mt. pinatubo adventure pt. 2

date: 21 novembre 2009
who: h peeps and friends (14 people grand total)
battle plan:
2am: meet @ mcdonald's el pueblo; wait for the van that will pick us up.
3am: leave for capas, tarlac
5.30am: arrive in capas.
7-ish: get on those 4x4s and start the ride!

...

i have already lost track of time from the time we all boarded those 4x4s until the end of the trip. ;-)

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you must have watched the vids in my previous posts already, so here i introduce us four ladies making all that racket. ;-) the three guys up in front (driver, tour guide and another friend R) were silent for the most part. haha. and yes, we were fortunate enough to be in the lead 4x4 (there were three in all to accommodate 14 people) so dust wasn't really a problem for us. thanks to friend S who took this pic.

the ideal 4x4! we were sitting at first but i noticed the tarp can be moved, so we asked the driver if we could stop and take the tarp off so we could stand. so from that time on, the four of us were standing the whole time. :)

noisy girls at the back! quiet guys in front!

as i've mentioned in my previous post, our group chose the newer option of taking the skyway, which took us on a longer 4x4 ride to the jump-off point which is about an hour or so depending on how many stops we made for foto ops. here are some pics i took of the amazing views along the 4x4 route:

blue, blue sky. the perfect weather for travelling.

the two other 4x4s

amazing lahar walls carved by the elements.

the hills are aliiiiive... again! it's amazing to see that almost two decades after the devastation wrought by the mt. pinatubo eruption in 1991, lots and lots of green have sprouted again.

even the aetas have come back to the place they have called their home for years.

sulfur and shadow.

the trek to the crater took all of us roughly 30 minutes, what with more foto ops and all. for someone without exercise for the longest time, except in preparation for this trip, this crazy traveler made it to the crater on two somewhat unsteady legs instead of all fours as she thought. all wheeziness was gone, btw, as she took in the magnificent view after the trek.

igneous rocks of different shapes, colours and sizes

large volcanic rock

tranquilité

...dot.com. ;-)

during the trek, in my concentration to balance and not slip on the stones, i almost forgot to take a vid until the last part. good thing i remembered to take out my phone to take this last video amidst the hazy vision and lack of oxygen. hey, that's a joke, ha? haha.

all righty peeps, just hit play!

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the whole package cost us P2,250 which included a roundtrip van transfers, 4x4, a local tour guide, travel insurance, conservation and skyway toll fees, and even an id with a lanyard. we didn't get the snack option offered; instead, all of us feasted on M's scrumptious pork and chicken adobo with egg. yumyumyum! :D

another nice thing about this trip is the fact that it's during the off-peak season. the place is much calmer.

if you're planning to visit mt. pinatubo, swing by travel factor's website.

mt. pinatubo adventure pt. 1

it's adventure time once again, folks. and this time, it's on to mt. pinatubo for yours truly along with a bunch of friends last 21 november.

let me set the mood for adventure with this couple of videos i took while on the 4x4 ride to the drop-off point. with all the excitement packed in these videos (which is prolly the understatement of the century), i'm sure you'll feel like you're with us. lol.

i'm not that much of a tour guide in the vids, so lemme share a few facts about this trip first. the 4x4 ride we had takes about one hour to the jump-off point via skyway. this is the new route which takes us on a longer ride on the 4x4 and cuts the trek to the crater by an hour and a half (30 minutes na lang), depending on the person's speed. but i'm getting ahead of myself. longer write-up on this coming soon. for now, just click play and enjoy!

word to the wise: better turn down the volume first. ;p

can you still handle it? then hit play! :D

coming soon: another vid and lotsa pics. ;-)

soundtripping: hare hare yukai

here's something from the new millennium for a change. ;-)

hare hare yukai is the ending song of the anime suzumiya haruhi no yuutsu (the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya). i don't really know the story as i haven't watched the anime or even read the manga. just learned about the song from some friends who danced to the song one time. hehehe. ;p well, what can i say? the song is catchy, and yes, so is the dance. really cute.

my further knowledge of this song only goes as far as who the seiyuu (japanese voice actors) are in this song: hirano aya (as suzumiya haruhi), chihara minori (as nagato yuki) and goto yuko (asahina mikuru). the boys (kyon and koizumi itsuki), who are included in the dance but have no singing lines, are voiced by sugita tomokazu and ono daisuke, respectively.

