MY FIRST REAL CLIMB

Although I’ve already been to three mountains, first was years ago, I don’t remember the name but I’m with college batchmates to do tree planting in one of the mountains near Dupinga, Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija. Second was Mt. Samat. I’m with friends here but we cheated. We rode a tricycle up and down the mountain because we have an itinerary in the afternoon.

After months of planning with my friend, finally, we pushed through with our plan of climbing Mt. Ulap. I knew there’s already a lot of blogs about Mt. Ulap so I’ll cut to the chase, itinerary and expenses.

DAY HIKE (January 22, 2017)

11 PM – ETD at Victory Liner Cubao
4 AM – ETA at Baguio City
Breakfast then walked to Lakandula St to ride Jeepney to Itogon
5:30 AM – ETD at Baguio City
6:20 AM – ETA at Ampucao, Itogon, Benguet (Brgy Hall/ Elementary School)
Registration and getting a guide. My friend and I joined a group of 4.
7 AM – Start hike
9:30 AM – ETA at Second Peak (Gungal Rock, 1814masl)
We waited 2-3hours for our turn to have pic.
12:30 PM – Camp Site 2
1:11 PM – Start traverse to Sta. Fe
3 PM – ETA at Sta. Fe
6 PM – ETD from Baguio
12 MN – ETA to Manila

I read a lot online before pushing through with this hike. A lot of people said it was an easy hike and beginners can do it. Yes, beginners can do it but, a lot of shortness of breath moments and it will take a lot of time going up. We didn’t get to the third peak because it’s getting late and there’s a lot of people that day and there’s hike traffic along the way. 

Unsolicited Opinion: I want to hike it again and I wanted to start from Sta. Fe Ridge. It may be steeper than from Ampucao Trail but there's ladder-like steps to walk on.

EXPENSES:
450 – Cubao to Baguio
31 – Baguio to Ampucao
100 – Registration Fee
600 – Guide Fee
50 – Sta. Fe to Baguio
600 – Baguio to Cubao (Every bus schedule were fully-booked that day. This is a UV Express fare)
500+ - Estimated budget for Food

TIPS:
- Wear comfortable clothes.
- As much as possible, make your backpack light-weight.
- You need a lot of water and/or Gatorade.

GALLERY:

On the way to this and we already experienced shortness of breath.
First time climber here without preparations.

To the viewpoint. There's actually a photo-op place at the top of this.

Jumpshot before my legs get sore.

Ambanao Paoay. First Peak.

Yaaaay! Second Peak.

Waited 2++ hours for my turn to have a pic to this famous Gungal Rock.

Our hiking group. Strangers we met at the Registration.

Camp site 2. Where the comfort room is located just don't expect too much.

Yes, there's a store around Camp Site 2 where you can buy food and made
them cook noodles/canned goods for you. The prices were a bit higher
but it's good that you can eat hot food.

The hanging bridge was an indication that you're almost finished.

Hold on a little more and you're almost there.

It felt so good to see the road. We survived!

MY FIRST SOLO TRAVEL

So last November 2016, I finally crossed out traveling alone in my bucket list. I was supposed to be traveling with my friend but she’s been promoted and her leave was not approved. I already have tickets and I can’t rebook it again since it’s already rebooked. I remembered the weather that time was not good but I still pushed through.

          My scheduled trip to Baguio was 11 pm. There’s a lot of people in the bus station because it’s almost weekend. Luckily, I had my trip scheduled, no need to queue in the long line. I arrived in Baguio City at 4 am. I stayed the bus station for a while before going to the other bus terminal bound to Sagada. The first trip to Sagada was 5:30am. I thought Sagada was near Baguio but it was far, 6 hour drive.

      I arrived in Sagada in the afternoon. I tried to find a house to stay after paying the MANDATORY Environmental Fee. Since it was a Saturday, there’s a lot of tourists and almost all inns were fully-booked. Luckily, I found one but there’s this group of three people with me looking for a place to stay. They beat me to the room but I ended up joining them. So much for being alone but it turned out great that I joined them because going around Sagada requires tour guide and a car. We split the payment for the tour.

3D, 2N Sagada Itinerary

Day 0

11 PM – Departure from Victory Liner Cubao

Day 1

4 AM – Arrival in Baguio

5:30 AM – ETD from Baguio

12 NN – ETA to Sagada

Afternoon onwards, we spent eating lunch and napping after the long travel. You can do community tour at this time. We ate at Salt n Pepper for lunch and at Sagada Brew for dinner.

Day 2

5 AM – Kiltepan View for Sunrise (Epic fail because it was rainy weekend)

7 AM – Rock Inn for breakfast and Orange Picking

11:30 AM – Echo Valley

1 PM – Lunch at Yoghurt House

2 PM – Caving Connection (Short Course)

4 PM – Bokong Falls

Day 3
Well this day consisted of buying pasalubong, packing bags and checking out of the inn. We booked a 2PM bus trip back to Manila from Sagada.

