2015 Iligan - CDO Trip

Ok, I must admit, I am one of the beneficiaries of blogs and commentaries because everytime I plan to go to a place, I normally search the web first to help me gather and plan for the trip. Thus, I decided to not just benefit but also contribute to this information cascade through blog.

This trip concept started when we were able to book the cheapest Mindanao airfare I found thru Cebu Pacific in April 2015. It was P700 2-way per head MNL-CDO-MNL so I immediately called my sister to convince her and my brother-in-law for an out of town double date.
Then they agreed immediately. Thank GOD!
After booking our tickets, I started reading blogs and documents about CDO. This is not my first time to visit CDO with my husband as we visited it last 2012 already where we did the longest Zipline in Asia (that time) at DAHILAYAN Park (which for me is the most exciting zipline you can try in PH as of this writing) and the main target at that time was CAMIGUIN for the sweetest lanzones I've ever tried and the white island with its white sand beach. So I thought there are many other things to do in CDO still :)

So I learned about Iligan with lots of falls that we can see. Since we plan to do an overnight stay only, we chose just 2-3 falls to make planning realistic.
We left Manila at 6:55am and reached Laguindingan airport (the only functional airport in CDO) at 8:20am where headed directly to the Super Five trnasport booth for tickets going to Iligan. It cost us P165 per head including the shuttle from airport to terminal. In few minutes, the shuttle that will bring us to the Bus terminal arrived which is just a 10-minute ride. Then we waited for 10minutes for the bus to arrive. Waiting is convenient bcoz theree are chairs there and a sari-sari store where my husband even bought a cup of hot coffee.

We arrived at Iligan and checked in the only accomodation with Cafe featuring Kopi Luwak. The coffee bean from a cat's digestive tract and the most expensive coffeen in the world (not sure if this claim is validated).

ME AND MY SISTER waiting for the Kopi Luwak Brewing

Then we rode motorcycles to bring us to Tinago falls where we were so enchanted that we just stated there the whole day :)
We jumped of the rocks and enjoyed the cool water while gazing at the

See that rainbow on my upper left head? #beautiful

It was a steep stairway though so you would really want to maximize the effort of going there.

The locals/ falls care taker and his friend are so kind that they took a lot of photos and videos of us enjoying Tinago falls.
Then they helped us find newly harvested Marangs (local fruit) which I tasted for the first time. We bought it 10 pesos per pc. We were so tempted to bring it back home but they say it rots easily.

Sweet and yummy fruit

Anyway, we went back to our Inn through motorcycle bikes again and prepared for dinner.

We tried Enangs Grill for dinner as it has the best ambiance among the few restaurants in Iligan. We rode jeepney (like a local) from the Inn to the Enangs.


The next day we headed back to CDO for some water rafting adventure.

Upon arriving at CDO we checked in to RED Planet which we pre booked before the this trip. Stay here is so sulit for me. Good ambiance and breakfast resto.

Anyway, then we ate lunch in the mall near Red Planet which is Kagay-anon. They also have good food! I will recommend this restaurant.

 Then our van came to fetch us going to the water rafting orientation for the start of some action :)

I've tried rafting in Davao already and I can say that CDO has longer river but calmer water (at that time).
Overall, it was still a fun experience!

CDO rafting!

This is Love!

A repost from my old blogging site (Multiply) which is now gone.

----------------------- Originally written last 15 May 2009 ------------------------

I have understood GOD's love for me since I was a teenager.
Few of the great illustrations are:
1. Knowing a person of higher status to sacrifice life for a friend.
2. Having a righteous master value HIS servant by serving him instead.
3. A father who sacrificed his son for the rest of the world.

I can relate to first 2 easily, But point 3 is so strongly illustrated to me when Jan Ethan Dei R. Blazo came into my life only. How? When he came into my life, I can forget all about the other things that surround me. This includes my dreams, personal desires, things that I got used to and my total self. Or even good to say that I will do everything even if it will cost me everything too just to give him the best things in the world: care, love, guidance and all other good things.
I love him with all that I am and all that I have. I think I will die if something bad happens to him. In fact just the thought of it now makes my tears roll out of my eyes in a race.


