Singalong Nature Campsite, Antipolo, Rizal

 

Celebrating 2nd year of Marriage

Singalong Nature Campsite, Antipolo, Rizal

December 19-20, 2022

 

December 20 is our wedding anniversary.

And we’re off to another adventure on the days of December 19 and 20. For these days, Hubby and I took vacation leaves from our work. And our destination was at Singalong Nature Campsite in Rizal.

We left home at 10 in the morning.

From Eastwood City, we rode a jeep going to Lifehomes then we rode another jeep going to Tanay. We told the driver to drop us off at Alfamart Mayiba Teresa.

Then from Alfamart, we rode a tricycle going to Singalong starting point.

Back to Nature and my heart was happy!

It was a thirty-minute trail going to the campsite and we mostly passed through streams.

We rented a tent as our sleeping room for the night.

When we were already settled, we had our lunch.

Hubby cooked Adobo before we left home and that was our lunch.

Then we hiked to the top of the campsite to see the amazing view.

The signal was limited there and the best thing to do up here is to enjoy nature.

And then we had a swim in a natural pool.

 

After swimming, we already washed off and took a short rest inside our tent.

Just before the sun sets, we cooked for dinner and also had our early dinner.

 

We also had the chance to have a bonfire and roasted marshmallows over the blue sky.

This is my favorite kind of night.

 

We slept early.

In the middle of the night, hubby woke up to eat.

And then we went back to sleep again.

 In the morning, we had coffee and bread for breakfast.

We left the campsite at 10 in the morning.

We just had lunch when we were already at Rosario.

Our anniversary celebration was simple yet we’re happy.

We are grateful for our marriage. This is a blessing we truly treasure and a partnership we work on every single day.

I want to thank my husband for agreeing with me to go on trips like this to celebrate our union. 

Legazpi - Sorsogon Trip | October 8 – 11, 2022

 

Another trip for this year and my heart is happy!

Last October 8 at 3 am, we flew to Legazpi with my friends.

We actually had a problem with our van but later on, we found a new van

that took us to our destinations.

Our first stop was at Cagsawa Ruins in Legazpi.

We had our breakfast there and then some photo ops and we also had an ATV.

I’ve already been here last 2018 and it felt good to be back for another adventure.

I was actually not feeling so fine a day before our trip but thank God

I still pushed through to go with my friends.

After our ATV ride, we traveled to Matnog Port in Sorsogon.

And from there, we rode a boat going to Subic Beach.

Before riding a boat, we bought food first in the nearby market.

I enjoyed the boat ride a lot. My eyes were filled with nature –

the waves, the sun, the wind, the islands, everything!

I am grateful for everything that I see and feel.

I took some videos and it was not enough to share

and cherish the beauty of what I am witnessing.

Subic Beach is a part of Calintaan Island

and it was also called as Pink Beach because of the pink materials

that can be found in the sand.

I love our little island for three days.

There were also some locals living there

and there were also other tourists when we got there.

I took some walks on its beautiful beach whenever I had the chance.

I helped in cooking food for our late lunch

and then some of my friends had an evening swim.

I also swam on the beach for a short time before rinsing off.

I actually felt tired already when it was 9 pm

but I still joined my friends who were having fun by the beach.

Most of them were already drunk.

We all went inside by 10 in the evening and went to sleep.

 

The next day I woke up at 5:30 am to see the sunrise by the beach.

And the view didn’t fail me.

I had some alone time and I appreciated it.

We had our breakfast at 7 am and then we started our island tour at 8 in the morning.

We rode a boat again.

Our first stop was at Tikling Island.

It was also a white sand beach island where a lot of wild boars

can be seen roaming around.

We spent our morning there and we all dipped in the sea.

We also took our lunch there inside the boat.

And then we headed to Juag Fish Sanctuary where we fed some fishes

and they can be seen up close. 

The next part of our trip was at Calintaan Cave

and it was my most favorite part of our island hopping.

I’m still scared of water because I can’t swim but I still faced my fears anyway.

I still jumped out of the water and enjoyed our adventure at that time.

We entered a cave and a beautiful secret beach welcomed us.

The waves were strong but we loved it and we all had so much fun.

We even called ourselves as “kwekwek” since we

were all wearing an orange life jacket.

Our next destination was at a Fish Farm.

We caught Bangus here for our dinner.

On that same destination, we also went to an overlooking site.

We also had a short break wherein we bought

and drank buko juice fresh from the tree.

 

Just before the sun sets,

we finally went back to Subic beach and to our room.

We still had time to play and swim by the beach.

 

We prepared a birthday surprise for one of our friends and it was a success.

Then we had dinner.  But I don’t eat bangus so I just ate boiled eggs.

After dinner, we rented a videoke. We slept at past 11 in the evening.

 

The next morning, I woke up again at 5:30 am.

And it was a Me time again!

I took a walk on the beach.