i better read the manga. or better yet, watch the anime. hehe. but as of now, i'll just enjoy listening to hare hare yukai. and the rest of the anime's soundtrack. :-)

hit play! enjoy!

from the anime




here's the vid with the seiyuus singing. (full song with encore)

beautiful mess 2

i remember being a ten year old back in 1934. one day after school, my mother brought me along to visit her sister in the office building where she worked. upon arriving, my aunt took us to the building's cafeteria. the song you're getting to be a habit with me from the movie 42nd street was playing on the phonograph as we entered. on one side of the cafeteria was this long counter with several stools lining it. my mother and aunt allowed me to sit on one of the stools to drink the chocolate malt shake my mother bought me while they had their chitchat on one of the tables. oh, i knew i had to sit still and behave, but those high stools were such a delight that i began spinning, spinning, spinning on it until i felt dizzy; my mother stared in dumb disbelief while my aunt just laughed at my childish antics and said that it's a miracle i didn't lose my malt shake in the process.

i have almost forgotten all about that certain visit until i saw the cafeteria again on my 85th birthday last may, when i decided to drop by this building after so many years.



note: oh-kay, i'm kidding about being 85 years old. but seeing this old cafeteria sure stirred up the imagination. :) btw, the first pic is the original; the second one was tweaked to look a bit older... err, does it?

again, the date is on the lower right corner of both fotos. i'm not kidding when i said that it was on my birthday when i went to this building. hehehe.

beautiful mess

books and papers on the shelf and more of them are scattered on the floor--everything's peppered thickly with lots of dust... yes, the absolute mess in this room really caught my eye. and i love it. everything's just in place for one of the most wonderful spontaneous photo ops ever. :)

the first foto is the original shot, which i took with my fone cam.


some experimentations with brightness and contrast and whatever. if not for the graffiti on the right side, one might think this was taken in 1909 and not 2009. hehe.

travel Q and A

copied this from a friend. you can do this too if you like. :)

1. would you rather travel by plane, bus, train, or boat? why? -i actually enjoy traveling by plane, bus, train and boat. =) any mode of transportation's fine with me as long as i get to my destination.

2. name the countries you've been to. which is your favorite and why? - us, australia, malaysia, thailand, france. i like all, but i wish i could have spent more time in france, which was all of 3 days. hrhrhr.

3. where in your country have you been? which place is your favorite and why? - aside from my beloved metro manila... batangas, cavite, laguna, quezon, legaspi, sorsogon, naga, baguio, banaue, cebu, leyte, northern palawan, pampanga, pangasinan, nueva ecija. my favorite would be palawan coz it was sort of like a pilgrimage to where my lola spent her childhood years (in culion island). went there with relatives and aside from exploring culion island, we went on an island safari, staying in one for 3 days 2 nights; island hopping around the calamian group of islands, and of course visiting calauit, coron and barracuda lakes and makinit hot springs. all these for one glorious week. :)

4. what do you do to kill time if you have a layover in the airport/terminal/pier? - if there's someone with me, then mega chika galore. if i'm traveling alone, i read and listen to music from my mp3. if i get bored from reading and listening to music, then i go people watching.

5. if you have a choice to go to either france or italy, where would you go and why? - there is no question. i will go to both countries. hah! ;-)

6. if you go to the beach what is the main thing that constantly bothers you? - as much as possible i don't allow anyone or anything to bother me while i'm at my most favorite spot in the world. (any beach, that is)

7. how long has it been since you last traveled? - 1 month

8. where did you go on your first airplane ride? - los angeles, ca

9. what three things do you always bring with you to your travels? - moleskine and pen (yeah, i'm old fashioned like that), and camera.

10. what is something you would definitely see in a highway? - aside from the usual vehicles, i expect to see fields... lots and lots of green fields!

11. do you over pack or under pack? - i guess overpack. i always say i have to travel light but i always end up with lotsa extras.

12. if you could visit a country for its cuisine only, which country will it be? - japan and greece

13. do you think flying first class is worth the money? - doesn't matter. i get upgraded anyway ;-) LOL

14. have you ever had to use a barf bag? - never

15. would you rather have an uninterrupted one-month (28 days) vacation in a year, or four seven-day vacations spread throughout the year? - the latter would be good. that way my vacay time won't be used up all at once, and i can choose different destinations.

16. would you go on a vacation alone? - someday.

