Finally am feeling a lot better today! I can now stay longer in front of my laptop than before. After our Boracay trip i wasn’t able to share the experience. I’m supposed to write the story when we came back in Manila, but iba pala ang pakiramdam ng matagal ng nawala sa circulation. Tapos bigla pa akong nagkasakit. Nagkatrangkaso ako for more than a week. Anyway, i want to say thank you to all my friends and bloggers who wished me well, who sent their emails and text messages. Thank you guys!

Before i left for Boracay i’ve already prepared my postings in advance to cover the days from June 18 to June 21 while in Boracay.

Actually, we’re only scheduled for 4 days in Boracay, but unfortunately we were not able to fly back in Manila on June 21 because June 20 Asian Spirit office called us and we’re advised that Typhoon Frank will hit Boracay anytime. Asian Spirit re-booked us on June 22, Sunday.

The following day we’re all surprised that the Island of Boracay was in Signal No. 3. That day, Boracay experienced no electricity and even water. At night we would go out and walk despite of heavy rains and strong winds. We would walk with our flash lights on. We would go out and find food since all our baons we’re consumed. Many of the restaurants and even small stores were all closed.

This was the island before the typhoon. Before Frank came halos nagawa na namin lahat ng dapat gawin at makita sa Boracay. We even finished our island hopping adventure and got the chance to visit popular islands around Boracay. At nakasabay pa namin sina Lorna Tolentino and her sons, Jinggoy, Tirso and few of their friends in showbiz while riding banana boat.

The day Frank made a devastating welcome in the island was a terrifying experience. Nakakatakot. Halos lahat wala na sa Boracay. Electric, water, atm, celphones wala din. Sa gabi halos alon ng dagat ang madidinig mo na para bang may darating na Tsunami. Ang ingay ng dahon ng mga niyog. Di ka makalabas dahil parang merong sand storm. Masakit sa balat.

So June 22 came. All of us readied to come home in Manila though we have the feeling that this flight might be canceled again. We confirmed at the Asian Spirit office and we’re told not to worry since there were more flights from Cebu then to Manila. Imagine our flight was sheduled 3pm pero that time 2pm na nasa harap pa kami ng Asian Spirit office para malaman kung confirm ang flight o hindi. We can’t believe why Asian Spirit can’t make a stand of their own if the flight is canceled or not. Di lang kami ang grupo that time, madami kami. Then 2:30 pm we’re asked na magmadali sa Airport dahil tuloy ang flight. Imagine isang tricycle, isang bangka then tricycle again bago makarating ng airport. Ang lalaki ng mga bagahe namin. Di na kami naligo lahat dahil excited na kaming mag siuwi sa Manila.

When we arrived sa airport past 3pm na. Kampante kami kasi ang sabi every hour naman daw merong flight na pwede kami sumakay. Hanggang sa nalaman namin wala na palang susunod na flight at last na yung 5pm kaso di kami pwedeng sumakay since regular flight yun at bawal ang chance passenger.

Ang daming Koreans ang nagsibalik sa Boracay dahil halos magulo na ang sitwasyon sa airport. Ang dami namin nagsibalik na galit na galit sa office ng Asian Spirit. Imagine ang perwisyo na ginawa sa amin. Nakapag check out na kami at halos lahat kami wala ng budget para magbayad uli ng accommodation plus our food kung mag stay uli kami hanggang June 24. Yes 2 days pa kami uling mag stay sa Bora dahil wala na daw flight the following day.

Can’t you imagine sa galit namin we asked Asian Spirit to pay for our accommodation and provide us food in Bora dahil sila ang may kasalanan ng lahat. They didn’t even listened to our pleas. Ang sagot sa amin since Zero Fare ang gamit namin wala kaming karapatan sabihin ang lahat ng hinihingi namin. OMG!! Discrimination pa sa Asian Spirit! Sobrang inis naming lahat sa ginawa sa amin ng bulok na airlines na to! Di namin matanggap ang sagot sa amin ng Manager ng Asian Spirit!

Kaya the next time you visit Bora, it’s better to ride with Philippine Airlines kahit mahal pa. First time kong sumakay sa Asian Spirit papunta pa lang ang dami ng reklamo not from us. From other passengers na kasabay namin. San ka nga naman makakakita ng eroplanong de paypay at walang aircon! Isa sa mga kasabay namin sa plane mas mabuti pa daw ang FX malamig ang aircon! San ka nga naman makakakita ng plane na biglang aalis ng wala man lang abiso from the staff. Bigla-bigla na lang lilipad! Nakakatawa pero nakaktakot ang ginagawa ng Asian Spirit sa mga flghts nila. Pag akyat pa lang hanggang paglapag dasal na kaming lahat sa sobrang takot. For the first time, i told myself i won’t fly again with Asian Spirit in my whole life! BULOK!

