When Pulag Chose Me

at the start of the year, i decided to accomplish some things.

that includes being able to go to three new places.  by may, i was able to see four new places and it includes mt. pulag or as they say the "mountain of the gods."  

i do not earn a lot and to go to these places was a struggle that until now i am facing.  well, i exceeded my budget because of these:

yup, i have reached the highest peak in the island of luzon.  was i scared?  hell yeah!  i thought i was gonna die of fatigue yet we were still at the ranger station and have not started the actual trek yet.  we are not yet talking about the six-hour bus ride from manila to baguio and the four-hour ride from baguio to the jump off site.  

at the beginning, i told myself that i'll bring my things with me during the climb and that i will not hire a porter. but after a twenty-minute "walk" from the ranger station to the jump-off site, i definitely told myself that i badly needed a porter so i can truly enjoy the climb.

i was prepared to join other groups as i registered by myself with a travelling agency.  lo and behold, i met these workmates at the bus station and was totally surprised that we were on the same trip!  yay for friends!

did it rain?  totally.  slept with a wet and cold blanket as the moisture from the rain got inside of our tent. literally felt like a "basang sisiw."  i shivered and was tired from the trip but i was prepared for these things.

this is my prize for reaching the top and working my fat ass.  just beautiful.

in the past, i have told myself to never climb mountains.  i have fear of heights and honestly, i am not that physically fit.  i am lazy and i like eating double rice.  but after reaching the top and see the beauty of God's creation, i begin planning again my next climb.

of all climbs that i did in the past, this has to be the most challenging.  yet, it was also the most beautiful that i had.  i had to endure travelling with a 12-kilo bag that i thought i could manage to bring it with me at the top but realized early on that i could not.  i had to slip a number of times in the muddy paths and had to stop to breathe.  there were times that i could not feel my legs anymore and there were those times also that the cramps that i had made my eyes sweat.

however, i relished on every moment of the climb.  there were no regrets for sure as i  i felt the sacredness of the climb and of my intentions that i will keep to myself.  i never felt more human and more capable.  

thank you for choosing me pulag!

Fun

okay, i was kidding.

i had to post now or it will take a lot of energy to fight off my laziness.  so yeah, i have been traveling here and there.  now let me show you where i went last april 26.  again, i was with people from work- new and old colleagues.  batangas was the place and it was the first time i had party under the sun.  one word: fun!

Coming Back

where do i start?

i could start with my trip to calaguas and how i got to meet new friends.  the beautiful island was not embarrassed to show its beauty.  my eyes could not stop staring at its beauty.  the sun was just highlighting the scenic shots that i had on my phone.  case in point, these:

 

 

these friends that i met treated me like their own.  got drunk with them and laughed so hard that i asked myself when was the last time i had so much fun like that .

i could also start with the unit outing to potipot island in zambales.  except for the food poisoning from indulging into too much food, it was a blast.  the laughters, the bonfire night and the trip to this island:

 

well i guess you have an idea now what kept me silent from this blog.  i still have to talk about my trip to batangas and pulag.  

this post will do for now.

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

there are moments in your life when you have to decide on things even if they will put you in uncomfortable places.  there will be risks.  there will also be disappointments.  however, have you ever thought what if none of those risks will happen?  or those disappointments will never come to life? luckily, i decided that i have to go on with the things that i have planned.  even if i will have to go to a new place alone, again.  you know what, it is the best thing that has happened to me this year!

as i write this, i just got back this 2am from calaguas island in camarines norte after travelling for 2 hours by boat and another 8 hours by van.  the boat rides were one of the longest and wildest that i had in my entire life.  in addition, the travel by van has prevented me from sleeping since the roads leading to calaguas were literally like the intestines of a chicken.  hence, the name "bitukang manok."

but as they say, you really have to work hard to be able to achieve greater things in life.  as for the trip, it was all worth it.  here, take a look:

Excited Much

all my bags are packed and im ready to go...

but problem is, i don't know when im going because until now, the waiting is not yet over. i still have to wait for that decision so you might ask me, why?

the next batch is set to leave on the 29th and that is exactly five days from now. will i be included with that batch? maybe yes and maybe not.

i wish i will be; so here i am, preparing should the heavens be merciful on my desperate plea to leave this hot place. there will be few things left for me to take care of when the date is finally confirmed. if given the chance, id like to have the pdos on monday but hey, my agency will still have to give me the go signal.

as i have started to believe in the power of attraction, i set my efforts towards that one goal so do not blame me for being excited.