17. if i cover all expenses for your vacation, where would you go? - norway

18. both pilots of the boeing 747 you are on have had a heart attack, the stewardess asks if anyone would be willing to try and land the plane with help from ground control. would you volunteer? - i just hope and pray that there is a pilot among the passengers. :D

19. what is one thing you find annoying that people do at the beach? - i only see myself when i'm at the beach. heheh.

20. would you rather take the scenic route or shortest route? - scenic!

21. when flying, do you prefer the window seat, middle seat, or aisle seat? any reason for it? - window seat, preferably sa may wings. very nice experience looking out the window while the plane is banking to the side where you are. it's like roller coaster in slow motion! and no rails! wahahaha

22. how well can you read a map? - haven't tried. i rely on memory.

23. what is the longest overland journey you have ever made? - from manila to bicol, and manila to banaue; new jersey to maryland, san francisco to los angeles

24. nasa is giving away free space travel packages. would you take one to travel to the outer space? - why not?

25. do you spend most of your time with other tourists when you are on vacation? - not really. might be different if i'm with a tour group tho.

26. are you a beach or mountain person?- beach, beach, beach

27. what's your biggest travel fear? what do you do to avoid this fear? - as much as possible i don't try to think of accidents. i just pray i'll arrive safely at my destination.

28. do you take your hotel's complimentary toiletries home with you? - of course. it's complimentary. :)

29. what activities do you enjoy doing when traveling? - walking, walking, walking... sightseeing, trying out delicacies, taking pictures, more walking.

30. what are the top ten places you would like to visit before you die? - all of scandinavia, japan, reunion island, uk, russia, germany, italy, andorra, spain, china

with some friends on a DIY tour of what else but manila, my manila. ;-P

honesty

got tagged by gypsy.

Can you fill this out without lying (it's not hard)? You've been tagged, so now you need to answer all the questions HONESTLY. At the end, choose at least 8 people to be tagged. Don't forget to tag me!

To do this, copy this entire message, then go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, start a new note, paste these instructions in the body of the note, delete my answers, and type yours. Easy!

Next, tag people and list their namesat the bottom. Have fun! :)

1. What was the last thing you put in your mouth?
rosquillos (finally, after so many years of not eating even one piece)

2. Where was your profile picture taken? market market (this profile pic on blogger)

3. Can you play the guitar?
Nope

4. Name someone who made you laugh today?
my bro.

5. How late did you stay up last night and why?
530am this morning. was finishing up a script

6. If you could move somewhere else, would you?
sure. depends on the place tho

7. Ever been kissed under fireworks?
no. hah. heheh.

8. Which of your friends lives closest to you on Facebook?
sherry, one of my best friends :)

9. Do you believe ex's can be friends?
maybe. i dunno.

10. How do you feel about Dr Pepper?
like it when it's ice cold. mmmmm!!!!!!

11. When was the last time you cried?
i don't remember

12. Who took your profile picture
my friend D

13. Who was the last person you took a picture of?myself.
;-P

14. Was yesterday better than today?
About the same

15. Can you live a day without TV?
sure

16. Are you upset about anything?
can't think of anything to be upset about, i just have to do what i have to do. :D

17. Do you think relationships are ever really worth it?
what kind?

18. Are you a bad influence?
get to know me and then you'll know. ;-)

19. Night out or night in?
night out. rarely do that now. woooo

20. What item(s) could you not go without during the day?
eyeglasses, radio, laptop

22. What does the last text message in your inbox say?
announcement for tomorrow's small group

23. How do you feel about your life right now?
all right

24. Do you hate anyone?
...

25. If we were to look in your Email inbox, what would we find most?
e-newsletters i rarely read, jobstreet announcements, fb notices. how sad. lol

26. Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass?\
yes

27. Has anyone ever called you perfect before?
no.

28. What song is stuck in your head?
dreaming from the soundtrack of the movie coraline

29. Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m., who do you want it to be?
my cousin whom i haven't seen for 17 years. thank God for ym and facebook. heheh.

30. Wanna have grandkids before you're 50?
no.

31. Name something you have to do tomorrow:
fix the house.

32. Do you think too much or too little?
oh, man. too much. lolol

33. Do you smile a lot?
maybe. i don't really think about it. :)

acey-chan, kuri, domjullian-----you're tagged! :D

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ps. as much as i love blogging i really don't have the time to do it nowadays, except sporadically. i even thought i wasn't going on food trips that much this year when i realized that all my food trip fotos are posted in my fb. wahaha.