What is in our trip for Bacolod?

I have many stories for our trip in Bacolod. Actually, the trip was intended for my nephew ZJ and visiting tourist attraction were second priority. So, what is it in our trip for Bacolod?

• Zeoh (my nephew) met his grandparents. PRIORITY
• Emem’s first airplane ride and first time to be outside Mindanao.
• Zeoh’s encounter with the Sisters
• Drop by at Davao & Cebu for Bacolod trip
• Overnight at Ace Pension
• Fall in love with The Ruins
• Amazed by the old wooden clothing iron
• Visited with the two ancestral houses
• Delicious coco pie at El Ideal
• Bought pasalubong at BongBong
• 8 days without internet connection

 

These are the things I want to share to all of you.

What to pack when your traveling with a baby

This will be the first time that I will be traveling with a baby, my five-month old nephew. I always travel with my mum and with her it is sometimes difficult because I have to take consideration that she is old. But this time, I am travelling with my nephew and mum.
Last night I was packing our things and mum packed her things first, what was left for me to pack were of my nephew and mine. Here are the basic things I packed for hand carry luggage:

• Feeding Bottles

I packed feeding bottles for my nephew. Some bottles were filled with water while others were empty. 

• Sterilizer 

This is an electric sterilizer which is very convenient for traveling. We normally sterilized the feeding bottles through gas.

• medicines and baby’s book

 My nephew have vitamins and other medicines for cough and cold. My nephew is free from any cough and colds but as advised from his pediatrician, we brought the medicines if in case he caught any diseases. Since our airport is very strict in terms of carrying liquids in hand carry luggage we make sure that we packed along his baby’s book where you can see all the prescriptions of the doctor.

I prepared a milk in a small container that will be enough for 5 ml feeding bottle but I also packed a can milk in our hand carry luggage.

My nephew’s dress was packed for the check-in luggage already. I just prepared his warmer to warm him in the airplane.

At General Santos Airport with my nephew Z

All set to for his first airplane ride.

Visiting Vigan for the second time

Since grade school, we were taught that Philippines has been colonized by the Spanish many years ago. There are some places in the Philippines where you can see the Spanish style houses and there are places where the influenced of Spanish is still visible. Since grade school, I always read in the history book about Vigan and they have been considered as one of the UNESCO World Hertitage site. They preserve the old houses that will still remind people that Spanish indeed colonized the Philippines.

Vigan is quite far from our place but thanks to the promo fares of Cebu Pacific I was able to go back to Vigan again. I've been to Vigan when I was in high school but that was work-related so I wasn't able to enjoy that much. This time I visited the place with my mom who is in her 60s and she is very much excited to visit the place because she haven't visited the place and heard lot about Vigan since she was young.

So from Gensan we took the plane going to Manila and upon reaching Manila we went to Partas Bus station located at Aurora, Cubao, Quezon City. From NAIA Terminal 3, we took the airport loop bus and it can be seen when you get out from the building. The fare is Php 20.00 per head and we take off from the last stop at Pasay Taft-Eda Avenue. From there, we took MRT going to Cubao (Php 15.00 ticket) then ride a tricycle going to Partas Bus Station. We took the Laoag Trip at around 3:30 PM and arrived Vigan City at 12:00 AM. The fare going to Vigan City from Cubao is PHP 685.00 but mom's fare was cheaper compared to mine because she availed Senior Citizen's privelege (LOL... that is the advantage when you reach 60 years old).


View Gensan to Vigan in a larger map

From the terminal we took tricycle to reach the Grandpa's Inn where decided to stay. We got the fan room which is around PHP 900.00 with free breakfast and again we didn't pay the 900.00 pesos since mom availed her senior citizen again so I only pay PHP810.00 (not a big discount but not bad at all) including the breakfast we had. What I like most is that they have a high speed internet which enables me to work even if I am travelling.

At the living room of Grandpa's Inn

Breakfast at Kusina Felicitas @ Grandpa's Inn

So here is the itinerary I prepared for our Vigan Tour. The tour should be one day only but I'm travelling with my mom so I should consider her health and movement. She cannot take any fast walking anymore and has a problem riding the tricycles in Vigan because its so small that you really have to bend. Mom hated it when she tried to bend and her knees were getting weaker.

This was our itinerary:
Morning:
8:00 - Breakfast (its included in our accommodation)
9:00 - Visit Museums
9:30 - Plaza Burgos, Plaza Salcedo & Cathedral of Vigan
11:00 - Baluarte

Afternoon:
12:30 - Lunch @ Hidden Garden
1:30 - Pagbuburnay (Pottery making)
2:30 - St. Augustine Church
3:30 - Back to Grandpa's Inn
5:30 - Heritage Village (Calle Crisologo)

One must not forget to visit the Calle Crisologo because you will see the old houses. Its a long street where you can see the old houses.

