I’ve always been fascinated with the ocean. I think my love for the ocean started only recently when I went to El Nido, Palawan in 2014. After seeing the majestic water of El Nido and the beautiful lagoons, I instantly fell in love and thought to myself, “El Nido pa lang to, what more yung sa ibang parts ng Pilipinas?” And that’s when I started to dream of visiting various beaches in the Philippines. I haven’t been to a lot tho, considering I have a regular 8-5 (or later) job and financial constraints (I don’t want to sacrifice my savings for travel—not that kind of person pa); but I’m trying to travel once in a while when my budget and schedule (and companions) allow.

Last February, I went to Cebu with my family and explored the southern part of the province.

Not in the photos was our Kawasan Falls experience; didn’t have pictures pala, only videos during canyoneering (must try!!!) Everything we did was so fun and memorable that I cannot choose which was my favorite. But among all the activities, what left me wondering was my experience in Moalboal.

Moalboal is known as an ideal place for scuba diving, snorkeling and freediving, for it has a great array of marine life. The most popular activity in the island was the sardine run, where you can go swimming with thousands of sardines! It was so cool and beautiful, I almost cried (hindi to OA). I was really astounded by the beauty of the underworld, and I wanted to explore them more! This is when my frustration started. I really wanted to go deeper into the sea, but I always find myself floating after seconds of diving into the water. I was really wondering why I can’t sink in the water for a long time! I got to swim around the island and had a great time, but I don’t think I have maximized the “Moalboal experience.”

Weeks after that trip, I was still hungover of the fact that there’s more to see under the water (and I wasn’t able to do it!!!). That’s when I researched about how to dive and be able to stay under the water longer. Stumbled upon me was the term “FREEDIVING”.

I’ve heard of freediving before but I didn’t really bother to explore about it since I’m contented with just having to swim comfortably in the water; and as long as I have a snorkel with me then I’m good.

When you google it, you will learn that freediving is a form of underwater diving where divers rely on their stored breath without using any equipment to assist your breathing. Fortunately, I had a conversation with Trina, one of my ultimate beshies, and happened to talk about freediving. So then she looked for freediving classes and came across an event offering one, hosted by Apnea PH. We immediately booked a slot scheduled last July, and the rest was history. (charot)

Surprisingly, tho I am pretty comfortable in the water and know how to swim, I had a hard time to learn freediving—particularly in storing my breath. In freediving, you are supposed to breathe thru your mouth and store air in your belly. (We don’t usually do this as we breathe through our nose and store breaths in our chest). This is just one challenge as there are steps you should follow before actually diving into the deep. Also, I’m a coffee lover and I cannot really function (psychological, though) without having my coffee. And ironically, one of the things you should avoid when you freedive is to have caffeine on your system for it increases your heartrate—and the main key in freediving is to remain calm and to relax. (For more information about freediving and its technicalities, click HERE)

It was like the universe conspired to let me learn freediving the hard way (char).

The class lasted for more or less 4hours and I must say, it was BITIN. I really needed more time to let all the information sink in, and for me to practice more. I also realized that me being an overthinker did not help at all! I should really learn how to keep calm, and do not think of anything (HOW CAN THAT BE POSSIBLE?)

Marese Secades, our instructor and AIDA 4 Freediver, even asked me what I was thinking while diving into the water. I was not scared of drowning or that I might cross paths with sharks—which were the two main things people ask me when they knew I tried freediving—instead I was a bit uneasy with the fact that there are many things to consider while you’re going deeper in the ocean (such as equalizing, contractions you would feel as you hold your breath longer, etc). But with more practice and ocean exposure, I know I could eventually overcome all these things (and more) that bother me—PRACTICE LANG TALAGA. But I also wondered, “Ako lang ba nahihirapan or sila rin? Baka di lang ako magaling?” #insecurities LELZ

Please watch the video by Marese during our class (click HERE)! She holds classes during Saturdays and Sundays, 2 batches each, with only 4 students per batch. I’d suggest you book the morning class so you can still practice more in the afternoon. Check out her page on Facebook for more information.

