A Quick Dip in Subic Forest View's Pool

Last Sunday, we headed to Subic to follow our barkada who stayed overnight in Subic Bay Forest View where they rented a couple of villas with 3 bedrooms and 2 toilet and baths. The villas were air-conditioned which was a welcome respite from the summer heat.

When we arrived, they were just about to have breakfast so we just lounged around.

But after a while, our younger girls got restless so HB accompanied them to take a quick dip in the pool.

No doubt, Fiona had a good time!

Road Trip: Baguio-Aritao Road

From Baguio, our next destination was Cabanatuan. The regular route was to head on down to Pangasinan via Kennon Road or Marcos Highway, turn left in Rosales and pass by the towns of Cuyapo, Guimba and Talavera. Travel time was about 3 hours when we took this route a couple of years back.

But due to our wanderlust, we wanted to take a different route this time and my boss had been reading and talking about this other road. And so we excitedly took the Baguio-Aritao Road which is a more circuitous route.

We started our journey at 10:20 am when we left the hotel in Baguio, headed down to Pacdal Circle, and turned on Ambuklao Road.

After about an hour, we saw the Ambuklao Dam. We stopped for a short break and took some shots.

The Ambuklao Dam spillway

The Ambuklao Dam

We proceeded on and passed by a fork on the road: the left one leading to Bocod (which leads to the Halsema Highway going to Banawe and Sagada) and the Mt. Pulag National Park (jump off point for mountaineers) and the right road leading to Kayapa. We took the higher road on the right and continued on.

After about 30 minutes, we stopped to check our bearings and got out of the car. As soon as I stepped out, I noticed the scent of pine. It was so surreal.

Forty-five minutes later, we reached the town of Kayapa, the first town of Nueva Vizcaya (coming from Baguio). But the road trip was far from over and we trudged on more winding roads.

After one more hour, we reached the Maharlika Highway and turned right on the junction. Total travel time for the 104-kilometer highway was three hours and fifteen minutes.

From this point on, we had to crawl several times along the National Highway due to the many road menaces called tricycles. We traversed through the towns of Aritao and Sta. Fe. By this time, it was already close to 2:00 pm so we decided to stop to take our lunch on a roadside eatery.

Then we continued on. We climbed up the winding road that is the Dalton Pass.

going up the Dalton Pass

Many portions of the road were not good. Buses expertly navigated this zigzag road while trucks with extremely heavy loads crawled.

Upon reaching the top, I was on the look out for the Dalton Pass marker. After a few more meters, this marker came into sight.

Road marker separating the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Nueva Ecija

view from the top of Dalton Pass

going down the Dalton Pass

Several minutes later, we reached flat plains and saw vast rice fields. Nueva Ecija, after all, is known to be the "rice granary" of the Philippines. We continued on and passed by the towns of San Jose, Munoz and Talavera.

It was past 5:00 pm when we finally reached Cabanatuan City.

sunset on Barangay Arcadia in Cabanatuan City

The view of the sunset was a befitting conclusion to our road trip. Though the travel time was longer, I must say that it was worth it because the journey was, indeed, very rewarding for the senses.

Pasalubong Shopping in Baguio Public Market

Squeezed in a quick detour to the Baguio Public Market to buy my usual pasalubong stuff for my girls. For more than 3 years now, I have a suki stall where I go. (I wanted to take her picture beside her stall but she refused.)

Here are my purchases:

cornic, Php 35 per bag or 3 for Php 100

chocolate crinkles, Php 35 per pack (1 dozen) or 3 for Php 100

chocolate flakes, Php 60 each

lengua de gato, Php 80 each

honey, Php 150 per bottle

When in Baguio, the usual pasalubong fare, aside from fresh strawberries, vegetables and flowers, are the Romana's peanut brittle, strawberry jam and Good Shepherd ube. I also recommend the Sagada oranges which are usually sold at Php 80 per kilo (about 2-3 pieces). Various flavored sausages can also be brought home as pasalubong. The usual 'flavors' are garlic, hamonado and Vigan-style. Handicrafts and woodcrafts are also favorite souvenir items. Some hoard Ilocos-made blankets.

