Realizing A Famous Post Card from Grade School

Iligan Trip [Dec.15, 2013]

On the eve of our last day in CDO, my friend and I talked about what we wanted to do before our 1PM flight the next day. We planned to just go to Centrio Mall and buy pasalubong. We let go of the idea of going to Iligan because of how limited our time was. It just wasn't possible and we cannot afford to miss our flight.  After good night's sleep, we woke up around 6AM and began packing. While doing so, my friend and I discussed how much we enjoyed our trip but we were both sad that we missed seeing Ma. Cristina falls. A few minutes later we headed downstairs for breakfast and talked about other stuff. Secretly, my mind was wandering off to the possibility of still pursuing our sidetrip to Iligan. My mind was in a battle of all the pros and cons. When we were seated, the waitress came to get our orders and I asked her (again after asking several people already) about the time it takes to travel from CDO to Iligan and then Iligan to Laguindingan airport. Time check: it was already past 7AM. The waitress said we can go to the terminal and take the bus for maybe 2 hours and then the way back to the airport from Iligan would be just around an hour or so. While I was talking to the waitress, my friends just listened and did not show any signs of protest. I bet she was in the same stream of thought as I am. After we calculated the hours we have left, we thought, we could seriously miss our flight to Cebu. So, NO. We shrugged the idea off (again) and simply enjoyed breakfast.

As we were heading back to our room, my friend said: "Too bad, I will not be able to wear the set of outfits I have prepared, like my favorite orange shorts and my new blouse..." And with that simple statement, all my worries disappeared (temporarily) and I just decided that we should go. We definitely should. And without any hint of hesitation, my friend agreed. We left our hotel in no time and reached the bus terminal in a matter of minutes! This was the amazing race (against time) that we chose to bring upon ourselves. Haha! More than being scared, we both were happy we did.

While on the bus, I hurriedly scanned through my notes and studied how we can reach the NPC power plant  the fastest way possible. I did not sleep through the entire trip. I just can't. I just watched the movie that was on. By the way, the bus that we took was really comfortable, very clean and the ride was very smooth all throughout. I wish I could say fast too, but heck, I was thinking fast and furious kind of fast just so we can  get there already. After the movie credits rolled, an hour and several minutes later, I realized we just have to be in Iligan by now. I checked my phone's GPS and it said we were still several minutes away. My friend and I just kept staring at the window and the road before us to get any kind of indication that we are near. Just closing in on the second hour of our trip, the driver finally announced that it was time we alight the bus and we did. We needed to look for a multicab to take us somewhere in the city where we can hire a tricycle to get us to NPC. We looked at the time and realized we only have 1 hour to spend. It was 10AM already and we had to leave for the airport before 11AM so we can make it to our 1PM flight. I wanted to scream and vomit my anxieties away. We found a multicab and waited for it to get full with passengers. It seemed like we were waiting forever! Two minutes of waiting seemed like an hour until finally we were on our way. Oh and take note, we absolutely have no idea which way we should go.Everything was all too unfamiliar with this city and with the rate this forsaken multicab was going, I was pretty sure we would not make it. I asked my friend if we have some money left to hire a taxi and get there faster. She said we'll see how much the driver would ask. So, in the middle of the city we alighted from the multicab and hailed the first taxi we saw. Negotiated for a bit and agreed to pay Php 300 for maybe a good 10minutes of just picture taking and that he will take us back to the bus terminal. The driver agreed and after maybe 20 minutes, we are finally here.

The minute our taxi came to a stop, we just dashed and snapped away!

Yes, we were running across the grounds of NPC power plant. People must have thought we were crazy.

I guess they were right. Hahaha!

According to the signage, we cannot go beyond this gate to get near the falls. The security guard motioned us to climb the stairs. Oh my! So we ran the stairs up to the second floor.

Her Majesty, Ma.Cristina Falls is a sight to behold!

She was worth all the trouble, worth the time and definitely the money!

You can stay under those huts for picnic with family and friends. Maaaybe not for us today. Remember, we only have 10 minutes to spend here and it was nearly 11AM!

After running to the 3rd floor and getting a last look at the falls, we bid her farewell and hurriedly left. Running and catching our breaths in between steps. Thank goodness manong driver was very kind and took us straight to the bus terminal. When we arrived, the driver opened his window and asked the terminal personnel if there was a bus going to the airport and he replied: 

The bus just left. 

Those words resounded in my ears and resulted in a heart-wrenching feeling and made my whole body numb and very weak at the same time. My friend and I gasped but didn't talk to each other. We're done for it. But then the next few words from the terminal guy sparked every inch of energy left in our system. He then said:

 But you can still catch it at the traffic light. Go!

And our driver sped away and went after the bus until we were just a few meters behind. Our taxi was honking and beeping and  our driver was waving his hand out just so the bus will stop and wait for us.  To cut the drama short, YES! we made to the airport in the most perfect time. Thank heavens! 

This last leg is one for the books. I will never forget this trip.

The Drop of Our Lives @ Dahilayan

According to Dahilayan Adventure Park's website: www.dahilayanadventurepark.com
Dropzone features a 120 ft. freefall into a man-made lake. Swoop to within a feet of the water surface making it an adrenaline pumping screamer of a ride. This is the Philippines' first extreme pendulum swing of its kind.

Bukidnon Trip [Dec.14, 2013]

""On this perfect day..nothing's standing in my way. 