What more is GOD's love!

In Matthew 7:9-11 and repeated in Luke 11: 11-13, God mentioned that a human being like me who is evil by nature, knows how to give good gifts for his son, how much more is my Father in heaven?

With how much I love my son, I can not grasp the LOVE God has for me and each and every person on earth... My emotions can not relay it well, my actions will not even be enough to illustrate nor the words in my vocabulary could ever describe...

Just can't help but cry imagining how GOD loved us. What a great love!
I may not always appreciate it because I do not understand everything He had planned for me. But He has nothing less than what is best stored for me. Just like Ethan now who doesn't understand everything why we give and doesn't give him things. He just becomes happy whenever he gets what he wants and cries if he don't get it... without thinking if it is good for him or not. (Of course he will not know, he just turned 1!)

Ethan loves to play danger: with wires and strings -- actually anything he can pull, throw and lick later on, something that he could step on or run thru... but of course it makes us leap whenever we found him playing near sockets and wiring or any dangerous thing. Just like my human nature. I am thankful and grateful only when God gives me what I desired and asked HIM... But when things started to moved on the other way which is different from what I am anticipating, I panic, get depressed and frustrated, to a point sometimes that I started blaming GOD for what I thought to be bad thing that is happening to me.

I have an office mate who lost her 3 & half years old son only last Thursday, 14 May 2009 because of an unknown reason... She's in so much pain and depression now... She will cry for every statement she expresses. She said that she doesn't even know how to go back to normal life again. I wouldn't really know exactly what she's going thru now because even if I empathize, it will still be a different thing when you're there... Maybe GOD would perfectly understand how she felt because HIS son died too. I now pray to GOD that He comforts her with all that she needs to recover.

Am sure parents out there can feel exactly what I am trying to relay now.

I am now experiencing to love a son who means the whole world to me.
And I am letting the whole world know that GOD's love is even greater than we can ever experience!!!

Ranch Rush

Have you encountered the game by the name of Ranch Rush?

It is a computer game that actually mimic ranch activities like planting crops, harvesting, cow milking, honeybee farming, wooling the sheep, up to producing products like cheese, tomato ketchup, jams and bread. It has a goal of providing the product orders set as you start each game. So it basically lets you strategize and multi task to be able to accomplish all the orders within a given time to finish a stage and go up to the next level. The next level will have more product orders and will require you to speed up your multi tasking more.

The 8 different icons on top are the orders need to be fulfilled while the clock in the left side of the score is the time given to fulfill them.

I super like this game because it is relaxing for me. I just concentrate on the orders and be the best multitasker I can be and I can finish all the stages. So, imagine when I play this, I almost don't think of anything else including time and things to do of reality.

Yesterday and last Friday ( January 23-24), I attended the CCF leadership training called Overflow where God allowed me to learn this statement thru Rev. Edmund Chan: "I need to create a space in my life where God can guide me" and it normally does not happen when I'm too busy doing my things. Whether these things are just required of me or make me happy I should deliberately and consciously create a space for Him to guide me by taking time to learn from Him and know His will for me.
I, then, thought similar to that Ranch Rush game, I am prone to planning things and working on them everyday that I get so busy with life. I tend to miss the opportunities of asking Him in everyway possible to guide me. I admit, I have so many things in mind I need to work on: family, work, friends, ambitions and dreams etc. and so aware of the short time on earth. But being busy even in these seemingly good things can hinder me to be guided by God and probably work things out on my own.