The Baguio public market is a favorite one-stop area for souvenir and pasalubong shopping. The dry goods section is relatively clean and devoid of smell. A personal pet-peeve though are the local kids pestering tourists to buy their plastic bags or sack bags. Some even offer their service to carry your bags for a minimal fee. My suki also tipped me off about pickpockets and she advised me to place my bag in front of my body.

Going to the Baguio Public Market is an experience one shouldn't miss. There's a certain thrill in getting good finds at bargain prices (compared to that of Manila) offered by this market.

On The Road Once More

I'm here right now where the air is cool and pine trees abound.

The Malabrigo Lighthouse (Faro de Punta de Malabrigo)

From the Andrea Beach Resort, we took a 15-minute drive to get to the southernmost tip of Lobo to take a glimpse of the Malabrigo Point Lighthouse.

The drive was mostly on narrow winding roads along the coast of Lobo. The view of the deep blue sea was simply breathtaking.

As with most lighthouses, the Malabrigo Lighthouse sits on top of a hill. This particular parola (the Filipino word for lighthouse) is situated on top of a cliff overlooking the Verde Island Passage in between Batangas and the island of Mindoro.

A short climb on a steep winding unpaved road leads to a glorious sight. True to the words of Rosanna Harper Alonso, editor of Faro de Malabrigo: Story of a Philippine Lighthouse,

"... the lighthouse looked like a grand lady dressed in her white finery. Under a blue and cloudless sky, she was a striking structure surrounded by an ocean aura of romance."

Built in 1896 during the Spanish colonial period, the lighthouse has been declared as a national historical landmark. It is one of the only 24 remaining lighthouses which date back to the Spanish era.

Below the cliff, the sight of clear blue water was awesome.

Sea below the cliff of Malabrigo Point in Lobo, Batangas

Of course we didn't leave without getting our souvenir shot.

Mi tres ninas en Faro de Punta de Malabrigo

Sunset at Lobo, Batangas

One highlight of our Lobo trip was when we sat down on the shore to capture the sunset. A couple of my friends had their DSLRs to take that perfect sunset shot.

photo courtesy of DH

I, on the other hand, had my reliable and ultra-handy point-and shoot Canon Ixus 100 IS. I tinkered with the settings and came up with these shots. (I swear, no enhancements were made. Photos were just framed and watermarked using Photoscape.)

These first two pictures were taken on auto mode.

The Canon Ixus 100 IS comes with preset modes of shooting situations. I just clicked on the sunset mode and proceeded to shoot.

This is my personal favorite.

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Andrea Beach Resort in Lobo, Batangas
The Malabrigo Lighthouse

Andrea Beach Resort in Lobo, Batangas

Lobo, Batangas is a not so popular beach destination but that's where our barkada ended up last Thursday. Getting to Lobo was an adventure in itself. Google provided very little and vague information about Lobo. The website of Andrea Beach Resort (where we stayed) said that the resort is 45 minutes away from Batangas City. In reality, it was about an an hour and a half drive of mostly winding (read: zigzag) and unpaved (read: rough) road traversing Mount Liguayen.

The resort had very basic amenities. But the best thing was that the rates were very reasonable. They had air-conditioned rooms ranging from Php 1,500 to 3,500. Best of all, they allow guests to bring in and cook their own food for a minimal corkage fee. The resort owner's daughter who manages the resort and the local staff were all very pleasant.

The resort also offers dive packages. Boat rides to dive and snorkeling sites could easily be arranged with the local boatmen.

The beach was rocky but the water was crystal clear. Aqua shoes are a must. We laughed our heads off as we recounted that while we arranged for the reservations, we were told over the phone that the sand was neither white nor black. Indeed, there was very little sand!

But the sun and sea were picturesque.

That, coupled with good company make for a nice getaway.

this photo is courtesy of DH