Having said all my experiences and what-nots on freediving, I must say it has been officially added to my list of frustrations in life!! (other frustrations are singing, dancing, acquiring at least one skill/talent, cooking, surfing, photography; HAY LIFE)

Anyway, I’m not allowed to swim for at least 3 months since I recently had lasik surgery (more of this on next post), and I can’t wait to go back to the sea again and practice! Hope this post inspired you to try freediving too! Even though a bit challenging for me, it was really a wonderful experience!

Surfing has been part of my bucketlist since forever, that's why I'm so happy to finally try it this year, twice! I feel like I've been more "yolo-er" this 2016, and I think I'm slowly overcoming my fears and trying more adventurous activities with lesser hesitations. Lelz.

Anyway, I tried surfing in Baler last August and in La Union last November. I cannot really compare them objectively since I went to these places at different seasons. Surfing season in the Philippines is from October to March, so obviously my experience in La Union was far more challenging. But I must say, I felt more accomplished in Baler since I (think and was told that I) learned pretty fast, so I expected that I won't be adjusting much in La Union. Of course, I was wrong. Felt like a real noob during my surf experience in La Union!!! :(

Let me share some of my experiences in both municipalities (awow sa municipalities. So government HAHA):

* * BALER * *

Together with my college besties, we went to Baler via joiners tour (Php1800 all-in) thru Leisure Lane, since we're all too lazy to plan our own itinerary. We went to different attraction sites but the surfing activity was the main highlight of our trip.

BALETE TREE (MILLENNIAL TREE)

In front of the Balete tree, known to be the largest in Asia

We have so many better photos with the Balete tree but this was the most memorable! Been an iPhone user for several years now, but little did I know that the panorama feature can do this! Haha! Thanks to Kuya tour guide (forgot his name, huhu, sorry) kami pa ang na-orient sa paggamit nito! Haha.

MOTHER FALLS

Mother Falls

The trek going to Mother Falls was pretty easy since (sadly) they are developing the area into a more commercialized one, and we just followed a cemented trail going to the falls.

ERMITA HILL

On top of the Ermita Hill

To be honest, we really did not appreciate much of our experience going up this hill. Besides the countless ascending steps, the view above was no less spectacular. However out of curiosity, when I tried googling its history, I did not expect that Ermita Hill holds a huge part of Baler's cultural value!

Ermita Hill is where the only survivors of the catastrophe “Tromba Marina” (tsunami) fled for safety on the night of December 27, 1735 where the entire old town of Baler was engulfed with sea water. (source)

 Think it would be better if the locals can provide brief history/orientation to the tourists. (Or maybe we were too negligent; not sure if there were descriptions saying its historical value)

DAGUISIT ROCK FORMATION

Daguisit Rock Formation

I really don't like this photo since I look 2x fatter here, but our happiness was so genuine that I let the aesthetics value pass. HAHA. Anyway, the view here was spectacular! This may be an instagrammers' haven for every spot was photogenic. It also reminded me of the rock formation in Ilocos.

SABANG BEACH

Sabang Beach

Finally! We went to Sabang beach by 6AM to catch the waves and to avoid the sun's scorching heat. Think this was a good idea since we had the whole beach for ourselves during the first hour! Board rental + instructor cost Php350/hr. We were so overjoyed and extended for another hour. If not for our set itinerary, we could have bummed more by the beach after surfing. (One disadvantage of going on joined tours)

I cannot really tell its difficulty level but as you get comfortable with the waves, and as you learn how to go with the flow, you're all good!

Let me also share this funny video of me caught on camera. HAHAHA. This somewhat summarizes my 2016. Charz!