Mediterranean Sea

let us move to the other places that make alexandria one of my favorite places in egypt more than giza and cairo.

punta naman tayo sa mediterranean sea. isang malaking bansa ang egypt ngunit hindi gaya ng pilpinas, hindi ito nahahati sa mga pulo kundi ng isang malawak na lupain na binubuo ng mga bulubundukin, disyerto at kapatagan. dahil dito, maraming bansa ang nasa border ng mga ito pati na rin ang isang importanteng dagat, ang mediterranean sea.

ang dagat na ito was an important route for merchants and travelers of ancient times that allowed for trade and cultural exchange between emergent peoples of the region — the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek, Illyrian, Levantine, Roman, Moorish, Slavic and Turkish cultures. the history of the mediterranean region is crucial to understanding the origins and development of many modern societies. for the three quarters of the globe, the Mediterranean Sea is similarly the uniting element and the centre of World History (wikipedia.org).



dun sa unang post ko about the qaitbay citadel, matatanaw na ang dagat mula doon. kuha ito sa taas ng citadel.



isang lighthouse mula sa iba't ibang anggulo. sa lugar na ito, nakaramam ako ng kapayapaan mula sa pressures ng trabaho at ang noon na nalalapit kong pag-uwi sa pilipinas.



nagustuhan ko rin yung ideya na sa kabilang dulo ng dagat na ito ay europa na. kahit hindi man talaga natanaw, pakiramdam ko nakarating na rin ako ng europa.



paborito ko ring kunin sa litrato ang sunset o sunrise. ewan ko pero dahil siguro sa mensahe na ipinaparating nito na laging may pag-asa sa bawat pagdating ng bagong araw...

Bibliotheca Alexandrina

this is a continuation of my posts about my trip in egypt. i am now going to talk about the Bibliotheca Alexandrina or the Library of Alexandria.



walking to the entrance of the library.

it is the major library and cultural center located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. it is both a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria that was lost in antiquity and an attempt to rekindle something of the brilliance that this earlier center of study and erudition represented (wikipedia.org).



eto ang bubulaga sayo pagdating mo sa main entrance ng library. sobrang ganda na you can't help yourself but stop and take a good look at it.

ito siguro yung library na literal na pwede akong tumira sa sobrang ganda ng architecture at sobrang amazing lang talaga. i am lost for words for kung gano kagara ang silid-aklatan na ito that is why i had to go back the following day para talaga makapasok at mamasdan ang ganda nito.



yung library, pababa siya sa loob. you will see later. dito sa picture, merong mga nakaukit na hieroglyphic characters.

naisip ko, kung ganito kaganda ang mga library saten, wala na sigurong magiging tamad magbasa upang matuto. nakakatuwa talaga kasi yung pakiramdam ko, hindi ko maipaliwanag. nung bago pa ako pumunta ng Egypt, sinabi ko talaga sa sarili ko na kailangan kong makapunta sa library na ito. kailangan kong mapuntahan ang mga sinaunang lugar na nagkaroon ng puwang sa ating kasaysayan at sa awa ng Diyos, nakapunta ako sa mga lugar na iyon.



ganito lang naman ang itsura ng library sa loob.



ang library na inakala kong sobrang luma e sobrang modern pala. kahit nasa malayo ka, alam mo na iyon na ang library. ang arkitektura, sobrang moderno mula sa tubig na nasa labas nito, sa planetarium at maging sa loob mismo ng gusali. ang ganda talaga kaya't napakaraming turista din ang nagpupunta dito upang mamalas ang ganda niya.



isang napakalumang printing machine...




bitbit ang mga pasalubong...



ito naman ung isa sa landmarks ng alexandria. paglabas sa library, ito ang bubungad sayo.

hanggang ngayon, madalas kong inaalala ang mga panahon na namasyal ako sa alexandria. ibang mundo kasi kumpara sa buhay sa cairo at giza. tahimik pero ang modernong ihip ng hangin ay nandon. maunlad ngunit pinapanatili ang sinaunang pagkakakilanlan. puno ng kasaysayan at ang kultura ay makulay.
kung magkakaroon ako ng pagkakataon na makabalik sa egypt, isa ang library sa babalikan ko.

