my new Lakbayan grade!

YESSS!! My new grade increased a notch! =) So what's Lakbayan? Click HERE. And before we go to my new Lakbayan grade, here's a rather longish backround --

July 2007 is what I consider my freedom month -- finally my formal education was over AND I WAS FREE!!! =) Six years of primary education, four years of science high school, four years of college in UP, four years of medical school and one year of post-graduate medical internship has taken a toll on my creative self. Mind you, 19 years of straight schooling (breaks during summer and Christmas vacations only) with good grades to boot is quite a creativity killer. I felt like an artist imprisoned and struggling to get out of the system and unleash my art on the world! Errmm, I'm not really an artist in the real sense okay?? Hehe!

Anyhoo, I realized in July 2007 that I just wanna loaf around for some time and not worry about what my parents will think about my life. You know how parents are, always worrying about their kids -- multiply that to infinity and you get my parents' worrying level ;-) I was set to take the August 2007 Medical Board Exam but my inner self kept on telling me to rest and nourish my soul. My inner self knew that once I'm a licensed doctor, my parents will not let up and will just pressure me to go into Residency (and then go into practice as a Specialist and so on) immediately. There would be no respite for me then =(

And so I put my foot down and "promised" that I will take the Medical Board Exam on February 2008. Of course, we all know that didn't happen coz Labsie and I announced our engagement that month and my parents were caught up in the excitement that their only daughter is getting married to think about my Boards. Hehe! ;-) Anyhoo, since I was off the hook and free to do what I want, I went traveling (with my family, of course). From October-November 2007, I was all over Luzon (Makati, Manila, Subic) and Boracay. I also spent time in the pretty Samal Island beaches with Labsie =) Then on December 2007, my family went to General Santos City (Gensan) and Lake Sebu. 

My Lakbayan grade is B!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan! Created by Eugene Villar.

Yup, that's my new Lakbayan grade above =) I was B- in mid-2007 and now I'm a B! Whee! All the traveling I did for about 6 months really made a difference. YEAH!! Aside from my late 2007 trips, I traveled anew early 2008. The plan was to have a road/sea trip from Visayas to Mindanao. Awesome huh?? My grandmas were very thrilled about it =) So on March 2008, we flew to Iloilo City (from Davao) then rode a barge to Bacolod City which belongs to the province of Negros Occidental that we explored. From there we drove whole day to Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental. The next day we rode a barge to Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte where we visited Jose Rizal's home and the awesome Dakak Park and Beach Resort.

Then we criss-crossed Mindanao to reach Kidapawan City, my grandmas' hometown. We passed by several cities like Dipolog, Ozamis, Iligan, Cagayan de Oro, and other places I'm not familiar with. Hehe! In April 2008 I went back to Makati/Manila to scour for cheap wedding supplies in Divisoria. Our family also went to cool Tagaytay and visited Manila Ocean Park + Malabon Zoo =) After that I was busy reviewing for my Boards and planning our wedding. My last trip for 2008 was our honeymoon to Makati, Manila, Laguna and Coron in Northern Palawan which was more than awesome!! I still have to blog about Coron so stay tuned for that! ^_^ How about you? What's your Lakbayan grade? How much of our beloved Philippines have you seen?

DAKAK baby!

Need I say more? Hehe! Yesterday my lolas and I finally set foot on the world-famous Dakak Park and Beach Resort. My parents have been there several times and pointed out the changes in the said place.Ü As for me, it was love at first sight. Upon entering Dakak, you're greeted with lush greenery and the beautiful vista of a mountain meeting the sea. But unlike other seaside resorts (in Boracay, Samal), Dakak is situated in a cove. Thus, all is calm - there are no big waves that lap its white sand beach. Ahh, serenity while swimming..Ü I could go on and on about how wonderful Dakak is but space is running out! I just hope I have the opportunity to visit it again, and this time, stay for awhile.. BLISS!

good morning Dapitan!

Yesterday we boarded a barge in Dumaguete at 4pm and docked in Dapitan at 8pm. We proceeded to Sunset Boulevard (a street with the sea on one side and hotels + restos on the other) for a late dinner.Ü This morning I woke up seeing people crowding by the beach and I investigated what was the snafus all about. It turned out that the fishermen returned with the day's catch -- full of JELLYFISH! I never saw so many jellies in my entire life and in different colors at that! The fishermen weren't happy coz jellies can't be sold and rarely eaten. As for me, I had a great tym squishing the cute sea creatures while taking pics! :-) After my beach 'adventure', we went to Rizal's House in Dapitan. Another culture-laden trip!Ü

back in Dumaguete!

After nearly 2 years, I'm back in the city that housed the world famous Silliman University :-) We arrived in Dumaguete yesterday evening after a brief trip in the Twin Lakes of San Jose, a nearby town. We only saw Lake Balinsasayaw, the larger one, coz Lake Danao is only accessible by boat (30min trip) and there were no rides anymore as it was sunset already.Ü The photo above is Rizal Boulevard, the famous seaside stretch in Dumaguete, akin to Manila's Baywalk without the stores and hordes of people. Perfect! :-)

Chocolate Hills in..