And then breakfast time before we checked out.

We went back to the main island/ Matnog Port.

And then we bought food again at the market.

Then we’re off to our next resort just a few minutes away from the port.

 

We then prepared for our lunch. We all took a nap after having lunch.

Then I woke up at sunset.

And we had dinner and drinks.

I slept early.

Day 4 and our last day in Matnog.

I woke up again at 5:30 to see the sunrise

and spent a little time to walk along the resort.

At 8 in the morning, we finally headed to Bicol International Airport.

It was a three-hour trip.

We passed by pasalubong centers in Sorsogon to buy pasalubong.

We also bought Buko Pie. And it was yummy!

We were already at the airport by 11 in the morning.

We just had our lunch there and waited for our flight back to Manila.

 

I reached home at 6 in the evening.

This has been a wonderful trip for me and for all of us.

And I can’t wait for the next adventure!

My Antique Trip 2022

(Date Written: June 24, 2022)

It always feels good to have a place called hometown. This is where you go back over and over again every time there's a chance.

This is a home away from home. 

A quick escape from the busyness of city life. 

The vibe of provincial life is unexplainable in a good way.

A simple, peaceful, slow-living kind of life.

Where the sea and the mountains meet halfway and you live in between. 

People with the same face, then the culture and traditions that are still part of our lives.

And I am fortunate enough to have Antique, Philippines as my hometown. 

Last June 9, we flew to Antique. My brother and I traveled via Kalibo, then two hours of land travel going to our hometown.

My last visit here was way back on May 2019. 

It was nice to see familiar faces and places once again.

The following day, my brother and I went to the beach near our home to see the sunset. 

The waves were big as it's going to be a high tide later in the evening. 

And then the next morning, we went back to the beach to witness the sunrise. The sea was already calm and it's low tide just before the sun went up.

We rode on a kayak that we borrowed from our neighbor. 

Next, we went to a river resort that is owned by our relatives. 

And it felt amazing to be back here. The relaxing vibe was an overwhelming feeling. The cold river flow was easing all the stresses and pressures I had at work. When I was here, my thoughts and worries about work in Manila were nowhere to be found and I'm grateful for this short and quick escape.

And I may say that this was a much needed break.

I invite everyone to visit our province. 

Discover Antique! Kruhay!

There's a lot of places and tourist spots to visit here. 

And I will never get tired of going home here. 

One Proud Antiquena here! (two hands both raised)

This short break from my usual busy life is a blessing I am so grateful to have.

See you again soon my favorite hometown!

Oops! I only have one. :)

Mount Espadang Bato

March 12, 2022 - Saturday

Montalban, Rizal

Reunion Hike with TeamTraverser!

After two years, I've finally done two things I love the most.

First, hiking! I love exploring mountains,

enjoying the trails, the breathtaking view,

the stories shared with co-hikers.

Second, bonding with friends!

It was never a dull moment when you spend time with friends,

especially if you haven't seen each other for a long time. 

Team Traverser has been my friend since 2016,

back when I started joining hikes

and stepping out of my comfort zone to meet new people.

These people eventually became my friends. 

For this day's reunion hike, we went to Montalban, Rizal

via a friend's car.

Our destination: Mount Espadang Bato

at Barangay Mascap, Montalban, Rizal.

We met in Cubao at 5 in the morning. 

We had a stopover at 7/11 to have some coffee

and while waiting for our other friends - Jan and Joy.

Right there at that time,

we decided to hike Mount Espadang Bato.

It was all our first time going there.

We even lost our way going to the jump off area

and started our hike a bit late. 

After more than two hours with lots of  ‘take five’

or short stops to rest, we reached the summit.

The mountain has become well known

because of its rock formations that look like a giant sword

and also the scenic backdrop when you take a photo here. 

It felt good to be back on top of a mountain.

I didn't hike for the last two years

so I easily got tired during the ascents.

But the pain was worth it when you're on top.

And I also missed the forestry trail. 

Since the pandemic and several lockdowns,

hiking has been prohibited.

When we went there,

we were the third group to hike. Unlike before,

hundreds were flocking to the mountains

especially on weekends.  

Looking forward to seeing more people

will go back to hiking soon. 

Current tour guide fee is 500 pesos for 5 pax. 

And we paid 100 pesos each since we were 6 in the group. 

We also paid a registration fee at the Barangay of 20 pesos each. 

By 1 pm, we were back in the jump off area

and had our lunch in a nearby cafeteria.

Then we headed to Wawa Dam where we rented a cottage

and had a dip on the river.

After that, we also had dinner at SM Fairview

before we finally parted ways. 

I was happy reconnecting with nature and friends

and I can't wait to have more moments like this

as we are eventually going back to normal. 

Fingers crossed.

Thank you Lord God for keeping us safe and for always providing for us.

Thank you for the time spent with friends

and we were able to see your creation's beauty once again on a higher view.