Anyways, we safely returned home in Manila last June 24. The 4-day planned vacation became 6 nights and 7 days stay in Boracay!

Reminder : Winner of the Top Commentator of June will be announced later.

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Palawan is one of the most beautiful places in the Philippines. In fact, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park located in Palawan is nominated in Seven New Wonders of Nature. It’s currently on Top 8 as of this writing.

Speaking of Palawan, the place is actually listed in my dreams list. One of my favorite places in the Philippines.
So you wanna know why i want to go to Palawan? Take a look at these photos!

A breathtaking aerial view of Busuanga island.
Photo courtesy by Aldask

Photos by Spamangr

This post is inspired with my youngest brother’s visit in Coron, Palawan and my official entry to SEAIR’s contest why i want to go to Busuanga, Palawan via SEAIR.

If i win the contest i am required to bring 5 of my friends. Here’s the catch, i am making this contest my own contest! If you are one of the first five people to comment on this article means you and i will go to Palawan on June 20, 2008, Friday - 8:00 PM via SEAIR! Goodluck to the six of us!

By the way, Busuanga is a municipality located in Palawan, Philippines. This territory covers western one-third of Busuanga Island, which is part of the Calamian Group of Islands lying between Mindoro and mainland Palawan. - Wikipedia

This is sponsored by Ivan About Town and SEAIR.

Lastly, i am actually scheduled to make a visit in Boracay on June 18-22, 2008. If i win this contest, definitely i will fly back to Manila to grab this once in a lifetime opportunity! Yahoo! Palawan here we come!

Note: Winner of the Top Commentator for the Month of April will be announced tommorrow!

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Our Davao City Trip experience was really an awesome adventure and fun. It’s truly a memorable time to treasure and won’t be possible without the generosity of our beloved queen Reyna Elena.

Reynz as we call the Queen paid all our trip to the City of Royalties, Davao City. Reynz, Malen and I left Manila last May 12, 2008. We were accommodated by our loving and sweet Mommy Beng in her humbled home in the city.

Davao City is one of the best places to visit in the Philippines. According to My Davao City “Its most known symbols are Mount Apo (the highest peak in the Philippines), the exotic wild orchid Waling-waling, and the Philippine Eagle (also known as the Monkey-Eating Eagle). The city is also well-known for being one of the most peaceful and safe cities in the country.”

First Day : Pearl Farm Beach Resort.
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It was a dream come true to visit Davao City for 3 days together with Reynaelena and Malen. We left Manila at around 4:15am and arrived in Davao City at 5:50am via Cebu Pacific. Our dear friend and Mom Ms. Beng Hafner of Lukaret.com acquianted us at the airport with a grand welcome!

We had an awesome adventure in Davao City. From the very first day up to the third day of our stay in the city.

Our 1st day - May 12, 2008, an Island Hopping to Pearl Farm. 2nd day, Scuba Diving in Limao, Samal Island and on the 3rd day, White Water Rafting in Tamugan, Calinan.

More to come from our Davao City trip! Watch the teaser video.

Facts:
Last January 2008, Davao City was one of the Top 10 Asian Cities of the Future according to FDI Magazine based in London. The city was also named as one of the Top 5 Asian Cities with the best human resources in the world.

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One of my biggest dreams is to travel around the world, but hey can’t you imagine that there are good places to visit the Philippines?

This summer of 2008 i have traveled to different towns of Laguna. From the famous Exotic Restaurant located in Longos, Kalayaan Highway, the Vigan style town of Pila - Pila Municipal Center infront of an old church, the majestic Liliw Church and many more. I’ve been to Laguna many times and it was my first time to appreciate each town and it’s product. For instance, Liliw - famous for handmade slippers and Paete - famous in wood curvings.

Aside from Laguna, i also traveled all the way to Ilocos Norte. Travel time was 9-10 hours. First destination - Pagudpud. How to get there? Check this out.

After Pagudpud, i had the chance to visit Windmills of Bangui, Laoag City and the great tourist destination of Ilocos Sur’s Crisologo St. in Vigan.