..Negros Occidental! Yes, believe it or not, the Negrenses have chocolate hills (more like green hills, hehe) too! Though not as many as in Bohol, the hills still provide a pleasant diversion for those traveling by land towards Negros Oriental.Ü We left Bacolod earlier today (after having breakfast at Bacolod Golf and Country Club) to go to Dumaguete City, a four hour trip along the mountain ranges of Negros Occidental. The roads were winding and full of curves, the view magnificent, the climate cold. Yup, very much like the road up Baguio City :-) We're in San Carlos City right now, the half-way point, to have our lunch.Ü

Negros Museum Tour

Yesterday we had our tour in the Negros Museum, and boy, I learned a whole lot about Negros history vis a vis the Philippine history! Did you know that Negros was a republic for 1 year in 1898? And that the Negrenses were the first to stage a bloodless revolution? That Manila's prominent families are from Bacolod and the nearby provinces? Alunan, Lacson, Ledesma, Lopez, Magalona, Montinola, etc, etc. Even the family of Jose Mari Chan (the singer) and Susan Roces hailed from Bacolod!Ü Also in the museum were relics and machines from Sugarlandia's heyday, paintings, and working appliances (GE fan, phonograph) from early 1900s. My lolas (pictured above) enjoyed the tour and had lots of questions for the guide. It was truly a memorable experience for us all!Ü

Angry Christ Church

Another day in Negros Occidental and another day for sightseeing! :-) This time we went to the heart of Sugarlandia - Victorias Milling Company. Aside from acres and acres of cane, there are factories, circa 1900s staff houses, a clubhouse, and the Angry Christ Church. The altar of the said church is pictured above. Jesus doesn't look angry to me but my mom said her hair on the back of her neck stood up :-S What intrigued me, however, was the symbol of a triangle with an eye inside. It's not on the photo above but on the painting in the ceiling. I think it was the Illuminati symbol.. Very intriguing!Ü

FRUIT BATS!!

Or so I presume, hehe! See those stuff hanging from the tree branches? Those are the bats sleeping outside down! After our lunch, we proceeded to Mambukal Resort (still in Negros Occidental) where there are hot and cold springs, boating lagoon, butterfly garden, wall climbing facilities, slide for life, hanging bridge and waterfalls. Its a really cool place especially if you love water and nature :-) But what fascinated me were the big bats (3 ft wing span!) sleeping and flying on the treetops. I kinda expected guano to hit my face, but thankfully none came. Hehe! Check my YouTube for bat videos next week :-)

smile! hehe!

It's another seafood laden lunch for us here in Bacolod! Yeah!Ü Yesterday we had lunch in Breakthrough, Iloilo's most famous seaside resto. We had super delish shrimps, baked scallops, crabmeat sisig and lapu lapu soup - all for only P700! The 5 of us were all full and very satisfied :-) Now (in 18th St. Pala-Pala Restaurant) we had scallops, shrimps and lapu lapu again PLUS oysters, grilled pork, fatty hito sarsiado and Ilonggo pinakbet. Again, the food were all yummy! :-) Oh yeah, the giant fish head above is part of a 3-ft lapu lapu. HUGE!Ü

Au revoire Iloilo!

Around 6am today, we left Westown Hotel (one of the newest hotels in Iloilo) and made our way to Dumangas Port. The port is part of GMA's National Nautical Highway project (RORO or roll-on, roll-off) that aims to connect the Philippine islands through ships and ports. For our part, we'll ride a barge to Bacolod City at 8am and we'll arrive there about 10am. Easy and cheap traveling eh? Perfect for the middle class afflicted with wanderlust! :-) Thanks GMA!

Molo Church

This Spanish era church is one of the most beautiful old churches I've seen. I wanted to go to Iloilo Cathedral but Papa didnt know the way and we ended up in Molo Church. Hehe!Ü The church was made in 1866 (!!) and has old-style pulpits and confession boxes. There are lots of wood carvings, statues of saints and stained glass windows. Really beautiful! Sigh.. :-)

Ted's LaPaz Batchoy!

Morning guys! After shopping the whole afternoon in SM Mandurriao (one of the 3 SM malls in Iloilo!) yesterday, we just rested in our hotel. SM was having a 3-day sale and since my lolas are shopping addicts, SM was a priority. Hehe!Ü We just finished our breakfast in Ted's LaPaz Batchoy here. There is also Ted's in Davao but the batchoy broth there was oily, salty and MSG-laden :-S The broth here is almost clear, flavorful but not salty and with a hint of sweet taste. I demolished my special batchoy in 10min, hehe!

Just landed in Iloilo!

After 1 hour and 30 minutes of traveling from Davao, my two grandmothers and I finally arrived in Iloilo's brandnew international airport. According to my father, it just opened last November. Cool!Ü My parents planned to visit Bacolod, Dumaguete and nearby provinces to tour our grandmothers. Last year they toured the lolas in Luzon tourist spots, Bohol and Boracay. Yup, my parents are GOOD children! :-)