Philippine Travel Notes

It is (still) Philippine Independence Day as I write this.., about two hours before midnight.., so the day has not 'expired' yet! Therefore I am not (yet) very late to greet everyone a Maligayang Araw Ng Kalayaan! Guilty feeling. I haven't greeted anyone a Happy Independence Day today. That is not very "me"! If the "senior moments" did not attack, I probably should have seen interesting and memorable things or events as I'm in Clark, Pampanga. There must have been a parade or some ceremony this morning. No wonder... yesterday, after a meeting, I walked to SM Clark as my meeting venue was just nearby, and I saw some display, demo and recruitment booths of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). I know they do this regularly at malls or at public events/venues like at the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. But it did not occur to me, that this was their way of celebrating Araw Ng Kalayaan with the Filipino public! 'Badness me', even the promi...

Pig out! Isang makaaboy na gabi! Halika magbabuyan tayo! Done with a meeting, I strolled out the building to nearby SM City Clark. While ambling around, I saw a Katsu Sora branch, and I said "aba meron din dito"! And I told my stomach "dinner here, later, promise"! 6:08PM, there I was holding the menu, salivating, dreaming if I can only have all except Edamame! No can do, hindi ko dala ang extra stomach ko, naiwan sa Cebu hahaha! But this page titillated me.., Waitress told me "meron pa nyan until closing time" since they expected many diners being a Sunday. Talgang binasa paulit-ulit.., while in the midst of a crazy "conversation with my royal self"! Gutom ba ako? Yes you are, gabi na! / Not really, inubos mo yung Aroz Caldo sa Mabuhay Lounge! Can I finish all four? Yes you can, gutom ka nga eh! / No you can't, 'wag kang takaw-tingin! Apat na porkchop yan ha? Kaya mo yan, masiba ka! / Mygaad saan mo isisiksik yan, sa bulsa?! ...

As said in my previous story , this trip was to see and experience these two islands off Almeria, Biliran. Not that there is or was anything to die for in any of those islands. I just heard from many people that they're worth a visit. So here was the curious me, myself and I, off to Kapinyahan and Dalutan islands! Plan of attack: go to either Agta or Talahid Beach Resort, hire a boat (pakyaw) to tour both islands. I chose to jump-off from Talahid Beach Resort. They even helped me find a boat for this tour. This can also be done from other resorts like Agta (to the right, after that tree) or VRC (further right, after Agta). I just prefer Talahid Beach Resort, which I will tell you later, as it has no relevance to this 2-island tour! Since you will privately hire a boat (there are no regular commuter trips to any of the islands), it would be cheaper if there's a number of you on your tour. And, you decide which island you want to visit first. On this trip, it was only me, ...