Honda Bay Island Hopping

The day after our underground river tour, Bobby and I joined the island hopping experience at Honday Bay. The package tour cost Php1,100 per pax inclusive of transportation, entrance fees, and lunch. Vanessa, our tour guide, told us that there are 13 islands on Honda Bay but our tour only included two islands and the Pambato Reef. The van picked us up at around 8:00 a.m. and we proceeded to Sta. Lourdes which is 12 km north of Puerto Princesa City. At the wharf, there are plenty of pump boats that transport tourists to the islands of their choice. There are entrance fees though. The most expensive is Php 500 per pax at Dos Palmas. After registering, we rented our snorkeling gear and waited for the boat assigned to our group. Before we left, we were instructed to wear our life vests else, we would be fined Php5,000. Our first stop: Pambato Reef From our boat, we were transferred to the floating platform by a turtle floater that could accommodate up to four persons at a time. The place is shallow hence, boats are not allowed to get near. Before we went down for our snorkeling adventure, schools of fish swam around the platform. Wow! We didn't even need our gear to view the fish. Then it's snorkeling time... I truly treasured the moments as I appreciate the various live corals and fishes undersea. Time seemed to stand still as I snorkeled side by side, holding hands with Bobby. Second stop: Snake Island It was high tide when we came at around 10:00 a.m. so we could not see the long stretch of sand bar formed like a snake. We did not see much fish when we tried fish feeding. Maybe because we stayed in a shallower area. We just ate the crackers we brought. After our sumptuous lunch of grilled fish, pork, eggplants with oyster sauce, salted eggs with tomatoes, shrimp paste and green mangoes, the tide slowly receded and there it was, the long stretch of snake-shaped white sand bar! Third stop: Starfish Island The island is famous for its white sand and clear water that teems with starfish. Bobby just took a log and propped his head on it for a nap on the shore near an old cottage. So relaxing... On our way back to the wharf, we passed by the Lu-li Island. The name is derived from the word lulubog-lilitaw or sinking and floating island. Here it is at low tide.

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River

It was my second time visiting this nominee to the New 7 Wonders of Nature. The first time was in August 2007. What makes this visit more special is that Bobby was with me on a package tour to this famous UNESCO world heritage site. On our way to Sabang (81 km north of Puerto Princesa City, approximately 2 hours of travel by van) which is the jump-off point to the river, we dropped by the Buenavista view deck for a short break and have a view of the Ulugan Bay. Then we proceeded to Sabang and ate our lunch while waiting for our turn to be transported to the next stop. By the way, the package tour cost Php1,500 per pax (we were given a Php100 discount by our contact) inclusive of transportation, permits, entrance fees, and lunch. After a 20-minute boat ride, we reached the cove that leads to the cave entrance. As we passed through the boardwalk, we saw a lot of monkeys in the trees. There were even monitor lizards on the ground. The boardwalk led us to the waiting area going to the cave. The outriggers plying the route can accommodate up to 10 passengers and there was a long queue. Finally, it's our turn. We were seated in the front row and Bobby had the privilege of holding the lamp powered by a car battery so we would have a clear view of what was inside the cave. Here we come... stalactites and stalagmites. Pillars and columns of different formations, shapes of vegetables, animals, and other images. Awesome! Thanks to our boatman who gave us background information as we sailed. He kept on describing and pointing to us the unique features of the karst formations... plus the timely jokes. It was just a 45-minute ride but it gave us the opportunity to appreciate one of God's wonderful creations. The place truly deserves to be in the top seven wonders of nature. (By the way, always check your camera. Ours did not work even before we left for the trip so we had to rely on our camera phones. I was not able to take any pictures inside the cave. Photo from philippineholidays.com.au)

ARMIS Training in Palawan

RMIS coordinators train on Agriculture Research and Management Information System (ARMIS)on April 21-23, 2009 at Asturias Hotel, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

It was serious work and fun combined. Much much more fun when we ended the training and had our city tour.

At Mitra's Ranch in Sta. Monica (ooops, you can't see now the view of Honda Bay)

At Baker's Hill (famous for its hopia and beautiful gardens)

At Crocodile Farm (these are the baby freshwater crocodiles)

At Iwahig Penal Farm where we bought souvenir items made by the prisoners. Where's the picture?

At Baywalk (it was fun posing and jumping for the shoot, didn't care if there were people watching us...)

Hard Decisions

Every day in our life we make decisions. From the moment we wake up until the time we sleep, there are several options to choose from. It could be as simple as what to eat for breakfast or where to go to after work. There are times though that we are brought to situations where we have to make hard decisions. It entails weighing the options not only once, but twice,... We always wanted to arrive at win-win solutions. It happened to me just recently. I was torn between two important commitments. I was even questioned about my decisions. It was truly hard and stressful but God made a way so I can have both with some compromises. Hard decisions... Life is full of it.

Babsy Meets Tibo

What do you expect when a dog and cat meet face to face? You guessed it right! It's usually quarrel time and that's what happened between Babsy and Tibo. You've met Babsy before. Let me introduce Tibo. 

Since it's summer break, Amyel brought home their pet cat in Los Banos. She was worried that the cat would die because no one is around during the break to feed and take care of him. By the way, Tibo is short for Tiburcio. I think Tibo looks more like a female cat while Babsy appears to be a male dog. What a mix! When Babsy met Tibo for the first time, it was the usual cat-and-dog thing. Babsy growled like a tiger and grabbed Tibo's tail. Poor Tibo had to run for his dear life after that "warm" welcome from his new friend. Perhaps Babsy was just jealous because there's a new pet in the house. She has been used to having all our attention and TLC (tender love and care) ever since she came. Since then Amyel has tried to condition Babsy by bringing Tibo close to her every day. She thinks that in due time Babsy will get used to Tibo and they will be the best of friends. Maybe, someday...

Because He Lives

"Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!"

Because He lives,
... life has meaning and purpose,
... there's victory over death,
... hope springs eternal,
... our faith is not in vain...

Lenten Season's Reflections

Times have changed. People have changed. I have witnessed the observance of Holy Week more than 40 times. Definitely, it has changed. Gone are the days when there was no TV program to watch but the Ten Commandments and the Jesus film. It was usually quiet, particularly during Holy Thursdays and Good Fridays. Of course, there are still those people who do penitence and adhere to their "panata". There's still "visita iglesia" but there's also "visita Boracay" and visits to famous summer destinations during the week. There's the "pabasa" or "pasyon" but in some places, it's done in more upbeat tunes. For some entrepreneurs, it's still business as usual. Easter has become highly commercialized. Mall sales, Easter bunnies, and egg hunting have highlighted the as-important occasion as Christmas. Whatever has kept us busy during the Lenten season, may we never forget the life and sacrifices of Jesus more than two thousand years ago. Born to die so that man may live.