Lost World of Batad

When I prepared for this trip, I read a blog, assuming that what they wrote there was accurate. I planned according to that blog and alas, my expectations did a double dive! The blog said nothing about certain aspects of the trip. So, here is my share in helping you reader plan a better trip for Batad.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BATAD

1. Book your trip to Banaue in advance. You can book via Auto Bus or Florida Bus Lines. They have their terminals in Quezon City. It is a 12-hour drive from Manila to Banaue.

2. When you get to Banaue, contact Jun Binalit for an advance booking to Ramon's Homestay. They will coordinate a vehicle for your 1-hour drive to Saddle Point. They will make sure that you safely get to your destination. 09082554657

If you decide to go to Saddle point via commute, you have to catch the daily Batad jeepney at 2:00 pm at the town proper. Fare is 150 pesos per person. If you come in a group of 6 to 8 persons, it is easier to hire an van at 2500 pesos. Of course the public transport will always be cheaper. The only positive thing to look forward to a hired van is that you are not time constricted to meet transport schedules.

3. Saddle Point is where all the vehicle stop and the visitors trek down to Batad. When you contact Jun Binalit, he will also coordinate a guide for your trek to and from Batad. A guide will cost you from 300 to 500 pesos for inexperienced ones. 800 to 1200 pesos for experienced guides. DON'T GET GUIDES FROM BANAUE. They will greet you when you get off the bus and tail you until you see your contacts. They will have triple the amount of the guide fee from Batad. And they don't guide you in Batad. They guide you until Saddle Point only.

4. Get your knees and legs ready for a 1-hour plus trek down to Batad. The trail is very a bit narrow. but it's of a comfortable width with the cliff on the other side, the mountain face on the other. Always get the most out of the huts on the side of the road. They are there so that you can catch your breath and wipe away all the sweat you may have produced. Take advantage of them.

5. When you get to Ramon's homestay, rest until the following day before you decide to go to Tapiya Falls. Tapiya Falls is another hour trek down the mountain side. It's good to start early the following day like around 8 am. Order something from Irene (the Binalit House cook) for your lunch and enjoy the water until 2:00 pm so you can start your trek back to base before rainfall or sundown. (Keep in mind that IT ALWAYS RAINS IN BATAD) It's okay to bring an umbrella.

6. Rest another night in Ramon's Homestay and rest your limbs. You have to have prime energy when you start your trek up to Saddle Point again in the morning. If you want public transport back to Banaue, you have to be at Saddle Point by 9 am. The jeepney leaves when it is full or if not, leaves at 9:30 am.

7. Upon reaching Banaue, you can have several options:
a. Have lunch in one of the local stores or CHOWKING - Banaue
b. Go up to ViewPoint and get photos of the 1000-peso bill shot of the Rice Terraces
c. Whatever else you may think of doing

Batad is a wonderful place, a magical place you can say. It never grows old, it leaves an everlasting imprint in your mind. The people are so gentle and accommodating. I think the legendary Filipino hospitality was preserved in Banaue and Batad. I want to go back

Midnight Revelations (entry #1)

What will you do if your long time "love" loves somebody else? Ironically, it's one of your closest friends.

I thought it's going to be okay with me. Pero parang hindi...

But I'm not going to alienate myself from my friend just because.. of that...

I'm gonna wait and see.. I have a word from the Lord.. Patience, it will come.

Lindsy and Me O_o part 2

We arrived in the Banaue scene at 7:00 am. Our bus had 2 major flat tire episodes during our trip. But I was so sleepy to care about it all. I think Lindsy heard me say' "I don't care," and continued to doze off to sleep. But it was one scary drive. The bus conductor at one point informed all the passengers that they'll be closing down all the bus lights and close shut all the curtains. (I think we passed through an NPA infested area and are just doing measures to avoid unnecessary stopovers and checkpoints. I had to admit I was praying in tongues for 30 minutes straight before I felt some peace run through my system).