EXPENSES

450 – Cubao to Baguio

220 – Baguio to Sagada

35 - Environmental Fee (mandatory)

1500+ - Food expenses for 3D2N (Yes, food is expensive in Sagada)

1500+ - Pasalubong expenses (or more depending on how much you shop)

817 – Tour Package (x6, from 4 to 6, includes Guide Fee and Van)

600 – Hotel Accomodation for 2N

720 – Sagada to Cubao (courtesy of Codalines)

Conclusion…

I didn't get to maximize my time in this trip but I had fun and also got a chance to be strangers. It was scary but you just have to do it. 

Sagada is a place for adventure and it should be done by group to minimize the expenses and to be more fun but also, it’s a perfect place to be alone if your goal is staycation because of the cool weather. 

Start planning your trip and enjoy. :)

GALLERY:

Sagada, Mt. Province Map

Kiltepan View (no sunrise because it was raining)

Orange Picking at Rock Inn

Hanging Coffins at Echo Valley

Inside the Sumaguing Cave

Bokong Falls

THE REGINE SERIES EXPERIENCE

     PLDT The Regine Series Nationwide tour ended last September 11, 2016 and I’m still having separation anxiety about it, hence, this post. The series started last year.

 

     This mall tour was about the new PLDT telsets featuring the Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez as the voice of PLDT HOME.

 The series started 14^th of June 2015 at Robinson’s Magnolia (http://pldthome.com/home/regine-series-mall-tour). I was still working in Sucat, Parañaque that time and I came from work. I can still remember the struggle of working while staring at the time waiting for me to punch out. Haha! Luckily, my schedule for that day was 6AM-2PM. I punched out of the office exactly at 2PM (show starts at 3PM). I went to the mall tour with my workmate/friend that I invited her the very same day. We rode the first bus that passed by and praying that we’ll make it in time and we did. The show already started when we arrived, fortunately, there’s some pre-show (guests and games). The concert started around 4:30PM to 5:00PM and lasted an hour and a half. It was so amazing that it was not just any mall tour. It was a FREAKING concert and it’s so worth it to stand up for 3 hours. It was my first time to hear her live singing Break Free and Chandelier. It was perfect as usual.

     Next stop was at Robinson’s Place Manila 6 days after. She sang the same set of songs but who cares, she always did something unexpected during live performances.

     The last ones were held at Ayala Malls. It happened 2 weeks after and week after week. Some songs were replaced with new ones (not literally new) but it always felt like you heard it for the first time. That’s the magic.

     Third stop was at Metro Market Market in BGC, Taguig. A lot people came as usual. I was late that day and that’s why I wasn’t able to watch it properly because I was at the far right side of the stage. She sang 2015 reginified versions of It Might Be You, Burn and Fall for You.

     Second to the last was at Glorietta. I stand for 5 hours but it was all worth it because she gave a completely wonderful show.

     And lastly, the tour concluded at Trinoma Mall in Quezon City. We, the fans, were seated in the super front seat, mosh pit area of the mall’s activity center. It felt amazing to watch her sing up-close and personal.

     The Regine Series mall tour last year has been great. Not only she gave amazing performances, she also gave a chance to share the stage with new singers through the series’ guests. I was so blessed to have witnessed all five shows and all in all, these series has been a success.

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     Not long after the first The Regine Series Tour kicked off its season 2 and PLDT was so kind enough to make it nationwide. Season 2 of this tour consisted of 7 stops, Bacoor, Pampanga, Cebu, Davao, Megamall, Dasmariñas, and Lipa City from April 2016 to September 2016. This season has been a memorable one for me because the tours happened in some of the important dates of my life.

     This season featured new telsets to choose from and new gadgets that can be included to your PLDT HOME DSL plans like smart watch, smart bro pocket wifi, and iPad mini.

     The Regine Series tour started at SM Bacoor at the same date as my birthday so it’s really the best way to celebrate. I won a VIP seat from PLDT so I get to seat inside the venue. New songs replaced the old songs from the last year’s set list. She sang Adele’s songs Hello and All I Ask. (Search her live version on youtube)

     The VIP seat I won comes with a meet and greet so after the show, I got to have a picture taken with her. She’s having a headache in our picture but she still managed to finish everything. (I am with my friend who lives around the area who’s been a fan also. Credits to RVF for the picture.)

     Second one for this year was at SM Pampanga. The venue was not that far so I traveled with my friends to the venue all together. The show was fantastic. My friends and I were seated at the fifth row from the front seat so we did enjoy everything.

     There’s a game before the show started and I joined because I wanted to get the prize. I didn’t know that we were going to dance so as embarrassing it was, I danced and I got the prize. XD

     After Bacoor and Pampanga, the series went to Cebu and Davao. As much as I wanted to go there and watch, I can’t because I needed to ride a plane and it’s expensive and I have work to do. :D

     The Visayas leg of the tour happened at SM Cebu. Regine’s friend Donna Cruz who lives there joined her on stage and they sang I Can from their iconic movie “DoReMi”. It’s so good to see them both on stage performing. Regine sang new songs including Sana Nga from “Pangako Ikaw Lang” movie OST, Nina Medley (Someday, Jealous, I don’t want to be your Friend), and a Cebuano song called Usahay.