As I digest this, I am reminded of the verse Matthew 6:21 that says: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I tend to be focused on things that seem to be important however, it allows me to burn out later as I thought these were just small things I can already act upon without so much of Him. Thus, if I treasure my God and everything He has done for me, I should surrender my life's every room without reservation. And, unlike Ranch Rush, I will be more excited to do things His way than accomplish things on my own

Aha! that was an amazing learning. If in one of the coming days I'll forget this learning, just the thought of Ranch Rush will remind me.

Thank you, Lord :)

I am back!

I came across a blog just few hours before I started doing this and it made me realize I should do blogging again. Her blogging somehow confirms others' comment on the next trip I am up to which is CDO-Camiguin.
Been asking people around and reading stuff about these places because we can really learn from others' experiences. Of course this could help us maximize our time, money and effort whenever we visit the places from our bucket list :)


Every time I plan or prepare for the next travel, I will search the internet for anything that could be helpful in my next destination. May it be on accommodation, activities, itinerary, transportation, must try, etc. And I find them useful! I actually just pick up what could be applicable for me and arrange things to customize everything according to my need and personality...

So I decided to blog my travels as well and have time to help others too. I actually started it but more on illustration on FB I guess. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150184496163553.302872.724703552&type=3
Just thought it is more comprehensive thru blog than albums and just felt like I have so much to say so might as well use this avenue :)

Where else can we find readily available tips and recos? But here in internet. I know in one way or another there would be somebody out there whom I could share my taste or at least be guided with the descriptions I can give.

Maybe I could even learn from them with comments they will provide :)

It might just be more challenging now because I am already a MOM of 2: 4 year old boy and 1 month old girl compared to being single when I started my account here but then I will take time to return the favor to those who can find my posts to be of use.

So look forward to it... happy blogging to me and happy reading to them :)

Guimaras - Iloilo Trip 2011

This is a late documentation...

My college friends and I agreed that we visit Iloilo and Guimaras in time for the first bday celebration of our friend's (Jing) twins. This friend of ours was assigned there for sometime and married a guy from Iloilo so we haven't seen her for the longest time. Thus, we finalized for 28-30 March 2011.

It is supposed to be a trip with our families but ended up to be moms and kids plus one tita (Hi Ate Tin) because Josh can't take care of 2 kids: 5 and 4 at that time all by herself. The vacation leave applied by our hubbies were not approved... Oh sad that we almost did not pursue this travel...

Besides, this is my time to show off after losing weight and winning the BIGGEST loser in the office. hehehe! Also bonding time for us which we are dreaming of like forever. This is actually the first time we bonded with our kids.

the college friends... this time all MOMS :)

DAY 1
Our Guimaras Day 1 photos
So we set with early flight and reached Iloilo around 8-9am (sorry as I do not have the accurate details anymore due to very late posting) and were fetched from the airport by Edgar and Jing. Bought Mcdo take out for lunch, we headed directly to the port where we will find the boat to reach Guimaras Island. It was just 15 minutes ride which cost us Php15 each.

the boat ride with us the campers :)

Then we rode a multicab (around Php400)  to Villa Igang Resort where we had our booking. The kids started to enjoy the beach and us adults started pictorial hehehe. We had our Dinner at Villa Igang. It was affordable and OK as well.

DAY 2
Our Guimaras Day 2 photos
This time we were early by the beach since the setting of Villa Igang makes you enjoy beach few steps from the door of your cottage. We were awake as early as 6am and already out before 7am. the kids: sied, yna and ethan enjoyed the beach bigtime while we had more photo ops :)

kids enjoying the beach while the adults enjoy the photo op 

We missed the butterfly sanctuary as we were advised to be there before 8am coz the kids don't want to be away on the beach and we adults are enjoying the scenery as well.

Breakfast was served by the beach with ripe mango (the best!). Our lunch was super OK too and we checked out together with most of the guests :)

We were back to Iloilo proper and checked in to a city hotel/ INN. (sorry I forgot the name). It was just cheap as it cost us Php300 per bed. There were 3 of us adults so we had the room for Php900.