But the day when we were to leave Baguio, I was already texting my Batad contact. He didn;t reply the whole day so I gave him a break. I just said, "He might just be busy with stuff" or "Maybe he slept early that's why he didn't reply". So when we arrived at Banaue, I was a bit worried about this whole thing. So having gone down the bus, we followed a local guy who was supposedly offering his services as a guide. We had to use the comfort room above all else. (I had this wee wee episode from the foot of the mountainous region until we reached Banaue). No pitstop for the past 4 hours. All the water in my systems are nearly leaking... ewwww!!!

We had breakfast at the local cafeteria. I was amazed they were offering brown rice to the customers. (For Manileñas, Brown rice is a tad expensive...) We were having a cup of my hot chocolate when I noticed that I have several missed calls from an unknown number. I immediately called the number and ALAS! It was Annalisa, the niece of our Batad contact. We agreed to meet her at her house in a certain district in Banaue. She told me over the phone that her aunt recently arrived and was on her way to Batad that same day. She just had to confirm it.

So we exchanged text messages during breakfast. Yes. Her aunt will go to Batad. We will have to share the cost of the hired van. As we arrived at her house, we were greeted by Rose, Annalisa's sister. She ushered us in their receiving area and there waited for Annalisa to come back with the hired van. We were also waiting for the aunties (Malou and Aida) to finish up their packing.



The van arrived, we loaded and off we went on an hour drive of smooth versus rough roads to Saddle point. We paid 700 for our share and we proceeded to our hike DOWN to Batad. We had to rent walking sticks to support our walk since we had no prior knowledge about the place. We didn't have to pay for a guide because the aunties were locals of Batad. They knew the place like the back of their hand.

Talking about God connections, we found out that Auntie Aida was a Christian and is married to a foreign national. We had an easy climb down to Batad. We would have stopped for photos if we were with a regular guide. But the aunties were trudging down the mountain with an aim to reach the Binalit house before lunch time. We didn't have enough photos of our Batad trek.



Nevertheless, we arrived safely in the Binalit house, more known to tourists as Ramon's Homestay. We had lunch and a bath and immediately went down to Tapiya Falls. Clad in our bathing apparel, we walked yet again another hour just to reach the beautiful and icy waters of Tapiya. We didn't bring any food with us because we had to head back to the house before the rain fell again on the mountains.



I had a short frightening experience on our trek to Batad. My slippers weren't able to grasp the loose rocks of a sloping trail and I was almost on my way down to the bottom of the cliff, the rock river from Tapiya. If not for the guide referred to us, I would be down the cliff and no blog that you'll be reading. Thank God for angels! (Auntie Aida prayed for us before we left the house. I praise God for her wisdom.)


Lindsy and I sat on the edge of the pool. The water was soooooooo cold, it was so unreal! We experienced the waves of the waterfall. I was kinda irked that all the stronger waves were lashing at me and not at Lindsy. She was the one excited for the waves. (Nakaka-relax daw, sabi niya). I tried varying my position but still, the waves seem to look for ME and not Lindsy! talk about freaky!

And then... it got cloudy! Lakas ng faith ni Lindsy para hindi umitim!!!!

A few minutes later, it started RAINING!

A moment or so after that, LINDSY had cramps.

We had to go back to a shed nearby and have the cramps go away before we made it up the mountains. Our guide left us for a moment to assist a bigger group of tourists (or so we thought, we found out that he hiked a bit upward to join some locals in their PICNIC!) and the rain kept on pouring! And pouring! And pouring!


(Rainy Batad)

Discoveries (Part 2?!)

In my Holy Week escapade with Lindsy, I discovered a lot of things about this particular friend. Let me share what I remember...

* Lindsy said she is fond of going to the beach because of the waves that is continuously hitting her on shore... Masochist no? Pero ayaw umitim. Sabi ng mga officemates niya she got a bit of a tan... (HUwhattt?!!)

* Lindsy doesn't know how to sleep in a moving bus. Her head keeps going left and right like a drunken old man. When I tried to sit her by the window, hoping that the window may become a better cushion for her head, she said that she bumped her head numerous times on it. And still, I kept waking up to find her forehead only an inch above my shoulder. talk about Likot!

* Lindsy, when we slept in Batad, kept on inching her way on my side of the bed until I was on 1/2 an inch away from the edge. I had to "CALMLY" tell her to move over kasi malalaglag na ko.

