Eco Tour to La Mesa Ecopark

Work has been giving us headache and too much stress lately so to unwind, Anne and I decided to go on a nature trip to La Mesa Eco Park in Quezon City last Saturday, April 28, 2007

We planned to meet at McDo Quezon Ave. at the early hour of 8 AM but due to our usual office schedule which ends late at night, we were late as usual. :p Anyway, after a healthy breakfast and some grocery shopping for snacks at Hi-Top, off we went for another road trip. Following our map and after a few wrong turns, we finally reached our destination at approximately 11:20 AM. First stop was at the ticket booth where we paid for our entrance fee, then bought tickets for the 30-minute boat ride at the Superferry Boating Lagoon. Our boat’s name is Camiguin and we were the first boaters J. I was expecting for a boatman to accompany us but to my surprise, it was us who should do all the rowing. Hesitant and at the same time excited, we got on board. The person in charge was kind enough to give us instructions on how to row and also took a picture of us. Since we were not really experts in rowing, the first few minutes were a mess. At times I became confused with the backward-forward thing so we were always heading in the wrong direction. We were laughing so hard at our silliness which made rowing harder hehe. But we learned to master it and we were able to enjoy the serenity of the lagoon. Rowing is tiring but it sure is a good exercise.

After freshening up, we went down the road to check out on the other facilities and activity areas. We passed by the pool but we were not able to see it entirely because the perimeter was covered with plants and trees. We also passed by the Lopez Picnic Grounds then the Ipil Grove Pavilion. Farther down the road is the Shell Flower Terraces. I was really excited to see this area as I wanted to take pictures of all the different flowers in bloom and I was not disappointed. After a few pictures, we took the 116 steps (Yeah right! I counted the steps :p) that led to the top of the terrace where we get to see the La Mesa Dam. What a sight! But picture and video taking was not allowed. We decided to rest for a while under a big flowering tree at the Shell Flower Terraces to avoid the heat of the sun. While resting, we were also busy shooing away the ants that kept on crawling on us hehe. Next stop was at the Petron Amphitheater, an auditorium in the middle of the park wide enough for groups to conduct activities. After a few minutes of rest, we continued on to the Butterfly Trail and Hatchery. Sadly, we were able to see only few butterflies. The Butterfly Trail and Hatchery was the last on the trail.

On our way back, we followed another trail that led to the Petron Fitness Trail. There were more than 15 exercise equipments that can be used. We tried on the Monkey bars (where I was super stretched because of the wide spacing of the bars) , wood lift, rope climb and another one but I forgot the name. Each equipment comes with an instruction. What a cool area.

Last stop was at the Fishing area. We did not fish though. We just borrowed a fishing rod from a good fellow for props in our picture taking hihi.

On the way back to the parking area, we bought some cool refreshments to quench our thirst. The sun was terribly hot that day but we did not mind at all as there was still the cool breeze of the wind from time to time and the parts of the trail is covered with trees that provide shade.
Of course this trip would not be complete without Sony moments J (my camera’s Sony so I’ll not use Kodak :p). It was well documented with 140 amazing shots and 3 videos. San ka pa whewhe!

Bunso’s Graduation

Finally! Our bunso has graduated from college after 6 long years. His course: Bachelor of Science in Forestry. I’ll not complain anymore why it took 6 years. The more important thing is that he already has his diploma. He just has to pass the board exam and then find a job. I just hope he finds one that’s related to his course. Congratulations bro!

Where did all these people came from?

I spent this weekend in Baguio and I planned to go back to manila by 3PM thru victory bus after a quick visit to Brennet (Auntie Gina's niece) at Pines Doctor's Hospital. Upon arrival at the terminal I was surprised and disappointed because there were many people waiting for their trips. There was a long line for the chance passengers. Boy, I thought it was only on holidays that people that many come up to Baguio? Oh well, maybe these are the people who did not want to go along with most o the crowd last Holy Week. Expecting the worst thing, I still decided to check the available trips at the ticket booth, hoping against hope that there are additional buses and earlier trips. Upon landing on the second floor, I saw the longer line. That's when I stopped hoping. When I checked on the available trips, the earliest is already 8:20 PM, which is not possible for me since I am meeting my friends in Manila for Tita's birthday celebration. Lesson 1: Baguio, being the summer capital of the Philippines will always be overflowing with people during peak seasons especially during summer so we should always make bus reservations. After calling Anne and complaining abut my predicament, I hailed another taxi and asked the driver to bring me to the Dagupan Bus terminal. As I was on my way to the ticket booth, I realized I did not have enough cash so I made a detour to the nearest ATM. Heck, I was so sure I would be riding Victory that accepts credit card so I did not bother for additional cash. Lesson 2: It's still a long ways for the Philippines to becoming a cashless society so have some enough cash always. Anyway, with enough cash, I went back to the ticket booth of Dagupan bus, and was able to buy a ticket for their 4:30 trip to Pasay. Lesson 3: Dagupan bus already has trips to Pasay. That’s good news plus the fact that they have cheaper fare. The last time I rode their bus, their trips are only until Cubao. That settled, I went to Jolibee to grab a bite and blog while waiting for my trip. Go along

Weekend Road Trip: Destination – Tarlac and Manaoag

It was Joe Benj’s (who happens to be my 6th godchild) christening last April 14, 2007 so Joey invited us to celebrate with them in Tarlac. Thanks to Anne’s Innover and her passion for driving, we did not have to commute. Her passengers this time were: Jason, Jem, Weng, Fides and me.

Meeting time was supposed to be 1 PM at SM North but as always, Anne’s passengers were late hehe. We left Manila at around 2:20 PM, hoping that we’ll make it to the 4 PM event. We were lucky traffic was not too heavy so after a long drive, with a call to Joey and Jerome every now and then for the right directions, we were able to reach Liezl’s family’s residence at 4:04PM, just in time for the christening! Whew! I was relieved hehe. Tita and Ron had to follow later because they still had to fetch Pey who’s coming home from Japan. Jerome brought his own car and driver (tsotsalan! :p) so he was the first to arrive in Tarlac.

After the baptismal rites and some picture taking, we went back to Liezl’s place where dinner was served. The food was sumptuous and so yummy! Lutong-bahay eh :). r group (Sykes and former Sykes peeps) had a great time exchanging stories. At around 7 PM, Jerome, Jason, Weng and Fides bade goodbye and went back to Manila, while the rest of us stayed for the night. Joey reserved a house for us in a resort near their place. When PBB airtime was already near, Anne and I begged the others to go to the resort where there’s TV. After some more convincing, the guys finally gave in hehe. Hey, it’s eviction night and I was so excited to see Dionne out that night :p (but unfortunately, it was Zeke :(). Upon arrival at the resort, we went directly to where the TV is. After the show, we went back to the nipa hut where the guys are and bonded with them. When exhaustion has taken it’s toll on all of us, we finally bade goodnight in the wee hours of the morning.

Early the following morning, Anne and I got ready for our trip to Manaoag. The rest, except for Tita, were still sleeping when we left. Aided with a map prepared by Pey and Joey the previous night, we hit the road again. We stopped by Luisita for a coffee at Starbucks and a quick breakfast at Jolibee. Along the way, we found out that there were places Pey failed to put in the map hehe. We finally reached Our Lady of Manaoag a little late for the 10 AM mass. We heard mass, received the priest’s blessing (with holy water), took pictures in between masses, prayed some more then we were on the road again, back to Manila this time.

It was a tiring but fun weekend spent with some of the most important people in my life. I cannot ask for more. :)

Me @ 28!

Celebrating 28 fruitful years of my beautiful, challenging and entertaining LiFe!