Then we were fetched by Palencia family representatives to attend the Dragonitas bday (Jing's twins) as the highlight of this trip :)

DAY 3
Iloilo photos
My friend Josh needs to leave early together with her kids and Ate Tin as their flight is ahead of us. But we still ate breakfast all together.

My son Ethan and I then enjoyed pillow fighting back in our room while we prepare for pasalubong shopping. Our first stop was BISCOCHO Haus then SM Iloilo for shirts (sorry had to do it conventionally as I am alone with my 3yr old). Then back to the hotel to pack our things and head directly to the airport. It is where I tasted their Batchoy and enjoyed the airport as playground for the first time as demanded by my little boy :)

Things that change when you have a baby

Just came across this website: babycenter.com. It was recommended by a high school friend (Hi Donna!) who is also currently preggy. They have this Thirty things that change when you have a baby but i chose only that stuck me hard...

• You respect your body ... finally
  - I used to take appointments more than I can accommodate especially when I'm a lot younger.. also I've realized that I have poor eating habits...
• You respect your parents and love them in a new way.
  - Truly and i think it would be more I give birth
• You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child.
  - Will start dreaming again.. this time with my baby
• You lose touch with the people in your life whom you should have banished years ago.
  - Haha! Rude, but oh so TRUE!
• Your heart breaks much more easily.
  - I cry more now.. maybe because pregnant women are emotional.. I'm easily moved by family & children issues
• You think of someone else 234,836,178,976 times a day.
  - I think of my honey & baby..
• Every day is a surprise.
  - B4 I hate surprises.. but the surprises my friends gave last Nov. 10 (my 28th bday!) made me realize I have changed! I now love surprises!!!!!!!!
• Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)
  - As in...
• You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.
  - I never had a chance to look at my baby in d mirror now as she/he is still inside me... Am still on my way e! I now look in d mirror not to take a glance of myself but to check how my tummy appears thinking my baby is inside smiling too...
• You become a morning person.
  - I used to be a a minimum 10hrs sleeper... But now, no matter how late I sleep at night I still wake up 6am the latest even on weekends when I used to splurge in deep sleep..
• Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.
  - Yeah!, strong power!
• "You finally realize that true joy doesn't come from material wealth." — Anonymous
  - I don't shop now the way I do when I was single but I'm sooooooooo happy!
• "You'd rather buy a plastic tricycle than those shoes that you've been dying to have." — Sophie's mom
  - Or buy gamit pambahay and baby stuff rather than those shoes...
• "You don't mind going to bed at 9 p.m. on Friday night." — Kellye
  - I sleep even earlier... like 8pm
• "You realize that the 15 pounds you can't seem to get rid of are totally worth having." — Brenda
  - Hmmmm, justified....
• "You discover an inner strength you never thought you had." — Ronin and Brookie's mom
  - Like the strength to budget the money I have now which I thought b4 will not be sufficient as it was when I was single..hehe
• "You learn that taking a shower is a luxury." — Jayden's mom
  - I though of this as luxury ever since, just thought of it as luxury more now.
• "You realize that you can love a complete stranger." — Dezarae's mom
  - Love, love, love!!!!!!!!! I live wonderfully with it.

BORED to death

It's my first week in my new work post... I don't have a designated workstation yet and the whole Bayer office turned bodega as everybody is packing up for the physical transfer of Pharma division to PBCom by next week.. Even if I'll be able to distinguish a work load now that I should act on, I'm left to option of writing them down in my data bank and consider working on it by the time we settle to our new office in Makati..

So, currently, I don't have choice but do anything to entertain my self and at least keep my mind functioning than to sit and watch people, boxes and office machines around.. I texted everyone I know who replies immediately.. Told stories thru text.. read and wrote everything that I found out to be my things to do for next week (now already have 4 items).. and fortunately had the chance of landing on this cyber spot that I could use as psyche therapy..

Otherwise, I'll be sleeping in the next few minutes or sanity days will be near over... i think I'm gonna die because of boredom.. aaarrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!