* * LA UNION * * 

I think I fell in love with surfing that's why I was so pumped up for this trip! This time, I came with my high school beshies and college BFF, and opted for a DIY trip. We tested our luck and became chance passengers for the First Class trip thru Genesis in Cubao terminal. We left the terminal by 11:30pm, and arrived pretty early at Sebay Beach Resort (5am), so we paid for an extra fee for the early check in.

TANGADAN FALLS

The trek going to the falls was quite challenging, given it took us almost 5 hours going to and from the falls. We stopped by a spot where we can cliff jump, but just took advantage of the nice view and took a couple of photos for instagram and of course, memories. Haha lelz.

SURF SHACK

We made sure we could try the delicacies here since Surf Shack is one of the most recommended restaurants in La Union. Did not miss out my chance to try out their burger, as well as their famous Gourmet Tuyo Pizza. My friends tried one of the pastas and chicken wings.

SAN JUAN BEACH

Took advantage of our extra time in the afternoon and surfed at 5pm. According to the instructors, the waves in the afternoon are larger, making it more challenging. Of course we took the plunge since we're all so excited to go surfing. I was quite shocked with the waves in elyu. I felt like they will eat me up. Haha. To be a little technical, we experienced only few flats (term used when there's no set waves) compared with Baler's where we had idle times waiting for the next set.

Amazing skyline

What I hated about surfing in the afternoon was we needed to hurry since it would get dark soon. True enough, after an hour of surfing session, the sky suddenly looked dark (or so I thought). The fee costs Php400, inclusive of an hour of board rental and lessons from the instructor. A little expensive compared with Baler's but I think I learned more in LU.

We woke up early the next day since according to the locals, waves are smaller in the morning. We initially planned to just rent the board and play along by ourselves but the waves were surprisingly huge we cannot afford to go solo and risk our lives. (lelz, OA)

We didn't take much photos during the surf because we wanted to enjoy every moment. Also because we didn't have underwater cameras with us. HAHA (This is the reason why I invested on buying my own Go Pro. So much for getting anxious of accidentally dropping my phone in the water.)

MA-CHO TEMPLE

Before heading back to Manila, we were told that the Ma-cho Temple is located near the bus terminal in San Fernando so we paid a quick visit and made fun of ourselves.

Since the temple looks like those in Thailand...

"OMG! Bawal ang may date!" 

Quick background: Trina and I are both NBSBs so... HAHAHA

 "Nakita mo yung pake ko? Ayun oh!"

"Pag-usapan natin yung mga di sumama satin #FriendshipOver"

Crush: Ang gusto ko sa babae, 'yung palaban

Us:

Sorry for being corny. HAHAHA

xx

The "Zambales Squad" promised to be clingier by having at least one travel/adventure every month. At first we thought we could easily push this plan through since we were aiming for budget-friendly travels. Besides the budgetary constraints, our individual schedules usually don't match, especially since we're studying/working at different places (Laguna, Metro Manila, Batangas, etc) But lo and behold, though incomplete we still managed to push through our adventure for the month of April. I believe we have maximized our day trip for we were able to conquer four different waterfalls in Laguna!

CAVINTI FALLS (MAGDAPIO FALLS)

Most commonly known as Pagsanjan Falls from our history textbooks, this particular water form is located in Barangay Tibatib in Cavinti, Laguna. It was mistaken to be in Pagsanjan's property since it is situated within the boundary of Cavinti. Officials from the latter were actually doing several efforts for the waterfalls to be renowned as "Cavinti Falls." One of which was their development of the Cavinti Eco-Park or El Pueblo Salvador Nature Park and Picnic Grove in 2007.

Cavinti Eco-Park not only boasts of its majestic view but also offers fun physical activities that would make you appreciate the falls even more. The entrance fee costs Php 270 per person. (For those who are not up for adventure and all the tiresome "challenges," they also offer a boat ride going to Cavinti falls which costs Php 630 per way per person.)