* Lindsy left her mom's umbrelly in Batad. We last used it during our hike up from the Tapiya Falls. (Lagot siya kay Mommy!)

* Lindsy LOVES buttered and salted corn on cobs. (We had this for dinner for 2 consecutive nights!)

* Lindsy and I agreed to bring the caregroup to Baguio late this year. (Kanya Kanya gastos pa rin my friends!)

* Lindsy is fond of knitted sleeveless blouses. Notice the colors one of these days.

* Lindsy didn't seem to break a sweat during our hike from Batad. (All the while I was breathing heavily and sweating buckets after 15 to 20 minutes of hike up to Saddle Point) She said she found going up easier that going down.

* Having gone down from the bus in Cubao on our way home, Lindsy needed to use the bathroom. So we went to a nearby Jollibee store. The CR door was locked so she asked the clerk if it was free or if it is used. The clerk said if it's closed, somebody must be inside. I think she waited by the door a good 10-minutes when an elderly lady came out of it. As the lady walked past her, Lindsy gave the lola another one of her classic "murderous looks" and said afterwards, "Ang tagal niya kasi e"

Bump Bump Bump

Another DC DA concert update!

Didn't I tell you that there are better ways of attending this concert?

I was quite in shock to run into Oedie yesterday... Yes the One and Only 2 year thingie Oedie!

My boss had me run some errands at the Smart and Globe centers. When Jonah and I reached Globe, he was right there, waiting for his turn to come up. SO, I waved hi and got my number from the front desk. And then we started chatting with Oedie.

Sufficely to say, he posted a status message in facebook that he will be having an ALL ACCESS PASS! Initially, he didn't say where it was going to be, but when we ran into him yesterday, he said that it was for the DC DA concert...

I was glad that he moved into that arena by himself, knowing that he isn't really a big fan of either of the artists. (So again, why?) Pero sabi nga ni Rakel, don't make a big deal out of something small...

So there, sabi niya, kakapalan daw niya ang kanyang face to the organizer if he can bring in another "Volunteer". Hope it turns out well. But in case that it doesn't, I still have my fail safe plan, my SILVER concert ticket!

DC DA concert tickets

after some thinking through and a major recuperation from the concert ticket prices, I decided to get the Silver tickets still. At least I could still go with some of my friends... Plus my baby brother ALL OF A SUDDEN invited us all for dinner before the concert. Great deal isn't it?

So I reserved some tickets last Monday, got them Tuesday and posted the news right away.

There are better ways to be in this concert... I know there is!

Summer

ang init!

share ko lang...

:-)

Lindsy and Me (lol) O_o

I've been gone for almost a week, peaked with excitement before I left and bone-tired when I arrived. I could barely walk down any flight of stairs.





Lindsy and I took a road trip of sorts to Baguio - Banuae - Batad, Philippines. We had this planned from February, originally going to Sagada. But as time drew nigh, the girls whom i have invited declined the invitation to go. Finance related problems if you know what I mean. So, the lonely road challenge was faced by just Lindsy and me.



Let me recall this trip...



I just came from my department summer escapade in Laiya, Batangas (Palm Beach Resort). I arrived at home at 9:20 pm, with Lindsy already waiting for me at my house. I hurriedly finished packing my bag in 10 minutes flat and off we go to Victory Bus Terminal in Pasay. having booked out ticket a week bag, the bus ride was less of a hassle for us both. All we had to do was ride the scheduled bus and wait until we arrived in the cooler land of Baguio.



BAGUIO!



We arrived in Baguio at 5:00 am. It was still dark and the bus ride was as chilly as it was outside. As we stepped off the bus, Lindsy and I were taken aback on how "cold" it was. considering that I was just wearing my jeans "puruntong" style, and Lindsy wearing her leggings and some cotton top. (By the way, surprising enough, Lindsy just brought one bag. She said she really thought over the stuff that she'll bring.)



It seemed like it was our first time touring Baguio City. Lindsy's previous trip was at least a decade ago. Mine was much more recent, 3 years back, but it was a very social trip. Visiting ang touring the more expensive part of the city. Of course I am thankful for the blessing, but it is always good to know any place starting from down up.