On this perfect day..nothing can go wrong." 

True enough it was a great day and the weather was perfect, the sun was out and the wind was cold.

My friend and I made up our minds early on that we will definitely do this at Dahilayan.

Yes we've heard of the longest zipline in Asia and we want to do that too. But this new offering is just as exciting and thrilling! So, why not? After settling the fees, we walked our way to the dropzone. We knew we were getting close because we heard someone screaming. Woah! It made us laugh and run closer to get the view of what was happening. When we got there, we saw two people way..way...up in the air swinging back and forth and screaming their lungs out. Just as we were nervously looking up and convincing ourselves if we should get on with it, the guide said: you're next!

Waaaaaah! After the guides gave us instructions, they strapped us up and wished us the best. Hahaha!

Well there's no backing down now. This is it!!!! 

The first thing that happened was that we were hoisted up and farther away from the "launch pad". Suddenly the man-made lake seem smaller, the guides were smaller and everything else seemed further.

I was so anxious to pull the cord, (yes I 'volunteered' to be the one to pull the cord in an attempt to establish control), that I kept on asking if it was time to do it. It wasn't time yet though because we have not stopped moving. We were still getting higher and higher by the second and I just couldn't imagine how far we were from the ground. I was sooo scared but I kept it all inside of me. My friend kept saying that we were so high up already and I just continued to make her feel fine by saying, no, we're okay. We're going to be okay. But I wasn't really. I was scared! And just then, we stopped moving and the guides signaled to pull the cord. And yes I did! But it didn't work the first time. OH NO!!! I pulled harder the second time and off we go screaming like we're going to plummet to our deaths anytime so...

but of course we didn't. Instead we had the most exhilarating feeling and we just continued to scream as we swayed back and forth 120 feet above the ground. How cool are we now?! Hahahaha!

Our altitude made our stomachs flip over and over and the swaying made it even worse, but we survived. We're hardcore like that!

Kudos to our guides who documented our every move. We were having so much fun! One second we're laughing and the next, we're screaming again. 

Oh and by the way, the view was a killer!

Touchdown! Praise God we made it safe!!!

WE LOVE DROP ZONE!!!

Be Spunky and Just Do it!

Boracay Water Sports!

[Sept.15-18, 2012]

The adventure-seekers that we are, wanted to take advantage of the best of Boracay's watersports---of course at a price that we can all afford. Thanks to Yong referral, we were able to get a great package deal of 3 activities. Since it was Amihan season were winds and waves were strong in Boracay, our guide "Faith" (by night) took us to the other side of the island were the weather was calmer. 

Since it was just near, we just walked going to the other side.

A pose with our boat behind us...

First activity in store for us was helmet diving. Though not really new for me, still, it was exciting!!!

We had to wait in line for our turn to go down as others have arrived at the jump off point earlier than us.

No worries! It gave us more time to process what we were going to, how we are going to do it, plus, we get to see others before us who find it difficult to conquer their fears of diving. Some of them took time to decide to finally go down the ladder. By the way, each helmet weights 26kg! But of course, underwater, it will probably weigh just a few kilos. Manageable. Haha!

A few minutes more and it was our turn, I was the first one to go down for our group.

I was a bit confused why they asked us to kneel when we can actually stand with our helmets on. The sand was killing my knees--and to think I had to wait for the rest to come down. Oh and we were on our knees the whole time! Anyway, it was still fun though what with all the fishes around.

We were about 5-10meters deep, so it wasn't really all that scary. It was great sharing the experience with friends. Especially when fishes began to draw near us when we were feeding them with bread.

The whole helmet diving experience lasted only for about 30 minutes and then we had to resurface.

It was some "fishy" experience!!!

Next activity for us is the Flyfish!

This is actually our first time to ride this thing. So we were all soooooo pumped up.

Oh my!!! So this is how it is! Waaaaah!You have to hang on to the handle bars for your dear life.

Without a doubt, another buwis-buhay activity for all of us.

The speedboat driver exactly knows what he was doing to us. Waaaah!

Just like the wheel of life...there are times when we were down...flat on our faces...and 

there were times when we were up. I'd say yes to another ride!

I had sooo much fun despite the fact that I fell. Haha!

Can't wait to get going for our next activity...

 Parasailing!!!

I have often dreamed of riding a parasail for so long having lived in island with lots of 5-star resorts.

That was all I could do back then--only dream. But now, I get to finally experience how it feels!!

 I was excited of course but I was also very scared!! Good thing they made us ride in pairs.

So, we decided to go first. After all the safety harnesses are in place...

 off we go....waaaaaaaaaaah!

 The winds were definitely top-notch that day. It was perfect for parasailing.

 As we were released farther and farther, the wind blew us higher and higher and suddenly the speedboat becomes smaller....and smaller. Then suddenly all we see from above is a great view of boracay island surrounded by the sparkling blue waters. It was surreal. It was a humbling experience, for me, everything else just looked beautiful from above. And though, the winds were so strong that it felt like we were going to detach from the boat, still, I enjoyed every minute up there. It was just beautiful. 

I will never get tired of saying that.

Like what they say, all good things come to an end. We were then rolled back down to the boat so our other friends can take their turn and experience it too.

Everyone should at least try parasailing, it will be a worthy experience!

Trust me on that.

Til then Boracay!