     After a week from Cebu, there came Mindanao leg of the series that happened in SM Davao. The set list was composed of the old and new songs from the entire series including the songs from last year.

     The fifth stop of the series happened at SM Megamall Fashion Hall. It was my sister’s birthday but I still came because it was just nearby. The day before this event, the city was experiencing lots of rain brought by the Southwest Monsoon. It even flooded in front of the gate of our house and I was kind of hoping it’ll get cancelled but it was pushed through, rain or shine. Fortunately, the day of the event didn’t rain and the flood in front of our house was gone. It was really meant to be and we got rewarded not only with her high notes but also with the slits on her dress. ;)

     During this event, they introduced Nate and Baste as the Smart Watch endorsers. This gadget is ideal for kids’ use and for those parents who were always out for work so they can still monitor their child.

     The series came back to Cavite for its 6^th stop. It was held at SM Dasmariñas. I decided to come alone and just meet my friends at the venue. It was a special day because it was my college friends’ 6^th anniversary but we didn’t celebrate that day so I went to the event.

     It was raining that day so I decided to wear shorts and Regine is wearing shorts too. (She’s wearing a romper outfit.) It was always worth it going to her live events. I wanted to join the ‘Bring Me’ Game because I wanted to have the ‘The Regine Series’ shirt and I knew I had to dance again after it but I lost and their prizes that day was the bag I got in SM Pampanga. And then came Michael Pangilinan’s spot in between the show, like a commercial, he sang songs and explain something about PLDT HOME DSL plans add-ons. Suddenly, he asked single ladies from the audience to stand-up, I low key knew he was going to give an iPad because he did it first in SM Megamall but I didn’t expect it to be me. He asked me to kiss him on his cheeks which I was so hesitant about because I never kissed a guy. It was awkward and kind of an embarrassing experience for me. I think I said some stupid things on stage. I asked him if he’s not going to sing for me because he did all the time in the past malls. I think there’s not enough time for him to sing for me. He was so lucky though. XD

               It was raining that day so I decided to wear shorts and Regine is wearing shorts too. (She’s wearing a romper outfit.) It was always worth it going to her live events. I wanted to join the ‘Bring Me’ Game because I wanted to have the ‘The Regine Series’ shirt and I knew I had to dance again after it but I lost and their prizes that day was the bag I got in SM Pampanga. And then came Michael Pangilinan’s spot in between the show, like a commercial, he sang songs and explain something about PLDT HOME DSL plans add-ons. Suddenly, he asked single ladies from the audience to stand-up, I low key knew he was going to give an iPad because he did it first in SM Megamall but I didn’t expect it to be me. He asked me to kiss him on his cheeks which I was so hesitant about because I never kissed a guy. It was awkward and kind of an embarrassing experience for me. I think I said some stupid things on stage. I asked him if he’s not going to sing for me because he did all the time in the past malls. I think there’s not enough time for him to sing for me. He was so lucky though. XD

     The day ended so great minus the fact that I left my blue jacket on the chair which I wore for the very first time. I still haven’t move on from that one but hey, I got an iPad. Hahaha… I feel so blessed that I even knew that I didn’t deserve the blessings that come my way. (See videos of the event here)

     Sadly, some good things must come to an end and this series was not an exception. Last leg of the series after 5 months of touring nationwide happened at SM Lipa City, Batangas. I went there with my friends. We arrived in the venue at 12:30PM which was 2h30m early before the show starts. The event center in the mall was small and hot. I saw it myself before the event, I went there days before to see where the show could be held. (See videos of the event here)

     A fangirl moment captured where my friends and I were shown in the LED screen on stage with her. It’s like we had our group picture. Well, we did have a group picture before she went home. She’s amazing. During photo-ops on stage, the song ‘Love Me Like You Do’ played and she sang with it. I didn’t hear it but I saw her singing with the song. I hope she will sing it live for everyone to hear. I’m sure it will be fantastic.

     Also, it was so great to hear Tuo Amore live sang by Michael Pangilinan after I tweeted him quite a lot after knowing he was the one who sang it for Dolce Amore. ;)

     The set list was composed of all the songs used in this season’s tour. She was wonderful as always. After the last song, she threw the bouquet of flowers that was given to her by the organizers to the audience and I got a chance to hold it myself. J And also, I got a chance to have the iPad mini, I got last week, signed. I think she’s dyslexic when it comes to my name but I don’t care. She always make me feel special in her own way.

     The Regine Series Nationwide Tour ended on a high note. Hopefully, we’ll have another season next year. We still have a lot of malls to go to and I’m sure it will favor her fans based in the province.

     This show was not only about the product she’s endorsing but also about giving a chance for new artists as her guests and her fans to shine through the Regine sing-a-like contest which I’m sure all the contestants didn’t care much about the prizes but sharing the same stage with the Asia’s Songbird. It’s everyone’s dream, hell, it’s my dream too (who doesn’t?) but I still haven’t got courage to do it. XD