As we stepped off the bus, men were waiting in front of the door to shove up our noses even more pamphlets and flyers of different transients and hotels in Baguio. Who am I to blame them? It's tourist season for Baguio... Business must boom more than usual.



To stretch out crumpled butts and chilled legs, we looked for a nearby CR to change clothes and refresh ourselves. We asked for directions for a nearby breakfast place (we learned that it was Jollibee still) and walked for like 15 minutes to the said branch. We got lost 2 times at least in that 15 minute walk. (Pero syempre, kampante si Lindsy kasi ako ang kasama. Matapang kasi ako kahit di ko alam yung lugar.)



We breakfasted and looked for the transient my friend supposedly booked for us. When we got to the place, we were ripped off by 1000 pesos for a room. We decided to still get it. We were so tired and so dirty, we didn't really care how much we spent on it. We were finally able to relax a bit and finally, see Baguio by 10 am after a fitful nap and a refreshing shower.



We took pictures at Burnham which was a blessed 5 minutes away from our transient. Headed next to Good Shepherd for their famous Ube Jam. Shopped a bit at some road stalls near Minesview. Then squeezed ourselves in a mound full of people IN Minesview. We then waited for my elementary school bestfriend Jenny at one of the nearby restos. Hallelujah! She finally came at around 11:30 am. (Ang dami na namin nagawa in 1.5 hours... Adik!)




We went to The Mansion, Wright Park, Camp John Hay and all its intricacies. Ang laki pala ng John Hay! More than 700 hectares... No wonder ang dami niyang hot spots. Jenny was an instant tour guide for the day.

We had lunch in one of the lesser known tourist spots. Locals are fond of this area for its affordable food and good taste. Jenny had work at 2:00 pm so she had say an abrupt goodbye and see us all over the following day. We decided to go to Tam-awan Village after lunch. It is one of the Native Villages preserved as a museum of sorts. Dyan namin kinuha ung picture ni Lindsy na may sungay. galing ko talagang direktor!



This is just day 1. We got tickets for our Banaue trip in the afternoon. Then I was missing Facebook a lot by then so I dragged Lindsy with me to a nearby computer cafe, surfed for an hour and went to sleep right away at 8:00 pm. I personally needed to catch up on sleep for the next day's drive to Banaue.



Day 2 was a bit more relaxed than the first one. We breakfasted at around 9 am at McDonald's Session Road, met with Jenny and again toured us in the Wag-Wagan section of the City. (The fondly called Ukay-Ukay by Manileñas). Jenny just got off from a very successful job interview and was in a dressed-to-kill outfit. We looked for suitable slippers for her before we headed to MaryKnoll Eco-Park. This was preparation for the Banaue trek we were facing.



Again, a quick goodbye from Jenny so we checked out from the transient at 12 noon. Where we stuffed our bags is a secret. We then went to see Pastor Benny in La Trinidad. He shared on his church, their upcoming Bauko outreach, life in general. And finally I asked if he can pray for us for our Banaue trek. He did and we went on our way back to see Centermall, dinner of mais yet again and got halohalo in the local cafeteria.



We got our bags and went straight to the bus terminal. 10 hour drive to Banaue. What a butt crumpling experience!






- - - to be continued - - -



(bitin ba? look for Part 2)

Depression

i got this off David-Cook.org

*sad world*

QUOTE (Poliam564 @ Apr 1 2009, 04:15 PM)

THIS IS IT! ticketnet and ticketworld:
Titanium - Php 12,425.00
Platinum - Php 8,285.00
VIP - Php 4,145.00
Gold - Php 2,075.00
Silver - Php 625.00
Bronze - Php 315.00

Sa youtube ko nakuha yan. May nag post eh. Pero nung pinuntuhan ko yung ticketnet site, wala naman. DI KO ALAM KUNG SURE NA YAN!DAVID COOK & DAVID ARCHULETA Live in Manila! @ the Mall of Asia Concert Grounds • May 16, 2009 • 8PMTickets are available at TicketWorld outlets! Call TicketWorld 891.9999 for details! *nakuha ko yan sa site ng ticketworld. DALII

This is way over my budget!!! Magroroadie na talaga ako!