The trekking adventure consists of conquering two vertical ladders (has 38 and 28 steps each), a long steel ladder (500+ steps were no joke!!), and lots and lots of walking. For me one of the most fun part was in the vertical ladders since you will be dropped vertically using a rope. The real challenge was when going up because you need to climb the stairs and no ropes would pull you up. You can better understand what I'm saying when you watch our video which I would share later.

L: Steel ladder // R: Vertical ladder

Once you reached the end of the adventure trail, you would finally see the famous Cavinti Falls! We rode a bamboo raft going to the falls, and passed by the outrageous falling stream! Passing through the falls itself felt like a very hard (maybe level 5) massage. Haha!

HULUGAN, HIDDEN & TALAY FALLS

After lunch, we headed to the Brgy. Luisiana where Hulugan Falls is located. According to one of the locals, Hulugan Falls was just accidentally discovered by a group of photographers who randomly trekked the mountain. Little did they know its discovery would not only become their treasure but also their source of employment.

Before actually reaching Hulugan, you can also drop by at Talay Falls and Hidden Falls. Between the two, I loved Hidden Falls better. Unfortunately though, we were not able to swim in both since we needed to be at Hulugan before 4pm, because the latter will be "closed" by 5pm.

Talay Falls

Hidden Falls

According to our tour guide, we could better appreciate the water forms if it's rainy season, however it would be harder to trek since it would be muddy and slippery. And honestly, you cannot do much in these waterfalls so better go straight ahead to Hulugan. You could not only save time but also your energy because passing by these two side trips was no joke at all!

The view was nice tho! We (I think) did not regret taking side trips! Hehe.

I already forgot how long it took us to reach Hulugan Falls but every sweat, body pain and complains were worth it! HAHA

When we finally reached Hulugan, I think all I felt was extreme happiness because my legs were literally shaking of exhaustion. We then sat for a good 10 mins to appreciate the view (and of course to rest) before actually dipping in the cold waterfalls.

**
So after a whole day of trekking and swimming, needless to say we've maximized the time and energy we had. Everything was worth it and thank God we survived. Haha! We capped our day off by dining in at Calle Arco, one of the most known restaurants in Pagsanjan, Laguna. Let me finish this post  by showing you the delicious meals we had. :)

I don’t have a photo of the Camote de Leche, the dish I loved most, since it was gone in seconds! Hahaha. Hashtag, PG. :)

xx

This was by-far, one of the most relaxed beach trips I have ever been to [except from the pre-beach event that happened which I shared in my previous post. (You can read it HERE)] 

I think I could say this because from planning to the actual getaway, we didn't experience enough stress (again, except from our roadtrip the night before)

So here are the three things I loved about this quick weekend getaway:

CONVENIENCE
Karlo brought his car so we didn't go through the hassle of commuting! We also became good passengers and followed the 9gag meme. Edzell usually called shotgun for he DEFINITELY have MAD DJ SKILLS (HAHAHA), and Jana & I were at the backseat and usually decided which snack to eat first. Haha! We also anchored the chikahan sessions! :)

(c) 9GAG

FYI. There are available parking slots near Mauban port so you need not to worry if you're bringing your own private vehicle. Our parking fee was Php 150 (overnight).

AFFORDABILITY

However not that organized, the Mauban Port can cater a lot of beach trippers. If you are on a tight budget, you can ride the public boat from the port to Cagbalete Island for only Php50; but if you have extra money or comes in a group of 10 or more, it would be more practical if you rent your own private boat. Prices range from 1500-2500, depending if it's one-way or roundtrip.

In our case, we chose to wait for the public boat. We arrived at 9AM and took us almost 3 hours to ride the boat. We were fortunate tho that there was also a group of four friends who approached us and offered to become joiners since they have booked a boat which costs Php 1500 (one-way). It took us 45 mins to reach Cagbalete Island.

