How far can Bubbles go?

Travel Dates: July 25 to August 2, 2015      By the time we arrived to Maafushi Island, we don’t have a prior hotel booking, but some staffs from nearby hotel were waiting at the port and offered their room to us.  We followed them and stayed at Picnic Inn for 45 USD a night. This is for off-season rate, because it is 2-3 times higher during peak season.  Then we moved to Dhonveli View and Narnia.        Staying in hotel in a local island will save you a big amount of money for accommodation and food.  While a private island resort with beautiful white sand beaches and over water bungalows will cost you about 500-1500 USD a night for a room only.  But we don’t want to get stuck in one island and will not get to experience the daily life of locals.      The next day, we went for snorkelling with a lunch at sand bank.  Riding a speed boat with other tourists, our first stop was Banana Reef. ...

Travel Date: February 7-8, 2015      We decided to visit Calaguas in February, because there was no rain and the weather forecast was good.  But we overlooked to check the gale warning which is how strong the force of the wind during that week.       Our boat sailed the beautiful greenish river with scenic banks going out to the vastness of Pacific Ocean.  From afar before we reach the mouth of the ocean, we can see already the towering raging waves.  We were so frightened and unsure if our boat can pass through.  At that time, you will think of withdrawing or continuing the trip.  But our boat managed to ride the huge waves for an hour.      The fear was gone the moment we came closer to Calaguas Island.  The nearby islands we passed by were so beautiful and virgin.  All beaches boast a long white sand and lots of coconut trees.  The moment our boat approached the beach of Cal...

Travel Date: November 26-27, 2014 The Long Mile Barracks      The Japanese-American War during WWII happened many years ago, but its battlefields remain some of the most popular historic landmarks we have in the country.   One of the most important is Corregidor Island.      But the trip here is quite expensive if you will book a regular rate.  Luckily we grabbed a good deal at CashCashPinoy website for a package tour to Corregidor.  It includes hotel accommodation, guided tour, lunch buffet, and a round trip ferry transfer.      Here in Corregidor Island you will journey back in time and tour through tunnels, ruins, batteries, and graves via tranvia bus.  The tour guide will bring the battleground to life through stories plus the light and sound animation effects inside the Malinta Tunnel (main tunnel only).  With the guided tour, you will learn more about the island aside from the information t...

     Whether you are an art enthusiast or not, you will love Pinto Art Museum located inside a village in Antipolo City.  The museum is big enough for you to consume 2-3 hours going around and interpreting their artworks.  The galleries are painted in white and designed like a vacation houses.  The garden is lovely.  It’s like you’re spending some time in your favourite resort.      They have great collections of Filipino contemporary arts.  Colourful paintings and even black and white.  Intricately designed mixed media and sculpture - small and big.  So many for your eyes to feast on.      If you get tired and hungry, you can visit their cafe and order some food and drinks.  Although, we never tried it.  They look delicious, I guess...       I highly recommend this place because it’s not your ordinary type of museum.  It’s educational, enjoyable, and rela...

Travel Date: June 15, 2014      A popular day trip among locals and just 2 hours away from Manila, we travelled to Tanay, Rizal to visit Daranak Falls and Calinawan Cave.       The hike to the falls is easy and near the entrance area.   Entrance fee is cheap and you can rent a cottage if you want.  There are public toilets and canteens to order food.  The falls is small and the water is clear.  It is deep so you can jump if you want.      After the falls, we hired a guide to bring us to Calinawan Cave.  For only 15 or 30 minutes of hike, we reached the area and hired another guide to the cave.  Going down the cave we saw stalactites and stalagmites.  What amaze me were the shiny stalactites crystals.  I never expect that I will see one here because of its proximity to Manila.  There were number of levels to explore, but we did the easy one.  The cave is beautiful and f...

     It was my lucky day!  Finally, I could see now the entire volcano!  But it was my second visit already.  The first time I went here, I never got a chance to see its peak because it was covered with clouds.  The view is really breathtaking! Cagsaua Ruins Where to Stay?     Mayon Backpackers Hostel

Travel Date: April 6, 2014      You have to see this ancient artwork!  The carvings that are believed to date back late Neolithic Age (6000 BC to 2000 BC) are engravings of animals, people, and other shapes.  It was the national artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco who discovered the engravings in 1965 while leading a boy scout troop on a hike.      If you are fond of history and know how to appreciate a high value treasure, it is a must that you visit this site.  Also, there is a small museum for artifacts and something to read about the discovery.      To protect the petroglyphs (scientific name for carvings), they installed a wooden view deck to prevent the visitors from touching it.  Some are hardly visible.  I think you really need to get really close to observe and identify some of the carvings.  How to get there?      The easiest and cheapest way to go there if you are com...