's more to explore. uncover the Philippines best kept secrets. soon in Islands Insider: Philippines

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

el encuentro angel y james

a trip can't be ordinary with this two travel bloggers whose passion for traveling is contagious. angel who blogs in detail and has done some of the best travel guides to some of the best spots in the country and james who mastered cheap travel. this year, angel takes on his bike to journey the country while james will do the "isang daan byahe" challenge. here to feature two filipino travelers and their brief travel profile.

"el encuentro"

angel juarez blogger james betia

lakwatsero blog journeyingjames

hong kong, china farthest north batanes

bali, indonesia farthest south basilan

socorro, surigao del norte farthest east hinatuan, surigao

bangkok, thailand farthest west kuala lumpur, malaysia

bali to jogjakarta longest road trip manila to ifugao (via santiago)

manila to palompon, leyte longest boat trip iloilo to manila

jakarta to manila via singapore longest plane trip kuala lumpur to manila

manila to ligaw albay longest train trip ho chi minh to hanoi

mt pulag highest point kabayan, benguet

anilao, batangas deepest swim coron, palawan

cape engano - failed attempt longest trek batad, banaue

cape engano - failed attempt hardest trek batad, banaue

purse with cash and atm card item/s lost in a trip passport, camera, travel money

a charcoal painting - butuan item/s given/bought on a trip smile from the locals/slippers

tamilok - puerto princesa worst food eaten half-cooked chicken dipped in

dirt&salt

note:

1. farthest places reached are referenced from Manila (with Manila to Europe as West and Manila to Guam as East).

2. records here are subject to update. as we know travelers break their records from time to time. records here are updated as of this posting

previously featured:

edcel suyo and ferdz decena

chyng reyes and ga-el hilotin

allan barredo and oggie ramos

nina fuentes and upper viceo

Monday, January 30, 2012

adventure 2012

2012 is another year of adventure in the Philippines. this year i am participating R.O.X. and The North Face Seven Summits Pilipinas. i believe in the saying "work hard. play hard".

Monday, January 23, 2012

crossing cebu's mountain range on two wheels

whether it's riding or driving a bike, it has always been one of the best way to explore the islands of the Philippines. next to trekking, this is the most exciting option to access remote areas under rough road conditions.

still with Edwin, Doi and Ed negotiated two motor bike drivers to bring us downhill. an unusual route. it took us some time to convince them as they have to return back to Mantalongon without passengers. but then they agreed at certain price.