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Visiting Oroquieta: Mama's hometown (Part 1)

We went home to Oroquieta City with my mom because my uncle from States went home. Oroquieta City was the hometown of my mother but she go homes only for occasional purpose. This time we went home and very timely that I am working online, so I can be with my mom during those travel period. 

View Polomolok to Oroquieta in a larger map

The trip took us more than 16 hours from Polomolok, South Cotabato to Oroquieta City. Before the planned trip I checked online if there are any available flights from Gensan or Davao to Ozamiz City. Ozamiz City is where the nearest airport located from Oroquieta City. There were no available flights from and to Ozamiz City, so the best option is to take by land. We traveled by bus from our place to Davao City for three hours and upon reaching Ecoland Terminal (Davao City's Terminal) we transferred again to Rural Transit Bus Liner bound for Cagayan De Oro. Rural Transit Bus Liner travels from Davao via Buda to Cagayan De Oro. We took the night trip because we wanted to have the non-stop trip.

 Ecoland Terminal (Davao City's bus terminal)

Our bus bound for Cagayan De Oro from Davao City 

During night trip, air-conditioned bus are non-stop but when you took the morning trip, air-conditioned bus have four stops. So, we took the 7 to 8 hours trip for Cagayan De Oro and this is quite long and I'm worried about mom because she has a problem with her feet when she has to stay in a long sitting position. Upon reaching Agora Terminal (Cagayan De Oro's South bound bus terminal) we got our bags and took a taxi cab going to Bulua Terminal (Cagayan De Oro's West bound bus terminal). Actually, I wanted to ride jeepney going to the Bulua Terminal but since Mom was with me, we took the taxi to make it more convenient for her. When we reached Bulua Terminal, we took another Rural Transit Bus Liner bound for Dipolog. The trip will be around 4 to 5 hours including the ferry transfer from Mukas port to Ozamiz port.

 Bulua Terminal (West bound bus terminal of Cagayan De Oro City)

 At Mukas, Lanao Del Sur Port where our bus will be transported by a ferry going to Ozamiz City

View from the ferry

Finally, when our bus was transported to Ozamiz and I can't wait to reach Oroquieta City because I'm really tired also of the long trip. Until I saw the big name Oroquieta, I felt so relived and finally I can lie down in bed and stretch my legs and so to my Mom. We left our house at 5:00 PM of May 5, 2011 and we reached 11:00 AM of May 6, 2011. The trip was supposedly 16 hours but we waited for the ferry because there were only two ferry boats operates from and to Ozamiz City.

Took it while I was in the bus

This was the first part of my journey with my mom in her hometown.

Check Check 1, 2, 3... is this really me?

Saw my output...

I saw this in the internet http://www.flymyself.com/philippines/wonders-of-the-world-banaue-rice-terraces/ and I just wrote that article few days ago. 

I never thought that they will published my article and because of that I will be forever thankful for them. When I read it again, I noticed that there were some errors in my grammar and I wish I can edit them but I can't. 

These things where just part of my dreams to see my article being featured in one of website. For now, I'm still in the state of "is this me or is this true?" I used to look up with my sister and how everything works for her and wishing I can be like her. But this opportunity made me realize that I'm starting to make it happen.

But thanks anyway!

College - Being Independent

My messy room

College was one of the memorable part of my life. I became independent.

I was having a school haunting after my highschool life. I went to Davao City to take entrance exams in different universities and then to Cagayan De Oro. Until such time I finally decided to pick Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan as my school. At first, it supposed to be San Carlos University (Cebu) or Siliman University (Dumaguete) but the convenience in traveling was difficult. My mom is left alone in our house. At that time, she has no companion yet in the house.

Summer of 2004, I went to Cagayan De Oro already to have a boarding house haunting and I finally found a dormitory.

I studied in Cagayan De Oro City, a ten (10) hours drive away from home. My first semester in there, I stayed in a dormitory and then I transferred in a room for rent the following semester. In there I met new people and gain new friends.

Ate Luan  & Me

The picture above is Ate Luan. She was a medical student in Xavier also and my house mate. Our room was next to each other and she's my closest house mate. We ate out together during weekends and go to church every Sunday. The picture above was taken during our graduation ceremony. We graduated on the same year, it just happened that her graduation ceremony was in the afternoon and mine was in the morning.

NCPF Friends

This picture was taken at Jasaan, Misamis Oriental. These are my friends, I became close to them because of an organization named NCPF in our school. Its like an environmentalist group in our school ad because of this group I was able to fight back when homesick struck me. We usually go out with the group and do nature tripping.

NCPF River Trekking

I have lots of memories and pictures in Cagayan De Oro and I will not forget them even though I haven't back Cagayan for 3 years now. After graduation I left Cagayan de Oro already.