You can also save up on food if you'd bring pre-cooked meals. Some bought food from the market and cooked their meals on-site, since there were cooking utensils available for rent in the resort. In our case, we just bought a lot of bread and chips because we're too lazy to cook. (However, the boys craved for rice the following day. HAHA #sacrifice)

PEACEFULNESS
We booked our accommodation at Villa Noe Resort. We availed of two small tents which costs Php500 each. All of us four can fit in a medium tent, but for our own comfort, we chose to split into two groups. The ambiance of the beach front was relaxing. There were even swings and hammocks installed within the tent area.

Compared to Zambales, I loved the weather in Cagbalete better. Mr. Sun wasn't too bright but I can still feel his tolerable heat. It was the perfect beach weather!

I even fell asleep in one of the hammocks after swimming. I even thought I was asleep for a few hours, but it only lasted for almost 45 mins!! That's how relaxing my sleep was!

Water in Cagbalete was also peaceful. We didn't get to see it but the beach is known for its sand ripples during low tide. It was still okay because we got to enjoy the beach despite the very low water level.

What I didn't like was the beach's warm water. I prefer dipping in cold sea water to feel more pumped up and to contradict the sun's heat. Fortunately enough though, I don't need much cold water for the sun was not glaring that time. Jana on the other hand preferred this kind of water temperature since it relaxes her more. It really depends on one's preference! Haha.

After a long day on the road and at the beach, we were like ultimate Tito's and Tita's and slept at 9:30 PM!!!! How funny was that. HAHAHAHA. I usually stay up late by the beach, drink beer, and chill with my friends as we get tired. But then again we didn't need booze to sleep so soundly!!

We woke up extra early the next day to watch the sunrise. I was up at 5:30 am and attempted to record a time-lapse as the sun rises. But it was a complete failure since I recorded too early, got bored of waiting, and just when I ended the video, Mr. Sun finally showed up (6:03AM) HAHAHA But I still got to enjoy the amazing way how the sun rises. Precious moments are indeed best captured through the eyes, and not through the camera lenses!

***
We left Cagbalete Island at 6:45AM. We rode the public boat on the next barangay (10-min walk from the resort) going to Mauban Port which costed only Php 70.

On our way home, we passed by Air Summit Gourmet, the airplane restaurant in Tayabas Quezon. We wanted to eat there and got very excited when we finally saw the plane/restau however we arrived at 10AM, and the operating hours start from 11AM.

We could not wait for another hour since we're all so famished, and the boys were already craving for rice! So we just crossed the road and dined at Kamayan sa Palaisdaan (both restaurants have the same owner). It was alright tho, since Air Summit looked like a fine dining place, and we were not properly dressed. Haha!

Overall, this trip was definitely one of my most memorable beach getaways! I was so glad that I have met good friends in the office, because I know true friends are hard to come by!

On to the next!

So  I think everyone's into this new (?) hype called Snapchat. It's just another messaging application available for download on your Apple or Android phones, which allows you to post/send photos/videos to your friends/"story" (basically your timeline/newsfeed) which will self-destruct after 24 hours. It maybe is just a mobile app but it constantly ruins and defines my life. HAHAHA

I joined snapchat just last year (September I think?). Being the memory-hoarder that I am, I didn't much appreciate its auto-delete feature at first. Why would you delete such precious, random, fun photo?! I even have this private album in Facebook which contains snapchat photos I cannot dare leave and be forgotten forever. (HAHA OA)

But after a couple more posts, I realized that some were just random shits I need not in my life. HAHAHA so now I got the concept of the app.. But there's just some memories you want to share not only on snapchat but also on all social media platforms! Good thing there's also a save option! However stalker-ism isn't so cool since if you happen to screenshot someone's post, they'll be notified about it! So much for sneaking around HAHA

So anyway, I got to appreciate more of the app's features when I got involved in a ridiculous, spontaneous, unwanted roadtrip. HAHAHA

So last March 19-20, my officemates Jana, Edzell, Karlo and I had a quick beach escapade in Cagbalete Island, Quezon (more of this on my next post). We thought we had everything planned well, starting from us leaving the office on Friday (Mar 18) and having a sleepover at Karlo's place so we can leave as early as 4AM, Saturday morning (Mar 19); until everything random happened Friday night.