My summer escapades for 2008 started early from February and will end not so late on June 2008. I will be in Davao on May 12-14 and Boracay on June 18-21.

See you there!

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There are many reasons why you need to visit Philippines and you don’t need to go out of the country to find best places this summer. Check this out.

Boracay is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. The island comprises the barangays of Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak (3 of the 17 barangays which make up the municipality of Malay), and is under the administrative control of the Philippine Tourism Authority in coordination with the Provincial Government of Aklan. It is a tropical island located approximately 315km (200 miles) south of Manila and 2km off the northwest tip of the island of Panay in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines.

Pagudpud is a coastal resort town on the northernmost tip of Luzon in the Philippines. It is bounded to the south by the town of Bangui and to the east by the Cordillera Mountain Range, the town of Adams and the province of Cagayan. The South China Sea lies to the west and north. The town rolls over mountains, hills, valleys and flat coastal land. It lies 45 miles north of Laoag City, the provincial capital, and about 350 miles north of Manila.

Mactan is an island that lies a few kilometers to the southeast of Cebu Island in the Philippines. The island is part of the Province of Cebu and is divided into Lapu-Lapu City and the municipality of Cordova. The island is connected to Cebu by the two bridges one of which is the Marcelo Fernan Bridge (Mactan II Bridge).

The Mactan-Cebu International Airport, the country’s second busiest airport, is found on Mactan Island. Mactan is also the site of the Battle of Mactan, the first battle between native Filipinos and Europeans. In this battle, which occurred in 1521, the explorer Ferdinand Magellan met his death at the hands of the tribesmen under the local chieftain Lapu-Lapu, for whom Lapu-Lapu City was named.

Panglao is an island in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas. Politically, it is divided into two municipalities: Dauis and Panglao, both of Bohol Province. Panglao is located southwest of the island of Bohol and east of Cebu.

Camiguin is a small island province of the Philippines off the northern coast of Mindanao. It belongs to the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Mambajao and it is the second-smallest province both in population and land area. Only Batanes is smaller. The island of Camiguin is in the Bohol Sea about 10 kilometers north of Misamis Oriental.

Dakak Park Beach Resort is located on the sunny white beachfacing the exotic turquoise Sulu Sea. The 750 meter private beach is blanketed with purepowdery white sand. Natural spring water and tumbling waterfalls feed the resort’s twopools, whilst the ultimate hideaway is provided at a private open-air jacuzzi where youcan relax in the sauna and whirlpool amidst an atmosphere of blissful solitary refinement.

Honda Bay. Framing the rugged and intriguing coastline of the capital of Palawan, Puerto Princesa City is Honda Bay. Its blue cool waters are dotted with islets that assure one of a pure-pleasure experience. From snorkeling in its clear waters to the more adventurous island hopping within its enclaves to simply having a picnic in the fine sand of its beach areas, Honda Bay is sure to leave a lasting impression on the visitor.

El Nido. Dominated by towering marble cliffs that are homes to a number of tropical birds, El Nido is the source of one of the most delectable soups specially found in Chinese restaurants – the Nido Soup. This soup consists mainly of the birdnests that abound in the area. But El Nido is more than this. It prides itself in having the most beautiful seascapes in the province of Palawan, known as the country’s last frontier. Because of its utter splendor, it has also been called the island of the gods – heaven on earth, that is El Nido.

Pearl Farm. Pearl Farm is located in the Samal Island off the coast of Davao City, Southern Philippines. The premier beach resort, which lies in the pristine island of Samal, used to be a pearl farm. There thousands of white-lipped oysters, transported form the Sulu Sea, were once cultivated for their pink, white, and gold pearls. Today, beach lovers all over the world visit this world-class beach resort for its white sand and panoramic landscape and seascape, bringing with them the memory of a lifetime – a relaxing private retreat in a tropical paradise.

Siargao. Siargao, located in the province of Surigao del Norte, is renowned for its curling waves that soar from nine to twelve feet high. It is frequented by surfers from all over the world. Besides surfing, the island of Siargao is well-known for its unspoiled beaches and its rural charm.

By the way, Philippines own Tubbataha Reef of Palawan is currently nominated in the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Voting of nominees will end on December 31, 2008.

Why you need to vote? Watch this.

If you find this article helpful, you can email this to your friends and relatives. See you in the Philippines. Enjoy the summer!

Sources :
Wikipedia
Flickr

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