Stories of Places, People and Photography in the Philippines and Beyond
Let me tell you about my unforgettable road trip adventure to conquer all Seven Lakes of San Pablo in Laguna! We started our journey at PITX in Pasay City, a bunch of travel buddies united by our love for exploring. With Señor Byahero, Joseph, Manilakad JP and Pure, Nomadic Experiences Marky, SJ the heritage guide, and Johan our navigator/treasurer, we piled into our Isuzu SUV, ready to hit the road.
Change of plans. I love it when my companions are just ready for anything. Meeting hiking buddies Christine and Marky early Friday morning in Cubao, we were supposed to go to another mountain. As fast as the changing wind, we decided to visit another mountain at the vicinity of Daraitan – Mt Mamara. A smaller brother of Mt Daraitan in Tanay, Rizal, Mt Mamara was opened as an alternative to climbers who got cut-off from the maximum 300 pax per day limit of climbers for Mt Daraitan. It may be a minor mountain but the rewards of the climb is equally captivating.
There’s a distinctive smell of wood amidst the mixture of paint and thinner lingering in the air. I could hear the constant pounding of multiple mallets on chisels carving away pieces of wood to make form to an otherwise large piece of wood. Occasional sawdust fills the air when sudden gust of wind blows through this open air wood carving workshop. Paete Woodcarving has been a thriving industry since the Spanish era until now. A walk at the town’s market road, it is hard not to notice the rows of shops, selling variety of wood work and paper mache. This crafty town of Paete, north-east of Laguna have earned its declaration as the Woodcarving Capital of the Philippines back in 2005. Thanks to proud Paetenians whose generations of wood carvers passed their skills and dedication for elevating the art. Here we meet some of the master woodcarvers that have etched their legacy in the town’s history.
It’s familiar earth colors of brown, black and white on the modern-themed building is a distinctive character of a Seda Hotel. Easily recognizable from afar as we drove in from a distance as it mirrors the one at the heart Bonifacio Global City. This lifestyle chain-hotel is standing in the midst of the burgeoning development of the eco-city, Nuvali. I’ve often passed by this place en route to Tagaytay and Batangas and I was just in awe of the fast-paced development since last I went through here. I couldn’t almost recognize the place. Nuvali, in Sta Rosa, Laguna is now a destination itself, not just a transit stop and Seda Nuvali is ready to cater to guest, weather business or leisure, to experience living in this eco-city.
I didn’t travel that much the month of July this year, but I did take on one of the most interesting magazine feature I’ve done so far. Maybe I was looking for a change than the usual destination stories on beaches, hotels or food but more on the people and personalities. The InFlight Magazine assignment brought me around the different towns around Laguna de Bay to discover the creativity, the richness of the culture and the masters of art. I have written them on the blog yet but it’s something to look forward to. Here’s to give you an idea.
I love theme parks! I enjoy them ever since I can remember. It’s one of those places where you seem to enter a different world beyond the entrance gates. And it’s that time of the season once again where theme parks spark back to life. We may not have Disneyland in the Philippines but we do have Enchanted Kingdom which has been the country’s premiere park since it opened in 1995. It’s been almost a couple of years since my last visit, so I gladly took their invite on their Media Appreciation Day and see what has changed.
It’s been quite sometime since I have visited Enchanted Kingdom, considered as the premier amusement park in the Philippines. So when the opportunity came through an email invitation from Myla of Enchanted Kingdom to take part on the event, I thought this would be a fun day and decided to join in with the other bloggers. The last day of the month of January pays tribute to the king of rock and roll – Elvis!
