Happy 5th Anniversary VAC!

I just came from a weekend relaxing getaway with VAC on their 5th anniversary. I had a great time (as always) and I will write about that travel here soon but since this is a special activity, let me send out my greetings via this post.

VAC’s 5th Anniversary official tarp picture by GP Chan

It was roughly a year ago when I first joined VAC. My experiences could be read at: https://ralphandvoluntourism.wordpress.com/gulugod-baboy-batangas/

After a year, a lot has changed!

Last year, I was an outsider. Last weekend, I felt that I belong.
Last year, I was a participant of the raffle. Last weekend, I was the host of the raffle.
Last year, Mark joined us. Last weekend, Mark wasn’t there (Anyare? hinated mo lng kami sa VAC? Haha!)
Last year, I was new with VAC. Last weekend, I was a part of the VAC family.

A lot has changed, but a lot stays the same.
Last year, I was talkative. Last weekend, I was still talkative. (worse)
Last year, VAC was welcoming. Last Weekend, VAC was still welcoming.

In a span of one year, here are achievements that I shared with VAC:
I conquered 6 mountain summits (Gulugod Baboy, Balagbag, Pico de Loro, Batulao, Manalmon, Maculot) and almost reached the summit of my first MAJOR climb (Bulusan).
I sailed through rough waves and was able to reach 2 great islands (Calaguas and Palaui).
I attended a very unique debut party (Jhopay’s Debut Ko-21st Bday!!! Walang Basagan ng Trip).
I met new people and become friends with them still (too many to mention! Gusto ko sana ispecial mention si Al, kuya Jhon, Ron, Jhopay, Agnes, Meann, Dustine, Kang, MJ, Bais, Happy, Daryl, Yani, Carell, Ed, Yeng, Kuya Levy, Lala, Graciel, GP pero wag nalang!)

My realization (habang ang aking katawang lupa ay pagod kagabi at ito ay lumaro sa aking isipan bago ako matulog):

VAC has been a blessing! It doesnt only help me add pages to my blog site but they gave me more. Through VAC I conquered the insurmountable. With VAC I can be myself. I can laugh at my loudest! Drink and be drunk as worst as I can get!I can be noisy and be over the top and be tactless but still feel that they do not judge me. I can
throw jokes that sometimes hit the respondents below the belt but instead of getting an irritated respond, I get a loud crack up. I can fall in love and get the support of everybody (ahem! love ba agad, di ba pwede landi landi lang muna? haha).

VAC has always been true to its taglines: VAC Cares and VAC will take you there!

It was a great one year and I am looking forward to more years with the group!

Once again, Happy fifth VAC!

Holy Week in the Philippines

This week  is Holy Week!

It marks the second longest holiday (probably after Christams and New Year sandwiched) in the Philippines. The government declares Thursday and Friday as regular holidays and Saturday and Sunday as special holidays. Because of the very long weekend, many people are excited of this particular week for some varying reasons.

For Roman Catholic devotees, they commemorate the death of Jesus. Many activities on different provinces are being practiced. In Pampanga, people whip their backs or have themselves crucified. In Marinduque, people act as Moriones (Roman soldiers who killed Jesus). In Batangas, many people go to Maculot and do the Stations of the Cross of Jesus by hiking through the mountains. In many provinces they have Senakulo (a play that depicts happenings found in the old and new testament of the bible focusing more on the sufferings and death of Jesus), Pasyon (singing or chanting, sometimes with accompaniment, of the life story of Jesus). Each of the provinces and municipalities country wide has their own ritual during holy week. Many devotees do this as panata (vow) as payment for a granted wish or prayer. Many also do fasting and abstinence as part of their panata. However, To those who are not that devoted, these practices were considered as entertainment and these activities would turn into street festivals.

Conquering Mt. Maculot

We sit in the mud… and reach for the stars.
-Ivan Turgenev

“This is going to be a relaxed climb,”  assured Al, one of VAC’s founders, while we were about to start our trek to the mountain. What was supposed to be an easy climb turned out to be one of the most challenging experiences that I encountered because of the rain that didn’t seem to stop. And what made it  worse was that we were still on our trail by nightfall with only a few of us having headlamps and flashlight. However, the difficulty that we encountered made us somewhat better and experienced climbers and at the same time, the bond that we shared during those difficult times had become stronger.

Click to read more:

https://ralphandvoluntourism.wordpress.com/mt-maculot-batangas-2/

Calaguas Island

The Philippines has many famous beaches and islands. However, when you mention Calaguas to people who are not frequent travellers or beach lovers,  they may not have heard of this place.  To those who have been to this hidden paradise located in the northernmost part of Bicol, just adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, they would consider Calaguas to be one of the most beautiful beaches on their list. That is what I also felt when I stepped foot on this island which I immediately considered as paradise.

Calaguas is actually a group of islands located in the municipality of Vinzons, Camarines Norte . However, the Tinaga Island which is the most famous among the group, is the one that people refer to as Calaguas. The long stretch of beach on this island is called by locals as Halabang Baybay or Mahabang Buhangin. 

Read More…

https://ralphandvoluntourism.wordpress.com/calaguas/

At the beach, life is different. Time doesn’t move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides, and follow the sun.”
– Anonymous

My First Major Climb

Mt Bulusan in all its glory (only hidden by clouds)
**Photo credit to Al del Barrio

I have written this many times that I cursed my first climb (minor at that). But after about 9 months, who would have thought that I would embark on a major climb at Mt. Bulusan  which has  a difficulty of 6/9 as determined by Pinoy Mountaineer.

Shei, Lhenie and I decided to join this climb with an intention of having a side trip to see the giant butandings  (whale sharks) in Donsol, located in the same province. But of course, I also wanted to conquer more mountains so I was really excited for this. In fact, since this was my first out of town trip for the year and thankfully my vacation leaves from the company has refreshed, I took four days off from work  (The year just started and I already consumed four!)

Also, a week before the climb, I met a few members of VAC at CCP Complex in Pasay for us to have  training (we had a few hours of jogging and stretching) to prepare for the climb. After that, we also went to a hobby shop near the Buendia LRT station and I bought my first climbing pants. Weeks before that, I bought my first pair of trekking shoes. I wanted to be all geared for my first major climb.  On my previous climbs, I just wear shorts or corduroy pants and I was always on my Sandugo sandals. (Oh diba, seryoso talaga sa pag akyat. Hehe!)

Anyway, here is how my first climb went:

https://ralphandvoluntourism.wordpress.com/mt-bulusan-sorsogon-2/

This is our itinerary and list of expenses for the entire trip:

Itinerary and List of Expenses for Mt. Bulusan Climb and Sidetrip

2012 Flashback. Five Countries Visited

I got a chance to travel to five Asian countries in 2012. It is usually very expensive to go abroad but since I consider myself to be a budget traveller, I tried to make sure that I stay within a certain range; otherwise, I would have difficulty paying for my creditcard bills and won’t be able to fund my other local travels.

So far the strategy that works for my friends and myself is to combine two or three countries in one trip. We do this because we wanted to have many stamps in our passport as much as possible.  It may be a bit tiring and sometimes the bus serves as our hotel; but being able to experience the culture of these countries and being able to see tha famous sites that each of the country boasts is just worth it. Planning the trip ahead with a detailed itinerary, checking cheap hostels online and doing research through other traveller’s blogs are some of the secrets to stay within budget.

the five countries I visited in 2012