Friday.
Expectation: Leave the office at 5pm. Eat dinner at Yellow Cab. Do grocery shopping at Trinoma. Sleep at Karlo's place.

Reality: Karlo had an appointment in Alabang at 3pm. Left the office early, told us to meet him in BGC after his date with his girlfriend; leaving us three lost and confused. HAHA So Jana and I decided to have our pedicure first while Edzell waited. Then we went to Market Market to eat dinner (Tokyo Tokyo), did some grocery shopping, then waited for Karlo to finish his date. I think it was 9PM when all 4 of us had finally gathered. Little did we know our night was just about to start. HAHAHAHA

When we finally met up with Karlo, he was with his sister whom he needs to drive back to Alabang. So we tagged along thinking we can go straight to his condo in Espana afterwards. But after dropping her sister off, we headed (AGAIN) towards BGC to pick up his bestfriend and his bestfriend's girlfriend who were also staying in Espana. This was the time that I finally realized I need to share this in snapchat HAHAHA

From Alabang. On our way to BGC!

While waiting at BGC.... We look happy but also tensed (Can we ever sleeep?)

When Karlo's bestfriend finally arrived, he asked if we could all drop his girlfriend off at Cubao Terminal (!!!!) since she needed to catch the bus bound to Baguio. So off we went!!! It wasn't that smooth tho since the traffic was still crazy and there were so many waiting time. Oh well, at least we can never be bored (chos)

- - Technically Saturday - -

When everything was then settled, ie the girlfriend was dropped off, we were finally finally on our way to Espana! (Spoiler alert: I think I'll be using more "finallys" towards to the end of this post) We dropped the bestfriend off at his place, Karlo needed his 'break' then we're off to his place.

All the while we thought we can finally sleep in peace for at least 2-3 hours. We were even planning who to take a bath first, etc. But then, we were not allowed to enter the condo since visiting hours were only until 10 PM. With nowhere to go to, we then decided we should proceed to Quezon, at Edzell's place in Dolores, which is 2 hours away from Mauban Port (where we would ride the boat towards Cagbalete). (WHAT WERE WE DOING?! HAHAHAHA)

Time we arrived at Karlo's condo

ON OUR WAY TO QZN!!!

We first had a quick break at Petron to fuel up (our minds, bodies and souls. LELZ). We also wanted to be fair with Karlo who was driving. We promised no one would sleep, hence the need for coffee. HAHA

We still seemed pretty happy despite the roller coaster ride!

Going to Dolores, Quezon was not easy tho! We traversed what seemed like forever, and Edzell's house was very far from the city! But we're still thankful we arrived safely and we had the chance to take a bath, eat our breakfast, and take a nap (well, only Karlo was able to nap. He deserved it. HAHA)

Passengers still alive and kicking while the poor driver slept peacefully HAHA

FINALLY ON OUR WAY TO CAGBALETE!!

So as you can see, we were finally bound to Cagbalete at 6:30 am!!! (So happy that I could finally say my last finally!! HAHA) What a very loooong night (and dawn)! I think we regretted nothing.... HAHAHAHA

This is the definitive proof of the importance of travelling with good company; despite ALL the changes from our simple, initial plan, everyone remained cool and excited of what were ahead of us! Also a proof that snapchat is the best app ever. CHARZ HAHAHA Kidding aside, I now realized that being a memory hoarder isn't a bad thing. My brothers told me taking too many pictures would only make it hard for me to "move on" from a life event, and I would get stuck in the past. But I believe cherishing best experiences does not make me miserable; these memories instead inspire me to go on to the next chapter of my life, and to make the most out of everything.

Will be sharing our Cagbalete experience next time! :)