Qaitbay Citadel

happy thoughts naman. i have no regrets of working in egypt. in fact, i am really thankful for that chance of gaining experience and the chance to tour the beautiful country.

nung magdecide na akong aalis from the hospital, i made sure that i will be able to visit majority of the tourist spots egypt has to offer. though naging magastos, i really had great time.

aside from the pyramids, madami pang lugar ang egypt na talaga namang sobra sa ganda. i will start first with my trip to alexandria particularly sa qaitbay citadel.



The Citadel of Qaitbay (or the Fort of Qaitbay) is a 15th century defensive fortress located on the Mediterranean sea coast, built upon/from the ruins of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, in Alexandria, Egypt. It was established in 1477 AD by Sultan Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Qa'it Bay (Wikipedia.org).



The front view of the Citadel.



Inside the Citadel. This is the ceiling.



this view is just so majestic. i was standing in the back part of the Citadel facing the Mediterranean Sea.



i felt like i was in europe. more to come!

Pyramids at Sphinx

nangangati akong magtagalog. kaya kahit malapit na ang ielts exam ko, gagamitin ko muna ang ating sariling wika.

nung nagtatrabaho ako, maraming bagay ang tila napabayaan ko. nandyan ang aking kalusugan pati na rin ang komunikasyon sa mga ilang mahal ko sa buhay. naging abala sa pagpapahinga mula sa 12 oras na pagtatrabaho.

ngayong wala na akong trabaho, nagkaroon ako ng oras para gawin ang ilang bagay na noon ko pa dapat ginawa. isa na rito ang pagpopost ng mga larawan kuha sa egypt. kaya heto, sisimulan ko sa mga kuha ko sa pyramids at sphinx.


sa taas ng pyramids.


perfect shape.


ang sphinx at ako.


nasolo ko rin!


ang panorama. ang tanging lugar kung san kuha ang tatlong pyramids


inspired by coldman's visit in aspen

Charltoninho Meets World

isa na akong ganap na ofw hahaha. sa katunayan, naghihintay ako ngayon sa abu dhabi international airport para sa aming biyahe papuntang cairo, egypt. more than 12 hours ang aming hihintayin para sa aming susunod na biyahe at habang sinusulat ko ito, pagod na pagod ang buong katawan.

first time lahat ang mga karanasan ko sa biyaheng ito. simula sa pagpasok sa naia 1 habang nabobo ako kung ano ilalagay sa tray sa mga gamit na titignan hanggang sa nahuhuli lagi ako sa pagchecheck in. first time sa buong buhay ko na labis akong nauhaw sa tubig and yet nag-iisip ako kung bibili ng tubig na nagkakahalaga ng 40 pesos para sa 500ml. first time din na nagugutom ako and yet nagiisip din kung pwede ba akong kumain gawa ng simula ngayon ng ramadan ng mga muslim.

mahirap pala ang mag-abroad. ever since na magkaisip ako, i always wanted to go abroad to live and work there but reality just hit me big time.

well, it is just the start and i still have to make adjustments and condition my whole mind and soul that i need to endure all of these to be successful.

pucha, ang baho lang ng ibang tao dito at napakabland ng mga pagkain. shocks papayat talaga ako dito. at ang mga indians? naku mukhang hindi nila alam ang ibig sabihin ng privacy. napakadaming pinoy dito sa abu dhabi lalong lalo na sa mga duty free shops at mga cabin crew ng etihad airways (ang sinakyan ko at ang flag carrier ng uae). gusto ko ng maligo at magtsinelas!